China Red is a good, not great, stop for dumplings and other dim sum. If you go, know that everything is ordered via touchscreen and will come out in the order you placed it (meaning if you want soul first punch it in before anything else). These are probably the largest dumplings we had on our trip - they're both large in size and very well filled so consider ordering less then you might otherwise. Of course, you can always get more if you're hungry - just hit up the touchscreen! Large potions aside, I found the dumplings to all have very thick, doughy skins and the fillings were fairly bland. Service is very fast, and prices are in line with other places. read more

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Down a Chinatown lane, into a small food hall anchored by Tim Ho Wan (coming to Costa Mesa, California quicker than you can say Dumbbling), you will find the easy to miss entrance to China Red. The scent of the cooking will yank you out of The Jerky House next door like a fish on the line. Ersatz black lacquer scroll work, red seat cushions, and wall paper from a Shanghai Home Depot sets the mood. Upstairs, it's a tiny 17 seat tight room. Walk past a tiny full bar that's not so full and the window where a platoon of dumpling assemblers craft perfect Bao like robots on Speed and sit where the Host's finger is pointing. There is a downstairs but no one comes back up once they descend. It may be a Chinese version of The Rapture. The Bao (18 folds, a twist, then a top knot) come fast and faster as each little dough origami is created and passed to the Steamy Maiden who provides the heat to the point they will be dangerous to handle up to 10 minutes from the moment they land on your table. Take a few minutes to create and adjust your own dipping sauce of Soy, Black Vinegar and Chili Oil, then chop stick a Bao into your concoction and eat it as soon as it won't send you to the Burn Unit. This is not a place to wear your new silk shirt from DeClic. Best to wear your bathing costume or a HAZMAT suit. The Staff: You will be primarily interacting with a computer screen. Scroll through the slightly greasy screen and stab a pinkie knuckle at a square of something offered twice and answer the questions. "Yes, I really do want that". "No, I don't want to change my mind". "No, this wasn't a mistake". "I am not a Bot". It's like dining with Ex Machina but on the positive side there is no opportunity for making an error in translation. "Is the Shrimp Cantonese spicy?" "Shrimp Cantonese bellows the waiter like calling swine to the trough, "Two ordah". "No, I didn't order it, I just asked if the Shrimp Cantonese was spicy?" "Okay, okay Shrimp Cantonese...three ordah" the tired waiter shouts back at you and notes in Mandarin as he shakes his head and wanders off. The servers are post apocalyptic Zombies who deliver and pick up. That's it. No in depth conversations on Chinese politics will occur. Just a dumpling dump. Here, dining is a video game. It turns signing up for Acid Reflux into the ultimate food adventure. Touch the screen, and hope the last user washed up after a visit to the LOO, sit back and wait until something delightful and as pictured and advertised arrives. The Vibe: White collar, blue collar, all holler to be heard over the people hollering at the next table. Screamin' babies with one tooth, grandparents with one tooth between them. The Chinese Stock Market buying floor is quieter. The Food: Pan Fried Pork and Celery Dumplings had a large pellet of Pork and Celery mash mashed into the dough, then pan fried, and served way hot and crisp on one side. Yummy Cha. Dipped into your custom sauce, you may be rated on the degree of chop stick handling difficulty and certainly on style points on your ability to get the dipped dumpling from the sauce to your face without leaving a trail of goo. Spicy Wonton with Pork was a soft cashmere shawl of steamed dough draped over a Pork mince that was so good it made me wince since I never had anything quite like it. Sweet heat crawls down your throat as opposed to a blast of exquisite heat (read burning pain after the numbness dissipates). This dish should be required eating. It was wonderful. Truly. The Fried Chicken with Chilis and Curry Leaves leaves you wishing you had ordered more dumplings instead. Sure, everything is here. Crispy Chicken (maybe at some time but not when it came roost at my table). The Chilis were barely baby formula hot. And so, I ate it mostly because I could reach it before returning to dumpling paradise with my next plate. Shanghai Shao-Long Bao. Nip the knot with your front teeth carefully, savor the chew, let it cool slightly and insert the dumpling upside down onto your tongue, squash it, revel in the joy of the explosion of Pork Jus squirting all over and in you. You have ascended to Dumpling Nirvana. Bow down now...wow, was this good. You'd best enjoy the dumplings here as you will be wearing some of the dumpling guts and smelling like the kitchen for a week. Better China Red than dead. read more

