Review Citi Zen Restaurant - Adelaide

Yum cha, yum cha - here we go! CitiZen transforms to an awesome yum cha restaurant for brunch over the weekend. The dishes have a price tag to match with a sitting between two people costing us $72, nevertheless, couldn’t fault any of the plates. The squid was sensation and so was the prawn noodles so we naturally had to get two plates of both…

Best Dim Sum place in Adelaide. Loved the food served on carts, just like the old times. Loved the dessert food cart. The pace was good and so many different choices! FIVE STAR: food, service and dinng experience (spacious seating, feels comfortable)

Yum Cha was lovely for meat eaters. They said the food was amazing! Selection was fantastic. I let them know I was vegan but no one knew upon arrival and then by the time I got my food an hour+ passed and I was eating alone. Only 4 options available too.

Having never experienced Yum Cha dining before, an invitation to join friends and family for Chinese New Years was an offer to good to turn down. The food was fast, fresh and satisfying. Copious plates of food and array of options had my eyes darting about as the lazy-susan spun like a top, as everyone fought for their favourite dishes. Judging by the full dining room and happy faces, I have been missing out. Only criticism was that they had no gluten free options for those like my wife who are Coeliac.

Love it. First time last night after hearing so much about the place. The restaurant was nice and spacious. Food was delicious and nicely presented. Will go back again.

Good table service but honestly the food was below average. We order the shredded duck fried vermicelli noodles, but received only pieces of dried duck skin. Would not visit again.

Food is ok, service is really bad. Went there on Sunday, for lunch. Very disappointed, waste of time and money. We told the waiter it was our first time and he didn’t bother to explain to us how it worked, he just brought a menu and left. We were the “forgotten table”; they only offered what no one else wanted, the most expensive options. We spent around $135 for 4 adults and 2 kids; kids didn’t eat, and we adults left very hungry. Again, food is fine, but the service is the worst.

The squid is really salty, the waiter in the shop is extremely rude. Slam the tea pot on the table when they start to serve. What a shame. After we have the buffet, being charge 8 dollars extra for waste food. Waste food - two piece of hargow and two prawn, cause us 8 dollar charge. Really ridiculous, worst experience ever.

Bad experience. Overall i would give one star. Food is similar with other restaurants which is fine but the price is much higher and the portion is very small. The worst thing was the presentation. I thought someone ate half of my $18 main course on the way to my table !! Or someone chuck few bits of food on the plate. We ordered more than 15 dishes and all pretty much the same. Service? We didn't have a good experience. I wouldn't visit again and wouldn't recommend to anyone

Our booking was for 6.30, we ordered starters and main meals by 7.15. Our starters came out at 8, and they forgot our mains. Other people of Asian back ground came in after us and were served starters main and dessert before we even got our mains. After asking for our main meal several times we finally got them at 9.10 and they even forgot one of our dishes. The service was pretty average and they offered 1 dinner plate size of prawn crackers as a sorry for their mistake, which didnt go far with a table full of hungry people. What a shame because the food was great.

We have been here lots of times always excellent service and without fail food 🥘 is always fresh and tasty, they always have plenty of staff on you never have to wait for drinks or food , can't wait for my family to come from Queensland to take them there .

We eat at Citizen regularly ... we eat out regularly ... Citizen is, without a doubt, one of our favourites. This restaurant has beautiful architecture, well presented food, endless decoration, it is comfortable and affordable.

I booked for 6.30 for a table of 4. We ordered the banquet thinking that is easy for them. The soup arrived promptly, but I had to make several requests for the next course. After seeing many tables of Chinese people arrive later than us receiving their entire meals before we had been served our main course, I approached one of the staff at 8.30 and firmly told them we wanted our meal. I believe this was a blatant case of racial discrimination because we are not Chinese. The food was OK, but no better than at any other Chinese restaurant. The staff were not friendly at all. The service was appalling. I will never go to this restaurant again, nor will any of my group.

Pretty good place, lots of helpful staff, good food and great authentic taste. I am of course referring to the Yum Cha menu as I've not had dinner there. Cheers!

My favourite place to go when I'm back in Adelaide for a good decent food! The service is excellent and the food is top quality!!

We went with the family for my brother birthday the food was taste ok but some how I notice in Citizen Chinese restaurant with food and each food that we ordered are so little and lesser then other Chinese Restaurants that I had been everywhere in Adelaide all so we went there with 12 people we expect the food come all at once so we all can have together but the food was coming one by one instead some of us haven't got chance to eat because the food was so little and taken so long to come. We was so so disappoint plus what's I getting annoying the most every times the waitresses came with the food we have to help them put the food on the table or taken away all the time because they are can't reached through or they just want us to help them. For me I call they're not good Services at all I wouldn't go there with a bundle of friends or family ever again.

Used to be brilliant but Citi Zen you have really dropped the ball! Peak Friday night, wine not cold and key dishes just ‘unavailable’.... how will you make it thru the weekend? Should’ve gone down to Gouger St!

Well we ate wwwaaaaayyyyy tooooo much. The food and service was outstanding. THANKYOU to everyone at Citi Zen Restaurant for outstanding service and amazing Yum Cha. The staff were VERY attentive and food was offered to our table constantly for the entire time we were there. They were lovely polite, chatty and happy to answer questions repeatedly. It wasn't the cheapest yum Cha we've had but it was certainly one of the nicest. We would go back. Michelle & Rick xx

Expensive but ordinary quality food! The music next door on Wednesdays and Thursdays are the go to places

In Adelaide on holidays looking for something easy. A bit tired of a la carte meals. Were recommended Citi Zen. When we arrived the place looked very busy, a good indication. Service was very good sort of. They should allocate 1 food waiter per table. Asked every few minutes are you ready to order by a different person. After ordering entree arrived promptly. Steamed dim sim a bit bland. Mains arrived soon after. A prawn dish. Plenty of prawns but cold. Mongolian Lamb next it was hot hard to get wrong. Not sure what cuts of lamb they used. A bit tough and chewy, very spicy too. Wine was good. When we left they tried to charge us extra . Wrong bill. Was it a good experience?

