shopping reference guide

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This shopping reference guide will help you navigate through the Chinatowns of Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver like a local. Fluency in Chinese is not required. With an adventurous spirit and a few friendly hand gestures, you can locate and buy all of the ingredients and supplies described in Good Luck Life to observe the most popular Chinese holidays and rites of passage. Auntie Lao has personally visited the businesses listed below and they have earned her ho-ho (good-good) shopping and eating seals of approval.

          Los Angeles
          New York
          San Francisco
          Seattle
          Vancouver
          Toronto


LOS ANGELES CHINATOWN, CA, USA
Downtown LA Chinatown is referred to as “new” Chinatown because it was a community that was uprooted and rebuilt in 1938 to accommodate the city’s Union Station. The result is the only “planned” Chinatown in North America. With the recent waves of immigration, LA Chinatown now offers a diverse Asian experience that includes Vietnamese, Thai, Laotian, and other Southeast Asian restaurants and businesses in addition to Chinese. A good place to begin your visit is at Central Plaza between the East and West gates on Broadway and Hill streets. It’s the center for many cultural celebrations including the Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn festivals. The greater Los Angeles area also has thriving Asian communities in Alhambra, Monterey Park, Hacienda Heights, and Rosemead.

Chinese Banquet Restaurants
Empress Pavilion Restaurant
Bamboo Plaza
988 N. Hill Street, 2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.617.9898
Chinese Bakeries
Phoenix Bakery Inc.
969 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.628.4642
NBC Seafood Restaurant
404 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
626.282.2323
Queens Bakery
809 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.622.9749
Ocean Star Restaurant
145 N. Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
626.308.2128
Diamond Bakery
744 W. Garvey Avenue
Monterey Park, CA 91754
626.289.5172
  Kee Wah Bakery
729 W. Garvey Avenue
Monterey Park, CA 91754
626.281.2680
Dried Goods and Herbal Products
Far East Center
734 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.617.0020
Chinese Groceries
Wing Hop Fung Ginseng and
China Products Center
Far East Plaza
727 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.346.9688
Hing-Fat Company
718 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.613.0365
Ranch 99 Markets
www.99ranch.com
Ten Chain Company
724 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.626.6371
 
Chinese Florist
Carnation Florists and Gifts
809 N. Hill Street #F
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.893.1688
Chinese Printing
Artype Printing
985 North Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.613.1930
  Sunshine Printing & Stationary
982 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.629.2706
Spiritual Supplies
Win Sense Trading Co.
800 N. Broadway #D
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.625.1517
Points of Interest
Chinese American Museum of LA
425 N. Los Angeles St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.485.8567
www.camla.org
(Buddhist supplies can also be
found in Asian supermarkets)
LA Chinatown Heritage & Visitors Center/Chinese Historical Society of So. CA
411 & 415 Bernard Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
323.222.1918
www.chssc.org

 

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NEW YORK CHINATOWN, NY, USA
New York City’s Chinatown is located on Manhattan’s lower east side and loosely concentrated within two square miles along Kenmare to Worth from north to south, and Allen to Broadway from east to west. NY’s Chinatown thrives with boundless shopping, and exotic culinary fare that won’t dent your pocketbook.

For an insider’s guide to NY Chinatown’s culinary and cultural scene, native Jami Gong, of ChinatownNYC.com, offers an entertaining, personal walking tour where he reveals the best of Chinatown that only a local knows. Jami can be reached at www.ChinatownNYC.com. The Museum of Chinese in the Americas (MoCA) also offers seasonal Saturday walking tours.
Contact them at 212.619.4785 or www.moca-nyc.org for tour information.

