This article also encompasses what little remains of Little Italy, an area which is essentially comprised of a few blocks of Mulberry St. north of Canal, plus a bit on streets perpendicular to Mulberry (such as the block between Mulberry and Mott on Grand St., or part of it). Little Italy is almost devoid of Italian residents nowadays, and is primarily a kind of tourist theme park, but still contains a few eateries with reputations. What used to be the northern end of Little Italy, now called NoLiTa (which extends north to Houston St.), is a quieter residential area, less touristy, and more often frequented by New Yorkers.
For general purposes, the D or B to Grand St. are optimal for accessing Chinatown. The J, M or Z to Bowery leave you a little north of the center of Chinatown. The F train to East Broadway leaves you toward the eastern edge of the neighborhood. The 6, R, N, W, Q, J, or M to Canal St. leave you a few blocks west of the center of the neighborhood though in the midst of the excitement, congestion, and vendors of Canal St. Further afield, it is also possible to take the 4 or 5 to Brooklyn Bridge or the 2 or 3 to Park Place and walk north and east. The IND trains that stop at Canal and 6th Av. and the 1 train, which stops at Canal and Varick, are far west of the neighborhood though walkable in good weather.
Several bus lines including the M9, M15, M103, and B51 traverse Chinatown. The B51, which stops on the Bowery south of the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge, may be of special interest because it goes across that bridge and enables riders to see good views.
Chinatown is the home of several super-cheap long distance bus companies, with '''Fung Wah Bus''' [http://www.fungwahbus.com/] being the granddaddy of them all. You can take buses from Manhattan's Chinatown to other Chinatowns in Boston; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; to various cities further afield; and to casinos in Atlantic City. Ticket offices of the various bus companies are scattered throughout Chinatown. Several companies and most but not all destinations are covered on chinatown-bus.org. [http://www.chinatown-bus.org/]
You can of course walk to Chinatown. One way to do that is to cross the Manhattan Bridge, which opened to pedestrian traffic within the past few years. Note, though, that your view will be partially blocked by a protective mesh, and that you will be periodically rattled by the B, D, N, and Q trains crossing the bridge. All things being equal, it is more pleasant to cross the Brooklyn Bridge and then take the short walk up from the pedestrian exit. Note that it is also possible to use a bike path on the Manhattan Bridge and that the walkway over the Brooklyn Bridge doubles for most of its length as a bike path.
'''Deluxe Food Market''', 79 Elizabeth St. (between Grand and Hester, entrances on Elizabeth and Mott Sts.), (212) 925-5766. This humongous store has almost anything you can think of and more, both raw and prepared. Seriously. Go and see.
'''Bangkok Center Grocery''' [http://www.thai-grocery.com/], 104 Mosco St. (between Mott and Mulberry), (212) 732-8916. This modest-sized store contains a large quantity of Thai goods of various descriptions, and also sells inexpensive prepared sweet and savory items. Friendly, helpful service.
'''Udom's Thai-Indonesian Store''', 81A Bayard St. (between Mott and Mulberry), is often a bit cheaper than Bangkok Center Grocery, and sells things from Malaysia as well as Thailand and Indonesia. Husband-and-wife store owned by a man from Thailand and a woman from Indonesia, both ethnic Chinese.
'''Kam Man Food Products''' [http://www.kammanfood.com/], 200 Canal St. (between Mott and Mulberry), (212) 571-0330 / 571-0331
'''Aji Ichiban''' [http://www.ajiichiban-usa.com/], 37 Mott St. (near Pell St.), 23 East Broadway (between Catherine and Market), 167 Hester St. (between Mott and Elizabeth), and 153 Centre St. (between Canal and Howard), toll free telephone number: (866) 833-3888. Hong Kong snack shop, very popular with locals and tourists alike. The staff are friendly and give samples.
If you want knockoffs of designer labels, try the stores on Mott St. south of Canal first. There are other stores on Canal St., but you may find them more expensive. And remember, you get what you pay for, so if you buy a knockoff watch and it lasts you more than six months, be happy. Price shop and don't be afraid to try bargaining.