Disappointing. Food has always been great.. today boring bland and cold...and extremely poor service. No attention, No drink service.. being waiting for over 45 minutes to seek a dessert menu and coffee. Shame ! For desserts 1 straw, 3 piece of banana 2 slices melon one tablespoon chocolate. Seriously bad fondue!

The inside is really beautiful and staff are good. Even the menu (food and drinks) sounds wonderful but when we got it all it was really bland unfortunately- it more expensive than most chinese food and half as good :(

This used to be our go-to yumcha spot in Adelaide. Unfortunately the last few times we have visited, the service, food and portions were underwhelming. In particular, the staff are inattentive at times- giving out tea cups with chips in them, not refilling the tea, having to ask multiple times for chilli oil and soy sauce (should be staples in any dim sum place). The other big issue is to do with how long it takes for the food to come out especially on a weekend when they should know that it’s busy and should be prepared. Sad to say we haven’t been back...

We ordered Peiking duck (2 way - wrap plus stir fry) ; Beef stir fry and a tofu fish. Unfortunately all the dishes came out almost all at once, otherwise it would have been a 5 star.

The restaurant offers traditional Chinese dishes, banquet and yum cha. <br/>It’s a good place to go with a big group of families and friends. <br/>The food was really delicious, and it has a great variety of meat, but the vegetable options are relatively limited. <br/>The staff are very friendly and attentive. <br/>I wish the service could be a bit better and more thoughtful, especially for customers who come for dinning on special occasions.

Definitely one of the places where I have had authentic Chinese food. Pecking duck is too delicious. Dessert menu is innovative too. Service is just what is required with top speed and no too many questions asked . Looking forward to go again and try more from the menu.

Went to Citi Zen on two seperate occasions. First time was a Saturday night for a banquet dinner. Second dish came out 40 minutes after the first, the rest of the dishes took way to long to come out. Restaurant didn't seem overly busy and the taste of the food was decent but the not worth the wait.<br/><br/>Second time was for yumcha on a sunday around 1.30pm. Walked in and we stood at the stand awkwardly as staff did not even bother to greet us. Walked up to the counter and told them i had a booking for 5 people, took us to a table in the corner set for 8. We sat at the table for 15 minutes, no one took our drink orders and people with trays of dishes continuously walked past us. We were approached by multiple staff asking us if we were ready to order after telling them we were ready still, none of the staff with trays came to our table. We told the manager about the situation and we FINALLY got some food and when we were ready for more again, no trays were coming to our table. Fed up and still hungry we ended up leaving, $94 bill and we left still hungry. Decent tasting food however, a very frustrating experience.

Our go to yum cha spot. Comfortable surroundings and plenty of different choices on offer. Staff are friendly and efficient and there is a good wine list. Very well organized.

The Peking duck is pretty good, great pancakes and the duck noodle is awesome. If you go there duck is a must. Other dishes are okay, nothing special.

It's been a while since I visited Citi Zen.. it used to be my go to place for yum cha and dinner but I returned here again after a year and what a shock to the system. The yum cha choices were poor, service well - the waiter kept pushing the food trolley past us like we were invisible and we kept calling them back. I sure hope the dinner menu is better because I'm never coming back here for yum cha.

Dined here tonight with a group & had the banquet. Had high expectations from others that had been before... very disappointed though !<br/>Not sure if this was the norm - extremely lacklustre service more intent in charging our glasses , food was average at best in poor quantities esp for a banquet . <br/>Whole experience was wrong , with every one hungry and disappointed after. A worry when the highlight was a coffee at a Chinese restaurant!

We had yum cha for lunch on a Saturday. We arrived at about 1 pm but by 1.30 ish they had basically stopped rolling the food out and we then had to order off a menu. That's fine, but it's not the same as seeing the food going past and getting to choose. If you have lunch here I advise you to go for the early session i.e. 11 to 1 pm.<br/><br/>The food isn't bad, but it's not amazing either. There are other cheaper yum cha places around. <br/><br/>I had to use the the toilets and was happy to find that they were clean, nice and roomy. <br/><br/>Not bad, but I probably wouldn't come back for yum cha.

Average expensive bland takeaway. Won't waste my money again. Heaps better and cheaper places on gouger street. Cashew nut chicken 5 cashews, fried rice boring ham and not much else. Small serves. On a positive the waitress was nice.

Was here for the yum cha. Great choices of yum cha, clean and good service which is what you want when you're having yum cha. Took them awhile to get me my chilli oil though and got mostly the oil and no chilli? But overall, happy with the food and service, and will be happy to come back.

Citi zen always is our choice when it comes to yum cha. The place is clean and comfortable and the food is always great. The only negative would be the wait staff. They will sometimes offer u dumplings when ur table is empty and you are clearly waiting on your other guest. Or they offer you food when you have already received the bill. Just small things like that they can work on. Tentativeness.

Most recently, I came here for Yum Cha. Their service was solid on a very busy Saturday lunch. However, I did not love any of the dishes served. Nothing stood out, unfortunately. My friends said that mango pudding was delicious. <br/>Just OK, I guess.

Absolutely disgusting. We ordered a platter of food and it was 1 spring roll and 1 prawn toast and 1 tiny beef satay. When I questioned why a platter was so small, the waitress advised "it is for one person",!! The menu says a platter! <br/><br/>The food was small servings and overpriced! There were 4 of us and 3 people came to give us fresh plates. I feel this place is over-serviced and we the customer are paying for this. I saw 3 staff clean the same table, the table was for 4 people!!! So expensive for such small servings. I can see why only 4 tables were booked on a Friday night, just my opinion, if you want customers back, be genuine and decent sized servings for the price!!!! <br/><br/>Gouger street has far better options !!!

We went to this restaurant on Christmas day for yum cha. The service was very good compared to other yum cha restaurants. The staff actually came all the way to your table to offer dishes and tried to clean the empty plates as quick as they could. The food was quite nice but I would expect more choices for a yum cha restaurant. Would try again for another day that is not public holiday.

Dim sum was pricey compared to other Chinatown places. Service for food was slow. Do not recommend the Siew mai - the pork smell was very strong!

lmao who did dis <br/>good dumple<br/>much nicer ambiance than other chinese restaurants<br/>one waitress didn't understand my chinese rip <br/>coconut jelly was succulent

One of the best Yum Cha restaurant in Adelaide! Love the fancy ambiance and decor. So many weekend special dishes on the Yum Cha trolley and the service is pretty responsive as well. Unfortunately, they seems always got fully booked on every weekend. Overall is great!!

