Supper Inn

Never been here before and really enjoyed it. It’s refreshingly rough and ready. We thought the food was fantastic. Very tasty. The staff were very efficient too and pleasingly brusque. I’m definitely returning.

The place used to be raved about years ago. It’s authentic, almost always open and reasonably priced. Last time i went though, I decided it was the last time I’d go. The whole place was just too tired looking for food that was good but nothing extraordinary — especially when the staff are looking frazzled and struggling to manage. Add the hassle of getting a convenient place to park and i’m done with it.

Supper Inn is one of only a few restaurants in China Town that I remember the name and location of!
As others have said it appears that the tucked away location has somewhat created a time-​freeze for Supper Inn. Its an ‘old school’ Chinese Restaurant in many ways but hey — why mess with what works.
There is always plenty of dinners which to me is a clear indication that they have what it takes. On our most recent visit we had sweet and sour pork, szechuan beef fillet, satay chicken and prawns. All were fresh and tasty.
Services is good, staff are friendly enough and efficient.

Cheap and nasty. Waitress turn us away for ordering congee and forced us to order an expensive item. Guess they are more inclined to westerners. Our bill came up with some extra undisclosed charges. We just paid and left. Dishonest.
Recommend a few restaurants along Swanton Street for late night dinning or Supper.

Eh… not the worst Chinese I’ve ever had but certainly not good. I accept the run down décor as it reminded me of the places my grandfather took me to as kid. Maybe we didn’t order the right things on the menu. Bean curd with pork (bland) and Szechuan chicken (chicken was rubbery and flavorless). This place was highly recommended, mostly I think because of the price. Certainly not intoxicated enough to enjoy it.

Best congee ever! Highly recommend their century egg and lean pork congee. Super yummy.
Their crispy noodle with seafood is pretty decent too. So is their egg and shrimp hor fun.
In fact, everything I’ve tried here is good. And its even better since supper is always comfort food :)
Service here is pretty typical of Chinese restaurants, so dont expect much. You’ll probably get better if you speak Cantonese.
Warning: Lots of MSG so you’ll feel very thirsty after the meal.

Pretty good late night joint. Must try the stuffed bean curd with minced prawn — delicious!

Yay! I get gold the Olympic gold medal for not reviewing places I’ve
been to tonnes of times and then realising that I haven’t reviewed them.
This was slightly more expensive than I had envisaged; note recent
visit, and that’s because I came with dinning companion, as opposed
to doing the whole group thing. Which has occurred many times.
The crispy chilli fried Quail was excellent; flavoursome and still tender
and juicy inside. Honey pepper glazed prawns were also good but too
sweet, which is a dumb thing to say, but it could have been balanced
out better. Anyway it’s one of the only late night after 11pm Tuesday
dining options that I know of. So for that, It’s no too bad. Been here
heaps of times. Didn’t really like the San chow bow. Wish they did
way more dumplings here, and it can be a good place for feast.

Walking down Chinatown you’ll see people holding menus outside the many restaurants along the main street. If you look closer you’ll see that these restaurants are not very full or with any tables at all. Strange.
Venture into a dark scary looking alley on Celestial Ave, you’ll come across Supper Inn. A TINY restaurant up a flight of narrow stairs. No one is out there holding a menu.
There is almost always a wait to get in. You’ll stand crowded with other people on the staircase.
Every time i’ve gone here it’s packed with locals. It’s a bit of a hole in the wall yet the waitstaff wear bow ties. It’s a bizarre like that. If i were to guess the max occupancy is about 50 people if even that.
The food is amazing. I ordered the Szechuan Beef. The sauce was wonderfully dark rich and spicy. The best Szechuan Beef i’ve ever had. I totally hate myself for not taking any pictures.
My dinner companions raved about the food. Even for the non adventurous, there is sweet and sour chicken.
Food: Excellent
Service: Spotty.
Atmosphere: Tiny and rundown but this is the kind of place where the food is so good that atmosphere and service don’t even matter.

Enter Supper Inn, an old school Chinese restaurant tucked on dark and dingy Celestial Avenue. After walking up the flight of stairs encapsulated by scribblings of various drunks, you will reach a door. When opened, you will be transported to a different world.
Cheesy Chinese waiters dressed in vests and white shirts alongside white table cloths and a wooden interior that looks like an insane fire hazard. This feels like something out of the 70s.
So here’s the down low. Get the Sweet & Sour Pork, Stuffed Tofu, Crispy Calamari, Congee, and Chinese Donuts. Stuff your face till you don’t recognize yourself in the mirror anymore, and pay less than you expect the meal would cost. Walk out feeling satisfied, and plan to come back on an evening when you are less intoxicated.
I think we have a winner.

After being away from Melbourne for a year, I am still dreaming about the sweet and sour pork and bok choy from Supper Inn. It is, hands down, the best chinese food I’ve ever had.
Scratch that.
It’s the best food I’ve ever had, period.
It’s a cool little spot where you need to get there early if you want a seat. Service is good, prices are fine, and the food is amazing. My boyfriend and I always get the sweet and sour pork and a veggie, and the bok choy was by far the best veggie selection. We also tried the salted fish and eggplant which was delicious.
Honestly, I can’t wait to be back in Melbourne in a few months. This will be the first place we go to dine out at.

