50 Best Chinese Restaurants in San Francisco

“We had just read the top 100 BayArea restaurants and found the HK Lounge and decided to try it. I am so glad we did. It is one of the best dim sum I have eaten outside Hong Kong., Each item was freshly made, and tasted exactly like the ingredients that are. outlined. We loved the soft shell crab, the duck dumplings, outstanding, and the sticky rice in lotus leaf was beyond any one I have ever had, The restaurant is small but we had a reservation and it was honored in a timely fashion. It can be loud when it is full, we had a later time and it became quiter. The staff was kind and attentive. I can't see going anywhere else but HK Lounge.“

“California-style Cantonese cuisine! I really like the decoration style here, which always makes me feel better when dining here. The golden lotus chandelier and the gold and silver wire lamp are definitely the best decoration! 👍The pastries here are also worth mentioning! Pineapple buns, wife cakes, black sesame banana cakes with miso sugar!“

“I’m so in love with peking duck in here. So delicious and does not have any duck smell at all. The skin is crunchy and meat is juicy. I really recommend this 🥰 I really like the way Ling served us today, she is so sweet, kind and take care good my service dog.“

“Always great dim sum and dumplings.“

“This is a hole in the wall type restaurant with old school Chinese service and food. For those that don’t know what that means don’t expect five star service and atmosphere. You aren’t paying high prices here at all. You come here for the food if it’s to your taste which it is for me. Beef roll pancakes and green beans are my favorites. Cash only.“

“My wife is Shanghainese, and this is her favorite restaurant. My daughter’s too!

We love especially their (these are some of the most famous dishes in Shanghai cuisine)
- Shanghai style stir-fried shrimps
- Soft tofu in crab sauce
- steamed rice with bacon and vegetable (comes in a clay pot)

The staff is kind and unfailingly sweet to our kids.“

“OMG THIS CHICKEN SANDWICH. MY GOD, THE CHICKEN SANDWICH. It might’ve been the best chicken sandwich I’ve had in my life, don’t walk, RUN to eat it. I got the umami version, it comes on a bolo bao which is lightly fried on the bottom, the chicken is deeply fried and perfectly crunchy and perfectly crispy and perfectly juicy and that mayo is the perfect amount and complement - have I used the word perfect enough? And putting it on a bolo bao is GENIUS. also got the potstickers sides (good, nothing to write home about) and the malted sundae (great and still not sure what it was - it had some chocolate on it - but it was tasty and I appreciate that it’s in lactose-free oat milk for Asian stomachs).

Service was amazing, they explained the menu and the differences between the sandwiches and entertained my questions about the name. Great vibes. Already trying to scheme how I can make it out there again“

“The dumplings are really tasty. The interior and overall atmosphere are great.

I felt that it was a bit overpriced, and they have only one toilet with a constant line(hence 4 stars).

I can recommend if you not planning to use their bathroom.“

“Everything is just great!!! From your time waiting till you’re served, is wonderful.“

“Great dim sum. Friendly service. Great location in the fisherman’s wharf area where locals and tourists can enjoy the food and the scenary“

“Great place for dim sum and good service“

“Rice cakes were our favorite and I’d come back for that. It’s served with a smoky thinly sliced chinese bacon, bitter melon which was a great touch, inari tofu skin and peppers, and was spicy ??

We didn’t really like the cumin lamb ribs, it was fatty and had a lot of powder cumin piled on top ?

Chongqing chicken wings were ok nothing too special. Wasn’t that spicy but was a bit numbing.

The Singaporean Mule cocktail was really bad and green ? don’t get it

Cod fried rice - I didn’t really taste the cod.

The taiwanese eggplant wasn’t there for me, I love the ones they make at Taiwan porridge and these weren’t like that. I think it needed some more garlic and flavor, and crispiness from a hotter wok.

We also got the peanuts which were a good opening snack. It was interesting as it’s like the traditional crunchy peanuts but also sits in a bunch of the Gold Plum dumpling vinegar. It was confusing to me ?

I’d still try other things next time as I have good memories here.“

“My husband and I came across your Chestnut location this past weekend! What a wonderful find. The VERY nice gentleman that served us, the best dumplings - I highly recommend the Spicy Sichuan Wontons in Red Oil. Looking forward to our next visit!“

“🥡
Terra Cotta Warrior
📍 2555 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

I’ve never forgotten it after eating Laotai Liu’s Tongguan Roujiamo and Lamb Momo in Neihu in Taiwan. This is a restaurant in San Francisco’s Sunset District that specializes in steamed buns and noodles!

