Classic Chinese food done very well. Overall, this place is busy and parking is hard to find even with two garages! But the effort is worth it. The food is delicious and on a high level. I even went 45 minutes out of my way just to go there. Just be aware that if you want the dim sum experience there is much more during lunch. FOOD: Wonderful. We had a wide variety of food. Honey BBQ Pork, Peking Roast Duck, Harborview Beef, Baked BBQ Bun, Xiao Long Bao, Kung Pao Chicken, and Garlic Honey Chicken. Honey BBQ Pork was surprisingly good! Loved it. Roast duck was exactly what a good Chinese restaurant should serve which is NOT a given. Baked BBQ Bun was excellent (not to be confused with cha siu bao which has a different texture and taste). Garlic Honey Chicken was terrific. Similar to orange chicken but a bit more sweet and a tiny bit less tangy. Not really garlicky at all. Kung Pao Chicken was good but not exceptional and the Harborview Beef was tasty but a lot like teriyaki beef jerky. I think it was way overcooked. SERVICE: Good portions and packaged really well. We did take out and they had it packaged and ready on time. Too bad they don't have it available downstairs so you have to either wait for the literal two person elevator or climb up and down the stairs. COST: A bit pricey but at least you get what you paid for. It's hard to find this high quality Chinese food so if you're lucky enough, go and try it. My favorite is still Begoni Bistro in Chinatown but this one is definitely worth it and I might change my mind if I get to try the lunch! read more

I came by for an early Tuesday dinner for 3. Although we didn't have a reservation, we were still able to be seated and quickly. The restaurant has a bit of a nicer / upscale ambiance (so wish I'd dressed nicer but alas). We ordered the bbq pork buns, Szechuan spicy sauce cold chicken, half roasted duck with wraps, braised tofu with vegetables, and these scallion spinach noodles. BBQ Pork Buns: I loved the bbq pork buns. The bun itself was kind of light and slightly sweet (reminded me of the pineapple buns at Mei Lai Wah in NYC), and the pork inside was tasty as well. Szechuan Spicy Sauce Cold Chicken: Then we got the cold chicken, which was not bad. The chicken itself was really tender but I do feel like the sauce wasn't anything special - it tasted very similar to store bought Lao Gan Ma, with only a very slight, imperceptible difference. Roasted Duck w/Wraps: These were quite solid - the skin was thin, crispy, with the fat largely removed. I was slightly expecting the thinner authentic wraps vs. the thicker bao buns but these were still good. Scallion Spinach Noodles: These were probably my least favorite. They were lacking in flavor (had to ask for some salt). With salt, it was maybe slightly better? The noodles have a scallion flavor that is just sooo light and subtle, it tastes plain. And so, if I came back, I'd definitely opt for a different noodle dish. Braised Tofu w/Vegetables: Lastly, we all unanimously enjoyed this dish. It was a generous portion of tofu, and the sauce was rich that was easily soaked up by the tofu and vegetables. There were a few shiitake mushrooms that soaked up the flavor amazingly that I wished there were more. However, it's pretty typical vs. other cheaper Chinese restaurants, so I don't know if there was anything necessarily standout about it if you've had this before. Still enjoyed it of course. Overall, we had a nice dinner that we were all pretty full from. That being said, our bill actually wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be especially for SF (came out to little bit less than $50 per person including the 18% service charge they put in). I think the food was quite good, but unless I'm explicitly wanting to go for the more upscale vibe, I'd probably opt for a cheaper more mom-and-pop Chinese restaurant as the food quality would likely be pretty similar. read more

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This review is about their week day lunch take-out. (Located around the corner to the right from main entrance via street level). Prices are very reasonable, quality of food is high, and selection is manageable and solid. All orders come with rice and a drink: 1 item $15 2 items $18 Double meat (duck) $23 Service is quick, accurate, and efficient; up to Harborview 's standard of excellence. read more

Harborview Restaurant & Bar - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

