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Chinatown & Chinese communities in
New York City
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There are actually three Chinatowns in New York City. The official and well-known one is located in Manhattan. There are two other fast-growing but un-official Chinatowns in Flushing/Queens and Eighth Avenue/Brooklyn, respectively. The number of Chinese immigrants are also increasing significantly in other areas such as: Elmhurst/Rego Park (in Queens) and Marine Park/Avenue U (in Brooklyn).
 Manhattan's famous Chinatown is a lively neighborhood, full of good values in restaurants and food shopping. Also on sale are cheap knockoffs made in China of designer labels, and all sorts of trinkets and toys. Chinatown is a much larger neighborhood in population and area than it used to be a few decades ago, and for all practical purposes encompasses most of "Little Italy" and a large portion of the Lower East Side, north of Canal Street or/and on the "other side" of the Manhattan Bridge overpass. Indeed, in a real sense, it can be said that the center of Chinatown is no longer on Mott St. between Canal and Chatham Square (though that stretch is well worth visiting), but has moved further north and east to the following streets where locals shop for foodstuffs and for good values:
- East Broadway between Chatham Square and Pike Street
- Grand St. between the Bowery and Chrystie St.
- Mott St. between Canal and Grand St.
Get there
Subway
For general purposes, the D or B to Grand St. are optimal. The J or M to Bowery leaves you a little north of the center of Chinatown. The F train to East Broadway leaves you toward the eastern edge of the neighborhood. The 6, R, N, W, Q, J, or M to Canal St. leave you a few blocks west of the center of the neighborhood though in the midst of the excitement, congestion, and vendors of Canal St. Further afield, it is also possible to take the 4 or 5 to Brooklyn Bridge or the 2 or 3 to Park Place and walk north and east. The IND trains that stop at Canal and 6th Av. and the 1 train, which stops at Canal and Varick, are far west of the neighborhood though walkable in good weather.
 MTA Bus
Several bus lines including the M9, M15, M103, and B51 traverse Chinatown. The B51, which stops on the Bowery south of the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge, may be of special interest because it goes across that bridge and enables riders to see good views.
Long Distance Bus
Chinatown is the home of several super-cheap long distance bus companies, with Fung Wah Bus [1] being the granddaddy of them all. You can take buses from Manhattan's Chinatown to other Chinatowns in Boston; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; to various cities further afield; and to casinos in Atlantic City. Ticket offices of the various bus companies are scattered throughout Chinatown. Several companies and most but not all destinations are covered on chinatown-bus.org. [2]
Foot
You can of course walk to Chinatown. One way to do that is to cross the Manhattan Bridge, which opened to pedestrian traffic within the past two years. Note, though, that your view will be partially blocked by a protective mesh, and that you will be periodically rattled by the Q, D, and B trains crossing the bridge. All things being equal, it is more pleasant to cross the Brooklyn Bridge and then take the short walk up from the pedestrian exit. Note that it is also possible to use a bike path on the Manhattan Bridge and that the walkway over the Brooklyn Bridge doubles for most of its length as a bike path.
See
- Hang out in Columbus Park to relax and people-watch.
- Walk through the neighborhood.
Visit the above-mentioned shopping streets, and especially the Deluxe Food Market, a colossal food store that spans the block between Mott and Elizabeth between Hester and Grand Sts., and the Hong Kong Supermarket, between East Broadway and Madison St. on Pike St. The Deluxe Market is most impressive, and sells a large number of ready-to-eat items as well as having a butcher shop, a bakery, etc., etc. Hong Kong Supermarket sells live fish and seafood, all manner of condiments from East and Southeast Asia, preserved fruits and vegetables, herbs, Chinese cutlery, and also ordinary supermarket items.
Do
- Buy some food, condiments, or/and trinkets to take home.
- If you want to have a really cheap meal, or it's really nice weather, consider buying something on the street (the fried chicken cart that you may find on Canal or Walker St. right near the triangle between Canal, Walker, and Baxter St. serves really tasty legs and wings, for example) or a cheap prepared thing such as is sold at the Bangkok Center Grocery on Mosco St. between Mott and Mulberry, and eat it in Columbus Park or another park as a kind of impromptu picnic.
- If you like the feel of an old-fashioned video arcade, go to the Chinatown Arcade on Mott St. near Chatham Square. Some of you may remember that they used to have live chickens there, including one that "danced" if it felt so inclined, but the Health Department cracked down on that about two decades ago. Nevertheless, the arcade continues to stay in business and do well as a meeting place for local youths and some customers from other parts of the city.
- There are several internet centers in Chinatown. Look for them on Mott St. between Chatham Square and Bayard and on Eldridge St. between Canal and Grand, for example.