We booked for 13 for a birthday and although we hadn't asked for it, we were put in a private room. Actually we were squashed like sardines in a private room. The waiters could only walk to the front of the table, we could barely hear or understand what they were saying or offering and the experience, quite frankly, was bloody awful. There was plenty of room in the restaurant so why we were not out there is beyond my comprehension. The food if it had been amazing, may have made up for it, but it wasn't - it was very very ordinary. So many better places for yum Cha. We won't be back

Really ordinary experience! Food incredibly average. As part of a banquet we started with chicken and sweet corn soup and it was gelatinous and poorly seasoned. The Sang Chou Boy was quite good but not generous, a large lettuce leaf with a small amount of filling. The following dishes were unimpressive and inadequate for the number of people. Such a shame as we have been here before and really enjoyed the food!!

Citi Zen is located inside one of Adelaide’s most historical buildings the old Brenock Hotel. After renovating the interior they are now Adelaide’s largest Chinese restaurant specialising in Cantonese cuisine and traditional yum cha. Shallot pancake. One of my favourite dishes. The pastry was light and crispy but definitely needed more spring onion inside.

The best thing about this place is the space. Can you imagine? Yum cha in Adelaide that 1) doesn't involve waiting half an hour past your booking for a spot, 2) not being squeezed into a tiny niche and 3) has clean cutlery and crockery. Amazing. Life changing even. While the perfect number of people for yum cha might be three, if you must bring your entire extended family, Citi Zen might be your only choice. It's just as well the food is good too. Would gladly return.

Not much great to say about this place, the service was decent (although my water glass never got replenished) and the food came out quickly. Other than that the 50 shades of beige and plastic pot plant decor of the place is pretty awful and all of my three courses lacked much flavour. Not bad for a travelling business person needing a quick meal on the company dime, but if I had paid for my cheque out of my own pocket I'd be very disappointed.

Edit. March 2017<br/>My visit to Citi Zen today was very disappointing. A lot has changed since the last visit. The serving sizes have gotten smaller and the prices have increased. The overall quality of the experience has also dropped. Fried rice was boring and lacked flavour. The prawn dumpling was doughy and bland. The rest was just standard westernised canton food. There was no love in the dishes plates up. I imagine there is new chef in the kitchen that has been told to reduce serving sizes and cut costs with the quality. The service has also dropped in quality. Won't be back anytime soon. <br/><br/><br/>Citi Zen is good. Not breaking any new ground here but they do what is says on the label well. There is a chef here who knows what he is doing and has a light and confident touch in his sauces and care for what leaves his kitchen. The dumpling selection is a highlight. Steam Pork buns up there with Melbourne's best. The service is spot on. Probably the best service I have had in Canton Chinese in SA. The young waiter with tats is a gun and he should be poached by one of Adelaide's best venues soon. The venue itself is clean, well lit and decorated. Staff are great with families and kids. Only slight negative is it can be a little pricy. Start with a dumpling smash while sipping on Chinese tea and deploying lashings of chilli oil upon the dumpling selection. Then while still in your dumpling coma get some fried rice, pork mince green beans and a few meat dishes (ribs, crispy skin chicken, beef) and have a great night out.

We went to this restuarant thinking it was one of the best Chinese restaurants in Adelaide.<br/>Think again!!<br/>The decor was dreary as was the staff & the food. My husband enjoyed his pork dish but everything else was flavourless.<br/>The staff were not rude but cartainly a long way from being welcoming.

They have so many workers yet I always have to ask at least 5 waiters for my<br/>Chilli oil and fresh chilli soya sauce. Guess sometimes being such a large restaurant they forget you when you only come in a small group of 2-4ppl. Overall decent food for yum cha.

Beautiful food. Nice and fresh. Cooked to perfection. Tender beef that melts in your mouth. Fried rice absolutely amazing, perfectly cooked. Rated 4 stars as food took awhile.

Came for the Chinese New Year dinner. Food was very slow and badly cook. Just terrible experience. The supervisor in grey just ignore us and only the junior staff tried to help. Meals were worst than food court in Adelaide. Sad to say we won't be coming back . The desert is just plain below average.

This place has some really nice decor has private rooms and banquet start for minimum of 4 people for $40 per person. The food amazing fresh food and service was very fast and accommodating.

I visited Citizen with a large group of people on a relatively quiet Tuesday night this week. I have been here a couple of times in the past and thought that it was good without being anything special, however this week’s experience was considerably better and has restored my faith in Chinese cuisine in Adelaide.<br/><br/>Food:<br/>We ordered the classic banquet at $50 per person and found that it was a relatively good amount of food, just enough to satisfy a group of really hungry, and somewhat boozed up, men. Chicken and sweet corn soup was the first course and it was pretty basic, nothing special but definitely not the worst I’ve ever had. Some good quality dim sims and some incredible dumplings were next to come out. The dumpling dough was absolutely divine, melt in your mouth style, while the filling did all the work texturally and flavour-wise. The filling was predominantly nicely sized pieces of prawn as opposed to mashed up parts of things you can’t taste. This is how I love my dumplings and these were some of the best I’ve ever had. There were no let downs in the main courses, however the Citi Zen Crispy Chicken was a highlight for me - perfectly cooked and subtly delicious. The other mains included Spicey Morton Bay Bugs, Steamed Barramundi w/ ginger and shallot, Cantonese Shredded Steak (very tender) & Mongolian Lamb. Fried rice and a serve of mixed garden vegetables which were cooked to absolute perfection (to the point where you get just a nice amount of crunch out of them and they still retain their flavour and freshness) were also included.<br/>Dessert was a mango pudding which I was surprisingly enjoyable for me because I’m usually not a fan of mango or dessert.<br/><br/>Service:<br/>The service was predominantly really good. For the majority of the night the staff were thoroughly attentive, replenishing drinks often and bringing the food out steadily, however there were a couple of periods of waiting too long for water to brought out and for the bill.<br/><br/>Ambience:<br/>The restaurant is clean and tidy and nicely lit up, there is plenty of room and it’s in a fairly good location.<br/><br/>Dish to look out for:<br/>The prawn dumplings and the Citi Zen Crispy Chicken were hands down winners.

