We’ve been a Chinatown nut since 1995. To understand why, you have to remember that thirty years ago, the local restaurant scene, to the extent it existed at all, was dominated by strip mall Italians and steakhouses so lame that a double-stuffed baked potato was considered a big deal. Regional Chinese cooking was unheard of, and Spring Mountain Road was famous only for its potholes.
Into this sorry state of culinary affairs stepped the Chinatown Plaza, with multiple venues featuring everything from Chinese bbq (Sam Woo’s) to Shanghai dumplings to live seafood in tanks. It was looked at more as a curiosity than a gastronomic destination for over a decade. Desperate for anything that broke the Vegas restaurant mold, we not only ate it up (literally) from the get-go, but also wrote the first article about it (featuring the 99 Ranch Market) for Las Vegas Life magazine. All of this is to say our love for the place runs deep, and we unapologetically assert that no other gwailo has spent as much time there as we have.
Our Chinatown Census Crawl 2026 is the kind of dumb-ass undertaking only a restaurant obsessive would do (GUILTY!) — given the recent explosive growth which renders an accurate count akin to herding cats even as they are spitting out litters. Undaunted, we have spent the last month walking every square inch of Spring Mountain Road (and its side streets) to get an accurate count, and do updated ratings, of all the sit-down restaurants along this three mile stretch.
Keep in mind this was after having done pretty much the same thing (in a more relaxed fashion) for the past thirty years.
A few random notes about our methodology, results and conclusions before we get to the ratings:
> For those interested, Chinatown.com dropped its own census last month, but we daresay it was done (mostly) from the comfort of a computer screen. We and The Food Gal (who can be quite obsessive herself given the right topic), have left no stone unturned, nor doorway ignored, the better to absorb the zeitgeist of what has happened to this neighborhood over the last decade.
> Thirteen years ago we did a similar survey, but no one but us really cared. Back then, we counted 110 restaurants, of which we had eaten in 92. As of March 1, 2026, the number has more than doubled, and now sits at 239 food service outlets, with 169 of those representing real, full-blown restaurants (not tea/dessert shops) coming from six Asian cuisines. Sprinkled among them are a handful of non-Asian places (Partage, Sparrow+Wolf, Amador, et al) who have caught the wave and enhanced the culinary reputation of the neighborhood in the process With all of this in mind, here are a few random thoughts, starting with some unavoidable negativity:
> A LOT of the growth has been in quantity, not quality. Tea shops come and boba — all using the same playbook and appealing strictly to downmarket customers. Trying to catalogue them is a fool’s errand, as many have the half-life of a banana. Sturdier, but no less depressing has been the infestation of seafood slop (e.g. Hot & Juicy Crawfish, et al) and “claw shops” — many of which serve snacks and the ubiquitous tapioca teas to go with the stupidest waste of time since slot machines.
> The dumbing down of Chinatown doesn’t stop with shitty fish, arcades, and super sweet drinks. In lock step with its teenage-i-fication has been the proliferation of AYCE sushi, bottomless Korean bbq, and hot pots galore. Cheap eats has always been the watchword here, but this race to the bottom now threatens to overwhelm the authenticity which made the place famous.
> In this same vein, Big Asian $$$ has planted its corporate REIT paw foursquare along SMR, with big plazas aplenty (about 20 right now) and more on the way.
> Most of these are filled with logos, chain links, and franchises already familiar to the East Asian diaspora — the better for investors to cash in while elbowing out the mom and pops.
> The best places to eat are still locally-owned (with a few exceptions), but you either have to have a keen eye, the nose of a pan-Pacific bloodhound, or a special friend (RAISES HAND) to help you find them. Rule of thumb (with exceptions): The flashier the signage, the worse the food.
> Biggest surprise: It’s called Chinatown (based upon the original plaza constructed in 1995), and but Japanese restaurants now predominate (58 spots/34% of the total), with China (36/21%) and Korea (35/21%) neck and neck for second place among all the Asian eateries. Vietnamese (17/10%) and Thai (8/5%) bring up the rear, while India, Hawaii, and the Philippines are almost invisible. Indonesian/Malaysian food, which used to boast several options, is nonexistent.