We ordered

Biang Biang noodle with Tomato Egg
Gravy

Spicy Sliced ​​Beef

Silky tofu with preserved eggs

Chinese Burger Stuffed with Cumin Lamb

Clear lamb soup with one pita bread on the side

Overall give🌟🌟🌟🌟
The price is cheap and the portions are quite large, but the location is a bit remote~“

“Glad you are back. great healthy food. wonderful family team. A community treasure.“

“A gluten free haven! Most items are GF as-is (please know that the restaurantis not 100% gluten free). I've been here multiple times now; the food is always flavorful and piping hot. My favorite has been the orange chicken, and the sesame and General Tso's is delicious too. My non-GF guests did not know it was GF either! My new favorite spot in the city“

“Those who complain on the thread about spicy food perplex me—why did they go to a Sichuan restaurant? I have a lower craving/tolerance for spice than a typical Chinese person with Sichuan roots—I like the flavor but don't seek the heat necessarily. To me, the food at Z&Y was the appropriate level of spicy and flavorful. Actually, there's a variety of regional specialties, and our party just ordered what we felt like without regard to trying to get a typical Sichuan meal. I had meant to book a table at Z&Y Peking Duck across the street, but I didn't mind the mistake! I don't live in SF, and am willing to shell it out for a Michelin fine dining experience. I found Z&Y was relatively expensive and in slightly more modest proportion to what one might expect for a typical Chinatown restaurant, but worth it due to the extremely high quality and authentic food. Decor and service style are also typical Chinatown vibe. We had to get egg rolls for the youngest adult with us, and they were crisp and tasty. Tan tan noodles had spice and subtle flavor at the same time. We ordered Peking duck and I wondered if we got the tea smoked duck, but we didn't even complain because there was a LOT of duck and the smoky flavor was unique and delicious—and there were enough thin pancakes, sauce, cucumber, and spring onions. Pea shoots and cumin beef were very tasty. We added on Dong Po Ro (Pork Shoulder) as our last dish came to the table because we needed more food. It came to the table quickly and was melt in your mouth tender. Yes, it is very fatty, but that's the point of this cut—if you don't like fat, don't get Dong Po Ro! Lots of happy accidents with this meal, wouldn't change a thing.“

“Out of all the dumpling places in the city, this place is among one of the best. And I can even say it’s better than dumpling home at Hayes valley. Potsticker and Shengjianbao are extremely juicy and fresh. The big plate pork ribs is phenomenal. Price is extremely good for the city. Highly recommend!!!!“

“This place was recommended to us by a bartender at Mr Bings and we were not disappointed. The food was delicious. And the servers/owners were so friendly. Highly recommend.“

“We stumbled upon this dumpling place and it exceeded our expectations. The menu is focused on small apps, lots of dumplings (boiled, pan fried, soup, XLB) options. We ordered cucumbers, crab puffs, boiled dumplings, XLB, pot stickers, beef noodle soup. Everything was fresh, well seasoned…it reminded us of my mom’s cooking. We didn’t finish some of our dumplings, brought them home and they tasted great even heated with a microwave.

The atmosphere was easy, unpretentious, family friendly, clean. Service was courteous and prompt. We loved our first visit and will definitely be back to try many more dishes.

They also sell frozen dumplings to cook at home!

Kid-friendliness: Casual environment, clean restaurant, clean restrooms. Kids can watch chefs make dumplings.“

“Food is excellent here. I ordered the famous fried chicken and deep fried flounder with the same sauce and green beans. It was delicious. I was with a party of 3 so we do share tables. If you’re not into that I would recommend takeout instead.“

“This little unassuming restaurant is the real deal for good dumplings and beef noodles soup. Reminds me of comfort foods I can get in Taiwan. Expect a line at popular times.

I hate Google reviews overhyping restaurants when most reviewers wouldn’t know good Asian food if it kicked them in the butt. This place is better. I hope I’m not over hyped this place. 😊“

“食物美味，环境优美，服务很棒，下次再来“

“Lovely place to celebrate the Chinese New Year!“

“Very good vegetarian options and reasonable prices as well. I got the veg bao buns and the fried rice. The fried rice is really good and the bao buns are good with sauce.

Vegetarian options: There are a couple of vegetarian options on the menu.“

“Good dumplings. We got the spicy pork and chive dumplings. The chive was a little more than the meat in the dumplings but overall quite good. Also got the dan dan noodles, which I prefer with a little more sichuan peppers and spicier but this was quite good. The onion pancakes were crispy and less oily than other places so overall quite good.

The service was quick and efficient.“

“The food was great, I liked it very much, I will go again next time“

“Our daughter is obsessed with soup dumplings which we found at Fusion Dumpling. The traditional pork were great, but try the black truffle and wagyu soup dumplings. You won't be disappointed!“

“Great service, super generous servings, and delicious! We ate here for mother's Day and I think we may have ordered too much as we were not expecting the large servings, which is totally not a bad thing! I think the HK noodles were my favorite and I'd say the salt and pepper shrimps were my least. It's lacking a bit of saltiness or umami compared to other places. Overall, I will come back but probably order less. 😅“

“Great Food and Service will always come back when visiting San Francisco“

“Such a great noodle spot! Noodles are comforting and hearty. Service was wonderful. Came here with a group and we were seated and food came so quickly.

