New World Mall is one of the centers of Flushing’s food scene and a great example of how modern Chinatowns continue to evolve. While the mall itself looks fairly ordinary from the outside, downstairs is one of NYC’s most famous Asian food courts, filled with small vendors specializing in regional Chinese dishes and street foods. Unlike many American food courts that offer a little bit of everything, many stalls here focus on doing just one dish especially well—whether that’s hand-pulled noodles, dumplings, skewers, soups, or regional snacks. This style reflects the specialization commonly found in China’s street-food and market culture. The food court also highlights how diverse Flushing’s Chinese community has become over the years. Instead of representing just one style of Chinese cuisine, you’ll find influences from places like Xi’an, Shanghai, Sichuan, Fujian, Dongbei, Taiwan, and Hong Kong all within the same space.

Historically one of Flushing’s most iconic underground food halls and often credited with helping popularize regional Chinese street food culture in NYC. Many food writers considered it one of the most influential Chinese food destinations in New York. Xi’an Famous Foods started as a tiny stall in Golden Mall serving mostly Chinese immigrants. Anthony Bourdain later helped introduce it to mainstream America, and it became one of the restaurants that changed how many New Yorkers think about Chinese food. Places like Golden Mall changed how New Yorkers think about Chinese food. Before Flushing became famous, many Americans only knew Cantonese-American takeout dishes.