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BBQ City Restaurant

3.7 (39 reviews)
ModerateChinese
Open 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

BBQ City Restaurant Photos

BBQ CITY RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Loud
Classy
Casual
Good for groups

Recommended Reviews - BBQ City Restaurant

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Roast duck
Aaron T.

Our BBQ city experience has been refined and tested over about 20 or so visits and I now think I can give the "low down" on this place. The name is a dead give-away here. They do great BBQ. To be more precise, they do great BBQ (or is it roasted?) duck. However it's done, in my lay person opinion, it is perfectly cooked. Crispy skin, deliciously tender meat and chopped with a huge cleaver into easy to eat pieces which are served with a sweet dipping sauce. The BBQ meats are also great, but you'll want to try a few things to see what is to your liking. It's all fairly westernised Chinese food (but good) so you won't freak out if you order something unusual. The spring onion pancakes, beans with XO and green veggies are must haves with the duck/BBQ and fried rice always goes down a treat. They also have a cheap wine and beer list and even do $5 scotch and cokes, so a well priced meal all round before hitting the markets.

Stop....BBQ Time
Scott N.

I am a Market Rat! Numerous times a week you can find me scurrying (in a very good looking, manly kind of way) around the Asian Markets enjoying all on offer. I think the one place that opitimises the hustle and bustle and feel of the Central Market is the BBQ City Restaurant on Gouger. Only two shops down from the Chinatown Arch you will find this glory of foodiness, and I don't believe I have ever seen a place as busy so often! The formula they have is simple but very effective! Great tasting food, served quickly with bugger all fuss and it is stupidly cheap! You can grab a bite with a mate for a total of about $15-$20 bucks each (including a brew) and you will feel like you are waddling on your way out! There is a huge menu, with the usual cornicopia of specials plastered on the walls, but not including at least one of the bbq meat dishes from the front 'chop shop' is a huge mistake! Both the Pork and Duck are magical, and truely satisfy many inner fuzzy feelings! I am a bit of a fan of the shallot pancake and the crispy beef (it's like meat candy)! Oh, word to the wise, I would 'hold it' if I were you, just thinking of that bathroom makes me need a hug.

Duck, duck duck...
Adam L.

I had a craving for duck pancakes, but t-chows around the corner was closed. So we stopped in here instead. Although the menu didn't mention pancakes with Te Peking duck, we thought we'd give it a go anyway. Mind you it was a huge risk. The average price on the menu was $8-$12. Well the Peking duck is around $40. My wife was a bit cautious about ordering it, but I had a duck hunger that couldn't be tamed! My mum hates the ducks in the window. She has actively refused to eat her because of how barbaric it looks. But I realised it's not that different from seeing chicken in a rotisserie. But then again, I was craving duck for some reason. Well, did they deliver! The Peking duck was amazing. It came with pancakes, sauce and a salad. You make it yourself and try as hard as you can to use chip sticks while secretly thinking everyone else I'm the restaurant is giggling at you. What came next was divine. A BBQ noodle duck arrangement. They said it was a casserole but, wow, it was incredible and was included with the Peking duck meal. Apparently it's a 2 course meal. Afterwards we were absolutely full to the goog.

Beans with pork and XO sauce!
Anita D.

Old faithful! BBQ City is and will always be my old faithful! If you love Chinese and want good food for an awesome price, check this place out. But, be warned, Adelaide knows this restaurant is good. So be prepared to wait in line on Friday & Saturday arvos. What do I usually order here to classify as my old faithful? Well, I think you have to order the right things to be impressed by this place. If you go with a stirfry, sizzling whatever or rice dish, you will find that it is.... ok. But not the best. What you need to order is the Roast Duck! Oh yeah, I think that this is one of the best places for Roast Duck in Adelaide. The Roast Duck here cooked to perfection. Hung in the window to tease people walking past! I always walk past and get drawn to the window drooling. You can actually order Roast Duck here to take away if you are interested. Great to take home for the family. The Roast Duck here is spiced well and full of flavour. The dipping sauce served with it is sweet with a touch of chilli. Just as I write this review I have cravings now! hahaha I can also vouch for the spring onion pancakes, BBC, S&P tofu, long beans with pork mince & XO sauce and steamed greens with oyster sauce. This is generally amazing here. As for service, don't expect too much. They are always busy, so expect to wave your arms around in the air to get attention. But, there restaurant is clean and the drinks are cheap. The spirit list is $5! Nice if you want to start with a good meal and cheap drink before hitting town!

