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Chinatown is one of the neighborhoods in Oakland with some of the heaviest pedestrian traffic — likely because it’s a place you can walk around to pick up nearly everything. If you’re shopping for a foodie, or someone who likes cute, useful gifts, Chinatown offers some great options.
You’ll see lots of people out and about during the day, mostly picking up lunch or shopping for groceries from the plentiful vegetable stands. Many of the shops are practical: think small produce markets, butchers and seafood counters, restaurants and tea shops, and pharmacies and social services.
Since the pandemic, when some residents feared going out and risking the prospect of anti-Asian violence, there have been robust efforts to improve safety and walkability in the neighborhood, and to attract visitors through daytime festivals and evening events, such as the past two years’ popular night markets. If you see groups of people in colorful vests, those are volunteers patrolling for safety; the people in red shirts are cleaning up the streets.
From the Heart Florist on Webster Street in Oakland Chinatown. Credit: Florence Middleton for the Oaklandside
“We are a living, breathing, community,” Tony Trinh, director of Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council, told me.
Most shops are only open during the day, so plan your outing to end by 4 p.m.
Handmade fortune cookies
A locally designed tote bag and fortune cookie gift boxes as Oakland Fortune Factory. Credit: Florence Middleton for the Oaklandside
Start at Oakland Fortune Cookie Factory on 12th Street, between Alice and Harrison streets. They are known for handmade, bespoke fortune cookies. Cookies are baked fresh on site during the weekdays. It’s best to pre-order and then pick them up, but you can also walk up. (If it looks closed, just ring the doorbell; they’re most likely busy in the factory.) The factory recently launched holiday gift sets (starting at $25). A set of a dozen fortune cookies can range from $15 to $32 or more, from a package of chocolate-dipped cookies to to a batch in Tiffany blue.
A fortune cookie ornament at Oakland Fortune Factory and succulents at From the Heart Florist, both in Oakland Chinatown. Credit: Florence Middleton for the Oaklandside
The paper fortunes inside are customizable, so you can tailor them to your giftee. They also sell plain fortune cookies, as well as the flat, unfolded rounds.
A canvas tote designed by a local artist, Mengyao, at $30, also makes a cute gift — it’s locally printed a few blocks away at Town Print. The tote features a colorful stack of teapots along with images of fortune cookies, of course. Factory tours for walk-ins are not available, but schools and groups can book tours in advance ($12 per person).
Open 10-3:30 weekdays. 261 12th St.
Gifts for the plant lover
A variety of orchids for sale at From the Heart Florist on Webster Street in Oakland Chinatown. Credit: Florence Middleton for the Oaklandside
Afterward, stroll two and a half blocks over to From the Heart Florist to pick up a plant or a bouquet of flowers. Enjoy walking diagonally across intersections on the colorful “scramblers,” installed decades ago to protect pedestrian safety and which just got a fresh coat of paint in 2023.
The shop always has mini succulents and rare plants on display out front, as well as a wide selection of orchid plants, plus lucky bamboo plants and money trees. A lucky bamboo set, at around $25, or an orchid plant, from $25 to $50, each work as a gift for a co-worker or a host gift when you attend a holiday gathering.
Open every day except Sunday. 1016 Webster St.
Grab shrimp dumplings or purple rice with mango
If you’re hungry for lunch, visit Ming’s Tasty. Ming’s often draws a crowd, but it’s worth the wait. (If you’re too peckish to wait, head across the street to Pacific Renaissance Plaza and go upstairs to Peony’s Seafood Restaurant for equally good dim sum.) It’s a small restaurant offering a range of small bites such as shrimp dumplings ($6.45 for four pieces), specialized dishes such as stuffed bittermelon ($7.45), and soups such as congee or wonton noodle soup ($9.75 for a bowl).
Open daily 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; closed Wednesdays. 940 Webster St.
Teacup gift sets at Chanco Housewares & Restaurant Supply. Credit: Florence Middleton for the Oaklandside
Or if you just want a treat, stop at UC Dessert, which has some of the best Asian desserts in the area. You can sample a warm offering such as black sesame soup with mochi, or nab a Hong Kong-style egg puff. My personal favorite is their purple rice coconut with bits of mango. The small shop has booths, plus an Instagrammable wall.
It opens at 11 or noon, depending on the day; open until 10 p.m. 388 9th St., suite 159.
Darling dishes
A seemingly infinite selection of bowls and other dishes at Chanco Housewares & Restaurant Supply on 7th Street in Oakland Chinatown. Credit: Florence Middleton for the Oaklandside
Last, but not least, walk a couple blocks to the other outer edge of Chinatown and look for the big, red awning. Chanco Housewares and Restaurant Supply is one of my favorite places to peruse. If you’ve never walked in, you’re in for a surprise. It’s filled with rows and rows of plates, bowls, tea sets, and more. If you have ever dreamed of hosting your own sushi dinner, there are giant sushi boats. If you’re on a mission to find a gift, I’d suggest one of their tea sets or sake sets. A cute, monochromatic, modern tea set is $24. There are shelves full of traditional small tea pots and cups and numerous bowls, great for soups and noodles, ranging from modern styles to traditional Japanese and Chinese designs. There’s free parking in the garage, but you do need to let them know or they will announce your car over the PA system (free parking is a gift in and of itself here!). The shop, now in its 11th year, made it through the pandemic and continues to supply restaurant gear for local restaurants and home cooks alike.
Open daily 9:30-5 p.m. 410 7th St.
Chanco Housewares & Restaurant Supply. Credit: Florence Middleton for the Oaklandside
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