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Was recommended by a family member, went for 21st and was very nice Chinese food. Over ordered and was a little hard to order on the tablet that couldn't come off the wall. But overall was nice as bwo wine was allowed. read more

Can't get enough of the food from China Red. Located inside a small shopping center in the middle of Melbourne Chinatown. China Red is a trendier Chinese restaurant that specializes on authentic Szechuan cooking. We came here for a really late lunch (3 p.m.), the restaurant and their kitchen were still bustling. Judging from that, you know that they are popular! We ordered and shared: * Szechuan boiling fish pot: I found this dish to be extremely salty, tho my brother assured me this is not always the case. The fish was extremely tender and thanks to the liberal use of the peppercorn chili, this dish can be quite spicy and numbing with each bite. * Braised egg tofu: Personally, this is my favorite dish of the day! The tofu was deep fried to perfect crunchiness, laced with brown gravy and the inside is just the most creamy and melt-in-your mouth egg tofu that I've ever had! Recommended~ * Dumpling in chili oil: I couldn't resist ordering dumplings drowned in red hot chili oil. At China Red, they do it brilliantly. The dumpling was stuffed with pork and veggies and it was very soft and juicy. The sauce was just as good; sweet and spicy, a treat for all the senses! *Salt and pepper soft-shelled crabs with chili: Get this! A table's favorite, fresh crabs with tons of complex flavors going on. They are not exactly spicy; more so salty and rice is definitely needed for the rescue :) Great place to get your fix on Szechuan food. The service here isn't always spot on, but that was never my priority when I dined at places like this. Overall, I really enjoy my meal at Red China. Do check out their lunch menu (served until 4:30 p.m) which listed their signature dumplings and popular dishes for an affordable price! read more

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China Red, in Melbourne's iconic Chinatown, is a hidden gem among an endless array of places offering some really decent Asian cuisine. Coming from a family of dumpling aficionado's, I ventured here for dinner one evening on my Mum's suggestion, after she was taken here on a guided Dumpling Walking Tour of Melbourne. Upon returning home, she & my brother raved about the spicy wontons they offered here at China Red & was keen to take me when we were next in town. Keeping that in mind, a few months later after a long day shopping, we ventured here for an early dinner before calling it a day. Purchases in arm we found a booth & prepared ourselves for some really tasty dumplings. On my Mum's suggestion we ordered the Spicy Wontons & also a large serve of Xiao Long Bao. The Spicy Wonton's were wonderfully spicy, without being overwhelming, the Szechuan peppercorns giving them an unexpected bite, making them quite unique to China Red. The Xiao Long Bao's were uncharacteristically massive. Huge parcels of pork yumminess. A little dense on the surface & perhaps not the most delicate of Bao's I've ever had, they still hit all the important flavour notes that I was looking for here. Aside from how much I enjoyed the dumplings at China Red, I also genuinely appreciated the touch screen/iPad style ordering system installed on each table. I found it to be wonderfully convenient; each dish listed on the electronic menu including a photo & importantly the price. The plates are churned out quickly here. After making selections via the electronic menu, we never waited more than a few minutes for our order to reach the table. It's a perfect place for groups of friends to share multiple plates after work, or before catching a show at one of Melbourne's multiple theatres. Highly recommended. read more

China Red - Red pepper dumplings! YUM! - Chinese Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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The Shangai Shao-Long-bao was still ok but the spicy wontons not good at all! This was previously my fav combo. I loved the spicy wontons! Still spicy but the flavour has changed. This restaurant seems to have gone down hill a bit. Such a shame! read more

Our favorite quick and easy dumplings in the city. The iPad ordering is what made me come and check it out. The spicy wontons are what make me come back time after time. It's fast, it's cheap and they always cater for my 7yo who only wants noodles in broth. read more

