Dining Guide · The Grand Palace, Sydney CBD
17 Best Asian Restaurants in Sydney
Sydney's Asian dining scene spans traditional Chinese banquet halls, the spice of India, and a new generation of modern Asian restaurants with progressive wine lists.
At a Glance
Basement, 261 George Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 (02) 8021 7696 bookings@thegrandpalace.com.auAll around Sydney, you'll find a wealth of tradition — traditional Chinese cooking, the spice of India, and the numbing heat of Sichuan — alongside a new generation of modern Asian restaurants with progressive wine lists and fine dining service. This guide rounds up 17 of the city's standout Asian restaurants, from Sokyo's Tokyo-meets-Sydney izakaya cooking to Chinatown institutions like Fortune Village, with The Grand Palace's Asian-inspired Indian menu as our featured pick.
Quick Answer
For Asian-inspired Indian dining in Sydney CBD, The Grand Palace near Wynyard Station is the standout — fresh-ground spices, vegan and gluten-free options, and a central location. For pan-Asian variety, Sokyo, China Doll and Chin Chin are consistently well-regarded across the wider Sydney Asian dining scene.
Compare at a Glance
Dietary column shows only what each restaurant explicitly confirms — not every kitchen publishes the same level of detail.
| Restaurant | Area | Style | Dietary Highlights | Good for Groups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Grand PalaceOur Pick | Sydney CBD | Indian Fine Dining | Halal certified · Vegetarian, vegan | |
| Sokyo | Pyrmont (The Star) | Japanese Omakase | Contact restaurant | |
| China Diner | Bondi Beach | Cantonese Share-Style | Contact restaurant | |
| Blue Eye Dragon | Pyrmont | Taiwanese / Chinese | Contact restaurant | |
| China Doll | Woolloomooloo | Modern Asian | Contact restaurant | |
| Mamak | Haymarket | Malaysian Hawker | Contact restaurant | |
| Fortune Village | Sydney CBD | Cantonese | Confirm veg/vegan options | |
| Bay Hong | Darlinghurst | Vietnamese | Contact restaurant | |
| Chin Chin | Surry Hills | Southeast Asian Fusion | Vegetarian, GF options | |
| Spice Temple | Sydney CBD | Regional Chinese | Contact restaurant | |
| TAO Restaurant and Bar | Sydney CBD | Modern Cantonese | Contact restaurant | |
| Mekong Restaurant | Chippendale | Vietnamese Fusion | Contact restaurant | |
| Lotus Barangaroo | Barangaroo | Contemporary Chinese | Contact restaurant | |
| Kid Kyoto | Sydney CBD | Japanese Izakaya | Vegan options available | |
| Fu Manchu | Darlinghurst | Chinese | Contact restaurant | |
| Cho Cho San | Potts Point | Japanese Izakaya | Contact restaurant | |
| Long Chim Sydney | Sydney CBD | Thai Hawker | Contact restaurant |
The Grand Palace
Our PickSydney CBD · Indian Fine Dining
Halal certified · Vegetarian, vegan
Good for groupsSokyo
Pyrmont (The Star) · Japanese Omakase
Contact restaurant
Good for groupsChina Diner
Bondi Beach · Cantonese Share-Style
Contact restaurant
Good for groupsBlue Eye Dragon
Pyrmont · Taiwanese / Chinese
Contact restaurant
Good for groupsChina Doll
Woolloomooloo · Modern Asian
Contact restaurant
Good for groupsMamak
Haymarket · Malaysian Hawker
Contact restaurant
Good for groupsFortune Village
Sydney CBD · Cantonese
Confirm veg/vegan options
Good for groupsBay Hong
Darlinghurst · Vietnamese
Contact restaurant
Good for groupsChin Chin
Surry Hills · Southeast Asian Fusion
Vegetarian, GF options
Good for groupsSpice Temple
Sydney CBD · Regional Chinese
Contact restaurant
Good for groupsTAO Restaurant and Bar
Sydney CBD · Modern Cantonese
Contact restaurant
Good for groupsMekong Restaurant
Chippendale · Vietnamese Fusion
Contact restaurant
Good for groupsLotus Barangaroo
Barangaroo · Contemporary Chinese
Contact restaurant
Good for groupsKid Kyoto
Sydney CBD · Japanese Izakaya
Vegan options available
Good for groupsFu Manchu
Darlinghurst · Chinese
Contact restaurant
Good for groupsCho Cho San
Potts Point · Japanese Izakaya
Contact restaurant
Good for groupsLong Chim Sydney
Sydney CBD · Thai Hawker
Contact restaurant
Good for groups
The Grand Palace — Indian Fine Dining, Sydney CBD
Indian cuisine sits alongside Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Malaysian cooking as one of the pillars of Sydney's Asian dining scene, and The Grand Palace is Sydney CBD's standout for it — traditional Indian cooking in a basement dining room styled after India's royal palaces, fresh-ground spices rather than pre-mixed masalas, and a genuinely deep vegetarian, vegan and gluten-friendly selection. It's halal-certified and HACCP certified, a 90-second walk from Wynyard Station.
Must-Try Dishes
- Dietary: Halal certified · Full vegetarian & vegan menu · Jain (no onion/garlic) on request
Sokyo
Inside The Star, Sokyo is Chase Kojima's high-end Japanese room — an omakase counter running theatrical multi-course menus, more than 80 dishes on the wider menu, and a dessert list built for the occasion. It's a special-occasion Japanese dinner rather than a quick meal.
