1. San Francisco
Founded in the 1840s as a safe haven for Chinese immigrants and laborers, San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest and largest Chinese community in North America. According to the latest statistics gathered from the U.S. and local census bureaus, roughly 200,000 people reside in this densely populated neighborhood which in recent years has spilled over into neighboring North Beach, Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill and Nob Hill. Grant Avenue is Chinatown's main shopping thoroughfare, lined with hundreds of colorful shops, restaurants, Dim Sum Tea Houses and pagoda-roofed buildings. On Stockton Street are an equally impressive number of groceries, herbal and medicinal shops, while art studios and family associations pack its many quaint alleyways. Chinatown is Northern California's most visited destination, drawing more visitors annually than either the Golden Gate Bridge or Fisherman's Wharf. It is also the region's most important hub for Chinese commerce, arts, music, and culture. Its best known attraction is the annual Chinese New Year's Parade, the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Crowded and bustling, this is a great walking Chinatown with an incredible atmosphere. It is also one of the cleaner ones we've seen. As the very first Chinese settlement in North America, its historical importance to the Chinese Diaspora throughout the continent cannot be emphasized enough. It is without reservation, therefore, that we have chosen San Francisco's Chinatown as our TOP PICK on this list.
2. Vancouver
Although most of the area's Chinese population reside in neighboring Richmond, the second largest Chinatown in North America has managed to retain its distinct identity. Lying just to the east of historic Gastown, Chinatown's main business district runs between an area from Columbia to Gore Streets. Herbal and gift stores along Pender, and restaurants and sidewalk markets selling fresh fish, fruit and vegetables on Keefer are some of the best to be found in any Chinatown. The origins of Canada's most populous Chinatown goes back to the founding of Vancouver when migrant workers were brought in to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. In the 1970s, the city proposed to tear down the neighborhood and replacing it with a freeway. This plan was met with fierce opposition and Chinatown was ultimately saved. To the tens of thousands of Cantonese speakers living in the area today, Chinatown is still the best place to go for dining and shopping.
3. Kobe
Walking south of Kobe's Motomachi Station, Chinatown (or "Nankinmachi") comes into view. With scores of colorful shops, restaurants, ornate archways and pavillion, Nankinmachi is probably the most beautiful Chinatown in the world after San Francisco's. There's an emphasis on food here, as its Chinese cuisine is one of the best in Japan. The smell of pork buns and steamed dumplings pervades throughout the area. There are numerous eating options to choose from, either indoors or with the many street vendors. Most restaurants actually have food stands set up in front of their shop, offering the same high quality foods and snacks at lower prices. Groceries, furniture, gift and herbal shops with color-soaked displays offer a wide variety of goods and items to choose from. Unlike the claustrophic narrow alleyways of its larger counterpart in Yokohama, the streets of this Japanese Chinatown affords a little more elbow room. Taking a stroll along Nankinmachi's main thoroughfare evokes images of Nanking, the Chinese city of which Nankinmachi take its name from. Not only is Nankinmachi arguably the best compact Chinatown in the world, we think it's one of the best overall.
4. Bangkok
With roughly twenty percent of Bangkok's population consisting of either ethnic Chinese or some form of Chinese ancestry, it is inconceivable to overlook its historic Chinatown. Nestled near the banks of the Chao Phraya River southeast of Rattanakosin, Chinatown was settled there in the late 1780s after Chinese merchants were forced to relocate in order to facilitate the building of the Grand Palace. The Sampeng area is considered the heart of Chinatown. The stretch of Sampeng Lane that runs from Thanon Ratchawong to Thanon Mangkong is home to all kinds of shops and street vendors imaginable, from cheap clothing and footwear, to Chinese confectionary, jewelry and cosmetics. Soi Itsaraphap is Chinatown's most interesting street. Talad Kuo and Talad Mai, two of the city's best known markets can be found here. They offer high quality fresh food ingredients, such as meat, fish, and vegetables and are usually overflowing with crowds during the Chinese New Year. Walking along the bustling, incense-filled alleyways, taking in the fantastic sights, sounds, and smells, Bangkok Chinatown is definitely is one of our favorites.
5. Yokohama
Known as "Chukagai" in Japanese, (or "Middle Kingdom Street"), Yokohama's Chinatown 18 miles south of Tokyo is the largest in Japan. Consisting of a dozen blocks or so within its five main gates, it is home to roughly 10,000 residents, as well and 150 shops and restaurants. With herbal and tea shops, it is one of the best places in Japan to find Chinese sweets, sundries, and other exotic food items from other parts of Asia. It's focal point is Kantei-byo, a temple dedicated to the Chinese goddess Kuan Yu that marks the center of Chinatown. It also played an important role in its support of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Chinese revolutionary movement during his exile in Japan.
6. London
Hedged in between SoHo and Leicester Square just to the east of Picadilly Square is London's Chinatown, the largest in the U.K. Along Gerrard Street and parallel Lisle Street are Chinese grocers, restaurants, and stores. Adorned with Chinese street lamps and beautiful Chinese archways, Gerrard Street is the heart of this compact, but bustling Chinatown. Herbal and medicinal shops can be found throughout, and there is also a weekend food market on Sundays. Established in the 1950s, this is the second location for Chinatown. The original Chinatown in the East End neighborhood of Limehouse was severely damaged by bombing during the Second World War.
7. New York
Rounding off our list at no. 7 is New York's Chinatown in Manhattan. Once the largest Chinese community in North America, New York's Chinatown has seen drastic social and economic changes within the past decade; It has shrunk by as much as thirty percent according to some estimates. Despite such alarming decreases, the area's established, older parts south of Canal and west of the Bowery have been minimally affected. Pell and Mott Sts. are lined with fruit and vegetable stands, and some of the best (and worst) restaurants in the city. Canal St. is home to various herbal and cheap gift shops. This area is well-known for illegal knock-off designer brands and high-pressure street hawkers who try to pedal these wares to unsuspecting tourists. Frankly, a Chinatown this size should be ranked higher, but we found it very difficult to do so for obvious reasons: It's dirty, filthy, gritty, and generally speaking, it's a magnet for criminal activity. We have seen cleaner Chinatowns in third-world countries, and such appalling conditions in the richest city of the world's richest nation is inexcusable.
Did not make the cut: Sydney, Toronto, Melbourne, Los Angeles
Sydney actually came close to making the list in place of New York. In the end, the declining giant had still enough left to fend off the small upstart.