The Tastiest Chinese in San Francisco

Capital Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (932) • $$

"Haven't been to this restaurant for many years and recently revisited a few times because I was feeling nostalgic. My late father used to treat me to lunch on occasion and this was one of a few dozen places he liked in Chinatown. This place seemed smaller than I remembered, and more crowded around lunch time. Food is still delicious. Staff is efficient and polite. On a recent visit, I tried the beef chow fun and it was delicious with lots of wok hay. The tomato beef with rice made me cry a bit (in a good way). Food definitely helps bring back memories. This is a humble restaurant serving Chinese American food since 1986, not sure if it's same owner/family, but it's been continuously operating which is rare these days.Located on Clay and Waverly Place."

Yuanbao Jiaozi

★★★★☆ 4.3 (740) • $$

"Parking: street Seating: fairly limited. Good for smaller groups 2-4 people. Concise yet well varied menu which I appreciate. Cucumber salad was good and refreshing. Dumplings are handmade. You can see it being made through a window inside. It's light in flavor overall. I misunderstood and thought the menu meant they would be soup dumplings like XLB but it actually was served IN soup. You have chili oil, soy sauce, and vinegar at the table. Solid spot. Very home style, in my opinion. Don't expect crazy flavors, but you'll enjoy it for what it is. And reasonable prices imo."

I Dumpling

★★★★☆ 3.8 (897) • $$

"Basic home style food with no frills ambiance, hole in the wall, family business. Stumbled upon this place as we wanted a quick snack at 3 in the afternoon. Reasonably priced, limited menu, fresh ingredients. Flavor could be more intense, however adding the chili + soy sauce works. Will be back to try a few more dishes. Note, parking is a challenge and the cost is $1/hr with metering hours from 8-8."

Hot Wok Bistro

★★★★☆ 4.2 (731) • $

"Years later, Hot Wok Bistro remains one of my favorite Peninsula lunch spots for value and satisfaction. While I've tried various lunch specials, I keep returning to their delightfully spicy options of the Kung Pao Chicken Stir Fry or the Mongolian Beef. Lunch specials come with soup and a choice of steamed or fried rice. The service is quick, and the food is always served piping hot. I often need a to-go box, which serves as a welcomed mid-afternoon snack or a second meal."

Fashion Wok

★★★★☆ 4.4 (661) • $$

"Kids (2yr and 4yr) love the food here. Food come up super quick, super important for us, eating with kids. Plenty of utensils on table (omg, kids dropping spoons and forks!) Such a good place for us."

JJamPPong

★★★★★ 4.7 (579) • $$

"We came to back to JJamPPong because we had a bad jajang mein (black bean sauce noodles) at another restaurant in Millbrae a couple of weeks ago. We were talking about coming back the entire week to get jajang mein and their famous Korean double fried chicken. That feeling of satisfaction from a good meal is priceless. Redemption from a bad meal to a great one is twice as good. As a revenge meal, we ordered two orders of fried chicken $20 each, crispy garlic shrimp $24, chow fun $20 and of course, jajang mein $16. The food remains excellent. For the Korean fried chicken, get ready for some sticky fingers goodness. I really like the crunchiness as well as the authentic flavors. Their chef(s) concocted this sweet yet mild spicy glaze for the honey chili chicken which is addicting. We never had their salt and pepper fried chicken before and this was quite good. My favorite remains their garlic sauce version.The surprise standout dish was their beef chow fun. I've must have eaten this dish over a thousand times. Their chef(s)' interpretation added more depth by including chopped onions, scallions, bok choy, choy sum along with bean sprouts. The dish had a good smokey, wok hei flavor with the end tips of the beef, chow fun and onion caramelized. Chow fun could be boring but the chef did a good job with the light seasoning that rivals the best out there.Service was excellent. Constant water refills, extra napkins because the chicken. Side note, the owner's wife recognized me from my crispy noodles photo that I posted on Yelp when they first opened and gave me and my family an oyster sauce clams dish. That was an unexpected revelation. We were already so full. It is nice to be treated like a VIP even though I'm just a regular guy that likes to eat. It is a testament to them being a small local restaurant that recognizes their customers. This genuinely made my week a little bit better. Walking home with a stuffed stomach beyond capacity is delightful. Great job everyone at JJamPPong."