Chinese Banquet Restaurants
Jing Fong Restaurant
20 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10013
212.964.5256
Chinese Bakeries
K and D Bakery
143A Mott Street
New York, NY 10013
212.226.8988
Golden Unicorn
18 East Broadway
New York, NY 10007
212.941.0911
Lung Fong Bakery
41 Mott Street
New York, NY 10013
212.233.7447
Harmony Palace
98 Mott Street
New York, NY 10013
212.226.6603
Lung Moon Bakery Inc.
83 Mulberry Street
New York, NY 10013
212.349.4945
Nice Restaurant
35 East Broadway
New York, NY 10002
212.406.9510
May May Gourmet Chinese Bakery
(fresh joong and frozen dim sum)
35 Pell Street
New York, NY 10013
212.267.0733
www.maymayfood.com
Chinese Cookware
Century Kitchen & Equipment Inc.
216 Bowery Street
New York, NY 10013
212.925.2537
Chinese Florist
Manhattan Florist & Gifts, Ltd.
878 Bayard Street
New York, NY 10013
212.385.0003
J & S Kitchen Equipment
94 Bowery
New York, NY 10013
212.431.9112
 
Chinese Groceries and Foods
Dynasty Supermarket Corp.
68 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10013
212.966.4943
Dried Goods and Herbal Products
W. Y. Trading Inc.
196 Grand Street
New York, NY 10013
212.219.0519
Po Wing Hong Food Market Inc.
49-55 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10013
212.966.1080
Yue Fung Enterprises USA Inc.
55 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10013
212.625.8438
Deluxe Food Market
79 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10013
212.925.5766
 
Chinese Printing
K & L Printing
178 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10013
212.941.9863
Spiritual Supplies
Porcelain Corner Shop
85 Mulberry Street
New York, NY 10013
212.233.3838
  (Buddhist supplies can also be found
in large Asian supermarkets)

Chinese Fashions
Lai’s Royal Tailoring
118-122 Baxter Street, Room #205
New York, NY 10013
212.966.0951
www.laistailoring.com

Point of Interest
Museum of Chinese in the Americas (MoCA)
70 Mulberry Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10013
212.619.4785
www.moca-nyc.org
New Age Designer Inc.
38 Mott Street
New York, NY 10013
212.349.0818
 
Pearl River Mart
477 Broadway
New York, NY 10013
212.431.4770
800.878.2446 mail order
www.pearlriver.com
 

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SAN FRANCISCO CHINATOWN, CA, USA
Auntie Lao’s heart will always remain in San Francisco’s Chinatown. This wise auntie is drawn like a magnet to Chinatown’s 22 square blocks because of its promise of shopping and eating bliss. Bordered between the streets of Bush and Broadway, and Powell and Kearny, this self-sustaining community hosts the largest Chinese New Year celebration in North America with the Miss Chinatown USA Pageant and widely attended Chinese New Year’s parade. Whether it’s the coffee crunch cake, a $3.95 rice plate, a temple visit, or a smooth piece of jade, San Francisco’s Chinatown continuously beckons its own to return time and time again.

For an insider’s tour of San Francisco’s Chinatown culinary and cultural world, Shirley Fong Torres and her team of experts from Wok Wiz can lead you through the streets and alleyways of Chinatown while regaling you with stories and insights on the old Chinese ways. For more information, contact Wok Wiz Chinatown Walking Tours at 654 Commercial, San Francisco, 415.981.8989, www.wokwiz.com.

The San Francisco Public Library’s City Guides Walking Tours offers a free weekly walking tour that meets at the flagpole in Portsmouth Square on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. For more information call 415.557.4266 or visit www.sfcityguides.org.

Chinese Banquet Restaurants
Empress of China
838 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.434.1345
Chinese Bakeries
Eastern Bakery
720 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.982.5157
Gold Mountain Restaurant
644 Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.296.7733
Golden Gate Bakery
1029 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.781.2627
New Asia
772 Pacific Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.391.6666
AA Bakery & Café
1068 Stockton Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.981.0128
Chinese Cookware
The Wok Shop
Cookery and Crockery
718 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.989.3797 or 888.780.7171
www.wokshop.com
Chinese Florist
All Seasons Florist & Gifts
690 Commercial
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.956.7878
Ginn Wall Company, Inc.
1016 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.982.6307
Mei Wo Florist
631 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.982.3783
Chinese Groceries
Pang Kee Bargain Market
1308-1310 Stockton Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.982.1959
Dried Goods and Herbal Products
Kwong Sang Lung Company
947 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.421.7765
Chong Imports
China Trade Center
838 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.982.1432
Nam Hai Corporation
919 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.397.3678
Hang Fung Tai Corporation
1050 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.421.5257
 