My three assorted; bbq pork, roast pork and soya chicken with rice
Ngan Q.

Over the years, I have frequented this place until a few hygiene scares kept me away. Decided to come back this week during lunch with a colleague who has never pass through the door. Greeting you from the entrance to the right are the hanging meats on offer; BBQ pork, roast pork, soya chicken, roast duck, spare ribs and if you are into your necks, heads and organs, you can ask the man (usually) cutting it up or order it through one of the wait staff. Most people take these offerings home to enjoy in private. Customer service here is terrible, but consistently so. Never will they set any benchmarks in that department. One learns to overlook this if one only seeks value. Poor English skills from the wait staff can affect the outcome of food ordered, so do get the staff to repeat the order back to you. Decor is very mish-mashed, an eyesore really. Cool lighting creates no ambience, only to highlight the negative state of the place. Only use their facilities if you are brave and the call is urgent. Frankly, it is the assorted meat (your choice) on rice that brought me back. At less than $13 a dish, it is great value. The meat to rice ratio is super generous. So generous that I had leftovers for work the next day. This time we also shared a serve of Vietnamese spring rolls (also on offer is a Chinese option). They were nice, but a tad small. I have had many other dishes here in the past, but it is very much hit and miss. However, the meals are generally great value, which brings in the repeated customers. Worth a visit for those with small wallets.

Rohan H.

Barbecued ducks are on public display in the shop front window, plastic tables and chairs prepare for busy periods, and the specials boards are made up of black markers drawn on fluro cards. You get the idea, this place isn't out to impress. You come here for the cheap, fine food, not the service or experience, but in saying so, it is an experience in itself. Great place to smash out a meal any time of day, and barbecue city serves up some fine, authentic dishes. I order my wine from a carafe and never forget to upsize at BBQ city. I would totally start leaving generous tips if the waiters nailed the service part, but we don't expect too much from here, do we?

Trent D.

I've just realised that I come to BBQ City for the completely wrong reason. I never order barbecue, and always go for the laksa. Sort of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? Anyway, this restaurant has been a reliable eatery for a very long time, and I've never been let down. Whether it be a meal with friends, a quick bite before heading out, or simply eating because there's nothing better to do, BBQ City has always had a table for me. The service isn't too shabby, but the waiting staff have a lot of ground to cover and a lot of people to serve, so they deserve a little concession. The BBQ pork is always good, and like I said earlier, the laksa soup noodles is an enduring favourite of mine. Though the crispy ducks hanging in the window do look tantalizing, believe it or not, I've never actually tried one. I think this warrants another visit (though I can't promise I won't order laksa)!

Roast Pork with rice.. under $10
Adeleine T.

If you're looking for some cheap late night Chinese chow then BBQ City is the place. Open till 11:00pm every night and sometimes later if it's busy, BBQ City has a wide range of rice and vegetables dishes. Nowadays pork belly has gone all fancy and pretentious particularly as part of tapas dishes, but at BBQ City you can get a generous portion size of rice and crispy BBQ pork for only $8.50. I pretty much always order this. The pork is crispy, cooked well and has a light sauce with it. Alternatively, you can order 2 combinations of roast pork/duck/BBQ pork, which are equally as delicious. Other nice dishes here are the crispy chicken, tofu, crispy roast pork and lemongrass, and vegetable hot pot. In true Chinese eatery fashion, the store glass front displays hanging roasted duck. Indoors gets busy, so there's always outdoor seating available. The prices are unbelievably low and generous portion sizes will ensure you don't leave the place half-full. The staff, however, aren't friendly or polite at all, but they bring your food out so hey, let's just focus on that.

