Before I begin my review, I must admit that I have been to many China Towns in North America including Victoria, Los Angeles, Montreal and most frequently, Toronto. This one, with the exception of the lovely gate, was a disappointment. I realize the prominence of this area has changed with more commerce outside of the downtown, but given Vancouver's extensive population with Asian backgrounds, I expected more. There were a few good tea stores selling excellent specialty tea. The rest of the are had an air of neglect. The few stores that were open and displaying their goods, were separated by many closed and neglected storefronts. If you are intending to dine in the area, there are few options. A couple of bakeries and some BBQ restaurants comprise most of the dining options. Unfortunately, the area borders some of Vancouver's more challenging areas which spill over into China Town. If you have been to other spots in North America, you can probably give this a miss.

I had been to various other chinatowns globally (even one located in Tokyo Japan) but this one was far more run down and several of the businesses looked abandoned or just weren't opened. However, the shops we did see were very nice and we ate at a great Ramen place where everything was cooked fresh. They had wonderful service and were extremely friendly. It was also nice to be away from all the crowds briefly in gastown. The biggest downside was the homeless population. It's definitely not the safest place for families with children. We avoided certain streets and no one bothered us though. If you are curious it's definitely not a bad place to go, but I preferred my experience in other cities.

I first visited 20 years ago and had a really good experience there. Lots of shops open and it had the feel of a great community spirit. My visit this August was pitiful. Hundreds of drug users are concentrated in this area blocking the sidewalks. Such a pity for this community and their businesses.

Only experienced this briefly as part of a bus tour, but it came across somewhat sketchy and not a place that I would rush back to. Many shops appeared "non genuine" i.e. possibly pitched at tourists and a real china town vibe appeared to be missing. The side lanes certainly seemed like they may be best avoided.

There are some fantastic restaurants in this area that are well worth visiting. However be aware that this area has massive homeless and drug abuse problems. We visited the area a couple of times for the food and we were never approached or bothered by the locals but the desperation and obvious social deprivation of people in is area is distressing. We were shocked at the scale of the problem.