Dixon House Food Court
Corner little hay & dixon sts, haymarket. dishes $5-8. this food court offers a selection of about 20 vendors, with low prices.
BBQ King
18-20 goulburn st, 9267 2586. entrees $4.40-8.80, mains $8.80-26. open 11.30am-2am. as the name suggests, you come here for barbecue, and a lot of people would agree that this place is king. it's old-school, with laminex tables and folding chairs. there may be a queue, but it won't last long, and the great duck is worth the wait. try the spinach with garlic, too.
Lam's Seafood Restaurant
35-7 goulburn st, haymarket, 9281 2882. entrees $4-23.80, mains $15 - market price seafood. open noon-4am. quick lunch? luxurious banquet? you can do both here. popular with locals, visitors and anyone in-between, lam's has an extensive menu and staff who know a thing or two about getting the most out of the kitchen.
Emperor's Garden BBQ & Noodles
213-5 thomas st, 9281 9899. dishes $3.50-9. this is a popular chinese eatery specializing in meat and poultry dishes marinated duck tongue $6 and has a great little window area where you can choose your takeaway goodies.
Chinese Noodle Restaurant
Shop 7, prince centre, 8 quay street, 9281 9051. dishes $6-8.80. at this intimate, busy eatery decorated with grapes and persian rugs, the noodles are handmade in traditional northern chinese style - and the crowds are glad of it.
Harbour Plaza Food Court
Corner of dixon & goulburn sts, haymarket. dishes $5-8. open 10am-10pm. the pagoda-style harbour plaza has a wide range of cheap asian meals available.
Marigold Citymark
Levels 4 & 5, 683-9 george st, haymarket, 9281 3388. dim sum $2.40-4.60, yum cha specials $5.70. this 800-seat yum cha palace serves lunchtime yum cha daily and has an extensive menu of other dishes. join the hordes.
Market City Shopping Centre
Level 3, 2-13 quay st sydney, 9212 1388. dishes $3.50-10. this mammoth place has a fresh produce market on the first level, a factory outlet on the second level and more food from more places than you can imagine on the third level. you'll find paddy's markets and kam fook here too.
Dragon Star Seafood Restaurant
Level 3, market city, 9 hay street, 9211 8988. dishes $11 - market price seafood. open 10am-5pm yum cha daily, 5.30pm-11pm su-th, until midnight f, sa. this enormous place can seat about 800 people, and regularly gets filled to capacity for its yum cha sessions. ask the waiter to recommend dishes and you'll be duly rewarded with succulent offerings. as you'd expect, shark fin is the specialty.
Zilver (nee Silver Spring)
Level 1, 477 pitt st, haymarket, 9211 2232. entrees $5-15.80, mains $13.80-market price seafood. open 10am-3pm yum cha, 5.30pm-11pm a la carte. something of a yum cha mothership on weekends, this place offers a mind-boggling array of dishes from the a la carte menu too. get a group together and have a feast.
This area has an incredible range of restaurants and is one of Sydneyâs best dining precincts. There are over 60 restaurants and food court stalls around Chinatown and Haymarket, offering many Chinese regional specialities, plus Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Malaysian cuisines. Many establishments serve the ever popular yum cha, irresistible sweet and savory snacks that are wheeled around on trolleys, generally between 10AM and 2PM. As a rule, avoid any restaurant in Chinatown with touts outside begging you to come in - the food is more often than not overpriced and not good. For a complete contrast, visit near by Liverpool Street, where there are some excellent Spanish restaurants.
Sussex Centre
401 sussex st sydney. dishes $5-7. open 9am-10pm. the food court here has a range of cheap, tasty dishes, making it a sensible choice for those who want to eat and run.
Golden Century Seafood Restaurant
393-99 sussex st, haymarket, 9212 3901. open noon-4am. with lots of fish tanks displaying your nervous-looking dinner, this place is a favorite late-night eating spot for many of sydney's chefs and hotel workers. the flavors are exotic and engaging, the service fast and slick.