Best SHENJIAN Bao in SF! Any dish that is traditionally Shanghai is the same as what I got in Shanghai. Yes the Xiaolong Bao is not that beautiful, but the ones I eat day-to-day in Shanghai were just like that! Yes SHENJIAN Bao should have thick skin. The melon clay pot and rice cake brings back memory instantly! I'd say reduce your expectations on service, as it's just a mom and pop shop. It is authentic food. A gem in SF when most Chinese restaurants are Cantonese.
Sarah C.
I came for the dry fry wings and the fat dumplings and they did not disappoint! We ordered over the phone because they were closing soon and the order took a little bit to fill but wasn't too long at all. I loved everything about this meal. Juicy and flavorful dumplings with lots of filling. The chicken wings were moist and flavorful with nice crisp skin. The sauce had some spice to it but not too much that a person who doesn't like spicy food couldn't eat it. I like that the wing sauce was a bit thinner so it coated the whole wing well. Highly recommend this place!
M L
Horrible service. Cash only. The place doesn't visibly advertise its cash-only policy, probably because it skirts legality. Yet, they strictly enforce this rule, especially with Asian customers.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Latham woodward
Good food, but it was pretty oily. I may not be qualified to judge this, but it was my take away. A large amount of dishes to choose from.Cash only, come prepared.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Gabriela Ruchelli
Great homey neighborhood spot. Food all comes out fast and hot. Soup dumplings and dry fried chicken are excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dry Fried Chicken Wings, Xiao Long Bao 小笼包
Ruiz Dominguez
The service is really terrible, they serve you in a bad way and they take too long to serve you the food, I waited almost an hour for my food and it is of a very low level, that terrible thing, I would never return to this place...
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Tina L.
Came here tonight on January 15th, 2024 at 5:45pm and although we've read some reviews that the service was bad we didn't think the food would be bad either. Well first of all we were the 2nd family to dine in. The ambiance of the place was a true definition of a hole in the wall. The lady that worked there seemed to have a rude unhappy attitude. Right when we got there she was counting a stack of cash, not once did she greeted us. She didn't even seat us, we had to seat ourselves. When she finally made her way to our table to give us the menu it was a couple pieces of crumpled up old paper menus which consisted of 2 lunch menu and 2 dinner menu. She then brought out a pot of tea and gave us some cups for the tea which at this point I was a bit taken back because I wasn't sure if she had cleaned her hands after counting the money. We proceeded to order pan fried dumplings which we were told there is none and that we would have had to wait 1 hour for them. So we got soup dumplings, mongolian beef, braised beef noodle soup, beef fried rice, fried tofu, and vegetable fried rice. We literally waited 1 whole hour for our food to even come out. While waiting someone came in and had an order to go and they ended up getting pan fried dumplings so what's the deal with why I as a patron dining in would have to wait for 1 whole hour. Anyways everything tasted off like sour, not fresh, oily, and even had some metallic taste. The only good tasting thing was the fortune cookie at the end, but at this rate who is to say if those cookies are even fresh. Well I don't think the meal I had with my family tonight was deserving of a tip. The rude lady chased after me at the end asking for a tip. I don't think it's mandatory if your food is way below mediocre. Not like I dined and dash. She should just be happy I even paid for bad food. Anyways never again will I be coming back to this place of service. I don't recommend this place to no one at all. This is a horrible place of business!! Not even deserving of my one star. Can I give this place a negative star? As my husband says if this is Shanghai food I don't ever want to eat Shanghai food ever again.
sockmonkay
If I could leave 0 stars, I would. Service was slow and horrible. The woman working there was rude, following me and my family out of the store after our meal, asking for a tip. We spent over 100 dollars for below average food. We waited an hour or longer before we received our meals. When asked about the Pan-Fried Dumplings on the menu, we were told they weren't available; however, it was magically available for an individual who ordered take-out. The food was bland, unseasoned, and way below average. Everything we tried was sour, bland, and tasted unfresh. There was no ambiance, and the vibe was quiet and awkward. The woman who worked there used the same gloves she used to count money, touch her phone to her face, handle all of our utensils and plates, and serve us our meals. She never greeted us nor sat us down, things we all had to do on our own. The best thing they had in their restaurant the store bought fortune cookies that taught you Chinese. I'll never come back to this place ever again. It is the worse Chinese food I've ever had in my life.
Kevin W.
Came here for just the fried dumplings, which were good but felt that it really needed the vinegar sauce to bring it to that next level. The restaurant had a weird smell but other than that overall it was okay.
Aye K.