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DIM SUM! 4.8 An ending to our wonderful three-day weekend getaway was made even better with the discovery of Harborview for dim sum. We have our favorite dim sum spot in the South Bay, but we had yet to find a favorite in San Francisco, until now. There's a very famous one in the City where we used to dine, but our last visit left us disappointed. So, we had our fingers crossed for Harborview. Conveniently located in Embarcadero 4, Harborview is next to the Hyatt Regency, just steps from Embarcadero Plaza and directly across the street from the Ferry Building. If you're stopping by for the bar only, and yes, they have Happy Hour (Tuesday-Friday, 4:00-7:00pm), enter from the second floor. There are escalators and an elevator inside the Embarcadero 4 building, which are also convenient options if you're unable to navigate the circular staircase leading to the dining room. The main dining room entrance is on the first floor, with the courtyard facing Drumm Street. After checking in, you'll be guided upstairs to your table. We had made reservations, so our wait was minimal. When our table for two was ready, we made our way through the bustling main dining room to the outdoor patio in the back. Every table was shaded by an array of large, tan umbrellas, making the patio especially inviting on such a beautiful day. When it comes to dim sum, we tend to order the same familiar dishes. We do this intentionally, mainly so we can compare how each restaurant interprets these classic favorites. We ordered: * Baked BBQ pork buns with crunchy sugar crust ~ This is their signature dish, and it was delectable. Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong makes the benchmark version of this style of bun, but Harborview serves up a very tasty one of its own. * Shrimp har gow dumplings ~ Delicious, with that satisfying, delicate crunch of shrimp when cooked just right. * Glutinous rice and assorted meat wrapped in lotus leaf ~ Well-seasoned, fragrant and wonderfully moist. * Jellyfish cold plate ~ If a restaurant has this on the menu, I'm ordering it. Harborview prepares it beautifully, with just the right amount of spicy kick and that irresistible, crunchy texture that makes jellyfish so enjoyable, somewhat reminiscent of wood ear mushrooms. * Steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce ~ Exceptionally savory and tender. My favorite preparation includes slices of fresh green jalapeño, whereas this version came with red chili peppers. It still had plenty of flavor and heat. * Barbecued pork rice flour rolls * Black truffle & Kurobuta pork dumplings ~ Din Tai Fung still holds the title for my favorite XLBs, but these were a tasty rendition. Overall, every dish was very good. The restaurant was packed and clearly in full swing, yet the service remained attentive and efficient. Plenty of servers were circulating throughout the dining area, so whenever we needed something, it arrived almost immediately. With the gorgeous weather, dining on the patio was the perfect choice. It was noticeably quieter than the bustling interior, and the views added another layer of enjoyment to the meal. I think we may have just found our new favorite dim sum spot in San Francisco. read more

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A great place to come for a Chinese meal in the city. The food was delicious and favorites includes, the long neck clam sashimi and the refreshing Lo Hei salad. They also have set meals for 8-10 people during lunch. Overall, nice ambiance, the staff were quick and efficient, food came quickly and the view of the Bay bridge in the background was beautiful. Don't forget they have parking validation so remember to hand them the ticket. Definitely a great place for celebrations. read more

Came back after a few years and the food wasn't as amazing as I had remembered, but the baked bbq pork bun is still the best, along with the cod. Thin and crispy pineapple like crust with the thin breading and flavorful bbq pork filling. Buttery cod that is flaky and bursting with richness. I went on labor day to celebrate a birthday and was hoping to sit in their outdoor area for the view of the bridge , but there wasn't enough staffing so we had to dine indoors. The view wasn't as nice, and plus they built pickle ball courts in the open field. read more

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Nice covered outdoor seating Service is quick. Waiters are quick to refill waters & teas. The highlight is their signature bbq pork with the sugar crust. Must get! We also ordered sesame balls & pineapple buns... interestingly those were brought out last after we've finished so there was a bit of wait bc they are desserts. I'm used to having those items brought out together... dim sum desserts don't have to wait. read more

Harborview Restaurant & Bar - Baked bbq buns - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

