Hakka families moved to Tangra from the 1910s and 20s because tanning was a trade nobody else wanted, and the marshy land at the city’s eastern edge was cheap. By the 1960s there were around three hundred Chinese-owned tanneries here.
Environmental orders from the late 1990s required the tanneries to move to the Calcutta Leather Complex at Bantala. Many families converted their tannery buildings into restaurants instead, which is why Tangra is now known for food rather than leather. The restaurants sit in what were industrial sheds, which explains their size and their layout.
The names
Places, institutions and dishes| Name | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing Restaurant1980s | Tangra | One of the best-known kitchens; chimney soup and Hakka dishes. |
| Kim Ling1980s | Tangra | A long-running family restaurant. |
| Golden Joy | Tangra | Hakka Chinese, large portions. |
| Kafulok | Tangra | One of the established Tangra houses. |
| Big Boss | Tangra | Tangra Chinese in the modern style. |
| Sin Fa | Tangra | Family-run and long established. |
| Hakka Restaurant | Tangra | Hakka cooking under its own name. |
| The Chinese Kali temple1990s | Tangra | Run by the Chinese community; noodles and chop suey are offered as prasad. |
| The converted tanneries1990s | Tangra | Restaurant buildings that were tanning sheds; the scale is industrial because it was. |
| Calcutta Leather Complex2000s | Bantala | Where the tanning was moved under environmental orders. |
| Pei May Chinese High School1930s | Tangra | The community school; enrolment has fallen with the population. |
Worth knowing
- The restaurants are in former tannery buildings, which is why they are so large.
- Chimney soup is the Tangra speciality and few places elsewhere in India serve it.
- Chinese New Year is when the whole district is worth visiting.
- It is about half an hour from central Kolkata; go by taxi, not public transport.
- Lunch is quiet; the restaurants fill in the evening.
More on Chinatown
Read the city another way
A note on this page. Restaurants, shops and markets open, move and close far more often than industries do. Everything here is a snapshot of Kolkata as of 2026, offered as a starting point rather than a live listing. Check the address and the hours before you travel.
Restaurant, shop and company names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Inclusion is for independent discovery only, not endorsement, ranking or affiliation.
Our other websites
These open our other sites in a new tab. They are part of the same network and are marked in blue throughout this site.