The best Chinese restaurants in Timaru cover three different evenings. There is a sit down restaurant for a booked table, a Cantonese kitchen running lunch deals and a weekend buffet, and classic takeaway counters where Chinese shares a menu with fish and chips. Chinese takeaways in Timaru have a long history in the town and locals hold firm opinions about them, so it is worth knowing what each one is actually set up to do before deciding where to ring.
1Golden Palace Chinese Restaurant
Golden Palace takes reservations and is set up as a restaurant rather than a counter, open Tuesday through Sunday and welcoming dine in as well as takeaway orders. Being closed Mondays is worth noting, as is the reservation line, because a booked table on a Friday or Saturday is not something you want to leave to chance in a town with limited sit down Chinese. It runs its own website with the menu rather than relying on delivery platforms.
Services
- Dine in with reservations
- Chinese restaurant menu
- Takeaway orders
- Group bookings
Highlights
- Set up for booked tables rather than counter service
- Open Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays
- Publishes its own menu online rather than only via delivery apps
Location & Contact
Name: Golden Palace Chinese Restaurant
Address: Timaru
Phone: 03 684 4180
Website: goldenpalacechinese.co.nz
2Canjoy Cantonese Cuisine
Canjoy is specifically a Cantonese restaurant rather than a general Chinese one, which is a real distinction: Cantonese cooking leans on steaming, roasting and lighter sauces compared with the sweet and sour heavy menus most New Zealand Chinese takeaways run. It offers lunch deals from around fifteen dollars for both dine in and takeaway, and a dinner buffet on Friday and Saturday nights from 5:30pm. Following of around 1,800 locally, and bookings are taken by phone.
Services
- Cantonese cuisine
- Lunch deals, dine in and takeaway
- Friday and Saturday dinner buffet
- Table bookings
Highlights
- Cantonese specifically, not a general Chinese menu
- Weekend dinner buffet from 5:30pm Friday and Saturday
- Lunch deals from around fifteen dollars
- Following of around 1,800 locally
Location & Contact
Name: Canjoy Cantonese Cuisine
Address: Timaru, South Canterbury
Phone: 03 929 2122
Website: canjoy.co.nz
3Kam Wah Chinese
Kam Wah is the classic Timaru combination: a Chinese takeaway and a fish and chip shop in one, which solves the household where half the family wants sweet and sour and the other half wants a scoop of chips. The menu runs the familiar Chinese takeaway range, with chicken dishes in the mid twenties. Available through delivery platforms as well as direct, and it is the practical option for a weeknight family order rather than an occasion.
Services
- Chinese takeaway
- Fish and chips
- Family meal orders
- Delivery through Delivereasy
Highlights
- Chinese and fish and chips from the same counter
- Suits households where not everyone wants Chinese
- Long standing Timaru takeaway
Location & Contact
Name: Kam Wah Chinese
Address: Timaru
4Naruwan Asian Cuisine Restaurant
Naruwan presents as Asian rather than strictly Chinese, cooking across several cuisines on one menu, which is typical of smaller New Zealand cities where a single kitchen covers what several would in a larger centre. That breadth suits a group that cannot agree, since Chinese, Thai and other Asian dishes come from the same kitchen. Worth checking the current menu before going if there is something specific you are after.
Services
- Chinese dishes
- Wider Asian menu
- Dine in
- Takeaway
Highlights
- Menu spans several Asian cuisines rather than Chinese alone
- Suits groups with mixed preferences
- Established Timaru restaurant
Location & Contact
Name: Naruwan Asian Cuisine Restaurant
Address: Timaru
Chinese Restaurants in Timaru at a Glance
| Business | Based in | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Palace Chinese Restaurant | Timaru | Set up for booked tables rather than counter service |
| Canjoy Cantonese Cuisine | South Canterbury | Cantonese specifically, not a general Chinese menu |
| Kam Wah Chinese | Timaru | Chinese and fish and chips from the same counter |
| Naruwan Asian Cuisine Restaurant | Timaru | Menu spans several Asian cuisines rather than Chinese alone |
How to Choose a Chinese Restaurant in Timaru
- Decide between a table and a counter first. Only some of these take bookings; the rest are built around takeaway and will not seat a group.
- Check the day. At least one closes Mondays, and the weekend buffet only runs Friday and Saturday nights.
- For a family with mixed tastes, the counters doing Chinese alongside fish and chips solve the problem in one order.
- If you specifically want Cantonese rather than general Chinese, ask. The cooking style differs and only one kitchen here presents itself that way.
- Ordering direct rather than through a delivery app is usually cheaper, since app commission is priced into the menu.
- For allergies, ring the kitchen rather than trusting an app listing. Shared woks and fryers are a question only staff can answer.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chinese Restaurants in Timaru
Is there a Chinese restaurant in Timaru you can sit down in?
Yes. Golden Palace takes reservations and is set up for dining in, and Canjoy runs table bookings alongside its buffet nights. Several of the other Chinese options in town are takeaway counters with limited or no seating.
Is there a Chinese buffet in Timaru?
Yes. Canjoy runs a dinner buffet on Friday and Saturday nights from 5:30pm. Buffets suit larger groups and fussier eaters because everyone chooses by sight rather than off a menu, but check ahead as buffet nights are the busiest.
What time do Chinese takeaways in Timaru open?
It varies, and at least one restaurant is closed Mondays entirely. Lunch service is not universal either, with some kitchens opening for dinner only. Worth a phone call before driving over, particularly early in the week.
Can I get Chinese food delivered in Timaru?
Yes. Delivereasy and Uber Eats both operate here and carry several Timaru kitchens. Ordering direct from the restaurant is generally cheaper because delivery platform commission gets built into the listed prices.
Which is best for a family order?
The counters offering Chinese alongside fish and chips are the practical answer, since one order covers people who want Chinese and people who do not. For a sit down family meal, the restaurants taking bookings are the better fit.
Do Timaru Chinese restaurants serve other Asian food?
Some do. At least one presents as Asian cuisine generally and cooks across several traditions on one menu. If you want a specific regional style rather than a general Chinese menu, it is worth asking when you ring.
How We Chose the Best Chinese Restaurants in Timaru
Every business in this guide was found by searching for chinese restaurants in Timaru, 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 Timaru, 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.