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Chinatown eats
Dim sum, soup dumplings, hand-pulled noodles and ice cream in a few blocks of Lower Manhattan.
10 placesHalf a dayRead the guide ↓
1. Nom Wah Tea ParlorDim sum on Doyers Street since 1920.ChinatownFood & drink1 hourAbout $20–30 a person
2. Doyers StreetThe crooked block once called the Bloody Angle.ChinatownFree to visit10 minFree
3. Joe’s ShanghaiSoup dumplings; sip before you bite.ChinatownFood & drink1 hourSoup dumplings about $10–12
4. Xi’an Famous FoodsSpicy cumin lamb on hand-ripped noodles.ChinatownFood & drink20 minNoodles about $12–15
5. Tasty Hand-Pulled NoodlesWatch the noodles being pulled.ChinatownFood & drink20 minAbout $10
6. Columbus ParkCard games and tai chi in the morning.ChinatownFree to visit20 minFree
7. Mahayana Buddhist TempleA golden Buddha by the Manhattan Bridge.ChinatownFree to visit15 minFree; donations welcome
8. Original Chinatown Ice Cream FactoryBlack sesame or lychee to finish.ChinatownFood & drink10 minAbout $6–8
9. Museum of Chinese in AmericaThe Museum of Chinese in America, if it rains.ChinatownPaid entry1 hourPaid entry; check for free days
10. Pearl River MartThe Chinese department store, for presents.ChinatownFree to visit30 minFree to browse
The guide
How to do it: Chinatown eats
Manhattan’s Chinatown is a few dense blocks below Canal Street, with some of the best cheap food in the city. Go hungry and order small at each stop.
Mornings are for dim sum and the park; afternoons for noodles and ice cream.
- The order to do it in
- Nom Wah and Doyers Street, Joe’s Shanghai, noodles at Xi’an or Tasty Hand-Pulled, Columbus Park, the Mahayana Temple, then ice cream on Bayard Street.
- When to go
- Weekday late morning.
- Getting there
- Canal St (J Z N Q R W 6) or Grand St (B D).
- What to bring
- Cash for the small places.
- What it costs
- About $30–50 a person for the whole crawl.
Worth knowing
- Lunar New Year (January or February) brings parades and fireworks to Mott Street.
Started from the pins on Capture the Atlas’s Chinatown map (the map). Places, notes and the guide checked and written by us; prices and opening times change, so check before you go.