China Bar Russell Street — Restaurant in Melbourne

China Bar on Russell Street offers a solid dining experience with commendable customer service that stands out even when the food itself is just okay. The staff is attentive, friendly, and eager to accommodate, making sure that diners feel welcome from the moment they step in. While the dishes are decent, the flavors and quality don’t always match expectations, especially given the competitive food scene in Melbourne. However, what sets China Bar apart is the staff’s genuine effort to ensure a pleasant experience. Whether it's refilling water, checking on orders, or offering quick service during peak hours, the customer service is top-notch. If you’re seeking a place with reliable service and a casual atmosphere, China Bar delivers. Just don’t expect to be blown away by the food, as it's more about consistency than culinary excellence. Overall, it’s a comfortable spot to grab a bite, particularly if great service is a priority for you.

Open late

China Bar on Russell Street offers a solid dining experience with commendable customer service that stands out even when the food itself is just okay. The staff is attentive, friendly, and eager to accommodate, making sure that diners feel welcome from the moment they step in. While the dishes are decent, the flavors and quality don’t always match expectations, especially given the competitive food scene in Melbourne. However, what sets China Bar apart is the staff’s genuine effort to ensure a pleasant experience. Whether it's refilling water, checking on orders, or offering quick service during peak hours, the customer service is top-notch. If you’re seeking a place with reliable service and a casual atmosphere, China Bar delivers. Just don’t expect to be blown away by the food, as it's more about consistency than culinary excellence. Overall, it’s a comfortable spot to grab a bite, particularly if great service is a...

My partner and I came here for a late night feed after a show and were told upon arrival that a table wasn't available. So, we sat down and waited. Another couple came in soon after us and the same staff we liased with earlier had already forgotten that we were waiting. We were sitting in front of them the entire time.

In their ordering site, Google Pay is available as a method of payment which is fairly common. The food was barely passable. No napkins were provided.

When leaving, we were asked specifically where we had been sitting. I motioned towards the table and also advised that we had already paid. The manager then accused us of having not paid our bill. I insisted that I had already done so, with Google Pay via their ordering site. I immediately showed him the emailed receipt of my payment and the manager said that it was simply a confirmation of my meal, not a receipt.

The manager said I could offer to show him the transaction on my banking app to "double check". I angrily produced evidence of the relevant transaction on my banking app to which the manager remarked "that's not here", despite the fact the transaction clearly stating: 'China Bar', the same date, and the exact amount as the 'unpaid' receipt in his hands.

The manager then realised his mistake and attempted a cover up by saying, "oh I thought you were sitting upstairs". As mentioned, we had already been questioned regarding our seating location, and that he was holding a copy of our receipt. We received no apology for the accusation or for the ordeal.

I do not recommend...

I just had the worst customer service experience in this restaurant, staffs are absolutely rude. We were supposed to dine in last night (October 08 at around 10pm). We said to them dine in for 6 adults and 1 toddler and we were told to wait. While waiting, my toddler got bored and started grabbing few spoons and chopsticks from where we were waiting. One of the staffs just literally grabbed all the cutlery from my toddler without saying a word which me and my partner find it rude. I just let it slide, but after waiting for 15 mins to accomodate us for dine in, my partner asked how long do we still have to wait but they said another 10-15 minutes. My partner got a little upset as we weren’t told that we needed to wait this much time just to sit. I stepped forward to talk to the staffs. I asked them how come they can let other people to dine in when we came first. Although these customers came by 2-3 people however, they could’ve put those tables together to accommodate us and prioritise us first because we came first before them. While telling these things to them, the staffs weren’t saying anything but instead, they kept saying “shhhh shhh shhh” very loud. It was very rude. Supposed to be my first time trying China Bar but because of these rudeness attitude of the staffs, I’m not pleased to enter the restaurant again. I work in a restaurant too, but this is not how we supposed to treat our customers. I wonder how these rude staffs got employed. We ended up eating at a...