China Town
China Town
3.5
10:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Monday
10:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Tuesday
10:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Wednesday
10:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Thursday
10:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Friday
10:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Saturday
10:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Sunday
10:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience China Town and nearby attractions
The area
How to get there
- Chinatown • 2 min walk
- Franklin Square • 5 min walk
Best nearby
Restaurants
2,990 within 5 kms
Attractions
700 within 10 kms
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
3.5
132 reviews
Excellent
26
Very good
53
Average
33
Poor
17
Terrible
3
Vicki A
Brunswick, Md.1,317 contributions
Jul 2020
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to China Town in Philadelphia, PA. We went on a Saturday morning. We found it not as crowded as we thought it would be. We found it very interesting to walk around and see the shops and the activity.....grocery store hussel and bussel, traffic, just all of it. We did find one souvenir shop open and we loved shopping and purchasing in that store. Covid precautions were in place, which we appreciated. We wore our masks. Most people on the street were wearing their masks, Thank you to those folks. Hand sanitizer was readily available and we were asked to use that in the shop when we went in. The arch it beautiful. When in Philly you need to go visit here. LOTS of great restaurants!!
Written July 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sandy J
199 contributions
May 2016 • Couples
I've been here about 48 times already and tried almost all the restaurants!
So here's the run down of the China towns in the East Coast. The biggest one is of course NYC which is split into two parts (the touristy one in Canal where you still see the lanterns and stuff but it feels a little too westernized these days except on Saturdays when you see grannies and little kids at music lessons and with small turtles and the new MAIN one in Flushing, NYC where all the Chinese people live and you feel like you're actually in like China-- i'm sure there are people literally fresh off the boat/plane etc and don't speak english here). Philly's Chinatown gets top 5 for sure. Idk about Boston's yet but Atlanta takes top 5 as well.
Philly's chinatown I would say is more of a restaurant cluster. It's not so much about the old men playing Chinese checkers as some other Chinatowns do, but really the volume and density of restaurants crammed onto Race, 9th, Arch, Cherry, 10th, and 11th. The cross roads of 10th and Cherry is the central. You can't really go wrong with any restaurant here on this street. They are all pretty authentic and good. If they sucked, they would be ousted by the fierce competition in seconds.
This is not exactly the place to do like touristy stuff and learn about culture. If you come on festivals like the Chinese new Years or Lunar New years, you might get a chance to see festivities then, but otherwise this place has aboue 3 legit grocery stores with good prices for Chinese groceries, about 50 restaurants squished between Reading Terminal Market to the Grey hound terminal and some near the African American museum. You can do some cute modern totoro and Asian anime shopping but your better bet is online. If you come in the mornings before 12, esp on Saturday you'll see older women on the corners selling plants and some kitchenware. That really gives a more homey feel I think. Most evenings is crowded with young people and truly these restaurants are catered to the young so you'll see a bigger crowd of College kids than older men/women.
For food suggestions, I recommend doing dim sum in brunch before 3 p.m time. Empress Garden is not bad. Dim Sum Garden is good but the line are long. If you want unlimited barbecue,, do nineting but make sure you come hungry. For good hand drawn noodles, Nanzhou is not bad. If you want good cheap Vietnamese, there's a good place on 9th and Race, across from Nineting. I dont know what it's called but for 8$ you get good food and it's very crowded and all the local Viets go here.
Desserts? I recommend if you like the breads, do Mong Kok bakery. You can even buy 12 get 2 free! Their bubble tea here is so so though. If you want something more refreshing, there's this red king barbecue or something across from Nineting, I recommend the 7 treasures dessert. It's got watermelon cubes, rice, peanuts, and it's very crisp and fresh and not at all heavy unless you're sensitive to glutinous rice. Try Glutinous sesame rice balls if you're at this Shanghai dumpling restaurant. It's like 8 for 3$ and its nice and large ones. Bubble tea? They are all about the same depending on the price you want to pay. The more bread traditional bakeries will sell their bubble teas for like 2$ or less but may have less options. If y ou want the fancier stores, get ready to fork up 3-4$.
So here's the run down of the China towns in the East Coast. The biggest one is of course NYC which is split into two parts (the touristy one in Canal where you still see the lanterns and stuff but it feels a little too westernized these days except on Saturdays when you see grannies and little kids at music lessons and with small turtles and the new MAIN one in Flushing, NYC where all the Chinese people live and you feel like you're actually in like China-- i'm sure there are people literally fresh off the boat/plane etc and don't speak english here). Philly's Chinatown gets top 5 for sure. Idk about Boston's yet but Atlanta takes top 5 as well.
Philly's chinatown I would say is more of a restaurant cluster. It's not so much about the old men playing Chinese checkers as some other Chinatowns do, but really the volume and density of restaurants crammed onto Race, 9th, Arch, Cherry, 10th, and 11th. The cross roads of 10th and Cherry is the central. You can't really go wrong with any restaurant here on this street. They are all pretty authentic and good. If they sucked, they would be ousted by the fierce competition in seconds.