So many places to try! Start with these:
'''Cantoon Garden''', 22 Elizabeth St. between Bayard and Canal, (212) 964-2229. Despite its unprepossessing exterior and informal interior, this is a formidable Cantonese banquet restaurant, with humongous portions to match. Bring your appetite and be prepared to take home leftovers, but don't worry about costs: The menu is an excellent value. And the food is delicious.
'''Great NY Noodletown''', 28 Bowery, corner of Bayard, (212) 349-0923. This restaurant, which is open late, has the feel of a Chinese diner. It can be very crowded at peak hours. Try the noodle soups and congees, the Ginger-Scallion Lo Mein, the barbecued items, and the salt baked dishes, but don't neglect the less inexpensive specials, like the dishes with chives or pea shoots.
'''Oriental Garden''', 14 Elizabeth St. between Bayard and Canal, (212) 619-0085. Somewhat upscale, white tablecloths. Excellent seafood dishes. Be warned though: They may try to take away plates before you're finished eating.
'''Yummy Noodles''', 48 Bowery in the Chinatown Arcade between Bowery and Elizabeth St., (212) 374-1327. Specializes in casseroles, including things like pig heart casserole.
'''Tai Pan Bakery''',[http://www.taipan-bakery.com/], 194 Canal Street, NY 10013. This bakery store offers numerous Chinese breads, delicacies, and both hot and cold beverages/snacks. It shares its name with a popular bakery store chain in Hong Kong.
'''Ping's Seafood Restaurant''', 22 Mott St, 212-602-9988. Good seafood restaurant especially the seafood pan-fried noodles & calamari. Also has dim sum. Note that this place can get very crowded during weekend dinner.
'''Hop Kee Restaurant''', 21 Mott St, 212-964-8365. A decades-old Cantonese restaurant with classic dishes (Roast Pork Lo Mein, etc.) Open late on weekends (until 4am), but Cash only.
'''Golden Unicorn''', 18 East Broadway, corner of Catherine (entrance on East Broadway), (212) 941-0911 occupies a few floors. Each of the eating rooms is smaller than Jing Fong or Harmony Palace. There is also a bit more decor and the prices are a bit higher.
'''Harmony Palace''', 94 Mott St. between Canal and Hester, (212) 226-6603. Often used for dinner banquets as well as dim sum breakfast/lunch.
'''Jing Fong''', 18 Elizabeth St. (2nd floor) between Bayard and Canal, (212) 964-5256, has an eating hall about the size of a football field. Try to get a table near the kitchen (to your right on entering) if possible, and don't neglect the non-circulating items available on either wall. Note that Jing Fong reopened last year after being shut by the Health Department for failing an inspection for the second time, so if that bothers you, go elsewhere.
Note: For dim sum eating halls, especially those with carts, it is generally best to arrive by 10:30 or 11:00 in order to beat the crowds and have fresh food that is hot. Harmony Palace opens early and is a pleasant place to have breakfast between 9 and 10.
'''Dim Sum Go Go''', 5 East Broadway at Chatham Square, (212) 732-0796, which is more expensive than the average Chinatown restaurant and caters largely to a clientele of non-Chinese, is many connoisseurs' favorite spot for dim sum in Chinatown.
'''Oriental Garden''', mentioned above, also gets good notes for dim sum from some connoisseurs, though others find it inconsistent. There are some carts on weekends, but its dim sum is mostly to order.
'''Yeah Shanghai Deluxe''', 65 Bayard St. between Mott and Bowery, (212) 566-4884. Eat in the back, which is past a nice artificial bridge and papered with posters of 1930s Shanghainese pinup girls. Good, inexpensive food and pleasant ambiance.
'''Nice Green Bo''', 66 Bayard St. between Mott and Bowery, (212) 625-2359. Stick to Shanghainese food and do not get things like "Jalapeno Chicken."
