Eats

A dozen of the very best Chinatown restaurants in Manchester

There's plenty to choose from, but here are some of our highlights.

Danny Jones - 27th May 2026

Greater Manchester as a whole is lucky enough to be spoiled by umpteenth excellent Chinese restaurants, let alone the best of the best in Chinatown.

We also have it on good authority that the North of England has some of the best Pan-Asian restaurants in all of the UK, and if that is the case, then we’ll absolutely lay claim to Manchester being the frontrunner of the lot.

That being said, there’s such sheer variety when it comes to the hospitality heritage that comes out of China and the surrounding territories alone, and we’ve got one condensed melting pot celebrating it all and much more right here in the city centre.

Without further ado, in our opinion, here is some of the very best food you’ll find in Chinatown…

12 top places to eat in Chinatown, Manchester

1. Dragon Oriental – Hong Kong

First up, we’re winging our way to Dragon Oriental, which does some of the best Hong Kong-style scran in town. The baked Portuguese rice (a HK classic) is one of the best recipes we’ve found; their shared starter platters are perfect for lunch, and soup for £6.50 is one of the best offers around.

This was the first place we ever tried proper eel and traditionally prepared jellyfish; they also happen to find themselves on our best breakfasts in Manchester listicle, so if you’ve never done brunch the Hong Kong way, then we urge you to give it a try, even if only for that fantastic twist on French roast alone.

chinese buffet manchester — Credit: ***The Manc Eats***

best noodles chinatown — Credit: ***The Manc Eats***

2. Kung Fu Noodle – Chinese

Just across the road in Chinatown, Kung Fu Noodle is still a relatively recent addition to the area, but it didn’t take long for it to leave an impression and generate queues lining up around the block – and let us tell you, it’s always well worth the wait.

Believe it or not, this place shines for exactly the thing you think it does: the noodles. Be it their signature hand-pulled type with that lovely thick and chewy texture, Shanxi knife-cut noodle soups, or the hot oil-splashed Biang Biang ones, you won’t find many better places mastering this kind of carb.

@the.manc Take me down, through the streets of China Town 🍜👀 #themanc #manchester #noodles #chinatown ♬ original sound – The Manc

3. Pho Cue – Vietnamese

Let’s start pulling in some Pan-Asia, shall we? You simply cannot write about the best places in Chinatown without hailing one of the GOATs: Pho Cue. Amusingly monikered and impressively authentic, this subterranean Viet cafe is packed every dinner hour and very much lives up to the hype.

Be it their famous bahn mi lineup, come midday, their summer rolls, anything salt and pepper, or the bowls of broth themselves, you really can’t go wrong here. They often add new things to the menu, like iced coffees and their ever-rotating Sunday specials (which always sell out) – you just HAVE to visit here.

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4. Happy Seasons – Chinese

In at number four, we couldn’t go any longer before shouting out the legendary Happy Seasons, which is essentially a Manchester institution at this point, loved by ex-pats, Mancs, tourists and beyond. Beloved for banqueting and its stellar set menus, there is SO much variety here.

We’d be hard-pressed to pick a favourite from the hundreds of options available, but if we were pushed, we recommend any of their roast meat selections – just get the full trio and thank us later – and the beef ho/chow fun is always a popular choice. To be honest, we’d eat pretty much anything at this place.

5. Try Thai – Thai

Turning to Thailand now, this could be a whole round-up in itself, but we will confidently state that the best Thai restaurant in Manchester city centre’s Chinatown, for our money, is the wonderful Try Thai.

A ‘BYOB’ gaff that keeps its prices affordable and portion sizes plentiful to boot, we had a period of life where we went here every single matchday for about three months at one point. Our go-to order? Pineapple fried rice, the jungle curry if we were ever feeling brave, and trademark mango crispy seabass.

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6. Noodle Alley – Szechuan

Crossing the halfway mark, we’re shifting our focus to Szehcuan/Sichuan scran, specifically, and the superb Noodle Alley that has carved out an impressive following within the highly saturated foodie strip that is Faulkner Street.

