Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Taste: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ambience: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Value: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The service was quick and to the point. Not much customer interaction.
The dumplings were delicious - translucent skin, and super glutinous. The shark fin dumpling was a tad dry. The chicken feet tasted bland and lacked the black bean sauce I like. Very generous with the chilli sauce - something that other yum cha restaurants should learn.
We did not go for the all you can eat yum cha because we didn’t see the value of it. We went a la carte instead and ate until we were full. Ended up spending less.
A great place for yum cha with the family.
Came here for yumcha. The dim sums are very traditional and yummy, but lack uniqueness.
The place is situated inside Southgate and in a more quieter environment. Wouldn't have found it if I didn't Google this place and purposely came to find it.
We had a large, loud group of people for dinner and the staff did a great job dealing with us. No orders were missed and the food was really good
This has to be one of the best Chinese restaurants in Melbourne. Food, service and ambience make a wonderful dining experience, also be sure you leave some room for dessert as their fried ice cream and toffee banana is delicious in taste and presentation.
A regular go to place whenever we crave Chinese, Red Emperor always delivers and satisfies the Chinese food cravings. Love the fish and beef with black bean sauce and to top it off, we love the Yalumba selection of wines they carry!
We have been going here for 24 years to have Yum Cha at least on a par with ANY in the world let alone Melbourne. Simon and Christine are excellent hosts, their staff are well trained, courteous, professional........A REAL PLEASURE to go every time. We will be back soon.
Have you ever checked out a progressive dinner? It is a fab idea to try 3 restaurants in one night!
What an absolutey gorgeous restraunt with elegant furnishing and beautiful relaxin ambience. Did you know that they are one of the longest serving restaurant on Southbank with over 20 years service!
We participated in the progressive restaurant and we came here for our mains we enjoyed the beef and black pepper & shallots along with the Red Emperor Mandarin Chicken with thr sweet blend of plum and grounded black bean sauce, this was my favourite meal for the night.
Now along with the attentive service we also enjoyed the 2016 Mud house sauvignon blanc and the 2017 St Hallet Black clay shiraz too.
Lovely atmosphere with gorgeous views of Southbank.
Thank for the invite.
I have visited Red Emperor on several occasions and it always delivers. The san choy bow was the best I’ve ever had.The filling was very flavoursome and saucy. I also recommend the mandarin chicken and sweet and sour pork. The chicken and pork were super tender and the sauces had a balance of sweet, sour and salty flavours.
We came here for the all you can eat yum cha on Mother's Day. The place was fully booked but food was served fairly quickly. The dumplings were well made and delicious. My favourites were the prawn and coriander dumplings as well as the scallops dumplings. The chicken feet dish is also not to be missed. Service is pretty efficient despite the restaurant being busy.
🌊Pilates🐇Nurse🤸Nutrition🥑
+4
Polite & pleasant customer service, with staff who attended to all our needs. We ordered the salt & pepper calamari, peking duck & prawn dishes. All were delicious, flavourful & ample in portion size. Will be back again..
Vallia Dahdouh Meseiha
+5
This place never fails to impress with food. We first went to Red Emperor 10 years ago and it was amazing food back then. Attended Mother’s Day weekend and we came for yum cha lunch. The service and food was outstanding. Loved having awesome yum cha in a clean and upmarket restaurant. Polite and helpful staff and a beautiful restaurant. Would definitely be recommending this place.
Love the fresh lobsters and crabs here. Been here serval time for yum cha as well, beautiful view to the river as well, one of my favorite Chinese restaurant. A bit expensive and totally worth it. Have to try their homemade almond biscuits after any meal.
Attended a banquet lunch here in the enclosed dining area. The service was impeccable, as to be expected for such fine dining Chinese. Food was cooked and flavoured well, but not necessarily better than other less premium Chinese restaurants. A lovely place for a special meal, especially the private dining room.