'''Shanghai Cafe''', 100 Mott St. between Canal and Hester, (212) 966-3988. Possibly the best Shanghainese food in Chinatown, overall. Many young Chinese-American couples have dates there, but the service is not as relaxed as at Yeah, so do not be shocked if the check is delivered to you unbidden, but don't feel that it must be paid right away.
'''Joe's Shanghai''', [http://www.joeshanghairestaurants.com/] 9 Pell St. between Mott and Doyers, (212) 233-8888. This is the most famous of the Shanghainese restaurants in Chinatown, but not the best. Like most every other Shanghainese restaurant, it serves the popular "soup dumplings" (xiaolong bao in Chinese) which contain either crab or/and pork meat with soup all within a dumpling. However, due to its popularity, here are some tips: Don't wait on line, go only at odd hours and order adventurously (get things like eel).
'''Bo Ky''', 80 Bayard St. between Mott and Mulberry, (212) 406-2292. Very inexpensive food, reliable soups that are especially welcome in cold weather. Very quick service. They have side dishes of offal (pig's ears, etc.) for those who like them.
'''Chao Chow''', 111 Mott St. between Canal and Hester Sts., (212) 226-2590 serves similar Chiuchow noodle soups, offal, roast duck, etc., and is similarly quite inexpensive.
'''Skyway''', 11 Allen St. between Division and Canal, (212) 625-1153. Not much English spoken by the staff, but the food is authentic. Get the roti telur, satay, and main dishes such as those featuring seafood.
'''Nyonya''', 194 Grand St. between Mott and Mulberry, (212) 334-3669. This restaurant is part of a small chain with other Nyonya and Penang restaurants and is popular and crowded on weekends. Their roti canai is good. One word of warning, though: If you are looking for food like you had on your visit to Kuala Lumpur, for the most part, you won't get it here. Instead, you are likely to get very watered-down, Americanized versions of most of their Malaysian dishes.
'''Banh Mi Saigon Bakery''', Mott St. between Hester and Grand. This is in back of a jewelry and gem shop; no kidding! Both the Banh Mi Saigon (pork) and Banh Mi Ga (chicken) sandwiches are fantastic. Get them to go and eat them in a nearby park such as the one on the corner of Spring and Mulberry, a few blocks north and one block west. Note: Do not confuse this place with Saigon Banh Mi So at 369 Broome St., which serves sandwiches that are fine but nowhere near as good.
'''Tai Pan Bakery''', [http://www.taipan-bakery.com/] 194 Canal Street, btwn Mulberry & Mott St. (Same as above)
'''Fay Da Bakery''', [http://www.fayda.com/] 83 Mott St., btwn Canal & Bayard St.; 82 Elizabeth St, btwn Grand & Hester St; 191 Centre St.
'''Chinatown Ice Cream Factory''' [http://www.chinatownicecreamfactory.com/], 65 Bayard St. between Mott and Bowery, (212) 608-4170. Enjoy the "regular" flavors like taro, green tea, lychee, black sesame, mango, and coconut (or the "exotic" flavors like strawberry, vanilla...), and don't neglect the sorbets.
When in Chinatown, try some bubble tea. The name in Chinese is really "ball-ba," which means "big balls," for the mouthfeel of the tapioca/sago balls in the tea, which are sucked up with an oversized straw or eaten with a spoon. This type of tea, which originated in Taiwan, has a popularity in New York that extends beyond the Chinese community, so you can find bubble tea houses outside of Chinese neighborhoods, but the greatest concentration of such establishments is still in Chinese neighborhoods like Manhattan's Chinatown and Flushing, Queens. There are numerous bubble tea houses in Chinatown.
'''Teariffic''', Mott St. between Bayard and Pell St. is one of many bubble tea shops where you can order your bubble tea and, if you like, accompanying food to stay or take out.
The '''Holiday Inn Soho''' [http://hidowntown-nyc.com/], 138 Lafayette St. (corner of Howard St.), (212) 966-8898, is on the edge of Chinatown. Just walk due east to get to the center of the neighborhood.