Las Vegas doesn’t just have a big Chinatown, but it has a large, three mile long, 140 restaurant big Chinatown that much of the United States doesn’t even know about. Yet it’s arguable not only one of the biggest, but the best Chinatowns you’ve ever been to. While there are a few attempts to do cookie cutter Cantonese style copycats from New York and San Francisco, there are dozens of innovative and interesting restaurants popping up investing in creating a new budding local cuisine that uniquely Asian Influencers and uniquely Las Vegas.
Yes, it’s a misnomer to call it “Chinatown.” While the Chinese influence definitely dominates the area, it’s where both traditional and trendy Asian establishments of all kinds are popping up. Here are just some of the restaurants that make Las Vegas’ Chinatown not only the Best Chinatown, but one of the best foodie locations in the United States by itself:
District One Kitchen and Bar
3400 S Jones Blvd #8, Las Vegas, NV 89146
While you might think that the name of this restaurant, District One, might be an homage to the Hunger Games, it’s actually referring to this award winning contemporary Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of China Town. Known for its Lobster Pho, which contains a whole Maine lobster in Pho soup received praise in national food blogs, this restaurant became the epitome of what Vietnamese food can be when crafted with the best ingredients. The LVRJ recommends the “authentic Vietnamese starter was the spring rolls ($5.99), sometimes called fresh or summer rolls. You know the type: a rice-flour wrapper is folded around a filling generally of pork and lots of vegetables, cilantro and basil and fine rice noodles, with a couple of shrimp wrapped in the translucent paper. All of those elements were present here (the shrimp particularly large and plump), but centered in each roll was a cigar shape that tasted like a rolled and fried wonton wrapper, a welcome bit of crunch in rolls whose only crunchy texture usually comes from the shrimp. On the side was the customary peanut-imbued sauce, this one better than most, and a spicy aioli that was a refreshing change.”
Niu Gu
3400 S Jones Blvd #16, Las Vegas, NV 89146
Joe Muscaglione and Jimmy Li have partnered up here to create an innovative new restaurant that John Curtas said was “… an experiment of sorts. In the few months it has been open, it has gone from a simple noodle parlor, with a limited menu of Chinese soups and starches, to a full service restaurant serving everything from the formal farm-to-cup Chinese tea service to the best, freshest friggin’ fish we’ve ever had in Chinatown.” Al Mancini of Vegas Seven said of the choices was “types of soup, appetizers of dumplings and steamed oysters, and a nice selection of entrées. Vegetarians will be happy to see some fairly intriguing meatless dishes such as sautéed king oyster mushrooms with XO sauce and Chinese yam stirfry with black fungus. And with the exception of the seafood specials and some diver scallops, nothing on the menu costs more than $18, with plenty of options set below 10 bucks.” Read Michael Uzmann’s review of Niu Gu
Raku
5030 W Spring Mountain Rd #2, Las Vegas, NV 89146
Raku in 2012 and 2013 went from a local favorite to international “must see” sensation thanks to Anthony Bourdain, New York Times and Bon Appetite visiting the place. As early as 2009, even Huffington Post called it one of the “Pearly Gates” in “Foodie Heaven.” Frommers claimed it was one of the “most interesting, unique and purely divine restaurants in all of Las Vegas.” It’s that good, which is why he opened a restaurant in West Hollywood this year. The Las Vegas sun says of Raku that the “menu has about 75 dishes, and there are specials written in English on a small blackboard by the counter. Unlike many Japanese restaurants in, say, Los Angeles or San Francisco, this menu doesn’t hide any of the overly ethnic fare in Japanese script.”
Joyful House Chinese Cuisine
4601 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89146
Voted many times the “Best Chinese Restaurant” by several magazines and local diners, it’s been all over the place lately after being featured on the Food Network and voted one of the best Chinese Restaurants in the US by CNN. Traditional Hong Kong cuisine is what they do here from the best wontons to simple chow mein. The Daily Meal called it the best Chinese Take Out in the United States. Imperial Pekin Duck is a classic and something you must try. One Yelper said of it, that “Everything is brought to the table and set on a revolving tray so everyone can dig in and eat. Among the dishes we shared was Mongolian Beef, by far the best I have ever eaten. The servers are constantly at your table attending to every need. Prices are reasonable. If you want real Chinese food, go a bit out of the way and eat at Joyful House. You will not be disappointed.”
Honey Pig Korean BBQ
4725 Spring Mountain Rd # K, Las Vegas, NV 89102
John Curtas said of Honey Pig, that for “thirty dollars gets you a heap o’ kim chee, sprouts, pork bellies and little, pink, round, sucker-laden octopi just waiting to be pan fried into a meal for two (that could easily feed four). Most of the menu items are set meals with all of the ingredients listed that will be brought to your table. The staff is quite helpful (if a bit brusque – an Asian thing that), and you’ll probably be the only round eye in the place, but that’s half the fun!” The Las Vegas Sun says of Honey Pig that “Meals are cooked on a giant metal brazier, called panchan, by a hard-working waitress, who also has her hands full with the side dishes. You’ll first order one of the meats, such as pork belly or short ribs of beef, and then await the side dishes, which include rectangles of marinated bean curd, yellow bean sprouts and about five other choices, including the notorious kim chee.”
Chada Street
3839 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Brock Radke of Las Vegas Weekly said that he “couldn’t wait” for this restaurant to open, saying the chicken meatball was “beyond addictive” and that all that “all levels of culinary curiosity will be consistently rewarded.” Al Mancini praised owner and star sommelier Bank Atcharawan’s “serious Thai cuisine at a good price.” The Cornish hen and crab fat fried rice seem to be something everyone needs to order once. Zagat calls it, “Exotic Thai cooking and a robust wine selection draw foodies to this casual hot spot serving up traditional seafood, soup and noodle dishes West of the Strip. The unassuming strip-mall exterior gives way to a modern dining area with rustic accents, featuring a glass-walled wine room and a photo mural of street-food vendors.”
