Liverpool’s second Chinatown where ‘new generation’ are making their mark

“People call it ‘small Chinatown’. The original Chinatown opens late but there aren’t many typical Chinese restaurants for Chinese people”

Liverpool’s historic Chinatown is home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe, and is a beloved part of the fabric of Liverpool. But a ‘new’ Chinatown is emerging at the opposite end of the city centre and it’s offering something completely different to the traditional restaurants behind the iconic arch.

Myrtle Parade and Myrtle Street at the top end of the city centre has seen a steady stream of new businesses opening in recent years, all catering to customers who want to buy speciality Asian foods, drinks and groceries. Fuelled in part by the population of Chinese students who come to Liverpool University to study, the businesses have also found loyal customers from across Liverpool.

The small street, located in the heart of Liverpool’s university community, is now home to Sweet Time Bakery, a Chinese bakery selling “amazing” cakes and freshly baked bread, eJoy Asian Foods supermarket, a convenience store which specialises in harder-to-find groceries and boasts a number of hot food counters, as well as Happy Lemon, which sells bubble teas in an array of flavours.

One of the longer-standing Chinese businesses on Myrtle Street is Mr Zhang’s Kitchen, a bustling restaurant that sells authentic Chinese hotpot. The restaurant’s owner, the eponymous Bing Zhang, has owned the business with his cousin since 2016 and seen a number of changes to the local area over the last eight years.

Stepping inside Mr Zhang’s, you’re immediately greeted by rows of tables which are set up with hotpot stations, where diners will be served steaming vats of delicious broth, in which to cook their choices of meats, fish and vegetables, before building a ‘create your own’ style dipping sauce to add extra flavour to the wholesome dish.

Popular on TikTok, the hotpot selection is one of the menu options that Bing believes has helped bring in new customers, during a difficult economic climate for many independent business owners. Speaking to the ECHO over a pot of freshly brewed green tea, Bing said the social media app has helped bring more diners into his restaurant, after videos of their bubbling soups were shared online.

Bing opened his restaurant in 2016 and said they saw a steady increase in business as a number of large student accommodation properties opened in the area. But recent years have proven more difficult, with Bing saying he feels the Chinese student population has declined slightly, and the circumstances have been harder for businesses in general.

He felt Liverpool’s two Chinatowns can be split into two distinct generations, he said: “The old Chinatown is the first generation, from Hong Kong. Here, we see more English Chinese people. The food here is more authentic Chinese, like you would eat when you go back to China. The customer base is different here, it’s Chinese students living in England, but there [the original Chinatown] it’s the older generation and people who go for a meal after the pub.”

Bing understands Liverpool’s Chinese student population well, having moved to the city as a student himself in 2009. As a music lover who played guitar in a band back in Chengdu, Bing chose to study in Liverpool after falling in love with the city’s rich musical heritage and, of course, The Beatles.

Another business owner who has established himself in the area over the last decade is Kent Gu, 36, who runs eJoy Asian Supermarket on Myrtle Parade. Kent opened the store in 2014, having worked in a kitchen next door for some time, and also finds students to be his main customer base.

Kent also identified the area as an emerging second Chinatown, thanks to the number of businesses operating on Myrtle Parade and Myrtle Street. He told the ECHO: “People call it ‘small Chinatown’ because customers are particular – the original Chinatown opens late but there aren’t many typical Chinese restaurants for Chinese people, it’s more for English people.” He added: “British customers all like different things, they still like traditional Chinese food which Chinatown provides but they are willing to try something new, especially if they’ve seen it online.”

He also identified a recent downturn in footfall in the area, and said his second eJoy premises on Devon Street has been busier since it opened its doors last month. The Devon Street store has a larger range of ‘street food’ vendors and a larger seating area for customers to dine in.

Positioned behind the busy London Road, eJoy offers ready-to-eat street food as well as ingredients for home cooks. Among the street food style vendors is Mala Town, a self-service noodle kiosk offering freshly cooked hot dishes. There is also a WokToGo branch and Happy Lemon bubble tea, as well as eJoy Dim Sum which offers handmade Cantonese treats including fan favourites such as siu mai and roast duck.

However, both Bing and Kent identified one obstacle to the ongoing success of the city’s new Chinatown – parking. The area has a small private car park, as well as on-street parking which can be paid for via the Pay By Phone app like other public parking spaces across the city. However, they said the lack of free short-stay parking acts as a disincentive for customers who might be popping to the area to collect a takeaway order, or a small number of groceries.

Kent said his second site on Devon Street is more popular thanks to the parking exemptions he’s allowed to offer customers who are shopping or dining at eJoy, if they enter their registration plates when making a purchase.

While the parking issues and recent challenges posed by the wider economic climate have created obstacles for businesses operating in the area, it’s clear to see that Myrtle Parade and Myrtle Street are home to an ever-growing community of Chinese-owned and operated businesses, which offer customers something more contemporary than the long-established Chinatown behind Liverpool’s famous arch.