Location: Chinatown
Top Things to do in Chinatown
Countries
10 Things to do in Chinatown That You Shouldn't Miss
The windy city is a cornucopia of modern art, fine dining, cutting edge comedy, and die-hard sports fans. Snap a photo of your reflection in the silver Cloud Gate sculpture at Millennium Park before heading to Grant Park to get hit with the refreshing spray of Buckingham Fountain. There are dozens of museums and theater companies in Chicago, so a cultural experience is never hard to find. You’re sure to laugh your head off at the Second City Theater, the professional launch pad of many famous comedians.
Restaurants in Chicago
1. Chicago Chinese Cultural Institute
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 40 reviews
We host public and private events relating to Chinese culture and the history of Chinatown. Please contact us if you wish to host a private event or tour. Below is a list of our public events: Public Walking Tours are available in the summer (Memorial Day through Labor Day) on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings starting at 10:00 am. We also offer Dumpling Making Lunch/Dinner for adults and children under 12. We also arrange private events all times of year for groups of all sizes. Private groups can take a group tour of Chinatown either walking or on their bus, enjoy a food or medicine tour, get lunch, learn how to make dumplings, kites, or paper cut art. Experience a Tai Chi class and much more.
2. BBQ Pontoon
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 23 reviews
At BBQ Pontoon you can take a private, self-guided river cruise where you’re the captain! No strangers tag along. It’s just you, kicking back with some good friends, great food, and awesome views! Get a free pizza on every cruise! All of our boats have Bluetooth-enabled sound systems.
3. International Buddhism Friendship Association
4. Chinese-American Museum of Chicago
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
In keeping with one of our promises of what to do during our retirement years, to learn about other cultures, my wife and I spent a day touring Chicago's Chinatown community. One of our stops was at the Chinese-American Museum of Chicago, which seeks to commemorate and interpret the experiences of Chinese immigrants to Chicago and the American Midwest. Located at 238 West 23rd Street, the museum opened in 2005, sustained a devastating fire in 2008, then reopened in 2010. It tells the history of the first Chinese who arrived in Chicago in 1869 after escaping the anti-Chinese violence that had broken out on the West Coast, then helping to build the first Transcontinental Railroad. It tells how they established Chinese laundries and chop suey restaurants to earn a living and how "New Chinatown" was officially proclaimed in 1912 in the area of Cermak Road and Wentworth Avenue, where the famous Chinatown Gate can be seen today. See exhibits about how 12,000 Chinese workers constructed the first transcontinental railway and how they immigrated to the Midwest. Also view a 16-minute video that details the stories of the people of Chinatown, their journeys, their customs, their work, their families. One feature not to miss: a documentary screening of Dancing Through Life: The Dorothy Toy Story, which highlights the life of 100-year-old Dorothy Toy Fong, a legendary dance figure who teamed with Paul Wing during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s to become the most famous Asian American dance duo in this country's history, pioneers who performed on Broadway and in Hollywood films.
5. Chicago Public Library Chinatown
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
The new Chinatown branch of the Chicago Public Library is light-filled as well as full of books. It has an extensive collection of Asian language books. The children's part of library has educational toys as well as books. There are frequent programs for young children and school-age children. It is located close to the Chinatown el stop and to Chinatown restaurants and shopping.
6. Aji Ichiban
7. Ping Tom Memorial Park
8. Chicago Chinatown
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 607 reviews
Chicago's large Chinese neighborhood is full of popular restaurants.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
My wife and I have lived in Chicago for all of our 80 years. But, until recently, we never visited Chinatown. Now we know what we have missed. Located in the Armour Square community, along Cermak Road and Wentworth Avenue, two miles south of the Loop, Chinatown is the community hub for Chinese people, the business center for Chinese in the Midwest and a popular destination for tourists and locals. The first Chinese arrived in Chicago in 1869 via the first Transcontinental Railroad, escaping the anti-Chinese violence that had broken out on the West Coast. Chinese laundries and chop suey restaurants became popular. Chinatown was settled in 1912. Today, the second oldest settlement of Chinese in this country features a number of banks, restaurants, gift shops, dim sum spots, teahouses, shops, grocery stores, even Chinese medicine stores. Start at the Chinatown Gate over Wentworth at Cermak Road. Visit the Chinatown Square outdoor mall, learn about the history of the neighborhood at the Chinese-American Museum, visit Ping Tom Memorial Park and see the Nine-Dragon Wall, a reproduction of the 15th century mural of the same name in Beijing. Also visit Pui Tak Center, designated a Chicago Landmark in 1993, informally known as Chinatown's "City Hall." Craving for authentic Chinese food? Asian barbecue, Peking duck, soup dumplings, bubble tea, dim sum? Stop at Chiu Quon Bakery, Snack Planet, Joy Yee, Hing Kee, BBQ King House, Cai, Qing Xiang Yuan Dumplings and Aji Ichiban candy store.
9. Nine Dragon Wall
10. Chinatown Square
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
Chinatown Square is a two-story outdoor shopping mall located in Chicago's Chinatown neighborhood, a mile south of Chicago's Loop and north of Chinatown's main street, the Wentworth Avenue District. Located at 2133 South China Place or 2100 South Wentworth Avenue, it covers 45 acres with restaurants, retail space, boutiques, gift and specialty shops, banks, clinics, beauty shops and offices. It is the largest Chinese mall in the United States east of San Francisco and west of New York City. Opened in 1993, Chinatown Square is bordered by Archer Avenue to the south, Princeton Avenue to the west, Wentworth Avenue to the east and China Place to the north. One of Chinatown's most significant landmarks, the Pin Tom Memorial Park, is located to the north of Chinatown Square on the banks of the South Branch of the Chicago River. In the heart of Chinatown Square is the Pan Asian Cultural Center and 12 beautiful, bronze zodiac figures. In addition, the "Chinese in America" mural is located here. It describes the history of Chinese immigrants in the United States as well as Chinese cultural beliefs. It contains 100,000 individually cut pieces of hand-painted glass from China made specifically for this mural. Chinatown Square is a popular destination for tourists who are eager to enjoy such Chinese cuisine as Cantonese, Szechuan, Dim Sum, Thai, Pan Fusion, Asian Fusion and Shanghainese. Stop at Qing Xiang Yuan Dumplings, Shanghai Inn, Chi Cafe, Minhin Cuisine, Min Min Asian Cafe, or St. Anna Bakery & Cafe.
