Yum cha in Sydney This is a great spot to have yum cha in Sydney. The servers were friendly and the dishes were all lovely - although we did have a bit of trouble with the dumpling skins. The dumplings seemed to stick to each other and to the bottom of the steamer so you couldn't get them out of the steamer without breaking them. It's very reasonably priced by Sydney standards and I would certainly be happy to bring my fussy Malaysian-Chinese mum here!! read more

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The live abalone is very fresh. The shabu shabu thin sliced abalone is very good. The resulting broth was also very flavorful and great for a cold night. Add some shrimp dumplings to this dish and you have a great meal. The waiter was also very nice and friendly and cooked this dish at our table. The pippies with vermicelli was excellent. The sauce was soooo good. Although this dish was much cheaper than the live abalone, i actually was more impressed with this dish. Don't get me wrong, the live abalone was very good as well. The complementary dessert was very good but i was too full to try all of them. read more

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Everything was spicy so if you don't like spicy don't eat here. The food came fast and carts were constantly making rounds. Food was fresh the squid was very tasty And my husband made Me Try tripe for the first time I must say it was like chewing chicken skin. Not that I eat that allot. Managers keep walking up and down and kept making sure the tables were cleared. I have it 3 stars as the food was all Spicy. Clean place read more

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This place is still kicking :D!! This was the first ever Yum cha I had ever been too.. came to Australia when i was 4 & would of come here around the time i was 5 or 6 so a good 25 years ago :)!! First time here & it was a shock to the European or ozzie food as i was used to :). Prices have definitely changed but the fast trolley food &  relaxed yet super busy atmosphere has been the same all these years :D. When it comes around to visiting here now it is a family tradition!! So there are a whole heap of Yum Cha places in the city to go to but i only talk so foundly about this place cause of the memories :), each to their own but this place has never once disappointed me. Its always fun trying to make out what you & the trolley people saying but the best method is pointing & nodding yes or no :D. Yum cha is the ultimate fast food cheat meal hands down, all your favorites quick and easy in a race to eat it lol!! When your hungry & only the best will do :D read more

Marigold Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - Haymarket, NSW

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There are simply NO, NONE, ZILCH good Cantonese restaurants in Chinatown anymore that serve the old style Cantonese good old fashioned fare. ALL of them cater for the majority Chinese mainlander. And then, there's Marigold. Same owners since the beginning of time. Same high ranking staff. Can't say the same for the trolley pushers. The boss lady dressed in her Cheong Sam (Qi pao) looking younger & better than ever. Overlooking every aspect. I don't know why Marigold seems to slip my mind when asked for a yum Cha recommendation. Maybe bc it's located in the Citymark building. Anyway. Ventured there today as I had to suss out a venue to celebrate my mums 80th birthday. The dumplings aren't try hard. They are good old fashioned Cantonese dumplings from the good old days. The waiters know to come and refill the tea pots. And I know some very well to do ppl that use Marigold as their canteen. Just goes to prove the Marigold service and quality. Gestures are well read. I didn't just get the info I needed for my mums 80th celebration. I got more than that. I got their attention under no pretence. On top of that, I bumped into an associate and with a wave of his hand, he took care of my bill which I was humbled by but also felt very bad as that wasn't the intention of exchanging pleasantries. But such is the Cantonese custom of doing business. Date was available, they understood the specialness of the Occassion and feel they will be doing their bit to make my mums celebration a success. The only downside to this place is the bathrooms. Otherwise I would rate it 5 stars. Forget yum Cha anywhere else. This is the place if you can get a table. Dinners are good too!! read more

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Marigolds was my first stop into the culinary world of Sydney's Yum Cha. I know this style of Chinese trolley service from my years living in Chicago where a quick ride on the red line puts you into China Town. Here, Haymarket is within walking distance!! Hooray We chose to sit on the fifth floor because of the high ceilings and ample light and got seated within seconds, easier because there was two of us. We were to the right of the elevators if you've just walked out and by the wall. I love the bustling atmosphere and the movement and the loudness and excitement :) What a great way to see families spending time with one another, laughing, eating and drinking tea. Service was prompt and attentive and we received our tea straight away. I'm not here to be fussed over. I should note that I hadn't heard the term "yum cha" before moving to Sydney. Essentially Dim Sum is the small bite sized Chinese food served on plates or in bamboo steamers, and Yum Cha basically means drinking tea. Perhaps it was the location of our table but we had a stream of trolleys. One right after the other. Unfortunately I read some of the reviews before coming here and we were worried about the frequency of trolley carts so our rumbly tummies made us grab two dishes at first trolley sighting. (Rookie mistake) The beef and pork noodles with a light pour of soy sauce were hot with a great texture and we demolished them. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO........we were so hungry we forgot to wait and got full quickly. Eating dim sum for me is an act of patience, just like sushi trains you have to believe that your favourite bite sized morsel is right around the corner. So we stopped, drank tea and talked about what to order next. The verdict: Shrimp dumplings, pork bun, crispy wonton and mango pancakes - the basics for us. Prices ranges from 3.20 - 6.50 based on the size of the plate but you can also choose food off the menu like poached dumplings, fried rice, duck and salt and pepper cuttlefish. Highly Recommend! read more