No frills mom and pop shop that is known for their dumplings! I personally think they have the best sheng jian bao in the city, and this is the main reason that I come here. This is basically a crispy soup dumpling- I love how the outside is crispy but the inside is still moist enough to still have soup. If you're going to get one dish only here, this is a must try. Other notable dishes: - Chicken wings: These are fried chicken wings with a thick sweet sauce on top. Similar to San Tung and honestly the portion and size of the wings are much better here. Very crunchy with good flavor! - Xiao long bao (soup dumplings): These are decent but the skin is a bit thick. There was definitely soup inside though with good flavor. Came out piping hot. - Hand cut noodles: Very chewy thick noodles. I loved this! You can tell that they really put time and effort into making these noodles. The service was not the fastest but I've never had a rude or negative experience here. I think sometimes we all need to remember that small restaurants may be short staffed especially during these trying times, and we could all be more patient. I have been here 5+ times and would go back again.
the food taste below average and definitely not worth the price. Besides, the staff member in the restaurant is pretty rude to us and not very friendly at all. Definitely don’t would never come to this restaurant
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Xiao Long Bao 小笼包
Turtle F.
Food is mediocre at best. Services were just rude. It is also Cash Only and we have to pay $3 in a nearby BoA ATM to get cash. Kitchen is very dirty and in an unhealthy condition. Avoid at all costs.
Kevin L.
The most disappointing dumpling and Chinese food experience I've had in SF. I'm not one to usually complain about service at Chinese places but they were just being rude to everyone. I heard multiple tables in English and Chinese essentially saying they would never return. I wouldn't care if the food was phenomenal but it wasn't even special. The shen jian baos were crispy but the wrapper was too thick. It lacked and flavor. The soup dumplings looked ugly but also lacked flavor and soup. The dumpling skin is way too thick. The green beans and noodles were a bit too salty and oily. Nothing special. This whole meal was very mid.
David Young
Saturday 11/25/23 Lunch at Shanghai House in San Francisco with my cousin, niece, and nephew. Delicious Shanghai foods; pand fried dumplings, dry chicken wings, satay beef clay pot, and shedded beef & Napa.David YoungRestaurant Enthusiast
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Dry Fried Chicken Wings, Pan Fried Dumplings
Bay Walker
Enjoyed hot and spicy soup, garlic chicken, green beans and prawns. Owner isn’t socially outgoing but food was good.
Best SHENJIAN Bao in SF! Any dish that is traditionally Shanghai is the same as what I got in Shanghai. Yes the Xiaolong Bao is not that beautiful, but the ones I eat day-to-day in Shanghai were just like that! Yes SHENJIAN Bao should have thick skin. The melon clay pot and rice cake brings back memory instantly! I'd say reduce your expectations on service, as it's just a mom and pop shop. It is authentic food. A gem in SF when most Chinese restaurants are Cantonese.
I came for the dry fry wings and the fat dumplings and they did not disappoint! We ordered over the phone because they were closing soon and the order took a little bit to fill but wasn't too long at all. I loved everything about this meal. Juicy and flavorful dumplings with lots of filling. The chicken wings were moist and flavorful with nice crisp skin. The sauce had some spice to it but not too much that a person who doesn't like spicy food couldn't eat it. I like that the wing sauce was a bit thinner so it coated the whole wing well. Highly recommend this place!
Horrible service. Cash only. The place doesn't visibly advertise its cash-only policy, probably because it skirts legality. Yet, they strictly enforce this rule, especially with Asian customers.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Good food, but it was pretty oily. I may not be qualified to judge this, but it was my take away. A large amount of dishes to choose from.Cash only, come prepared.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Great homey neighborhood spot. Food all comes out fast and hot. Soup dumplings and dry fried chicken are excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dry Fried Chicken Wings, Xiao Long Bao 小笼包
The service is really terrible, they serve you in a bad way and they take too long to serve you the food, I waited almost an hour for my food and it is of a very low level, that terrible thing, I would never return to this place...
