Ethnic public catering, meaning catering establishments, which provides national cuisine, culture, and traditions in another cultural context, is not only an important part of service industry and a component of market economy, but also a significant cultural phenomenon. It is a place where representatives of different nationalities and elements of different cultures meet and have daily contacts. This phenomenon is particularly special due to its worldwide expansion and high demand for it. The aim of the article is to examine the process of formation of ethnic public catering in contemporary Russia by the example of Chinese restaurants and cafes in Irkutsk. They are considered as visible and significant elements of ethnic environment which was formed in the city during the post-soviet period. The author analyzes the reasons of popularity of Chinese catering establishments among different social strata. Intensive discussions on this issue reveal that the interest in Chinese public catering is caused not only by a merely concern with Chinese cuisine, but the intension to plunge into different culture. This demand stimulates offer of artificial “China for the Russians”. The author tries to set up a typology of such enterprises, and to compare it with typologies of other researchers. The article states that the novelty of the phenomenon predetermined insufficient knowledge, and offers review of available researches.