Chinese Printing
Ho Tai Printing & Art Goods Company
723-725 Clay Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.421.4218
www.hotaiprinting.com
Spiritual Supplies
Golden Gate Buddhist Supplies
49 Walter U. Lum Place
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.982.4267
  Went Worth Trading Company
737 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.788.5213
  First Incense Company
753 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.391.8188
Chinese Fashions
Dragon Seed
735 Clay Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.421.8882
Points of Interest
Chinese Historical Society of America
965 Clay Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.391.1188
www.chsa.org
  Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco
750 Kearny Street, Third Floor
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.986.1822
www.c-c-c.org
  Wok Wiz Chinatown Walking Tours
654 Commercial
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.981.8989
www.wokwiz.com

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SEATTLE CHINATOWN INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT, WA, USA
Seattle’s International District is truly a pan-Asian cultural village and experience. This is where Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and Southeast Asians live, work, eat, and shop. As one of Seattle’s oldest and most distinct districts, it borders between 4th and 12th avenues, and Main and Lane streets. Near the King Street Station, the International District is a stone’s throw from Pioneer Square and Qwest Field. The demarcation between Chinatown and Little Saigon is the brightly painted columns on 8th Avenue and Jackson Street.

The Wing Luke Asian Museum is a must. It portrays the Asian American immigrant experience in a contemporary and innovative way, which has earned the Wing Luke a Pacific Northwest affiliation with the Smithsonian Institution. For a guided walking tour of Seattle’s International Village, call Chinatown Discovery Tours at 425.885.3085 or visit www.seattlechinatowntour.com.

Chinese Banquet Restaurants
House of Hong
409 8th Avenue S.
Seattle, WA 98104
206.622.7997
Chinese Bakeries
Cake House
620 S. Weller Street
Seattle, WA 98104
206.223-2766
New Kowloon Restaurant
900 S. Jackson Street
Seattle, WA 98104
206.223.7999
A Piece of Cake
514 S. King Street
Seattle, WA 98104
206.623-8284
Ocean City Restaurant
609 South Weller Street
Seattle, WA 98104
206.623.2333
Yummy House Bakery
522 6th Avenue S.
Seattle, WA 98104
206.340.8838
Chinese Groceries and Herbal Products
Chinatown Market
676 S. Jackson Street
Seattle, WA 98104
206.621.8499
Chinese Printing
Mee Phuoc Trade Printing
515 7th Avenue S.
Seattle, WA 98104
206.682.0161
Dong Hing Market
625 S. Jackson Street
Seattle, WA 98104
206.621.2006
Spiritual Supplies
Kong Sun Company
676 So. King Street
Seattle, WA 98104
206.223.1474
Pacific Herb & Grocery
610 S. Weller Street
Seattle, WA 98104
206.340.6411
 
Uwajimaya
600 5th Avenue S.
Seattle, WA 98104
206.624.6248
 
Chinese Florists
Colors Abloom
413 7th Avenue S.
Seattle, WA 98104
206.624.4032
Points of Interest:
Wing Luke Asian Museum
407 7th Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98104
206.623.5124
www.wingluke.org
Joyce’s Flowers & Gifts
675 S. Jackson Street
Seattle, WA 98104
206.343.9477
Chinatown Discovery Tours
425.885.3085
www.seattlechinatowntour.com

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VANCOUVER CHINATOWN, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
Vancouver’s Millennium Gate located at Taylor and W. Pender streets is the western gateway to Canada’s largest Chinatown. This historic district is loosely based from E. Pender to E. Georgia, and from Gore and Taylor. The most populated streets of Vancouver’s Chinatown are E. Pender, Keefer, E. Georgia, and Main. Richmond is another vibrant Asian community of greater Vancouver and many of the stores and restaurants in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown offer Richmond locations.

For an insider’s view of Vancouver’s Chinatown, take “A Wok Around Chinatown” with Canadian Chinese culinary expert Robert Sung. These walking tours provide an entertaining and comprehensive look at this Saltwater City’s historic district with some tasty morsels along the way. For more information call 604.736.9508 or visit www.awokaround.com.

