Really badly kept secret. Really great dumplings. Secret Kitchen has been rocking the socks off its legion of yum cha fans since 2007. Daily yum cha stretches a languid 11am to 3pm on weekdays, and on weekends is marshalled into three sittings, kicking off at a tea-friendly 10am. Go face down in all the dim sum favourites, and bling it up with the gold-daubed squid ink lava cheese buns. Finish with steamed custard buns decorated to look like piglets (cute!). And on that note, visit on weekends to get suckling pig, Macau-style roasted pork and Korean-style barbecue duck. Multiple locations; secret-kitchen.com.au

Tiny but mighty, Chef Wong is a singular location for dim sum, where you order dumplings by the piece and can kiss the idea of trolley service goodbye (it would be impossible to navigate one around the tight OG Huntingdale space, although the Hawthorn East venue is bigger). The signature coriander and roast duck dumplings are worth the trip alone; add beautifully caramelised radish cakes and scallop and prawn dumplings in translucently thin wrappers, and make sure to stock up on frozen dumplings to take home, so you can relive the good times on your next lazy, can’t-be-bothered-cooking occasion. Multiple locations; chefwong.com.au

The popularity is testament to the quality of the yum cha at this north-eastern favourite. Multi-generational groups swing the lazy Susans and tackle the well-marshalled trolleys doing the rounds of a dining room dressed to impress in filigree screens, ornate carvings and colourful vases big enough to harbour a prison escapee. Sip your tea and plan your attack on the huge array of dishes. Sui mai with XO sauce, delicately sweet char sui pork buns and bean curd in an ethereal chicken stock sauce are all standouts, while the Hong Kong style custard egg tarts make a triumphant end note. 363 Manningham Rd, Templestowe; goldendragonpalace.com.au

As old-school as they come, it’s easy to be swamped by nostalgia as you enter this endearing Chinatown restaurant with its rendered red exterior, painted a Forbidden City red. Established in 1980, generations of Melburnians have been seated at its white linen-clad tables and spun the lazy Susans. Relive the experience at daily yum cha with all the dumpling and bun favourites, and then venture in the direction of mini chicken pies and a restorative pork and thousand-year-egg congee built for one. If you’re in the south-east, Keysborough is nearly as venerable (it opened in 1985) and just as delicious. Multiple locations; sharkfin.com.au

Choose your own yum cha adventure at David Zhou’s two diffusion label venues, where the menu performs a dumpling deep-dive and comes up smiling, whether you’re opting for the classic (check out the unimpeachable pork and prawn shu mai and ginger prawn numbers) or the more modern (makrut lime-marinated wagyu dumplings with the house chilli oil, and satay chicken for those unafraid of the word ‘fusion’). But be sure to stick around until the end, when things get cute with fried sesame and sticky rice Chinese Wonka dumplings that live up to their name with a melted milk chocolate filling. Multiple locations; orientalteahouse.com.au

Whether you’re at the 33-year-old Southbank stayer or the glamorous Chinatown digs that opened in 2021, the yum cha here is a head-turning proposition. Offered each day, you can swing a la carte with the help of a dizzyingly lengthy menu, but it’s worth skipping breakfast (and perhaps dinner the night before) to make the most of the all-you-can-eat option. Priced at $75 per head, it’s a giddy deep dive into glossy steamed dumplings, crunchy fried calamari and sticky pork ribs. Just try not to overdo it. Multiple locations; redemperor.com.au

You get six choices of tea and one hour of yum cha power across three sittings every day of the week. Limber up for your visit to this Chinatown favourite and take no prisoners in your quest for dim sum spanning the oeuvre. Glossy steamed crystal dumplings, fried beancurd prawn rolls and steamed custard and salted egg yolk buns that glow like the sun show why this is considered one of the city’s standout yum cha experiences. There’s no trolley service (boo), but you can finish on a note of comfort with the warming sweet beancurd with ginger syrup. 154 Little Bourke St, Melbourne; crystaljademelbourne.com.au

The white chocolate dumplings that bring yum cha at this backstreet Prahran institution to a close aren’t exactly textbook, but Shanghai-born tea importer David Zhou has always done things his own way. Head to the chic Hecker Guthrie-designed dining room on weekends for an all-you-can-eat yum cha with a difference that delivers a Shanghainese focus with xiao long bao (soup-filled pork dumplings), the house chilli honey chicken and barbecue pork bao. Vegetarians get their own dedicated menu including mapo tofu dumplings, shredded kelp and lily salad and sticky rice shu mai. 4 Cecil Pl, Prahran; davidsrestaurant.com.au

The truth in advertising award goes to this Hawthorn stalwart that translates as ‘house of happiness’. Weekends are all about trolley service, while weekdays are an order from the menu affair (pro tip: always book ahead). A yum cha set menu set to appeal to the terminally indecisive ticks off all the food groups, from chicken san choy bow and lamb spring rolls to salt and pepper calamari, while those willing to go off-piste will be rewarded with daintily pleated har gow, roasted duck dumplings, chicken feet in black bean sauce, spicy quail and even pumpkin dumplings for the vegos in the room. 815 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn; taotaohouse.com.au

Perch yourself on a turquoise velvet chair and pile up the steamer baskets at this Box Hill standout occupying the first floor of The Chen hotel. Despite missing the frantic urgency of trolley service (a perfectly serviceable tick-a-box menu takes its place), there’s a dedication to speedy service here that ensures minimal time lag. Superior dim sum includes slippery steamed rice noodles filled with barbecued pork and finished in a salty-sweet sluice of soy, radish cake in XO and steamed tripe. To drink, hit the Hong Kong-style milk tea. 1F/850 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill; instagram.com/goldenlily_melb