We had the all you can eat yum cha for Saturday lunch. It's basically a yum cha degustation. We had probably close to twelve dishes in total and three sweets. The decor is clean and relaxed. Whilst they asked if we wanted anything extra, they did not bring it out, so it didn't feel entirely like an all you can eat. We also had to ask a couple of times to top up our tea. If you come for the yum cha, make sure you get the extra serves when they come around the first time! read more

David's - Chinese Near Me - Prahran, VIC

I love the fit out at David's. It's country style, lots of whites and timbers, really high loft style ceilings. On this visit we were craving dumplings. We ordered the steamed chicken, pork in chilli oil and pan fried beef. We also got some greens cooked in chilli to accompany them. The dumplings were nice. My favourite were the pork, then the chicken and lastly the beef. You get chilli sauce, black vinegar and soy to accompany them. The greens come out long after we finished our dumplings which I didn't like. I had to ask after them and my preference is to eat dumplings and greens together. Overall we enjoyed it here and would come back to try more items from their a' la carte menu. We had their yum cha a while back and would probably come back to try this again also. read more

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We (family - 7 adults, 4 kids) came here for lunch for father's day. Definetely a different take to yum cha. $40 all you can eat, you get a bigger plate in the middle of the table and the wait staff brings out big platter of dumplings and fried goods and asked if you like any and if so how many. Most of the food are fried and I was full pretty quickly, maybe due to the batter etc. I am not sure I will be back in a hurry for the $40 per head, I think I prefer the usual yum cha with the trolleys and most traditional yum cha goodies.... read more

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Surprised no one has written about David's yet honoured to be the first. David's is not your average hole-in--the-wall chinese joint. It's far more than that. Tea entrepreneur, David Zhou who is also the owner of Oriental Tea House restaurants offers a relaxed yet sophisticated dining experience nested in Cecil place just off Melbourne's popular Chapel street. The Chinese cuisine has a cantonese influence and there are many meals to chose from, you wont know where to start. I recommend the buffet banquet and is usually recommend to you by the wait staff if you are having trouble deciding. It delivers dishes such as seafood san choi bao salt and spicy calamari peking duck served with homemade pancake, stir fried fish fillet with snow peas in coriander, light ginger and garlic served with steamed rice. Granted this is lot of food but it is clearly of high quality and flavour at moderate pricing at $49.00 pp. David's truly delivers some of Melbourne's most exquisite asian cuisine which never fails to please even the toughest critics. read more

David's - Chinese Near Me - Prahran, VIC

Seemingly westernised take on Chinese food but in a nice, well-lit venue. We only came for lunch and got a variety of dumplings and vegetarian/meat + rice dishes, and everything was really yummy and decent. I'd sorta say David's is to Chinese Food what Oriental Teahouse is to Yum Cha. I'd return for dinner to try again though. read more

Dumplings look amazing!! The taste was a symphony of flavor. I indulged in the pork steamed and the pan fried beef and I must say, despite ordering them and bringing them home, they had such a zing! I can't wait to dine in and try their other fare on offer! read more

David's isn't your ordinary Yum Cha option. There's no trolleys here, no white table clothes or a lazy susan in sight! While you might miss the cheesy traditional atmosphere to begin with, you'll soon forget what's missing when you realise the modern additions make for a more interesting and diverse experience. The Yum Cha sittings are offered twice each Saturday and Sunday. We came for the 1130am session and our bums had just hit the seat when the parade of morsels started to appear at the table. Pork springrolls, spring onion pancake, steamed pork dumplings, fried pork and banana (1) "things", peking duck pancakes, beef wontons, spicy pork wontons, chicken and nori, prawn and ginger in pumpkin skin... the variety of small bite sized items was astounding and I soon learnt that the trick was to just say yes to everything that came past as one of the six on our table would have room for another mouthful. It was a fast and furious procession of food items and by 1215 we were all feeling a bit full. Then the "mains" begun! Kung Po chicken, spiced eggplant, bite sized prawns, steamed broccoli, fried rice, stirfried beef... what's great about this way of dining is that it's a great way to see and taste a variety of the regular options on the David's menu without needing to buy a full plate. A dish was presented at the table, and when we would all nod in agreement a few spoonfuls were placed in the middle. The "share" plate in the middle started to get a bit goopy from a number of items, it's not perfect but I suppose it beats having a lot of food wastage and means there aren't countless small dishes to wash. The staff are friendly and encourage eating way more than you think it possible. "Try it! You'll like it" says one, as she piles spiced chicken ribs on a plate in the middle of the table. "They're only little" says another as he insists we try the steamed pork dumplings. Finally, there's desserts. Steamed custard buns, white chocolate dumplings and other fried bits and bobs. It's a 90 minute frenzy of eating and will set you back $35 per adult ($10 for kidlets) and you'll spend the rest of the day cursing yourself for eating so much in such a short period of time. read more