We came to Red Emperor for yumcha on Sunday as part of my partner’s work social club Chinese New Year activities. It was a group of 12 people, 8 adults and 4 kids under the age of 12. Yumcha eat all you can on the weekend normally costs $55 per head. I always prefer yumcha in bigger group so we can order more variety of food to share. The restaurant has a beautiful location, located in Southgate, overlooking the Yarra river at Southbank. Most of staff are all very courteous and attentive, which is a refreshing change from a typical Chinese restaurant which usually have abrupt, non- English speaking waiter/ waitress. This is definitely on the upper end of yumcha experience. Generally the food here are good with a few hits and miss. Personally I find the biggest let down were their calamari dishes which are either too tough or too oily. I wouldn’t mind returning but probably $55 per head is too much per person. Might just pay by consumption or ala Carte.
I booked this place not knowing too much about it. To be honest, it was around Christmas and most places were closed or already fully booked so I was a little sceptical as it was a bit “too” easy to get a booking. But I was not disappointed at all, we sat on the balcony and the ambience and views were amazing and the food was delicious (special mention to the crispy chicken, jumbo prawns with black pepper and honey sauce, and triple cooked pork) not to mention decent serving sizes. Most impressive was the service! All staff (Alex and Gary in particular but really all of them) were excellent. It’s great getting honest opinions about which dishes were good and just pleasant and attentive service. Made my sisters birthday one of the most memorable family dining experiences! Thanks if you’re reading! You made our night.
Went for a work lunch and had yum cha. Got the choice between all-you-can-eat for $45 or just pay for consumption. Hard choice to make, but we went for the pay for consumption. Ended up paying about $170 for 4 people in total, so ended up about the same (we did have a few drinks as well, but all non-alcoholic). Food was pretty nice and they came with some vegetarian options on request. Service wasn't very friendly and didn't all speak very good English.
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Was there on the weekend (Saturday) for yum Cha and very happy with the food and service. There are wide varieties (good quality restaurant made) dim sum. I don’t feel rushed by the floor staff. Was able to have a good relaxing yum Cha. I booked a day before so the table was all ready with a high chair for my little one plus an additional space to park the pram right next to the table. One of the floor staff saw us wiping the high chair table, he came to help and bring along additional wipes. Well done young man.
We ordered quite a variety of steamed dim sum, fried items and dessert. The taste is really good, the skin is transparent, thin and did not break apart when lifted from the bamboo basket with chopsticks. Good dim sum skin should be that way. The fried items are a little oily for me however the filling is generous and delicious. The sweet bean curb tofu is smooth and nicely sweeten so does the mango pudding.
A little drawback, The steamed prawn rice noodle skin is a little thicker than what I expected but I have not had any thinner skin steamed rice noodles in Melbourne. The filling of the egg tart is not smooth and way too sweet.
I have read comments about credit cards and tips here but I can’t comment on this because we decided to use cash and we leave them tips due to pleasant experience we have and delicious food.
Definitely give this place a try. The dim sums and service is good. And it is spacious. They don’t try to squash you by arranging the tables so close to one another like most of the yum Cha place at Lt. Bourke.
I will definitely return for another yum Cha session and main meals. If you are driving, worry not, there are at least 2 Wilsons parking there. One underneath South Gate and is at the Eureka.
Pretty pricey, but pretty good food. We have been here a couple of times for work events. It's usually pretty busy with people on office lunches. Haven't had a chance to try dinner yet.
Sarena & Eashvar Chhotu
+4
Lovely spot located on South Bank.
My children's first yum cha experience did not disappoint.
We had a lovely meal for the 7 people in our lunch date.
Our fave yum Cha dishes were the prawn steamed dumplings & Peking duck dumplings.
Great service, great location - only downfall was our bill was over $200 - would have been nice to have the actual menu of what's on the trolley at our table so we could of had an idea of what each dish cost.
This was definitely the most expensive yum Cha lunch I've ever had. But the food was totally worth it.
See you again Red Emperor.
Delicious food! Our waitress was so nice, we got the Banquet A for two people and it was delicious. Our waitress explained each course to us and we got to choose what we wanted for dessert from plenty of options. An amazing view out to flinders st station. They will ask you to tip when paying! Glad we checked reviews so we knew that was coming as it's obviously not in Australian culture to tip, but knowing that they ask we were fine with it, as the food and service was amazing!
