10 Best Restaurants in Chinatown, New York City

Chef Fidel Caballero mines his upbringing on the U.S.--Mexican border, as well as his time cooking in award-winning restaurants in Spain's Basque Country and in Shanghai by producing dishes that marry all these cultures into one unique and delicious meal. The 54-seat eatery is split in two: more casual à la carte options up front and a tasting menu (with a counter overlooking the kitchen) in the back. Expect wow-inducing dishes with multilayered flavor strata, inventive cocktails, and a nicely curated wine list with bottles from Spain and Mexico. 

"Banh" means cake or anything made with wheat or rice flower in Vietnamese. And that's exactly what you'll find at this very popular Vietnamese bakery. The Lauren in the name is Lauren Tran, formerly a pastry chef at Gramercy Tavern, who bakes splendid sweet things with a Southeast Asian flavor profile. Think pandan-flavored coffee cake, coconut-and-mung bean-filled rice balls, and egg custard coffee (a Hanoi specialty), among other delights for the palate.

Although the soups and the noodle options are consistently excellent at this no-frills restaurant, what you should really order here are dishes that involve the hanging lacquered ducks and other window "decorations." These are listed on a simple board and superbly served with pungent garlic-and-ginger sauce on the side. Seasonal specialties like duck with flowering chives and salt-baked soft-shell crabs are memorable.

Joe opened his first Shanghai restaurant in Queens in 1994, but buoyed by the accolades showered on his steamed soup dumplings—filled with a rich, fragrant broth and ground pork or a pork-crabmeat mixture—a Manhattan Chinatown location followed in 1995. After 25 years, it's moved to a new spot not far from the original and although the space is modern and updated, the food is just what fans have been raving about for years.

If you're craving something dessert-ish but not too sweet, the light and "bouncy" Japanese-style cheesecakes and cream puffs in flavors like matcha, ube, and cookies and cream from this little shop are delicious. The American-style cheesecake is really good, too.

Dim sum is traditionally served in the morning but if you have a craving at another time, head to this old-school spot in the heart of Chinatown, where dumplings, turnip cakes, rice rolls, and a variety of other small plates are available from early until late in the evening. Nom Wah started out as a tea parlor and bakery in 1920, just a few doors down, and only later started specializing in dim sum, and there's still an impressive selection of specialty tea on the menu.

Pho Ga Vang, serving up the chicken version of Vietnam's national noodle soup, adds to the increasingly excellent Vietnamese dining scene in the city. Owner Tony Le grew up at his family's Vietnamese restaurants in Philadelphia and knows a thing or two about good pho. With a handful of options, the best is the shredded chicken pho—the broth, with a touch of sweetness, has hints of ginger and lemongrass; the thin rice noodles are al dente; and the chicken is fall-apart tender. 

Predating the banh mi craze by perhaps a decade, this cash-only storefront serves some of the best Vietnamese sandwiches in the city (some say the best in the country); those in the know opt for the "house special" with Vietnamese cold cuts and creamy pate. The baguettes are crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, just as they should be.

The name says it all: the open kitchen at this salt-of-the-earth Chinatown restaurant (located on charming, curved Doyers Street) means you can watch the noodle slinger in action while awaiting your bowl of, yes, tasty hand-pulled noodles. Just choose your ingredients—beef, pork, oxtail, eel, chicken, lamb, or shrimp, among others—and prepare to eat the most delicious bowl of noodles since that last trip to Shanghai.

Some of the best deals in the neighborhood can be found here, with sizzling pork-and-chive dumplings (four for $3) and plenty of vegetarian options. This is a casual, order-at-the counter spot with a few tables.