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Get to Know Chinatown Plaza

Posted on May 7, 2024   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
Rob Kachelriess

Rob Kachelriess

The gates of Chinatown Plaza.

Chinatown Plaza has food, shopping, and yes, parking. (Las Vegas News Bureau)

Chinatown Plaza is more than an Asian-themed strip mall. The seven-acre retail and dining center is the jumping-off point for the modern-day Chinatown community in Las Vegas, which now spans about 3.5 miles west of the Strip on Spring Mountain Road.

🌏 Three Decades of Culture

James Chen opened Chinatown Plaza in 1995, anchoring the development with 99 Ranch Market (an Asian supermarket) and a variety of businesses. It also became a gathering place for special events like the annual Lunar New Year celebration and Autumn Moon Festival.

🐲 The Architecture

The main dual-level plaza and two additional single-story buildings were inspired by the architecture of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) along with a prominent archway at the entrance. The statue of a Buddhist monk and three companions is based on “Journey to the West,” a classic Chinese novel.

🍜 Eats and Treats

Feast on variety at Noodle Pot (Chinese), All Seasons Cafe (Taiwanese), 888 Korean BBQ, Pho Vietnam, and Bangkok Street Food (Thai). Capital Seafood is a little more formal while Xiao Long Dumplings serves addictive soup dumplings.

👀 Looking Ahead

George Lin bought Chinatown Plaza for $38 million in 2022 and business is booming. Just last week, the plaza hosted the formal announcement of the $200,000 Spring Mountain Corridor Redevelopment Project to bring pedestrian and parking improvements to Chinatown. Later this year, the Boring Company will begin work on an underground Vegas Loop station near Valley View and Twain to bring more visitors to Chinatown.

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