I am vegetarian and there were a number of options on the menu for me, also loved the milk tea drink menu.“

“Very good food“

“Yummy spring rolls, veggie fried rice & sesame chicken. I tried their mustard sauce & it was heavy on horseradish which I love.“

“Assorted bao was fabulous. Please open a location in Minneola!!!“

“Delicious and fast serving. Great accommodation.“

“Overall rating: 4.5/5

Delicious skewers, would definitely come back!

I really liked:
- Lamb Skewer
- Lamb Rib (not the large one, was a little salty but very good)

Pretty good:
- Chicken Skin Skewer
- Chicken Heart Skewer
- Roasted Eggplant
- Smashed Cucumber
- Boiled Potatoes w/ Chili Sauce

Would probably not order again:
- Beef Skewer — Perfectly fine, but not as fatty / tasty as the Lamb Skewer.
- Pork Belly Skewer
- Fried Bun — Pretty crispy outside and much larger than a typical fried bun, my preference is just smaller buns.
- Pancake w/ Beef and Sliced Beef in Chili Sauce — Slightly on the sweeter side.“

“I worked here before and when it first opened!!! Such happy memories and so happy to see it’s still thriving!“

“CASH ONLY!

Location: Parking is very limited, and there is no seating available at the restaurant. It's set up cafeteria-style, where you wait in line, place your order with the staff, and then pay.

Food: The takeout dim sum here is quite good. I especially enjoyed the sticky rice and shumai. The prices are reasonable for the size of the dim sum pieces.

Service: The service is very quick. There might be some language barriers, but you can always point to what you want. They package the food efficiently, getting you in and out quickly.

Overall: If you have cash and are looking for a dim sum takeout place, this is a solid option!“

“With its friendly atmosphere, great food, and its gracious portions Yummy Yummy is a hidden gem of SF's Sunset district. Despite not having the fame of its neighbors this family owned phó spot will always be my go to for a nice warm meal, and great company. My wife and I have been coming here for years and not once have we ever had a bad meal. Upon entering you're greeted with a smile and the lovely aroma of home-cooked Vietnamese comfort food. Monday and Tuesday they are closed but please stop by for the best Pho in the city. I always recommend the #1 ( a beef broth Pho) and the #8 ( a beef and peanut broth Pho) and if you need a pick-me-up the Vietnamese iced coffee will keep you going for hours.
If you have a peanut allergy this place is not for you.

Dietary restrictions: Not peanut allergy friendly“

“It’s nice little spot in the outer Richmond for some Chinese/hakka food. Greatly suited for small and large parties sharing family style. The food here reminded me of childhood meals i would have with my family.

I got the stirred noddles which had a lot of wok hay in the dish aka, it was wok fried to perfection. We also got the fried tofu and fish fillet casserole which is always a main stable. I love the mushrooms inside. However I did find it a bit salt.

Overall, I love this place and would love to come back.“

“Service is wonderful. Price is reasonable in respect of area, quality and current economy. Food tastes is not consistent. in our last visit we found Mongolian beef was salty and lamb was not that great like other days. However we appreciate there excellent service.“

“Went here on a Thursday night around 6 and it was packed! Food tastes fresh and there are a few vegan options. The meatless chicken is a cube of something instead of the traditional chicken-looking soy. Maybe seitan? The waiter was rushing and service was slow so they may be understaffed. It is a convenient location for me so I'd be willing to go back again though.

Vegetarian options: The meatless chicken is a cube of something instead of the traditional chicken-looking soy. Maybe seitan?“

“We had to wait over an hour but WELL worth the wait. Literally the BEST chinese food I have ever had!!! I got orange zest beef, and it was so amazing. You must go here, trust me the wait is worth it. Also the staff is incredible, I have never seen such fast and efficient servers! All around amazing!! After eating there I never want to eat Chinese food anywhere else because it just doesn't compare!“

“Love the food and balcony amazing

Vegetarian options: Good

Dietary restrictions: Good

Parking: It's nice

Kid-friendliness: Great

Wheelchair accessibility: Good“

“Amazing dishes! New twists on recipes you can’t imagine - like clam wonton soup! Everything so fresh and delicious!“

“Absolutely phenomenal food, we ordered a number of dishes and _everything_ we had was amazing.

The service was also exceptional, the staff was very attentive and offered help in figuring out quantities of food too.

Their food is also halal!“

“Delicious and served with a smile. Great food“

“A hidden gem. Really, really nice food, served fresh and piping hot. The veggies are nice and crisp, unlike so many places that serve soggy veggies. I love that the food isn't bathed in salt. The beef is tender and tastes like beef, not just salt and soy sauce. The staff is super friendly and welcoming. On top of that, the prices are shockingly low, especially considering the quality and size of the dishes. My new fave.“

“some of THE BEST Vegan food I've ever had! and the staff is so friendly. great service, great food, reasonable prices. highly recommend.“

“I been a customer here since my middle school days since I have connections with the owner. They have the best salt and pepper chicken wings that I have ever eaten. Cool little underground laid back spot that offers authentic Chinese food and service. They have a vast menu packed with many delicious options. It can be packed at times since it’s affordable and yummy. Definitely I will be back!“