Citi Zen has the best dim sum service amongst the famous few dim sum places in Adelaide (star house, ding hao, eastern garden). Also my favourite salted egg custard buns, cooked to perfection with a yolky, liquid-y center and soft warm mantou buns. Would definitely return!

Overpriced. Expensive dinner that was not enjoyable at all. I wouldn't recommend this place or go there again.

We came here with 6 people and loved it! Being my first Yum Cha experience it was a little overwhelming with all of the food circling around having a grab what you like the look of! Staff were friendly and patient and the food was awesome, will definitely be back

Was disappointed with yum-cha. Not much selection. Service was ok, but our table was ignored when food was coming out. Had to get attention of waiters to get food.

This is one of my usual Yum Cha restaurant. Price is quite reasonable and the food is good. Dinner dishes are even better, recommend their traditional dishes.

Okay but no where near Adelaide standards when it comes to Chinese food. Their spring rolls were pretty good but the veges were all over cooked and dull.

I love the atmosphere inside! its so big and colorful and also pretty quiet which makes it an excellent place for large group functions. The best thing to do is order a whole bunch of dishes in the middle to share so you can taste everything. Salt and pepper squat was one of the best!

If I'm after yum cha this is my go-to restaurant. The food is always fresh and consistently tasty. My faves are the stuffed eggplant, mango pudding, and pretty much all of the dumplings with seafood in it. They have a VERY extensive yum cha menu. Dumpling skins are always firm and the dumpling stuffing is full, none of that soggy skinned half-processed rubbish dumplings they serve at the food courts. <br/>The service is fabulous. The staff are highly attentive and always polite. I'm quite impressed that the staff have radios to talk to each other to ensure orders reach the kitchen straight away. <br/>The atmosphere is busy but comfortable on a Saturday and Sunday morning/lunch and the interior decor is beautiful and looks like what a nicer quality Chinese restaurant should look like. I appreciate that they don't pack everyone in like sardines during the yum cha sessions unlike some other restaurants. There is room to move. <br/>While I do not have children myself they are a child friendly restaurant. That is a positive for me.

Disappointing tonight - and clearly oit feedback not of interest to the lady at the desk. <br/>We have been many times previously but tonight we went into economy instead of business class ! <br/>Like a different place -<br/>Not sure we go back.

Lots of Yum Cha. All tastes are catered for with a large Yum Cha selection. Service was always quick and efficient....very important for Yum Cha :)

Very bad service, ok/average Chinese food, expensive, won't be back or recommending.

Disappointing. Myself and 7 friends dined here tonight. The service was terrible and the food worse. We had to catch the eye of a waiter to order drinks - ordered and then waited 30 minutes for them to arrive. Our entre's came staggered with the last, duck soup, a good 15 minutes after everyone else had finished. The "complimentary" steamed rice that comes with the main course equated to a tablespoon each of congealed and overcooked rice. The food was greasy and salty. 3 of our mains dishes didn't arrive and had to be "chased" up. We never got a chance to order a second drink - no one bothered to check if we needed another. We wont be going back.

Unbelievable... So we went to this restaurant today. Unable to order the dishes and had to wait until the waiters brought their little tray of food all the way to our corner table.. only for them to retreat back to the kitchen because they had run out of food by that time. What an extremely impractical way of running the tables, Citi Zen.<br/><br/><br/>Next is the fact that they charged for sauce?! I do not know ANY yumcha restaurants that charge for the sauces.. not even McDonalds do that anymore. What a load of rubbish. Sure some places, i.e. local deli's or takeout restaurant would charge you 20-30c for sauce, this outlandish restaurant charges you one whole dollar for a small saucer of soy sauce.<br/><br/><br/>This is absolutely ridiculous and I feel sorry for all the waiters and waitresses this restaurant UNDERPAYS under the table.<br/><br/>im out.

My wife and I thought the food here was absolutely delicious. Service was very good, we weren't rushed and waitresses were friendly enough. My only criticism would be maybe not enough vegetables accompanying the dishes particularly alongside the amazing crispy duck we shared as an entree.

Great food, horrendous service. Slow and slack service, had to ask several times for drinks and sauces to go with the food. The waiting staff are useless and let the amazing food down

Zero to Full in 30 Minutes. Have been to this restaurant several times for yum cha lunch and usually happy with the results. The food is tasty and generally pretty good. Service is prompt and it can be a matter of seconds before the first dish is offered. You can literally eat your fill in about 15 minutes should be game enough to say yes to every waiter who approaches your table for the first 5 minutes. The atmosphere is nice and the place has a buzz with large groups, waiters everywhere and the dessert trolley (only asian style desserts). I think they could benefit from a system that tells the waiters to pause or stop asking tables, like a card on a stand or something, as it can be quite annoying towards the end of your meal to be constantly interrupted. But overall we have enjoyed our meals and will be back.

Yummy yum Cha but expensive. Came here for lunch for 2 adults and a 4 yo. Yum Cha tasted really good. Prawn dumplings pastry skin was thin n delicate. Prawn rolls were superb best I've tasted in adelaide. The tripe however were below average: very chewy. Overall was very good but was quite pricey compared those in Chinatown, total bill of $65 for 9 dishes and tea.

Citi Zen Chiese Restaurant. Just had lunch at The Citi Zen Chinese Restaurant and the food was delicious and in particular excellent service from a lovely waiter named Aisen. We will be returning.

A last minute decision on a sat night and the place was buzzing. Had the Peking duck, scallop dumplings and San bow chow. Food was all good quality and interesting. Do agree with previous review about the missing duck - maybe try to grab it before it disappears Back to the kitchen and you lose half if it . Service was slow.

Rip Off. I ordered the Peking duck, which for $55, you would assume you get a whole duck. The menu actually shows a photo of a whole duck. However, when it came out, the waiter sliced a few pieces around the breast part and then took the duck back into the kitchen! Supposedly, the rest of the duck would be used for the next dish, which was noodles with duck meat.<br/><br/>However, the noodle dish came out the very next minute, with hardly any duck in it! The rest of the duck must have been used for their other dishes such as their entree duck wraps. Complete rip off.

