You don’t have to go to Cyrildene for good Chinese food in Johannesburg: the old Chinatown on Commissioner Street still has a restaurant that opened in 1938, Rivonia has Sichuan, Fujianese and Taiwanese noodle shops, Bedfordview and Edenvale serve Shaanxi noodles, and Hyde Park has a long-running restaurant known for Peking duck. Here is our guide by area (as of October 2026). Please call ahead to check opening times before you go.
Where to find Chinese food in Johannesburg
| Area | What it’s like | Places to try (examples) |
|---|---|---|
| Cyrildene (east, Derrick Avenue) | The “new Chinatown”: lots of choice, affordable, some menus only in Chinese | Northern Dumplings, Shun De, Chong Qing Hot Pot, Xinjiang Ban Mian |
| Old Chinatown (city centre, Commissioner Street) | Where Johannesburg’s Chinese community started; Cantonese institutions | Swallows Inn |
| Rivonia (north, near Sandton) | “Sandton’s unofficial Chinatown”: noodle shops, hotpot and barbecue in small malls | Qinyuan, Shaxian Snacks, The Boring Café x Sprino Tea |
| Bedfordview / Edenvale (east) | Close to Cyrildene; northwestern Chinese noodles | Tea & Antique, Shaanxi Noodle House |
| Hyde Park, Blairgowrie, Linden, Melville (north-west) | Nicer settings; good for hosting guests or local friends | The Red Chamber, Beijing Opera, PRON, Chopstix |
Old Chinatown: Commissioner Street
Johannesburg’s first Chinatown was on Commissioner Street in Ferreirasdorp, in the city centre. As the inner city declined in the late 1990s, Chinese businesses gradually moved east to Cyrildene. A few old Chinese shops remain on the street.
Swallows Inn (6 Commissioner Street, Ferreirasdorp) was founded in 1938 and is one of the oldest Chinese restaurants in the city. It serves Afro-Cantonese food, a style unique to South Africa. South African Tourism highlights its Shanghai steak; Time Out recommends the combination noodle soup: flat noodles with chicken, beef, seafood and vegetables. Go in daylight, drive or take a ride-hail to the door and don’t linger on the street; see our safety guide.
Cyrildene: a few places to know before you go
Derrick Avenue in Cyrildene has two Chinese gateways, with supermarkets, restaurants, bubble-tea shops and vegetable stalls side by side. For the full picture, see Cyrildene Chinatown and the China malls. If you just want to eat, remember these:
- Northern Dumplings (北方水饺) (13 Derrick Avenue): according to researcher Liang Xu it opened on the street in 1995, one of the first mainland Chinese businesses there. On Time Out’s visit in October 2026, ten lamb skewers cost R80 and the cold bean-thread and cucumber salad R80 (prices may change).
- Shun De: Cantonese yum cha. Gauteng Tourism calls it the most popular place in Cyrildene, especially busy on Sundays, so book ahead.
- Chong Qing Hot Pot: no-frills Sichuan-style hotpot.
- Xinjiang Ban Mian (21B Hettie Street): cumin stir-fried mutton with hand-pulled noodles.
Note: In Your Pocket says some businesses on the street have closed since 2020, and shops change hands quickly, so check before you go.
Rivonia: Sandton’s “unofficial Chinatown”
If you live around Sandton or Rivonia, you don’t need to cross town. Rivonia has a cluster of Chinese restaurants in low-key strip malls, and its own China mall, Oriental City. Several places on Time Out’s September 2026 noodle list are here:
- Qinyuan Restaurant (Rivonia Central): Sichuan-style spicy pork noodle soup.
- Shaxian Snacks (Rivonia Junction Shopping Centre): Fujianese Shaxian-style snacks.
- The Boring Café x Sprino Tea (24 9th Avenue, Edenburg, Rivonia): Taiwanese beef noodle soup.
Bedfordview and Edenvale: Shaanxi noodles in the east
A short drive from Cyrildene, Bedfordview and Edenvale have two noodle spots worth the trip: Tea & Antique (11 Park Street, Bedfordview), where you can order biang biang or Shaanxi noodles, and Shaanxi Noodle House (67 Van Riebeeck Avenue, Edenvale), which specialises in Shaanxi noodles.
North-west: where to take guests and local friends
- The Red Chamber (Hyde Park Corner, corner of Jan Smuts Avenue and 6th Road): opened by Emma Chen in 1989, with more than three decades of history. Joburg Tourism recommends the Peking duck, sizzling kingklip and handmade dumplings.
- Beijing Opera (98 Conrad Drive, Blairgowrie): southern Chinese dim sum and bao.
- PRON (69 7th Street, Linden): northern Chinese noodles.
- Chopstix (Melville): dumplings and beef flank noodle soup.
On prices, South African Tourism’s guide says Chinese takeaways are budget-friendly, while upmarket Chinese restaurants such as The Red Chamber cost around R250 per person for three courses, excluding wine. Treat this as a rough guide and check the menu.
Practical tips
- Booking: weekend yum cha and Chinese New Year are the busiest times. Gauteng Tourism says restaurant bookings over Chinese New Year are essential. Cyrildene holds a street celebration on Derrick Avenue every Chinese New Year; in 2026 it was on 28 February.
- Parking: Cyrildene has street parking only, and it fills up in the afternoon on event days, so arrive early, or use a ride-hailing app (see getting around South Africa).
- MSG: South African Tourism notes that local Chinese food often contains MSG. If you prefer to avoid it, ask the kitchen to leave it out.
- Language: some Cyrildene restaurants have no English menu and little English is spoken. That’s an advantage for Chinese speakers; if you bring local friends, order for them.
- Payment and hours: these vary by restaurant. Call ahead and ask whether they take cards.
- Cooking at home: see where to buy Chinese groceries in South Africa.
If you want to make a night of it in the north, licensed casino resorts such as Montecasino in Fourways also have plenty of restaurants and entertainment. In South Africa only licensed land-based casinos, licensed sports and horse-racing betting and the National Lottery (among a few others) are legal; online casino games are illegal, and you must be 18 or older. See our gambling and leisure hub and the guide to South Africa’s casinos and resorts. For more on the city, see our Johannesburg city guide.
FAQ
Where are most Chinese restaurants in Johannesburg?
The biggest cluster is on Derrick Avenue in Cyrildene, in the east. Rivonia in the north is the second hub, and the old Chinatown on Commissioner Street in the city centre still has historic restaurants.
Where can I get Cantonese yum cha?
Shun De in Cyrildene is known for yum cha. It is busy at weekends, especially Sundays, so book ahead.
Where should I take South African colleagues or clients?
The Red Chamber in Hyde Park has the setting and service for hosting, and Peking duck is its signature. To show guests South Africa’s own style of Chinese food, try the historic Swallows Inn.
Will this information go out of date?
Yes. Restaurants open, close and change prices quickly. This guide is accurate as of October 2026; check opening status by phone or on a maps app before you go.
Sources
- Gauteng Tourism – Cyrildene (Chinatown, Derrick Avenue)
- South African Tourism – Savour the flavours of Afro-Cantonese cuisine
- Joburg Tourism (visit.joburg) – The Red Chamber
- Time Out Johannesburg – South Africa’s best noodles? These 13 Joburg spots (25 Sep 2026)
- Time Out Johannesburg – The tiny Cyrildene shop serving some of my favourite dumplings (15 Oct 2026)
- In Your Pocket – Chinese Joburg: exploring the city’s Chinatowns (updated 14 Oct 2026)
- In Your Pocket – New Chinatown (Cyrildene)