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I have known this place for years now. We have been to this place in its previous location near Darling Harbour and of course, since its been in the current location. Yum Cha would have to be my favourite Sunday activity with friends. To enjoy this experience fully come with a small group and try the endless variety of steamed, fried, BBQ'd, poached, boiled and sweet dishes. Yum Cha in Sydney used to be cheap meal on a Sunday but, that has changed in the last few years. It's still not so bad in comparison to other choices and, its a nice way to spend an afternoon. This place is designed like many of the big Yum Cha halls you see in HK, Taiwan and so on. Service is quick and efficient. Don't expect friendly as, the place is usually packed and the staff are always running around doing stuff. My favourites here are bean curd skin with mushrooms, prawn dumplings, garlic chive dumplings, guy lan, pan fried rice noodle with peanut sauce, BBQ duck, chive donut, mango pudding and a few others. Get in early or make a booking on a Sunday to avoid long wait times. One of my favourite places in sydney for Yum Cha. read more

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I don't want to live in a world where there is no Marigold. Thanks to Connie and family, it stays just as it always has been. I still miss its sister restaurant Regal but Marigold is still around, thank God, whichever one favours this place, my guess is Buddha - judging by his girth. My friend Will always said he'd name his daughter after Marigold 'cos thats what he hoped she'd do. He didn't though - he named her Alice. Probably for the best. read more

Not the best yum cha in Sydney but also not very bad. It locates in a strategic location with a specious venue. Much bigger than Din Tai Fung. Price is average-high. My favorite are white rice pancake with prawn, beef intestine, mango crepe, greentea jelly, BBQ pork and pekking ducks. They are good but do not really stand out. read more

Came here to try Yum Cha aka dim sum in Sydney. The place is located on the 4th and 5th floor of a building in Chinatown. Upon getting off the elevator, I was surprised with the massive space. This place serves the dim sum dishes in carts so you get to see what you like before ordering. Perhaps I am from Vancouver, but I don't see/taste anything special with the dim sum here. We got har gow, congee, rice roll, tofu pudding, scallop dumpling. Pretty standard stuff as these are the ones being served. Bill came to a whopping 52 AUD! Not really satisfied with the meal here. If you want dim sum and need a big table, perhaps this is the right choice. If you want to be more adventurous and try different dim sum dishes, I don't think this place is it. read more

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Have been here on numerous occasions for yum cha and all times have been good. Mostly because i have been here on Sundays as Yum cha is a great hangover cure! We tend to arrive between 11.30 - 12pm and we go straight to level 5 and there usually isn't much of a wait. I think the most we waited was 5 mins! Sometimes you get all the items you want as soon as you sit down, which is great as you can slowly get through them whilst watching what other options pass you by. Favourites in clude the salt & pepper squid, steamed greens, all the dumplings and the combination pork footballs (that's not their actual name but they come in the shape of footballs and have a gooey coating) Can someone please tell me what their actual name is? I find this place better as more of the steamed items are available. read more

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My 4th and last Asian wedding for 2012 was set here. Comparatively the food was below standard. Decent lobster and abalone servings but the shark fin soup didn't taste like it had any shark fin in it, chicken was strangely sweet tasting and noodles were tasteless. The place itself is also in desperate need of a reno. Our meal was capped off by a leaking roof forcing us to move our table twice with no apology from the management team or any assistance in the moving process. This was followed by worried looks of 'oh crap I didn't bring an umbrella' as the drops became heavier and faster. However when I left it wasn't raining nor was the ground wet. I'm not sure I want to know what was dripping down from the ceiling. The Yum Cha might be good but they really need to pick up their night time game! read more

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Maybe because I was alone and I am Cantonese but the servers were all so nice to me!!! I was served by at least 4-5 servers that night... perhaps they were all curious why I am eating there alone? One of the servers advised me to add vermicelli to my pippies and I loved it! The idea is to have the vermicelli soaked up the sauce and I will not have to order any rice. I ended up ordering rice anyway because the sauce from the steamed abalone was too good. I could barely move after my meal and had to walk up and down Hyde park to help with the digestion. Next time I need to round up my friends so that I can try the live abalone!!! The servers told me the shabu shabu style live abalone is to die for. I can't wait to be back! read more

