Tucked between Downtown Crossing and the Theater District, Boston’s Chinatown spans just a handful of blocks. Unlike larger Chinatowns in cities like New York or San Francisco, Boston’s own is easy to explore on foot. Naturally, this makes it perfect for a spontaneous food crawl. Within a few steps, you can bounce between steaming dumplings, bakery cases of golden egg tarts and tiny hole-in-the-wall spots serving meals that cost less than your morning latte.
Today, we’re giving ourselves one hour and a simple mission: eat as much as possible while spending as little as possible. Armed with some cash and questionable levels of optimism about our stomach capacity, we’re setting off through Chinatown’s bustling streets in search of the neighborhood’s best cheap eats.
Before We Start: A Few Chinatown Tips
First things first, bring cash. While most businesses in the neighborhood accept cards, plenty of others still prefer cash. Some even offer discounts. Nothing kills the vibe of a food crawl faster than the realization that the bakery has a $10 minimum while you’re trying to buy a $2 pastry.
Keep an open mind. Some of the best meals come from places you’d walk right past otherwise. Unmarked storefronts, fluorescent lights and handwritten menus? You are in the right place.
Our Favorite Chinatown Dumplings – 12:00 p.m.
Dumpling King (42 Beach St.)
For our first stop, we’re heading to Dumpling King. Tucked inside a humble food court off Beach Street sits one Chinatown’s best hidden gems.
Dumpling King is a cash only, family-owned shop serving ten pan fried dumplings for $7. A BostOnion favorite, these dumplings are made to order, arriving blistered and crispy on the bottom, yet soft and chewy in the middle.
We chose (and highly recommend) the pork and leek filling, but this shop also offers chicken and veggie options.
Dessert, immediately – 12:10 p.m.
Bubble Waffle Lady (44 Beach St.)
We will now look no further than to our left – our next spot sits in the same food court, right beside Dumpling King.
An egg puff from Bubble Waffle Lady costs $5. It’s warm, fluffy and lightly crisp around the edges. For an extra 50 cents, you can choose from a variety of mix-ins, from traditional flavors like salted egg yolk and red bean to classics like chocolate.
A Brief Bench Break – 12:15 p.m.
The food court is tiny, so don’t expect to camp out with your snack. Instead, we’re grabbing our treasures and heading towards the iconic Chinatown Gate. There are plenty of benches along the Greenway to picnic, great for people watching. Curious about the crowds across the street at May Soo Hoo Park? It is a popular gathering place for locals to play card and tile games. Today, there’s a group playing Xiangqi, or “Chinese chess.” By the look on one man’s face, it’s clear who’s losing the game. With our waffles and dumplings, it certainly isn’t us.
The dumplings are so juicy, they’re almost like soup dumplings. Make sure to have some napkins on standby – unless you’re looking to spill it on your jeans like I did. Worth it.
Milk Tea Time – 12:30 p.m.
Clay Pot Cafe (74 Kneeland St.)
After making our way down Hudston and taking a right on Kneeland, we’ve arrived at Clay Pot Cafe for some caffeine. This spot is known for its claypot rice bowls, but we’re here for their $5 Hong Kong style milk tea.
There’s something about wandering around Chinatown with a cold drink sweating in your hand that gives you the confidence of a local. The tea is the perfect blend of sweet and earthy, just bold enough to keep us going for the rest of our crawl.
Small Shop, Mighty Portions – 12:35 p.m.
Ding Ho (88 Harrison Ave.)
Next, we’re heading to Ding Ho, just a minute’s walk up Kneeland Street. The name is Chinese for “very good,” which we find very fitting.
This Cantonese spot is known for its fast service and large portions. We’re ordering their steamed rice rolls, priced at just $3.50. They are the perfect texture: silky and delicate with just enough chew.
Ding Ho is also popular for its absurdly affordable combo that comes with your choice of main dish and rice or noodles. The deceptively named small size is just $5.
A Bakery Intermission – 12:45 p.m.
Top Bread (77 Harrison Ave.)
No Chinatown crawl is complete without a quick bakery stop. We’re turning right on Harrison Avenue for Top Bread bakery. Their pastry cases are packed with sweet and savory staples, but the real stars are their egg tarts, just $1.70 each.
Egg tarts come in two styles, Portuguese and Hong Kong style. Portuguese egg tarts have caramelized tops and flaky puff pastry crusts. Hong Kong egg tarts have a smooth, shiny surface, firmer crust, more delicate sweetness and eggier flavor. I’m firmly team Hong Kong egg tart.
My favorite treat from Top Bread is the lesser known pan fried rice pancake with custard filling for $1.50. Lightly golden, chewy, and unfortunately for me, available only on weekends.
One for the road – 12:50 p.m.
Potluck Cafe (7 Knapp St.)
We’re walking down Knapp Street to our final stop and local favorite, Potluck Cafe.
$10 gets you three authentic, Northern Chinese meat or veggie entrees with a side of rice and soup. They rotate their options often, but my reliable favorites are the tomato and egg, chili oil chicken and eggplant. There’s also an eight piece order of pan fried dumplings available for the same price. Every dish here tastes like it was home cooked by my own Popo. (Popo is a Cantonese term of endearment for grandmother.)
Potluck Cafe is an ideal end to our tour because their generous portions make for great leftovers. It is Chinatown at its best: casual, unfussy, authentic, quick and, best of all, affordable.
In Chinatown, there seems to be a treat hidden behind every modest storefront, where the next great bite is usually less than a minute’s stroll away.
So the next time you have cash, an hour to spare and an appetite to match, consider Chinatown for your next Boston-based food crawl!
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