Nan Yang Express Chinatown

November 2025: I am a Level 7 contributor (>400 reviews) on Google and provide an unbiased feedback on eateries and experiences both in Asia and Melbourne. This is a small restaurant in Chinatown on Little Bourke Street between Russell and Exhibition Streets. The nearest train station is Parliament. The seating arrangement feels cramped but I was here for the food. I have a craving for fish🐟 fillet noodle soup and I paid $17.50. It was a huge portion, with 6 big pieces of fried fish. The fish tasted like basa, instead of rockling. The soup has a light creamy texture because of the addition of evaporated milk. I didn't taste MSG in the soup. There were also 2 sour plums which tasted very sour. The ginger was coarsely cut. Overall, I like the taste but would have preferred thin slices of ginger. Taste wise, it's on par with Laksa King's fish noodle soup, but cheaper. A surcharge applies in weekends and public holidays, waived upon cash payments. I waited quite a while for my dush to come even though I ordered before 5 pm on a week day. They have too many online orders. I came back days later on a Sunday to try the Hainanese chicken🐔 rice and rice rolls with sweet sauce. Each dish costs $10, on cash payment. There were many here who raved about the chicken rice. My opinion: the chicken pieces were not as tender as other venues because the ones that were served to me came from the thighs. I still prefer the Hainanese chicken rice at Kakilang. The rice was fragrant and delicious. At $10, this is a satisfying meal with generous portions. The rice rolls were delicious too with fish🐟 cake slices and 2 fish 🐟balls.

Justin Tan

Perfectly acceptable Sarawak Laksa and Pork Noodle Soup tonight. At $10 each (10/2025), remarkable value! It is so popular we had to wait for a table but the service was fast. Be prepared to sit very close to total strangers and ignore the chipped crockery..!

Bryan A.

A real treasure when it comes to flavour, portions, and affordability! Their $10 dishes are full of flavour, and we’ve enjoyed everything we’ve tried so far. The Hainan chicken, in particular, was incredibly juicy and tender — just amazing. We’re already looking forward to our next visit!

Joey L

I've been to other Nan Yang outlets and find them to be exceptional value for money. Although prices are undeniably good, it took over 35 mins for my dish to come and I came after the lunch hour rush! The dish that I got (noodles with crispy chicken) was only so so. Noodles were over cooked and under seasoned. I may come back to try another dish, but they need to get a handle on their cooking times if they want to have 'express' in their name.

Daniel Koh

Unexpectedly amazing! 💯 I went to Nan Yang Express in Chinatown just because it’s super cheap, but wow… the chicken rice was SO good. Tender chicken, tasty rice, and crazy value for money. Didn’t expect it to be this delicious at all. Definitely coming back again 🔥✨

PERTHSIBLE