Trio of BBQ Meaty goodness.
Stefan G.

BBQ City has been there 'forever' and it's not hard to know why. You can easily be lured inside, hanging in the window is the selection of BBQ Meats they are famous for. Duck, Pork, Chicken it's there. Of course, you can't live by meat alone. there are plenty of other options on the menu to add some vegies or more.

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9 years ago

Bit dirty sometimes but good food mates, especially the fresh duck hanging out in the windows.

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13 years ago

Cheap and cheerful place for a quick solo meal. No frills. Go for the crispy pork and roast duck rice.

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12 years ago

Cheap, quick and tasty. I love the vegetable laksa! I actually drive from Prospect to buy it... Highly recommend!

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Review Highlights - BBQ City Restaurant

Best salt and pepper squid I have ever had in my life, no salt and pepper squid will do now that I have the squid at BBQ city.

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Dynasty Restaurant

Dynasty Restaurant

4.0(27 reviews)
0.2 kmAdelaide
$$

Tick, Tick, Tick...BOOM! Thats how you rock it at Ding Hao…read morefor Yum Cha MoFo's! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll gain 2-3 inches around your waist line! Located next to the court house on Gouger Street (in which I have yet to be convicted of anything in.....yay for me), Ding Hao is known as one of the top Chinese restaurants in the city. Although the normal menu is nothing to sniff at, it's all about the Yum Cha! I have noticed that one of my fellow Yelpers, Andrew C, has named the place 'Best in Adelaide for Yum Cha'. Energetic and stinging Hi-Five's coming your way Andrew, becuase I am in full agreement! Everytime I head in there and see that wonderful check list of tantilising bite sized morsels, tears of joy begin to well and the 'ticks' begin to fill more spaces than they should! The dumpling casings are soft but firm and the filling is high quality, stupidly hot and 'heart skip a beat' tasty. The steamer boxes keep coming, just as you have knocked off the previous one, and before long the weight of your over enthusiastic ordering hits you. Somehow I always seem to battle through and finish every last dumpling and steam bun (I am quite the trooper!). Some days can get busy, so book ahead, but if you are looking for a feed for lunch during the week you shouldn't have too many problems.

Ding Hao is one of the most popular restaurants to go to for Yum Cha. If you ask a local to…read morerecommend where to eat Yum Cha, they will tell you Ding Hao. You know, I have never been a big fan of Yum Cha. Most of the times I have tried Yum Cha it is all deep-fried, saucy and really sweet. Apart from the odd place that will offer you steamed buns. I am always feeling left with a yearning for vegetables. However, what I have learnt from the best is that Yum Cha can include steamed vegetables. In fact, what I ordered was a side of steamed Asian greens with oyster sauce as recommended by the waiter. I think this will be my refresher part of the meal from now on. Again, due to my preference to keep away from fried stuff I ordered steamed squid with ginger and steamed dumplings. The squid was a little overcooked and rubbery, but did have a nice flavour with the ginger. The dumplings tasted like they had been made on order. They where the freshest tasting I have ever experienced. Well worth the try. Also, it would be worth noting that I have also had great BBC here as well. It is served with not too much sauce and good helping of tofu. If you had not had BBC before, it is stir-fried soy beans served with spiced tofu & pickled cabbage. Really popular dish amongst the vegos in Adelaide.

