Eats
The modest and unassuming Chinese restaurant serving some of the best dim sum in town
We ordered virtually every dumpling and dim sum...
Danny Jones -
23rd September 2025 
Do you have those same few places that pass all the time, but for one reason or another, you never end up actually walking in and simply keep repeating “Oh, I’ve been meaning to go there for ages” whenever it comes up in conversation?
Because we certainly do, and it’s becoming a somewhat chronic problem at this point.
So much so, in fact, that we’ve now declared war on this foolish and completely self-imposed culinary inertia, because we recently took the plunge and finally visited a Chinese spot in the Northern Quarter that we’ve been meaning to try for ages, and we’re more frustrated with ourselves than ever.
Put simply, it did not disappoint.
This is Chef Diao over on Oldham Street in the NQ Quarter, and it might just be up there with our newest favourites in the entire city centre.
Eponymously named after head chef Zhenwen Diao himself, whose CV spans more than three and a half decades working in fiery kitchens all over the world – and it shows.
He and his talented cooks aren’t just self-proclaimed ‘dim sum experts’; they’ve well and truly earned this title through consistently good albeit deceptively quiet trade over the course of nearly a decade now.
Chef Diao is a master of everything from dumplings and hand-pulled noodles to traditional Cantonese specialities, more contemporary takes on Chinese classics and everything in between.
But besides a pretty feature wall and a nice bar, the interior is simple and straightforward – they just want to get you sat down at your table to enjoy the area in which they really shine: the scran.
Our order featured multiple recommendations from the extensive dim sum menu, one noodle main and one rice-based dish, as well as a smattering of other selections.
Here’s a closer look at what arrived at the table.
What you’re looking at is not only an incredible selection of dumplings, gyozas, pork and prawn siu mai, among many other siu mai, but an incredible saucy and sizzling Cantonese steak dish, that incredible red rice paper number (top right), just to spotlight a few.
There were also these super flavourful boiled ribs over steaming white rice, which packed a lovely amount of succulent flavour when eaten off the bone with a touch of soy sauce; a very solid chow mein-style chicken dish centred around noodles with the perfect amount of chew.
Chef Diao‘s soup dumplings were a standout, too, done so soft and delicately, helping round off a wonderfully authentic spread of bamboo steamers and perfectly portioned plates.
Not a bad mouthful in sight.
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Bringing a wealth of experience from his time in the likes of China and Vietnam, as well as the likes of local restaurants such as Ocean Treasure over in Middleton for a time, Chef Diao and his team opened back in 2021 and have gradually grown a loyal following.
This is not to say that they’re unheard of or that busy isn’t steady, by the way; they’ve certainly been on the radar among plenty of those more in the know, although it’s no way near as busy as it should be given the sheer quality and skill on show.
So if you’re looking for a new Chinese restaurant that can pull out all the stops in central Manchester, we urge you to give the understated but undeniably impressive Chef Diao a try.
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Featured Images — The Manc Group