Very dissaponiting. I went with my family to Citi Zen for a Saturday night out of the kitchen from home as a special treat with my children and husband.<br/> 2 adults & 3 kids under 10 ...... $180.00 later we left feeling totally ripped off. The prices for entree's and mains for portion size was extremely disspointing. If the quality and the food produced was above average you could possibly say it was worth it, but that was clearly not the case. Considering we ate with 3 kids under 10 & we left feeling hungry I would not recommend going to eat at this restaurant. Ohh and the Sizzling beef arrived at our with no sizzle, when we asked why not, they could not understand what the problem was, & the beef was slightly under done as a result. Beacuse we had tried it they then said there was nothing they could do about it, I said if we didnt try it how could i tell you if it wasnt cooked properly ??????? Also the san choy bow tasted of old meat ground so fine that, <br/>with the watery non sauce like cositancy it was not like any san choy bow i have ever tasted before or would like to ever again. I think we will eat in or at least go back to Gouger St !

Bad service all round. I have coeliacs and have NEVER encountered such ignorance when it comes to food intolerances. There were about three dishes I could have and I had to practically beg the wait staff to ask the chef about the meals and if they contained gluten. I was gobsmacked when she came back to tell me I couldn't have rice because it comes from wheat...... THIS WAS FROM THE CHEF!!!!!!!<br/><br/>Not only were they not knowledgable when it came to the very food they served there was a long wait to get any service.<br/><br/>Would not recommend.

Went there on a Friday night for dinner with 8 others. Had the $40/head banquet. Possibly the worst Chinese I've had. The first course of chicken and sweet corn soup I'd liken to lukewarm dish water. Literally zero taste. The "main courses" came out, of which there were 5, there was just enough for each of us to have a small taste. Although not too bad taste-wise, the portions were pitiful. Finally, the dessert came out which was some peach, custard thing which tasted terrible. Wouldn't even serve it to my dogs. It was that bad. Tasted like sloppy, fruity dish washing detergent. Ratshit. To top it off, couldn't get a drink from any waiters who seemed too scared to come to the table. After ordering a drink at the bar, it took about 10 mins before the drink was brought to the table. Oh, to top it off, every minute or so, a horrible stench of mouldy carpet or something like that wafted over the table. It was probably just as well we weren't served much food. We probably couldn't stomach is after sniffing that disgusting smell all night. Thankfully, we used our entertainment book cards, saving us a bit of money. The whole experience was still nowhere near worth the money, however. Avoid at all costs.

Not impressed. I’ve been there a few times for lunch and dinner with friends because I have an entertainment card. The quality and varieties of food items are average. Some of dishes are even blow the average industry standard. The services were slow with unfriendly attitudes from the waiting staff. Price for each dish is way above other competitors. A lobster cost me $190 kg that the manager said it was the market price in September. A few days later, went to another Chinese restaurant, the price was $90 kg. I was ripped off. There are plenty of better places than Citi Zen for a good Chinese lunch, dinner and Yam Cha.

Good relaxing Yum Cha. This is the only place in Adelaide that the waiting staff still come to you with their carts and ask you if you like what they offer, which is the traditional way of doing Yum Cha. For HongKong people, Yum Cha is a family day to catch up with the whole family, friends and relatives. The food here is tasty and fresh, and if you come on the weekend, they have special dishes which you wouldn't find on the regular menu. The place is bright and spacious, unlike some other yum cha places on Gouger Street, which are so crowded that their tables literally touching and you have to be a stick insect to walk around. I don't mind paying a bit more to have a pleasant, un-hurry and enjoyable yum cha.

Over-priced. Ordered 8 dishes in yum cha, 7 of which were deluxe dim sum including things like radish cake, tofu skin roll and pork dumplings. The food was below average for the price you pay. I think Ding Hao offers better value for money and their food is slightly better. The only positives are the decor and service, although at times I found it a bit annoying because the staff kept coming to our table and asking if we'd want the dim sum that they're carrying. If you don't want to be disturbed, you should come on weekdays so you can order by menu.

Shocking customer service, food was not well prepared especially the Peking Duck. Very disappointed for a well deco Chinese restaurant and for the price you pay. They have gone downhill

Reliably Good. I returned to Citi Zen after an absence of some years for a farewell lunch. The new premises (in the old ....) have been re-fitted to be in keeping with the old Citi Zen. It is huge and could easily cater for a hundred plus function. I assume that it does from time to time.<br/>The food was the same reliable traditional/western Chinese and between five of us came to a very reasonable $160 (or $25 a head) before drinks. We had a few starters (Peking Duck wraps, spring rolls and steamed dim sims, the latter tw in double serves) before the mains. The latter consisted of XO Beef with long beans, Sweet and Sour Pork and Black Pepper Chicken. The Black Pepper Chicken was a hit. With the mains we ordered the Special Fried Rice (1 1/2 serves) and the Shredded Duck Noodles.<br/>I didn't check out the walk in cellar, but the Wine List is reasonably extensive (especially for a Chinese restaurant) and is reasonably priced. A bottle of the Zema Cab Sav was $35.<br/>In all, the Zen remains a reliable Chinese venue and I suspect (but don't know) a good place for a larger function.

Talk about Grumpy. Blimey, the waiter was the gruffest, grumpiest waiter I've ever come across. When we were a bit slow in claiming the dish he brought, he said "Well I'll just chuck it in the middle of the table". He also didn't bring water when we asked for it, and made a big deal of clearing away places for a few people who had not turned up for our booking. The banquets look good value, but the vegetables in garlic sauce I ordered were very plain - basically just broccoli and bok choy. Disappointing.

