Home to the largest Chinese diaspora outside of Asia, New York City has a diversity of flavors across its boroughs. Wander the streets of Manhattan’s historic Chinatown, head to the bustling heart of Flushing, Queens, or explore the lively Brooklyn neighborhood of Sunset Park to get a sense of the different communities and how many styles of Chinese cuisine there are to sample—and note there are a number of other neighborhoods with a large Chinese demographic, including one on Avenue U.
To help you savor it all, we’ve curated three short but sweet food crawls through the Chinatown in Manhattan, Flushing in Queens and Sunset Park in Brooklyn. All you need is a couple of hours, comfy walking shoes, some extra bills for cash-only spots and an appetite.
Chinatown. Photo: Lucía Vázquez
Bite into History and Culture in Manhattan's Chinatown
Chinatown, located in Lower Manhattan below Grand Street and stretching from Lafayette Street to East Broadway, has been a cultural hub for immigrants from diverse backgrounds since the 1800s. Its residents represent different waves of immigration from regions across China, including Guangdong and Fujian.
Over the decades, Manhattan’s Chinatown has grown, drawing energy and strength from its community and celebrated culinary scene. Take the N/Q/R/W, 6 or J/Z subway to Canal Street and you’ll walk into a neighborhood densely packed with food carts, souvenir shops, boba cafés and, of course, bustling restaurants.
Cross Mei Lai Wah’s Pork Buns off Your List
Our Manhattan food crawl is inspired by timeless Chinatown favorites that also offer a taste of history, starting with one of NYC’s most viral pork buns at the family-owned bakery Mei Lai Wah (62 Bayard St.). First opened in 1968, it will soon expand to a new location at 41 Mott Street. You’ll join a line of other hungry eaters ready to sink their teeth into one of Mei Lai Wah’s pineapple roast pork buns, fresh from the oven. Note: there’s no actual fruit in the bun; it gets its name from the crackly sugar topping that resembles the crisscross pattern of the tropical fruit. For about $3, enjoy the sweetness of the bun and the savoriness of the char siu pork (Cantonese for “fork roasted”). Bring cash to cut down on wait times, though a self-serve kiosk is available for credit card payments.
Embrace a Chinatown Classic at Wo Hop
After whetting your appetite at Mei Lai Wah, round the corner onto Mott Street, one of the oldest streets in Chinatown. Wo Hop (17 Mott St., downstairs), a James Beard Classics Award winner, first opened on Mott in 1938, serving what it calls “old-fashioned chop suey–style food” that is beloved by customers, especially after a late night. TV shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Billions have featured this throwback cash-only Chinatown institution. Even if it’s your first time here, the golden-fried egg rolls, beef chow fun and egg foo young evoke nostalgia with every bite.
Enjoy Dim Sum at Ping’s
If you’re in the mood for Hong Kong–style seafood, go across the street to Ping’s (22 Mott St.), where dim sum—like plump shrimp dumplings, mango pudding or steamed seafood shumai—are served all day. Steven Wong, chief fishmonger at Aqua Best Seafood and purveyor to NYC’s fine dining spots, grew up in Chinatown and recommends Ping’s signature golden egg fried rice, a contrast of flavors and textures with dried scallop, salty fish and raisins. He also adores their manila clams in black bean sauce, which he says “comes out sizzling, and just the sauce on rice is amazing.”
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. Photo: Malcolm Brown
Don’t Forget Drinks and Dessert
After 6pm, you can drop by one of the modern cocktail bars on the street, like Peachy’s (5 Doyers St., downstairs), which pays homage to the historic street with its bright pink neon “No Fighting” sign. Sit back and indulge in bold cocktails infused with Asian-inspired flavors like yuzu, dragon fruit and calamansi.
If you’re ready for dessert, a quick walk back to Bayard Street rewards you with treats like a scoop of almond cookie ice cream from Chinatown Ice Cream Factory (65 Bayard St.). Founded in 1978, they introduced New Yorkers to ice cream flavors like don tot, a custardy Chinese egg tart, and durian, the pungent tropical fruit. This beloved spot blazed a path forward for other AAPI ice creameries, like Soft Swerve (85B Bayard St.), a NYC-born mini chain that has been creating Instagrammable swirls since 2016. Grab a cone of purple ube swirled with vanilla or try their black sesame or smooth hojicha (roasted green tea) flavors, along with toppings like mochi and condensed milk drizzles. Whichever you choose, it‘s a sweet ending to a food crawl through Manhattan’s Chinatown.
Flushing. Photo: Elizabeth Bick
Savor a Queen's Bounty of Streetside Snacks in Flushing
Hop on the Queens-bound 7 train to the last stop, Flushing-Main Street, where a dizzying abundance of mouthwatering foods awaits.
While Manhattan’s Chinatown has been around longer, about 40 percent of Chinese New Yorkers now live in Queens, with Flushing becoming a hub for Taiwanese and Korean immigrants in the 1970s. Today, the streets buzz with a variety of languages and regional dialects, along with specialized dishes from different provinces and global trends brought over by recent immigrants.
