Chow Down Chinatown Walk

Chow Down Chinatown Walk

Classic Chinatown: Canal Street, Tai Chi, and Bubble Tea

Start out at Canal Street, the most bustling strip in Chinatown. After running this gauntlet of knockoff handbags and perfumes, head one block south to the tidy, English-labeled Dragon Land Bakery (125 Walker St.) to indulge in Chinese baked goods such as a brioche-like sweet bean bun. Pastry in-hand, turn right at Mulberry St. to stroll past produce carts piled high. At the corner of Bayard St. you'll find Columbus Park, where you can spot people warming up with Tai Chi or playing "Chinese chess." Cross down on Mott St. and take a left on Pell. To the right is Doyers St., a dogleg dubbed "the Bloody Angle" because of gang warfare at the beginning of the 20th Century. It's home to the neighborhood's oldest dim sum restaurant, Nam Wah Tea Parlor (13 Doyers). Loop around on Bowery. At Bayard, there's usually a small stand selling Hong Kong cakes: light, sweet balls that taste like mini pancakes. They're irresistible at 15 for a dollar. If you need something to wash them down, head back half a block on Bayard to Vivi Bubble Tea (49 Bayard Street), a cheerful storefront selling bubble tea (tea or fruit drinks with tapioca balls) and popcorn chicken dusted with flavorings like basil or curry. Fortified, cross up north onto Elizabeth Street where you'll continue to spot seafood markets crowding the sidewalks; weave around the buckets of twitchy crabs.

Sweet and Sour Strolling

On Hester, just off Elizabeth, you'll find Munchies Paradise candy store (167 Hester). Help yourself to samples from dried squid to a dozen kinds of fermented plums, then get a bag of your favorites for on-the-go snacking. Continue north on Mott to the Banh Mi Saigon Bakery (138-01 Mott St.) Inside, it's a classic Chinatown mashup: jewelry store up front/lunch counter at the back selling Banh Mi Vietnamese sandwiches—baguettes with pickled vegetables, cilantro, and assorted meats. On Grand, you may smell the Kam Wo tea store (211 Grand St.) before you even set foot inside. The medicinal loose teas and soups stocked here are prescribed to improve vision or soothe aching joints.

The Sights—and Smells—of Chinatown

On the corner of Grand and the Bowery is the Tu Quyn Pharmacy (230 Grand), displaying an impressive selection of durian, a spiky fruit with a strong odor, available for the adventurous to sample. Continuing on Grand you'll pass the Ocean Star (250 Grand St.), a slightly more spacious seafood market to explore if you're traveling in a group. Finally, cross Chrystie St. and rest your feet at Vanessa's Dumpling House (118A Eldridge) with ample seating and inexpensive options like sesame fried bread stuffed with Peking Duck for less than $3.

—Alexander Basek

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