Harborview is a great spot for Cantonese cuisine in San Francisco, with a welcoming atmosphere and beautiful views of the Bay. The sugar-crusted BBQ pork buns are a standout, featuring a crisp, sweet topping that complements the savory pork filling. The menu offers a nice variety of dim sum and classic Cantonese dishes, making it a great choice for sharing a meal. The setting feels polished yet comfortable, and the waterfront location adds a special touch to the dining experience. read more

Harborview Restaurant & Bar - Pork buns - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is nestled within a bunch of shops and restaurants with the back part of the restaurant right on the water making for really nice outdoor seating with a great view. The inside decor is very fancy and upscale. This restaurant can make for a great date night or even a casual hang out, but they also have great Family Style tables which are typical for Asian restaurants seating for like 10-15 people. Overall, I would say that this restaurant is pretty good, but perhaps a bit expensive. If I'm honest, I was kind of hoping for a wow moment eating each dish because of how expensive and fancy the place was (plus sporting that Michelin star). So TLDR; good but underwhelming. Let's start with what was good! Pork buns or char siu bao: 5/5! Wow this was amazing! Like actually amazing. The crust on that bun added like a sweet outer layer was fire, the meat was super tender and great! Prob the best dish we had! The spicy wonton: 2.5/5 this was just okay imho, lacked depth of flavor and that ma la you'd want in the spice, honestly just okay and wouldn't order again. The roasted pork/charsiu: 3.5/5 pretty good overall! I do feel like some parts were a bit tough but mostly tender pieces of meat. The shu mai: 3/5 it was good, a little too chewy for me but was decent. XLB: 2/5 probably the most disappointing, lacked depth of flavor and the broth was just okay, average at best, Honestly expected more. Prob wouldn't order again. Deep fried crab claw and shrimp ball: 3/5 good crab and good seafood taste. The dipping sauce was just okay, wanted more flavor. Overall all, service was super fast, food came out in no time, could've been better with water refills. I wished that some of the dishes had a richer flavor profile that made me say wow, but unfortunately most of the dishes fell short. The char siu bao however was the star of the show! Cute place but a bit overpriced for an underwhelming flavors. Made it a four star because of the bun and the service and ambience. read more

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Wow this place is BUSY! It says a lot about a restaurant! So we came in after hitting an event and they sat us right away! It was really nice to sit and enjoy the meal. There was no music which I feel like if they did it would have been drowned out by all the activity in the restaurant. I ordered the basil chicken but our table got a bit of everything. Our server Wayman was super efficient with the order and we put all of our order in all at once. Great experience and would definitely would recommend. Fun fact: the soup dumplings were super hot (temperature wise so please be cautious) read more

Very nice restaurant, and quite a deal! With the amazing view of the Ferry Building and the bay and the elegant, yet pretty chill, atmosphere, I was expecting an exorbitant bill. My husband and I had an entree each and dumplings, as well as a drink each, and the bill was low considering the amount we had. We did have a reservation. It seems difficult to get a table without one. For our appetizer, we ordered the vegetarian mushroom dumplings. I am not usually a fan of mushrooms (I find the mushy texture unappetizing), but they cooked them perfectly crispy, and they were delicious. I was surprised to have the dumplings served with no sauce to accompany them, however, and did not get a chance to request any. I had the mapo tofu (vegetarian), and it was a decently large serving. It was delicious, and the sauce was perfectly seasoned. Their green onions were my favorite part. My husband got the Peking duck, and I had to steal one of the buns it came with--it was so soft. The food came out pretty quickly, and the staff was attentive overall. I had one slightly awkward interaction with a waiter who seemed a little impatient when I confused myself while ordering, but otherwise the service was great. For drinks, we had an espresso martini and a lychee martini, and they were delicious. Do beware that there is an automatic 18% gratuity added to every check. This is less than I usually tip, so it did not negatively impact my experience. It's a great spot to bring friends or for date nights. I will be returning! read more