Fabulous experience. Citi zen completely exceeded my high expectations. Living in Sydney for ten years has made me a yum cha snob, I admit it, so I took the job of finding yum cha in Adelaide very seriously. I did my research and it seemed Citi zen is number one here. It came very highly recommended, even from people with Chinese heritage, but would it compete with the atmosphere and culinary delights of Marigolds and the like??<br/>From the moment I walked in I was impressed, it was busy, bustling, opulent, and smelt amazing. I was slightly scared to tell them that two more people were going to needed to added to the table for twelve, but they catered for us with total efficiency and professionalism. Best of all they added these extra seats to a fabulous table with chairs that looked like they were set for royalty in the private room that they had organised for us. Being surprised with a private room was a wonderful treat.<br/>Family members were over half an hour late, (there was no hassling from staff during this time) and as soon as we let the staff know we would start without them the food started to roll on in. This was no dribs and drabs yum cha parade. The food came thick and fast through our enormous sliding door. Within minutes or lazy susan was full of a vast array of dumplings, pipis, squid, noodles, chinese greens, taro cakes, fried radish....all the deliciousness you could ask for.<br/>Food highlights are hard to name, as I don't know the names for the dishes but it was all wonderful and was definitely up to Sydney standards.<br/>We were awful customers, adding people at the last minute, some arriving over half an hour late, overstaying our welcome by eating cake while the patrons for the next sitting were waiting, shocking really, I am a little ashamed, but they dealt with us so graciously I felt compelled to write my first review and give them the big thumbs up.<br/>One of the waiters even insisted to help me carry out a plant that was given to me as a gift. This is long after we had payed so his motive was not to be tipped, just to give an exceptional experience.<br/>Citi zen, thank you and I will make sure I spread the good word about you.

I was disappointed. Went last night after reading some reviews. Felt very rushed the entire time we were there. Had only just sat down and they were asking what we wanted to drink and were we ready to order. We ended up ordering the banquet as it seemed the easiest and the quickest. Every course we ended up with slops on the table from the waiters. I think we could have a more satisfying meal from our local Chinese restaurant. Sorry won't visit there again or recommend to anyone..

The only place I will go to for Yum Cha. I recommend this place for Yum Cha. Bring a group and book in advance of at least a few days. I have been to the old Citi Zen which was across the street from its current location when they used to have a 2 hour time limit on tables as they were so busy and we were seated pretty much next to the toilets. Now they have a beautifully decorated and spacious Chinese restaurant that brings me back to Hong Kong and Singapore. Food quality is really good as not everything is fried or stuffed with prawn.Variety is what makes a good Yum Cha banquet. Service is pretty good compared to other restaurants on Gouger Street. Price is reasonable and similar to other Yum Cha restaurants. Go for the buns and dumplings and definitely the radish cake and finish off with a Mango Pudding.

Food ok, service a bit odd. Firstly, the place is very brightly lit, enough to be a bit uncomfortable and secondly, the staff seem to be preoccupied with communication via their headsets - which is off-putting (almost feels rude). <br/><br/>Anyway, the food was ok, my entree came out after every one had finished theirs (even after reminders), they didn't seem to care. So I ate my entree by myself inbetween courses. The restaurant was semi-busy, we were a table of 8 or so, but the atmosphere was a bit sterile - restaurant-wide. Someone in the table behind me started to complain about something and they were all asked to leave, which seemed odd. They were suited individuals, who weren't being disruptive with whatever their complaint was - so it felt more oppressive after that. <br/><br/>The place seemed to be encased in temporary partition type walls as well - and again I will say the food wasn't bad, but it wasn't memorable either. <br/><br/>I sense their old place across the road had more going for it, I wish I had been to compare.

Nice food, duck with orange was lovely but the service was not good. I wanted to order dessert but no one ever came to offer the menu! Also didn't get offered a second drink which was annoying. The night started well but wasn't a good finish.

Terrible service. None of the waiters were friendly or very helpful. Ordered some dishes at the end of the meal as they said the kitchen was closing soon. Got 3 of the 4 dishes all at separate times. Waited another 20 minutes for the 4th dish which finally arrived after asking 4 different people who all walked off and never came back to let us know what was happening. Food was ok but not amazing

Ridiculously good Yum Cha. Great variety, lots of staff carrying dishes to choose from, and tasted great. Here and Ding Hao would be the two best in Adelaide for Yum Cha in my opinion.

I feel like I am back in Hong Kong. After living in Hong Kong for four years, I was having dim sum/yum cha withdrawals. That was until a friend introduced me to Citi Zen. Still not quite as good at Din Tai Fung in Hong Kong but very good none the less.<br/>I loved the crowded, bustling and noisy main dining room. Great choice of beer and wine - great to see Tsing Tao beer on the menu! <br/>The dumplings were all very nice and I am particularly fond of the cold bean dish. I could sit there and just eat that all day. Quite a bit of the food has unfortunately been westernised and was deep fried with lots of pastry. I would love to see a bigger variety of dumplings and savoury side dishes. If they put good Shanghai dumplings filled with soup on the menu (Xiao Long Bao) I would be there every week.<br/>I must check out the new Shanghai Tea House in Burnside to see how it compares, but I will definitely be back to Citi Zen!

Crap seevice ! Very disappointed. Wait for 1/2 hour for food! The service try to look busy and ignore our table. I have to refill the tea myself.

Best Chinese Cuisine in Adelaide. If you want good Chinese cuisine in Adelaide, Citi Zen is the place to go. Housed inside the former Brecknock Hotel, the restaurant is beautifully decorated with its vibrant colours and bustling atmosphere. The seafood selection is fresh and I especially love the yum cha. The restaurant really does feel and taste authentic!

By far the best Chinese in Adelaide. Eat here very regularly - food and service is always fantastic. Highly recommend the crispy skin duck.

It's a shame that the good quality of the food ("good" not great), is let down by the service! As someone else said, very speccy radio communications between staff, but not sure it does anything for the standard of service!

Excellent food terrible service. Why bother with radios in the ear, when u can't even bother taking 2mins to actually listen to a customer to take his/her order.

Fantastic yum cha. Really really great quality yum cha, eaten there 3 times for yum cha now and loved the food each and every time. Not the friendliest of service but don't care, not there to make friends, just their food and I love it.

Mixed feelings about this one .... Having been here a few times now I'm not certain whether I'd go back. First visit impressed with the new decor, but on the second visit it felt like going back to a Chinese restaurant of the '70s. The food has been mixed. It's VERY salty. Like many large restaurants, the menu is epic but there really doesn't seem to be all that much difference between some of the dishes. I've had a chicken dish that was excellent, but one duck dish had small bits of shattered bone throughout from the rough chopping. Last visit I had salt & pepper squid - covered with stodgy batter and rubbery-tough. It's a large place, and parking is difficult.

