Joyful Kitchen

Family-owned & operated

Takes reservations

Introduced two friends to 606 today and they loved it. The decor is a nice blend of the new and old…read moreChinatown. We ordered the house special Simon's chicken, String beans, beef chow fun and the Mongolian Beef, all delicious. Alvin, thank you for a delicious lunch. We can't wait to return.

606 had been on the list for quite a while given the great story of generational business ownership…read morein SF Chinatown, and also because the food simply looked delicious. I joined with a group of friends and we tried many things on the menu. The highlights included the fried chicken and honey walnut prawns. The service was also so, so friendly and attentive - it was around lunar new year and everyone was great even though they were so busy. Would definitely return.

Voted Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in the USA! Thank you Yelp and our wonderful and supportive customers!

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Four Kings 四大天王

4.2(430 reviews)

•$$$

Throwback to the 90s with good food, fun atmosphere, and friendly staff. Imagine all the 90s HK pop…read morestars and movie stars, they're all here on the walls! We ended up ordered 1/3 of the menu, probably. Everything from their speciality squab to the limited time menu items like Singaporean chile crab. Everything was really delicious (only complaint is the crab sauce drowning the bread, order the bread to be on the side to avoid this situation). The popular dessert item was the red bean shaved ice, which was very nice to balance out the meal.

WHAT A GEM in SF Chinatown! 5.0…read more Hubby secured hard to get reservations and the very next day, I see a friend post her visit on IG Stories. I asked her, "What's good?" Her response... "Everything!" That's all one needs to say. At the entrance, clearly marked are signs reading, "Reservations" and "Walk-ins". Since we had reservations, we waited only a few minutes to get seated at the bar. The bar makes it easy to converse with your partner and to peer over as the fire from the range springs up from the kitchen. Our server brought us some "Free Bites" of roasted peanuts and smashed cucumbers. She was such a pleasant lady with quite the wit that made me laugh between courses. We ordered a full bottle of Negori sake. Note: if you do not finish the sake bottle, they cannot pack it to go for you, so drink up! Obviously, we couldn't order everything on the menu. For our first visit, we definitely wanted their special dish, Fried Squab. It was delicious! The meat was moist and the dipping salt with Sichuan peppercorn paired perfectly! Just don't focus too much on the visual... the head and claws. Hot Mustard Jellyfish Salad ~ I loved the "crunch" of the jellyfish and the hot mustard marinade was just spicy enough to start a slow burn up the nose. Beef Chow Fun Noodles ~ Delicious and so very savory. I was amazed at how flavorful this dish was without being salty. Clay Pot Rice w/Chinese Sausage & Bacon ~ Loved how the entire pot was seasoned nicely. The sauce did not only sit at the top, but penetrated deep down into the rice. XO Escargot w/Milkbread ~ I've only had French Escargot and these are just as good, if not better! Fish Fragrant Eggplant ~ Another savory and very umami dish. Red Bean Shaved Ice ~ Always a refreshing dessert. Dig in for the surprise in the center. We had such a nice, cozy dinner here. Even while at the bar, we never felt for lack of space. They paced the dishes out perfectly, so there was always room to eat and enjoy. Looking forward to returning and trying more items on the menu.

View of kitchen

Sichuan cabbage

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Creamy potato salad with tofu dressing

Hon's Wun-Tun House

4.1(665 reviews)

With plenty of restaurants trying to get you thru the door in Chinatown, I was so happy to try out…read moreHon's Wun-Tun House! There will be a little bit of a wait if you come at lunchtime, but the changing of tables is so quick, it's worth the wait. My table got many items to try out, including a number of dumplings and main dishes. We have no complaints! The servers were on top of their game, and every time a menu item was brought out, they would cross it out at the table, to ensure all our food was brought out. Each dish came out piping hot (especially the dumpling and wontons), and my favorite main dish was definitely the Braised Seafood + Tofu in Clay Pot. Pair that with some rice and your set. This place was such a vibe! Totally recommend; all our food came out quick --- everything was made-to-order, and they got nothing wrong. 10 out of 10!

Memorial weekend Saturday - got walking in that day, I asked the person who sat us if any of the…read morenoodle dishes had soy (they all have soy), she asked if I was gluten-free and I said no, allergy to soy so I will get something else. This person who took our order asked if there were any allergies, I said soy and her eyes lit up while she calming asked, 'soy-sauce', and I list soysauce and all the soy things that fall in that umbrella. I order my item, the chicken wings and item to share: the pan-fried dumplings, while my partner ordered one of the noodle soups. She comes back later and points out that the noodle soup has soy - much apperciated because people sometimes share, etc. And I said it was just for my partner. -- The chicken wings were plump, crispy, the first two were 'heathly', didn't taste the salt, and the rest were packed with flavor. If you're looking for consistency there is a #1 spot in Chinatown for chicken wings which I will not disclose in this review. But, otherwise, for flavor - I like it here. My partner said he didn't find the ones here oily but I said the bottom ones were a little and I did enjoy it. The panfried dumplings - the meat was succulent and delicious, I didn't think there was enough soup, these ones are smaller than other places, but the meat is massive. They were good, not my favorite ever, but I think the meat was the best hands-down anywhere. - It was very busy with perhaps locals and tourists. The table on our left were these two white men in the architeture field - super vulgar and sexist talking about people they don't like, it would defintely be an HR red flag. And then to the corner on the right, there was this little family who hadn't had soup dumplings before - the grown kids ate with their hands and the parents with forks (I love to see people trying new things), I didn't see all of this going on but I asked my partner who kept looking over.. Yes, my partner was judging you but kudos to trying new things however it is. - For large parties - you'll have to wait awhile. QR waitlist kiosk thing in at the front. ** I truly apperciate food safety and staff being attentive which makes patrons more confident and are able to make more safely informed decisions when ordering.