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Dynasty Restaurant - Roast duck goodness

Roast duck goodness

Dynasty Restaurant
Dynasty Restaurant - Char Siew Bau, Roasted Pork Buns

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Char Siew Bau, Roasted Pork Buns

Star House Chinese Restaurant

Star House Chinese Restaurant

3.3(23 reviews)
0.2 kmAdelaide
$$

Across from the Adelaide Market Place parking on the sour side of Chinatown in the heart of the…read moreCBD, this Star House Chinese Restaurant is a great location for a quick Dim Sum snack or a full onset of cuisine or meal with small friends to large family and outing. There are 7 outside patio tables seating up to 4 chairs and about roughly the same tables and seating inside where you are cooled from the summer heat or foot traffic. Friendly server will guide you on your meal selection unless you're an advent DimSum goer, you already know the drill. Typical SiuMai to more courageous Chicken Feet with Black Bean sauce, they have a whole sleuth of selection to choose from. I didn't stay long enough to experience the more crafty Chinese authentic cuisines, but from the dim sum themselves, I'm pretty sure they will be as excellent. We ordered a few items to try out this DimSum place: -- Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce (very tender and savory) -- SuiMai Pork (very flavorful and fresh) -- Steamed Ox Tripe (tender, no too hard or soft and juicy) -- Beef Tripe with Ginger sauce (steamed to perfection) Recommending this place if you're ever in town here in Chinatown!!

In a Nutshell: -We…read moreate at Star House Chinese Restaurant bc we were invited by our South Australia fam. -They definitely picked a very good spot. -The service was very fast & super-friendly. -I really enjoyed the roasted duck, the meat just seemed to flake off & the skin was perfectly crispy. -I also really enjoyed the lobster, the sauce was finger lickin' good. Overall, I had a memorable meal & this restaurant can get packed on a Friday night so make a reservation.

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Star House Chinese Restaurant
Star House Chinese Restaurant
Star House Chinese Restaurant

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Ricky's Kitchen - fragrant duck rice $9.50

Ricky's Kitchen

4.5(11 reviews)
0.6 kmAdelaide
$

Ricky's Kitchen is situated in the food court in the Southern Cross Arcade…read more It is entirely out of place, and in a good way. Unlike most food court stalls which serve up substandard, formulaic and tepid dishes which sit under a heat lamp all day, Ricky's food is fresh, delicious and all in all a culinary sensation. Formerly situated in the markets, Ricky has brought the quality one would expect on Gouger St to the center of the city. Their specialty is bbq duck, pork, and chicken, which serve as the base of most dishes. They are put to many uses, including a fantastic noodle soup, where the roast meat (i go the duck) is dunked within a sea of fragrant broth. There is a choice from a number of different types of noodle, a chili sauce and some kind of delicious green sauce which I think is based on coriander or some other herb. Naturally, as the food is not served tepid from the warmth of a heat lamp, there is a bit of a wait, which potentially could pose a problem if you are in a rush on your lunch break, but it is well worth the wait if you have the time.

Ohhh yes! Cheap tasty eats! Ricky's Chicken Rice started just outside the Central Markets. Famous…read morefor the dish in it's name, he has opened another store more centrally located in the Southern Cross Arcade. I have been meaning to try it for a while. Some of my fellow Elites rate it pretty high, so I had to give it a go. I ordered the roast duck on noodles with sauce. Usually I would order rice, but for some reason I was in the mood for noodles. I also ordered a chicken broth for a side. This was so super cheap at $10.50. The duck was really tender. Actually, it was a lot more tender than other duck I have tried around Adelaide. But this also meant that the skin on the duck as not as crispy as I would have liked it. Oh well, the flavour made up for that. Well seasoned and topped with a soy based sauce for the noodles. To freshen the dish, it was also served with steamed bok choy. What I also liked was the additional sauces served with the dish, one was green onion sauce and the other a chilli sauce. Perfect for dipping your duck into for extra flavour. Yes, the reviews are right! This is a great destination for an all time favourite. I will be returning here on a regular basis when I am in town. Especially at those prices!

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Ricky's Kitchen
Ricky's Kitchen
Ricky's Kitchen - Roast duck with noodles and broth

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Roast duck with noodles and broth

Citi Zen Chinese Restaurant - Lovely table settings and good round tables for group dining over chinese food.

