Liverpool is home to a variety of restaurants serving authentic Chinese cuisine for food fans to enjoy all year round.
With Chinese New Year around the corner, we’ve rounded up a list of our favourite Chinese restaurants in Liverpool. From sweet and sour dishes to chow meins, spring rolls to dumplings, you’ll find a variety of delicious Chinese dishes at the below restaurants.
Liverpool will celebrate Chinese New Year on Saturday, February 10, so it's the perfect time to book a table, or order a takeaway and support the community as the city welcomes the Year of the Dragon.
READ MORE: Ten of the best Chinese takeaways in and around Liverpool to celebrate Chinese New Year
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You can share your own favourites in the comments section, too.
Sans Café
The Chinese café has been serving hungry dock workers for decades. Sans was opened around the 1970s by Tseng Chikha from Sichuan, China, known locally as San by his loyal customers who struggled to pronounce his real name.
Tseng died in 2014, but his partner Lin still cooks up the much loved food in the cafe. Lin has previously said she won’t change her cooking methods to cater to English taste buds, meaning customers can expect a traditional meal.
Sans has plenty of five star reviews and highlights on the menu we've sampled include dumplings, chop suey roll, savoury cakes, chow mien and the special curry.
Address: Lightbody St, Liverpool L5 9UZ. Phone: 0151 207 6392
The Golden Harvest
The Golden Harvest is a hidden gem that deserves to be put on the map. Located on Litherland Road in Bootle, the Chinese restaurant is in the heart of the community – but not many people outside the area know about it. It's a great place to visit if you're looking for good food, friendly service and a hint of nostalgia.
The decor inside is traditional, we're talking red fabric banquet chairs, thick red carpet and white tablecloths, but this only adds to its charm.
Highlights on the menu include chicken and sweetcorn soup, dry honey ribs and beef with green pepper in black bean sauce. We recommend choosing one of their banquet options for a discounted meal.
If you're in the area, it's well worth heading to The Jawbone Tavern first and enjoying a few pints before ending your day with a cracking Chinese. The Golden Harvest boasts a rating of 4.6 on Google and 4.5 on TripAdvisor.
Address: 9-11 Litherland Rd, Bootle L20 3BY. Phone: 0151 538 6775
Big Bowl Noodle Bar
If you walk past Big Bowl Noodle Bar, you will often see it packed out with customers, with some having to queue to wait for a table. Located at 12-14 Berry Street, the much-loved city centre business has welcomed generations through its doors since it first opened in the noughties.
Known for its specials like the Big Bowl Rice, Big Bowl Noodles, as well as salt pepper dishes, traditional Chinese meals and more, the restaurant was originally found further down the same street but moved to keep up with demand.
The feel inside is very traditional and despite it being busy, the team of staff are always on hand to help and have a chat. Many celebrate a special occasion there, but it’s also the perfect place to stop in for a treat after work, or for lunch specials after a shopping day.
There are so many favourites on the menu, but the crispy chilli beef dish really is a show stopper. The portion is huge and definitely worth every penny – and the chilli sauce has to be the best I’ve tried in a long time.
Address: 12-14 Berry St, Liverpool L1 4JF Phone: 0151 707 1559
Yum Cha
Dim sum, roast meats and big plates is Yum Cha's motto and this stylish restaurant more than delivers on all three fronts. Situated on the bohemian Lark Lane, Yum Cha's casual dining atmosphere makes it an ideal spot to refuel after a long walk around Sefton Park or if you need to fill up before going for a drink in one of its many neighbouring bars and pubs.
The stylish interior is bathed in a neon light and its stunningly well presented dishes makes it an Instagrammer's paradise. The restaurant has been nominated for best Chinese and restaurant of the year in the Deliveroo awards and it’s easy to see why.
The authentic dim sum made on site is the perfect way to start your dining experience and you can’t go wrong with one of the incredible noodle soups for main. While specialising in Cantonese cuisine, this pan Asian restaurant also serves amazing versions of dishes such as chicken massaman curry and Singapore vermicelli.