> Of the final 239 restaurants counted (including all the dessert and tea shops), I have eaten in 139 (or 58%) of them. (Standing offer: find me anyone who’s eaten in more of Chinatown than I have over the past 30 years and I’ll buy both of you lunch. And by lunch I mean a good lunch.)
> Of course, the final counts are interesting, but given our place in the Las Vegas food firmament, tea needs to be spilled, judgments decreed, and restaurants ranked. So below are the top options up and down Spring Mountain Road. Highly subjective, of course, but also thoroughly researched, for over thirty years. We don’t rate anything we haven’t tried, and most (the vast majority, in fact) have been visited multiple times.
Here is the ratings breakdown and legend, and, as usual, everything comes with the Being John Curtas/Eating Las Vegas guarantee: All opinions valid or your money back!
Three rice bowls: (13)
Excellent. Highly recommended. Often at a price:
Aburiya Raku – Japanese pioneer Mitsuo Endo still sets the izakaya standard.
Amador – Oscar Amador Edo’s take on Spanish-Latin fusion is casual, intimate, and a blast of fun and flavor.
China Mama (original location) – The OG of Chinese pastries is still the best, and we’ve never had anything on the rest of the menu we didn’t love.
8 Ounce Korean Steakhouse – The proper, top-shelf antidote to all the bargain basement beef which has infected the boulevard.
Endo – Exclusive (six seats/twice nightly), very expensive, and magnificent.
Kaiseki Sanga – Dinner and a show, aimed at those who eat by Instagram, but even serious sushi hounds will find plenty to love.
Kaiseki Yuzu – Elegant, subdued, refined, like a small slice of Shinjuku tucked away where only the aficionados can find it.
Kame – Serious stuff at a serious price, not advised for anyone allergic to truffles, caviar, or gold leaf with their fish.
Le Club by Partage – Casual, champagne-focused adjunct to its epicurean sibling next door, serving slices and sips of France before or after your sushi.
Partage – We’re so over tasting menus (#grumpyoldman), but there’s no denying Yuri Szarzewski’s seasonal menus are some of the tastiest in town.
Shanghai Taste – Everyone claims the best xiao long bao, but Jimmy Li’s are the only ones we dream of.
Sparrow + Wolf – No one thought a gastronomic, non-Asian restaurant could succeed in Chinatown until Brian Howard proved them wrong. Simply stunning Asian-inflected, Euro-American bistro cooking, also with one of the best steaks in Vegas.
Yui Edomae Sushi – If pristine, Tokyo-style fish on rice is your thing (without the pyrotechnics and cartwheels of its competition), then locate this demure door off of Arville Ave. and enter a world of sushi like it’s supposed to be.