Tucked on Celestial Ave off Little Bourke Street in Chinatown, Supper Inn’s one of those places that (to be honest) I wouldn’t willingly choose to go to if it weren’t for being dragged along by friends. Then again, I rarely eat in this neck of the woods and I only go by word of mouth so, unless a friend of mine recommends a place, I wouldn’t try it.
Anyway, we went for a late dinner after my friend’s graduation — too late for my liking but I was happy to tag along as I’d heard of Supper Inn before and how the food’s not bad at all… And it was quite good I have to say — we had the crispy calamari, fish w/​black bean sauce, spicy prawns and some rice.
The place was packed to the rafters, we got there at about 10.30pm and had to wait about 15 mins to get seated and it must have been around 11.30pm when we left & there was a lot diners waiting on the stairs — I guess that’s what you get when you combine good food at affordable prices.
Negatives — Not much space between seats so you feel a bit tight and my left arm kept bumping into the diner that was sat next to me. Also, it gets quite noisy and you can sometimes struggle to hear what you’re mates’ are saying.
Other than that, it was good. The food was tasty and I wouldn’t mind returning.

Late night would be the only reason to come here imo… no-​fuss restaurant to satisfy midnight cravings post-​drinking. Suckling pig was decent, have had better congee elsewhere.

Starving? Is it midnight on a Friday, after work drinks? Are you bombed? Supper Inn baybeeee!
Great place for a late meal after a boozy night with friends!
Smallish size restaurant was packed and noisy, with dishes of Suckling Pig and Chicken in Mushroom sauce really hitting the spot! Quality and size of the meals were decent without being huge.
There is a huge array of choices on the menu and service was quick and no-​fuss. Pricing wasn’t overly cheap but was standard for this fare.

Nestled in among chinatown buzzling streets, Supper Inn is a true highlight in Melbournes smorgosbord of chinese restaurants! Feels you’re in China when you enter and savour there rich menu! Go there and be swept away!

I’m not sure I’d be in the line of people queuing up to get into Supper Inn. Whilst it is definitely an institution in Melbourne, the one time I went I was not exactly blown away by the food. It was good don’t get me wrong but not something I’d wait long for.
I was late for the ordering stage of the meal with a group which was perhaps why it lacked something for me. There are a few restaurants in Chinatown which I’d prefer over it in terms of food including Ling Nam.
Nevertheless, it would be wrong of me to pass judgement based on one experience. So for that reason, I’m still on the fence.

In my eyes, Supper Inn takes the gold medal for best late night eatery in Melbourne. But that doesn’t mean it should be relegated only to post-​disco munch fests — it’s a damn good Chinatown option at any time of the day.
Don’t expect a relaxing meal at Supper Inn — the tables are jammed in tight and on Friday and Saturday nights it can get hot and very, very loud. It seems most people come here as they’ve realised it is a great spot for a cheap celebratory meal with ten of their closest friends, so it has a real party vibe. The menu is truly epic, with every Chinese dish imaginable including a good selection of vegetarian options. True, some of the dishes are a bit samey and the sauces are sometimes that unidentifiable goopy stuff, but for what you’re paying the food is good.
They do BYO and seem to pass no judgement if you rock up with one bottle of wine per person — I’m guessing the wait staff here have pretty much seen it all. If you’ve never been to Supper Inn I’d recommend making the effort to hunt it out — it’s a guaranteed good time.

Suckling pig! SUCKLING PIG! OK… Sorry, let me calm down for a second. The Supper Inn gets me a bit excited and in particular the suckling pig…
Chinatown can be a bit hit or miss. Yes, it is mostly very affordable and the food comes out fast, but you run the risk of eating something that tastes just like feet. It’s not always good quality food. But if you head to the Supper Inn, you are guaranteed a good feed.
The menu is massive and there is something to please everyone, the venue itself is slightly hidden while will please the Melbournites, and it is open ’til around 2:30am every night which will please the night owls.
I think Supper Inn is the perfect destination if you are looking for something cheap, tasty and you are too lazy to think of anything else.
TIP: Take tourists here. I guarantee they’ll think it’s very cool.

When my friend asked me to go eat at Supper Inn, I thought ‘Oh yeah, Melbourne Supper Inn. Never been. I didn’t realise it was in Chinatown?” Apparently, wrong Supper Inn.
Supper Inn is a Chinatown establishment that’s cheap and great for large groups. With the usual dishes including chow mien, Chinese broccoli, Mongolian beef, a plethora of seafood dishes, they offer good size portions for about $ 25 per person. You won’t leave feeling hungry, but don’t expect anything fancy.
With service as you’d expect it to be in Chinatown — slightly slow, slightly chaotic, you get your food quickly, and your group can be in and out in no time.
The bonus is that Supper Inn is open until 2.30am and is one of the better late night options in Chinatown.

Supper Inn is one of the places I will gladly queue for on any night.
Walking up a poorly lit alleyway and up a small staircase you are met — most nights — by a long line of people anxious to get inside.
Supper Inn is where the chefs, bar staff and waiters flock to after a late night shift.
Open until 2.30 am most nights it might not look like much at all, but there’s a reason why so many of us will wait on the steps for a table.
Freshly fried garlic pepper squid, suckling pig in clay pot, tender tofu, and crispy-​skin pigeon are just some of the delicacies you can sample inside.
Prices are reasonable and there is a modest wine menu.
The service is fast and efficient. The waiters run themselves ragged serving up delicious food all night and once you get in, you are very well taken care of.
The charm of Supper Inn lies not in modern interior design, or edgy lighting, but simply in the food.
While it seems chaotic, sit back and let the chefs work their magic.
Who needs pretentious decorations and cuisine when simple, honest and affordable food tastes so good.