The Most Delicious Cantonese in San Francisco

Sifu Wong Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.9 (997) • $$

"DELICIOUS!!! We came here today for a Christmas Eve Eve treat with my mum. She had been here before and enjoyed it. She's a super picky Japanese cook, so I trusted her suggestion to come here with my boyfriend. There was not a thing we did not love. My favourites: har gao, honey bbq pork (aka char su), house special chow mein, salt pepper wings, egg custard tart. YUM! We made a reservation which is highly recommended cos it seemed their wait list was a cluster F. They even admit to that being a janky system. This place was packed but now I see why. I'll be returning."

Hon's Wun-Tun House

★★★★☆ 3.9 (841) • $$

"First of, the food tasted delicious. I personally had the corn and mushroom with chicken dumplings and I was extremely satisfied. The dumplings come with 12 hefty pieces and is genuinely a great value for its price. The red bean soup was also delicious, it wasn't too sweet and was a great end note for the meal. My friend and I came in at around 12 and waited about 10 minutes to come in. The place is fairly small and was packed which I think caused the service to be a bit slow. I think it's reasonable for how busy it was though. My one gripe, which is pretty minor, is that the presentation of the food is a bit lacking. Specifically the dumplings came in a plain white plate which looked bland visually and a bit unappetizing at first."

Fat Wong's Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (997) • $$

"Just like homeBest duck in norcalService is goodFoodIsGreatIf you like real chinese food Its the place to go"

Kam Po Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.9 (665) • $

"I have to admit I've only been here once, but I already think this should be considered required dining in Chinatown. Between this and the tarts at Golden Gate Bakery (if it ever reopens), you've got a pretty good start on the prototypical Chinatown sustenance experience. I only became aware of this spot from a youthful vlogger who convincingly raved about the portions they serve here and how she's been coming here for years since it was such a good deal.It's on the corner of Broadway and Powell, so you'd expect it to be busy during the lunch hour. However, I got lucky and had to wait only for a senior woman who was buying a whole roast duck and having it chopped in a very peculiar way. I didn't see a menu or really have an opportunity to ask for one since the two men behind the counter were busy chopping meat and filling takeout cartons. Good thing I knew what I wanted though and ordered the $7.75 Roast Duck Plate (photo: https://yelp.to/_hME3M1-K5).I was amazed at how much duck I got and how much rice was underneath. I asked for some boiled cabbage just to break up the carbs and got it. I didn't eat it here but took it to nearby Woh Hei Yuen Park (review: https://yelp.to/XwtIch49ZB). Big mistake. The picnic tables were taken, so I had to sit on a bench where my duck was attracting a flock of hungry pigeons. Even with my arms flailing to wave the pigeons away, the duck was certainly tasty enough, and I'd definitely return.FOOD - 4 stars...incredibly cheap chunks of roast duck over rice. Tasty enough.AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...a no frills space with no menu in sightSERVICE - 3.5 stars..,they're not paid to be niceTOTAL - 4 stars...hungry in Chinatown?...come hereRELATED - Exploring Chinatown? Here's my collection of places I've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2WoF1Z2"

Grand Harbor Dim Sum & Seafood

★★★☆☆ 3 (973) • $$

"We had our wedding reception banquet at Grand Harbor, and it was great. The food was really good and the restaurant was willing to accommodate substitutions. Steven, the manager, was great to work with and had good recommendations for vendors. Service during the reception was very accommodating, especially for our sweetheart table, and helped facilitate a fun, celebratory atmosphere. Thank you Grand Harbor for hosting our wedding reception!"

Little Szechuan

★★★★☆ 3.6 (674) • $$

"We ordered delivery from Little Szechuan and it was delicious, fast, and hot! It came in an adorable reusable bag. Lil Szech has plenty of vegan and vegetarian options to choose from. Prices are fair for the portions. And ample cutlery and diverse sauces are provided. The only issues I had was that rice is not included in the meals, so make sure you order a side of rice if you want it. And the Crispy Tofu in Chili Oil isn't tossed in sauce. While delicious, the description is somewhat deceiving. The potstickers are chunky bois, and really tasty as well.Lil Szech is definitely worth a try!"

