The food was excellent. Staff were very attentive. Decor was lavish. Very relaxing atmosphere, had yum cha and it was great

My experience of this restaurant was that it is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Management/ownership have clearly invested in the upfront presentation to attract people, if only at the superficial level.
Whilst the surrounds are very nice - they have invested well into the decor and furnishings with ornate cornices, gilt sideboards, carved cabinets, fancy clocks and chandeliers - for the discerning diner who is able to look beyond and dismiss the grandeur, they will find a gaping hole of serious faults. We went for dinner, a la carte. Whilst the food is priced at mid-high range, it did not deliver anywhere near that level. The menu is tradition. Being traditional food, you have to know what you are doing and do it flawlessly. The execution whilst reasonable was not exceptional or perfect. Apart from being presented on prettier plates, it was not much different from something you'd easily get at a much cheaper chinatown bistro. But that is not the end of it, quality is also an issue. Paying these prices, you expect high quality food, if not premium quality. Whilst the food was not off, it was obviously not high quality food. The cut of beef used for the Stirfried Beef Fillet Steak was rump steak, not fillet steak. That was unacceptable.
This place is good for impressing people superficially. Maybe keep it for acquaintences who feed off impressions and will pay little to no attention to the food.

We had a dinner of ordering few dishes from the menu. The 3 pc dim-sum was rather special with its unique herbal taste of the siew mai. The chicken spare ribs fried with salted egg yolk was great. We also had the seafood claypot with tofu which proved to be delicious and worth while though a bit expensive.

I must say the interior decoration was meant for the rich Chinese people who love the gold and extensive bling...bling!
Service was great and fast.

Approximate cost: $25.00-$35.00

My partner and I had purchased a voucher through Living Social and went here for an All You Can Eat Yum Cha lunch which included House Beer, Wine and Soft Drink.

Being a Yum Cha officianado I was very impressed with the quality and variety of the food ... from Prawn Dumplings, Shao Mai, Rice Rolls, Pork Buns and Pork Ribs as well as the more traditional offerings like Congee and Chicken Feet.

The decor in the restaurant is amazing and the service was excellent. I would highly recommend Shanghai Dynasty to anyone who loves Yum Cha.

One piece of advice ... don't have breakfast and pace yourself ... you have a full two hours to enjoy!!! They have two sittings ... 11:30am and 1:30pm.

The house beer is Harbin ... a crisp, clean Chinese beer.

We had a lovely time and we are looking to take family and friends there again soon!

Approximate cost: $40 p/h with voucher

This restaurant has got to be one of the most luxurious one I have been to in Melbourne. The owners spared no expense when it comes to decorating the restaurant. Almost everything was decorated and served in gold with crystals chandeliers hanging from the ceiling in every corner and marvellously laid Marble tiles.

We were there in group of 8 so we got ourselves a private room which didn't come cheap either but the food , wine and services provided to us were superb.

I would definitely recommend this place if you are after something extragavant and luxurious.

WOW, this is the most amazing place. You would think that you are in a five star hotel in Europe. There is a lot of marble and gold and extravagance but very tasteful. The food was very enjoyable. The hole experience was very enjoyable.

If you are wanting something special or to impress this is a place to go to.

Approximate cost: $70 p/h