This is not exactly the place to do like touristy stuff and learn about culture. If you come on festivals like the Chinese new Years or Lunar New years, you might get a chance to see festivities then, but otherwise this place has aboue 3 legit grocery stores with good prices for Chinese groceries, about 50 restaurants squished between Reading Terminal Market to the Grey hound terminal and some near the African American museum. You can do some cute modern totoro and Asian anime shopping but your better bet is online. If you come in the mornings before 12, esp on Saturday you'll see older women on the corners selling plants and some kitchenware. That really gives a more homey feel I think. Most evenings is crowded with young people and truly these restaurants are catered to the young so you'll see a bigger crowd of College kids than older men/women.
For food suggestions, I recommend doing dim sum in brunch before 3 p.m time. Empress Garden is not bad. Dim Sum Garden is good but the line are long. If you want unlimited barbecue,, do nineting but make sure you come hungry. For good hand drawn noodles, Nanzhou is not bad. If you want good cheap Vietnamese, there's a good place on 9th and Race, across from Nineting. I dont know what it's called but for 8$ you get good food and it's very crowded and all the local Viets go here.
Desserts? I recommend if you like the breads, do Mong Kok bakery. You can even buy 12 get 2 free! Their bubble tea here is so so though. If you want something more refreshing, there's this red king barbecue or something across from Nineting, I recommend the 7 treasures dessert. It's got watermelon cubes, rice, peanuts, and it's very crisp and fresh and not at all heavy unless you're sensitive to glutinous rice. Try Glutinous sesame rice balls if you're at this Shanghai dumpling restaurant. It's like 8 for 3$ and its nice and large ones. Bubble tea? They are all about the same depending on the price you want to pay. The more bread traditional bakeries will sell their bubble teas for like 2$ or less but may have less options. If y ou want the fancier stores, get ready to fork up 3-4$.
Written July 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Slythe777
136 contributions
Feb 2020
Apart from that, there are a lot of what seem to be authentic Asian eateries and markets in the neighborhood if you are into that.
Written February 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
michael m
Ft. Myers78 contributions
Jun 2016 • Friends
We have dear friends who are Chinese and know Chinatown, like the back of their hand. With their guidance we have experienced a plethora of superb Chinese cuisine. Our friends are very well known in Chinatown and they get excellent service and special dishes prepared just for them. We have been fortunate to sample the very best. We have indulged ourselves in delicious Chinese baked goods, soup shops and specialty stores. Even without having your own personal guide a visit to Chinatown is well worth the effort. Though not as big as New York's or San Francisco Philadelphia's Chinatown is still noteworthy and very interesting. Also, one can find superb Japanese and Vietnamese restaurants and bubble tea shops. Do give it a try when in Philadelphia!
Written July 14, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TommyBoy94
Philadelphia, PA657 contributions
Mar 2014 • Couples
No. it's not San Francisco, but there are plenty of good shops and markets selling food and goods you can't get elsewhere. There are plenty of funky but tasty restaurants to choose from and many offer excellent parking. Id rate this neighborhood below the Chinatown's on the west coast, below Boston, way below New York and a notch above the one in D.C. Worth a trip and don't ignore the Vietnamese places either.
Written June 22, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CullenOCD
Kingston, Canada93 contributions
Sep 2013
We spent a couple of hours in china town. My daughter loved all the great shops. Plenty of restaurants to choose from. It was very interesting seeing all the items in the shops People were for friendly and helpful
Written November 27, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pablin78
Buenos Aires, Argentina104 contributions
Sep 2013 • Solo
this is the third biggest chinatown in US, and the fifth in the continent. I walked it from one corner to the other. it is worth it. restaurants chinesse, birmanese, thai, vietnamese. you can choose whatever you like to try. the archway on 10st and arch street its a must. you wont miss it
Written September 9, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LWL3333
Wellington, FL17,965 contributions
May 2013 • Friends
Do not miss eating dim sum in Chinatown. Best bet would be on Saturday or Sunday at lunchtime. You will see lots of multi-generational Asian families enjoying the somewhat unusual offerings. Carts navigate between the tables of the large restaurant halls. The scene is great for people-watching. Don't miss the arch marking the entrance to Chinatown.
Written May 16, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christine H
Lancaster, PA192 contributions
Dec 2019
Markets, restaurants live fish, lobster, crabs, exotic fruits. All of this is what you can see in China town. Lots of different restaurants to chose from. We chose Daves tonight and the food was awesome!
Written December 21, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bonnie C
28 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
This was one of our hop on hop off spots. We had lunch at one of the places to eat. The food was good and the cost was about the same as any other place we would have chosen. We each had a soup and a meal and it was about $30. Lots of interesting shops to look in and browse if you have the time.
Written April 15, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi we are looking for a good restaurant to go to on New Year's Day for dinner. We like a variety of Asian food but also some regular Chinese. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated
Written December 31, 2017
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