Oceanic Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (822) • $$

"Good food that reminds me of East Coast Chinese takeout. I recommend the Orange Chicken. Oh, I love that all of their chicken dishes are white meat only too. If you order directly from them, delivery is free and super quick."

Zhangfei Hot Pot

★★★★☆ 4.4 (594) • $$$

"I'm typically not too big on super authentic Chinese hotpot but Zhangfei Hot Pot really changed that. What really stood out about this particular restaurant is it's extremely friendly staff. With the lunch's full house rush and only 2 younger gentleman running the entire show, it was clear how much they were hustling. Our party's requests were met with smiles and the vibes were so very chill. Seriously, this was some of the BEST customer service I've experienced at an Asian restaurant- which says a whole lot bc staff for the most part gives 2 shizzzzz about customer service. Lunch involved Zhangfei's AYCE. For $25/person, that was an absolute steal. Ordering occurs via QR code and the meal is cut off at a limit of 1.5 hours. There are a long list of items available but pay close attention to things that contain a charge next to it- these items are not included into the AYCE meal and will result in additional charges. Food:While there is a self serve condiments station for you to create your own dipping sauces and a station filled with snacks, sweets, and a few veggies, everything else is ordered via phone. As some Yelpers mentioned, getting your items can take quite a bit of time and you may not even receive parts of your order [which happened to us]. We let a few items slide but the staff is very helpful if you bring the missing items to their attention. We opted for the half/half broth combo and decided on Japanese Sukiyaki & Japanese Pork Bone. Sukiyaki was super sweet [too sweet for my tastebuds] but the pork bone balanced things out by mixing the two. The cuts of meat are decent quality and the servings are plentiful. 4 stars overall because the meal is really good but the time you are left waiting on items can seem unnecessary. +1 because the staff is so diligent and kind. This goes without mentioning but I am most definitely a fan."

Superstar Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.3 (597) • $

"This is such a hole in the wall coded restaurant. I have never seen such value of a meal exist in SF with portions like these. The prices for the meals here is enough to pay for a boba drink. CASH ONLYService: They're friendly and nice. Rush hour can make you wait for a while, I came right before the lunch hour. Waited about 20 minutes. After I ordered they were out of the pork chops so I am not sure if chops are out on a daily occurrence or it was just short on that dayAmbiance: It's one of those Asian restaurants that haven't changed in looks for over 30 years but it has its charm. There are no sit-down areas Hong Kong Style pork chop $7.50 (4/5): Oh my goodness the portions of this meal were colossal. There are two huge pieces of pork chops, garlic rice, tomato slices, and an egg. The pork chop was nice and crispy, one thing to note is that it had light flavoring so I whipped out my Chinese pepper salt seasoning to help it. Overall, the meal was really good for what you're paying. The rice was deliciousTapsilog $6.25 (3/5): Was pretty disappointed with the portions of meat provided for this meal, it's so small compared to what you're getting with the pork chops. I'd recommend having an extra add-on to this meal if you're trying to eat. It has a vinegar-like taste to it and a little dry. Not particulary fond of this Overall, it is fantastic. Paying a meal that is under $8 and enough to feed two people is unheard of in the Bay Area. It does get super busy during lunch hour so be aware of your timing. Definitely coming back here again"

Pho Tan Hoa

★★★★☆ 4 (688) • $$

"One of my top 3 pho places in the city. Friendly people, quick service, and the place is big enough you almost never have to wait."

Enjoy Vegetarian Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.2 (609) • $$

"I have tried super hard to eat healthy and avoid eating meats. I'm glad that this restaurant was the perfect option for me on a day I didn't want to cook. My first time at Enjoy Vegetarian Restaurant was delightful as my meals were delicious, fresh, tasty, and satisfying. I got there at 5pm at the opening time and I got seated at a table of my choice. The server was super friendly and nice. We ordered three dishes and they were all amazing. I would eat every day if I live near by. The ambiance was pleasant, quiet, soothing, and earthy. I highly recommend it to all!"

