America's Best Chinatowns
Chinatowns across the United States (and the world) are often vibrant places where China's unique culture and history merge with fantastic food from the world's fourth-largest country. Let's explore some of the best restaurants in Chinatowns across America.
Mister Jiu's: San Francisco, CA
Located in San Francisco's Chinatown, Mister Jiu's is the only Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in the United States. The menu includes all of your favorite Chinese classic dishes but was also reworked in 2023 to a five-course tasting menu, having previously been a la carté. The signature dish? A Liberty Farms, Peking-style roast duck.
Din Tai Fung: Los Angeles, CA
This Taiwanese dumpling house has become so popular that they've opened a chain of restaurants across the country! But Din Tai Fung's beginnings are in Los Angeles, where the xiao long bao (dumpling soup) specialists plied their trade. Enjoy pork and shrimp dumplings on tap, or combine them with wok-fried noodles and wontons. If you're looking for Chinese dumplings in LA, Din Tai Fung is the place to go.
star5112, , CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Xi'an Famous Foods: New York City, NY
One of the most popular Chinese restaurants in New York is Xi'an Famous Foods, named after the ancient city of Xi'an in North Central China, which was once an important trade route and part of the Silk Road. Xi'an Famous Foods has locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Among their most acclaimed dishes are the cumin-spiced lamb burgers, tangy liang pi cold noodles, or (if you're vegetarian/vegan), a warm tofu submerged in chili oil.
Yank Sing: San Francisco, CA
Here's another San Fran Chinese restaurant to check out in Yank Sing—a place where steamed and fried dumplings are available en-masse. Whether you're ordering Shanghai dumplings with pork, crab claws, or Goldfish dumplings stuffed with crunchy shrimp and bamboo shoot tips, waiters will roll a cart full of food past your table, allowing you to pick and choose what looks good! No standing around and waiting in-line at Yank Sing!
Facing East: Bellevue, WA
This small-time Chinese restaurant in Bellevue proudly resists being swallowed up by larger chains—mostly thanks to the pride and culinary skills of its owner, Yu-ling Wong. She specializes in Taiwanese street food with a slightly modern twist. Yu-ling uses beet juice for coloring and flavor, whilst her other chefs prepare dishes using a variety of Chinese and East Asian cuisines. The pork burger at Facing East is the stuff of legend, alongside a pork belly stew over rice or Tainan shrimp rolls.
Chengdu Taste: Los Angeles, CA
Tony Xu is head chef at Chengdu Taste in LA. Having migrated to the United States as an already-successful chef, Xu also worked for the Panda Restaurant Group. With a focus on heat, Szechuan dishes are the order of the day at Chengdu Taste. If you like heat, start with the boiled fish in green pepper sauce, or lamb pieces of toothpicks, slathered in cumin. Or, if you want to go slow, a cold mung bean noodle dish with chili paste is a great option.
Noodlebird: Chicago, IL
Have you ever wanted to taste Macau food? No? You will after a trip to Noodlebird, where its owners are cooking up all manner of Macau delights in homage to the former Portuguese colony in the South China Sea. Enjoy a blend of Portuguese and Chinese cuisine with bacalhau (salt cod) mixed with potstickers or Szechuan peppercorns. The best of the best of Noodlebird might be its paella-inspired "fat rice" dish, featuring tofu and pork belly.
Dim Sum Garden: Philadelphia, PA
Dim Sum Garden's chefs come from a long line of ancestral chefs—one of their ancestors even invented xiao long bao! Dim Sum Garden provides an endless array of Dim Sum of all types: fat, fried, flat, savory or sweet—whichever way you like it, Dim Sum Garden can make it.
Lao Sze Chuan: Chicago, IL
The flavors emanating from the food at Lao Sze Chuan in Chicago are addictive—insofar as if you were to stop eating them, you might realize how hot they are. Szechuan peppers, chilies, garlic, and ginger are aplenty in their Chengdu dumplings, or crispy Chinese eggplant with ground pork, mapo tofu, Szechuan prawns, and more.
Peking Gourmet Inn: Falls Church, VA
The Peking Gourmet Inn has been around since the late 1970s but has not updated its interior much—but that's okay, because it has a stunning Peking duck dish that's the centerpiece of the restaurant. Choose it as your dish and it's cut up tableside for you, served alongside homemade hoisin sauce and gorgeous green onions. Garlicky jeo-yen shrimp is another fantastic option, alongside a host of luscious lamb dishes.
Figure Eight: New York City, NY
Emmeline Zhao may be one of the most innovative chefs in America, after opening Figure Eight last year—just around the corner from the Silver Apricot, which she also owns. Among the specialties at Figure Eight are the seafood tower with lobster, crab, jumbo shrimp, and more for only $49/person, served with turnip tots or hot-fried sake. Mixing her southern upbringing with cuisine from across China.
Transpoman, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Gene's Chinese Flatbread Café: Boston, MA
This fascinating restaurant owned by Gene Wu takes its culinary inspiration from China's Shaanxi province, featuring noodles with lamb or pork. The few dishes on offer at Gene's are simple, but all extract the exquisite nature of Shaanxi and can be served with additional spiced chili versions, wheat gluten, or tea eggs.
Cooking Girl: Houston, TX
If you love hot food in Houston, then head to Cooking Girl, a young, upstart restaurant owned by Lily Luo and her sister, who learned their recipes from their family upbringing in Chongqing, China. No matter your meat of choice, Cooking Girl has it—from fried beef cubes to boiled fish in a chili sauce. All meals can be accompanied by a refreshing green-bean smoothie.
from my point of view, Shutterstock
Gu's Dumplings: Atlanta, GA
Yiquan Gu spent years in Chengdu province, China honing his craft and specializing in stunning Chinese dumplings. Boiled to perfection and stuffed with pork and tossed in a sauce derived from an ancient recipe, Gu's Dumplings are without a doubt the best in Atlanta. Delicious dry-fried eggplant or stir-fried chicken nuggets with broccoli and cilantro are also on the menu, if dumplings aren't your thing.
Sichuanese Chinese Restaurant: Seattle, WA
This incredible Chinese restaurant gives the others on our list from Seattle a run for their money. Since it began over 20 years ago, the restaurant has expanded to two more locations in the city, but the OG one remains the same. With a massive menu to choose from, you're spoiled for choice. However, locals recommend water-boiled beef or fish, or Chongqing-style chicken with dry-fried string beans.
Shangri-La Chinese Restaurant: Detroit, MI
One of the best Chinese restaurants in Detroit offers a delicious menu from across the culinary spectrum: Singaporean Rice Vermicelli, Kung Po chicken, walnut shrimp, fish maw in a delectable crab meat soup, or a classic chicken and beef chop suey.
Arielle Haspel's Lucky Lee's
After opening Lucky Lee's Chinese Restaurant in April 2019, in New York City, Arielle Haspel (a non-Chinese American) thought she'd hit a niche market, despite being a small fish in a big pond. However, her marketing as a "healthy alternative to traditional Chinese food" sparked anger from New York's Chinese community, who felt belittled by Haspel's offensive marketing. The restaurant lasted eight months before closing.
Have you eaten at any of these excellent Chinatown restaurants? What have been some of your best Chinatown experiences in America? Share them in the comments below.