Dim Sum Bistro

★★★★☆ 4.3 (455) • $$

"The secret is out and the best place to get dim sum in the neighborhood now goes to Dim Sum Bistro. I can't vouch for the entire menu but navigating hole in the wall spots like this, usually each owns a handful of the staples you seek as you venture through the Chinese aunties and uncles throughout Chinatown fighting over cheap groceries and Chinese foods to start your Saturday or Sunday strong. I primarily pick up the shu mai, har gao, and baked barbecue pork buns. All seem to hit harder than all the spots nearby that we've tasted over a lifetime of living in the Bay Area. The shu mai are big and flavorful and lack fillers like bittermeon that I find at other places that I'm not the biggest fan of when I'm eating my **meat** dumplings (you know what I'm sayin'?). The barbecue pork buns are soft, chewy and have the perfect amount of barbecue pork inside and surpassed quality and taste from chinatowns here to Oakland. No matter when I've gone, there's always a line but orders are fulfilled quickly and I'm usually in and out in 5-15 minutes. As a Chinese American and look around at the people waiting in line and I love seeing all the different faces there that aren't just Chinese like myself, and I smile to myself that these people know what up and the neighborhood secret is out. And I love it."

Hung To Seafood Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.6 (621) • $$

"Private room with sliding doors is a plus for large party celebrations. My family and I went here for CNY dragon year dinner. They are efficient and all the entrees were great.Westlake beef soup was spot on, cold appetizer combo platter was yum and my favorite was their steamed fish! I also like their fried softtofu with beef They have pork knuckle, which was something different. They serve dim sum here too. Quick and wonderful service."

HL Peninsula Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (720) • $$$

"The best restaurant for dim sum in the SF Bay Area! It's been my favorite for years and I return every time I visit. Their dim sum is high quality.Some of my favorites are the purple rice paper shrimp rolls, the salted egg custard lava steamed buns, and the Peking duck - it's literally the best around.The two locations in SF are very spacious. They have private rooms available for large parties and their venue is available for wedding banquets as well. Lots of tables and bright lighting, but don't be fooled, HL Peninsula is so popular that they are always busy, even on weekdays! Be prepared for a wait, especially on busier days like weekends and prime Chinese brunch hours."

D & A Cafe

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (730) • $$

"Aside from just a few dishes we didn't like due to our personal taste, almost everything was pretty delicious and very affordable. We tried 85% of their menu at this point. Since this is more of a HK Cafe, I definitely prefer the more traditional HK / Cantonese fares at this restaurant. The choose your own 3 items, rice and soup continues to be superb value. Lately we have been venturing towards the more Western-style part of their menu, particularly the Portuguese-style baked rice/spaghetti type dishes. Service was very nice as well. The owner is very gracious. Sometimes we do have to flag the staff down for things, but mostly because they are short-staffed."

Pearl Bay Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.7 (494) • $$

"This is my mom's go to dim sum restaurant in town. Even though dishes cost a little quality, and service just can't be beat. It's always busy, so we always get there right around opening. Huge space that can host banquets as well!"

Grant Place Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (646) • $$

"Grant Place Restaurant has the best Chinese food in Chinatown, hands down! This is my second time visiting, and it's quickly becoming my go-to spot whenever I'm in San Francisco. This time, we ordered sweet-and-sour chicken, Kung Pao chicken, broccolini, and pork fried rice. Everything was piping hot, super fresh, and absolutely delicious!While the customer service was just OK, the quality of the food more than made up for it. Every time I visit, I try something new from their extensive menu, and I've never been disappointed.The only downside is parking. it's Chinatown, so it can be a bit rough. But honestly, the food is worth it. If you're looking for authentic and flavorful Chinese cuisine, this is the place to be! Our total was about $75 bucks with couple sodas. We chose to sit outside to people watch and we enjoyed ourselves"

