50 Best Chinese Restaurants in San Francisco

“This family-run restaurant more than live up to the 5-star reviews and our daughter’s recommendation. What a nice experience: from making the reservation to friendly greeting on arrival, through delicious dessert. Authentic HK cuisine draws SF locals and visitors from all over Asia. Server helped us pick a variety of dim sum and other dishes for our party of 6. Beyond the terrific dumplings, our favorites were Drunken Chicken, Steamed Chilean Seabass, Seafood Ma Po Tofu, Ribeye with Mushroom, and Gai Choy. For dessert we split Egg Yolk Cake, Fried Sesame Ball, and Mango Pudding. We’ll be back, and I highly recommend the restaurant.“

“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!“

“Great food and service. We had a full Peking duck, the duck and cabbage soup, spicy wontons, soup dumplings, and eggplant. Everything tasted amazing. My favorite was the rich broth of the duck soup followed by the duck itself. We would come back.“

“Always great dim sum and dumplings.“

“This was our first time trying House of Pancakes, and let's just say--the name is definitely misleading in the best way. While you might expect a traditional breakfast spot, this cozy, mom-and-pop-style restaurant serves up hearty Northern Chinese dishes packed with flavor.

We came with a large group of extended family and were impressed with how accommodating and friendly the staff were. They even made thoughtful dish recommendations based on our group size and preferences, which made the experience even better.

We ordered quite a bit to share:

Beef Pancakes (a house specialty)
Lamb Skewers (spicy and non-spicy)
Lamb Dumplings
Pork Dumplings
Lamb Stir-Fried Hand-Pulled Noodles
Fresh Cucumber Salad

Overall, the food was delicious and flavorful. That said, if you're not a fan of lamb (like me), just be aware that the lamb skewers and dumplings can be a bit gamey. The spicy skewers helped mask it a bit, thanks to a generous sprinkle of paprika.

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the lamb stir-fried noodles--the lamb in that dish was melt-in-your-mouth tender and tasted more like beef than lamb to me. Unfortunately, I couldn't try the beef pancakes due to dietary restrictions, but my cousins absolutely loved them and said they were a must-order.

The pork dumplings were a standout for me--juicy, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. And the cucumber salad was refreshing and balanced everything out nicely.

The restaurant has a small, casual diner vibe that gives it local charm--nothing fancy, but welcoming and perfect for sharing a flavorful meal with family or friends.“

“Who knew pineapple bun could be used as a bun?! Love the sparkling teas too… and the spring rolls…. And the chrysanthemum salad… and the ice cream... Actually haven’t tried anything I didn’t like!! If there was one in Oakland, I’d have a serious problem. On that note there ARE a few vacancies on College Ave… just saying 🙏🏼💕😘“

“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“

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

“Nouvelle Asian cuisine. We enjoyed the tasting menu, which offered many delicious and artistically presented courses including two desserts, all for a reasonable (by San Francisco standards) $120 per person + drinks + taxes + tips, bringing the actual total to $200 per person.
The Happy Crane cocktail made is a gimlet style drink, small yet so tasty that one of us ordered two of them!
Each course was presented promptly. Understandably, given the rapid rise in popularity of this new dining spot, some of the wait staff appeared to be still in training. That said, servers were eager to please and friendly.“

“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!“

“We dined in for a late lunch as a family of three. The yelp waitlist indicated a 10-20 minute wait and we were surprised to receive a text 5 minutes later.

Food came out hot and fresh. We ordered the Juicy Pork Bao, Pork Xiao Long Bao, Zha Jiang House Special Bean Paste with Mince Pork, Boiled Pork and Chive Dumplings and Fried Tofu.

While there is no separate kids menu, our thirteen month old loved his food so much that he stayed in his high chair for the duration of the meal.

Would highly recommend!“

“🥡
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~“

“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.“

“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“

“Delicious and served with a smile. Great food“

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

“This was the best Chinese restaurant I’ve ever had in my entire life, and that’s saying something cause I’ve eaten at a lot of different Chinese restaurants. My brothers came with me and they agree. Anytime I’m in San Francisco I will come here.“

“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.“

“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.“

“Yummy dumpling place on Irving St and the prices are extremely affordable for what they offer! I got a beef noodle soup (non-spicy) and it soothed my soul, super delicious and it has that dark but also tender broth. I also tried the Pork and Napa Cabbage dumpling soup and it was light and filling (12 dumplings in the soup). This spot is great for solo-dining and the service is attentive and friendly.