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First off, let me clarify to non-Aussie people: in Oz, Dim Sum = Yum Cha. Ok, now we can move on to review the Marigold for their weekend delight. Unlike many dim sum places, Marigold was cool for not having a major lineup outside, even on a Sunday at 12pm prime time. It was full, but there was no waiting. It's in a central location and rather typically located on the 4th and 5th floors of an Asian commerce building. Food: The amount of carts that went around didn't seem very high for the size of the place, so it was hard to get variety quickly. You kind of get a dish or two, then wait quite a while before something else comes around. Some carts won't even stop next to you for some obscure reason. Taste: Flavour-wise it was just about decent. It's not a place you'd rave about, it's a spot to get your dim sum fix. The dumplings are well made, pork buns are okay. The sticky rice was not as sticky as it should be and the mix inside was odd. Price: the place is a tad pricey and they charge you $2 for the tea (usually when dim sum places put teapot on your table, it's complimentary). Bill for one female person, $34.70. If it was a man that could eat more, the tab would have been much costlier. I suppose it would have been offset if another person came with (I was alone, in town on business). Payment: They accept cash and cards. Service: Ordinary. Bottom line: go if you have to. If you have any Asian friends in Sydney, ask for a recommendation first :-) read more

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Hubby and I came here after reading all the great reviews for yum cha. Worst experience ever! A long queue just to sit at a table isolated or away from the tray people when finally a lady with dumplings came to us, we clearly said "pork" and she understood "prawn". We constantly have to get their attention to come to us when at other places they come to us without having to try and gain eye contact.Since they completely ignored us we decided to leave. If you're coming here for yum cha I recommend you get a table where there's easy access for food otherwise you're forgotten or ignored. read more

Marigold Restaurant - This was our table away from everything. There is just too many tables and not enough staff to get through. - Dim Sum Near Me - Haymarket, NSW

This is probably my favourite dim sum in Sydney. Proper cantonese style dim sum served daily from 10-3. Fast service (on carts) and a large variety of options. I've spent a lot of time in HK and Marigold is definitely an authentic Cantonese taste. read more

Marigold Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - Haymarket, NSW

Yes this is one of the better Yum Cha's in Sydney but the price is ridiculous and the food isn't really anything you couldn't just get from an Asian supermarket freezer aisle and steam yourself for literally 1/20th the price and end up having more traditional Chinese food than the westernised yum Cha version at this restaurant. I've been here maybe 5 times over the years and not once have I thought it was worth going back to, then enough time passes so I give it another go and I repeat the cycle every year or two. I went on a rainy day last week and they had complimentary umbrellas which was handy. read more

Marigold Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - Haymarket, NSW

This place looks and tastes as if it was taken straight from Hong Kong. Sure it's a bit loud and order is something they're short on but hey what do you expect from a yum cha read more

Marigold Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - Haymarket, NSW

Great yum cha! We enjoyed the siao mai, congee and mango pudding. There were a few misses such as the luo bo gao but overall good value for money - we spent slightly over $20 per person. Service was also good with the trolleys coming around very frequently. It gets quite busy on the weekends but the wait is usually less than 20 minutes due to the high volume so don't let the long lines daunt you! read more

Monday lunch at 11:00 am was a pleasant experience. There was no crowd and service good, food is pretty much traditional. Took a while for the selection of dishes to appear but they were reasonable. As the crowd built up so did the variety of dishes. read more

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The perfect hangover cure....and a cheap way to do it, too. Grab a group as yum cha is best done so you get to try ALL.THE.FOOD- and with the endless carts going by at Marigold you'll end up with a table covered with goodies. You'll find all your staples of a good Yum Cha experience- dumplings, pork buns, spring rolls etc but also lots of fresh seafood options and some more meaty options as well like short ribs. If you are hungover, though, the only advice would be to bring your own water- the food is pretty salty (ok, let's get serious, it's probably MSG but that's part of the reason why it's so delicious) and flagging down a waiter to bring you more water is an epic mission. Other than that, go with elastic pants, eat yourself into a coma and find out your hangover will be gone! read more

The service here is hit and miss - sometimes they are super attentive and will fill your tea pots with fresh hot water every few minutes, and at other times you can wait 10 mins for someone to notice you so that you can ask for the bill. The food however is good and the yum cha trolleys are always filled with good quality Chinese delights ranging from dumplings to mango pudding. read more

