/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57328763/icyjuicytoastboba.0.jpg)
Las Vegas’ Chinatown neighborhood serves some of the best food in the city. The area on and around Spring Mountain Road sits just moments from The Strip, making it an easy culinary destination for both tourists craving Asian food and locals who want a memorable meal without the traffic of Las Vegas Boulevard. Chinatown serves a bevy of incredible cuisines, including excellent Taiwanese food. Chinese cooking techniques and ingredients influence Taiwanese food — undoubtedly due to its coastal proximity to China — but has a flavor all its own comprised of seafood-focused dishes, bubble teas, noodles and an appetizing balance of both fruity and savory ingredients.
While it’s easy to find a wealth of Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and yes, obviously Chinese food in Chinatown, if Taiwanese is on the agenda, these five restaurants should be too.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9539755/noodlepot.jpg)
Beef noodle soup with a side of dumplings
Traditional Taiwanese menus don’t always include beef, but the ones that do know exactly how to serve it. At Noodle Pot, it’s served in the form of beef noodle soup with tendons, tenderloin or with bean thread noodles. Other memorable dishes include dumplings in beef stew and simmered beef tripe.
Noodle Pot, 4215 Spring Mountain Road; 702-522-8989
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9539759/chefchings.jpg)
Re-imagined Taiwanese favorites
Located in the Spring Mountain Center plaza, Chef Ching’s Kitchen serves both Taiwanese and Sichuan cuisine. Diners can expect plenty of spice from dishes such as stir-fried glass noodles with spicy minced pork, ma po tofu and kung pao chicken. There is also a selection of cured and pickled items served cold, including pickled cucumber and pig’s ears.
Chef Ching's Kitchen, 3419 S. Jones Blvd.; 702-855-0708
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9539763/yimeichampiontaiwaindeli.jpg)
Taiwanese breakfast
Those in the mood for a Taiwanese breakfast will appreciate Yi Mei Champion Taiwan Deli’s 7 a.m. start time and a menu filled with morning favorites including sweet bean curd with peanuts, oyster omelets and radish pancakes with eggs. The family-operated restaurant is also open for lunch and serves deli items such as steamed buns and fried stinky tofu.
Yi Mei Champion Taiwan Deli, 4300 Spring Mountain Road #116; 702-222-3435
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9539767/teastation.jpg)
Tea-flavored noodles and stew
If the name wasn’t already an indication of Tea Station’s focus, the rest of the menu certainly is. In addition to serving bubble tea, iced tea and hot tea, the Chinatown restaurant also serves tea-flavored meals. From beef stew with green tea noodles to tea-flavored curry chicken, everything on the menu is fresh and herbaceous.
Tea Station, 4355 Spring Mountain Road; 702-889-9989
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9539771/icyjuicy.jpg)
Late-night dessert
Icy Juicy is a gift from heaven for late-night diners in the mood for something sweet. The Taiwanese restaurant stays open until 2 a.m. and serves honey toast, snow ice, rainbow jelly ice and an astounding array of slush flavors including everything from lychee to cappuccino matcha. For something more substantial, rice, noodles and skewers are also on the menu.
Icy Juicy, 3400 S. Jones Blvd.; 702-873-0050
• Explore The Neighborhoods of Las Vegas at These Great Restaurants [ELV]