Chinatown Central Plaza

I love it here! Lots of little gift shops and Chinese scenery! Very clean and safe! I bought house shoes for only $ 3.26! thank you!

I must be spoiled because I have been to both Chinatowns in San Francisco and Chicago (I grew up just outside Chicago). This one is just ok. Very touristy and not what I was expecting. Still, glad I stopped by.

Not very much to do around here besides look at the colorful architecture and go in the usual Chinese souvenir shops around. Although there aren’t very good shops here the lanterns and buildings make the area a good place to take touristy pictures

China town is awesome. Been out here many times. They have some awesome events during the summer nights. You can find some good deals and some good food around town. Lots of places to enjoy and stores to shop at. If you never have been out here it is worth it at least once to walk around and check out. I still come out here occasionally when i am out in the nearby area :)

Went to Chinatown for the first time during their Summer Night’s event and it was amazing! Chinatown was really alive, not only with the DJs, bands, food trucks, cooking demos, and dragon show, but also the lights were enlivening (which I’d imagine would be on every night), and confetti filled the air and streets.
During the day it’s fun to shop at all the stores and vendors, which are pretty cheap, but I’d definitely stay for the lights at night. And watch out for events because they really put on a show!

We always find ourselves at this plaza every time we go to Chinatown. More because of the $ 5 parking area right next to it.
It’s pretty small; coffee shop at the corner, a statue of Bruce Lee at the center, some colorful lanterns over the main area, Phoenix Bakery at the corner behind it and one store we always go to in spite of the ornery owner.
Friend: «Excuse me. May I see that fan knife over there?»
Grandpa: «They’re all the same. You’re already looking at it. What else do you need?:
Me: «Grandpa needs a nap.»
Months later…
Friend: «May I see this knife please?»
Grandpa: «You can see it thru the glass. You’re already looking at it.»
Me: «Sigh. Haven’t you learned your lesson?»
Still months later…
Friend: «Excuse me. I’d like to buy this knife, please.»
Grandpa: «You pay over here. Does the young lady need a quarter to use the bathroom?»
Lesson learned? Don’t bother Grandpa if you’re not buying anything.
Overall a pretty touristy area. Perfect for taking pictures and/​or selfies. Bathrooms are to the south of the plaza. You’ll need a quarter to get in. Lots of benches to sit on if you feel like resting for a bit.
We’ll be back soon to visit Grandpa.

Haven’t been here in years but a lot of old places are closed now. Back in the day this place used to be packed, full of life, busy, lots of tourists. Now I think there were 3 places remaining and it’s a ghost town. Still it brought back great memories!

My mom swears by Chinatown. It’s always her answer to everything. Want a wedding dress? No problem, we will go to Chinatown. Want some hair clips? No problem, we will go to Chinatown. Do you need more mushrooms for your pantry at home? Let me buy some at Chinatown and mail it to you.
Chinatown is great! Being Chinese, I feel somehow at ease midst the hustle and bustle of this historical landmark. I visited it for the first time in a few years and nothing has changed. You can still bargain with the Chinese storekeepers who speak 10 different Chinese dialects (which is impressive) and you can get away with some cool things «Made in China». If you want something that is «Made in China» then you’ll most-​likely find it here. There are even cellphone vendors in the area where you can get your cellphone contract.
Even though it’s dirty and feels crowded on the weekends, it’s worth it if you come and enjoy the ambiance. Parking is about $ 4-​$ 5 in the nearby lots and the weekends are busy. I suggest you come when it’s busy because I came on a weekday and it was completely empty and many of the stores were closed.