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Harborview serves premium food and their dim sum are seemed to order; always fresh and super tasty. I've been here numerous times for yum cha (dim sum bunch) before, and trying their HH (Happy Hour) for the first time today.. and it was just simply excellent!!! The quality dim sum that we've come to expect.. plus two delightful bonuses: Excellent Margarita and their OMG - so Tasty and Addicting Tofu Fries!! YUM yim yummmmy!! Service is excellent and their wait staff checked on us every now and then, and everyone is always friendly and helpful. Nicely located in EC4; the restaurants is always super clean and comfy for hanging out. Their balcony seating also very nice, weather permitting. Bonus: they also validate parking, at (I think ) $6 off your parking rate at the Embarcadero's. Great good + Great service! Recommended!!! read more

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Came in at 2PM and it was packeddddd Luckily we were seated right away It is priceyyyyyy! But I enjoyed everything here. read more

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This was my first time ever at this particular dim sum restaurant, and sadly, I couldn't have any of the dim sum because they all contained monosodium glutamate/MSG. Sadly, I'm horribly allergic to it. However, there is a separate menu I was able to order from where they could not add the MSG into those dishes. I was able to order the walnut prawns and a stirfry vegetable dish along with some rice. Granted the rice never came, but we ordered so many dishes and different types of dim sum. Everybody had a lot to eat!! The ambience was very clean, white tablecloths, which were switched out with every family family or group that joined, and there was a beautiful outside area overlooking the San Francisco downtown financial district. I kind of wish we sat outside, but you never know what the weather. The ambience within the restaurant itself, looked like something out of a beautiful Chinese movie with all the decorative art pieces and murals! I've never been to China, but the ambience looked pretty dead on from any subbed movie I've ever seen of restaurants over there. Service was rather quick, but there were so many waitresses and waiters. I couldn't believe how busy everyone stayed! As the restaurant was closing for a break between lunch and dinner, all the servers came out to eat their meal and there had to been at least 6 tablespoons full of employees!! All the dishes they had to eat looked delicious and smelled amazing also!! I would love to come back and try a couple more dishes, I just wish they didn't pre-make all the dim sum with monosodium glutamate. I know it's a unique food allergy, but I was happy that I could at least get a couple of dishes that didn't have any MSG. read more

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Very yummy! Service is well trained and they do their best with such a busy place. I had my civil wedding celebration here, 30 people private lunch and it was great. Communication was a bit difficult but it's understandable when I had so many questions. This photo is from another event that I attended (happy hour for work) and everything was very smooth too. Servers would come to ask for our drink orders or we could ask at the bar. View on the outdoor area is totally worth it. read more

Harborview Restaurant & Bar - Banquet - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

Really tasty Cantonese flavors! Had a dim sum lunch last year and just a wedding banquet this month. The service is attentive and the restaurant views are great! Parking is validated for 90 minutes and overall excellent dining experience. read more

Harborview Restaurant & Bar - Awesome guava mojito for happy hour! - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

