Chinatown Square Association

I’m only writing this review cause I mistakenly check in here thinking it was the actual Chinatown Square. The Chinese zodiac signs look pretty cool covered in snow. You don’t have to thank me for this detailed review. It’s just part of being a Unilocal Elite and writing crappy reviews. That’s all folks.

I’m not entirely surprised that my stingy people left the metered lots unplowed this freaking winter. Cheap bastards. Asian drivers + a foot of snow = bad combination.

This past Monday my husband and I drove around China Town looking for a nice place to eat. To be honest here it was dirty and smelly the smelly part perhaps stronger than the dirty. I saw one restaurant with the first view of a fishtank a huge fish tank overfull of fish that I’m assuming are for food consumption. It was so sick and unhealthy looking I totally lost my hunger after seeing that. No thanks who knows what is really in that food.

Chinatown closes down around 8, so make sure to come before then. Also, DEFINITELY make sure to do you due diligence before going to any restaurant. I don’t know which restaurant I went to, but I saw a cockroach on my way out.

This review is for Chinatown Square and not Chinatown:
Chinatown Square would’ve been an interesting place to spend time if it was not desolute at 2 P.M. on a Tuesday afternoon. The same homeless person begging for money that is an annoyance in a populated area is itimidating in a desolute area. The homeless spoiled my time here, to the degree that I passed over looking at the statues. The reality is that I felt I could be mugged here. A constant security presence is seriously needed. One star deducted for safety concerns.
Chinatown Square is a two story plaza off Archer Avenue. The lower level features restaurants and shops where the upper features offices. There is a concrete square fronting Archer Avenue that showcases interesting statues. There was relatively zero activity at the time of my visit. In my opinion, visiting Chinatown Square is more similar to visiting a shopping center than a business district. From my understanding, the Chinatown Business District is along Archer and Wentworth Streets.
Chinatown Square is more convenient to reach by public transit than automobile. The L train station is nearby and the southernmost Chicago Water Taxi stop is a couple of blocks west via Wells.

Honestly I was a bit disappointed. I was thinking the Chinatown would be bigger. But Chicago gives you basically a few square blocks. It’s tiny, one little strip of restaurants and a few other shops on the side, some small grocery stores.

Cool little square not much more I can say that hasn’t been said already but we had fun wandering around looking at the shops and the Chinese Zodiac signs and took our pictures with them also took pictures for some of the other people there
Not Once did I get hit up by a bum for change or help with bus/​train money not that they are not in Chinatown but it was nice to go a couple hours with out getting bothered for change

No trip… err… day in Chicago is complete without a visit to Chinatown Square. I like to think of CS as the one-​stop destination for dining, snacking, shopping, clubbing, and even seeing a specialist. In my case, it’s an outlet for embracing all things fobby. 1980s TVB series? Sign me up! In addition, Teresa Teng tunes blaring from the speakers will ensure that each and every trip will be a pleasant one. But wait, be sure to check out the Chinese zodiac sculptures found scattered towards the entrance and read the astrology paragraph below each sculpture. Mine — the ox – was particularly spot-​on. 1985 was a fabulous year, what can I say?
Traffic around the square is a pain. Securing a metered parking spot around the complex itself is equally painful and next to impossible during peak hours. Solution? Parking lot across the street. Sure, it’s more expensive, but at least you’re guaranteed a spot.

Fun place to wander in Chinatown, with interesting shops and restaurants. Chinese zodiac sculptures are a great place to go for phorographs with a group of people — each one can stand in front of his own sign! This place had problems renting at first, so if you have not been to Chinatown for some years, check it out again now — it’s pretty well occupied. Most shops are on first level — second level is more oriented towards local professional services.

This complex is still relatively new, as it has allowed Chinatown to expand north of Cermak Road. The linear storefronts contain restaurants, Asian gift shops, and herbal stores that are liable to contain anything and everything. The central plaza features stylized sculptures of the Chinese zodiac animals (I am a snake) and typical artistic details such as Chinese-​style pagodas.

This is the organization for the Chinatown Square Mall. It is really nice and full of interesting businesses, including restaurants, bakeries, gift stores and herb shops. There are statues in the square and benches throughout.