Perhaps not the most exciting of places to visit, but you would be hard-​pressed to find a more unique array of stores & restaurants in one area, (except Little Tokyo), anywhere else in LA.
While I would hardly vouch for the quality of most of the things you would buy here, I still think it’s a great place to shop for cheap gifts for that not-​so-​special someone, or to bring an out-​of-​town friend or relative for some souvenir shopping. There’s plenty of those in the area, and not just Chinatown related.
Some shops definitely worth checking out in the plaza itself, are:
1.) Realm– An overpriced, yet eclectic gift shop, with an artsy hipster vibe. Here, you’ll find everything from big books on everything & nothing, at once, home décor, and kitchen utensils; again, all overpriced.
2.) An animé shop around the corner, behind the Wells Fargo Bank towards the back of the Central Plaza.
And 3.) Every other souvenir shop in the area. You’ll find everything from clothes, & accessories, to antiques & weaponry.
Some really good eating places include:
Wonder Bakery– Home of the famed Chinese Donut.
Golden City Seafood Restaurant– Very reasonably priced authentic Chinese cuisine. My favorites are the orange chicken, deep fried spicy mushrooms, and their complimentary white rice.
There are even some new boba shops & tea houses that have sprung up in the area if you’re looking for something a bit on the lighter side.
Whatever you’re into, you just might find it here. And even if you don’t, you’re bound to be entertained by all the pretty baubles on display everywhere. If you’re lucky, you might stumble on to one of the many shows that take place throughout the year, and really give you a taste of traditional Chinese culture.
And don’t even get me started on all the shops beyond the Central Plaza, that run down Broadway street. That’s a whole ‘nother world of places to spend your money.

Great little plaza packed with everything china. There’s great food, desserts and endless knickknacks. There’s a wishing mountain and even some rides to entertain the kids. I grew up here and I love it and now I get to bring my daughter :))

Not the best Chinatown in the country, but it certainly will scratch any Chinatown itch you might have.

I was here yesterday, the atmosphere was awesome. It’s a great place to walk around and explore the stores they have.
I really love the design of this place; it’s especially beautiful at night.
This is definitely the spot to go to if you’re in Chinatown, Los Angeles. If you haven’t been here yet, then you’re missing out

Always fun to go in the shops and see all the oddities and things I cannot read, let alone pronounce! It is history and culture at its best!

I love old LA and the historic things, but I wish the bathrooms would be remodeled and kept up here. So horrible, sinks are being held up by tubes of caulking. Half the stalls are out of order and you need a key to get in. Luckily for me a nice lady at one of the local stores allowed me to borrow the key. I offered to leave something cause she was worried that I would be another person that forgets to bring her the key. Whoever is in charge of the bathrooms needs to be fired. The nice lady who let me borrow the key earned the 2^nd star.

It’s so clean!
That’s the first thing that popped into my mind when stepping into Chinatown. It’s definitely a touristy place to visit. We had fun walking around looking at each building. Admiring the architecture.
Cute mom and pop shops everywhere. Grab a souvenir or a bite to eat. There is a wishing well towards the entrance. It was really cool to see one of the restaurants that Jackie Chan filmed Rush Hour in.
Not only was this Chinatown clean, the shop owners were so friendly. As we walked around, we couldn’t help but notice how kind and happy everyone was. Am I really in Chinatown?
*Here are some nearby restaurants you may be interested in: Philippe the Original, Yang Chow, Eastside Market Italian Deli, Chego
Street parking available.

I love Chinatown! Chinatown Central Plaza is one of the best parts of it. It’s a great place for tourists. Lots of little shops with cute trinkets and items.
There is plenty of good food. Hop Li’s is my personal fave for delicious Chinese cuisine.
I love the wishing well. Lots of different things you can wish for by throwing your pennies into different slots (i.e. money, happiness, love, etc.). There is also a cute little area with coin operated kiddie rides which my daughter loves.
It’s fun to go around Chinese New Year where they have live music and performers dressed as dragon etc.
This is definitely a fun place to walk around, especially on the weekends :)