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Visited last week - casual business lunch - for YumCha on a Wednesday at midday. Sat outdoors near the balcony facing the Yarra. Have been here I reckon 5 times in last 12 months each time in a group of 4 - 6 people. YumCha choice is wide and varied covering Australian and more traditional Asian palates (my friends are definitely multi-cultural!). The standard has been consistently high for the food across all visits and the service has ranged from OK to good - on average say somewhere in the middle. We chose the eat as you go option where everything you order adds to the bill. There was a fixed price all you can eat offering in 2016 and we haven't asked this year if it is still running but we have never chosen that. We have generally walked out spending $35-$45 each including say 1 beer and 1 soft-drink each. On one occasion a really friendly manager who was looking after us on the day prepared a take-away gift of their own made crispy chilly oil mix which I had commented how much I had enjoyed it during the meal when we were checked on and asked if all was OK.
The piking shredded beef was a standout!
Lovely ambience and extremely friendly staff that are attentive to your needs. Delicious cookies and a hot towel to finish off! Will come back again!
Incredible food! Particularly enjoyed the calamari which I think is a must for anyone thinking of going here. Service was excellent with the exception of having to fetch our own menus (a once off I'm sure). Water mist dispensers to keep you cool on the balcony while you sip your wine and admire the sights and sounds along Southbank.
Amazing location, spectacular views, friendly and courteous staff. Excellent banquet options, outstanding ala-carte and yum cha and classic Chinese dishes.
We went here last night for dinner and ordered the chicken spring rolls, beef with shiitake mushrooms and the beef black bean which all tasted amazing! The beef was really tender and each dish had their own unique taste. The service was very attentive but a little too attentive for our liking. We felt a little too rushed as when we finished eating the plates was cleared almost immediately and we were offered dessert or the bill. The one thing that annoyed us most was when we were paying the bill the waiter asked if we would like to add a tip to the final amount to which I said 'no' then the waiter asked me again and said 'so no tip?' With a rude tone! When you go to a Chinese restaurant who charge over $30 for a main and $18 for a large fried rice you don't expect to be pressured to tip, especially the fact that we live in Australia and this is not apart of our custom!
I had somewhat low expectations, as many of the Southbank restaurants are tourist traps that don't rely on repeat customers. I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised with Red Emperor. The decor was clean and modern, the service was very efficient but not pushy or overly obeisant. And the food was expertly prepared ... every dish was practically flawless. One dish I'll never forget: the lightly-battered, fried Shitake mushrooms with a spicy, vinegary sauce. It was something I'll remember for a long time. I'll definitely be back next time I'm in Melbourne!
We went to a pre theatre meal and ordered slightly off menu with one of the dishes they where very obliging and the meal arrived without delay and very good service was A1 and the cost was reasonable for the quality of the food will defiantly return to dine and try more of their food
Melbourne Epicurean Juror
+4.5
Lunched today at the Red Emperor for the first time in over 10 years and ordered their Red Emperor Mandarin Chicken (stir-fried chicken breast fillet with a tangy sweet blend of plum & grounded bean sauce) at $30 and it was truly superb, 5 star dining at it's best. The Mandarin Chicken was full of great Cantonese flavours and served within 15 minutes of ordering with the restaurant being moderately busy. The décor is eye-catching although not overly ornate. The service provision was impeccable by uniformed wait staff who were attentive - there were 5 wait staff & the Manager so no customers weren't cared for promptly. This restaurant has been on the mid-level for 4 years & 20 years before that on the upper level of the Southgate Complex & seats 150.
The Juror's Verdict: Food 4.5/5, Service Provision 5/5, Will I return: Yes, definitely
Phill Jury (food critic & writer)
Yummy yummy Chinese cooking! Went with a friend; we tried the Banquet A. The Dim Sum and the Ginger Prawn dish was superb. The fried rice (we changed the beef with chicken due to dietary reasons) - it was awesome. The Quail was sweet but had character and tasted delicious. And desserts - those with a sweet tooth would love it! All in all a good evening at Southbank!
Good service, the waiters were polite & helpful, the trolley cart people didn't give us greasies everytime we chose nothing from their cart. Very much enjoyed sitting out near windows, not cold even for mid-august, winter day. The good was good, not overly fatty or salty, sometimes smaller portions than other yum cha places I've been but in a good way & there is a $55 all you can eat on Sundays although we didn't do that.