Menu might be better than lunch special. I went to Citi Zen for lunch with a group of friends last week. I have been there before and I loved it so I had high expectations. This time we all ordered lunch specials and shared. The lunch specials were really cheap but the servings were pretty small - except for the rice though - loads of rice! The food was OK - it wasnt bad but nothing outstanding either. I remember last time when I ordered from the menu the food was really good so I was a bit disapointed. The service was good - fast and attentive which is handy if you are after a quick lunch. I would like to try it again - either off the menu or maybe the yum cha.

Dining nightmare. Had dinner on a Sunday night, rushed food and continued to do the vacuuming around the table whilst we were seated and trying to enjoy our wine and meal which was all delivered at once due to the kitchen closing.<br/>I found the conditions very bright, lack of enthusiasm from any of the staff, and then slogged with a $ 2.00 service charge because it was Sunday.....mmmmmmmmmmmm.<br/>I will leave it at that..

Outstanding. We ate here as part of Round 3 of the F1 2012 F1 calendar. I hadn’t eaten at Citi-Zen since they moved across the road but I was blown away with how they’ve transformed the old pub. The new restaurant now looks 5 star but surprisingly the prices are reasonably. We decided to have 2 Peeking Ducks (2 course) between 4 people which seems a bit excessive but where you eating food of this quality you want to make the most of it. The meal wasn’t rushed out so we were able to enjoy our surroundings and sip on our green tea. I look forward to going back and trying some other dishes on the menu. Next stop Bahrain.

Excellent service - great food - definitely recommend it - make sure to book - really nice venue.

Eaten here several times in past. Food is no longer delicious and fresh but prices command a far superior quality<br/><br/>Very dissapointing

Fabulous food!. So it isn't silver service, but the food is great, don't know what people are whining about. Among our favourites are the shallot bun, chive dumpling, double cooked lamb, salt and peppe stuFfed squid, and the soft shell crab! There is also a flat chicken on the menu which is very tasty! They get very busy and the the staff tend to panic a bit, but it doesn't generally affect the meal!

Won't go back...... Had dinner there this week with friends. Chicken satays deep fried not as on the menu, no mention of fried satays.<br/>The crispy skin chicken was Inedible, strange taste. Sesame beef very dry and tough, looked like it was reheated.<br/>We sent the Singapore noodles back. The only redeeming dish was the Peking duck. Service average, prices high for what it was. I rang to voice a complaint to the manager and she wasn't interested.

Quality yum cha. I've been a semi-regular at Citi Zen for yum cha for a few years now, so have sampled both the old location and the new. I really like the new rooms; large and grand and very comfortable. However, the yum cha variety seems to have diminished now and yum cha should be all aout the variety IMO. "Prawns, prawns, prawns" sums it up and while every dish is very fresh and tasty, mixing it up a little would be a very good idea. Funnily enough, we were told during a mid-week visit that the selection was wider on the weekends but have found that not the case at all. Maybe we need to go later in the service so that they've exhausted much of the prawn stuff! The service seems to be a bit poorer on the new side of the road too, despite the whizzy head-sets the waitstaff now get about with. Even so, when you want yum cha but somewhere a bit classier than Cafe Kowloon, Citi Zen is a good option. 7.5/10

The new Citi Zen was great. Food and service was great. Had yum cha and dinner it was wonderful. The new place looks so much better and the service was better. Best yum cha in Adelaide

Okay...if you don't mind subsidizing the renos. Nowhere near the worst Chinese food I've had, but certainly not the best from an otherwise very classy looking establishment (with prices to match). Shared a pretty basic banquet at $40 a head...most people were still hungry at the end of it, and although the food was good, there was certainly no particular stand-out dish to froth over. Disappointing. Everyone likes a good froth. The food came out quickly, but I have never been to a Chinese restaurant and experieneced delay of any sort (in fact, it's usually to the contary and you are bombarded with too much too quickly). Staff seem nice, but we had to top up our own wine. Having been to China, I can observe that this may be a cultural practice stemming from disbelief about how much us Guilos enjoy a drink. Better off going down Gouger for more flavoursome food and better bang for your buck, or else House of Chow if you are a fan of this sort of "classy" Chinese experience. Man, that sounds so Kath & Kim of me...

Bigger not always better. A favourite spot for yum cha in the past, decided to try out the new venue (in the old Brecknock Hotel). Proof that bigger does not always = better. Heaps of staff but not many offerings stopping by our table, the first hour, all we saw were prawns (in various forms, fried wonton, rice rolls etc). Finally we asked for a couple of our favourite dishes only to be told that they would "be coming around soon" but this didn't happen. What has happened to the great yum cha provided at the old venue across the road?? Stuffed tofu, stuffed capsicum, green vegetables, roast pork, salt and pepper squid??? Really really, disappointed - left hungry and unsatisfied. Spent all that money on renovations but have not maintained the quality. Give it a miss.

Had 20 people people at 2 tables and all had the $50pp Splendid Banquet and everyone was impressed with the food, especially the moreton bay bugs. Restaurant looks lovely in the front part of the Breckonock where we were. Service was pretty good, staff were very busy on a packed Sat night and could be slow to fill up wine at times, but always courteous. We'll definitely go back and highly recommend it for large groups.

Disappointing food. Poor service. Didn't live up to it's looks Won't be back !

Very ordinary yum cha. definitely not adelaides best, despite the polished presentation and the hype. real chinese dim sum lovers look elsewhere!

Very disappointing - used to be good for yum cha in the old premises, but the food isn't what it used to be, and the atmospehere is very tacky! The "brecknock" bar is also a disaster - the Irish bar is full of tacky Chinese furniture

Yummy Cha. I have only been here for Yum Cha, but it has always been very good, with plenty of options coming around. Tasty and authentic, I will be back. Just a hint- bookings nearly essential!

One of the Top 2 Yum Cha/Dim Sum Resturants in Adelaide. I've been informed that this is one of the two restaurants in Adelaide that have a Hong Kong Yum Cha/Dim Sum chef ... the authenticity of their Yum Cha/Dim Sum is reflected by the quality of the food.... you need to book in advance and when you dine there on a weekend you will see why. You can forget about frozen dim sum in packets, this place is 100% authentic... you might feel like you are in Tsim Tsa Tsui in Hong Kong.<br/><br/>The ambience is nice, authentic and it's complemented by traditional decor. Recommended.

