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I've been to all the major hot spots in North America and have had Chinese food there, recommended by the locals, and I think for sheer diversity and breadth of offerings, especially for Guangzhou/Cantonese cuisine Metro Vancouver (mostly Richmond, Burnaby) can't be beat in North America. Maybe for real Michelin-star calibre dining, NY or LA could outdo it, but for the different regional varieties and quality top to bottom in the price chain I haven't seen better in the continent.
Of course, San Fran and LA are both very good not only for Chinese but all varieties of Asian cuisine and I rate it better than Toronto or New York overall.
I've been to all the major hot spots in North America and have had Chinese food there, recommended by the locals, and I think for sheer diversity and breadth of offerings, especially for Guangzhou/Cantonese cuisine Metro Vancouver (mostly Richmond, Burnaby) can't be beat in North America. Maybe for real Michelin-star calibre dining, NY or LA could outdo it, but for the different regional varieties and quality top to bottom in the price chain I haven't seen better in the continent.
Of course, San Fran and LA are both very good not only for Chinese but all varieties of Asian cuisine and I rate it better than Toronto or New York overall.
Vancouver has traditionally been the better “Chinatown” than San Francisco, NYC, and LA. But I think by 1999, LA surpassed NYC and SF. And I think by 2010 LA became the best in North America. For two reasons. One, dim sum and Cantonese food in LA finally matched up to Vancouver. What LA has over Vancouver is better offerings in regional mainland cuisine from the low to midrange. The Michelin-caliber Chinese dining are a recent phenomenon in LA. It’s never been known for that like NYC. I think Hong Kong/Shanghai style cuisines can still be argued as better in Vancouver. But LA’s stronger edge with other mainland regionality, and mainly Taiwanese and Sichuan, its strength in dumpling houses and then finally catching up quickly with Hong Kong/Shanghai 10 years ago makes LA the one to reckon with. Two: You have the heavyweight San Gabriel Valley itself, which is arguably more Chinese-diverse than Richmond, but now you also have smaller emerging areas like Irvine (which can probably be at least a tier 3 city by itself).
I will say for NYC, they might have better Fujianese than any other city and can hold its own with Sichuan, but is lackluster in every other regionality. The general quality of standard is lower in Flushing compared to San Gabriel or Richmond. San Francisco is still good, but seems stagnant. Only recently Chinese trends in dining have caught up in SF. I think south bay offers better regionality but not at the competitive level of LA.
Vancouver has traditionally been the better “Chinatown” than San Francisco, NYC, and LA. But I think by 1999, LA surpassed NYC and SF. And I think by 2010 LA became the best in North America. For two reasons. One, dim sum and Cantonese food in LA finally matched up to Vancouver. What LA has over Vancouver is better offerings in regional mainland cuisine from the low to midrange. The Michelin-caliber Chinese dining are a recent phenomenon in LA. It’s never been known for that like NYC. I think Hong Kong/Shanghai style cuisines can still be argued as better in Vancouver. But LA’s stronger edge with other mainland regionality, and mainly Taiwanese and Sichuan, its strength in dumpling houses and then finally catching up quickly with Hong Kong/Shanghai 10 years ago makes LA the one to reckon with. Two: You have the heavyweight San Gabriel Valley itself, which is arguably more Chinese-diverse than Richmond, but now you also have smaller emerging areas like Irvine (which can probably be at least a tier 3 city by itself).
I will say for NYC, they might have better Fujianese than any other city and can hold its own with Sichuan, but is lackluster in every other regionality. The general quality of standard is lower in Flushing compared to San Gabriel or Richmond. San Francisco is still good, but seems stagnant. Only recently Chinese trends in dining have caught up in SF. I think south bay offers better regionality but not at the competitive level of LA.
Great insight. Surprised to hear that about Irvine.
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