Fresh Elements

★★★★☆ 4.1 (639) • $$$

"Fresh and delicious food, The staff are friendly and attentive. overall dining experience is very enjoyable.服务员态度友善 海鲜 牛肉 新鲜 粥底鲜味 还会再来光顾"

Noodles Fresh

★★★★☆ 4.2 (605) • $$

"Great Service ! Very light meals Karina is very kind and knowledgeableI would recommend this place."

Enjoy Vegetarian Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4 (646) • $$

"This is one of my favorite restaurants. I am allergic to garlic, and they don't use garlic nor onion, which means I can choose anything I want. And every single thing here is wonderful! Super nice people, intimate and casual dining, delicious food no matter what you get. Their imitation meats are delicious."

Pho Saigon Noodle House

★★★★☆ 3.5 (840) • $$

"We love this local Vietnamese restaurant!Service is very fast and clean.I love the variety in Vietnamese soup dishes since there's so much more to explore other than pho but the pho is also so good here!!10/10 would recommend"

Dessert Republic

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (876) • $

"It's been a while since we are here, still great atmosphere and quality! Love traditional HK style desserts~"

Blue Sky Café

★★★★☆ 4.3 (528) • $$

"Returned after a vacation. Been craving Chinese beef stew and Blue Sky did not disappoint! So delicious even without the daikon! Had it with chicken and salted fish fried rice, so good together! Also craved veggies so got chicken and green beans. Of course never fail to order beef chow fun with gravy. Even the tea and chili oil tasted so good. All went smoothly with the QR scan. Love this place! They have new comfy chairs."

Lucky Creation Vegetarian Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (618) • $$

"I always appreciate a fully vegan restaurant. This place has a lot of really interesting and unique mock meats (goose!) and lots of tofu options. I got the potstickers which were very tasty. Filled with cabbage and paired with a sweet and sour sauce. Also got some seaweed/tofu soup which I would've liked a little more dimension to, but would be good for those that prefer a simple broth. Portions are pretty big! Couldn't finish the soup as a single person. Good value for the cost. The servers and staff are lovely. 3% surcharge when using a card."

Fiery Hot Pot

★★★★☆ 4.3 (479) • $$$

"This is one of family's fav spots for hot pot! Their broths are delish and there's such a wide variety of items to put into your hot pot. We prefer to do the all you can eat. I feel that price wise it's not a bad deal at all since it includes drinks and desserts! If you need a few suggestions for broth our current top picks are miso and chicken pho!!! Meat wise I highly recommend the different kinds of beef and pork collar. I also love getting all of the veggies and if they're out of anything just let one of the staff know and they'll get on it!!!"

Gateway Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.3 (479) • $

"This place offers take out only after COVID. Tastes delicious and good price as usual.Call and order before you go there to avoid waiting."

Rickshaw Corner Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.1 (523) • $$

"No frills Chinese spot, they do take card now! A friend of mine recommended this place so I checked it out with my dad and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious the food was! The first time we came there wasn't a line but the second time it was pretty crowded. You pick your food and then order, they're pretty efficient even only with two people behind the counter. What this place is great about is they give you piles of food. It's basically two meals and for about $12ish/plate which makes it so worth it. Definitely a good place for a cheap eat!!"

Hunan Cafe 2

★★★★☆ 4.3 (471) • $

"Consistently excellent. Fresh food, great portions and priced right. We love ordering take away since the ambiance inside is a bit lacking. It more than makes up for it in taste. Our go-to orders are fried rice, chicken and broccoli, cheese wontons, kung pao and chow mein. YUMKeep supporting this small neighborhood business! Your tummy will be happier for it!"

San Wang Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.7 (632) • $$

"Great food, and the servers are so friendly. I highly recommend this place, and I will definitely come back."

Jasmine Tea House

★★★★☆ 3.7 (623) • $$

"I have been eating at this restaurant for over twenty years. I found it when it loaned space to my favorite pizza maker. Food is constant."