The servings are huge and reasonably priced so you will definitely be leaving thinking you've got your money's worth. On one occasion while dining at the restaurant, I spotted former Everton winger Anthony Gordon there before he left for Newcastle so, you never know, you may also encounter one of Merseyside’s footballers on a trip to Yum Cha. Ryan Paton
Address: 99 Lark Ln, Liverpool L17 8UP. Phone: 0151 345 6512
Yuet Ben
Liverpool's oldest family run Chinese has become something of a scouse institution, with its traditional Northern Chinese recipes passed down through generations. Yuet Ben, which means ‘honoured guest’, opened in 1968, originally on Great George Street before moving to Upper Duke Street a decade later. Over the year’s it’s attracted celebrities including Cliff Richard, Dawn French and Les Dennis, and local footballers.
One of its best loved dishes is the Yuet Ben barbecue ribs and another best seller is its aromatic crispy duck and pancake. The menu isn’t too overwhelming in size and there are two sharing menus available for two or more people.. It also has a full vegetarian/vegan menu available.
Address: 1 Upper Duke St, Liverpool L1 9DU. Phone: 0151 709 5772
New Orchid Garden Restaurant
With its black and red interior and illuminated fish tanks, the New Orchid Garden is a stylish Chinese restaurant in West Derby. It’s a popular spot for those celebrating special occasions and on any night you’ll find a mixture of families, couples on dates and groups of friends filling the restaurant and creating a relaxed, buzzy atmosphere.
The a la carte menu is absolutely huge, with nearly 300 dishes, appetisers and specialities to choose from, including loads of veggie options. You can also tuck into a four course steak dinner, with Chinese soup and starters and a dessert, if that’s more your thing.
High praise to anyone who can work their way through an entire Banquet B, which includes prawn toast, crispy fragrant duck, beef and black bean sauce, chicken and satay sauce and sweet and sour pork.
Address: 359 Eaton Rd, West Derby, Liverpool, L12 2AH. Phone: 0151 228 4488
Phoenix Palace
Along a busy stretch of West Derby Road in Tuebrook, this is the sort of place you could drive right past without noticing it was there. But you’d be missing a real treat, with the restaurant described by one ECHO food reviewer as serving ‘pound for pound the best Chinese food in Liverpool’.
With its red patterned carpets, white linen tablecloths and homely crockery, the Peking-style Chinese restaurant is traditional and understated inside. It’s the kind of place where those who know about it have been visiting for years and trying, not always successfully, to devour every last morsel of its impressive banquets. It also operates a bring your own bottle policy, which helps make it more of an affordable night out.
Address: 581 West Derby Rd, Tuebrook, Liverpool L13 8AE. Phone: 0151 228 5607
Golden Park
There’s a lot of hype around Golden Park in Bromborough, Wirral – don't let the basic exterior of the building put you off, because the food here is absolutely scrumptious.
This restaurant is always busy, yet it still manages to deliver piping hot and fresh food to hungry customers incredibly quickly. Its huge menu consists of mouth-watering appetisers such as quarter crispy duck pancakes, deep fried crispy wontons and sesame prawn toast.
For main courses, Golden Park has just about everything from pork dishes, chicken dishes, beef dishes, noodle dishes, vegetarian options and more. There’s a really relaxed family vibe at Golden Park which is one of the reasons its so loved.
It’s a place where you don’t need to worry about stuffing your face and being in a food coma, and that’s what makes this casual dining setting so fabulous. We highly recommend the king prawns in satay sauce and the sweet and sour chicken. Just make sure you’re wearing comfortable clothes when you visit here, because you’re going to be mega full.
Address: 866 New Chester Rd, Bromborough, Birkenhead, Wirral CH62 7HF. Phone: 0151 334 1331
Chy
This Renshaw Street restaurant originally opened in 2014 and prides itself on authentic, classic Chinese food at an affordable price. The venue underwent a full interior refit and modernisation in 2018.
Local artists, Danny O’Connor and David Cain were commissioned to design Chinese-inspired murals to complement the new colour scheme of the restaurant. The menu was also redesigned to feature a range of dishes combining conventional Chinese cuisine with a bold, modern approach to dining.
The restaurant’s main menu includes Chy specialities, such as Wok fried fillet of seabass served on a bed of pak choi with chopped chillies, red onion, garlic and a drizzle of soy sauce. It also has a vegan menu which includes salt and pepper tofu, plus an early bird set menu and lunch options.
