City Cast Chicago logo

Get to Know Chinatown

Posted on February 14, 2024   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
Sidney Madden

Sidney Madden

A crowd of people walking in Chicago's Chinatown

Chicago’s Chinatown. (Courtesy of Jack Li)

Headed to Chinatown for the Lunar New Year Parade Sunday? Here’s what to know and where to go.



Chinatown moved from the Loop to the South Side in the 1900s. And its distance from downtown is why Chicago’s Chinatown continues to grow while other cities’ shrink, Pui Tak Center’s David Wu told ABC7.



Photographer Jack X. Li spent a lot of time in the neighborhood growing up since both his parents worked there. He shares his fav spots.

Something to Eat

Something to Drink

  • 🍸 Nine Bar is a wonderful cocktail bar by Lily Wang and Joe Briglio. It’s been on many best-of lists for good reason! The drinks are complex, delightful, and highlight a variety of Asian ingredients such as Sichuan peppercorn and baijiu.

Something to See

  • 🚶 Walk down the main stretch of Wentworth to look at some of the Chinese-style facades of the buildings, most of which date back to the early 1900s, including the prominent Pui Tak Center.
  • 🧭 Follow Wentworth north to Ping Tom Park to take in some of the beautiful murals that adorn the supports underneath the 18th Street bridge.

Share article

Hey Chicago

Stay connected to City Cast Chicago and get ready to join the local conversation.

Can't subscribe? Turn off your ad blocker and try again.

The latest in Chicago

Chicago, ExplainedAugust 21

Take This Week's Chicago News Trivia Quiz

How closely were you paying attention to this week's current events in Chicago? Test yourself in our weekly trivia quiz.

A man in a cubs uniform bracing for a man in a white sox stealing a base
Keep It LocalAugust 20

How Transit Tees Turns Chicago’s Quirks Into Board Games

From board games about the city’s history to puzzles of iconic maps to card decks featuring local wildlife, Transit Tees’ teams of creato...

A person writing on a gridded paper that says "Chicago 1893" There's also a board game with an assortment of different houses for the board game on it. There is also A bowl of popcorn and a soda on the table
Keep It LocalAugust 20

Your Guide to Chicago’s Toy Stores

From vintage toys to a workshop series for aspiring toy inventors, Here's a list of places that’ll help you spoil the kids in your life a...

A table with an assortment of different stuffed animals
Keep It LocalAugust 13

Your Guide to Chicago’s Stationery Stores

Whether you’re actually going back to school soon or you just love analog hobbies, these local shops will help you find all kinds of stat...

A large group of people inside a store. They are looking at an assortment of items
Food & DrinkAugust 13

5 New Spots to Dine and Drink

Chicago is hot AF right now — and so is the dining scene. These recent openings have caught our eye.

A room with velvet drapes on every wall. On the ceiling there are chandeliers and people are sitting at a booth
Keep It LocalAugust 13

Family-Run Atlas Stationers Has Supplied Chicago’s Pens For Decades

For decades, the family-run shop delivered office supplies in bulk to offices in the Loop.

The outside of a brick building, the sign says "Atlas Stationers Inc"
Keep It LocalAugust 6

Your Guide to Dog-Friendly Patios

Want to enjoy patio weather, but hate leaving your pup at home? Check out our guide on the best dog-friendly patios in Chicago.

A curly-haired golden doodle wearing a harness steps into a small blue kiddie pool filled with colorful beach balls at a dog-friendly outdoor patio, with diners seated under blue and white striped umbrellas in the background.
Keep It LocalJuly 30

Why Creatives Love Epiphany Center for the Arts

Five years ago, a group of artists transformed a shuttered, historic church at 201 S. Ashland Ave. into Epiphany Center for the Arts. Sin...

An indoor space with hanging lights and a wood floor. The walls are short but the roof is very tall. There are small remnants of a church left like the windows