I want to give a great shout out to Harborview Restaurant for hosting a luncheon / dinner for my daughters wedding day activities. There was only 8 of us and we wanted a luxurious Chinese meal to celebrate the wedding. We've eaten at Harborview before and were extremely pleased with their culinary quality and service so we chose to celebrate here. We made a reservation for a patio table for 10 even though we were only 8. We chose their banquet meal plan C which had an abundance of seafood. Plus we also ordered a couple extra dishes for our guests to enjoy. Surprisingly we got a phone call from Angel who questioned our order. Why so much food for 8 people? We knew we had too much food but we were okay with it. Long story short, she suggested some alterations to the "C" banquet and gave us the additional dishes at the same overall cost as the original banquet price. This was super nice and appreciated. We still had a ton of take home and everyone was full. Let me say the food was excellent and some of the best I've ever had. Yes it is a bit pricey but it wasn't the most expensive plan they have. We chose "C" because it had all the dishes we really enjoy and seldom get to eat. The restaurant is simply gorgeous especially the entryway on the ground level of Embarcadero 4. You can park in EC4 garage and get some validation at the restaurant. A quick overview of the dishes.... BBQ Combination Platter. Not sure if BBQ describes it well, its more like a cold appetizer delicacy plate, Fresh and crisp seaweed, cuttlefish, baby octopus, BBQ pork and tofu. A super tasty and refreshing starter Dried Scallop, Fish Maw and Sea Cucumber soup. Hot seafood flavored soup with plenty of julienned seafood. Rich, thick and warming. Salt and Pepper Dungeness Crab. This was hands down the surprise of the meal. TWO huge crabs deep fried with a delicate battered crust. Served piled high with the crab shell on top. Make sure to enjoy the crab butter in the shell it is the best. If you know... you know! Peking Duck with Steamed buns. Hands down a family favorite served with 12 buns, shredded scallions and plum sauce. Crispy duck skin carefully dissected from the soft and juicy duck meat. Really good. Stir fried Scallops and Prawns. Served on a bed of snow peas. Honestly, how often do you get to eat sea scallops? Perfectly cooked soft and tender. Prawns fresh and firm texture. Steak Cubes & Broccoli. Sounds plain but the beef cubes with a glistening sauce simply melted in your mouth. Oh man this was fantastic! Broccoli cooked al dente with a nice crisp texture. Baked Black Cod. Can it get any better? Super tender, flakey, moist, juicy fish steamed to perfection. man!!! Sautéed Pea sprouts with dried scallops and Mushrooms. Pea sprouts are expensive but well worth the price. Topped with the mushrooms and sauce was a great pairing. Golden Supreme Fried Rice with XO sauce. Some of the tastiest fried rice you will ever encounter. Fine grains of rice seasoned with a ton of flavor and enhanced with XO sauce Black Sesame Mochi in Ginger Tea. Soft moist chewy Mochi balls served in hot Ginger Tea. The black sesame is delicious and pungent. The ginger tea warming and aromatic. so good! FYI corkage is $25 per bottle and cake service is $1 per person. They take the cake and put it in the fridge during your meal. All that being said the meal was fantastic. Servers came around several times to change out our dirty plates. Some of us ordered drinks a few times which they served quickly. It was a wonderful day and capped off with this special meal. Thank you Harborview! read more

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Great upscale dim sum in a lovely area! Made a reservation with my partner a day before and we got seated right away. Busy for dim sum Sunday mornings, every table was full but the workers were very efficient. Almost everything was very tasty and high quality. The bbq sugar pork buns were so good, worth the hype that we saw about them online. The shrimp rice crepes were a bit disappointing - the shrimps inside were really overcooked and some of the pieces still had shrimp tail on them. The soup dumpling were quite small and barely had any soup in them. But the other dishes we got were great. read more

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I came to Harborview for my cousin's wedding day lunch, and everything was so good! For starters, we had a fresh crab & fish maw soup, steamed dim sum sampler, and fried dungeness crab. For mains, we had honey walnut prawns, black pepper steak & scallops, peking duck with steamed buns, sautéed pea sprouts, black cod, and golden fried rice with XO sauce. Service was timely and efficient. The restaurant itself is pretty nice inside. I do believe they partially validate parking as well. Pretty good experience overall! read more

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When in SF, you MUST come here for dim sum!! This is the best dim sum I've been to in the US. Anything on the menu is good. Our favorites are the baked BBQ pork buns with sugar crust and the coffee buns. This place is popular so we did make a reservation before setting out, just in case (it was a Memorial Day Monday, reserved for 1:00 pm at 12:15 pm lol). There is paid parking in the plaza; the Google Maps name is "Parking near Exploratorium" and you enter via the driveway on Clay St and Drumm St. Otherwise, we take the Bart to the Embaracadero stop and take the short walk over. read more

Harborview Restaurant & Bar - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

I keep wanting to like this place so I keep coming back to try it and each time I am reminded why I don't want to come back. What's good. The view is great What not so great. Everything else. Food should be better prepared. Thought they have a Michelin star and food is so sloppy for the price they charge and the service always felt robotic. We had whole duck and the soup $80 and the duck came with bones! Wow. Z&y Beijing duck for similar price is way better. The soup came out also more watery also with bones and mustard green. It was just okay but unimpressive The braised tofu and vegetable for $28 is again just average. I was going to give this a three star but then a 20% gratuity is auto added for our table for 2 people. Plus the final check still comes with room for tip. So if someone didn't hear that gratuity was included already they can accidentally overtip. Shady business practice. Alas a lipstick on a pig and I have tried this place at least 5 times over the last 5 years. I keep thinking they may improve. I am wrong and won't be back. It's a place for show but doesn't really have refined Chinese food. read more