Must-Try Dishes
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant directly for dietary requirements
China Diner
A Bondi Beach Chinese restaurant with a Double Bay sibling — casual, share-style Cantonese-leaning dishes in a beachside setting, popular for a relaxed group dinner away from the CBD.
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant directly for dietary requirements
Blue Eye Dragon
A Pyrmont favourite built on family recipes rather than trend-chasing — a beef noodle soup locals call the neighbourhood's best-kept secret, handmade dumplings, and Taiwanese three-cup chicken cooked the traditional way.
Must-Try Dishes
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant directly for dietary requirements
China Doll
An award-winning modern Asian restaurant on the historic Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo, with Sydney CBD skyline views over the water — polished share-plate dining for a special dinner rather than a casual one.
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant directly for dietary requirements
Mamak
The Haymarket queue outside Mamak is part of the experience — genuine Malaysian hawker food, roti canai made fresh to order, and a supper service running to 2am on weekends for a late-night fix.
Must-Try Dishes
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant directly for dietary requirements
Fortune Village
A Sydney CBD institution on Clarence Street, Fortune Village has served Cantonese dinners since 1981 — large share-style tables, and a menu of classics like soup dumplings and tamarind chicken that regulars keep ordering decade after decade.
Must-Try Dishes
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant to confirm vegetarian/vegan options
Bay Hong
Bay Hong pairs authentic Vietnamese cooking with a genuinely curated wine list — a step up from the usual pho-and-banh-mi format, in a Darlinghurst dining room built for a proper sit-down dinner.
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant directly for dietary requirements
Chin Chin
A buzzy Southeast Asian share-plates restaurant in a heritage-listed former tea warehouse, known for its lively no-fuss energy — walk-ins welcome, though bookings are available too.
Must-Try Dishes
- Dietary: Vegetarian and gluten-free options available
Spice Temple
Neil Perry's Spice Temple takes diners through China's lesser-known regional cooking — Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi and Xinjiang — in a Sydney CBD dining room built for a proper dinner rather than a quick lunch.
Must-Try Dishes
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant directly for dietary requirements
TAO Restaurant and Bar
Modern Cantonese cuisine on Clarence Street, between Sydney Tower Eye and the aquarium — a straightforward CBD Chinese option for lunch or dinner without a special-occasion price tag.
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant directly for dietary requirements
Mekong Restaurant
Vietnamese fusion on Chippendale's Kensington Street strip — an upper-level dining room a short walk from Spice Alley, good for a relaxed Vietnamese dinner as part of a wider Chippendale night out.
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant directly for dietary requirements
Lotus Barangaroo
A contemporary Chinese restaurant moments from the Barangaroo harbour edge — polished pan-Asian dining with a view, suited to both a business lunch and a special dinner along Wulugul Walk.
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant directly for dietary requirements
Kid Kyoto
A grunge-themed Japanese izakaya from Sam Prince Hospitality Group (the team behind Indu and Mejico), serving izakaya-style small plates built around fresh Australian produce.
Must-Try Dishes
- Dietary: Vegan options available; vegetarian set menu can be made vegan
Fu Manchu
A Darlinghurst Chinese restaurant serving Sydney since 1994, now based in the lobby of the Kirketon Hotel — a long-running, no-nonsense Chinese menu for a casual dinner.
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant directly for dietary requirements
Cho Cho San
A Japanese izakaya on Potts Point's Macleay Street strip — modern Japanese small plates and drinks in a room built for a long, relaxed dinner rather than a quick meal.
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant directly for dietary requirements
Long Chim Sydney
David Thompson's Long Chim brings hawker-style Thai cooking to the corner of Pitt Street and Angel Place — bold, punchy street-food flavours in a proper restaurant setting.
- Dietary: Contact the restaurant directly for dietary requirements
Conclusion
Sydney's Asian dining scene spans a genuine range — Cantonese classics at Fortune Village and TAO, Sichuan intensity at Spice Temple, Japanese izakaya energy at Kid Kyoto and Cho Cho San, hawker-style Thai at Long Chim. The Grand Palace sits alongside all of them as the CBD's standout for Indian dining — halal-certified, a short walk from Wynyard, and built to handle everything from a quick lunch to a full private event.
Whichever of these you're choosing between, book ahead where you can — the well-known names on this list fill up fast on weekends.
Ready to experience it yourself? Tables fill fast on weeknights.
Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah is a hospitality professional with a strong passion for food culture, restaurant design, and exceptional customer experience. From over 10 years, he has explored Sydney’s diverse culinary scene with a thoughtful and informed perspective, gaining hands-on insight into how successful restaurants deliver quality dining.
With a deep appreciation for flavor, ambience, and service, Nirav focuses on both lunch and dinner experiences when evaluating dining venues. His recommendations are shaped by personal visits and careful research, highlighting restaurants that consistently offer memorable and well-rounded dining experiences worth returning to.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Asian restaurant in Sydney CBD?
The Grand Palace, near Wynyard Station, is a standout for Asian-inspired Indian dining in Sydney CBD, with fresh-ground spices and vegan, halal and gluten-free options. For pan-Asian variety, Sokyo and China Doll are also consistently well-reviewed.
Which Asian restaurants in Sydney have vegetarian or vegan options?
Most restaurants on this list — including The Grand Palace, Sokyo, China Diner, China Doll and Mamak — offer vegetarian and vegan menu options.
Are these Asian restaurants suitable for group bookings?
Yes. The Grand Palace accommodates groups up to 125 guests, and restaurants like Fortune Village, Bay Hong and Lotus Barangaroo are also well set up for group dining.
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