China Town? (Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler: neighborhoods, living in, restaurants)

[emerson_meng]

I am moving to the Phoenix area this Winter and am wondering if there is much of a Chinese Community or China Town type area in the Phoenix area.

[MaxPower123]

Chinese Cultural Center but it's not much.

[sidrah]

Not so much

[observer53]

There is not a Chinatown as such in metropolitan Phoenix. There is a relatively significant Asian population in Chandler, but it is not as if they are all living in a concentrated neighborhood.

[emerson_meng]

Are there areas that have Chinese/Asian type grocery stores and restaurants with Dim Sum or authentic Chinese food?

[novsaggi]

There is Lee Lee in Chandler & Asiana grocery in glendale and one more place

[tripper76]

There are really no ethnic neighborhoods in Phoenix. Its just not laid out for that I guess. I think most Asians appear to be in Chandler though, as there is a concentration of stores and restaurants there.

[slackjaw]

There is the Chinese Cultural Center but it's more a strip mall that has all Asian stuff anchored by an Asian grocery. The other claim to fame is it does host Chinese/Asian related events.

The area of Dobson & Warner in Mesa is another big Asian area, the anchor being Lee Lee's 超级市场 which is Vietnamese-owned but draws all sorts of other Asian places (restaurants, beauty, furniture, etc.) to the area, not just in same parking lot as there are Asian restaurants on all four corners of that intersection. Phoenix Palace is in same location they've become quite the dim-sum madhouse on weekend mornings.

I believe there is also a Lee Lee's up NW Phoenix somewhere but the other two Asian areas that immediately come to mind are both in Mesa too: Mekong Market near downtown Mesa with a huge grocery and an indoor shopping center, then the NW corner of Southern & Dobson is pretty much all Asian places.

Any of those large grocers you can get a wide assortment of fish, premade Korean cold dishes, the usual butcher assortment of chicken uterus, pigs feet, trip, beef heart, etc. and produce like jackfruit, Thai eggplant, galanga, kafir lime leaves, lychee, 等等等. I know Lee Lee's also has a counter that sells 烤鸭 to order.

[emerson_meng]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm looking forward to checking these place out when I move to AZ.

[phxgreenfire]

There are quite a few Asian-oriented businesses along Dobson from about Southern to Warner. That's technically in Mesa/Chandler. That corridor doesn't have as much personality as like neighborhoods in Los Angeles or San Francisco... but I guess it's functional.