Chinatown

The area has evolved into an Asian destination, having attracted a variety of immigrants from China, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and other Asian countries. Chinatown Manhattan is famous for its reasonably priced restaurants featuring Chinese cuisine, as well as Asian grocery stores and unique gift shops.

Each day, thousands of visitors are enticed by Chinatown's bustling markets that spill onto the streets, creating a feast for the eyes. The winding, narrow streets between Worth and Hester along with East Broadway and West Broadway converge upon Canal—Chinatown's main street. Within these boundaries, you'll find traditional Chinese herbal-medicine shops, acupuncturists, food markets filled with amazing varieties of fish and exotic vegetables, funky pagoda-style buildings, stores selling all manner of items from beautiful jewelry and silk robes to hair accessories and plumbing parts. Hundreds of restaurants serving every imaginable type of Chinese cuisine, from dim sum to fried noodles to extravagant Cantonese, Hunan, Mandarin or Szechuan banquets.

Although the neighborhood is known for its excellent Chinese cuisine, perhaps one of its more secret highlights is the Eastern States Buddhist Temple on Mott Street. Step inside—your spirit will be refreshed and your eyes will be delighted by the sight of 100 golden Buddha’s shimmering in the candlelight. Frequent festivals and parades (especially during the January and February with Chinese New Year celebrations, when paper puppet dragons, firecrackers and beating drums rule the streets), as well as galleries and curio shops create a glorious celebration of Chinese culture.