Cape Town, South Africa
Ni hao! Cape Town’s top 5 Chinese restaurants
The best Chinese restaurants in Cape Town
Forget the watered-down sweet and sour sauces of the past – Cape Town’s Chinese food scene has levelled up, big time. Across the city, a new wave of restaurants is celebrating China’s regional cuisines with real depth and character, whether it’s a steamy bowl of beef noodle soup or xiao long bao served with black vinegar and finely shredded ginger. Some have been perfecting their recipes for decades, while others are led by second-generation chefs bringing fresh energy to old family traditions. What ties them together? A focus on robust, honest flavours and a growing demand from locals who want more than just the basics. We’ve eaten our way through the city (no complaints there) to find the places that go beyond the expected. Here’s where to go when the craving hits.
Top photography courtesy of The Red Room
01
The Red Room
Opened in April 2023 beneath the Mount Nelson Hotel, The Red Room is the first Pan‑Asian venture by Liam Tomlin and David Schneider of Chefs Warehouse. The interior pays homage to the hotel’s 1970s Grill Room – with crimson velvet drapes, low-lit bars and original wood-panelled alcoves that still whisper old-world elegance. The Red Room honours flavours from Hong Kong to Tokyo through carefully folded dim sum and small plates. Don’t miss the shrimp and pork dumplings brimming with house‑made broth. Pair that with the Singapore Sour – a ginger‑infused gin brightened with pineapple shrub – and you are in for an unforgettable dining experience.
The Red Room
Mount Nelson Hotel
76 Orange St
Gardens
Cape Town
South Africa
Photography courtesy of The Red Room
02
Bao Down
Bao Down has earned a loyal following, especially among Cape Town’s chefs, for its playful, flavour-packed take on bao buns. The menu is focused but satisfying, with options like sticky pork belly bao (worth every sauce spill) and beef tataki in a zingy soy, lemon and ginger dressing. Not everything’s bao-bound; try the tuna with nikiri sauce or charred broccoli with miso sesame paste. Even dessert gets a bao twist – deep-fried with ice cream and chocolate crumb. The interior is relaxed and the drink list spans wines, Japanese beer and sake, each chosen to pair beautifully with the bold flavours on offer.
Bao Down
First Floor Exhibition Building
79 Main Rd
Green Point
Cape Town
South Africa
Photography courtesy of Bao Down
03
Dawn Asian Restaurant
Dawn Asian Restaurant is the creation of husband-and-wife duo Ronnie Mao and Giselle Li, who bring culinary lineage from Guangdong and Hunan. The restaurant features koi carvings, lacquered booths and a rim-flow koi pond, all imported for authenticity and style. But the real magic happens on your plate. This isn’t about sweet‑and‑sour stereotypes – it’s about perfectly executed regional flavours. Three chefs from different Chinese provinces bring dishes to life using house-made sauces and handmade dumplings. Here you’ll find Cantonese har gow dumplings worthy of Hong Kong standards, fiery Hunan tofu‑paste pork ribs and the famously sticky and crispy aubergines – the restaurant’s bestselling Eggplant Medley.
Dawn Asian Restaurant
10 Jarvis St
Green Point
Cape Town
South Africa
Photography courtesy of Dawn Asian Restaurant
04
Tang Waterfront
There’s drama in the air at Tang Waterfront—part temple of Asian fine dining, part theatrical stage where robata flames flicker and sushi arrives like sculpture. This grand 700 square metre space was sculpted by award‑winning designer Tristan Du Plessis, whose vision combines pale oak and marble with bold pops of cherry blossoms – creating a tropical-meets-minimalist atmosphere. Under the vision of Chef Vixa Kalenga, the menu journeys from Cantonese classics to Japanese robata creations. Signature dishes include melt-in-your-mouth Peking Duck, Black Cod Miso, wagyu grilled over a robata flame and creative sushi rolls and sashimi like Yellowtail.
Tang Waterfront
19 Breakwater Blvd
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
Cape Town
South Africa
Photography courtesy of Tang Waterfront
05
Linko
Stepping into Linko Restaurant, you’re instantly greeted by lively orange walls, neon anime-style art and a sushi conveyor waiting to come alive – a daring departure from typical dim sum spots in Obs. Founded by Linko Zhou in 2013, he turned his family kitchen into a neighbourhood fixture in Observatory. Beyond the aesthetics, the food tells the real story. Linko serves standout Shanghai-style xiao long bao (soup dumplings) and sheng jian bao (pan-fried pork buns), handmade fresh daily. If you can’t decide on what to try, order the fully loaded dumpling box for a taste of the best – BBQ pork buns, various dumplings, siomai and deep-fried wontons.
Linko
88 Lower Main Rd
Observatory
Cape Town
South Africa
Photography courtesy of Linko
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