606

★★★★★ 4.6 (288) • $$

"Cool clean modern vibeFriendly attentive service Delicious authentic Chinese food spiced just right and not too oilyHong Kong style milk tea was just like in HK!4 dishes and 2 milk tea total: around $90 not including tip"

Hon's Wun-Tun House

★★★★☆ 4.1 (357) • $$

"I discovered Hon's Wun-Tun House in San Francisco's Chinatown through TikTok and Yelp, and I can see why so many people felt compelled to share it. The restaurant offers an authentic experience, and despite having spent years in the Bay Area, I had never been to Chinatown before. I made a special trip to immerse myself in the culture and, most importantly, the food--and it did not disappoint.The food was outstanding, and the customer service was great. Despite the restaurant being packed and the staff incredibly busy, the waitresses were attentive--not just to us but especially to my grandson, who absolutely fell in love with the place. The atmosphere, the flavors, and the overall experience made it clear why this restaurant has been around for over 40 years.Anytime I'm in the area and craving this food, I will 100% stop by. Honestly, even on a day like today, when the craving hits, I'd gladly drive from San Jose to Chinatown just to enjoy these dishes again. The food was fresh, cooked to order, and absolutely delicious.A must-try--10/10!"

HL Peninsula Pearl

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (573) • $$

"Met up with an old friend for my birthday dim sum lunch. HL Peninsula Pearl took over the space of a large Mexican restaurant right on the water with views of the San Francisco Bay. HL has a large dim sum menu and you order off a check list. The interior is dominated with a huge video wall that has a continuous advertising loop. The restaurant was full but we got seated right away. Along with the traditional Siu Mai, Ha Gao, congee, pork ribs with black bean sauce rice rolls, and chicken feet etc..Some of the stand outs were the deep fried pumpkin with salty duck egg yolk, and bbq pork turnover. The portions are larger than normal. Service was slow, cold and indifferent. But it would not feel normal if the Cantonese service was any other way at a dim sum house. Minus star. Gratuity is added automatically, perhaps that's why. Parking is always tough with the large dim sum houses in the Peninsula. $150 with tip."

HL Peninsula Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (529)

"Quick take: Best serviceMy family has received the best service every time we dine at HL Milpitas. The dim sum is pretty good. We also dined for dinner in a private room. The service is top notch.Thank you."

Dim Sum Club

★★★★☆ 3.9 (303) • $$

"This was my first time trying Dim Sum Club and the results were mixed. We came for dim sum around lunch on a Saturday and the place was packed. We wrote our name on the list and had to wait almost an hour for a table for 4. The food and service started out really good. These were the items we ordered that were good - shrimp and pork siu mai, Shanghai soup dumplings (6 pieces), pan fried turnip cake, deep fried sesame balls, Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, and bean curd roll with oyster sauce. These items were not good - all the fried food. 1. salt and pepper tofu - the oil used was old and the tofu was too dark. 2. The salt and pepper squid - the texture of the squid was tough and very hard to chew. Not enjoyable at all. 3. rice noodle roll with shrimp (flavor was good, but the skin was all squished together and falling apart). The vegetarian dumplings and the pan fried vegetable potstickers are the exact same dumpling, but prepared two different ways. One is steamed and one is pan fried. A little misleading as we should have just ordered one. Towards the end of the meal, the service was lacking and it took forever to get and pay the bill. The place was packed and they were probably short staffed. The atmosphere was busy as staff was bustling around and the front area was packed with waiting customers. Overall, the food was mixed, the service was mixed, and the wait was too long."

Tam's Cuisine of China

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (414) • $$

"Went to this establishment for my brothers birthday. It was his choice and the Mongolian beef was high on the list of favorites. We had the scallops in black bean sauce, Mongolian beef both of these were so good we ordered again.The lemon chicken was good but my brother wasn't a huge fan of this dish. The fried prawn were a delicious appetizer. The complimentary jasmine tea perfect for a drizzly night in Pacifica. Staff were attentive and personable. This has been a family favorite for years. Happy we were able to go back."