Citi Zen Chinese Restaurant

3.9(21 reviews)
0.6 kmAdelaide
$$

The food was perhaps one of the most authentic Chinese food I have tasted!…read more That wait staff was fantastic even with the owner personally seating us! The Restaurant decor was very inviting! The only suggestion I wish I was offered a glass of water with my meal! They only served hot Jasmine tea! I wasn't sure if I should have asked for water! Anyways I hope to return again someday soon when Om back in South Australia!

Fellow Yelpers, I write to you this day at least 20% more 'Festively Plump' than I was this…read moremorning. I am even finding it difficult writing on my laptop, as I have to curve my arms around my engorged belly. I couldn't be happier! Citi Zen fully rocks the house! The name, I grant you is a little corny when you say it fast, but the food is freaking stupid! Located in the Old Brecknock building (used to be awesome on St Pats Day), Citi Zen is decked out the way a Chinese Restaurant should be, Red (Orange), Gold and lots of cool old looking carvings and vases. The chairs are really comfy too which I think is an area where many restaurants fall down. The menu is the really impressing thing, both because it looks funky and has pretty pictures, but also for the amazing amount of dishes. All of the regular offenders are there plus some extra house specials that you may need to have a super fat wallet to handle. The Sea Cucumber portions for example are pretty steep.....too steep for this yelping cat! They have both the regular menu and all day/night yum cha or, like me, you can mix and match. I chose to grab a couple of dishes from the Yum Cha for the entree (a little cheaper than the dishes on the regular menu), then switched to some ripping share dishes. We had a couple of stock standards, like Garlic Prawns and Sizzling Mongolian Lamb (which were super tasty), but the big surprise came from the crispy skin chicken. The dish comes out looking like a whole chicken, butterflied and sat on. Golden to such an extent that you need don your sunnies just to choose a piece. I kid you not, crispy was advertised and crispy was delivered.....Crispy Awesomeness! The Chicken was only beaten (just mind you) by the salt and pepper crumbed oysters, that were little balls of spicy mouth joy that made me wish we had got there earlier and they hadn't run out (so we only had the half dozen). If you haven't tried Citi Zen, I feel very sorry for you, but you are probably skinnier than me!

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Citi Zen Chinese Restaurant
Citi Zen Chinese Restaurant
Citi Zen Chinese Restaurant - Pretty

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Pretty

Hong Kee Restaurant - Pork and seafood dumpling. So good.

Hong Kee Restaurant

4.8(4 reviews)
0.3 kmAdelaide
$

Don't let the shabby exterior fool you because what they have inside is delicious!…read more We only got some takeaway but the staff who served us were absolutely lovely. It was pretty quick as well and pricing is typical to what you would expect at similar joints. We got the Bean Curd with Special Chef Sauce which was really yum - the bean curd was still soft and juicy and the sauce is definitely something special. The sweet and sour pork that we got was aplenty as well, generous on the pork and was slathered in sauce. Yum. Will definitely come back.

This restaurant sits just outside Chinatown but still attracts a decent crowd. On a typical…read moreSaturday night you can walk past it and see it packed out. I decided not to go on a Saturday night... I assume these guys pay less rent than those restaurants in the heart of Chinatown because their prices are excellent with around half the meals under $10. That's all very well and good you may be thinking, but what about the quality of the food? Well it's pretty damn decent I have to say. Some dishes I've had I've seen done better, but this is at more expensive restaurants. For those who've read other reviews of mine YES the satay is very nice. However my personal preference here sits with the sweet and sour pork. It's not perfect but seriously, tell me a place that is. It's quite cramped and a little warmer inside than I normally like, but the food is great as is the price.

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Hong Kee Restaurant
Hong Kee Restaurant - Chineese restaurant

Chineese restaurant

Hong Kee Restaurant - Braised lamb hot pot. So aromatic.

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Braised lamb hot pot. So aromatic.

BBQ City Restaurant - chinese - Updated May 2026

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