The Yum Cha dining experience is often spectacular and eagerly anticipated by families and individuals—unless marred by tasteless meals or poor service. Fortunately, Christchurch boasts a vibrant Chinese community and, in turn, several excellent Yum Cha restaurants.
Yum Cha restaurants serve tea and small, shareable dishes known as dim sum, typically offered in the morning or early afternoon. “Yum Cha” literally means “to drink tea,” while “dim sum” translates to “touching the heart.” The tea is usually loose-leaf, with popular options including pu-erh, oolong, jasmine, and chrysanthemum teas. Yum Cha refers to the dining experience, while dim sum focuses on the food paired with the tea.
To request more tea at a Yum Cha restaurant, simply place the teapot lid halfway open or upside down. Most modern establishments provide photo-laden menus to help you select your meal preferences, while traditional restaurants often wheel dim sum trolleys around for you to order from.
The concept of Yum Cha restaurants gained prominence in Canton (particularly around Guangzhou) as travellers frequented tea houses to enjoy tea accompanied by light meals.
To help you choose, we’ve compiled a guide to 5 authentic Yum Cha restaurants in Christchurch you must try.
All the listed restaurants have at least a 4/5 rating on Google. They offer a wide variety of flavorful and crispy Yum Cha dishes. Further, all the listed restaurants are family-friendly, kid-friendly, wheelchair accessible, and have friendly and attentive staff. They are all open to serving Dim Sum or lunch between 11 am and 2.30 pm and dinner from 5 pm to 10 pm.
5 Authentic Yum Cha Restaurants You Should Try in Christchurch
#1:- Maxine’s Palace, Addington
Maxine’s Palace, named after its owner Maxine Wang, is no doubt a top spot because of its extensive list of greatly valued authentic, delicious Cantonese-styled dishes. Maxine brought her experience of several years in the food and beverage industry to create an outstanding dining spot for Yum Cha lovers across Christchurch.
They are only closed on Monday, and there is always a meal for everyone, including vegetarians or diners with dietary challenges. The dining space can accommodate 130 guests at a time. Two private dining areas are also available to host parties, colleagues, or friends. Your kids can also play around in the kids’ areas while you enjoy your meals.
Maxine’s Palace has been open for a decade and is located at 283 Lincoln Road in the Addington neighbourhood. The road is bustling, and you can get there via public transport, taxi, or ride-hailing services, or you can drive in your car. If driving from the city centre, take the via Moorhouse Ave or the Moorhouse Ave and Lincoln Road, which is a 7-minute drive.
When you want to dine there, especially on a weekend, it’s good you make some reservations, as the restaurant is always crowded on weekends. There is also the takeaway option, and Uber Eats will deliver it to your door if you place an order. Many diners particularly enjoy their Peking duck set, sweet and sour pork, fish maw soup, fried rice, mapo tofu, wontons, and garlic pork ribs, to mention a few.
What Diners Are Saying:
- Well-cooked quality meat and cuisines, though service can be slow at times.
- Immaculate, relatively large dining space
- It is crowded on weekends, and many Chinese diners come around to show the authenticity of the meals
#2:- Daphne’s Restaurant, Upper Riccarton
Three noticeable things Yum Cha lovers like about Daphne’s restaurant are Daphne’s friendliness, staff dedication, and the deliciousness of their Chinese cuisine. The cuisine is prepared with fresh ingredients from farmers and vendors in New Zealand and China and served fresh. No wonder the spot is always fully packed with guests, and you most likely will find a Chinese dish you have not tasted before.
The restaurant has been around since 2010 and serves authentic Chinese cuisine, including mouthwatering dim sums like pork, prawn, mushroom dumplings, or any other combination. It’s also BYO-licensed. You can bring your own wine (corkage costs 7 NZD per bottle) to save money. They also have a catalogue of wines you can purchase, and they are closed every Wednesday.
Daphne is the ideal spot for a family or group gathering to have a nice treat. You can also come with your kids. They offer home delivery, takeaway, and dining-in service. Before the main dish, you can start with the entree meal, which includes deep-fried wonton, spring roll, and honey BBQ pork platter. You can also order their delicious yum cha or dinner on Uber Eats and DoorDash or book a reservation from their extensive menu.
The restaurant is located in Upper Riccarton, specifically at 398 Riccarton Road. If you drive, you can park in their free parking space. Riding in your car from the city centre to the restaurant is about a 12-minute drive via Riccarton Avenue. The waiting time to get your meals or teapot with an upturned lid filled with tea may take up to 20 minutes.