Wandering through Chinatown on a busy Sunday afternoon. This place looked nice so we decided to give it a whirl. Well they didn't seat us upstairs but rather in the bowels of the place at a rinky dinky 2 top next to the kitchen with no explanation whatsoever. We quickly figured out all communication is through this dang iPad bolted to the wall. ALL communication. You don't get anything unless you enter it on the iPad. We ordered tea, fried dumplings, bbq pork buns, and a veggie noodle dish. Everything rolls out pretty quickly once you enter it on the iPad. Dumplings were really greasy as they literally dumped them on the plate with no effort to soak up the oil. Flavour was okay but oily greasy was off putting. Bbq pork buns were the best thing on the menu. The noodles were another round of greasy disappointment with giant chunks of carrot along with Chinese fungus, mushrooms, and some chunks of broccoli. If you want which cheap but not cheerful come here . Oh almost forgot to mention that the table was not clean. My white shirt managed to get dirty from the underside of the table on what looked like soy sauce and grease. Sigh.... Let's not do that one again .... read more

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Although I am naturally distrustful of anything resembling self-service - TESCO, I'm talking to you! - and think automation the enemy of charm, I had a grand time at Melbourne's first - and I think only - restaurant replete with touch-screen menus. Yes, touch-screen menus. Not for China Red the superfluousness of actual human order taking. This place is the essence of no-nonsense, DIY dining. Once you've been seated it's up to you. At the end of each table there is a touchscreen menu with which you can order your own dinner with nary a waiter in sight. I've read reviews of this Chinatown favourite opining the dearth of service but I actually quite enjoyed China Red's no nonsense approach. Once ordered, food arrives faster than the quickest guns in the East and the quality is generally great. I dined with a group of about seven and we took our own wine - for which China Red charged a very fair $2.50 per wine glass in lieu of a corkage fee - and ordered a bevy of awesome meals numbering countless dumplings, a few mains and rice. My favourite dish? China Red's awesome Stir Fried Pumpkin with Salted Egg Yolk, a vegetarian treat, which rivals any French fry I've ever eaten in its all-round salty moreishness. The meal came in at around $30 a head and we all left very satiated. read more

China Red - Chinese Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Set in a little mall connecting Melbourne's China Town and Bourke Street, going to China Red for the first time, felt to me a bit like cheating. When I head to China Town I kind of expect to be harassed from the street to dine at an establishment, so the natural order was a little disrupted when I was led into a tidy looking mall to the tidy looking (not fancy mind you) China Red. They have karaoke-like touch screens that you can use to order food and drinks - which is kind of cool and weird at the same time. They also have a window looking into the kitchen where all of the dumplings are being made, which I quite enjoyed watching as I was waiting to be seated. The dumpling guys are skilled to be sure. The food at China Red is really pretty good. It's about averagely priced and is both licensed and BYO. So if you are sick of being harassed walking up and down Little Bourke Street try ducking (no pun intended) into China Red for a hearty meal. read more

China Red - Chinese Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

The novelty here, the thing that sets it apart from other Chinese restaurants in Melbourne, is their touchscreen ordering system. It's quite fun really and it certainly kept my party entertained for a little while at least. The danger of over-ordering if huge what with the enticing pictures of each dish flashing up on screen, and the fact that all it takes is one little touch to make said yummy looking dish appear before you like magic. It's BYO too which is a bonus because the wine list is limited and crap. Definitely, definitely bring your own booze. Otherwise you'll be pissed off that jasmine tea is the only other good drink on offer. Overall, the food was relatively authentic and our booth on the vast underground floor was a really fun place to get holed up in for a couple of hours of munching and novelty food ordering. read more

China Red - Chinese Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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Wonderful find along Bourke Street. Food quality on par with HuTong and as expensive. Location extremely convenient for everyday work lumch but would reserve Hutong for more fancy dinner. I will be repeater at ChineRed! read more

China Red - Salt n pepper squid whute bait (soggy bc steamed in takeaqay buylt YUM! if ate in restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