Address: 5-9 Renshaw Street, Liverpool L1 2SA. Phone: 0151 708 7787
Maggie Fu
Maggie Fu is family owned and independent with two restaurants, on Smithdown Road and Hanover Street. The venue quickly gained a huge reputation thanks to dishes such as its Salt and Pepper Chicken.
The restaurants specialise in Asian Street Food and its menu includes starters such as Prawn Toast, Salt and Pepper ribs and spring rolls. Popular mains include Katsu or Thai Green Curry or a range of Big Bowl options which include Shredded Crispy Chilli Beef, Sweet and Sour Chicken or Salt and Pepper Chicken.
The restaurant is such a hit with diners that its branded cups frequently go missing – and Maggie Fu even has to ask customers to bring them back.
Address: Penny Lane House, 346 Smithdown Road, Liverpool, L15 5AN. Phone: 0151 733 9300. 37-39 Hanover Street, Liverpool, L1 3DN. Phone: 0151 709 0955
Ying Wah
Ying Wah is a popular Woolton restaurant that’s been in operation for decades. The quaint suburb boasts a variety of independent restaurants, cafes, shops and bars with Ying Wah a firm favourite. Based on Woolton Street in the heart of Woolton village, the hit restaurant boasts a chef with more than 30 years’ experience.
It’s more spacious than it initially appears from the outside, with a main dining room and a private function suite upstairs that’s available for hire. The decor is modern though still inviting, with atmospheric blue lighting, stylish booth seating, and touches of marble for a clean and contemporary feel.
Currently owned and operated by the Ng family, it was first opened in 1974 by the family’s close friend, James Chan. Richard Ng took over four years later and it has remained in the family ever since. Mr Ng’s son, Simon, is Ying Wah’s current owner and aims to offer customers the same dedication and family feel the area has come to know and love.
Address: 11 Woolton Street, Woolton Village, Liverpool, L25 5NH. Phone: 0151 421 1222
The Ying King
The Ying King has been around in Wallasey for as long as I can remember. There is a clear vision from my childhood of a very happy family meal at the establishment on Seaview Road in the late 1980s or early 1990s in that hazy, dream-like memory you see in movies.
And to have survived since I was a little girl they have shown how much they have cemented themselves into the community of Liscard making it an easy choice on a Friday night after work. Any time I have been it is always busy and they have a wide variety of set menus that make you question if your eyes are indeed too big for your belly.
You can get all the Chinese favourites at the Ying King, and my order always involves sweet and sour chicken. I know it’s basic, but it is perfect at this lovely family run restaurant that gives me great comfort that it is almost the same as I remembered it all those years ago. Rebecca Koncienzcy
Address: 43 Seaview Rd, Liscard, Wallasey CH45 4QN. Phone: 0151 630 2255
Chows Eating House
Just along from Parkgate’s famous fish and chip shop is Chows Eating House, in a period building with pretty views of the Dee Estuary from the first floor.
Serving legendary banquets where the food just keeps on coming, Chow’s is considered by many to be the best Chinese restaurant in Wirral.
Its champagne bar, stylish decor and impeccable service make it popular for those celebrating a special occasion.
Address: The Parade, Parkgate, Neston CH64 6RW. Phone: 0151 336 2385
Mr Zhang's Kitchen
Former ECHO writer Storm Newton visited Mr Zhang’s Kitchen and while looking at the menu in the window, she was told by someone coming out, "It's like they've taken an actual restaurant from China and dropped it in Liverpool."
Storm visited with friends who'd spent a year living in Yinchuan in the Ningxia Province and they too agreed with how authentic the restaurant was. The menus are primarily in Mandarin and everything on the table is served to share, with hefty portion sizes.
The food is fresh and delicious, with complex flavours you'll be familiar with if you're a fan of Chinese food. Stand out dishes include the Kung Pao chicken if you want a ‘chippy staple’ like you've never had before. The fresh chicken breast is finely diced with an abundance of vegetables in a delicious, lightly spiced sauce.
The sweet and sour deep fried seabass comes whole and is flayed by the chef, so when it's lightly battered and dropped into oil, the tender flesh splays out into manageable chunks.
Address: 8-10 Myrtle St, Liverpool L7 7DP. Phone: 0151 345 0102
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