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The Chairman, Darlinghurst, AU-NSW

The Chairman

4.6
4.6
68 Reviews
$41 to $100
Chinese

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2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 2 times today
  • Good for groups
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
Chinese regional Hunan Cuisine. Previously Chairman Mao Restaurant in Kensington for 12 years.

Awards: 1. Australia's Top 10 Chinese Restaurants by Qantas 2002. 2. Two Chef Hats by Gault&Millau 2018.
3. Listed as one of the favourites in Sydney in globally published WHERE CHEFS EAT

Chef: Dingjun Li

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $41 to $100
  • Cuisines
    Chinese, Bar / Lounge / Bottle Service
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Wed–Sun 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Dinner Wed, Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (02) 9697 9189
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual

What 68 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseEnergetic

Loved For

  • Eastern Suburbs

    Best Value

  • Eastern Suburbs

    Good for business meals

  • Eastern Suburbs

    Good for groups

  • Eastern Suburbs

    Good for special occasions

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Chairman offers an authentic Hunan culinary experience in a "lovely venue" with "elegant" decor. Renowned for its "spicy and flavourful" dishes, highlights include the "braised pork belly" and Cumin Lamb. Guests praise the "great customer service," making it a top choice for "authentic" Chinese cuisine lovers.

68 Reviews
  1. Yu

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Authentic Hunan cuisine. Absolutely delicious! Friendly staff.

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  2. Jaime

    Sydney

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on 6 February 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    It took 60 mins before they came back to take our entree order and 90mins before we ate our entrees. We were there early and after an hour it got quite busy I am still confused why it took so long but others were served. Ask 3 times for someone to take our order but they were taking food to tables. Also when we first arrived we wanted to order a bottle of champagne. Two I asked for from menu they didn't have then a different bottle was brought out of us they wasn't as good and not even on the menu. The dishes we did order were very good though it was just really poor service

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  3. Sijia

    Sydney

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 5 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Very authentic Chinese fine dining restaurant👍👍Thank you for the lovely service! Me and my friends we had a wonderful night celebrating her birthday here🙏

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  4. Martin

    Sydney

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on 28 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great customer service and the food was delicious

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  5. Elaine

    Sydney

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 19 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    What a lovely experience! My dad was a massive fan of the owner’s previous hunan restaurant in Kensington and was very excited to find out (albeit a few years later) that they had reopened in such a lovely venue. I love the decor and the vibes are elegant without being stuffy. The staff are friendly and attentive too. We brought dad here as a surprise for his birthday and really he was very delighted. The dishes are spicy and flavourful and just the type of hunan cuisine my dad loves best. Highly recommend getting lots of rice and cold water to help with the spice (if you’re weak like me). Our favourite dishes were the braised pork belly (big juicy chunky pieces) and Smokey cured pork belly! Will be back again soon for sure!

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  6. David

    Greater Boston

    31 reviews

    5.0

    31 reviews

    Dined on 6 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    One of my favourite Chinese restaurants in Sydney! I have been here many times and keep coming back for the delicious spicy food! We had the pork and the barramundi - both delicious!

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  7. Penny

    Tropical QLD

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 15 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was Amazing, and the service was great. Cannot wait to return to this restaurant.

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  8. G .

    VIP

    Sydney

    9 reviews

    4.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on 8 November 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Very authentic Hunanese cuisine, not modified for Australian tastes, and really good! If you like spicy, this is your place! Nice elegant traditional Chinese atmosphere service is friendly but a bit patchy. Will I go back? Yes, definitely!

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  9. Sandra

    Las Vegas

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on 8 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We really enjoyed our experience at The Chairman. Would highly recommend to others.

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    Minneapolis

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 8 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Mainly Hunan province menu- everything beautifully prepared and presented in an elegant setting adjacent to Hyde oark

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FAQs

The Chairman is rated 4.6 stars by 68 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 2 times today
Google Map for The Chairman

18 College St, Darlinghurst, AU-NSW 2010

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Area
    Darlinghurst
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Wed–Sun 12:00 pm–3:00 pm Dinner Wed, Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $41 to $100
  • Cuisines
    Chinese, Bar / Lounge / Bottle Service
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    Hyde Park
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Banquet, Beer, BYO Wine, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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  • Terms of Use
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