Was excited to try this place out last night after its reopening and came by at 910 to find it locked up and the staff cleaning, despite the sign outside saying they were open until 10 on weekends. Disappointed.
Service: 1
The Neurodiverse Nurse
This is my second time at Sam Wo when visiting San Fran and omg I just had maybe my favorite Chinese dish ever. Bella was our sever and she was very accommodating to work to get us this delicious no longer on the menu item I had seen in other reviews. The pork noodle roll was delicious I think they have some of the best Chinese mustard ever but be sure to ask for Ping and see if you can get this Beef fried rice with soft scrambled egg on top, and make sure you sprinkle a little bit of the Chinese pepper sauce!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Edgar Garcia
The food not bad, good service but the ambience can be better, some smells and bugs are really annoying.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Hector Quiroz
Food was delicious and our server was awesome!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ivana Ro
So thrilled this iconic establishment is back in business, we were thrilled to bring visiting friends here this weekend! Would love to see classic HK drinks back on the menu (HK milk tea, lemon tea, etc.) :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David Baker
A first time visit with four friends. I had the Beef Chow Fun dish. Very delicious and a nice size portion. We had an issue with food delivery timing and missing a drink and food order even after a several reminders. It was a busy night and servers were busy cleaning tables and seating and servering other guests. Even though busy the staff was friendly. In the end it was made right. Thank you! I would love to make another future visit to Sam Wo.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Flame Kern
The sweet egg buns were very good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stefanie Gu
Disappointing Food Despite Good Service
We stopped by this past Sunday, excited to finally try this well-known spot given its reputation and steady crowds — but sadly, the food didn’t live up to expectations. Every dish we ordered was either bland or overly salty, which was surprising and disappointing.
Here’s what we tried: Porridge with Thousand-Year Egg & Pork – lacked flavor Chinese Donuts – bland Wonton with Egg Noodles – tasteless Shrimp & Egg Over Rice – eggs were too salty Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings – lacked seasoning
The only redeeming part of the experience was the service. The staff were kind and attentive, even offering to replace the Chinese donut dish after we gave feedback. They also let us know we could speak up if anything wasn’t to our liking — which we appreciated.
It’s unfortunate that none of the dishes met our expectations, especially since these are typically straightforward staples. Hopefully, it was just an off day in the kitchen, but based on this visit, we won’t be rushing back.
Alexandra Graciela
I had a random bout of nostalgia and was looking up Sam Wo. For a moment, I was freaking out thinking it closed! Being born and raised in SF, establishments like this are a prized gem and part of SF culture. With so many of SF businesses and such closing due to high costs and otherwise (cough gentrification and tech industry cough), it is vital to continue supporting SF's local businesses that literally defined it's beautifully colorful and rich cultural history. Glad to hear it's back up. I'm immensely homesick 😮💨
Sam Wo was amazing to me. It really gives you an authentic experience in the heart of Chinatown. The food was always amazing, fresh, and priced really well. Because of SF, I am nearly always disappointed with my options for Chinese now (been in FL since '13 and Tampa specifically since '21) - although it has improved a bit over the years. Sam Wo is part of that and tbh I'm more than happy to be pretentious about genuinely authentic Chinese cuisine.
Honestly the worst bbq pork (char siu) noodle soup I've ever had. Pork was too lean to be real char siu and very dry which is why they cut it into shreds otherwise barely edible. I also think since it was so dry, it's older food that wasn't sold. There wasn't even an ornamental green leafy vegetable on top. Only scallions. Definitely not authentic Cantonese food.
Plus tabletops were so sticky the menus stuck to them.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Debbie Lowe (3jamigos)
A Chinatown institution reopened which makes folks like me happy. The food is solid hole in the wall Cantonese food. Won’t win any awards but guaranteed to satisfy. Well, with the exception of their Guern fun or filled rice noodle rolls, those deserve a gold medal! #IYKYK #legacy #cantoneseeats #chinatownsf #samwo #sfeater
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Ala Biba
So happy they’re back!! Same delicious taste
I got egg fried rice, BBQ pork rolls, beans and wonton soup
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jing Mai
DISAPPOINTED- I’ve always loved coming here for the wonton soup, mainly for their broth – rich with that bone+seafood depth (though I never knew the exact recipe). This authentic Cantonese version has always been a pleasure to enjoy! When I saw the restaurant reopen under new ownership, and heard that 90% of the menu would remain the same with the old chef helping to train the new one, I was really looking forward to having it again. Unfortunately, the soup now tastes quite diluted, and the wontons don’t seem as flavorful as before—I remember there being more pork in the filling. I hope the ORIGINAL RECIPE can be brought back, as it was what made Sam Wo so special!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Hilda Liu
Went there yesterday for their last day 🥲 I will miss the vibe forever. Their bbq port noodle roll were so good that I had to order 1 more for take out. The duck fried rice was plain and little duck in it… House chow fun was okay 👍🏻 They were busy but the server was attentive. They worked like a family. It is a place full of history records and I hope there is a way we can preserve the history down. It is a bittersweet farewell to chef Ho and I wish him all the best for his retirement!