Cheung Hing

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (369) • $$

"Someone recommended this spot to me. I was apprehensive with the Yelp reviews being so low but I had to try it based on the recommendation so I decided to order takeout from Postmates. Here's what I got:1 - Westlake Beef Soup - one of my favorite soups and so underrated2 - Fish with Tender Greens - simple and clean3 - Braised Mustard Greens with Mushroom - they don't specify on the menu but these are Shitake mushrooms)4 - Young Zhou Fried Rice 5 - Two Item BBQ - I choose roast duck and roast pork (I could taste the crispiness in the duck skin and the crunchiness in the roast pork skin)Given that this was a to go order, everything was packed really well in plastic containers and as for the taste, I was pleasantly surprised. The food was fresh and high quality. Everything tasted as I would have expected for this kind of establishment. Nothing was too over-seasoned or greasy. Just as expected, no surprises. I can't say anything about the service or ambience because I didn't dine in but this will definitely be on my list of rotations when ordering out. One thing I love about ordering Chinese take out is that you'll always have leftovers that will still be good and last a few days."

Sun Maxim's

★★★★☆ 3.8 (257) • $$

"I never tried this spot until earlier this week and it was immaculate. I got the spareribs and lap chang clay pot rice with extra meat and veggies. The rice has a nice fragrant taste to it from the meat and the rice was crisped to perfection on the bottom. I don't like the rice too burnt so I asked the owner if she can make it less burnt. I also tried their shrimp rice noodle roll and it was probably one of the best I've had in the city. The noodle was soft and the shrimp was soft and tender. The restaurant itself is fairly big, but I just get takeout here."

Tai Yuan

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (296) • $$

"Hop on over for authentic Cantonese food with the fiery flavor of the wok!! 鑊氣! The dishes are worth it.Pro tips: they have the fish fillet clay pot Without bones and with tons of fish! Just state it and ask to make sure - also if you want bean curd strips too. Then we just tried their beef shank in clear broth. Yep! I highly recommend it: clear, savory, sauce and soup go well with rice, and packed full of beef stew! Get it! For carnivores."

Golden Sun Palace

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (331) • $$

"The last time my family and I came to Golden Sun Palace was on 12/16/2019, right before the beginning of the pandemic. That was a good day because we got to hang out with some close family friends and relatives over dim sum. Exactly five years later to the date, my family and I made our return here for a dim sum outing. The place was pretty quiet when we walked in at noon. One of the staff greeted us and she led us to a table by the windows. The interior was clean, and did not appear to have gone through any renovations since the last time we were here.Our server got us tea while we perused the vast dim sum menu. As soon as she returned, we placed our order. We ended up getting eight items plus beef chow fun. Our food started to arrive in 15 minutes, in stages. The first thing we noticed was that the dim sum items were made in-house instead of premade. Overall, we were pleasantly surprised with the quality. Everything was on point for the most part, and they did not skimp on anything. If I had to nitpick, I would say the beef chow fun was a bit greasy and the har gow skin was somewhat mushy. Service we received was very good. Our server was friendly, polite, and efficient. Prices were very reasonable. Dim sum items ranged from $4.95 to $9.95, and the beef chow fun was one of their daily specials at $11.95. Tea charge was waived. The total, with T/T, was about $77. Based on this experience, we will definitely return! BONUS MATERIAL:- Ample parking on site.- Major credit cards accepted.- Their tip suggestions are based on post-tax amount.- Check out their weekday daily specials, which include noodle/rice dishes, entrée items, and dim sum combos.- No tea charge."

