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 census 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 firm count of what will always be a moving target –and to give you updated ratings of all the sit-down restaurants we deem worthy 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. Their count was 248 restaurants/food service outlets, so there is a slight disagreement between us. We attribute this to some closures of some small places they counted, and few tiny storefronts we probably missed.
> 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, we counted 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. No matter whose count you accept, we can all agree that the growth here has been explosive and has more than doubled in the past decade. 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:
888 Japanese BBQ Premium AYCE
Chamon
Chubby Cattle A.Y.C.E. Japanese BBQ
Chubby Skewers
EKI Ramen
Endo
Gyu Sandos
Hachi Izakaya
Hanare Ichiza
Hashi Ramen
Ichiza
Imperial Sushi Seafood Buffet
It’s Izakaya
It’s Sushi
Izakaya Go
Kabuto
Kaiseki Yuzu
Kame
Kare Japanese Curry
Kaya Sushi
Kura Sushi
Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House
Miu Japanese BBQ
Monta Noodles
Nabe Hot Pot
Nakamura-Ya
Neko AYCE Sushi & Massage
Neko Supremo
Nisei Bar & Grill – Gastro Pub
Oden Spicy Hot Pot
Oonigiri Okinawa
Pepper Lunch
PokeMan
Raku Izakaya
Ramen Boys
Ramen Show
Ramen Sora
Ramen Tatsu
Sakura Sushi
Samurai Japanese BBQ
Sanga Kaiseki
Sapporo Revolving Sushi
Shabu Rokka
Shabuya
Shigotonin
Shinjuku Ramen
Shin-Sen-Gumi
Shokku Ramen
Silver Lake Ramen
Sumo A.Y.C.E. Sushi
Sushi Time
Taru Sushi
Ton Shou Katsu & Izakaya
Tora Japanese Katsu 7 Curry
Yama Sushi
Yohama Noodles
Yui Edomae Sushi
Zen Japanese Curry
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Chinese restaurants
Top 3:
China MaMa (Original location)
88 Noodle Papa
All Seasons
Asian BBQ & Noodle
BBQ Garden Chinese Kitchen
BBQ King
Bowl of Fortune
Capital Seafood
Chengdu Taste
China Mama – (original location)
China Mama – (Shanghai Plaza)
Chubby Cattle Mongolian Hot Pot
Dan Noodle
Dim Sumlicious
Fish With You
Fortune
Hong Kong Garden
Hong Lou
Hot Point Malatang Hot Pot
Hunan Rice Noodle
Malatown
New Asian BBQ
Noodle Pot
Noodlehead
Palette Tea Lounge
Pot Master
Pot On Fire
Rice To-Go
S K Seafood
Shanghai Taste
Special Noodle
Taiwan Deli
Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle
The Noodle Man
Xiang Wei Xuan
Xiao Long Dumpling
Yunnan Tasty Garden
Korean restaurants
Top 3:
Yi’s Traditional Korean Beef Soup
(unrecognizable writing Korean only)
777 Korean Restaurant
8 Ounce Korean Steakhouse
888 Korean BBQ A.Y.C.E.
Banchan
BBQ Chicken
Bul & Gogi Korean BBQ
Captain 6 Hot Pot & AYCE Korean BBQ
ChoJang Korean Hot Pot
CrunCheese
Doya Korean Pancake
Garionban Korean Restaurant
Hobak Korean BBQ
Honey Pig
Hot Tofu
Hwaro 2 Korean AYCE
Hwaro Korean AYCE
Jin Jin
Jinju Gomtang Korean
Jjamppong Zizon
K Chiken
Korean Garden
Lee’s Korean BBQ
Master Kim’s Korean
Moobongri Soondae’
Mr. BBQ Korean P.A.Y.C.E.
Mr. Tofu
Nalsoo Korean BBQ
Q Bistro
Seoul Korean Restaurant
Seoul Tofu
Tang Korean
Tang Tang Tang
Tofu Hut
Yi’s Traditional Korean Beef Soup
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Vietnamese restaurants:
Top 3:
Baguette Factory & Euro-Asian Sandwiches
Lee’s Sandwiches
Pho Beyond
Pho Thanh
Viet Noodle Bar
Pho 79 DC
Pho & More
Pho 90
Pho Vietnam
Pho Kim Long
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
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
…from the Chinatown Boyz:
(Let’s taco about how good these are..)
(The 70s called, they want their color scheme back)
(Ash Watkins, calling all Ottomans!)
(Muchas gracias, Julian!)
(When you get a hankerin’ for Hunanese)
(Mitsuo Endo at work)
(At half off, you can’t beat this meat)
(Meat me at Mae Daly’s)
(Seafood risotto at La Rosetta, Roma)
(Off-menu “Bodega” at Vesta)
(You knead to know, Esther’s spreads don’t loaf around.)
(4 words: carb-o-nar-a)
(Seppia – baby calamari a la plancha at Matteo’s)
(Beef, it’s what’s for dinner)
(Tibia honest with you, The Food Gal® often strays from the straight and marrow, which I find fibulous. She says I bone this way out of proportion, which is more than a little humerus.)
(Beware: too much of this great hummus can make you falafal.)