Was excited to try this place out last night after its reopening and came by at 910 to find it locked up and the staff cleaning, despite the sign outside saying they were open until 10 on weekends. Disappointed.
Service: 1
This is my second time at Sam Wo when visiting San Fran and omg I just had maybe my favorite Chinese dish ever. Bella was our sever and she was very accommodating to work to get us this delicious no longer on the menu item I had seen in other reviews. The pork noodle roll was delicious I think they have some of the best Chinese mustard ever but be sure to ask for Ping and see if you can get this Beef fried rice with soft scrambled egg on top, and make sure you sprinkle a little bit of the Chinese pepper sauce!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food not bad, good service but the ambience can be better, some smells and bugs are really annoying.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Food was delicious and our server was awesome!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
So thrilled this iconic establishment is back in business, we were thrilled to bring visiting friends here this weekend! Would love to see classic HK drinks back on the menu (HK milk tea, lemon tea, etc.) :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A first time visit with four friends. I had the Beef Chow Fun dish. Very delicious and a nice size portion. We had an issue with food delivery timing and missing a drink and food order even after a several reminders.
It was a busy night and servers were busy cleaning tables and seating and servering other guests. Even though busy the staff was friendly. In the end it was made right. Thank you!
I would love to make another future visit to Sam Wo.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
The sweet egg buns were very good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Disappointing Food Despite Good Service
We stopped by this past Sunday, excited to finally try this well-known spot given its reputation and steady crowds — but sadly, the food didn’t live up to expectations. Every dish we ordered was either bland or overly salty, which was surprising and disappointing.
Here’s what we tried:
Porridge with Thousand-Year Egg & Pork – lacked flavor
Chinese Donuts – bland
Wonton with Egg Noodles – tasteless
Shrimp & Egg Over Rice – eggs were too salty
Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings – lacked seasoning
The only redeeming part of the experience was the service. The staff were kind and attentive, even offering to replace the Chinese donut dish after we gave feedback. They also let us know we could speak up if anything wasn’t to our liking — which we appreciated.
It’s unfortunate that none of the dishes met our expectations, especially since these are typically straightforward staples. Hopefully, it was just an off day in the kitchen, but based on this visit, we won’t be rushing back.
I had a random bout of nostalgia and was looking up Sam Wo. For a moment, I was freaking out thinking it closed! Being born and raised in SF, establishments like this are a prized gem and part of SF culture. With so many of SF businesses and such closing due to high costs and otherwise (cough gentrification and tech industry cough), it is vital to continue supporting SF's local businesses that literally defined it's beautifully colorful and rich cultural history. Glad to hear it's back up. I'm immensely homesick 😮💨
Sam Wo was amazing to me. It really gives you an authentic experience in the heart of Chinatown. The food was always amazing, fresh, and priced really well. Because of SF, I am nearly always disappointed with my options for Chinese now (been in FL since '13 and Tampa specifically since '21) - although it has improved a bit over the years. Sam Wo is part of that and tbh I'm more than happy to be pretentious about genuinely authentic Chinese cuisine.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
So glad it reopened
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Honestly the worst bbq pork (char siu) noodle soup I've ever had. Pork was too lean to be real char siu and very dry which is why they cut it into shreds otherwise barely edible. I also think since it was so dry, it's older food that wasn't sold. There wasn't even an ornamental green leafy vegetable on top. Only scallions. Definitely not authentic Cantonese food.
Plus tabletops were so sticky the menus stuck to them.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
A Chinatown institution reopened which makes folks like me happy. The food is solid hole in the wall Cantonese food. Won’t win any awards but guaranteed to satisfy. Well, with the exception of their Guern fun or filled rice noodle rolls, those deserve a gold medal! #IYKYK #legacy #cantoneseeats #chinatownsf #samwo #sfeater
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
So happy they’re back!! Same delicious taste
I got egg fried rice, BBQ pork rolls, beans and wonton soup
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
DISAPPOINTED- I’ve always loved coming here for the wonton soup, mainly for their broth – rich with that bone+seafood depth (though I never knew the exact recipe). This authentic Cantonese version has always been a pleasure to enjoy! When I saw the restaurant reopen under new ownership, and heard that 90% of the menu would remain the same with the old chef helping to train the new one, I was really looking forward to having it again. Unfortunately, the soup now tastes quite diluted, and the wontons don’t seem as flavorful as before—I remember there being more pork in the filling. I hope the ORIGINAL RECIPE can be brought back, as it was what made Sam Wo so special!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Went there yesterday for their last day 🥲 I will miss the vibe forever. Their bbq port noodle roll were so good that I had to order 1 more for take out. The duck fried rice was plain and little duck in it… House chow fun was okay 👍🏻 They were busy but the server was attentive. They worked like a family. It is a place full of history records and I hope there is a way we can preserve the history down. It is a bittersweet farewell to chef Ho and I wish him all the best for his retirement!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
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