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A royal in name only, the food is "common". Went for dinner with family members one night to celebrate a reunion. First course was sang choy bau, which was alright taste-wise but they could have been more generous with the lettuce - each one of us got just a tiny leaf which was hardly enough to hold the pork mince filling, and as a result, a lot of it spilled onto the table as we were eating. Then came chicken & sweet corn soup, standard Chinese fare, decent enough, nothing spectacular, somewhat insipid though - if chopped spring onion was added as garnish, it would have made a significant difference. We also had salt & pepper 5 spice fried chicken which was okay, again, nothing flash or fancy, Cantonese beef fillet in a tangy sauce, steamed barramundi & claypot duck and shiitake mushrooms. The fish dish was proclaimed in the menu as having a "special sauce" although the only ingredients that I discerned was soy sauce & shallots. The rice was of the right consistency to eat with chopsticks - sticky yet to the bite. For dessert there was almond cookies & fruit platter, which was offered complimentary. All in all, I would describe the dining experience as okay, but would reiterate that the food, while palatable, was definitely nothing outstanding. But since I was just a guest, and another family member's shout, I suppose I shouldn't complain. But IMHO for was paid for the meal (I would be prepared to say it would be in 3 figures) - the family would have been better off dining in one of the restaurants in Chinatown in Lt Bourke St, where we could expect similar dishes for 1/2 the price. Still, the experience of having dined in an upmarket section of the CBD is a once in a blue moon event, although I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to travel from where I live just to have a meal here, when there are cheaper places close to home which serve the same food for a fraction of the price. A number of reviews by others rave about the yum cha, well I don't know about that. I've eaten yum cha in so many other places that I personally don't see what Red Emperor could possibly have to offer that's different. If I was to be invited as a guest, then I might probably come back, but certainly I wouldn't make the effort to suggest dining here, not for the prices charged.
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Went on Sunday for All You Can Yum Cha for 3 people ($55 per person). I got a table at the balcony with a nice view and it was well covered and warm.
Food: There was a lot of variety of dumplings as I tried almost all that were available, haha. They all tasted so good, flavourful, unique and not too salty like some yumcha places. The desserts were delicious as well, my favourites were the Mango Pudding & the carrot shaped fried dumpling filled with red bean paste, similar to the Sesame Ball. My dad really enjoyed the Green Tea & Red Bean Jelly and Sweet Tofu Dessert. The only disappointment was that there were some items missing from their dim sum menu (even though it was the weekend) which I wanted to try such as the Steamed Malaysian Sponge Cake, Steamed Scallop Dumplings, Stuffed Eggplant and Shredded Duck & Chives Rolls. Overall I really enjoyed the food.
Service: Service was pretty good. The staff were really attentive as they knew we wanted to consume more different items and gave us new bowls and plates when our current ones were messy because of the sauces haha. The empty steam baskets were removed promptly before our table became full with steam baskets. We requested some items and it came out quickly as well.
Located at Southgate, Southbank a casual walk away from my place, this was a surprising delight. The place was recommended by my parents and it exceeded expectations. As usual, we do the Asian thing and order a few things to share. This was a soft pork belly dish served with a side of deep greens. The pork was soft and flavoursome and the greens crunchy.
Had the Yum cha Buffet. Amazing choice, quality and value. Dumpling of high quality and a huge range from standard to deluxe dishes. Parking is difficult but venue is very nice.
Came here for yumcha lunch today for Chinese new year. The place was buzzing with people and the balcony overlooks the riverside which was a a great spot to be seated at.
I cannot remember the name of the dishes we tried but over all i enjoyed my lunch. Also i was really really hungryyyyyy which kinda added to me probably liking the food more. I would visit again and hopefully upload some better pictures.
Cantonese Restaurant with the best view of Melbourne.
Enviable location, elevated views of Melbourne.
Another restaurant that we go since opening whether be Yumcha, Lunch or Dinner, not as regular as we like as parking sucks but as long as we don't go there dining every night is not an issue.
Had their issues in the past with food safety, paid their fines and sorted, we hope.
Get a table by the window if you can.... enjoy the free view and their Cantonese food.
