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In a quest to discover the greatest that Chinatown has to offer, we turned to the folks who should know best. Here's what we learned from street interviews with people who live, work, and visit the neighborhood.
Best Chinese herbal medicine store?
Kam Kao at 7-9 Mott Street, says waiter Bun Leung. The shop's shelves are stocked with hundreds of tiny brightly colored bottles of herbs offering cures to everything from dizziness to cancer. Mr. Leung also likes it convenient location, doors down from where he works.
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Moon cakes, a favorite Chinese sweet.
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Thing most reminiscent of China?
Moon cakes, says Mr. Ng, who moved to the neighborhood from mainland China more than a decade ago. Each fall, moon cakes can be found for sale, reminding Ng of the Moon Festival celebration popular in China.
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The Schlafmans: impressed Nebraska Natives.
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What makes New York's Chinatown distinct?
It's bigger, cheaper, and boasts more grocery stores than other cities' Chinese neighborhoods, say Don and Lucy Schlafman. Visiting for the first time from Omaha, the Schlafmans like what they see.
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Lai likes her soup dumplings
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Best spot for soup dumplings?
Betty Lai, a pharmacist who works on Lafayette Street, picks Pang's Restaurant for savory soup dumplings. A native of Hong Kong, Lai has worked in Chinatown for the past eight years. Soup dumplings, tiny doughy morsels wrapped around bits of meat or seafood and served in broth, are tasty treats. But take care: Eat them whole and risk burning your tongue.
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Gold lures Lugo to Chinatown
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Chinatown's very best bargain?
Jewelry, says Beatrice Lugo without a moment's hesitation. Lugo, a nurse from the Bronx, travels to Chinatown several times a month for great deals on gold. In the 20 years she's been coming, she's collected quite a few pairs of earrings.
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Chinatown, a perfect place to find fresh fish
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Fresh fish and seafood in Chinatown
Chinatown has the very best deals on fresh fish and seafood, according to Song Hua Fu. A dress shop owner on Centre Street, Mrs. Fu finds the fish in Chinatown both fresher and cheaper than anywhere else in the city.
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Wong delights in dim sum
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Dim sum to die for?
Hair stylist Jack Wong has a top pick for dim sum: Harmony Palace at 98 Mott Street. Dim sum, a Cantonese term meaning "a little bit of heart," is a midday meal of tiny morsels as popular here as in China. Every few minutes the restaurant's kitchen makes different dishes, and diners choose their favorites from steam trolleys wheeled around the dining room. Jack never misses the shrimp dumplings.
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Neighborhood Spotlight Archive
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