The menu and decor were much more impressive before the so-called "renovations". Now their cuisine-stunted menu is disappointing at best; horribly limited food menu is meant to be made up with their extensive & overpriced wine list. The interior, in comparison to the old design, looks like a cheap post-modern warehouse. I wonder how much they paid for the redesign to justify $5 for a small bowl of plain rice? And even the chairs are uncomfortable. Such fond memories of this place have now been destroyed. What have you done, David? You only had one task! I think the only redeeming feature of this restaurant now is the lovely staff. The girl who served us was very nice, and the omnipresent David stands around ominously surveying everyone eating, occasionally asking how the tea or duck is. Also, on the tea, why don't they explain what's in the tea on the menus? Honestly, all this "calm & concentration" bullshit names are fine, but I'd like to know what the tea *tastes* like before I order it. Is this thought out at all? Does no one care about what they're drinking? Also really didn't appreciate having to wait 35 minutes for dessert. Was about ready to tell them to forget it & just get the bill. Needless to say, I'm not playing to be back any time soon. read more

Unfortunately, the bright yet rustic decor and great Prahran location were both more impressive than the food at David's, at least on the night we had dinner there. I had high expectations for this place after hearing how fantastic it was. Everything on the menu honestly sounded delicious, and we figured we couldn't lose. Unfortunately the three dishes we ordered tasted remarkably like subpar takeout, mostly due to the sauces having that gluggy, cornstarchy taste we all know from late night booze binging. $70 for two people plus a pot of tea seemed like a huge stretch for the experience. read more

I hadn't been to David's in a few years, and I was excited to check it out post-renovation. On first impression I loved the decor - so pretty with all the twinkly lights and white backdrop. It felt a bit incongruous with the menu, but that's just being picky. It's a lovely fit-out, end of story. Our group of 5 was droolingly hungry, and we're all pretty easy-going, food-wise, so we opted for the 4-person sharing menu (which was already an enormous amount of food), and added a couple of little extras that we wanted. Highlights: - The shredded lamb with chilli, garlic and spring onion was absolutely delicious. We couldn't get enough, and there was an awkward moment where we were all giving sexy eyes to the last serving. - Drunk Chick - super tender chicken, suitably boozy and nestled around soy beans. It was lovely. Not-so-Highlights: - Some of the dishes, particularly those later on in the banquet menu, really just didn't come together, or were unexpectedly bland. There were a couple of very forgettable dishes in the middle, which was disappointing, and then for dessert, Osmanthus & red bean black sticky rice pudding. We're an open-minded crew and we wanted to like it, but this was a confusing collection of flavours, and it was left almost untouched. - The service - yes, it was a Friday night, and it was busy when we arrived. But the crowd thinned out pretty quickly, while the service seemed to get worse. Our drinks sat on the bar for 10 minutes with no one bringing them over; in the end I got up and brought them over myself (no one else in the place was drinking raspberry lemonade, my go-to beverage for Chinese food). But more importantly, the vibe from the staff was that they really just didn't want to be there, which kind of bummed us out, because we were feeling pretty cheerful. Overall, I was a bit disappointed that David's had lost some of its original appeal in the renovation. SOME of the food is great, and I'm sure that sometimes the service is excellent. But I'm used to David's food being really creative and memorable, leaving me thinking about it long after the meal is done, and this dinner really didn't hit that mark. read more

Came here for dinner with my folks. I had been vegan for about 2 weeks and bit hesitant to be one of those vegans. The staff here were super helpful and polite and informative. They didn't make me feel awkward or like an inconvenience. In top if all that, the food was phenomenal. It was tasty, fresh and full if flavour. I really want to come back and check this place out again! read more

If you're in search of a typical China Town Yum Cha, then give Davids Restaurant in Prahran a miss. This is not your run of the mill Chinese restaurant, either in look or taste. From the moment you step through the door you are transported to a fishing village in country Shanghai. With natural light flooding the white washed timber walls and polished cement floors, without even looking at the menu you know you're in for a special meal. We attended the unlimited Yum Cha on Saturday afternoon and was treated to something very special. Trays upon trays of an assortment of freshly steamed dumplings continually made their way to our table and it was hard to say no to any of them. Dumplings wasn't the only dishes that are on offer, a selection of Davids a la carte menu was also making the rounds of each table. There wasn't a dish we didn't like and we started to fill up by this stage. Just when we thought we couldn't eat anymore our server presented to us the highlight of the meal, white chocolate dumplings. These gooey pieces of heaven are any chocolate lover's wet dream, a perfect way to finish a truely delightful lunch. So as I said if you're looking for a Yum Cha that is different than the rest, I suggest you head to Davids in Prahran. read more