While Flushing offers sprawling food courts (New World Mall or New York Food Court) and dramatic hot pot eateries (Chongqing Lao Zao), this food crawl focuses on no-frills streetside spots near Flushing’s major arteries, Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue.
Nosh on Wontons at White Bear
Not far from the subway, White Bear (135-02 Roosevelt Ave.) is a popular cash-only Flushing institution. Many line up for their most beloved dish: “the #6,” chili-oil-slicked pork wontons handmade with the perfect amount of chewiness and juiciness. This $10 take-out plate of thin- and silky-skinned wontons is topped with an umami-rich medley of smoky chiles, pickled vegetables and scallions. Other menu highlights include dan dan noodles and frozen wontons to take home.
Eight Jane. Photo: Lucia Vazquez
Savor the Jianbing at Eight Jane
After blissfully slurping down some wontons, head to Eight Jane Food (37-12 Main St.), where crispy, savory crepes fly off a circular griddle into the hands of customers. Wait in line for jianbing guozi, a street food from Northern China. These thin crepes, made with mung bean and millet flour, are topped with eggs and scallions, and can be customized with other fillings such as Chinese sausage or youtaio, a savory deep-fried doughnut stick. Perfect as an on-the-go breakfast or snack, this dish is well worth the wait at this cash-only take-out spot, and can be eaten on the way to the next stop.
Courtesy, Maxi's Noodles
Tuck into Your Favorite Soup at Maxi’s Noodles
Crowning your Flushing food crawl is a must-have meal at the #1 Chinese restaurant in the US, according to Yelp. Maxi’s Noodle (135-11 38th Ave.) specializes in Hong Kong–style noodles and wontons that speak to the soul. Opening a wonton shop was owner Maxi Lau’s late mother’s dream, and you can taste the love in every bite. For a comforting bowl of noodle soup, choose from four types of toothsome noodles, including their popular duck egg noodles and chewy udon, along with toppings like their plumper-than-plump wontons packed with shrimp. Lau says she regularly sells out of two of their appetizers, the curry fish balls and imitation shark fin soup.
8th Avenue, Sunset Park. Photo: Fuxuan Xin
Travel to Brooklyn for the City's Best Egg Tarts, Hot Pot and Dim Sum
Brooklyn is home to New York City’s second-largest Chinese community after Queens, with many of its residents living in Bensonhurst and Sunset Park. The latter neighborhood, named after its hillside park, offers stunning views of the water and the Statue of Liberty across the harbor. Stroll around the park before or after your food adventure; it’s off the 8th Avenue stop on the N train, but be prepared to walk.
According to the Brooklyn Chinese American Association, the first wave of Chinese immigrants flocked to Sunset Park’s 8th Avenue because eight is considered a lucky number. Today, 8th Avenue still pulsates with shoppers looking for good deals and meals.
For this food adventure through Sunset Park, bring friends to make the interactive dining even more fun and memorable. Choose between dim sum or hot pot, or both if your appetite allows. Either way, save room for one of NYC’s best egg tarts.
LaoJie. Photo: Fuxuan Xin
Hot Pot the Right Way at LaoJie…
For an all-you-can-eat hot pot experience, hit up LaoJie (811 53rd St.) and watch your table fill up with plates of meats, seafood and veggies to cook tableside in bubbling broths, including a creamy bone broth. LaoJie, which means “Old Street,” evokes a retro feel with old records, a display wall of cassettes and record player, along with vintage-inspired Chinese decor elements. With choices of various soup bases, an option to create-your-own dipping sauces and skewers of barbecued meats (like the pork belly with enoki mushrooms), the possibilities seem almost endless.
…Or Make Room for Dim Sum at East Harbor Seafood Palace
If you’re feeling in the mood for dim sum, start with East Harbor Seafood Palace (714 65th St.), where patience is key on every level. There will be a long line, especially on the weekends. Once you’re seated inside their clamorous banquet hall, the excitement builds as dim sum carts fly by, with ladies calling out the tasty bites they have to offer. You’ll want to keep ordering and stuffing your face with all the dim sum classics, such as jiggly rice noodles hugging juicy shrimp and steaming tea leaf–wrapped parcels of sticky rice, or zongzi. Whether it’s dim sum or dinner, come with a group and order many dishes, such as their decadent honey walnut shrimp, to twirl around on your table’s lazy Susan.
Xin Fa. Photo: Fuxuan Xin
Do Not Miss Dessert!
For dessert, head to Xin Fa Bakery (5617 8th Ave.) for their famous Portuguese egg tarts, which are super custardy, less than $2 and “not too sweet”—the highest form of praise for Asian desserts. This small bakery churns out egg tarts, so you’ll most likely get a warm batch right out of the oven. You’ll be tempted to order these heavenly treats by the box, along with a cup of smooth Hong Kong milk tea to sip as you toast the end of an unforgettable food crawl.
Find more neighborhood guides to Asian food and culture on our Asian Experience and Savor NYC pages.