Citi Zen is a popular place on Sunday mornings for the extensive yum cha - popular for very good reason - YUM!

Yummmmm CHA!. The Yum Cha at Citi Zen is excellent. Every time I visit this establishment for brunch, there is a new dish that is generally always good. I Highly recommend Citi Zen for Yum Cha.

Great yum cua indeed

Great yum cha!

Chinese King William St. September 19, 2014 Why did the Chinese restaurant cross the road? To acquire larger premises, in order to cater to an expanding base of customers. This was a long established restaurant before it crossed the road. The new place is enormous. Other than giant suburban local hotel mess halls, this is probably the biggest restaurant around. I've only photographed one of the rooms. It takes me a while to find the place. The door sign is suspiciously not in English. The menu is a giant book of flexible plastic. It has big pictures, and resembles a children's book. Very professional and expensive. Steamed Prawn dumplings 6/10 Prawns wrapped with thin rice pastry. I normally don't order entrees, but I'm hungry. :) There's really nothing to these. It's just prawns in rice pastry. There's a faint hint of spice in the soy sauce, but other than that, I'm not sure there are any other ingredients. This simple combination if ingredients is pleasant enough, however.

Citi Zen was previously located across the road from where it is now, but since it moved into the old Brecknock building, it now has impressive decor that matches the quality of the food.

It was time to experience Yum Cha and Tempting Palates chose Restaurant Citi Zen at 401 King William St, Adelaide. The atmosphere was just what you would expect from a Yum Cha experience - lots of hustle and bustle with tempting dishes pass ing your table by the minute.

Another great visit to Citi Zen! The food was delicious as usual and arrived at our table very quickly after placing our orders.

Today, my best friends and I caught up with each other over yum cha at Citi Zen! This is a tradition which we started at the beginning of last year; we'd all go out to yum cha together every school holidays as a reward to ourselves. This is especially needed this year as we're all in our final years of high school! I am in love with this light fixture. The colour is so gorgeous and it just looks very elegant!   The yum cha menu on weekdays. I believe that the menu system is only used on weekdays and the carts are wheeled around on weekends. (Please correct me if I'm wrong!) Prawn Rice Roll One of my favourites, and I definitely wasn't disappointed!  Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce Nothing spectacular here. I only ordered this dish because I can't have a meal that doesn't contain any form of vegetable. Prawn Dim Sim (Har Gao)   Another favourite of mine, and it was just as delicious this time round!  Savoury Dough Rice Roll  

There's something I have to say about Citi Zen though - the customer service was absolutely fantastic! They accommodated for us in every way. We were constantly being offered foods, they were understanding when I told them that only half the original number of guests were turning up (due to a previous wild late night for some - hence recovery was needed in the morning), they didn't rush us to get out at all - despite the fact that the restaurant was becoming more full and we were clearly done with eating! I loved that we were treated with so much respect!

...i lost track of how many dishes we had but it was good chinese food. it’s worth giving this place a go if you haven’t already been. if you are not comfortable with using chopsticks you can ask for cutlery :) the restaurant area is large and spacious and the decor is beautiful. grand even. it’s family friendly and a good venue for group lunches or dinners. just make sure that you book.<br/>

Once you unravel these banana leaves the stickiest nomiest most fragrant and equally flavoursome sticky rice is revealed! It was uber hot though.. i had to blow on it before eating

I have a certain attraction towards Citizen Chinese Restaurant. I have been here a few times and each visit was a pleasant one: good, authentic Cantonese food with friendly service. Not too long ago, the restaurant had shifted locations and is now located directly opposite of its old site. The interior is definitely more extensive and can easily accommodate dinner parties. I was here a couple of weeks ago for lunch and was able to reserve a table for my companions and I. We arrived slightly after the lunch rush aka 1pm but we were assured that the kitchen is still open for service. As soon as we were seated, we were immediately offered a few types of dim sum plates. What appeared to be a rocketing start did not take long to disappear. We had to constantly request the waitresses to serve us the dishes that we wanted to have and at one point, the waitress rolled her eyes at me! I am not one of those impatient customers who would harass the waiting staff every minute. I did wait for a goo

I've only ever been to Citi Zen  once a long time ago when it was still across the road but on this particular Sunday I felt like going 'yum cha' somewhere else so we decided to revisit Citi Zen. Yum cha literally translates to 'drink tea' which is a Cantonese term commonly used as families and friends go out to "drink tea" and catch up. Back home we refer to it as 'dim sum'. While often thought as the dim sims you get at fish and chip shops here, 'dim sum' actually means bite sized dishes commonly served as a light meal. 'Dim sum' translates to "touch the heart" hence why it is just a light meal or snack. It is quite an art to get it all right and a good dim sum chef is hard to come by as they have to make all sorts of pretty looking and extremely tasty snacks.  The tradition of 'yum cha' comes from a long way back when travellers and locals alike would visit tea houses for a drink and snack.They were like our modern day highway stops. It used to be a Sunday morning thing for us somet

I am a Chinese girl who loves her yum char (or dim sum as it is more commonly referred to back home). Bite sized snacks that are either steamed or deep fried with pork or seafood.. Sweet or savoury, it's gonna whet your appetite and make you craving for more! While I usually get sick of something after eating too much of it, I never get tired of dim sum A good dim sum place usually makes a mean Har Gao, Rice Rolls with Shrimps, Siew Mai, Char Siew Bao, Carrot Cake and Egg Tarts. Of course, I have my own personal favourites as well. And here are some that Citi Zen does a relatively good job at. Though with a personal bias, I still think Taste Paradise and Shang Palace back home are still the best.. Anyhow, I have found a new love for Custard Bao but here's where the confusion sets in.. Back home in Singapore, you know the salted egg yolk bun with custard that flows when you bit into it? That's called Custard Bao (奶黄包) . But here in Adelaide..order 奶黄包 and you get a Bao with

Sunday - rest day. What better way to spend it than with some friends at yum cha! Our group of 4 (NB: 3 females and 1 male), managed to annihilate 17 dishes and at least 10 pots of tea during the duration of 1 hour. Yes, we