Question of the Day - 10 February 2025

Even though we cover restaurants and developments in Chinatown month in and month out in the newsletter — it's just around the corner from our office, so we not only drive through it all the time, we often find ourselves there for meals — we're happy to provide an update about the ongoing expansion of this pan-Asian district. 

Talk about pent-up demand. In the 1990s, Asian restaurants were few and far between in Las Vegas, limited to a handful of Chinese eateries, some in casinos, and only one or two places for Japanese food. Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, dedicated sushi eateries? Completely unheard of. 

Then, in 1995, the original seven-acre two-story Asian-themed shopping center opened on Spring Mountain Road between Wynn and Arville, dubbed Chinatown Plaza by its Taiwanese-American developer, James Chih-Cheng Chen. Chen's original vision was certainly not limited to China; he envisioned a central hub for all-Asian culture, commerce, and cuisine. Indeed, upon opening, Las Vegas' first bona fide Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Vietnam, arrived, where we've had lunch several times a year ever since.  

That opened the floodgates for Asian-oriented businesses, many of which relocated from other places around the American West -- and continue to. Chen's development was so successful that "Chinatown" is now a vibrant district that encompasses restaurants, retail, supermarkets (such as the original 99 Ranch in Chinatown Plaza), and entertainment venues from throughout Asia and has expanded way beyond the original plaza, though that still serves as the anchor. 

No one, including us, could have imagined that 30 years later, Chinatown Plaza would extend along Spring Mountain Road and side streets on either side from the original commercial center, all with distinctive pagoda-style roofs and other Asian architecture and art, east toward the freeway and west past Decatur, Jones, and almost all the way out to Rainbow Boulevard. It is, actually, considered the country's first master-planned Chinatown and in 2009, the state designated this stretch of Spring Mountain, from the Strip to Rainbow, as the city's official Chinatown.

It is, without a doubt, the most exotic and vibrant district in the city, the hub of Asian culture, shopping, and dining in southern Nevada, hosting many cultural events, including annual Chinese New Year celebrations. The multitude of storefronts offer everything from Asian language schools and acupuncture to herbs, jade, and Asian fashions, plus of course dozens of restaurants serving Szechwan, Mandarin, Shanghai, dim sum, Chinese barbecue and seafood, Korean, Filipino, Japanese and sushi, Vietnamese, Asian desserts, and much more.