Previously a devotee of the Yum Cha restaurant at the Sydney Fish Markets my yum cha buddy and I were so set in our dumpling ways we had no reason to even consider trying another establishment. Until this January, when the Godlike Genius himself Noel Gallagher blogged about his great marigold experience. Easily swayed by the opinions of our favourite britpop star we made the extra 3 km trip from Pyrmont to Haymarker. Wearing our favorite eating dresses (extra elasticity to allow for the post yum cha belly bloat) we excitedly made our way up to the fourth floor, thrilled by the sign promising over over 100 different types of dumplings. We were not disappointed. From the succulent prawn dumplings, prawn rice noodle, the plethora of vegetarian options and the amazingly delicious Chinese broccoli, cooked fresh in the trolley as it is wheeled around, we became marigold regulars. Never have we had a bad dining experience. Many a hangover of mine has been cured by those delicious dumplings and hot jasmine tea and many a weekend afternoon as been spent in a post food-gasm coma. In regards to price we have never spent more than $40- $60 for two - three of us and considering the sheer volume of food we consume I'd say that the yum cha prices are quite reasonable. While we are on a mission to discover the best yum cha in Sydney, we struggle to tear ourselves away from the temptress that is marigold. read more

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I've been coming to Marigold for yum cha for years and their quality has never changed. Because the restaurant seats probably like, 400 people, the food is always fresh and there is a constant supply of it. Come with an empty stomach because you will want to be tasting everything. It's a great place to come if you're with a group, they cater for seatings of 6 and more. The only negative things I will say about Marigold is that the servers are usually quite unfriendly and if you want anything trying to flag someone down can be a bit difficult especially if the place is busy, like on a Sunday between 12 and 2. But saying that I feel like it is a part of the yum cha experience, I haven't been to a yum cha place yet where I hadn't encountered someone slightly unfriendly. I've been to many other yum cha places around the city but I always keep coming back here! read more

Love love love Marigold. As soon as we sat down we were pounced on by the trolley ladies and we immediately had a table full of tasty treats. All the prawn related dishes were crunch and delicious, all the wonton skins were moist and light, but not so moist they became claggy and the pork bits were winners. Just after 12 o'clock the crowds started to flock in, but there are so many tables in this place that getting one at most times of the day should be no problem. Highly recommended. read more

I love the Marigold. It is a family favorite. It's a typical Yum Cha restaurant but with wonderful friendly service. They love children and nothing is too much trouble. We've been coming here for years and hope it will be here for many more. The food is always fresh and extremely tasty. Our favorites are the prawn dumplings, pork buns, prawn, garlic and chive dumplings and don't miss out on the mango pancakes! Tip: you can get access to L5 from 930am on the weekends. We come early to avoid the crowds. read more

I didn't have Yum Cha here, just dinner so maybe my review will provide a different perspective. We were surrounded by Chinese people and the place was packed which is normally a good sign... The food is actually ok. We had garlic prawns, salt and pepper squid, roast pork and stir fried noodles with squid. The pork had crunchy skin, the prawns seemed fresh etc... My main criticism is it was all pretty salty. The service is classic Chinese bad service. Arriving without a reservation we were told dismissingly that we would not get a table. Then it was, "one will be open in 30 mins" so we decided to wait. 10 minutes later they called out our name. Pretty standard, but it's what I was expecting. What I was not expecting was the size of the bill. The above 4 dishes came out to about $130. They even charged us for the tea! TLDR Food was ok, service was meh, prices too damn high! read more

Appalling experience, I'm baffled at why people put up with this. So much bad stuff I have to summarise it: Appalling service (told to "SIT" like a dog. This was so ridiculous I actually thought it was funny) Cold food Very small and expensive servings Absolutely SMASHING tableware when cleaning the table. Could care less about my ears ringing from smashing plates And to top it off, they parked a stand about 30cm away from my girlfriend and started cooking food basically on top of her, splattering and actually burned my girlfriend on the arm. When we told them to move we received no apology. This review is more about saving your time and warning you rather than complaining. Just letting you know what you're in for. read more

This place is busy busy. The service is your standard "get ignored and sometime yelled at" approach to slinging Dim Sum. The food is just simply mediocre. Greasy with a lot of salt and frankly over priced. No one dish stood out. With so many amazing Chinese options in Sidney I would look elsewhere. read more

Normally a fan of Yum Cha, I found the Marigold mediocre at best. The service was poorly lacking with the trolleys pushed around at a speed too efficient for you to actually order anything. When you did catch one, we had the same dishes come around multiple times so the selection appeared poor. With waitstaff seemingly unable to bring the table any water after 40 minutes and many requests, the whole outing was disappointing. Some dishes were ok but this isn't a place I'd try again. read more

