San Francisco’s Chinatown is America’s oldest Chinatown. There are lots of real old Chinese restaurants there as the newer and trendy ones have moved to the suburbs. However there are still plenty of options and economical choices for Chinese food in SF’s Chinatown. Below are our recommendations:
1. House of Nanking – Great place for lunch and dinner. House of Nanking is Cantonese food with some western flavor. It is usually crowded but worth the wait. If you can’t decide what you want on the menu, just tell the owner how hungry you are and let him order for you. House of Nanking also has great herbal tea, one of Louie’s personal favorite.
2. R&G Lounge – R&G on Kearny is one of the more upscale Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. They offer fancy Hong Kong style dishes with classy service. Fresh seafood and quality food is their staple. Make reservations as this place is packed during all hours. And of course expect a large bill.
3. Z&Y – This is one of the newer restaurants in Chinatown on Jackson street. Z&Y has the more traditional Szechuan style food. If you are looking for spicy, this is the place to go. They also offer free 2 hour parking for lunch!
4. Hing Lung Restaurant – Hing Lung is an authentic Chinese restaurant with economical prices. You can get tons of items/dishes for under $6.00 and be full after the meal. Hing Lung has excellent congee and soup noodles.
5. New Sun Hong Kong – New Sun Hong Kong is practically open 24×7. This is a great place for after you have done partying. Our personal favorite is the beef chow fun (fried flat beef noodles).
6. Golden Gate Bakery – Located on 1029 Grant Avenue in the heart of Chinatown, You won’t be able to miss Golden Gate Bakery as there usually is a long line outside. Golden Gate Bakery is the best bakery in San Francisco. Golden Gate Bakery’s egg custard (egg tarts) is probably one of the best in the entire US. They also offer other baked Chinese bakeries such as traditional buns. Only gripe we have is they don’t have coffee or warm drinks to go with the bakery.
7. Good Mang Kok Bakery – And our personal favorite for cheap dim sum to go, try Good Mang Kok (although it should probably be spelled: Mong Kok) on Stockton. There’s a line sometimes, but it moves quick. The har gow (shrimp dumpling), siu mai (meat dumpling) and steamed buns are amazing. We’ve tried many other small dim sum shops, but this place offers the best quality for the price.
One of many reviews by Kirk + Louie
Hello,
Thank you for sharing this great list of restaurants. Getting tips about where to go for lunch or dinner in a new city is always a useful tip. At Fox Rent A Car Blog we also like to share such tips. We give travel advice about different cities to help travelers get a complete guide of the city to help them plan a fun and interesting trip.
Thanks again for sharing.