Since having moved to Hong Kong I can’t help myself but visit the China towns in places I visit across the world. Most North-American cities have a large population of Chinese immigrants with a lively China town and I find it absolutely fascinating how culturally enclosed those neighborhoods usually are and how those stand in strong contrast to their surroundings.
Chicago’s China town perhaps isn’t as impressive as what you can see in New York City, but it is still a rather large area down in southern Chicago that looks and feels very much Chinese. You can expect anything from semi-authentic Chinese restaurants and bubble tea shops to cheesy souvenir porcelain shops and Chinese medicine shops. Just the way I like it.
On my visit to China Town I was lucky to meet a Chicago based Taiwanese who took me to one of the local eateries. Nothing too fancy, but tasted pretty authentic to me.
As you can see, the China town extends beyond China to offer a host of other east and southeast Asian countries.
China Town is on the way to the University of Chicago campus even further down dodgy south, so you can make this a stop along the way if you’re visiting or going to the museum campus. But, I must admit – unless you’re as passionate about seeing manifestations of Chinese culture in the states as I was, not that much for you to see there.