Young Shing is a traditional Chinese restaurant on Willis Street in Wellington's Aro Valley, serving classic Chinese dishes with what the team calls a young and fresh twist. The restaurant has been part of the local community for more than 30 years, and the team is quick to thank regulars for that support — the dining room seats around 35, and the welcome is as much a part of the place as the food.
The kitchen offers a wide selection of Chinese dishes, and the crispy chicken has earned a name as a local favourite. Midday brings a dedicated lunch specials menu, while evenings are the time for the fuller menu; note the service pattern across the week — Monday and Tuesday are dinner only from 5pm, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday run lunch 11am-3pm and dinner 5pm-9pm, and Friday and Saturday stay open an hour later, until 10pm.
The restaurant is BYO, with a $5 corkage per bottle of wine and no corkage on beer. The space suits birthday parties, gatherings of friends and other celebrations, and the team invites you to call ahead for a consultation or booking.
On a stretch of Willis Street on the edge of Aro Valley, Young Shing Chinese Restaurant has been part of Wellington's dining rhythm for more than three decades. The team sums up their identity in a single line on their website: "A traditional Chinese restaurant with a Young and fresh twist!" It's a fitting description for a kitchen that pairs classic Chinese cooking with a bright, neighbourhood feel — and a genuine pride in the community it feeds.
"We have served the community for more than 30 years," the owners write. "We are proud of this and thank you for your support." In a city where restaurants come and go, that kind of longevity says a lot. Regulars keep coming back for the comfort of familiar dishes done well, and newcomers quickly discover why this modest dining room on Willis Street has earned such a devoted following.
Young Shing positions itself as "Wellington's newest Asian cuisine destination," a playful bit of marketing from a very established kitchen — the idea being that while the restaurant's roots run deep, its spirit stays young. The menu is a wide selection of Chinese dishes, spanning the classics you'd hope to find at a proper Chinese restaurant, served in a relaxed setting that works just as well for a quick lunch as for a long dinner with friends.
If you ask around the neighbourhood, one dish comes up again and again: the crispy chicken. The restaurant itself calls it "a local favourite," and it has become the signature plate that many regulars refuse to leave without ordering. It's the kind of dish that defines a place — the one longtime customers introduce to their friends, and the one first-timers are told not to miss.
The crispy chicken isn't alone on the pedestal. The restaurant's photo gallery showcases "fantastic food" with shots of generous plates, including a glistening orange beef among the featured dishes. Combined with the broad main menu, there's plenty to explore whether you're craving something fried, saucy, or stir-fried.
Lunchtime visitors get their own reason to come: a dedicated Lunch Special menu runs alongside the main menu, making Young Shing an easy midweek option for anyone working or living near Willis Street. Both the main menu and the lunch special menu can be downloaded directly from the restaurant's website, so you can plan your order before you even walk in.
One of Young Shing's most practical perks is that it's a BYO — and the corkage policy is refreshingly simple. Bringing a bottle of wine costs just $5 corkage per bottle, and if beer is more your style, the corkage is free. For a celebratory dinner or a casual catch-up, that makes eating (and drinking) here noticeably easier on the wallet than most licensed restaurants.
Pair that with the lunch specials and you have a place that delivers value across the board — whether it's a $5-corkage birthday dinner or a quick special over a lunch break.
Despite its cosy footprint, Young Shing can accommodate 35 diners at the same time, and the team actively welcomes birthday parties, friend gatherings, and all kinds of celebrations. If you're planning something special, the restaurant invites you to call ahead for a consultation — handy for locking in tables, organising a group menu, or just making sure the crispy chicken order is sorted for the whole party.
That combination — decades of experience, a much-loved signature dish, BYO flexibility, and a room sized just right for parties — is what makes Young Shing feel less like a restaurant and more like an institution.
Young Shing is located at 296 Willis Street, Wellington 6011, on the Aro Valley side of the CBD. Dinner service runs every night of the week: from 5pm to 9pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, and from 5pm nightly the rest of the week — until 9pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays for a leisurely weekend dinner.
Lunch is served from 11am to 3pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, so note that Mondays and Tuesdays are dinner-only. To get in touch, phone +64 4 2821709 or email youngshing296@gmail.com — and if you're the planning type, grab the menus from the website first. More than 30 years in, Young Shing is still very much a Wellington treasure.