The best Chinese restaurants in Invercargill cover three quite different ways to eat. There is a Dee Street restaurant built around Southland seafood and banquet menus, a central Esk Street kitchen built around a buffet, and a Tay Street takeaway that serves Chinese alongside fish and chips. Between them they cover the central city, Heidelberg and the suburbs, for a sit down meal or a pick up.
1Ocean Seafood Chinese Restaurant
Ocean Seafood sits at 282 Dee Street and runs as a full dine-in restaurant with a separate takeaway counter, each on its own phone line. The kitchen leans on Southland produce, with blue cod, green mussels, oysters and venison appearing across the seafood and sizzling hot plate sections. Alongside the dine-in menu it publishes dedicated banquet and function menus for groups, plus a standalone fish and chip menu. Ordering runs Monday to Saturday from 11.30am, and from 4.30pm on Sundays.
Services
- Dine-in Chinese and seafood
- Banquet menus for groups
- Function catering
- Fish and chips
- Takeaway and Invercargill delivery
Highlights
- Southland seafood on the menu, including blue cod, green mussels and oysters
- Sizzling hot plate dishes including salmon, king prawns and venison steak
- Barbecued Peking duck served as a two-course dish, cooked to order
- Separate phone lines for the restaurant and the takeaway counter
- Delivery within Invercargill at $8, on a minimum order of $35
Location & Contact
Name: Ocean Seafood Chinese Restaurant
Address: 282 Dee Street, Invercargill
Phone: 03 218 9193 (restaurant), 03 218 9101 (takeaway)
Website: oceanseafood.co.nz
Hours: Monday to Saturday 11.30am to 9.30pm, Sunday 4.30pm to 9.30pm
2Hong Kong Restaurant
The Hong Kong Restaurant occupies 36 Esk Street in the middle of town and is built around a buffet, advertised at up to 16 freshly cooked choices, with banquets for groups and a full menu alongside it. Its menu is published in both English and Chinese, and it reaches past the standard takeaway repertoire into Sichuan cooking, with dishes such as mapo tofu and beef with ox tripe in chilli sauce. It opens seven days for both lunch and dinner, and delivers across the Invercargill suburbs.
Services
- Chinese buffet
- Lunch and dinner service seven days
- Banquet menus for groups
- Takeaway and suburb delivery
Highlights
- Buffet advertised at up to 16 freshly cooked choices
- Menu published in both English and Chinese
- Sichuan dishes including mapo tofu and beef with ox tripe in chilli sauce
- Open seven days, 11.30am to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to 9.30pm
Location & Contact
Name: Hong Kong Restaurant
Address: 36 Esk Street, Invercargill
Phone: 03 218 8531
Email: ho*******************@***il.com
Hours: Seven days, 11.30am to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to 9.30pm
3Ascot Chinese Takeaways and Fish & Chips
Ascot Chinese trades from 698A Tay Street in Hawthorndale and is the takeaway of the three, pairing a Chinese menu with fish and chips and gourmet burgers from the same counter. It is run by Ascot Food Group, which also operates a separate catering arm. Ordering is handled through its own website rather than a third-party delivery platform, with meal deals and family packs listed alongside the standard dishes, and delivery available on orders over $50.
Services
- Chinese takeaway dishes
- Chinese dumplings
- Fish and chips
- Gourmet hamburgers
- Vegetarian meals
Highlights
- Chinese, fish and chips and burgers ordered from one counter
- Online ordering through its own site, with meal deals and family packs
- Catering handled by a separate arm of the same operator, Ascot Food Group
- Delivery within Invercargill on orders over $50
Location & Contact
Name: Ascot Chinese Takeaways and Fish & Chips
Address: 698A Tay Street, Hawthorndale, Invercargill
Phone: 03 217 7261
Email: on**********@************up.com
Website: ascotchinese.co.nz
4Centre St Chinese Takeaways
Centre St Chinese Takeaways works out of Heidelberg on Centre Street, away from the Dee and Esk Street cluster, which suits the southern suburbs for a pick up on the way home. It runs Tuesday to Sunday and closes on Mondays, with the kitchen open through to 8.30pm.
