Kung hei fat choi! Happy New Year of the Monkey! Visit every major city in the world andyou’ll find a Chinatown. And just as eclectic as the range of nations in whichChina’s migrant population has settled over the years, are the vibrant,individual neighborhoods that they have established. Each Chinatown is diversebut you’re always guaranteed to find a combination of bustling commerce,culture and authentic cuisine on any visit. From Europe to the United States, LatinAmerica to Africa, here are our picks for the 10 best Chinatowns in theworld (outside of Asia).

1. Melbourne, Australia

Trans World via Flickr

A foodie city itself, Melbourne was always

likely to have a Chinatown whose restaurants make for its biggest attraction.

From Little Bourke Street to Spring Street, the Chinatown strip mixes the newer

breed of authentic North Chinese and Sichuan restaurants with the more common

Cantonese dumpling joints. Lured by the 19th-century Australian gold

boom, Melbourne’s Chinatown community has been bustling since the 1850s.

Hotel Pick:

2. Toronto, Canada

Don Gunn via Flickr

If you’re meeting buddies in Chinatown in

Toronto then best make sure you specify which one – because there are six of

them. The city’s central Chinatown is the largest and between Dundas Street

West and Spadina Avenue Downtown is where you’ll find its array of restaurants,

stalls, herbalists and bars, in full effect, all day, everyday. Visit on a

weekend and make sure you pick up a newspaper to accompany your lazy dim sum

lunch – Hong Kong style.

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3. London, England

London’s first Chinatown was once located

in Limehouse, a bustling riverside enclave in the east of the city. The area

was immortalized in the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – a favorite sojourn

for fictional Sherlock Holmes when he was in need of something a little bit ‘stronger’

for his pipe! London’s modern Chinatown — complete with a grand new gate — is now firmly

established in the West End, a large contributor to the allure of Soho.

Traditionally Cantonese, the area is home to some of the best dumplings and dim

sum in the city, as well as the odd second-floor speakeasy bar – you’ve just

got to know where to go!

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4. San Francisco, U.S.

Ronnie Macdonald via Flickr

Established around 1848, Chinatown San Francisco is North America’s largest. Centered around Grant Avenue and

Stockton Street, the neighborhood is so popular with residents and tourists

that its attraction has become a problem — due to lack of space. Fortunately,

2016 is seeing expansion plans realized, as well as major makeovers for the

neighborhood’s famous alleyways. Which just means there’s even more reason to

visit North America’s biggest Chinatown the next time you’re in the city.

Hotel Pick:

5. Lima, Peru

Diegoe via Flickr

Home to the largest ethnic Chinese

population in Latin America, Lima’s “El Barrio Chino” — or just plain

Chinatown — is located in the heart of the city’s historical center. Of the

6,000 or so Chinese restaurants you can eat at, some date back as far as the

beginning of the 20th century. If you visit, make sure you sample

the Chifa, Chinese Peruvian fusion

cuisine.

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6. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Meg Marks via Flickr

Wind your way through the perennial bustle

of the Red Light District and out the other side of the lively Niuwmarkt square

and you’ll arrive in Amsterdam’s Chinatown. Expanding rapidly after the Second

World War, gambling houses, opium dens and restaurants sprung up in the area. These

days it’s only the restaurants you’ll find in plain sight – not that that’s to

say those nefarious parlors of ill repute aren’t lurking somewhere out there!

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7. Johannesburg, South Africa

Bart van Poll via Flickr

Initially arriving to work in the gold

mines of Transvaal, the Chinese migrant population was large enough to

establish two Chinatowns in the South African city of Johannesburg. The first

is located downtown at Commissioner Street (Old Chinatown) and the latter in

the eastern neighborhood of Cyrildene (New Chinatown). New Chinatown is king

these days and home to the pick of the city’s Chinese restaurants, supermarkets

and bars.

8. New York City, U.S.

Martin Solli via Flickr

New York is home to the second biggest

Chinatown in North America, after San Francisco. Located in Lower Manhattan,

the neighborhood grew so fast in the latter half of the 20th century

that it almost swallowed neighboring Little Italy – although we won’t get into

that right now. One of the liveliest and most eclectic Chinatowns we’ve ever

come across, the area boasts cuisine from just about every Chinese region

imaginable. Like London’s Chinatown, New York’s also provides a home to any

number of seedy, chic and late night bars.

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9. Vancouver, Canada

Prayitno via Flickr

Bringing up the rear in bronze place with

North America’s third largest Chinatown, Vancouver shouldn’t feel too bad for

itself, after all, nowhere sums up the city’s vibrant and diverse culture like

its Chinatown does. A balanced neighborhood, Vancouver’s Chinatown reflects its

history with traditional restaurants and stores while embracing the future with

its hip, buzzing bar scene.

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10. Havana, Cuba

Haydn Blackey via Flickr

Given the title of the article, the fact

that Havana’s Chinatown has seen far better days, makes it a slightly incongruous

final addition. However, it once was great, in fact, it was the largest Chinatown

in Latin America. Nowadays, Havana’s Chinatown retains a sense of its past

glories but has the country’s 1959 revolution to thank for the emigration of

the once large, enterprising Chinese community.

Hotel Pick:

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