One word- heaven. So much food. Such tasty food. Even my grandpa enjoyed it. Been coming here since I was a baby so maybe 11 years now. Keeps getting better and better. Love it. This should be on the list of things to do in Sydney read more

Not the best dim sum, but pretty good for what you can get in the city. There is always a line here, so either come early or prepare to wait. The line moves pretty fast tho. The food is decent, after a few attempts at this place, you will know what good and bad. Highly recommend the congee... It's amazing! read more

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The wait in line was worth it as the food was amazing and full of flavour. We tried most of the dishes on the menu and for the most part completely perfect. We did however order a "Shanghai" dumpling (soup dumpling) they took 20 mins to come to our table and then once out the soup had bursted out, leaving us with a plain slimy dumpling. To end on a positive was very tasty and only one negative. read more

Marigold Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - Haymarket, NSW

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There is not one thing I liked about this restaurant. The space is big and brightly lit - did not feel inviting at all. Servers swarmed us throughout our visit. It was difficult to have a conversation because they were constantly at our table twisting plates around, moving bowls, filling water, etc. It was over the top and, frankly, uncomfortable. I felt like I was being watched. The food tasted old like it had been sitting out for awhile. My husband's dish was flat out cold. The check comes at the end of the night and it's $75. I realize everything in Sydney is expensive, but this was worse than the gross delivery places back home and 3x the price. Would not recommend. read more

Can I give this place no stars? Bit harsh, I know. Lunch here with my mum and brother - most definitely would not come back. Very very busy at lunch but table turnover is quite quick, so there are no problems getting a table. Service here is pretty bad, staff are too pushy. How's the food? BLAND! Not worth it! read more

One of the many Chinese dim sum places in Sydney, Marigolds' food is average. The waitress was not nice. Took her 15 mins to get my hot tea... read more

Marigold Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - Haymarket, NSW

The food is pretty good, but experience was marred by a blatant attempt by the female manager to cheat. JUST BE CAREFUL TO NOTE WHAT YOU HAVE ORDERED FOR YUM CHA before the chop card is taken away from you. The 2 of us had 5 large ($5.90 each), 2 special ($6.50 each) and 2 extra special ($6.90 each) dim sums just now. When the time came to settle the bill, the female manager surprisingly walked over to our table (a very unusual thing to happen in yum cha places where bills are normally on ur own to the counter) and insisted that we sit while she brings the bill. She took the chop card away and came back with a bill for 6 large, 2 special and 2 extra special. I told her we only had 5 specials, not 6 but she immediately then turned the chop card over and showed and extra handwritten circle at the 'large' portion. I insisted that we only had 5 and she said we must have had something else which we forgot. I then said I had pictures to prove that we only had 5 (I took them to post on Facebook ), and she hastily said ok, she will refund us the 1 large item... read more

My family used to go to Marigold quite often, but that was some years ago. The other day, I came upon it again, and decided to give it a try. The food is fairly standard fare, but it tastes alright when I'm craving for dim sum. What does surprises me, was the price (but maybe I should not have been surprised at all). I went with a small group of friends, and we ordered quite a wide range of dim sum, but NONE of them is marked "small" or "medium". It looks like everything starts from Large, but more likely, Special. For the usual dim sum of steamed beef balls, it costs $7.50 (since it's a Large instead of a Small, traditionally). A small dim sum plate of low-mein costs $14. Talking about up-sizing menu prices, you can't get better than this. All told, it costs us at least $35 per person. (If you want the very weak tea, it costs you another $2.50 per head.) Don't ever think of driving to the area since parking is a royal pain. With the light rail under construction in the city, traffic is even more chaotic. Even walking around is hard to maneuver (and I hate having to elbow my way through crowds). I'm not sure if I would ever come back again to Marigold. Unlike decades ago, there are many more restaurants and eateries (of various cuisines) to choose from these days. Most of us have moved on, Marigold apparently has not. read more

I'm a bit surprised at the high rating for this place on Yelp because I think there are many Yum Cha and Chinese restaurants that do it better than these guys. I've been here twice and it definitely is good for groups (what's the point of yum cha if you can't use a lazy susan?). However, the food is kind of meh overall. We did have a great peking duck (pancakes included) followed by a san choy bao, but overall I was not impressed. The pork was cold, fatty and chewy. The dumplings were average. I'd be keen to come back for Yum Cha though since every time I've been it's been for dinner when they no longer serve Yum Cha. read more

I've had Yum Cha. in Sydney, Las Vegas and LA, but this would have to be the best yum cha experience yet. The restaurant is is at two levels and has hundreds of people pushing carts full of food. Must experience. read more

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