Let’s do brunch: Adelaide’s top Yum cha spots

Presenting a seemingly endless parade of delectable bite-sized snacks, Yum cha is the perfect meal for anyone who wants to try a bit of everything. Check out this list of our Adelaide favourites.

The literal translation of Yum cha might be “drink tea”, but the bottomless pots of jasmine tea are just the beginning at this Cantonese take on brunch.

With a seemingly endless parade of bite-size snacks, it’s the perfect meal for someone who wants to try a bit of everything — and it’s a case of the more the merrier in terms of both diners and dishes.

Simply point to what you want and watch your table fill up with a selection of steamed, fried and even baked morsels. Then dig in.

It’s no surprise that some of Adelaide’s best options are clustered around Chinatown, but you’ll also find some great options further afield.

Whether you’re looking for an old favourite or starting a new weekend tradition, here are Adelaide’s best Yum cha spots.

DING HAO

This OG Spot recently moved a street over from its original location thanks to the Central Market Arcade redevelopment, but it’s still packed on weekend mornings. And with good reason. You can order from the menu, or wait for staff to come around with trays loaded up with Cantonese classics, such as soup-filled xiao long bao, and gloriously fresh prawn and snow pea shoot dumplings. Just make sure to save room for a bowl of divine mango pudding with condensed milk afterwards.
Address: 36 Wright St, Adelaide

STAR HOUSE

Scallop and prawn dumplings from Star House restaurant on Gouger St.

The place to go if money is no object, this Gouger Street institution offers an even more extensive (and expensive) selection of Yum cha than Ding Hao. The menu runs to 100 offerings including dessert, and if you manage to nab a table you’ll find yourself choosing from trolleys filled with steaming dumplings, crunchy yam puffs and pillowy char siu bao buns packed with glistening barbecue pork. And if you want to step things up a notch, the premium seafood offerings like whole barramundi or mud crab will impress even the most jaded diners.
Address: 1/31-39 Gouger St, Adelaide

LITTLE CANTON

A selection of Yum cha dishes from Little Canton, Mile End. Picture Dean Martin

If you don’t feel like searching for a park near the Central Market on a Saturday morning, make things easy by heading to this suburban favourite. There’s plenty of room to spread out once you get inside, and despite its popularity, the service is quick. All the greatest hits make an appearance on the menu, but the perfectly pleated prawn and scallop dumplings are a clear favourite, as is the lightly fried radish cake with XO sauce.
Address: 173 Henley Beach Rd, Mile End

ZENHOUSE VEGETARIAN YUM CHA

Buns from Zenhouse Vegetarian Yum Cha, on Bent St in Adelaide.

Tucked away on a quiet East End side street, this oasis of calm serves up decidedly untraditional vegetarian Yum cha for lunch every day (including weekdays). Some options like pan-fried radish cake laced with soy sauce barely need to be altered, while others gain a whole new complexion. But even the most dedicated carnivores will find something to like on a menu that includes dumplings stuffed to bursting point with spinach, Chinese cabbage and mushroom and fluffy char siu bao filled with lotus, yam or red bean paste.
Address: 17-19 Bent St, Adelaide

CITI ZEN RESTAURANT

Chicken feet from Citi Zen, King William St in the city.

Shumai from Citi Zen Restaurant.

Once you get past the fact it is located in an old Irish pub you’ll discover one of Adelaide’s most authentic Yum cha experiences. The Guinness signs and green furnishings have been swapped out for lacquer chairs and lanterns, and on weekends diners feast on juicy siu mai, crispy salt and pepper squid and tubes of cheong fun rice noodles stuffed with prawn meat and doused in sweet soy sauce. If you want it all, the good news is that it’s also one of the few places that provides an all-you-can-eat option.
Address: 401 King William St, Adelaide