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Came here tonight on January 15th, 2024 at 5:45pm and although we've read some reviews that the service was bad we didn't think the food would be bad either. Well first of all we were the 2nd family to dine in. The ambiance of the place was a true definition of a hole in the wall. The lady that worked there seemed to have a rude unhappy attitude. Right when we got there she was counting a stack of cash, not once did she greeted us. She didn't even seat us, we had to seat ourselves. When she finally made her way to our table to give us the menu it was a couple pieces of crumpled up old paper menus which consisted of 2 lunch menu and 2 dinner menu. She then brought out a pot of tea and gave us some cups for the tea which at this point I was a bit taken back because I wasn't sure if she had cleaned her hands after counting the money. We proceeded to order pan fried dumplings which we were told there is none and that we would have had to wait 1 hour for them. So we got soup dumplings, mongolian beef, braised beef noodle soup, beef fried rice, fried tofu, and vegetable fried rice. We literally waited 1 whole hour for our food to even come out. While waiting someone came in and had an order to go and they ended up getting pan fried dumplings so what's the deal with why I as a patron dining in would have to wait for 1 whole hour. Anyways everything tasted off like sour, not fresh, oily, and even had some metallic taste. The only good tasting thing was the fortune cookie at the end, but at this rate who is to say if those cookies are even fresh. Well I don't think the meal I had with my family tonight was deserving of a tip. The rude lady chased after me at the end asking for a tip. I don't think it's mandatory if your food is way below mediocre. Not like I dined and dash. She should just be happy I even paid for bad food. Anyways never again will I be coming back to this place of service. I don't recommend this place to no one at all. This is a horrible place of business!! Not even deserving of my one star. Can I give this place a negative star? As my husband says if this is Shanghai food I don't ever want to eat Shanghai food ever again.
If I could leave 0 stars, I would. Service was slow and horrible. The woman working there was rude, following me and my family out of the store after our meal, asking for a tip. We spent over 100 dollars for below average food. We waited an hour or longer before we received our meals. When asked about the Pan-Fried Dumplings on the menu, we were told they weren't available; however, it was magically available for an individual who ordered take-out. The food was bland, unseasoned, and way below average. Everything we tried was sour, bland, and tasted unfresh. There was no ambiance, and the vibe was quiet and awkward. The woman who worked there used the same gloves she used to count money, touch her phone to her face, handle all of our utensils and plates, and serve us our meals. She never greeted us nor sat us down, things we all had to do on our own. The best thing they had in their restaurant the store bought fortune cookies that taught you Chinese. I'll never come back to this place ever again. It is the worse Chinese food I've ever had in my life.
Came here for just the fried dumplings, which were good but felt that it really needed the vinegar sauce to bring it to that next level. The restaurant had a weird smell but other than that overall it was okay.
No frills mom and pop shop that is known for their dumplings! I personally think they have the best sheng jian bao in the city, and this is the main reason that I come here. This is basically a crispy soup dumpling- I love how the outside is crispy but the inside is still moist enough to still have soup. If you're going to get one dish only here, this is a must try. Other notable dishes: - Chicken wings: These are fried chicken wings with a thick sweet sauce on top. Similar to San Tung and honestly the portion and size of the wings are much better here. Very crunchy with good flavor! - Xiao long bao (soup dumplings): These are decent but the skin is a bit thick. There was definitely soup inside though with good flavor. Came out piping hot. - Hand cut noodles: Very chewy thick noodles. I loved this! You can tell that they really put time and effort into making these noodles. The service was not the fastest but I've never had a rude or negative experience here. I think sometimes we all need to remember that small restaurants may be short staffed especially during these trying times, and we could all be more patient. I have been here 5+ times and would go back again.
Restaurantji Recommends
the food taste below average and definitely not worth the price. Besides, the staff member in the restaurant is pretty rude to us and not very friendly at all. Definitely don’t would never come to this restaurant
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Xiao Long Bao 小笼包
Food is mediocre at best. Services were just rude. It is also Cash Only and we have to pay $3 in a nearby BoA ATM to get cash. Kitchen is very dirty and in an unhealthy condition. Avoid at all costs.
The most disappointing dumpling and Chinese food experience I've had in SF. I'm not one to usually complain about service at Chinese places but they were just being rude to everyone. I heard multiple tables in English and Chinese essentially saying they would never return. I wouldn't care if the food was phenomenal but it wasn't even special. The shen jian baos were crispy but the wrapper was too thick. It lacked and flavor. The soup dumplings looked ugly but also lacked flavor and soup. The dumpling skin is way too thick. The green beans and noodles were a bit too salty and oily. Nothing special. This whole meal was very mid.
Saturday 11/25/23 Lunch at Shanghai House in San Francisco with my cousin, niece, and nephew. Delicious Shanghai foods; pand fried dumplings, dry chicken wings, satay beef clay pot, and shedded beef & Napa.David YoungRestaurant Enthusiast
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Dry Fried Chicken Wings, Pan Fried Dumplings
Enjoyed hot and spicy soup, garlic chicken, green beans and prawns. Owner isn’t socially outgoing but food was good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Soup