Buy
Pearl River Mart, 477 Broadway, 212-431-4770, [3]. A little bit north of Canal on Broadway. 10AM-7PM, daily. Vast store of Chinese and other Asian goods: kitchenware, traditional clothing, home furnishing, tea.
Food
Deluxe Food Market, 79 Elizabeth St. (between Grand and Hester, entrances on Elizabeth and Mott Sts.), (212) 925-5766. This humongous store has almost anything you can think of and more, both raw and prepared. Seriously. Go and see.
Hong Kong Supermarket, 109 East Broadway (corner of Pike St.), (212) 227-3388. Another large store, sells meat, fish and seafood in one section and all kinds of condiments, dried and preserved items, cutlery and sundries in the other. Not only Chinese foodstuffs but also many items from other parts of East and Southeast Asia are represented.
Bangkok Center Grocery [4], 104 Mosco St. (between Mott and Mulberry), (212) 732-8916. This modest-sized store contains a large quantity of Thai goods of various descriptions, and also sells inexpensive prepared sweet and savory items. Friendly, helpful service.
Udom's Thai-Indonesian Store, 81A Bayard St. (between Mott and Mulberry), is often a bit cheaper than Bangkok Center Grocery, and sells things from Malaysia as well as Thailand and Indonesia. Husband-and-wife store owned by a man from Thailand and a woman from Indonesia, both ethnic Chinese.
Kam Man Food Products [5], 200 Canal St. (between Mott and Mulberry), (212) 571-0330 / 571-0331
Aji Ichiban [6], 37 Mott St. (near Pell St.), 23 East Broadway (between Catherine and Market), 167 Hester St. (between Mott and Elizabeth), and 153 Centre St. (between Canal and Howard), toll free telephone number: (866) 833-3888. Japanese snack shop, very popular with locals and tourists alike. The staff are friendly and give samples.
Knockoffs
If you want knockoffs of designer labels, try the stores on Mott St. south of Canal first. There are other stores on Canal St., but you may find them more expensive. And remember, you get what you pay for, so if you buy a knockoff watch and it lasts you more than six months, be happy.
Eat
So many places to try! Start with these:
Cantonese/Hong Kong style:
Great NY Noodletown, 28 Bowery, corner of Bayard, (212) 349-0923. This restaurant, which is open late, has the feel of a Chinese diner. It can be very crowded at peak hours. Try the noodle soups and congees, the Ginger-Scallion Lo Mein, the barbecued items, and the salt baked dishes, but don't neglect the less inexpensive specials, like the dishes with chives or pea shoots.
Nice Restaurant, 35 East Broadway between Catherine and Market, (212) 406-9510. A frequent banquet location, they also have dim sum at lunchtime.
Oriental Garden, 14 Elizabeth St. between Bayard and Canal, (212) 619-0085. Somewhat upscale, white tablecloths. Excellent seafood dishes.
Sweet-n-Tart Restaurant [7], 20 Mott St. between Mosco and Chatham Square, (212) 964-0380. Inconsistent, but can cook up a very satisfying banquet. Look for dishes with interesting descriptions. If it has bamboo pith, it's probably good. They also have a more informal cafe, at 76 Mott between Bayard and Canal.
Yummy Noodles, 48 Bowery in the Chinatown Arcade between Bowery and Elizabeth St., (212) 374-1327. Specializes in casseroles, including things like pig heart casserole.
Dim Sum with carts:
Jing Fong, 18 Elizabeth St. (2nd floor) between Bayard and Mott, (212) 964-5256, has an eating hall about the size of a football field. Try to get a table near the kitchen (to your right on entering) if possible, and don't neglect the non-circulating items available on either wall.
Golden Unicorn, 18 East Broadway, corner of Catherine (entrance on East Broadway), (212) 941-0911 occupies a few floors. Each of the eating rooms is smaller than Jing Fong or Harmony Palace. There is also a bit more decor and the prices are a bit higher.
Harmony Palace, 94 Mott St. between Canal and Hester, (212) 226-6603. Often used for dinner banquets as well as dim sum breakfast/lunch.
Note: For all dim sum restaurants, it is best to arrive by 10:30 or 11:00 in order to beat the crowds and have fresh food that is hot. Grand Harmony opens early and is a pleasant place to have breakfast between 9 and 10.
Dim Sum without carts
Dim Sum Go Go, 5 East Broadway at Chatham Square, (212) 732-0796, which is more expensive than the average Chinatown restaurant and caters largely to a clientele of non-Chinese, is many connoisseurs' favorite spot for dim sum in Chinatown.
Shanghainese:
Yeah Shanghai Deluxe, 65 Bayard St. between Mott and Bowery, (212) 566-4884. Eat in the back, which is past a nice artificial bridge and papered with posters of 1930s Shanghainese pinup girls. Good, inexpensive food and pleasant ambiance.
