China Red

Review

China Red is inside an arcade. You can access that arcade from Little Bourke or Bourke Street just up from Kmart heading towards the top of the CBD. From the outside this restaurant does not seem wheelchair friendly. In fact it seems quite crowded and small. However, if you walk straight in past the front desk, ahead of you is a row of tables that are easy to get to without turning. Also, if you turn left at that point there are a number tables easy to get to without barriers. I suggest that you book online and write in the comments/request section that you use a wheelchair and you want an accessible path to the table. When they show you to your table they will probably move one of the chairs away without asking. The tables have a ‘leg’ in the middle with 4 ‘ feet’ feet sticking out which can get in the way. However, I just sit slightly to the left or right of the table and there’s no issue with access. This restaurant has a touchscreen menu. If you can’t reach it, ask for a paper menu or ask the waitress to help you with the touchscreen. Like most restaurants, if you ask for water and they bring you a bottle, you can ask the waitress to pour the water into the glass. They only have chopsticks on the tables but they have plenty of cutlery - just ask for it. There is no accessible toilet in the restaurant but there is a toilet downstairs for anybody who is ambulatory. I’m not sure where the nearest accessible toilet is but I’ll add that information at a later date. All the ordering and paying is done at the table so you don’t have many people walking by or behind. It does get extremely noisy though so this might be an issue. I would go at a quieter time of the week or early. One of the manages is extremely grumpy and stern looking and acting and you certainly won’t get a high level of positive interaction from the staff. This is not a reflection of how they actually feel or serve you - it is simply the way of the restaurant. One of the great things about this restaurant is, in fact, the lack of interaction. You don’t constantly have someone coming over to you asking how your food is or if you want anything else! You just touch the screen to order, the food comes your table, you touch the screen to request the bill, the waitress brings the card machine and you pay. So, if you want someone to fuss over you and ask if you’re having a nice day and tell you to have a lovely night when you leave, this is not the restaurant for you! However, if you want good Chinese food, I’d highly recommend China Red. I only gave it four stars because I don’t know if there is an accessible toilet nearby.