Where to Eat in Chinatown NY: 10 best restaurants

There’s no better place than Chinatown for a great meal in New York, especially if you like Asian food. On every street there’s a restaurant where you can get a taste of Eastern culture and savour the best of authentic Chinese cuisine.

Here’s a list of the 10 best restaurants to bear in mind after your tour of Chinatown, so you can eat like an emperor – and best of all, at very affordable prices! Fancy joining us?

If you’re a fan of spicy food, one of the must-visit stops after your tour of Chinatown is Xi’an Famous Foods. This restaurant specialises in the traditional cuisine of Xi’an, an ancient city in central China that played a key role in the famous Silk Road.

With its dishes, Xi’an Famous Foods transports you to the Far East in a single bite. The menu offers a wide variety of options to choose from, but the lamb and cumin burger, the meatballs, the dumplings and the handmade noodles are spectacular. I recommend pairing it with a delicious iced jasmine tea.

This spot on 45 Bayard Street is the perfect place for a quick stop to enjoy a tasty and affordable meal. The service is lightning-fast, so if you’re really hungry, you’ll be served straight away.

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If you’re looking for an old-school Cantonese restaurant, Big Wing Wong is the place for you. It’s not your typical Chinese restaurant for tourists, but rather a spot where locals also come to enjoy its delicious food – a perfect choice after a tour of Chinatown.

Big Wing Wong’s menu is quite extensive and the portions are generous. You won’t leave here hungry. The wontons, roast duck and fried rice are superb, but I’d recommend trying the dim sum here, as it’s some of the best in New York.

This place is always busy in Chinatown, but the service is efficient and the prices are reasonable. By the way, if you’d like to find out more about how the pricing and tipping system works, this article has more details (as well as a long list of great places to eat in New York).

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If you’re vegetarian and touring Chinatown, I recommend popping into Buddha Bodai at lunchtime, as you’ll find an extensive menu packed with delicious dishes that capture the essence of traditional Chinese cuisine. Even if you don’t follow this diet, you’ll love it too because the food is so tasty.

Most dishes cost less than $15, so you can eat in the heart of the neighbourhood without spending too much money. I recommend trying the spring rolls, dumplings, dim sum or the various noodle dishes. Oh! And the vegetarian versions of chicken, lamb or duck are spot on.

Buddha Bodai is a very popular spot and you’ll often find people queuing in the street to get in. Fortunately, the service is efficient and you’ll be seated straight away. You’ll find it at 5 Mott Street, near Columbus Park.

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Have you ever found that when travelling with friends, you can’t agree on where to eat? Food halls are an excellent solution to this problem and, fortunately, there are plenty of places in New York to enjoy a meal after finishing your tour of Chinatown.

Located at 265 Canal Street, Canal Street Market is a food hall specialising in Asian cuisine, ideal for a meal if you’re visiting the city with your family or a large group of friends and everyone fancies ordering a different dish.

This place has several Japanese, Korean and Chinese-style food stalls offering a wide variety of dishes for under $15. You’ll want to try loads of things, so make sure you go on an empty stomach! What’s more, at Canal Street Market you can choose to eat your meal there and then if it’s a rainy day, or order takeaway for a picnic in Columbus Park if it’s sunny.

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To enjoy the authentic flavours of Taiwanese food after your tour of Chinatown, there’s nowhere better than Taiwan Pork Chop House. A restaurant located at 3 Doyers St. and known for its pleasant atmosphere and the huge variety of flavours in its dishes.

The menu at Pork Chop House is quite extensive and you’ll be able to try a good number of specialities. I recommend the chicken curry noodle soup, the Shanghai-style fried rice and the Taiwanese kimchi. And if you’ve got room for dessert, do give the Taiwanese ice cream a try!

Prices are reasonable (many of their dishes cost less than $10) and the restaurant staff are friendly and efficient. Definitely a great place to enjoy Taiwanese cuisine during a visit to Chinatown.

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This small, simple restaurant is perfect if you want to take a break after your tour of Chinatown for a quick bite to eat, as a snack, without missing out on trying some Chinese culinary specialities. In fact, Fried Dumpling is famous for its delicious homemade dumplings at low prices (6 pieces for $2). It’s possibly the cheapest place you’ll find in this part of the city.

As the Fried Dumplings shop is quite small, I recommend ordering some dumplings to take away and eating them in Columbus Park whilst soaking up the sun, but if you prefer to eat them there, you can do so at the counter.

They prepare them in full view of the customers and, although some staff don’t speak English, if you point to the flavours you want, they’ll understand you and, what’s more, they serve you quickly.

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Bo Ky restaurant is synonymous with delicious soups, but it’s also a great place to try different Teochew, Chinese and Vietnamese dishes that will leave you with a smile from ear to ear.

Everything is absolutely delicious! The gyoza, spring rolls, duck soup, vegetables… and the best part is that most of these dishes cost less than $10 each. The service is quick, too. What more could you ask for?

Bo Ky is another of the restaurants most frequented by locals and one you can add to your itinerary when exploring Chinatown. It’s common to share a table at lunchtime here, so don’t be surprised if a stranger sits next to you.

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This Chinatown restaurant is another of those places where you won’t have to break the bank to eat like a king. Quite the opposite! At Spice Village, you can enjoy delicious Chinese food until you’re full without spending more than $10 per person.

A tip? Order several dishes to share if you’re in a group. That way, you can try a wide variety of dishes such as the spicy chicken platter, Hu Mei spicy lamb, pork dumpling soup or beef pancakes.

The restaurant is small and cosy. Thanks to both the flavours and the setting, Spice Village takes your senses on a brief journey to Asia. A must-visit!

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Just so there’s no doubt, this restaurant’s speciality is right there in the name: a mouth-watering, juicy and crispy Peking duck that will make your mouth water. However, the menu also features plenty of other Chinese dishes such as sweet and sour pork, three-treasure rice, prawns, dim sum and much more, should you fancy trying a bit of everything.

The portions at Peking Duck House are generous and the prices are a little higher compared to other restaurants in Chinatown, though it’s well worth it. The restaurant is spacious, the service is good and the atmosphere is friendly.

In short, you simply must include it in your itinerary, either before or after your tour of Chinatown. When you’ve finished, you’ll leave feeling happy and re-energised to continue your journey through New York.

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Don’t be surprised if, whilst walking down Mott Street, you come across a very long queue of people waiting to get into this restaurant, because Shanghai 21 is one of the best in Chinatown, both for the flavour and the presentation of its dishes.

Don’t be put off by the queue because the staff serve quickly. The wait will be worth it when you have their famous dumplings in front of you. You’ll forget all about it! The menu is quite extensive and they offer a wide variety of dishes such as spicy chicken, fried noodles, Shanghai-style spring rolls or fried rice with beef, amongst many others.

The quality of the dishes is very good and the portions are generous, so during your visit to Chinatown I recommend including the Shanghai 21 restaurant on your itinerary. You won’t regret it!

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