Two rice bowls: (28)
88 Noodle Papa
Banchan (take-out only, but our Korean friends swear by it)
BBQ King
Capital Seafood
Cō Anh
Crown Bakery
Fuku Burger
Gabi Coffee
Gyu Sandos
Hobak Korean BBQ
Honey Pig
Ichiza
It’s Izakaya
Kare Japanese Curry
Kung Fu Thai & Chinese
Moobongri Soondae
Noodlehead
Oonigiri Okinawa
Pho Kim Long
Q Bistro
Ramen Show
Ramen Sora
Ramen Tatsu
Roma Deli (only if you insist upon eating Italian in an Asian neighborhood)
POP! Café (ignore the kids, get the pizza ∧, and thank us later)
Shigotonin
Shinjuku Ramen
Silver Lake Ramen
Taiwan Deli
Tang Tang Tang
Ten Seconds Yunan Rice Noodle
Xiao Long Dumpling
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Japanese restaurants
Top 3:
Sakura Sushi
Hachi
Nisei Bar & Grill – Gastro Pub
Ramen Tatsu
Ramen Boys
Sanga Kaiseki
Samurai Japanese BBQ
Sumo A.Y.C.E. Sushi
888 Japanese BBQ Premium AYCE
Chamon
Zen Japanese Curry
Monta Noodles
Nakamura-Ya
Kabuto
Hanare Ichiza
Hashi
Tora Japanese Katsu 7 Curry
Imperial Sushi Seafood Buffet
Shigotonin
It’s Izakaya
Yohama Noodles
Neko AYCE Sushi & Massage
Neko Supremo
EKI Ramen
Kame
Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House
Kura Sushi
Pepper Lunch
Oonigiri Okinawa
Kare Japanese Curry
Yui Edomai Sushi
Shinjuku Ramen
Silver Lake Ramen
Taru Sushi
Kaya Sushi
Ichiza
Sushi Time
Ramen Show
Gyu Sandos
Ton Shou Katsu & Izakaya
Miu Japanese BBQ
Yama Sushi
Shokku Ramen
Izakaya Go
PokeMan
Ramen Sora
Shin-Sen-Gumi
It’s Sushi
Shabuya
Sapporo Revolving Sushi
Shabu Rokka
Nabe Hot Pot
Oden Spicy Hot Pot
Chubby Skewers
Chubby Cattle A.Y.C.E. Japanese BBQ
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Chinese restaurants
Top 3:
China MaMa (Original location)
Hong Lou
BBQ Garden Chinese Kitchen
Noodlehead
Hunan Rice Noodle
Chubby Cattle Mongolian Hot Pot
Asian BBQ & Noodle (closed Fridays #wtf)
Special Noodle
Ten Seconds Yunan Rice Noodle
The Noodle Man
Fortune
Hong Kong Garden
S K Seafood
Dim Sumlicious
BBQ King
Xiang Wei Xuan
Malatown
Yunnan Tasty Garden
Dan Noodle (see pic above)
Fish With You
China Mama (Shanghai Plaza)
Shanghai Taste
88 Noodle Papa
Bowl of Fortune
Taiwan Deli
Pot Master
Pot On Fire
Xiao Long Dumpling
Noodle Pot
All Seasons
Capital Seafood
Hot Point Malatang Hot Pot
Chengdu Taste
Rice To-Go
Korean restaurants
Top 3:
Yi’s Traditional Korean Beef Soup
Banchan
Seoul Korean Restaurant
(Unrecognizable Korean writing only food court restaurant)
Hot Tofu
K Chiken
Lee’s Korean BBQ
777 Korean Restaurant
Bul & Gogi Korean BBQ
Q Bistro
Moobongri
Hwaro 2 Korean AYCE
ChoJang Korean Hot Pot
Hwaro Korean AYCE
Captain 6 Hot Pot & AYCE Korean BBQ
Hobak Korean BBQ
Seoul Tofu
Tang Korean
Master Kim’s Korean
Jin Jin
Tofu Hut
Mr. BBQ Korean P.A.Y.C.E.
Doya Korean Pancake
BBQ Chicken
CrunCheese
Nalsoo Korean BBQ
Korean Garden
Mr. Tofu
888 Korean BBQ A.Y.C.E.
Jinju Gomtang Korean
Honey Pig
8 Ounce Korean Steakhouse
Garionban Korean Restaurant
Jjamppong Zizon
Vietnamese restaurants:
Top 3:
Pho Beyond
Pho Thanh
Viet Noodle Bar
Pho 79 DC
Pho & More
Pho 90
Pho Vietnam
Pho Kim Long
Lee’s Sandwiches
Baguette Factory & Euro-Asian Sandwiches
Pho Bac Bac
Pho Concept (Pho So 1)
Pho 7
Dan Han Banh Mi
Thai Restaurants:
Top 3:
Weera Thai (Shanghai Plaza)
Bangkok Street Food
Jipata
Kao Gang Thai Food
Kung Fu Thai & Chinese
Lamaii
Lulla Bar Thai Fusion
Weera Thai
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…from the Chinatown Boyz:
