Restaurant
Red Cliff
Ground Floor/256 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Find Red Cliff
Ground Floor/256 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Directions ↗*Opening hours may differ during holidays.
Plan your visitAbout Red Cliff
Melbourne table-gatherers pack this Queen Street dining room for serious Hunan and Sichuan heat served in generous share-style portions. Lanterns glow above partitioned tables and private rooms where big groups dig straight into hefty, garlic-laden bowls of suancai fish—slippery with glass noodles and sour pickled greens. Regulars lean hard into the wok heat: Chongqing spicy chicken, stir-fried yellow beef, and platters of crayfish noodles loaded with tender tail meat. Crisp-skinned Peking duck cuts through the tingling mala chillies, rounded out by brown sugar ice jelly to cool down the palate.
- Authentic Regional Heat: Packs fiery heat and tingling peppercorns into regional staples like suancai fish and wok-tossed spicy chicken.
- Signature Peking Duck: Served hot with crisp skin, traditional pancakes, and complimentary roast duck fried rice.
- Standout Suancai Fish: Tender fish and glass noodles steeped in a rich, garlicky broth sharpened with pickled mustard greens.
- Group & Private Dining: Features warm lantern-lit interiors with partitioned spaces and private rooms built for shared banquets.
What's On at Red Cliff
Upcoming events, special menus and other reasons to plan a visit.
No events or specials listed right now.
Why Dine at Red Cliff
Why diners choose Red Cliff for authentic regional feasts and group gatherings
Authentic Regional Specialties & Signature Broths
Red Cliff prepares authentic regional specialties such as sauerkraut fish with perfectly balanced tanginess and hearty freshwater crayfish noodles.
The broth was rich and flavourful, with just the right balance of tanginess from the pickled vegetables.
Mia Generous Share-Style Portions for Groups
Generous share-style dishes deliver substantial portion sizes that make dining with family and groups great value.
The portions were incredibly generous, making it great value for money, especially if you’re dining with family or friends.
Valerie Ng Bold Hunan and Sichuan Flavor Profiles
Spicy dishes pack bold mala heat and aromatic seasonings that cater directly to intense Hunan and Sichuan flavor cravings.
Definitely not your average Chinese takeout — every dish was bold, fragrant and packed with real spice.
Abby & Clarissa Atmospheric Lantern-Lit Dining Setting
Decorated with traditional Chinese lanterns and rich aesthetics, the venue creates an immersive cultural dining experience.
The beautiful lantern lit ambience adds a warm and traditional touch that makes the whole dining experience feel even more special.
Remya Private Dining Rooms for Celebrations
Partitions and dedicated dining spaces provide comfortable separation suited for hosting group meals or celebrations.
There are private rooms for dining as well for larger groups.
Remya Flexible Spaces Suited for Large Parties
The restaurant layout accommodates group bookings comfortably with segmented table setups for focused gatherings.
I also saw that they have more private space/areas for those dining with a large group, in addition to the standard tables in the restaurant.
Melbfoodly
Most popular items
Signature regional Sichuan and Hunan communal dishes praised by diners
Suancai Fish
Our favourite was definitely the Suancai Fish. The broth was rich and flavourful, with just the right balance of tanginess from the pickled vegetables.
Mia Peking Duck
peking duck was a standout 🦆🥒🥞 — came out hot with crispy skin and juicy, tender meat.
Camelyn S Crayfish Noodles
The crayfish noodles were delicious — packed with flavour, generous with the crayfish, and the portion size was great.
Douglath Kongming Grilled Fish
Our top recommendation is the Kongming Grilled Fish. I’d give it a 4.5/5—this time the fish was a little bit on the dry side, but the side ingredients and the broth were absolutely the best we've had.
Cooper Eats
Before you head over
Practical dining tips for planning your visit to Red Cliff
Book ahead for evening dining
Evenings get particularly busy, so reserving a table ahead of time is recommended to avoid waiting for a seat.
Check minimum spend on partitioned rooms
Partitioned spaces and private rooms require minimum spends, which are easily met given the generous share-style dishes.
Mind the slick flooring
The restaurant floor can be slippery or sticky underfoot, so watch your footing while walking through the dining room.
Explore more places in Melbourne
Find familiar flavours, neighbourhood favourites and somewhere new in Melbourne.
Similar places
More places for the flavours and food you enjoy.
- Super Bowl Pho & Bun Bo HueRichmond · Vietnamese, Chinese, Restaurant, Takeaway
- Bamboo House Chinese Restaurant MelbourneMelbourne · Chinese, Cantonese, Restaurant, Takeaway
- Papa's Rich WarragulWarragul · Chinese, Restaurant, Takeaway
- Wok’s N Dumplings (Traralgon)Traralgon · Chinese, Malaysian, Restaurant, Takeaway
- Fine ChinaHighett · Chinese, Takeaway
- Dumpling KingBox Hill · Chinese, Restaurant, Takeaway
Discover more in Melbourne
Explore another side of the city's food and drink.
- Kin Vietnamese RestaurantPrahran · Vietnamese, Restaurant, Bar
- St James RichmondRichmond · Coffee, Cafe, Restaurant
- Big Brother's Pizza WerribeeWerribee · Pizza, Italian, Restaurant, Takeaway
- Kalimna HotelKalimna · Restaurant, Bar, Pub
- Mavs Greek RestaurantGeelong · Greek, Restaurant
- Mr Grumpy's CafeMulgrave · Coffee, Cafe
- Gypsy BurgerTorquay · Burger, Restaurant, Takeaway
- The Castle HotelNorth Melbourne · Restaurant, Pub
- Black SquirrelSandringham · Coffee, Cafe
- Rare Hare Wine & Food StoreMerricks North · Winery, Restaurant
- Walker's Doughnuts Elizabeth StreetMelbourne · Donut, Doughnut, Dessert
- Killik Handcrafted RumBelgrave · Restaurant, Bar, Cafe