Chinese Banquet Restaurants
Floata Seafood Restaurant
400-180 Keefer Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 4E9
604.602.0368
www.floata.com
Chinese Bakeries
The Boss Bakery
532-534 Main Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 2T9
604.683.3860
Sun Sui Wah Seafood
3888 Main Street
Vancouver, BC
604.872.8822
www.sunsuiwah.com
Keefer Bakery Ltd.
251 E. Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z6
604.685.2117
  Maxim’s Bakery Ltd.
257 Keefer Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1X6
604.688.6281
www.maxims@telus.net
Chinese Cookware
Ming Wo Cookware
23 East Pender Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1S9
604.683.7268
www.mingwo.com
Chinese Florist
City Garden Florist Ltd.
#113A – 180 Keefer Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 4E9
604.602.0198
www.citygarden.com
Chinese Groceries
TNT Supermarket
179 Keefer Place
Vancouver, BC
604.899.8836
www.tnt-supermarket.com
Dried Goods and Herbal Products
Sunglow Herbal Products Inc.
224 E. Pender Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1T7
604.684.9101
Chinatown Supermarket
239 Keefer Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1X6
604.685.3583
Cheung Sing Herbal & Birds Nest Co.
536 Main Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 2T9
604.899.1123
Chinese Printing
Ho Tai Printing Company
642 Main Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 2V3
604.683.8962
Spiritual Supplies
Po Wah Enterprises Ltd.
254 E. Pender Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1T7
604.685.8717
Chinese Fashions
K.K. Boutique
154 E. Pender Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1T3
604.608.2778
Points of Interest
A WOK Around Chinatown by Robert Sung
Culinary and Cultural Tour
604.736.9508
www.awokaround.com
Tinli Fashions Co.
292 E. Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z7
604.605.0870
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
578 Carrall Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 5K2
604.662.3207
www.vancouverchinesegarden.com
  Chinese Cultural Centre
50 East Pender Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 5K2
604.658.8883
www.cccvan.com

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TORONTO CHINATOWN, ONTARIO, CANADA
Toronto’s traditional Chinatown is located at Dundas Street and Spadina Avenue where an array of stores and restaurants beckon with a feast for the eyes and the tummy. Recently, as the Asian population has expanded, many suburbs have sprouted several new Chinatowns consisting of enclosed climate-controlled shopping malls that offer contemporary Asian pop music, DVDs, and new forms of ginseng.

Chinese Banquet Restaurants
Bright Pearl Seafood Restaurant
346-348 Spadina Avenue
Toronto, ON M5T 2G2
416.979.3988
www.brightpearlseafood.com
Chinese Bakeries
Furama Cake & Desserts Garden
248-250 Spadina Avenue
Toronto, ON M5T 2C2
416.504.5709
Lee Wah Heen
Metropolitan Hotel
108 Chestnut Street
Toronto, ON
406.9779899
www.metropolitan.com/lwh
Tac Chong Food Restaurant
492 Dundas Street, West
Toronto, ON M5T 1G9
416.977.1828
Ruby Chinese Restaurant
1571 Sandhurst Circle
Scarbourgh, ON M1V 1V2
416.298.1638
 
Dried Goods and Herbal Products
Po Chi Tang Chinese Natural Herbs
460 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON M5T 1G9
416.599.6336
Chinese Florist
Parkly Florist
28 St. Andrews Street
Toronto, ON M5T 1K6
416.585.2159
Chinese Fashions
S&T Silk Specialist Co.
Chinatown Centre
222 Spadina Avenue #233
Toronto, ON M5T 3A2
416.593.7928
Chinese Groceries
Asian Farm Supermarket
247 Spadina Avenue
Toronto, ON
416.591.8833
Hit Top Fashion
Dragon City Centre
280 Spadina Avenue, 2nd Floor
Toronto, ON M5T 3A5
416.618.6366
Hua Long Supermarket
253-259 Spadina Avenue
Toronto, ON M5T 2E3
416.977.8597
  Tai Kong Supermarket
310 Spadina Avenue
Toronto, ON
416.581.0129
Chinese Printing
Ray Printing
397 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON M5T 1G6
416.597.0317
Spiritual Supplies
Buddhism Art Company
455 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON M5T 1G8
416.260.9235
  William Trading Co. Ltd.
310 Spadina Avenue, Unit G1B
Toronto, ON M5T 2E8
416.595.5098

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