Los Angeles Chinatown

Don’t ask how much if you don’t plan to buy. Sometimes you get very rude response if you don’t buy. I got once. Or you get into the shop, they watch out on you as a suspect.
The other old couple selling clothes with the shop on the side of the street … She gave me the wrong size. I found out when I get home. I went back, paid $ 5 for parking couple mins just to exchange them. No one says sorry. Then I bought something else. He man told me :” no exchange this time «! Serious ! I wanted to return what I bought. No way. You paid. You are done. No refund or exchange. Get out !!!
The Chinese lady selling clothes inside the market is supper honest and friendly, other man is the same. They are two shop owners that make me want to come here for.
Not much food choices.

I frequent Chinatown and basically grew up coming here every weekend with my parents to eat, shop (bargain), and to sight see.
However, Chinatown has changed. There isn’t much to do here anymore and the majority of the people that I encounter here are tourists, which is understandable.
The majority of the restaurants in Chinatown aren’t very authentic, designed more for tourists who want fortune cookies.
I prefer going to the 626 area like San Gabriel, Monterey Park, Rowland Heights, or Diamond Bar.
Nevertheless, Chinatown still holds a place in my heart.

I’ve been visiting Chinatown off and on since 2003. It’s always been such a bright, serene place. Memories of the girls playing on the mini ‘merry go round’ and ‘race car’ are so precious. (Don’t think the rides exist anymore.) Throwing coins into the wishing pond is always the challenge to see if you can get your coin into the health, happiness or the ever popular prosperity cup. Browsing through the shops is always such a treat.
The best place to park is the below ground parking (lot’s of shade!) located on either N. Hill St. or N. Broadway within Chinatown. Yes, there is a fee, but it’s well worth it.
This trip I picked out a very handsome plant and we traveled with our friend Fredo. My favorite restaurant is Golden Dragon, the dim sum is always very fresh. Just love the pork buns! A must stop; Wonder Bakery because of the wide variety of choices. I like to pick out something new each time I go and I’m never disappointed. According to a very informative source, the twin dragons adorning the entryway into Chinatown, blow smoke through their nostrils on an intermittent basis. How cool is that?

I used to love going to Chinatown after school when I was a kid, but now I feel like the ambience and culture is gone. It’s not as fun as it used to be. Maybe because I grew up, and my expectations have changed. But overall it’s still okay.
There’s not much attractions here, and food is okay. I prefer to go to 626 for Chinese food. The best dim sum restaurant is NBC or ocean seafood! The best boba places are quickly’s or lollicup! Some new openings are chego, ramen champ, and scoops! And I like them, however they don’t add or help with the Asian Chinese culture.
Overall, it’s okay. There are summer night events that are festive and fun! I also like coming here for Chinese New Year! They have parades and festivals! But other than that, it’s an okay experience.

When you hear the word «Chinatown», what do you think you’ll see when you visit one? Fresh vegetables? Chinese restaurants? Roasted ducks hanging in the window? Trays of baked cookies and cakes? Clothing and souvenir shops?
When I visited the Chinatown in Los Angeles, the things that stood out the most were:
1. Bronze Statue of Bruce Lee — he’s 7 feet tall!
2. Wishing Fountain — toss a few coins and see if how good your aim is!
3. the Gateway with the 2 Dragons
4. Hop Louie Restaurant — an authentic looking building that has been in a few movies
5. The place where the movie, «Rush Hour» with Jackie Chan was shot
6. The Dr. Sun Yat-​sen statue
7. The plaque that states that the dedication of this Chinatown was on 6−25−38. Chinatown of Los Angeles was moved to this location. It originally was where Union Station is today.
See if you can find these places — they are really awesome!

Pros: Plaza, courtyards, affordable parking
Cons: Small to medium sized, very few people walking around
This Chinatown is nice since they have Plazas and courtyards outside, but it is kind of small and there are barely any people walking around so it looks kind of dead. I wouldn’t recommend traveling to LA solely for Chinatown but it would be a nice complimentary trip if you’re nearby the area. Fyi, the restaurants aren’t that great and the bakery isn’t either. As for parking, there are several parking lots available inside Chinatown which makes it convenient and they are very affordable as well.

How do you write a review about Los Angeles Chinatown? I’ve been coming here my entire life. And, though it has changed a bit, it is still pretty much the same as it always was. A few of the shops come and go but it has maintained that touristy vibe that the masses are drawn to. I’ve even filmed a few movies in the central plaza and around the various streets.
Chinatown: Touristy junk stores, yes. California influenced Chinese food, yes. Interesting sights and sound, yes. And now, they even have a few art galleries. All good !!! And, always a fun place to kill some time.

I’ve been here once and it is way better than the China town in Vancouver. It’s not the best China town that I have seen (San Fan being #1), however, for what it is it’s a huge step up. Lots of food vendors, eateries and souvenirs and a more flavor.