Parking in the area is pretty hard so do plan ahead!“

“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.“

“Lovely place to celebrate the Chinese New Year!“

“食物美味，环境优美，服务很棒，下次再来“

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

“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.“

“I love this place. They’re always so kind,
While it’s super simple it’s pretty decent clean and definitely don’t go for the atmosphere so I just didn’t want them to have less than five stars cause they always are so kind and their food is always so good.:-)“

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

“Every time we plan to go to San Francisco for a trip, my dad gets so excited about having a meal at this place because of some really good Chinese food in San Francisco. This is my dad’s cherry on top place in the city.“

“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, very reasonable prices. Just be prepared to wait“

“They have so many soup options but was not in the mood for that so we got the dry noodles which were delish paired w the beef skewers. Pretty affordable too!! Also the owner was soooooo sweet 🥹 he gave us free sesame balls and was so accommodating during our stay.“

“Very good food“

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

“I love this place so much. It’s quickly become a neighborhood staple and my favorite Vietnamese in the city (I used to live near Turtle Tower in Little Saigon so my bar is high)! Things I love -

- The classic beef pho broth is flavorful, savory - not overly sweet or spiced, and not watered down. It’s just perfect. They don’t skimp on portions for meat or noodles.
- You can sub fresh rice noodles for classic pho noodles, which I personally love. Less chewy but soft and comforting.
- they have greater variety than typical of a pho spot. You can get classic beef pho but they also have Bun Rieu (a tomato and shrimp/crab paste noodle soup that’s delish).
- everything’s incredibly fresh. Not a wilty herb in sight.
- finally, they service!! They are insanely kind. The owners are warm and friendly. My three year old daughter was sad that I ate her noodles 😅 and the owner packed her extra to go.

This will be our go-to spot for years to come.“

“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!“

“I was in the area with a hungry stomach where I needed some breakfast. I passed by here so many times when it was the old place and when it is what it is now. Upon arrival, there was a line out the door, but that did not bother me since I am a very patient person. They offer many different delicious dim sum dishes such as siu mai, ha gow, steamed chicken feet, steamed spareribs and much more. Also they have a variety of steamed or bake buns like the famous pork bun. If you are really hungry they have a rice plate special where you can choose 3 entrees with steamed white rice for a fair cost. And next to their steamed table they have fried goods, eggrolls, fried shrimp puff, Chinese doughnut, etc. Lastly they have frozen foods where you can cook it at home. The staffs here are very welcoming, well trained and understanding where it made my visit a satisfying one. This place is cash and takeout only, so please plan accordingly and have some cash on you. I highly recommend this place to anyone on a limited time, to all Chinese food enthusiasts and if you just so happen to be in the area just like me. I definitely will be back to tryout the other delicious options they have to offer.“

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

“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.“

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

“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?“

“The service was very good. The clerk greeted us warmly and recommended desserts to us. The milk pudding was very well done.
I ordered Hong Kong-style milk tea, black truffle prawn pasta, corn chips, sizzling beef rice, and typhoon shelter eggplant. Everything was delicious, the ingredients were fresh, and the food was served very quickly.
I saw many neighbors helping me. Very good tea restaurant.“

“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!“

“Got the jian bing guo zi (burrito) for $14. Came with egg, scallions, crunchy lettuce, hoisin, sesame, mayo, and choice of chicken, beef, pork floss, or sausage (can pick 2 out of 4). Ordered via a very clear self-service menu and ready in 5 min. Came out piping hot and precut into two halves, perfect for sharing. Heavy sizable portions. Excellent snack while strolling around Sunset.“

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

“My partner and I love Lime Tree when we’re craving comfort Singaporean food! Would recommend it to anyone and everyone, we love the nasi goreng chicken and Singaporean noodle, but you can’t go wrong with anything.

Also, had the sweetest experience today when picking up my take out order, and was pleasantly surprised when the staff gave me some of the fresh, sweet watermelon he had just cut, thank you!

Good food and the best service <3 pls support their restaurant“