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Very popular for weekend brunch, so be sure to make a reservation ahead of time. Decent dim sum selection with very fast service. I expected higher food quality for the price they charge. Portion sizes are very small. There is also a mandatory 18% service fee for parties of all sizes. The vibes are nice especially when you sit outside. Expect to spend 40+ per person to be full. read more

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It's a nice Memorial Day weekend so we came back for dim sum. We were pleasantly surprised the dim sum was much better than the last visit. The service was also attentive. Our server Shao was helpful and quick to respond. They have plenty of outdoor tables, as well as indoor seating. Shrimp dumplings were 5/5 (plump and fresh) Sui mai were on point 4/5 Honey BBQ pork 3.5/5 Walnut shrimp 5/5 Steamed spareribs 4/5 Steamed Chinese broccoli 4/5 BBQ pork pastry 5/5 Steamed peach bun 5/5 read more

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I went to Harborview for a friend's birthday banquet. Even though there were a lot of us, there was a massive amount of food. The standout dishes for me were the black cod and the duck. There was also an enoki mushroom dish that was really good. I ate several things I would never order myself, like fish maw and sea cucumber soup, but all of it was well prepared. Drinks were good too. I enjoyed my guava mojito. Service was really good. The pacing was especially good. The banquet room doesn't have any windows, which is a shame. The view of the Ferry Building and the bay from there is wonderful. The place was hopping. Pretty much every table was full. They validate parking for the garage, so be sure to bring your ticket. Great place for a family dinner or dim sum outing. Recommended. read more

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Harborview Restaurant is a decent spot for Chinese food in the city and the vibe is casual. We got the Pork Wontons, Mapo Tofu, and Egg fried rice. Fried rice could have had more flavor. Definitely a good option if you're looking for a dependable spot! read more

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This was a very popular place in sf/Embarcadero area with high ratings so I had to take my mom here for her birthday! They were accommodating since I was late, but keep in mind there is a charge if you are late but they were kind about it since my other guests arrived there before me. The service was quick and everyone was really friendly! The food was amazing as expected. My favorite was the honey walnut shrimp (not shown in the picture) and xiu mai. No complaints at all and I like how it's very modern where we can have drinks and a variety of options on the menu. The area is quite busy and parking is hard. There is a parking garage where the restaurant validates parking but I still paid $2 to exit the gate. I had a party of 10 people and everyone enjoyed the food! I'd give this a 5 but parking was difficult. read more

Harborview Restaurant & Bar - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Pricey but pretty good dim sum! I was visiting family in SF and they took us to Harborview Restaurant! Since my family made a prior reservation, we were given a table in the private room so the experience was definitely elevated. We sat with another party inside the room so it was completely private but it was definitely private enough to then point where you can make comfortable conversation across the table. We ordered quite a lot of dishes from the dim sum menu and also off the dim sum menu. They offer a lunch menu that consists of noodles, seafood, and more! Honestly, from all the different dishes that we ordered, the baked coffee lava buns with crunchy sugar crust was delicious! It was hot and the filling dripped out as soon as I took the first bite. Another honorable mention was the deep fried shrimp dumplings! Definitely on the pricier end of dim sums but it was pretty decent! read more

Harborview Restaurant & Bar - Espresso Martini - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

I was here for a special occasion last weekend for a birthday/retirement party. I've been to a number of Chinese banquets over my lifetime but this surpassed them all. The consistent high quality overall caught my attention. Often times service in such restaurants are poor but this was above average for a Chinese restaurant. I won't bore you with an evaluation of each dish. I will point out that the black cod dish was exceptional. I can't ever recall having this. It was so delicate. It didn't feel like I was eating fish. All the dishes were spot on! We ate out on the patio. It was a beautiful day to hold this event. read more