The name sounds better than what it really is. LA Chinatown has really run its course – it’s pretty old and runned down, needing a serious makeover! I feel that this place has been forgotten, all the restaurants, stores look like they’re from the 80s.
There’s still something so culturally Chinese about the area though, you can really sense the tight knit community of the early generation Chinese folks who migrated here. It’s sad seeing the place in such poor condition.
There are still some hidden good restos here, but it takes mighty searching. It has a lot of potential to be a great place, but something needs to be done. Definitely lacking when compared to little Tokyo or ktown.
On the bright side, street parking is plenty on the weekends when coming for dimsum!

We have a hotel near Chinatown so we walked around the area to check it out. The buildings were nice to look at and you can purchase items for cheap. But there wasn’t much to do and the items are made cheap. I still give it a 4 because I didn’t spend much time there. You might just be better off just looking at pictures unless you want to get some yummy food or buy something cheap.

If you’ve never been to Chinatown, it’s a great experience. It’s probably one of the last places in LA where you can get a bottle of water for 75 cents, no tax! If you are shopping in Chinatown plaza, bring cash. If you forget, there are ATMs that charge a $ 3 fee located at the entrance of the swapmeet. I had a lot of fun haggling over a pair of sandals, and buying little hair accessories for $ 1 each.
3 stars. Cheap parking is available. Cheap goods for sale everywhere. Fun and affordable way to spend an afternoon.

I always find myself in Chinatown no matter what city I visit. Best one I’ve been to is Chinatown in NY but the one here in LA is not too bad especially on weekends.
Rich in culture.
Lots of cheap stuff to buy.
And the food! Yum!
But be careful when driving thru here.
4 stars.

I could not believe that we did not visit Chinatown since our move to Los Angeles over the decade ago.
It is certainly not as big as the sisters in New York or San Francisco but it does have its own charm.
There are many local stores which have been there almost hundred years. There are some cheesy stuff but there’re also useful household items at really cheap prices. You can find many tropical fruits which are not seen anywhere else.
There are many authentic restaurants here. Check out Chego, Pok pok pad thai, Ramen Champ, JR Bistro, Gigo Vietnamese café… Many restaurants are opening to 11 pm.
If you feel spiritual, check out Buddhist Thien Hau Temple… or just simply ask for good fortune!
It is up coming neighborhood with many potential and charms! So, check it out regardless you are local or tourists!

My wife and I had an awesome time at the New Year Celebration today! Got up there in the morning, and spent the day watching the different groups getting ready for the parade, had a delicious dim sum brunch, and as the day went on, enjoyed Boba drinks, dessert, and an fun time mingling and checking out all of the shops. Special note is a place called Hong Kong Import co on Hill street, the owner is very friendly and I bought some incense and other items. It has a great variety of products at many different price levels, some nice wind up clocks. It is in the Old Chinatown Plaza just north of W. College Street between N Broadway and Hill. I recommend using that plaza as a good starting point. I liked the energy of the neighborhood, especially on this day, probably the busiest day of the year there.
Also, I have gone to Yang Chow’s on Broadway just south of the Old Chinatown plaza and its pretty awesome.
Enjoy!

You don’t have to go to China or Asia to enjoy a cultural difference. You can do all of that and then some right here in LA, so I have no hesitation of expressing my like for LA’s Chinatown. It has the vendor markets with great super great deals along with plenty of Chinese and Asian restaurants of all sizes and types from the downright dirt cheap to the more casual upscale.
For the value shopper, one who knows what they are doing and understands has and understanding of value and quality, it can be a regular paradise. As a tip, bring cash because money talks louder than plastic and know how to bargain.
When touring Chinatown today, it’s easy to forget its dark and rather gloomy past of violence (Massacre of 1871), bigotry, racial hatred and what would by any standards be deemed as near forced or slave labor.
I’ve been to various city Chinatowns from Toronto, Canada, to New York City to Sydney, Australia, but have found the one in LA to be the best; hence Five Stars for it.

Los Angeles Chinatown, Hrmmm… what can I say about it. It’s my old stomping grounds when I was a child, I use to know all the shortcuts to different areas, most of the restaurants that we (family and I) go to are either not around anymore, or has a different owner. But some of the places that remains is Chung King Road… where a lot of movies are filmed, the courtyards around the Alliance Hospital and across the street in between Hill and Broadway Streets.
Chinatown L.A. mainly caters to tourist nowadays as there is a Chinatown tour during the summer, and the demographics there is either elders or families that recently migrated here.
Yes, there are still plenty of eateries in Chinatown. And it seems the same like it was twenty years ago. I use to attend a Chinese Church there and hang out around Alpine recreation center. We would light firecrackers and skyrockets during Chinese New Year. It was the place to be since it was so festive.
Through out the years, the Chinatown has aged. Not much new development going there, all the buildings still look the same. And basically the only thing I saw was the metro rail that was newer.
There is a lot of history within Chinatown that brings back a lot of memories. Memories of restaurant owners who treated us really well, the elders who use to attend church with my grandmother, the old lady who use to be really mean to us at a grocery store… who sold us old sticky candy, stealing candy at another Chinese market… etc. The good old days!
God Bless Chinatown! It’s a place that everybody needs to visit when in Los Angeles.

