Sydney’s Haymarket, stall by stall.

The place

Why Haymarket.

Chinese migrants arrived in New South Wales in the 1850s, many during the gold rush. Sydney’s Chinatown first grew around Lower George Street and moved south to Haymarket; Dixon Street, its heart, was made a pedestrian street in 1980. Paddy’s Markets has traded nearby since 1834.

Today Haymarket is pan-Asian: Cantonese roast meats and bakeries on Dixon and Goulburn Streets, Malaysian roti and noodles, and Thai Town around Campbell and Pitt Streets. Friday nights, when the market is on, are its liveliest.

Seven stops

Seven Haymarket stops and what to order.

Addresses are as listed by the sources below in 2026. Thai Town shops are a short walk east of Chinatown.

The route

The order that works.

1. Start at Paddy’sBegin at Paddy’s Markets and the Hay St Market food hall, which opened in early 2025. Browse, snack lightly, and get your bearings.
2. Cream puffs on Dixon StreetWalk up Dixon Street, Chinatown’s pedestrian spine, to Emperor’s Garden Cake & Bakery. Buy a bag of cream puffs and share them on the way.
3. Roast meat on Goulburn StreetBBQ King is the lunch stop: char siu over rice, one plate per two.
4. Roti at MamakMamak is a few doors along Goulburn Street. Order roti to share — it comes thin and crisp — and satay if you are still hungry.
5. Wok smoke on Hay StreetHo Jiak Haymarket for a plate of char koay teow, Malaysian-style flat noodles fried hard in a hot wok.
6. Finish in Thai TownCross east to Thai Town. Chat Thai for som tum and curry, then Thanon Khao San for Thai sweets to end the night.

Take home

What to carry back.

• Another bag of cream puffs. They do not last the trip, but you can try.
• Char siu to go. Roast meats are boxed for takeaway at the counters.
• Thai groceries. Thai Town shops stock curry pastes, rice, noodles and sauces you won’t find at the supermarket.

Timing and getting there

How to do Haymarket well.

• Walk from the station. Haymarket is an easy walk from Central or Town Hall, and the light rail stops at Paddy’s Markets.
• Go on a Friday night. The Chinatown Night Market fills Dixon Street on Fridays with food stalls and makers. Sources give different times, so check the official schedule.
• Save Thai Town for late. Chat Thai has a late-night supper menu of snacks and wok-tossed noodles.
• Lunar New Year is peak Haymarket. Celebrations run for weeks around Dixon Street. Expect crowds and go early.
• Paddy’s Markets is not open every day. Check the days before you plan around it.

Sharing math

How to eat Haymarket with friends.

• Cream puffs: one bag for everyone. They are small, and the bag goes round.
• Roast meat and roti: one plate per two. Leave room; there are three more stops.
• Noodles: one plate per two or three. Char koay teow is rich.
• Thai Town: one dish per person. Order a salad, a curry and noodles for three, and add rice.
• One tab. One person pays; the split bill calculator settles it on the train home.

Copy this

Your Haymarket checklist.

Screenshot it and tick it off. Heading to Melbourne next? See our Melbourne food guide.

• ☐ Cream puffs — how many before Goulburn Street: ___
• ☐ Char siu rice — fat-to-lean verdict: ___
• ☐ Roti — flakiness out of 5: ___
• ☐ Char koay teow — wok smoke: ___
• ☐ Som tum — spice level survived: ___
• ☐ Thai sweet I couldn’t name: ___
• ☐ Night market find: ___

Keep the trip

Three neighbourhoods, one map.

Chinatown, Thai Town and the markets in one night means a lot of tables. Snap each one in PlateDiary and every cream puff and noodle plate is cut out on your phone into a save. Each stop becomes its own moment on the map.

Give each shop a stamp in Stamps, your stamp book of places you’ve eaten, and add your friends as companions. If one person paid all night, scan the receipts on your phone and note what each stop came to.