I went here post-work drinks in search of some cheap and cheerful food, and was impressed with this small shop. Decor was clean, fairly modern and each table had a touch-screen to order from. This was both exciting and dangerous, as I think we ordered more than the norm because of how fun it was to browse the online menu. Service was ok. There is limited interaction with wait staff, who were very busy despite not having to take any orders. Even when it's time to leave, you just press a button and your check appears moments later. The food was tasty. There were some stand out dishes like the pork wontons in a spicy sauce, garlic fried green beans, large crispy prawns with full shell and heads on. Crispy chicken was great too but you have to eat around the chopped bones which can be challenging. The fried rice and prawn noodle dishes were just average. It's worth noting that it's BYO with only a $5 corkage fee. Overall, it was a good spot to come with a group as the dishes are meant to be shared and so was the fun of ordering on screen. Probably a bit too loud to be a nice date spot and definitely crowded on the weekend / evenings. read more

I feel mean giving 1 star... but nope. Not for me. The Lemon Chicken had a neon yellow sauce that tasted like super-sour warheads. Corn and Crab Soup. Once is enough. Maybe it was just a bad night...? read more

The food is fine but the service Is robotic. Who cares if they have zero personality when your dinner Is enjoyable? They have one cubicle of toilet for 2 floors of restaurant. I can't understand how that's legal. And that toilet was absolutely disgusting. Dirty and the toilet seat was broken. read more

This place can do no wrong! Reasonably priced, quick service and tasty food. Very well suited to large groups and BYO, this place is a regular haunt for friends after work looking to unwind, chat, laugh, drink wine and enjoy solid chinese food. China Red is rock solid reliable and consistent for food and service- we have been more than 10 times. A quick tip, be sure to arrive before 6.30 if it is a friday night as there is often a huge waiting list. read more

A very quick lunch today has left me wanting to sample more from here. The spicy seafood noodles were loaded with lots of large prawns and scallops, and topped with heaps of fresh herbs etc. and was a satisfying meal for under $12. From what I could see, the menu looks to be quite extensive and well priced. This restaurant uses the iPad/self ordering systems, which I am a big fan of, allowing diners to order at a pace that suits them and is less intrusive than hovering waiters. read more

Looking for a quick bite to eat before a show? Or a little peckish, then pop into China Red. In the mall beside JB-HIFI. Easy to find once you know where it is. The touch screen menu idea is novel (to me) and I was pleasantly surprised at the how quickly my spring rolls arrived, then followed by chicken dim sim. Touched the request for the bill & there it was, too easy. Oh my meal was very tasty, I'll be back. read more

China Red - This is the menu screen - Chinese Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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No, It's not the touch screens that I love here. Though the child in me gets very excited about ordering food from a screen. It's the consistent good food and service. My favourites are Spicy Wontons (or something similar in name) and Fried Tofu. I will agree that Pork Buns are probably not the best here (in other words, Don't bother ordering them), not that I care for them so much. By now, I have tried few of main course dishes. Yet to be disappointed by any. Some of the drinks are awesome (Mostly because they have Mango and Litchi in them). Good BYO policy. Did I mention quick service? Order a Dish and by the time you decide on the second one, first one is already on the table. Woohoo. read more

Staff is not friendly or helpful, but the food is authentic and delicious, plus the service is fast. The touch screen ordering system eliminates mistakes or misunderstanding, you get exactly what you've selected. read more

China Red - Chilli chicken 辣子鸡丁 - Chinese Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Worse customer service ever! I don't know if these people are usually like this with clients but for this reason, no matter how good the food, bad service is a deal braker. There are tons of better restaurants with great friendly staff. Not this one! All of them had a crapy atitude: the waiter, waitress, cashier. (For reference: i went there last year with my partner) read more

Honestly, I hate menu touch screens because they are germ ridden. On top of that the touch screen menu is klutzy and takes a while to order especially since it doesn't read your finger quickly like a smart phone or tablet, but I will let that slide. Once the order is in you can here the bell go off. Is this supposed to be comforting to know the order has been sent or annoying because you hear it EVERY TIME somebody orders an item? On the plus side, the food comes out very quick and I liked that it's made to order instead of going round and round in carts. The menu had a small selection of dumplings and some numbing, spicy dishes from Szechuan. The dumplings are OK, but they had a larger variety next door at a competitors and less expensive, too. On top of that they charged me $2.50 for one hot tea. Shouldn't this be free? Unsatisfied, I went next door and ordered more dumplings there. read more