Surrounded by Hollywood, Koreatown, and San Gabriel Valley (the mecca of amazing Chinese food), it’s no surprise that LA Chinatown is often overlooked by, well, everyone except for its residents and former residents. But this little town, consisting of just under a square mile, is rich with history, inspiring tales, and fun. Being exposed to LA Chinatown in various capacities for the past 12 years, I enjoyed a very nice walk down memory lane during my last visit here.
A Bit of History. LA Chinatown, as we presently know it, is more accurately called the New LA Chinatown. The original Chinatown that existed since the late 1800’s was built over by Union Station. Racism, bigotry and violence plagued the residents of Old Chinatown, mostly men of the poverty-​stricken village of Toisan, China, who came during the gold rush to earn money to send home to their families. In 1871, the largest mass lynching in U.S. history took place in this little town, with over 17 Chinese men and boys hanged, some after suffering brutal torture. All the other Chinese residents were attacked or robbed. When this community was later uprooted to make way for the now-​thriving Amtrak and Metro Station, evidence of this massacre became buried. Very few longtime Chinese-​Angelenos, however, forget this dark, painful past.
A Tight-​Knit Community. Relocated only a few blocks down to Broadway and Hill, the not-​so-​new Chinatown has been around since 1938. Now a shared community of 老華橋 (lo wah kiu or longtime overseas Cantonese) and 新移民 (sun yi mun or new Chinese immigrant families), the streets are often charmingly-​littered with senior citizens on canes hiking to ABC Seafood or CBS Seafood for dim sum and mothers dropping off their children at the bilingual Castelar Elementary before heading off to the service center’s English-​immersion classes.
By noon, neighbors would crowd at the semi-​outdoor markets to gossip with one another while selecting the freshest produce for the night’s dinner. 節瓜 (jeet gwa /​Chinese melon), 蝦米 (ha mai /​dried shrimp), and 瘦肉 (sau yuk /​lean pork) — the ingredients for my favorite Cantonese slow-​cooked soup — can all be found in the markets here. For more flavor, pick up a pack of 江瑤柱 (gon yu chu /​dried scallop) at Wing Hop Fung. Though expensive ($ 40-​$ 100/​lb.), two or three tiny dried scallops per pot of soup will suffice. Bring everything to a boil, add a couple slices of ginger, and simmer for an hour. This nutritious concoction carried me through my many years away from home.
To Eat In LA. I’ve never had a truly bad meal at any of the thirty or so restaurants here, and my friends – Chinese and non-​Chinese alike – have all adamantly offered their favorites for me to include in this blog. But over the years, I’ve returned over and over to only a select few, so I’ll be sharing those. My apologies to the Yang Chow enthusiasts…
Continue reading at Lowdown on Chinatown. URL listed in profile.

Where do I start? This is the original Chinatown started by my grandfather’s generation and carried on to newer current changes happening finally now. Tons of old stuff in this town. Still can get fresh Chicken, duck, veggies reasonably priced if you look around. So many stores, restaurant s, benevolent associations and Phoenix Bakery.
Start entering the Chinatown Gateway with Dragons welcoming you on Broadway and lead you to a fun filled day hanging at Los Angeles Chinatown.

The Los Angeles Chinatown was so sad compared to San Francisco, New York, and even Philadelphia. The area was large, but there wasn’t the hustle and bustle of a Chinatown. I didn’t even smell the baked goods or the oily Chinese food.
It was very touristy with the wishing well, souvenir shops, Bruce Lee statue, and the Chinese style buildings.
There wasn’t much to do here, so I would avoid it all together.

Who doesn’t love Chinatown? I know I do! Lots of places to eat, shop and just walk around. Plenty to do everyone.
We were in Chinatown looking for a Christmas gift for my friend’s brother and within 30 mins of browsing shops we found what we were looking for.
We also stopped by and bought some Thai tea boba which was the best I have had in a very long time, and was only 2 bucks!
The only down side, we found a public parking garage that said 2 hours free parking with validation, well we made a few purchases and got the ticket validated and we were on a time crunch spent little over an hour in Chinatown, and when we went to leave, we still had to pay .55 cents, why am I complaining? Because the sign said 2 hours free parking, but when you go to leave you will see the 1^st hour and 27 mins are free WHAT! that’s not cool man! State that on your sign! I bet folks get suckered into that all the time, I know I did.