New Green Bo, 66 Bayard St. between Mott and Bowery, (212) 625-2359. Stick to Shanghainese food and do not get things like "Jalapeno Chicken."
Joe's Shanghai, 9 Pell St. between Mott and Doyers, (212) 233-8888. This is the most famous of the Shanghainese restaurants in Chinatown, but not the best. Don't wait on line, go only at odd hours and order adventurously (get things like eel).
Chao Zhou/Chiuchow/Teochew style:
Bo Ky, 80 Bayard St. between Mott and Mulberry, (212) 406-2292. Very inexpensive food, reliable soups that are especially welcome in cold weather. Very quick service. They have side dishes of offal (pig's ears, etc.) for those who like them.
Chao Chow, 111 Mott St. between Canal and Hester Sts., (212) 226-2590 serves similar Chiuchow noodle soups and such.
Malaysian:
Skyway, 11 Allen St. between Division and Canal, (212) 625-1153. Not much English spoken by the staff, but the food is authentic and possibly the best Malaysian food in New York. Get the roti telur, satay, and main dishes such as those featuring seafood.
Nyonya, 194 Grand St. between Mott and Mulberry, (212) 334-3669. This restaurant is part of a small chain with other Nyonya and Penang restaurants. Most people find this branch reliable as long as you stick with Malaysian food and avoid things like "Java Mee."
Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwiches:
Banh Mi Saigon Bakery, Mott St. between Hester and Grand. This is in back of a jewelry and gem shop; no kidding! Both the Banh Mi Saigon (pork) and Banh Mi Gai (chicken) sandwiches are fantastic. Get them to go and eat them in a nearby park. Note: Do not confuse this place with Saigon Banh Mi at 369 Broome St., which serves sandwiches that are fine but nowhere near as good.
Vietnamese Pho (soup):
This is great Pho...
Pho Tu Do 119 Bowery, New York 10002 Btwn Hester & Grand St Phone: 212-966-2666
Bakeries:
Ice Cream:
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory [8], 65 Bayard St. between Mott and Bowery, (212) 608-4170. Enjoy the "regular" flavors like ginger, taro, green tea, lychee, black sesame, mango, and coconut (or the "exotic" flavors like strawberry, vanilla...)
Drink
When in Chinatown, try some bubble tea. The name in Chinese is really "boba," which means "big nipples," for the mouthfeel of the tapioca/sago balls in the tea, which are sucked up with an oversized straw or eaten with a spoon. This type of tea, which originated in Taiwan, has a popularity in New York that extends beyond the Chinese community, so you can find bubble tea houses outside of Chinese neigborhoods, but the greatest concentration of such establishments is still in Chinese neighborhoods like Manhattan's Chinatown and Flushing, Queens. There are numerous bubble tea houses.
Teariffic, Mott St. between Bayard and Chatham Square is one of many bubble tea shops where you can order your bubble tea and, if you like, accompanying food to stay or take out.
Chinatown & Chinese Communities in USA
>> Chinatown in (Manhattan) New York City
>> Chinatown in (Flushing/Queens) New York City
>> Chinatown in (Brooklyn) New York City
>> Chinatown in New York City (1)
>> Chinatown in New York City (2)
>> Chinatown in New York City (3)
>> Chinatown in New York City (4)
>> Chinatown in San Francisco (1)
>> Chinatown in San Francisco (2)
>> Chinatown in San Francisco (3)
>> Chinatown in San Francisco (4)
>> Chinatown in Chicago (1)
>> Chinatown in Chicago (2)
>> Chinatown in Los Angeles
>> (old) Chinatown in Los Angeles
>> Chinatown in Boston
>> Chinatown in Philadelphia
>> Chinatown in Houston
>> Chinatown in Washington DC
>> Chinatown in Seattle
>> Chinatown in Las Vegas
>> Chinatown in Honolulu (Hawaii)
>> Chinatown in Monterey Park (California)
>> Chinatown in Oakland (California)
>> Chinatown in Fresno (California)
>> Chinatown in Dallas (Texas)
>> Chinatown in Portland (Oregan) (1)
>> (oldtown) Chinatown in Portland (Oregan) (2)
>> Chinatown in Phoenix (Arizona)
>> Chinatown in Denver (Colorado)
>> Chinatown in Miami (Florida)
Other Chinese Communities in the USA
>> Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco
>> Chinese Historical and Cultural Project
>> Atlanta Chinatown Shopping Center
>> Boston Chinatown Committee
>> Connecticut Chinese Information Center
>> Connecticut Chinese Culture Association
>> Houston Chinese Community Center
>> Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center (California)
>> Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce
>> Melbourne Chinese Students and Scholars Association (Florida)
Worldwide Chinese students and scholars associations
>> List of worldwide Chinese students & scholars associations
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