Look, the real novelty of this place is ordering via the screen above your table. Chuck in an order at any time and it'll appear like magic. The food itself is pretty delish, more expensive than your average Chinatown restaurant, but tasty too! Pop by for the fun of it, at least once. read more

Really good honey chicken! Loved the super fast service and ordering from the touch pads. Restaurant is located in an indoor mall but not bad ambiance too. Delicious and fast! read more

Food is good, service is okay. Loved the dumplings - pork buns are specially great. The computer ordering system is very convenient. Overall a wide range of food and dessert choices. read more

Tea was good. That's about it. Mapo tofu was not integrated well. Just thrown together. Xiao long bao was thick. Not made right. Don't waste your time or money here. Unless you want tea only. read more

Tried to pay for our group of 7 people with cash and card, nothing complicated just $50 cash balance on card. I understand the no split bills policy and get that it would be very difficult to process multiple cards but to not accept our payment and threaten to call security on us is going way over the top. We come here probably twice a month, and have recommended to many as we find the food pretty good. After being embarrassed and made to feel like fools whilst trying to settle our account we will never come here again and will spread the word about the poor way management dealt with this situation. Way too many other options in this area to have to be made to feel like idiots when dining out read more

Has to be my favourite place for lunch in China town. Upstairs and downstairs dining with heaps of room and booths available for groups this place fills up for lunch. Order off an iPad with speedy service and an awesome lunch menu. Lunch deals with noodle and lunch deals with rice as well as dim sum lunch specials. All under $12 and a huge amount of food that is truly delicious. Definitely worth a try if you like dumplings or delicious Asian food. Recommend the shao long bao, Singapore prawns rice lunch special, spicy fish soup with rice lunch special and stir fry beef with spicy noodles lunch special. Amazing plac read more

Food was ok but service disgraceful! I was stopped on way in to join a party NO OUTSIDE FOOD! (Last 2 bites of an apple) They spilt food all over a friends shirt & were unApologetic. 1 toilet cubicle for whole packed restaurant read more

Really lovely and delicious. Could do with some more bathrooms... but service is great and fast and the food is tasty. Dumplings are great!

Poor cousin of Hu Tong, with the fandangled touch screen ordering to save time and money on waiter staff. We have had a bad experience where the desert arrived before the main course but I put that down to my eager children ordering everything at once. Another time we didn't receive our drinks which caused a bit of a raucous at the checkout. Dumplings are cooked well, they have a number of veggie options and the price isn't too bad. My concern is the business seems to be based on turnover - get in and get out quick please, so this isn't a place for a slow lingering meal. Very very small wine list but reasonable priced. read more

Oh my god yes!! Food good! Also this is an amazing place for anyone who has anxiety as they have touch screens and the food is brought out. Very minimal social interaction if that is whay you are looking for. read more

The vegiterian dumplings are nice but the lemon honey tea it quite sweet and has a bland flavour. I wouldn't say the food is worth the price we played. read more

Tucked away in an arcade in Chinatown, this restaurant has great dumplings. The decor is appropriate yet modern. Thanks to the electronic ordering board food and drink arrived in a flash (with no unnecessary interruptions). Will go again. read more

What a pity bad service I ever had. Unfriendly and impolite staff here especially cashier, she didn't say anything including basic "Thank you", that was a really bad experience for me. The touch screen ordering system was very unnecessary. I advise everyone this restaurant is shit and I never come back forever. read more

I love this place. Love the computer ordering system. My drinks always come out pretty much as soon as I order! The point of this place isn't service, the focus is all on providing great food quickly. I don't want to have a conversation with a waitress when the food is so good! That isn't to say the service isn't friendly...it just isn't chapter and verse. Which I love. Definitely go for the San choy bao, the xiao long Bao, the chilli oil dumplings, and last time went back (I've gone back plenty!) I tried the crocodile. Be brave! It was fantastic! Branch out and try something new, the prices are affordable enough that if you choose wrong you can order something else! Always worth a visit. read more