Chinatown, Chicago

I visited Chicago this July 2005 on vacation and visiting my friends. My friends took me to chinatown to sightseeing and took me eat there. Different cultures, great foods, friendly people, and great view.

Chicago's Chinatown is probably the 2nd or 3rd largest in the country in terms of it's generations of Chinese populace and Chinese owned real estate. Other cities like NYC, SF, LA, and even Boston, also come to mind for Chinatowns, but they are often sprawling and interspersed throughout their respective cities. Chicago's Chinatown feels more planned of recent years, although the organically grown neigborhoods remain intact and retain their immigrant roots. Here you will undoubtedly find excellent Chinese fare, a few extravangantly priced and presented, most will be reasonable and fantastic, and a handful of terribly westernized abominations that serve their own misguided clientele. You will have no trouble spending a full morning or afternoon immersing yourself in the still foreign atmosphere along Wentworth and the adjacent sidestreets and, occasionally, feel like you've found another tourist trap in the new Chinatown mall. For a thrill, hop on the Red Line northbound on the CTA and stop at Argyle Street to compare and contrast the little Chinatown (although there is a growing Vietnamese and Thai population) there. You can stop for Dim Sum at the touristy Phoenix on Cermak or, better yet, try either Dim Sum restaurants at the West Gate of the New Chinatown Mall where the locals go for affordable and authentic cooking. For a quick, cheap lunch, there is a variety of provincial Chinese food at Coco, Spring World, Barbeque King, or any of the good Cantonese, Mandarin or Szechuan restaurants that are packed with the over 26 years Chinese crowd. Avoid places that have a bunch of Occidentals (non-Asian) or teenie-twenty somethings, unless you count yourself among the unwashed.

My kisd love going here, not only to eat but to go through all the stores. Make sure to stop and get some treats to take home in one of the Chinese bakeries around.

save your time. It's in a bad area, and the food is lousy. I think the cab driver couldnt wait to drop us off and run like he11. Really not too much to do in Chicago anyway unless you're going to spend the family fortune on the Mag Mile

Even in Chinatown diversity exist in is various Mainland cuisine. there, you'll fins Szechaun, Cantonese, Hunan cuisine, just to mention a few. My favorite is the Hong Kong style Dimsum. Serve from late morning till around 2:00pm. Dimsum is chinese version of fast food on cart. Small cart are push around the patron's table containing various small dishes from wantons, dumpling, to sticky rice wrapped in flavorful leaves.

Best authenic chinese food with good and fast service. You take your pick and the odd is you will win because virtually all restaurants are really good.

You can try different types of greens here. Many, you might never heard of in your whole life! Besides, Chinese food is all about balance of flavor and eating healthy; that's why many people think that Chinese food is complicated! Trust me, it worth all the effort.

I love coming here for reasonably cheap food and awsome bakeries. They are the best around and cheap as well. The bakeries provide a wide variety of buns and little cakes that are always interesting to taste. The atmosphere is awsome and welcoming by the locals that live there that have shops and even those that sell merchandise on the streets which include Chinese vegetables and even some old Chinese coins and my favorite, jade. If you go across Archer, you are able to get into the 'new' Chinatown, where it albeit cleaner, but in the end the atmosphere of the whole area is great. Visiting any time of the day and any season is a definite plus.

I enjoyed the atmosphere Chinatown has many things to offer people. There are places to shop and dine. The food is excellent an I highly recomend that one try many of the restaurants that are located in the area.

there is something to do for the whole family young or old. Something different for everyone under one roof. Not to much money to spend for a wole day of fun