Services
- Chinese takeaway menu
- Phone orders for pick up
- Evening service through to 8.30pm
- Suburban Heidelberg location
Highlights
- Centre Street shop in Heidelberg rather than the central city
- Open Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays
- Landline published for orders
Location & Contact
Name: Centre St Chinese Takeaways
Address: 156 Centre Street, Heidelberg, Invercargill 9812
Phone: 03 216 3617
5Canton Restaurant
Canton Restaurant sits on Dee Street in central Invercargill and cooks Cantonese alongside the broader Chinese menu. It is a sit down dining room rather than a counter operation, which makes it the option when the meal is the occasion rather than the fuel.
Services
- Cantonese and Chinese dining
- Dinner service
- Central Dee Street dining room
Highlights
- Dee Street address in central Invercargill
- Cantonese cooking alongside the general Chinese menu
- Sit down restaurant rather than takeaway counter
Location & Contact
Name: Canton Restaurant
Address: 146 Dee Street, Invercargill 9810
Chinese Restaurants in Invercargill at a Glance
| Business | Based in | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean Seafood Chinese Restaurant | Invercargill | Southland seafood on the menu |
| Hong Kong Restaurant | Invercargill | Buffet advertised at up to 16 freshly cooked choices |
| Ascot Chinese Takeaways and Fish & Chips | Hawthorndale | Chinese, fish and chips and burgers ordered from one counter |
| Centre St Chinese Takeaways | Heidelberg | Centre Street shop in Heidelberg rather than the central city |
| Canton Restaurant | Invercargill | Dee Street address in central Invercargill |
How to Choose the Right Chinese Restaurant in Invercargill
- Decide first whether you want a table, a buffet or a bag of takeaways, because the three kitchens here are set up around different answers.
- For a group, ask for the banquet or function menu rather than ordering off the main list, as both the Dee Street and Esk Street kitchens publish set menus for larger tables.
- Check the delivery minimum before ordering in, as it varies from $35 to $50 depending on the kitchen.
- If you want regional Chinese cooking rather than the familiar sweet and sour and chow mein, look for Sichuan dishes on the menu.
- Note the Sunday hours, as one kitchen opens for dinner only while another runs lunch and dinner seven days.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chinese Restaurants in Invercargill
Is there a Chinese buffet in Invercargill?
Yes. The Hong Kong Restaurant at 36 Esk Street runs a buffet, advertised at up to 16 freshly cooked choices, alongside its regular menu and banquet options for groups.
Which Chinese restaurant in Invercargill is best for a large group?
Both Ocean Seafood on Dee Street and the Hong Kong Restaurant on Esk Street publish banquet menus built for groups. Ocean Seafood also has a separate function menu for events.
Do Chinese restaurants in Invercargill deliver?
Delivery is not offered everywhere, so check when you order. Ocean Seafood charges $8 on a minimum order of $35, Ascot Chinese delivers on orders over $50, and the Hong Kong Restaurant delivers across the city suburbs.
Can you get Chinese food and fish and chips from the same place?
Yes. Ascot Chinese on Tay Street serves fish and chips and gourmet burgers from the same counter as its Chinese menu, and Ocean Seafood publishes a separate fish and chip menu.
Where can I find Sichuan food in Invercargill?
The Hong Kong Restaurant lists Sichuan dishes including mapo tofu and beef with ox tripe in chilli sauce, and publishes its menu in both English and Chinese.
Are there vegetarian options at Chinese restaurants in Invercargill?
Yes. Ascot Chinese lists a dedicated vegetarian section, and both Ocean Seafood and the Hong Kong Restaurant carry vegetable and tofu dishes on their main menus.
What are the opening hours for Chinese restaurants in Invercargill?
Ocean Seafood takes orders Monday to Saturday from 11.30am to 9.30pm and Sunday from 4.30pm to 9.30pm. The Hong Kong Restaurant opens seven days, 11.30am to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to 9.30pm.
Which Invercargill Chinese restaurant uses local seafood?
Ocean Seafood on Dee Street builds much of its menu around Southland produce, with blue cod, green mussels, oysters and venison appearing across its seafood and sizzling hot plate sections.
How We Chose the Best Chinese Restaurants in Invercargill
Every business in this guide was found by searching for chinese restaurants in Invercargill, then checked against its own website. Names, addresses and phone numbers are taken from the business’s own site rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what they publish themselves. We also check that each one is actually based in or genuinely serving Invercargill, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business with no website of its own is not listed, because there is no primary source to verify it against.