Recommended Restaurants in Yokohama Chinatown: Saiko Shinkan (w/Photos)
The Yokohama Chinatown is the largest of the big three Chinatowns in Japan. It’s packed with countless restaurants serving a variety of Chinese cuisines from street foods to gourmet meals. Additionally, there are numerous shops selling groceries and lifestyle goods and fortune telling establishments. Yokohama Chinatown can be accessed from Tokyo with a relatively short 40-minute train ride. In this article, we’ll feature Saiko Shinkan, which is famous for Cantonese cuisine and yum cha.
If you want to learn more about Yokohama Chinatown other restaurants, check >>Yokohama recommended Chinese restaurant best 10!
Saiko Shinkan
About Saiko Shinkan
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Saiko Shinkan is located in a five-story building on Shanghai street, which branches off from Chuka Odori. As noted previously, Saiko Shinkan is renowned for Cantonese cuisine and yum cha. Each floor serves food in a different format: guests can dine on yum cha in a casual setting or opt for a more formal banquet. There are also private rooms customized for different occasions and a Japanese-style tatami room. Saiko Shinkan features flower decorations throughout the restaurant. On the fifth floor, guests can sample over 30 kinds of Chinese teas in the tea lounge.
Recommended Menu: 1. Fried Shrimp Wafer Roll
Source：saikoh-shinkan
The most popular dish at Saiko Shinkan is the fried shrimp wafer roll. Fresh shrimp, bamboo shoots, and yellow chives are wrapped in a special wrapper that has a beautiful wafer-like texture. Guests can order the fried shrimp wafer roll as a separate dish or as part of a yum cha course that also includes a pot of Chinese tea. The recommended course selects the most popular plates from the menu of over 50 yum cha dishes.
Recommended Menu: 2. Grilled Salt Pork Belly With Crispy Skin
Source：saikoh-shinkan
Chashu or grilled pork is a signature Cantonese dish. The iteration at Saiko Shinkan is encased in a wonderfully crispy skin that helps produce a gloriously juicy and delicious meat. The grilled duck is also immensely popular, as is the signature chashu, which is cooked by a grilling specialist at Saiko Shinkan. Regulars recommend dabbing a special plum sauce on the bone-in grilled to add some acidity and boost the overall tastiness.
Access
Address: 192 Yamashita-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture
Restaurant Hours: 11:30～21:30
Closed second Tuesday of every month
Access: 3-minute walk from Motomachi / Chukagai station on Minatomirai Line; 10-minute walk from Ishikawacho station on JR Yokohama Line
What is Chinatown?
There are Chinatowns all over the world, including Japan which has three: Yokohama, Kobe, and Nagasaki. The biggest is the Chinatown in Yokohama. The Yokohama Chinatown has countless dining options from street foods to gourmet meals at authentic restaurants. Other attractions include Yokohama Kanteibyo, a Chinese temple, which is particularly worth a look during Chinese new year’s when it bursts into life. There are shops for Chinese ingredients and tea shops that specialize in Chinese tea leaves like Oolong and jasmine. Finally, Yokohama Chinatown has plenty of shops for clothing and lifestyle goods that showcase Chinese-style décor.
Access to Chinatown
From Tokyo station, take the JR Tokaido Line and transfer at Yokohama station
Take the JR Yokohama Line to Ishikawacho station or Minatomirai Line to Motomachi Chukagai station
Approximate travel time is 50 minutes
From Shibuya station, take the Tokyo Toyoko Line and disembark at Motomachi Chukagai station (Minatomirai Line runs direct from Shibuya). Approximate travel time is 50 minutes
From Haneda Airport, take the Keihin Express Main Line towards Airport Shin Zushi and transfer at Yokohama. Take the JR Yokohama Line to Ishikawacho station or Minatomirai Line to Motomachi Chukagai station. Approximate travel time is 40 minutes