One Of America's Best Chinatowns Is A Unique New England Beauty With A More Intimate Feel

At just 137 acres, Boston's Chinatown is not a leg-testing walk. In fact, its intimate feel is part of the appeal of New England's last surviving historically Chinese neighborhood. But its two-tenths square mile is packed with treasures, making it one of the best Chinatowns across America.

Though not as large as the must-visit, endangered Chinatown in Philadelphia, the Boston neighborhood greets travelers with an ornate paifang, or Chinese archway. Known as the China Trade Gate, it wasn't added to the neighborhood until 1988, but it quickly became a symbol of the city's diversity.

Boston's South Cove came to be a Chinatown in the 1870s, when Chinese men began moving east to evade the rampant racism that they encountered when they arrived on the West Coast. But they were met with hardship in Boston, too. They established laundry businesses when they weren't hired for construction and factory positions. By the 1880s, markets, restaurants, and other businesses were cropping up to serve the growing Chinese population.

Due to its pocket-sized footprint, even lifelong residents agree that there isn't much to do in Boston's Chinatown besides eat. But that doesn't mean that there isn't much to experience. It's just mostly edible.

Start the day at a bakery. 180 Café opens at 6:30 a.m. daily, and you're likely to see older locals camped out at an outdoor table playing cards. There are inexpensive buns and reasonably priced dim sum, soup dumplings, steamed spare ribs, and chicken feet, and it has a 4.6-star rating on Google. Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant, another excellent choice for the morning hours, has 4.0 stars on Tripadvisor. Break your fast with a hot Ovaltine, a bowl of congee, and a custard bun, all for less than $10.

But don't fill up on the most important meal of the day. The perhaps too-aptly named Double Chin offers fun, full-bodied Asian-fusion dishes from 11:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. on weekends and more normal hours during the week. The menu includes a blend of world traditions that globe trot, from ramen-crusted fried chicken to bacon-crumbled mac and cheese made with flat, wide chow fun rice noodles. But there are also more traditional dishes, such as Cantonese-style roast duck and spicy Kung Pao chicken. It has 3.9 stars on Google.

Whereas some Chinatowns, such as Seattle's diverse neighborhood paradise, have historic hotels to help soak in the culture, Boston's Chinatown has only two options: the Harmony Medical Suites Chinatown and Global Luxury Suites on Harrison Ave. Both have low ratings, but remember that Chinatown is a small area in the heart of downtown Boston — there are countless options within a few-mile radius. For example, the Tripadvisor 4.4-star Traveler's Choice Award-winning Revolution Hotel is less than a mile away. 

On the edge of Chinatown, you'll also find the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The public park is an excellent place to see free art, created by a worldly array of masters. There's also a carousel, green spaces for fitness classes, and frequent events such as the Greenway Artisan Market. Do it all on a stomach filled in one of Chinatown's restaurants, or grab a bite at one of the rotating food trucks at the park.

But the truth, most likely, is that you're in Chinatown to eat. It makes sense, then, to wrap up your day with some bubble tea and dessert. Bao Bao Bakery has 4.4 stars on Google, and eye-popping treats such as zebra-striped lychee-chocolate mousse and ube-strawberry custard cake. Boston's Chinatown may not be one of our country's largest, but the ease of getting to know it is just part of its appeal.