Chinatown is cool… let me tell you why
1^st of all, my favorite chinese restaurant Yang Chow is there, on top of that the ‘Phoenix Bakery’ is there which always brings back childhood memories and mainly the overall architecture and culture of the neighborhood is cool enough to just hang and walk around for a while.
I’ve been visiting this part of town a lot in the past few years and I’ve been attending some of the cool night life that has developed in Chinatown over the past few years (actually all of downtown is alive with nightlife nowadays but this section is especially cool for that right now) and sometimes I go down there to buy herbal medicine like ginseng, ginger and other holistic remedies.
My buddy introduced me to a small massage clinic where special medicinal herbs are also sold. Going into this place feels like you’re walking into a move like ‘Push’ or even a classic Kung Fu flick. The old man and his apprentice really know what they’re doing and I truly felt that I got a great healing for the money I paid. Unfortunately I never pay attention to titles and stuff like that, so I know where it is but I don’t know what it’s called. It’s on broadway though (i think)
anyway, Chinatown also has some shops that are pretty legit and they sell great items to decorate the home or to give as gifts and the shops in the plaza are especially cool cause you can actually buy ninja gear, chinese slippers, kung fu shirts (like bruce lee wore) and a bunch of other cool items.
Chinatown is a funky part of town with such an extreme culture… walk down the street and see glazed ducks hanging on store windows, great plant stores all over the place and there are also indoor plazas that have many many vendors selling everything you can imagine (it’s kinda like an indoor swapmeet). If you want to have a place to walk around where you can go around trying different foods and buying a bunch of affordable random asian items then head down to Chinatown and pretend you’re in China for a moment… then you can always walk down the street to Plaza Olvera for some Cali-​Mexican culture.

If you’re a tourist or new in town, come here. They have the Bruce Lee statue here and I think it’s probably the most «Chinatowny» you’ll get visually. It’s not a permanent fixture, so go see it while it’s still there.
This is the most popular area and it’s been in a lot of movies/​tv shows/​music video’s etc. Last time I came here I felt a little touristy and went a little crazy on instagram. The restaurant that was in the first Rush Hour movie is right across the street. You’ll see it right away because they have «We were in the Rush Hour Movie» or something close to that painted on their wall outside. You can’t miss it.
They also have a turtle pond/​wishing well thing. I remember they took the turtles out of there a while back. I’d figure it was because of all the coins being tossed in there. That can’t be good for them, right? I believe they were relocated across the street to another pond area where that Rush Hour restaurant is.
They also have a lot of Chinese lanterns hung up. It must look real pretty at night.

**** Great for tourist but not a local favorite ****
I been to Chinatown number of times, I do not remember I visit to Chinatown Central Plaza. Irony many Chinese from San Gabriel Valley, do not visit here when they in Chinatown.
Chinatown Central Plaza is great for tourist and should be first stop for those who visit Chinatown. Great looking Architecture. They also occasion got event held like the Chinese New Year and many other event. Sometime local non Asian Band also present. Night time, this place light up quite nicely.
Shop and restaurant are really for tourist and western visitor, most Chinese would probably head to restaurant and shop nearby instead where the authentic food is serve.
Tips:
* Bring your camera, you can snap some nice photo off the architecture.
Notable sign-​see in the Plaza
Entrance sign
Dr Sun Ya-​Sen Statue
Hop Louie
Lanterns

This was only my second time to Chinatown, the first time being years ago on a search for the perfect jade bracelet (which I found!) and this time was just sort of a «Well, we’re in the area so let’s at least drive through» sort of thing.
As we drove along, I spotted this plaza and remembered visiting a really awesome toy store there a few years back. Well, it turns out I was probably wrong and it wasn’t in this plaza at all. But regardless, I was really glad we stopped. This little area in particular is so adorable and really makes you feel like you aren’t standing in Southern California. I’ve never been to China and there’s a good chance it looks nothing like this, but while we were in there I was imagining I was walking around a square in China. I have a vivid imagination and adorable places like this help feed it.
There isn’t a whole lot going on in here, but there is a bakery, a restaurant, and a handful of import shops. It’s not a place for shopping, but more of a place for relaxing. I could have wandered around and around that place in circles all afternoon. There are plenty of benches and even a couple fountains.
I just really loved this tiny little piece of Chinatown and wish I could walk through it every day.