Chinatown
The Vibe
LA's most surprising neighborhood — the planned Chinatown's pagoda architecture provides aesthetic context for contemporary art galleries, new-wave Chinese restaurants, and creative studios that have made this one of LA's most interesting cultural zones. The Sunday dim sum rush at the older restaurants and the gallery openings at Chung King Road tell two different stories from the same streets.
Description
Los Angeles' Chinatown — the only planned Chinatown in America, built in 1938 after the original was demolished for Union Station — has evolved from a tourist destination into one of LA's most interesting art and food neighborhoods. The Chung King Road gallery strip transformed LA's Chinatown into an art destination in the 2000s, attracting galleries like China Art Objects and Roberts & Tilton. The neighborhood's Central Plaza with its curved pagoda roofs and lanterns remains the iconic image. New-wave Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants have joined decades-old dim sum institutions. The art galleries, dim sum palaces, and herbal medicine shops coexist with contemporary street culture and creative studios.
Neighborhood Stats
Popular With
- Art Lovers
- Foodies
- Families
- Chinese Americans
- Creatives
Key Attributes
- Chinese Heritage
- Art Galleries
- Pagoda Architecture
- Dim Sum
- Emerging
Food Scene
Luscious Dumplings (704 W Las Vegas St) makes the finest xiao long bao in Los Angeles. Far East Plaza (727 N Broadway) holds a cluster of outstanding Chinese-American and Taiwanese restaurants including Howlin' Ray's and Lasita. Phoenix Bakery (969 N Broadway) has been making almond cookies and strawberry cream cake since 1938. Full House Restaurant (963 N Broadway) serves excellent Cantonese dim sum on weekends. Majordōmo (1725 Naud St) by David Chang serves his interpretive California-Korean cuisine just outside Chinatown.