Christchurch · city guide

Best Chinese Restaurants in Christchurch 2026

Christchurch has everything from Sichuan peppercorn and handmade dumplings to Cantonese-style favourites, noodle bowls and neighbourhood Chinese restaurants.

Dining room at Miss Peppercorn Sichuan restaurant in Sumner, Christchurch

32 Nayland Street, Sumner

Miss Peppercorn 花椒小姐

SichuanHandmade noodlesDumplings & wontons
Google4.3 · 656 reviews
StyleSichuan restaurant
Good forBiang biang noodles & chilli-heavy sharing dishes

Miss Peppercorn brings Sichuan cooking to Sumner, with handmade dumplings, wontons and noodles alongside dishes built around chilli and the numbing fragrance of Sichuan peppercorn. The menu moves from dan dan and biang biang noodles to dry pot, spicy fish in pickled-mustard broth, boiled beef and Kung Pao chicken, with milder classics available for anyone who wants less heat.

What to look for

  • Biang biang noodles
  • Handmade dumplings and spicy pork wontons
  • Spicy fish fillets in pickled-mustard broth
  • Dry pot and Sichuan boiled beef
Chinese sharing dish with dumplings at Little Spicy in Christchurch

87 Riccarton Road, Riccarton

Little Spicy Chinese Restaurant

ChineseSichuan favouritesNoodles & rice
Google4.6 · 404 reviews
StyleCasual Chinese restaurant
Good forSpicy noodles, roast meats & familiar classics

Little Spicy has a broad menu that works equally well for a quick bowl of noodles or a table of dishes to share. Chongqing-style noodle soup, chilli chicken, braised pork belly and mapo tofu sit alongside roast pork, beef in black bean sauce, fried noodles and sweet-and-sour pork, so there is plenty here for both spice-seekers and diners after familiar favourites.

What to look for

  • Chongqing-style noodle soup
  • Chongqing spicy chicken
  • Braised pork belly on rice
  • Beef in black bean sauce and sweet-and-sour pork
Steamed and pan-fried dumplings at Pot Sticker Dumpling Bar on Lichfield Street, Christchurch

144 Lichfield Street, Christchurch Central City

Pot Sticker Dumpling Bar

DumplingsDim sumHandmade daily
Google4.4 · 700 reviews
Tripadvisor4.3 · 360 reviews
Good forPotstickers, xiaolongbao & bao

Pot Sticker is devoted to dumplings, with dough and fillings prepared by hand and cooked steamed or pan-fried. The Lichfield Street menu ranges from pork-and-chive and coriander dumplings to xiaolongbao, har gow, pork-and-prawn shumai and spicy wontons, with bao filled with pork belly, fried tofu, Beijing duck or fried chicken.

What to look for

  • Pan-fried pork-and-chive dumplings
  • Xiaolongbao
  • Emerald prawn har gow and pork-and-prawn shumai
  • Beijing duck bao
Chinese chicken dish at Orange House Restaurant in Upper Riccarton, Christchurch

55 Auburn Avenue, Upper Riccarton

Orange House Restaurant & Takeaways

Chinese classicsTakeaway & dine-inRice & noodle dishes
Google4.6 · 387 reviews
StyleNeighbourhood Chinese restaurant
Good forSweet & sour, Gong Bao & fried rice

Orange House is a straightforward Upper Riccarton Chinese restaurant with a large menu of snacks, rice dishes, noodles and sharing plates. Deep-fried wontons, boiled pork-and-cabbage dumplings and cold pork belly with garlic sauce sit alongside sweet-and-sour pork, Gong Bao chicken, fried rice and other dependable favourites.

What to look for

  • Deep-fried wontons
  • Boiled pork-and-cabbage dumplings
  • Sweet-and-sour pork
  • Gong Bao chicken and combination fried rice

Restaurant details last checked September 2026.

Chinese food in Christchurch

Sichuan spice, handmade dumplings and neighbourhood favourites.

Christchurch's Chinese restaurants are spread across the central city, Riccarton and Upper Riccarton, with other strong neighbourhood places further east in Sumner. The city has a particularly visible dumpling scene, alongside Sichuan restaurants, Cantonese cooking, noodle shops and broad-menu Chinese restaurants.

That range means a Chinese meal in Christchurch can be anything from handmade potstickers and xiaolongbao to biang biang noodles, spicy Sichuan fish, roast meats or a familiar plate of sweet-and-sour pork and fried rice.

How we choose: The Noodle Guide considers public reputation, review depth, official food-safety information where available and what is distinctive about the food. Restaurants cannot pay to qualify for inclusion.

More New Zealand restaurants

Keep exploring.

Explore Auckland and Wellington, or see Chinese restaurants recognised by national and regional guides across New Zealand.

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