Hing Lung Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.7 (226) • $$

"Hing Lung is still one of the most authentic Hong Kong-style Chinese food in San Francisco. I've been going there since their original location in SF Chinatown. So why only 3 stars? Overall, I was happy with my recent visit. Food was good, the dining experience was enjoyable, but when it came to the bill...!!! I presented my credit card and the waitress told me that there will be a 3% charge for using a card. Many places only accept card if your bill met a certain minimum, which is certainly understandable, especially with mom & pop stores, to implement this policy since the credit card fees are quite high and it means they basically make little to no profit if you have a small bill. But charging for simply using a credit card is outrageous. There was no forewarning. Merchants are obligated to display all possible additional charges at the register or any place where it's viewable by the patron, such as on the menu. I didn't see any on the menu; but I admit, I don't know if it appeared at the register since I was dining in the restaurant and there was no reason to walk up to the register. I learned today that what they did was wrong. Effective July 1, 2024, California passed California Senate Bill 478, which made it "...illegal to surcharge credit card transactions in California...California businesses are required to disclose the total price for goods and services upfront to maintain transparency and protect consumers from being surprised by additional fees when it's time to pay.""

King Kee

★★★★☆ 3.6 (212) • $$

"Completely fine but average Chinese restaurant. Large portions, tasty dishes, and efficient service. It fits all the main points if you're looking for an average restaurant."

Taishan Cuisine

★★★★☆ 3.8 (182) • $$

"Hadn't been to Chinatown in a long time. Streets are not as busy at night but the restaurants are getting a lot of tourist and local love. I was surprised how good their food here was. Porridge was flavorful. Fried pancake was really good, light and flaky. Tasty too. Their Chow Fun was my favorite. Not sure if they make their own noodles but it was delicious. I highly recommend you order. Their dim sum was also delicious and served all day during their business open hours. I highly recommend to dine here when you are in Chinatown. Service was excellent. Love the small family vibe. Cheers!"

The Spicy Shrimp

★★★★☆ 3.6 (193) • $$

"My friend always raves about this restaurant as her favorite cheung fun (i.e., crepe rice noodle) spot, so I had to make the trip into Chinatown to try Spicy Shrimp... and boy have they mastered their craft here. The rice noodles here are light, thin, and spread evenly with copious amounts of your protein choice (beef pictured) for a perfect bite every time. Unlike the typical dim sum rice noodles, this street-style dish is customizable with extra toppings like egg (my favorite) and corn. One plate was honestly plenty for lunch to me and my friend - great value for money at $7~9 per person. The only caveat from my last few visits was the cramped spacing and one occasion where the kitchen forgot our order. Would check in with a waiter after 15mins or so."

Joyful Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (223) • $$

"Delicious! Tried this place several times via delivery. I believe this place is on Ocean Avenue and nearby the City College main campus. We enjoyed the porridge (jook), Chinese donuts and the steamed rice noodles. The noodle texture is good, smooth and not too thick. Even the cold lemon tea was enjoyable."

Venus Cafe

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (208) • $$

"5 stars for my Sunday 5pm takeout experience:First time here, and I wanted take-out for a lazy Sunday.Glad I took the lady's suggestion of the lobster noodle with yifu noodles. Good portion of perfectly tender lobster. $24.99 is an excellent price!Steamed chicken is also perfectly tender and flavorful! A Half portion is $16 and plenty for 2-3 to split."

Rice Monster

★★★★☆ 4 (51)