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My mom's friend from Guangzhou brought her nephew to have dinner with some good company. The food was great and atmosphere. The service was excellent. Overall the view was excellent you can see Port of San Francisco. Rate: 10/10. I recommended watching the view along the Pickleball near the port. My mom's friend from Guangzhou brought her nephew to have dinner with some good company. The food was great and atmosphere. The service was excellent. Overall the view was excellent you can see Port of San Francisco. Rate: 10/10. I recommended watching the view along the Pickleball near the port. read more

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I had a very good lunch at this restaurant. The spicy garlic chicken, jasmine rice and almond soup was mouthwateringly delicious. The service was very friendly and the ambiance of the place was amazing for a Chinese restaurant. I highly recommend this place. Be sure to make a reservation here if you want to come here because it is very popular and quite crowded when I arrived . 5 stars ! read more

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We came around 130pm and were seated right away. All the other dishes we got were as expected. The turnip cake stood out and was better than most places. Fast service and good space for both small and big groups. read more

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I'm in the minority, but I can't really taste the difference between good and great dim sum (and I have not experienced any "bad" ones.) Where they differ is on variety and service. There were a few unique offerings like coffee cream filled mini buns that were scrumptious. Service: stoic per usual. So yes, the dim sum is delicious, but no big difference from many other venues. read more

Harborview Restaurant & Bar - Coffee cream, unique and so good. You get three. - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

Harborview has a couple of outstanding dishes: the baked black cod is one of the best fish dishes I've ever had. It's very similar to a baked sea bass dish that used to be at Riverside on Vicente that I had once but then never found again. It has a delicious outer glaze and the cod is delicate and flaky beneath. We got the small for 4 people, and it was plenty big enough. The baked pork buns are also really good and unique: they have a sweet crispy top and the dough of the bun is thin and chewy. They also do the classics well: we got the braised pea sprouts and the scrambled egg and shrimp chow fun and both were really good versions of them. The ambiance and location is also nice: there is indeed a view of the Harbor. read more

Harborview Restaurant & Bar - Baked black cod - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Since we didn't have a reservation, we were seated in the bar area through a separate entrance -- not sure if that mattered, but this was honestly the worst Chinese food I've had in the U.S. Nothing tasted fresh. Every dish came out fast-food quick, like it had been pre-made and reheated. The meat in the fried rice was tiny and tough, the eggplant skin was chewy, and the fried items were all soggy. The best thing we had was the salad -- dressed in what tasted like store-bought sweet chili sauce. An 18% gratuity was automatically added for our party of three (including a small child) -- no one informed us until the bill arrived. read more

Harborview Restaurant & Bar - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great for large parties - esp since they take reservations! We had a party of twelve come in and we split a private room with another table of 12. Service was very fast and all the items were so delicious! Favorite eats were: beef chow fun, pork buns, salty egg yolk buns, the eggplants, green beans, and Peking duck! Any of their dimsum items like hargow and siu mai were also top tier. There's a standard tea they serve but you can also ask for other kinds. read more