Noodle Shop

★★★★☆ 4 (525) • $$

"Customer service was amazing! I felt so welcomed here and not uncomfortable. We randomly stumbled upon this place after getting manicures down the street. Food was really great too! This place is a simple old school chinese place that focuses on its food. It was very clean. Out server was an older gentleman and he was very helpful and nice. He checked up on us throughout our meal multiple times to ask if everything was OK. We ordered the spicy beef noodle soup, which was outstanding. And also another type of soup and some spicy chicken wings. Everything was really good. And I look forward to returning once again"

Taste of Burma

★★★★☆ 4.3 (415) • $$

"Taste of Burma is another good Burmese restaurant in Daly City. I came here on a Saturday for lunch and although a couple of tables were occupied, there was no wait for a table. We ended up ordering the samusas, tea leaf salad, coconut chicken soup, and nan gyi dok. The food came out in a reasonable amount of time and portions were okay to a bit small. The samusas were crispy and filled with potatoes, onions, and spices that tasted delicious. The order came with 5 pieces for $7.99. This was a great appetizer and was served with their house sauce. The tea leaf salad ($13.99) was good, however, it was not bursting with flavor as some of the other tea leaf salads I've had. The portion wasn't very big as well, but we still enjoyed the tea leaf salad. The coconut chicken soup ($12.99) was creamy and very enjoyable. Nan Gyi Dok ($12.99) is thick rice vermicelli with coconut diced chicken, red onions, cilantro, fried onions, and fried wonton skins. It was also very good, but reminded me of the coconut chicken soup, just without the creamy thick soup. Overall, the experience at Taste of Burma was really good. The staff was friendly, polite, and patient as we took awhile to eat and chat. The restaurant was clean, calm, and small. The bathroom was in good condition as well. The location is in south Daly City, a little closer to South San Francisco, in a small plaza on a hill. There is a small, but crowded parking lot. Taste of Burma is a good choice for Burmese food in this area."

Mamahuhu

★★★★☆ 4 (478) • $$

"I've had the pleasure of ordering takeout and dining in. Mamahuhu has been a regular delivery staple in our household for a while now. We were originally introduced to Mamahuhu back in the day when family-style delivery meals were present during shelter-in-place. However, it looks like these package deals have been discontinued. Nonetheless, the robust and flavorful menu lives on. The sweet & sour chicken is a must-try, superstar dish. Broccoli & beef is another star. I always order a crunchy cabbage salad to accompany my main dishes. What's most notable is the consistency here- as mentioned, we have ordered several times and each time we know that our dishes will arrive perfectly packaged, correctly prepared, and tasty."

Yan's Garden

★★★★☆ 3.9 (490) • $$

"I'm not usually big on Chinese food because of the salt and oil. I have to say that not one dish we ordered was overly salty and had little to no oil. The sauce was silky and the vegetables were fresh and crisp. Delicious"

New Tung Kee Noodle

★★★★☆ 4.2 (421) • $$

"I used to frequent the older San Jose Tung Kee Noodle location as a kid and I've always loved their #1 combo rice stick noodle soup, freshly squeezed orange juice, and #30 fried taro cake. When my parents told me there was a 'new' tung kee noodle that opened relatively recently, I was excited to try it. The rice stick noodle soup is no longer as salty/msg-y (which I kind of liked)... now it's blander (probably so you can adjust the soup yourself if you so choose), so I add some of their housemade chili sauce to go with it (which is quite good actually!) This could've been hotter, but I like my soup pipping hot. My husband got the #2 spicy beef satay, but he liked mine better. It was quite good, though not spicy at all. This place is packed on the weekends when I went, but the food comes out pretty fast so the turnover is relatively quick. Loved the fried taro cake, it was so good! Fresh, piping hot, and massive portions for the price. The prices are extremely reasonable - soups were $12 ish and the taro cake was ~$12 as well. Freshly squeezed orange juice is very good and tart. A little pricey but juices usually are nowadays. A dollar or two more if you want no ice. Pay at the front with your table number when you're done. Would definitely come again for some comfort food."

Bao

★★★★☆ 4.3 (397) • $$

"Bao is located in the Mission District, and it is a great place for vegans and vegetarians, as well as omnivores. They have a large outdoor patio space and seating inside from some 50+ people. You order on the yellow menu paper. They offer delicious veggie xiao long bao (soup dumplings), which are vegan. The Shanghai vegetable fried noodle are some of my favorites (and contains egg). Bao makes from scratch their own noodles, and dumplings. Other favorites are the green beans, the garlic pea sprouts, and the veg. mushroom bao. The Sweet Bao Sampler comes with four pieces including black sesame, salted egg yolk (or "lava"), egg custard, and red bean, and its a nice ending to a meal if you can share it. Most dim sum dishes are in the $10 range and the platters are in the $15 range, and 2-3 dishes per person is ideal."