Much like the aforementioned Kung Fu’s maiden Manc venue, this fellow basement blends the Sichuan cuisine with that hailing from Guangzhou/’Canton’ and the wider Guangdong province. This husband and wife couple behind this venue deserve heaps of praise all of their own right, so we happily obliged.

Inside the underground Manchester noodle bar serving Chinatown’s spiciest scrans

So very, VERY good.

7. Wazuzhi – Japanese

Swapping mainland China for Japanese food, Wazuzhi – formerly known as Wasabi – is another firm fave among locals and day-trippers alike.

Known not just for great sushi and lunchtime deals, some very solid ramen, and arguably some of the best ice cream in Manchester (shaved ice, technically, but still). It also happens to be ‘r Kris’ happy place during most work breaks, so it has to be on this list.

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8. Hunan – Cantonese and Hunan cuisine

Once again, part of the beauty behind the best Chinese cooking is how many different regional variations there are as you move up and down the vast and equally gastro-obsessed nation, two key ones being the familiar Cantonese fare and the somewhat lesser-celebrated food from Hunan.

Also referred to as Xiang cuisine, these dishes ramp up the amount of chilli, garlic and shallots as opposed to, say, the famous numbing spice qualities of Szechuan peppercorns. Flying the flag for the province here in Manchester, they served everyone from generations of migrants to Oasis and more.

9. Kaya – Malaysian

Moving over to Malaysia now, we’re fortunate enough to have eaten at Kaya multiple times over recent years and every time we think of this country, we first think of its food, and then we think of Kaya.

There may be some places serving classic Malay dishes in and around central Manchester, but we don’t know any that celebrate this particular culinary corner of the world as well as this lot. The nasi lemak and beef rendang are incredible, as is their version of butter chicken. So unbelievably underrated.

kaya chinatown — Sometimes we crave nothing but the roti section with all that dhal and dip. (Credit: ***The Manc***)

kaya mcr — Sometimes we crave nothing but the roti section with all that dhal and dip. (Credit: ***The Manc***)

10. Mei Dim – Dim sum

Penultimately, we’re taking you to Mei Dim for some top-notch dim sum and then some, because you’ll struggle to find many places in Greater Manchester that do a dumpling feast quite like you’ll find at this second-to-last spot.

Our advice is to come with an empty belly, because you always end up eating more pieces than you intend to, and obviously, you want room for all the other stuff besides just the little doughy delights and buns – the sweet ones aren’t bad, either.

This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it basement restaurant in Manchester’s Chinatown serves the ultimate yum cha feast

Read more.

11. Yuzu – Japanese

Jumping over to Japan for our penultimate Chinatown visit, Yuzu stand outs as one of the most unique and refined spots in the entire neighbourhood, not only setting itself apart from the wealth of Chinese food but bringing a little taste of Japanese fine dining to the delicious half a square mile.

Named after the supreme overload of all citrus, it’s rather fitting that it celebrates the strongest fruit of the bunch, because all they thrive when it comes to small plates, the flavours here are as BIG as they get.

@the.manc If you love Japanese small plates just as much as we do, then you absolutely need to get yourselves down to @Yuzu Manchester ♬ I got to summer – noxz

Oppa Chicken – Korean

Last but not least, we’re capping things off with one final visit to South Korea and for some Korean fried chicken, specifically, and you won’t find many places better for some deep-fried poultry goodness in Manchester than Oppa Chicken.

The George Street spot has quietly garnered one of those ‘if you know, you know’ reputations, especially since their so-called lava chicken went viral (for good reason), and with great value-for-money prices, too, you won’t be disappointed if this is the only new Chinatown discovery you take away from this list.

And that should just about do it for our round-up of the best restaurants in Chinatown, be that Manchester staples or the newer names pushing its food, drink and dining scene in new directions.

It’s also worth noting that Chinatown MCR isn’t just our dedicated cultural district; it’s the second biggest after London here in the UK and the third-largest in all of Europe, in fact.

That being said, there’s lots to get to grips with besides just the eats, so you’ll be glad to know we’ve put together a helpful overview for you, too.

Find out what else there is to be enjoyed down below.