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I eat dim sum fairly regularly and thought David's was quite average. We had a large range of dumplings and most were ok but there were none of come back for. The Peking duck pancake was the best by far. They came out hot and fresh, which was a bonus - not all dishes were like this. The decor is funky and the 'share plate' was an interesting concept. I love chilli and despite ordering 2 kinds of chilli neither was hot, I was disappointed. read more

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my grandmother immediately started to complain about the noise 'what?? I can't hear you! this place needs carpet!', the seats 'these are too low!' and later the food 'oy it's too spicy'. but she has a tendency to do that. the staff were super friendly and did not take her loud objections to heart, even bringing her a cushion so that she was more comfortable. the food portions were large and delicious. the staff ever attentive and even sang happy birthday to my sister when they brought the cake out. overall we had a great night and my family enjoyed eating somewhere 'a bit fancy'. although to be fair to my grandmother, it was a bit loud. read more

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Just tried a late night snack so far. I enjoyed the clean, earthy hipster decor with a slight Asian fusion features. The food was good. Pricing was not too crazy. The all timber floors and walls mean it's a little loud with a crowd. Worth coming back to for a more in depth yum cha. read more

Great vibe and food at David's. The yum cha is pretty unique and well priced. The Peking duck rolls, chocolate sesame balls and white chocolate dumplings had to be the winner! Staff were attentive and helpful too. read more

I recently celebrated my birthday at David's with 50 guests for Saturday yum cha lunch. Not having dined here previously, we could not have been more delighted. I have enjoyed yum cha from Hong Kong to New York to our own Chinatown. This was the best I've ever had. Not only was every dish delicious, with endless variety, but the fabulous waitstaff kept the food coming until we could eat no more. David's BYO policy allowed us to bring our preferred wines, and our glasses were never empty. Our group comprised adults and children of all ages, from toddlers to great grandparents, several with food allergies and special requests. All needs were accommodated without fuss. Special thanks to Christine who made the day fabulous in every regard. My friends are still raving about it, and will all return to dine here again. You should too. You won't regret it! read more

This used to be a favourite place of ours ... until the renovation and the "Country Chinese" theme. I applaud creativity and pushing the boundary but food doesn't match the quality we have been used to. read more

Not your typical Chinese joint at all. I love the interior here and the food is great too. I just need to get back to do their yum cha on a weekend. Love this place. read more

fantastic on every level. great food, service, prices. cute decor. loved it. i wish i didn't fill up so fast or would have eaten more. vegan friendly. read more

I hadn't been to David's for a number of years ad was very pleasantly surprised by the update. We started with various dim sum that was nice but not special. Then we had shredded lamb with lettuce that was absolutely delicious and fried rice that was easily the best I've tasted. We followed this with chilli chicken which, although nice, paled against the other two. Not expensive and very attentive service. It will become a staple for us! read more

Travelling as 2 families from sydney and requiring Gluten Free for 1 Coeliac and not having been to Melbourne before we really weren't sure what to expect. Staying in Prahran there's a lot around but we needed to book in for 9 people. We found some good reviews for David's which was recommended as GF options and booked in. Wow! Fantastic experience with great food and service. We had 4 adults and 5 kids (under10yrs old) and there was something for everyone to eat and at reasonable prices. They were fantastic at keeping the kids busy bringing out food quickly and not making us feel unwanted. Highly recommend coming here for families who want good dining experience with great atmosphere for adults and kids. read more

Very busy and service was a little slow. Food arrived fast once ordered. Priced well and tasted great.

Beautiful food and service, and an amazing Chinese New Year surprise when a dragon appeared, danced throughout the restaurant and led everyone outside for fire crackers. WOW. a great experience. Will be back for sure. read more

Had dinner here the other night for the first time and loved it! Hadn't seen it before the recent renovations but the new decor is simple and doesn't detract from the food. Some might find the menu limited but all six of us found at least one dish we were keen to try and we finished every scrap of food on the table, not because the serving sizes were small, but because every dish was delicious! Standouts were definitely the Mongolian lamb, chilli and pork dumplings, grandma's 8 and shanghai greens. Will be coming back! read more