Sweet Moment

★★★★☆ 3.9 (481) • $

"Located in downtown Sam Mateo Pay for parking- meters or structured parking lotSmall store with limited seating Multiple iPads to order from to expedite ordering instead of waiting in line. Desserts were refreshing, moderately sweet but perfect to end the night"

Dumpling Story

★★★★★ 4.5 (349) • $$

"Dumpling Story is as popular as it is for a reason! The sister restaurant to Dumpling Home, this place is on Fillmore and located closer to our neighborhood so we visit here more frequently now. The dumplings are always sooo delicious, and I understand why there's often a line or wait to get a table. I came on a rainy Saturday around 2pm and once we arrived and joined the waitlist it was about a 20 minute wait for a table for 3. I wish they allowed joining the Yelp waitlist remotely so you could do it in your way to the restaurant and not have to wait as long once you arrive.We got Jasmine tea, then split some dumplings and other dishes. Their soup dumplings are absolutely the best menu item, we almost ordered another round of them at the end of our meal. Everything else I've tried here is delicious too: green beans, brussel sprouts, pork buns (although I wish these had been BBQ), Dan Dan noodles. But the dumplings are really the star of the show.The service was friendly and checked up on us frequently. The food also came out quickly and we could tell everything had been freshly cooked. We love this spot and definitely will return!"

Young Can Wok

★★★★☆ 4.2 (393) • $$

"These folks have some tasty Chinese cuisine! I do not get around to Burlingame often enough and I know I'm missing out on some great food in that area. I did discover on Yelp this little restaurant that's been around a while and gets great ratings from Yelpers. I did get around to order delivery recently from these lovely folks, it was pretty good! Yelpers once again did not disappoint with their high regards to Young Can Wok. Great service from what I read and a cute restaurant there in Burlingame on the main drag.I ordered the Broadway Fried Rice with prawns, Chow Fun with beef and Egg Foo Yung with chicken. Everything was pretty good and if you're a fan of Egg Foo Yung like me, it's pretty massive and does come with a side of gravy and includes fresh veggies in the foo yung and nice chunks of chicken. There are several ways to order aside from chicken. The fried rice has several options depending on your cravings. I ordered the fried rice with prawns and came with big fluffy, plump shrimps and veggies, really good and not greasy. The chow fun is your basic big flat rice noodles, stir fried with little chunks of beef, you can order other options other than beef. All the entrees were piping hot with fresh ingredients. All entrees were packed with care in my order. They included chopsticks, forks, napkins. Give them a try if you're in the area. I will definitely return."

Dumpling Era

★★★★☆ 4 (431) • $$

"Picked up some food for lunar new year to bring to my aunt's place to make up for being late to lunar new year celebrations every year and it did not disappoint. You've heard of Taylor Swift's eras but dumpling era is my kind of era bwahahaha. I have always ordered takeout and love their pig ears, beef tendon, pea sprouts with garlic, shrimp and chive dumplings, pork and chive dumplings, and black bean noodle. Everything hear hits the spot and I can't wait to come back ! Also their orange hot sauce stings, but it's still good!"

Dalian

★★★★☆ 3.8 (476) • $$

"Nice restaurant very accommodating staff. There were 7 in our party, 4 vegans, a vegetarian, and 2 "regular" eaters. The menu had a vegetarian section, and I asked if the food was vegan. The server told me she could have any of the menu items prepared vegan by subbing tofu and they had a "clear" broth for the soups. We ordered one of the house made noodle soups with pickled cabbage (normally spicy beef) but had it with tofu instead. It was delicious! We also had the veggie clay pot, Kung Pao tofu, and 2 chicken and veggie dishes with a few sides of rice. Generous portions and excellent flavor. Everything tasted freshly made and nothing was too oily. Service was great and very clean restrooms."