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The ambiance in this restaurant is gorgeous. The views were stunning. This was my 1st time here and it was Thanksgiving. Here with a party of 9 a rag tag crew mostly from out of town gathering to celebrate not with the traditional turkey but Peking duck. Can you blame us Asians? Normally you would need to order the duck the day before. However, we were advised they would have more than enough. Relieved. This was not our 1st, 2nd or 3rd choice for that matter. We were elated they would have duck and could take our reservation. The reservation was set for 7:40pm. I wasn't sure where to park but fortunately the restaurant is located in a center that has it's' own enclosed, validated parking. Thank goodness for that because San Francisco parking is atrociously high. Keep your parking ticket with you and be sure to get it validated before you leave. We located the restaurant on the 2nd level. Entering from there seemed to be the rear of the restaurant. It was noisy and packed. Good thing we had a reservation but we were super early. Like an hour and 40 minutes. Hey, we didn't know where else to go. We told the gentlemen that and he said no problem then guided us to another part of the restaurant passing many, many tables seats all full of people enjoying their delicious food. We were actually led to the front of the restaurant where we could officially check in. We did and were told to wait in the hall way. The hall way was packed with people waiting to get a table. There was no where else to wait. A stairs led down to the entrance to exit outside. We decided to wait there in the cold. I contacted the rest of our party letting them know where we are and what was going on. When it got about 30 min to our seating we checked in again and were told to wait in the hall way again. This time there was room happy to get warm. Finally, the rest of party came and were shown our table. Tea was ready and I poured to whom I could reach. We did have a lazy susan on the table and had the correct number of chairs for our party. It took a little while to figure out what we were going to order. The Peking duck was a must. $65 for one to be shared by 9. With the plum sauce this was exquisite. However, there wasn't much to share with such a big group. I expected this. So I was prepared to have a small portion, more of a sampling, and well worth it. The meat was tender and moist but would have loved to have crispy skin. Not this time. Should have ordered two. We continued with more foul, $48 diced honey garlic chicken was just as good. Very moist, flavorful and a little sweet. A very nice dish but not something I would normally order with another foul dish. Continuing the foul, the group agreed on salted fish chicken fried rice. To be honest I don't even remember this dish. Probably because it was served last. Yes, the rice was served last. I know, right. But hey, it's Thanksgiving. For $46 that was the most expensive rice I've ever ordered. Maybe stick to regular plain white rice. The prawns with honey walnut $52 was the best deal on the table. Delicious and I could get more than one serving. Normally I get this with shrimp. The prawns is an upgrade and now that I've had it I'm not sure I could go back to shrimp. Kudos on this dish. We needed a vegetable dish and glad someone ordered the $24 green beans. This were really good. Well cooked and slightly season with salt was perfect in taste. The house beef I did not dislike but I really didn't care for it. At $56 for minced meat that was sauteed and cooked to almost crispy, similar to the Vietnamese shaking beef, there wasn't much to go around and found it lacking in taste. There was some but mild to my palette. Congee with pork and egg was ordered. I'm not a particular fan of congee so I did not have this. What I did appreciate is it was only $14. I did enjoy the roku & ginger. And would have this $16 drink again. Maybe 2 next time. I do consider this a fair review for Thanksgiving Day but not a fair review overall. I will come back next year to try dishes I would expect to enjoy more of. The crab sounds really good. The bill for the group was close to $500. That broke down to $56 a person with a generous tip. As busy as it was, and the food was slow in coming, but the staff was on par with the load they had to handle. For a Thanksgiving Dinner that was a deal. We closed the place down. Tables were rolling out, chairs getting stacked. We got our parking tickets stamped but were told they were not really needed because the gates would be open for us to exit. Christmas came early. Thank you. read more

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Pork XLB - 5/5 Spicy Pork Wontons - 5/5 Roasted Peking Duck - 3/5 Kung Pao chicken- 4/5 Honey Garlic Sesame chicken - 4/5 Harborview beef - 5/5 Garlic noodles- 3/5 Guava Virgin Mojito - 5/5 Great ambience and service! read more

Artificial Intelligence, Natural Noise We attended a private dinner and AI panel discussion here, hosted by a large tech company. We hadn't been to Harborview before and were initially impressed by the size of the restaurant and the number of private event spaces. The restaurant was full, which seemed promising at first. Our event was held in the Shanghai Room -- a smaller space with two very large round tables squeezed in, seating about 12 each. It felt tight. The panel setup included three speakers sharing one microphone, and unfortunately the main door to the room was broken. Because the room sits just off the bar, noise from guests, staff, and food service made it extremely difficult to hear the discussion. For a presentation or networking-focused event, the acoustics and layout simply didn't work. The food was nicely presented and served family-style, but overall the taste was just okay. Service was mixed. Although dietary restrictions had been shared in advance, I was met with visible frustration when I mentioned I don't eat seafood. It may have been a coordination issue with the host, but as a guest it felt uncomfortable. With a group of 25-30 people and multiple dietary needs at our table alone, providing menus or table cards outlining the dishes would have been helpful. Overall, while the space may work for purely social gatherings, I wouldn't recommend it for a corporate event involving presentations or structured networking. It wasn't an experience we'd likely repeat. read more

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