"When I was younger, I was known as the "FAN TONG 飯桶" aka Rice Bucket, because I ate SO much rice and I HAD to eat rice for lunch and dinner in order to be full. Obviously, at my old age now, I had to cut out the carbs so it was a treat to be trying out Rice Monster (located inside Social Eatery). .:: FOOD ::.Chicken Feet and Pork Ribs $15.99 (+$1.99 Chinese Sausage add on): chicken feet, sauteed pork ribs, chinese sausage. Comes in a clay pot and a very known canto dish, 煲仔飯. The rice on the bottom crisps up as it sits on the pot . Very simple dish. Wish the pork ribs were more on the salty savory side, it had more sweetness to it, and I wish the chicken feet had more meat to it. .:: Service / Ambiance / Parking ::.Terrible Service. Pretty much self service on everything. You order on your phone through QR code. Wait was super long and unorganized. Located inside Social Eatery, but there's no waitlist, no way to put your name down. You literally just wait at the door in line (very narrow if I may add), until a table opens up. They need to at least let you write your name down. My friend wanted to ask if we could add something on our order and the waiter was so rudely annoyed. He did a big sigh, rolled his eyes and was like no your order is in you cannot add anything. It was SO hard to flag ANYONE down, we just went up and grabbed things ourselves: napkins, to go box, etc. All the waiters literally did was bring food out and thats it. The place has a cute little exterior outside, when I went it was during Halloween week, it was decked out in Halloween decors. The inside had logs / wooden vibes as table. There were ones in high chairs, ones with benches, ones with low tables/ chairs. Parking was scary. The parking lot is SO narrow and small. I feel like its asking for an accident to happen. I would recommend parking on the street, its much more space and safer."

Dim Sum Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (84) • $

"This is your typical dim sum takeout place. Would say this place is old school family recipes as they have a variety of products I have not seen in years that most places do not carry. I did not expect to see Bai Tang Gao 白糖糕, Put Chai Gao 缽仔糕 or two types of youtiao. This alone is worth the trip. I had their shrimp dumpling which seems be to a popular item. Good chew and shrimp flavor is pretty good. Their siu mai was good as well. Better than some of sit down dim sum restaurants. I would pass on the plain churn fun, it was a bit bland given how much color it had."

Yank Sing

★★★★☆ 3.6 • $$$

"4 stars for online reservation, validated parking on weekends, overall cleanliness and service.This is not your average Chinese dim sum restaurant, Yank Sing is expensive (my average tab is $120 for 2 people) and the portions are small. Do not expect to get your monies worth. The food is good, and their hot sauce and mustard are excellent.I particularly like Yank Sing for lunch with the family. Because they offer validated parking, it makes the family outings very safe and convenient. There's usually enough time to explore the Ferry Building or nearby places before the parking validation expires.Tip: always book a reservation (online) before coming, otherwise you may experience a long wait time."

The Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 3 • $$

"Best truffle roast duck! Salted egg yolk prawn was not enough seasoning but still ok. Pekin duck was so k but the skin needs to be crispier and seperated from the meat more. Peking spareribs was good but need more orange peel, toumiau was good, fried rice and noodles truffle duck was just ok. Tofu Japanese with ground pork was good."

Grand Palace Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.5 • $$$

"Love this dimsum place. I like them more than koi palace. The restaurant is clean and everyone that's working there, are super helpful, friendly and attentive. All the dishes that we ordered was delicious and authentic. Price wise still affordable. With the food quality and great service, everything's worth it. This is my dimsum to go place, and to bring my family that's visiting San Fran!"

Harborview Restaurant & Bar

★★★★☆ 4 • $$

"Brought my parents here for dimsum and they were big fans! I made a reservation on OpenTable which I highly recommend and we were able to get seated fairly quickly considering how busy the restaurant was. The service here is amazing and the food is really good as well. We got a lot of different items to try such as the baked char sui bao, chicken feet, truffle XLB, roasted pork belly, green beans, and various other items. The food here is a bit pricier than the average dimsum restaurant but the quality shows. Definitely a new go-to for family dimsum days!"

Yank Sing

★★★★☆ 3.7 • $$$

"We ate at Yank Sing for lunch. We had pork buns, pork pot stickers, pork and shrimp shu Mai, mushroom steamed noodle roll, chicken and mushroom dumpling, chicken spring rolls, shrimp dumplings, and fried prawns. It was all excellent and fresh! I didn't take any photos because I was so busy eating. But, if you haven't ever had dim sum, I would definitely recommend Yank Sing. It's not intimidating, the staff will accommodate you, and if you have food allergies, they will help steer you to foods you can eat."