If you find yourself out late, swing by the celebrity-approved Yuet Lee (1300 Stockton St.) ,where the salt and pepper prawns caught the attention of Anthony Bourdain. Gorge on Cantonese hot pot-including less common varieties like frog, abalone, and quail-at Hong Kong Clay Pot Restaurant ( 960 Grant Ave.).

If it's noodles you crave, try Sam Wo ( 713 Clay St.) where they've been serving traditional Chinese dishes for over 100 years, or Chong Qing Xiao Mian ( 915 Kearny St.), which specializes in Szechuan-style options like Guilin rice noodle soup and tan tan noodles. The quick-service eatery's other barbecued meats, including honey glazed chicken and crispy-skinned pork, are equally as popular. You'll recognize the Hing Lung Company aka Go Duck Yourself (1261 Stockton St.) by the juicy, roasted ducks that hang from their Stockton Street window. OG dishes include the fried pork potstickers and sesame chicken. House of Nanking (919 Kearny St.) has been a Chinatown landmark since the late 1980s and recently met with national fame thanks to its star turns in The Matrix Resurrections (2021) on the Food Network's Chef Dynasty: House of Fang. The authentic Chinese and spicy Szechuan dishes they serve, including not-to-be-missed chef's specialties like crispy garlic crab and spicy duck blood soup, have drawn two Chinese presidents and President Barack Obama. Michelin Guide has recognized the Chinatown mainstay Z & Y Restaurant ( 655 Jackson St.) with a Bib Gourmand award 10 years running, and with good reason. The Best Restaurants in San Francisco's Chinatown Here is what to eat, drink, and do when you're in San Francisco's Chinatown. There's quite literally nothing like it in the country. The best way to get a real feel for the neighborhood and the community that built it is to walk its streets. But there's so much more to Chinatown than just food. In the last several years, a new crop of storied chefs has set up shop in the neighborhood, adding vibrancy to its well-worn fabric. With its extensive assortment of restaurants, bakeries and tea rooms, Chinatown nourishes both San Franciscans and visitors from afar, as it has for over a century. Its culinary and cultural traditions have evolved alongside SF. But the neighborhood is neither stagnant nor insular. The community still holds out its arms in welcome to new arrivals as they find their footing in a strange new land. Not much has changed since its early days as a refuge for Chinese immigrants and Chinese-American descendants. But it is the original, the neighborhood nestled between North Beach on one side and the Financial District on the other, that will take your breath away.įirst established in 1848, San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest and one of the largest in the country. San Francisco has not one but four, count 'em four, Chinatowns.

Dim sum chinatown