chinatown

Maybe not as big celebration as neighbor San Francisco China Town, but yes, there are celebrations for Chinese New Year (February 19, 2015)! Most places the new year is two week celebrations! The usual Lion Dances, restaurants busy (probably for Chinese New Year most are tourists)! At least this China Town and neighbor San Francisco, hey even Los Angeles China Town has celebrations for Chinese New Year! Not think so call one in Sacramento is across from J Street Holiday Inn, has anything! All their China Town was, one museum (FREE ADMISSION) opens two hours day five days a week, one or two pay telephones, one restaurant! Their restaurant not even Chinese, is some other ethnic restaurant!

If you want to see a "real" Chinatown, try this one rather than the seedy, filthy tourist trap in San Francisco. There is a Vietnamese restaurant "Tay Ho" [344 12th Street] which is well worth trying. Not a tourist spot. Try one of their specialties.

Full of authentic restaurants and markets, jewelry stores and cell phone shops, stepping into Oakland's Chinatown is like an instant trip to Asia. The variety of people and things in Chinatown is mind-boggling. Be careful crossing the streets -- people even drive as they do in Asia. But for a great walk and a meal, Oakland's Chinatown can't be beat.As an added bonus, Chinatown is an easy walk from Old Oakland, Downtown, Jack London Square, and lot's of public transit. Leave your car at home, hop on BART, and get some bao for a fun walk-around.

Love to go to buy Dim Sum or ready made food at the many shops. Great place to get produce. Parking is metered but if you go further away from the center, there is some free street parking.

This is a bustling Chinatown, complete with many grocery stores, jewelry stores, restaurants and crowds. The local Asian population uses this area for most of their shopping. The shops are small and crowded, but friendly. Parking is difficult and the meters in Oakland are $2/hour. The food at the restaurants is excellent.

Chinatown of Oakland is the hub of all Chinese activities. The restaurants have abundance of Chinese delicacies. You can find fresh vegetables, fresh pastries to live seafood.

Sure the sidewalks are crowded especially in the morning. It reminds me of any large city in Asia. I often shop here but I also bring visiting out-of-town children. We observe the Asian shoppers and the vendors, We visit shops and look and discuss the different food and exotic vegetables. When we find something we are curious about we buy it. We always end up having lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant. This is a international cultural experience and a good opportunity to explore an exotic part of Oakland.

I had some free time after a job interview with the city so I just started driving around and when I stopped for gas I asked where I was and it was Chinatown.Everything is written in Chinese,the newspapers,building names,addresses...lol the one thing that was shocking was the ball park...all blacks and whites shooting hoops....that was soo funny to look over and see in the heart of Chinatown.

Many Chinese restaurants, pharmacies (YES PEOPLE EVEN ASIANS MAY NEED MEDICINE), medical clinics, Chinese Cantonese language schools, grocery stores and stores for tourists! There the Sweet Booth, different pearl flavor teas! Me liked the mango one! I now like call Asian Town, as over years has expaneded to other Asian culures such as Chinese (ME), Laotian, Cambodian, Thai! Come here or any China Town (such as neighbor San Francisco), Seattle, Los Angeles, do not go to one in town Sacra! All Sacra China Town had was one restaurant, one or two pay telephones that work (I tried them), one museum!

This is not a tourist Chinatown. It is bustling with markets and restaurants. It also has Angel Feet where I love to get a massage.

I drive though at least once a week. You have to dodge cars, ignore trash everywhere, ignore the run down store fronts, & dirty sidewalks, there are overflowing trash cans, boxes in the street. You would think the biz's in the area would have more pride and be responsible. Foods Ok but I go other nicer places now.

Fun place to walk about just off edge of Oakland's downtown. Still some nice mom and pop restaurants and shops. Felt reasonably safe and secure. Not as sprawling or as elaborate as San Francisco's China Town.

Oakland Chinatown area is just average when compared to San Francisco Chinatown. It is close to the Jack London Square area of Oakland. There are some restaurants and stores, but nothing to go out of your way to visit. The best Chinese food in my opinion is in Santa Clara County (many Asians live there). The Chinese neighborhood most interesting to visit in the area is San Francisco Chinatown.

I'm so used to Chinatown in San Francisco that Chinatown in Oakland just can't compare. The Oakland version does have a lot of eateries, and little stores to shop at, but it's gloomy, really dirty, and depressing, it's right next to the ugliest freeway in the world, and the Oakland Police Department, which means that there's an certain element of humanity that's not so attractive and it makes it unsafe. At least in San Francisco the architecture truly sets the mood and there are some well maintained shops, and it's surrounded by very nice areas. Unless you live here in the East Bay, and you want to buy something very inexpensively, there's no reason to come to Chinatown in Oakland as a tourist.

Wandering around the area you see lots of crowded shops with piles of boxes and rubbish outside. Most shops stock plenty of various Asian food items and some fresh veggies which were cheaper than the supermarket . It didn't make you feel like eating at the restaurants as it looked pretty unappetising from the outside. I saw lots of Asians coming to the area with shopping trolleys so it had plenty of appeal if you wanted to buy fresh produce but no much restaurant appeal.