When Jonathon lived in China Town back in San Francisco, our favorite type of food to eat obviously became Chinese food. We were sad to think that we would not be able to get Chinese food when we moved to Nicaragua because, well, it’s Nicaragua. However, when we were living in Masaya, imagine our surprise when we found not one, but two Chinese food restaurants in town! And they’re GOOD. We hadn’t seen any sort of Chinese food in our travels throughout Nicaragua, so we were stoked. We were a bit skeptical at first, but we were craving that salty, MSG yumminess of Chinese food so badly we didn’t even care.
The first place we ate at was the place that would become our most frequently visited restaurant in Masaya as it was just across the street from our place, Yuan Lin. The big red building is hard to miss (see above) with Chinese writing and paintings of chowmein and fried rice on the front. We got the family meal, which included chicken chowmein, white rice, sweet and sour chicken (agridulce pollo on the menu), two chicken egg rolls (chino tacos) and a whole liter of Pepsi. Sounds absurd right? We ate right through the whole thing.
By far the largest meal we could get in Masaya for just C$220 ($9.22) and one of our absolute favorite. The place also has the best beer deals we’ve ever seen: you can get a liter of Brava for C$24 ($1.00). It’s the perfect ice cold beverage to share together after a long day of work in the heat.
We later found out, by going to the retaruant so frequently, that the place is actually owned by a Chinese woman who was raised here by her parents when she was little. She moved away, came back and started the restaurant in her old home town–and we’re so glad that she did! Her food is authentic and so yummy.
There is another Chinese restaurant just down the street and around the corner from us that we love as well called Joshy Chinese Restaurant. The place is owned by a local Nicaraguan family, so the dishes aren’t like the ones we were used to in China Town, but they are delicious, come in very large portions and inexpensive.
Its a big place where a lot of locals come to hang out after work, drink a couple of Toña liters and then order one huge dish of shrimp & chicken fried rice (arroz chino on the menu) or chowmein for just C$65 ($2.70) to soak up the beer before heading home. Jonathon and I love this place because we can share a dish of fried rice or chowmein and be full, which makes the meal a whopping $1.35 each. It’s so yummy, the family who owns it is awesome and the atmosphere is relaxed.
Who would have ever thought we’d have choices of Chinese food in Nicaragua? Not us, but we’re thankful that we do. Both serve up great food, are inexpensive and will curb your travelers craving for Asian cuisine in one meal. If you’re ever in Masaya, check them out and enjoy the weird feeling of having Chinese food in Central America.
The article in photos:
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- Great atmosphere in Joshy
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- The most authentic Chinese in Nica
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- Ice cold Brava for just a dollar!
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- Joshy Chinese, yum.
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- The family meal, bomb
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- All of the condiments you need
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- Chowmein
This is wonderful news for you both! The food does look tasty, and the brew so cheap and good… Lucky!!
We wish you could join us for a Chinese feast! Maybe one day
That would be a nice trip indeed.
Who’d a thunk it?
sounds wonderful. We are in mexico and there is a Chinese y Japanese restaurant we have passed. Maybe we should try it!
Yeah it’s worth a shot. It really is a hit or miss game though
Isn’t it always comforting to find the ‘comfort’ food that reminds you of home when you are away? We are always looking for Indian food when we visit different countries! It is amazing that we always end up finding an Indian restaurant in small, random towns.
We love Indian food so much. We couldn’t find any in Nicaragua so we learned how to make some thanks to YouTube. Luckily Nicaragua does have lots of wonderful spices.
There are a few in Granada as well!
Awesome. I got to check it out. Are they delicious?
So happy for you. Chinese are everywhere and they are always cooking!
Thank goodness for that. I Love Chinese food. Maybe too much.
I’m from SF Bay Area too and that is definitely one thing I miss while traveling – the variety of food!
Yeah. It’s hard to find different types of food sometimes. It makes the ones we find really special. Have a great day.
How quickly we forget. My husband and I stayed at Hostel California for eight days and ate frequently at a great Chinese restaurant a couple of blocks away that had really cold beer. Granada also had a good, inexpensive Chinese restaurant. If SJDS has one, it’s a well-kept secret. I miss that and Thai food.
That’s awesome. What a small world. I haven’t seen any Chinese in SJDS either. I wonder if there is Thai food in Nicaragua. That would really be a treat. Thanks Pat for the message
In Granada, there’s a restaurant called Tercer Ojo or whatever Third Eye is in Spanish–anyway, it has the third eye logo and is not far from La Calzada. I believe it has some Thai dishes.
Thanks. We will check it out.
We were so tired of the food in Ireland that we went to the Peking Restaurant in Dublin – beautiful decor like in a Chinese Museum. the food, alas, tasted like fish and chips…
That’s funny. We would love to explore Ireland. It looks like an amazing place.
I’ve lived in Hong Kong for 10 years and before I came her thought there was but one type of Chinese food…how wrong I was and how different Hong Kong Cantonese food is to northern or Western Chinese cuisine.
Yeah. I tried it once and it was way different. Still delicious though but I love western Chinese Cuisine. It’s my favorite.
look yummy,! youtube make me smile when youtube brote about no more chinesse food output of USA well i Was living in nica & always ate chinesse food
@ my last trip todo nica i Was in new chinesse place in Managua were my family friends, they are from china, thefood Was good, i ask later The adress
imLove all your post
Thanks. I would love to try it out. Glad you like the post. Thanks for the comments.
All the wonderful pictures are making me hungry for chinese food ! By the way, when I traveled to east Asia I noticed that they seldom prefer Chicken in Chinese food and mostly it is sea food, though in my country Chicken is mostly preferred. What about your experiences?
Mmm! Next time you’re in Granada, you must stop by Kanpai. The chef is from Japan and his name is Masaya! The sushi is a real treat.
Awesome. Will do. Can’t wait. That’s ironic his name is Masaya.
nice que rico!!
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I LIKE CHINESE FOOD, TOO!—Jonathan