Excellent NYE banquet, if extortionately priced! I've spent less money at The Flower Drum!! I'll be back, to sample their normal everyday fare!
Excellent service food and wine experienced here with a client. You need to be hungry before coming here and eat their banquet. You will not be disappointed.
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GREAT YUM CHA, GREAT LOCATION, FRIENDLY STAFF BUT SERVICE NEEDS TO IMPROVE -- I visited this place despite the low ratings and I am glad I did. I had one of the best yum cha sessions in Melbourne so far.
I was seated outside, in the balcony, and the ambience is wonderful. You are protected from onlookers but able to hear the buzz of the river side, and surrounded by trees and sparrows chirping. Just an awesome place to have lunch.
The dishes I chose were absolutely top notch, flavoursome, fresh and yummy. They were not the standard dishes, and those are the ones that always excite me. Perhaps my favourite thing was the scallops (scallops cooked in their shell with bechamel and mushrooms. Awesome!), and the eggplant and prawn rolls (divine if you love eggplant). The chives and prawn dumpling was very good as well as the first thing I ate.
I watered down the food with a lovely Jasmine tea (a huge pot!) which the staff kept refiling.
I didn't try any of their sweets but everything I tried was excellent, so I will try their sweets next time.
At the beginning the service was a bit chaotic and slow, badly timed, and I felt that I was being forgotten in the little corner I was seating in, but then they corrected themselves (taking my small camera out always helps!) and the guys were lovely and very attentive. There is a clear difference between the style of the old guys and the young ones. I think that is just a generational cultural difference and, also some of the older ones have a more limited English than the young ones have, so the service can be a bit cold, but they are still polite and professional, and if you tell any of the oldies that something is yummy their face lightens up.
Although they offer a "all you can eat" for 59 bucks, I thought that this might be 'dangerous' for me and my belly, so I had a normal session of yum cha. I had plenty of absolutely delicious food, left with my belly full and I paid 39 bucks.
MIND
Although they do accept cards, EPFTOS payments arent accepted beware.
I'll be back.
One more great Chinese restaurant, wonderful yam cha (Dim sum), I would have expected a better service but I think they just don't care as they get customers poring in to eat and don't care of service.
Red Emperor is known for its excellent BBQ pork buns, or cha siu bao. The bun was soft and delicate, the pork filling rich and sweet. These are definitely some of the best in town, and probably my favourite part of the meal. I kind of wanted to get a heap of these to take away and keep them in my freezer for when cravings strike…
This was by far my favorite hot and sour soup of all time. Very delicious. The man from China even agreed, it was a 10/10. After the soup we all received a small plate of dim sum. I can’t describe it in great detail, but I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Tess giving me her prawn dumpling as well. Thank you my dear! Next up was some Peking Duck with plum sauce in a simple wrap. This duck was fantastic
It’s my all time favorite place to eat Yum Cha. I’ve been going there for over 5 years now. The quality of the food is impressive
Now located one level down, Red Emperor is now a much more intimate space, it's a touch stifling for me, but that's because I intensely missed those high ceilings! To it's credit, the acoustics are well done, and the interior is still quite slick and sexy.
Birthdays aren't usually a big thing for me or my family. My birthdays have generally been pretty low key and some years I don't think I even celebrated with friends. Although I'll never turn down an excuse to have cake! However, despite our lack of enthusiasm around birthdays, we do have one little tradition for my grandma's birthday. Every year, without fail, we've had a family dinner on her birthday at Red Emperor in Southbank. It's quite nice actually, the restaurant has kept well over the years, I don't feel the food or service has diminished at all and it's definitely a nice family treat. We are so regular every year, the Captain, Raymond, always recognises us and gives warm greetings when we all troop in through the door, ready to be fed deliciously. The restaurant is definitely Chinese. But not tacky or overtly so, which I can certainly appreciate. The decor is elegant, but unpretentious. I frankly, don't really like fresh walnuts that much, but caramelised the way the Chinese
My fav yum cha!. Bit of a foodie ( but aren't we all), and yum cha is one of my favourite Asian lunches. Others include pho ( cold weather), Korean , nasi lemak, mee goreng, laksa, there are so many!
Sure there are the busy yum cha places in Chinatown packed to the rafters. They are cheaper but so is the experience. Been coming here for years and will continue to do so.