What Diners Are Saying:
- Most times, excellent dishes
- Unlimited tea available to go round
- Food delivery is sometimes slow, and some staff do not understand English
- Neat space with a great ambience, including the private rooms
#3:- Shanghai Bistro and Bar
Daphne and Shanghai Bistro were located on the same Lincoln Road before the former relocated to 105C Riccarton Road. Patreons of the Shanghai-style Chinese dishes restaurant now have to make an 11-minute drive via Harper Avenue or a 13-minute drive via Pendleton Avenue from the city centre to the restaurant. You can also take a blue or purple line bus and alight at the Riccarton mall, then just walk a short distance to the kitchen if taking public transport.
The restaurant and bar are loved by many, are BYO licensed, and are owned by a Shanghai native and his family, who have several years of experience making Chinese cuisine before bringing their trade to New Zealand. The meal menu contains several authentic Chinese cuisines that will take you on a tremendous gastronomic journey. Some dishes visiting diners like ordering at the restaurant are hot pot tofu with crab meat, Chicken corn soup, steak chicken, steam-fried bun, and hot and sour soup. There are also gluten-free meals if you have health concerns.
Suppose you prefer the restaurant to deliver your tasty and spicy food to the comfort of your home, use DoorDash or Uber Eats. Overall, they have excellent service and friendly Staff from the moment you enter the restaurant.
What Diners Are Saying:
- The restaurant is small and always packed, so making reservations is highly recommended.
- Cozy interior, elegant but old-fashioned Chinese decor
- Absolute delicious, tasty, and spicy Shanghai and Sichuan dishes
- Meals are ordered on iPad; you might need to check the picture of the meal on your phone
#4:- Jolly Seafood Restaurant
You do not want to miss a visit to the 6-year-old Jolly Seafood restaurant with your family. It offers an extensive menu of over 200 dishes that’s hard to exhaust. Reservations can be made here. Located at 1/187 Wigram Road in Halswell and recently at 9/376 Riccarton Road, it’s no surprise the spots are often packed. The draw? Their tasty and flavorful Yum Cha lunch, various delectable seafood, and diverse Chinese dinner cuisines.
Explore their Yum Cha dishes, such as steamed rice rolls, baked or deep-fried small dishes, and more. Diners also rave about the Peking duck and sweet and sour pork. The restaurant serves entrées before the main meal, with various drinks and wines available, though corkage fees apply as it is BYO licensed.
The atmosphere is cozy, and the interior design is elegant—perfect for couples, families, and large groups. The space accommodates about 200 diners, with several parking spaces available. The venue is also bookable for weddings or other significant events. For home delivery, orders can be placed through Uber Eats or DoorDash.
What Diners Are Saying:
- The website provides a detailed guide, and the restaurant is clean and well-maintained.
- Some meals may taste bland, but others are excellent.
- Orders might take up to 20 minutes.
- The Upper Riccarton location has excellent ambience, staff hospitality, and food. The portion sizes are among the largest you’ll find, offering great value for money.
#5:- Foo San Restaurant
Former Foo San co-owners Cheng Yew Toh and Yeng Thai Toh have left a significant void that cannot be easily filled after transferring the restaurant’s ownership to new management last year. With this, many food enthusiasts believe Foo San has lost some of its charm as a leading yum cha spot in the city. That said, the new management still offers several excellent dishes and boasts a cozy atmosphere, free from overcrowding, complemented by a state-of-the-art interior design.
Located at 6-8 Roundtree Street, Upper Riccarton, it is a great place to get map tofu, sweet and sour pork, curry chicken, cha shao pork, and prawn fried rice, to mention a few of its extensive menu items.
They still have a few dim sum dishes like deep-fried squid and good tea on their list. The restaurant is also BYO-licensed, and the corkage fee is as low as 3 NZD. You can dine in the restaurant or takeaway; there is a private parking spot if you come in a vehicle. You drive there from the city centre through Riccarton Avenue in a 12-minute drive.
What Diners Said Recently Since Management Changes:
- The dishes are pricey and okay, limited Dim sum meals
- Great decor and flooring, and less crowdy
- Friendly staff, fast service
Wrapping Up
Conclusively, any of these five restaurants will guarantee an authentic Yum Cha lunch, but you obviously need to check their menu before booking a reservation or ordering a meal. If you find some other restaurants better than the above list, please let us know by commenting below.
Last modified: November 25, 2024
