Burwood Chinatown

Imagine more than 30 street stalls selling a wildly diverse range of snacks. Then pack those stalls, plus a few retail shops and a games room, into a neon- lit Burwood arcade and its surrounding streets. That’s Burwood Chinatown, a food precinct aiming to capture the aesthetic, taste and feel of a modern Chinese street.

The eateries, mostly grab- and- go takeaway stalls plus a handful restaurants with their own seating, serve both traditional snacks and more modern trends from China and other Asian countries. Guo kui (clay oven-baked flat breads), cumin-crusted lamb skewers and packs of spicy and saucy chicken feet are more traditional options. While sweet egg waffles with ice cream, charcoal bao buns, and hotpots with laksa broths and countless ingredients to choose from are more in tune with current trends in Asia. Many of the stalls are high-quality popular chains from China, but there are many local owner-operators represented as well, providing options for Thai, Malaysian, Korean, Japanese and more.

Pick up as many different snacks as you can, nab a table in the outdoor courtyard or under the neon lights of the arcade, and have yourself a feast.