Great to have so many GLUTEN FREE choices. Really knowledgable staff. Thoroughly enjoyed our 3 hour lunch.
Best service!!!!!!!!!!!. They had the best service i've ever received in Melbourne, and the staff were lovely!!! i had dinner there and the food was YUM. will be going back soon
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Excellent Yum Cha. On a recent girly weekend in Melbourne, we chose Red Emperor for a Saturday lunch as we both craved some yum cha and the place had fairly good reviews. We booked a few weeks ahead and asked for the balcony as had been recommended on here and it was a lovely way to spend a few hours chatting and eating.
I am not sure about a previous review stating that the service was rude - that was certainly not our experience. It was attentive and pleasant and we were well looked after (I find that a pleasant attitude elicits pleasant service - just a tip to those who find the service in any place rude - perhaps a bit of self reflection goes a long way - anyway beside the point). And as for no EFTPOS - rubbish - I paid using my card without a problem whatsoever.
So onto the food - we really loved it. The trolley's kept coming with plenty on offer and everything we chose was delicious. I think my favourite was the scallops. But we also shared prawn & corriander rolls, steamed pork buns, pork dumplings, asian greens ... hmmm there was more that I simply can't recall now - but all of it was fresh and delicious. And the cute little choux swans we chose for desert were a fun little way to end a lovely meal.
As for the price - yes, not overly cheap but it is Southgate and it is good quality food. I have had some woeful yum cha up in Brisbane (where I live) that might be cheaper, but is also downright ordinary. For a special meal out, I would definately recommend.
Fantastic range, great value for money and be sure to have the S&P Calamari. Warning the chilli paste that comes with dumplings is THERMONUCLEAR...you've been warned.
Good quality chinese dishes. Good quality chinese food but comes with a price tag and small portions. Ambience - good. Staff - average( depends on how busy) Food? (In a big group we ordered approx 8 main dishes) excellent quality! However a little pricey
April 2022. What a nice place!
Not "inexpensive" but very good value for a very high quality meal.
We wanted a good "Chinese" meal, and we got the works.
Very busy restaurant on a Sunday night, but apparently family run, and lots of staff. Service was very efficient, friendly and helpful.
Menu is extensive and exotic, but you can just order what you would like - no problem.
We LOVED the food! Very fresh and cooked to perfection.
This restaurant has withstood the test of time. I remember coming here 20 years ago and my most recent visit was Xmas Eve 2021. Food is delicious. Fresh, full of flavour. Tofu was the only thing that was average in terms of dishes. Ice cream was abysmal. Go downstairs. Definitely worth the drive in to come here at least once.
Authentic Chinese food prepared with style. The staff is very friendly, even some of them don't speak a fluent English, but the service is great. My friends and I visited for CNY '22 and everything was great. Awesome entertainment as well with the Dragon dance. Recommend for groups and even couples.
If you’re a yum cha fiend and can polish off 8 to a dozen plates by yourself, Red Emperor is a great option for lunch. All you can eat yum cha - what a godsend. Friendly service and the team really aims to please. Delicious food served piping hot - I definitely got my money’s worth
Came here for lunch. The place is buzzing with customers. We ordered Tim sum. The dim sum was good. Prawns dim sum was fresh. Service was good although the food trolley was slow in coming. Overall good lunch
There's a choice of all you can eat yum cha or a la carte here. So definitely something to keep in mind if you can eat your money's worth! All the classic yum cha dishes are available here, and you really can't go wrong with desserts such as mango pudding, tofu pudding and egg tart. Flavours are good, all in all a pleasant experience.
they are a little pricey but for the location , i guess is reasonable.
they pushing a little trolley with the Dim Sun which is pretty nice, a little bit of the feel, too bad she didn’t yell out the name of the dim sum like Hong Kong 😆
but the services are definitely pretty good, the lady explained what’s the dim sum they have, and recommends some really really good desserts, the salted egg bun are pretty nice, matcha red bean pudding thingy tasted pretty great. definitely come back for some other thing as well.
The staff were very friendly and service was excellent. The food was excellent, fresh and very tasty. Best Chinese meal I have had in years. Would definitely recommend.
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