Come here to sign in. Then sit until they call you.

Braised Tofu + Seafood in Clay Pot

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E3 柱侯牛腩雲吞麵 Beef Brisket Wonton Noodle Soup | $14.95

Kam Po Kitchen

3.9(702 reviews)

5.7 mi•Nob Hill

•$

PRO TIP! We actually used the order option embedded in the Yelp app under the restaurant and paid…read morein advance to avoid any wait. Because our order had been placed well before we arrived, there was a little confusion initially with the staff, but they were very kind and quick to resolve by making a fresh order! At around $25, it was a very reasonable price. The pork was crispy, cooked to perfection, and the fat was incredibly buttery with excellent flavor throughout. The roasted duck was also very flavorful, and both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed both options. We would absolutely return to enjoy this dish again, along with trying some of their other entrées. The restaurant itself was nice inside, with a comfortable seating area, and once everything was sorted out with our order (our fault totally!) the food was prepared very quickly.

honestly a must-stop for me. Whether I'm doing a full food crawl or already stuffed from other…read morespots, I always make room for Kam Po Kitchen. Sometimes I dine in, sometimes I grab it to go, but I never skip it. The food is just so consistently good. Their roasted pork with rice and greens is an absolute must. If you're in the area, don't even think twice. This place deserves a stop. GOOD FLAVOR + CHEAP

Roast Duck, Roast pork and Hainan chicken

Water pea shoots

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Roast Pork

R & G Lounge

3.7(5.4k reviews)

Family-owned & operated

39 years in business

The food was good but portion sizes were not the typical chinese family style i'm used to. Service…read morewas a bit slow and dishes came out one at a time (so I never got to eat my rice with my beef while both were hot) but they were able to seat my large party fairly quickly. Ambiance was clean and good lighting up on the top floor. Overall, a good experience - just would've ordered more food next time knowing the portions were so small.

Eating here, I was reminded of the meme that the best Chinese restaurants are rated 3.5 stars,…read moregreat food but poor atmosphere. Because yes, the R&G dining area was crowded and looked much like my childhood kitchen from the '60's (yellow flowered wallpaper, white ceiling, square-tiled flooring, round metal table and chairs). Yet, the food was delicious.. We had the Prawns with Honey Walnuts, half Peking duck and my wife splurged on the Lobster with Sticky Rice. My favorite turned out to be the Prawns, large, fresh and lightly tempura-battered. The duck, and especially lobster, were messy dishes, made messier by the lack of knives, forks, crackers and mallets I'm used to preparing such dishes with. The duck was chopped, served bone-on, so fingers were necessary to pull apart the meat. Likewise, the lobster was served in pieces and I believe was meant to be cracked although the claw meat was terribly difficult, dare I say painful. to reach. If able we'd have taken the lobster home and properly broken out all the meat. Instead, we left much of the lobster on the plate. Still, a fun place. We enjoyed our meal.

Salt and Pepper Dungeness Crab

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Baked Black Cod

Cheung Hing Restaurant

3.8(821 reviews)

2.4 mi•Outer Sunset

Came to pick up food to bring home. Our usual order can comprise of roast duck, roast pork, BBQ…read morepork, soy sauce chicken, and/or duck feet. When ordering the BBQ pork (char siu), I always ask for a leaner portion since I prefer it without too much fat. There wasn't much of a line this time--decades ago and even pre-pandemic, there was almost always a long wait during their busier times like during lunch and dinner hours. A relative of mine used to work here over 30 years ago, and I remember how nonstop and demanding it was. It was hardly a slow or relaxed environment. They also suggested adding mochi to my order. I passed this time, but I'll give it a try on my next visit. These days, there's a lot more competition along the Noriega corridor, which may explain the change in crowds. Still, it's nice to come back for the familiar Cantonese foods I grew up with and love.

We came on Thursday and got the roasted pork and pig tongue. My mom really liked the roasted pork,…read morethe skin was crispy and the meat was super tender. The pig tongue, however, wasn't really her thing and didn't have much flavor. We also tried the coconut mochi ($3.80 for 3). It was pretty good, with black sesame, peanuts, and sugar inside. They also have ginger pig feet and pork belly, which we might try next time. Overall, solid spot if you're here for roasted pork!

C B.B.Q. Pork

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Outside! We got our duck!

Hong Kong Clay Pot Restaurant

3.9(1.2k reviews)

5.8 mi•Chinatown

Surprisingly delicious. Randomly saw people going into this place and so glad we gave it a chance…read more It is a SMALL upstairs restaurant. Fried Rice - DELICIOUS!! Usually don't prefer this is but the fried rice here is ELITE. White rice - Perfect. The usual. Walnut Shrimp - Crunchy. Delicious! Perfectly balanced and the walnuts were yummy. Sweet & Sour pork - good. Too mushy for me but the flavor was good. Mongolian Beef - delicious. Flavorful. Chow Mein - PERFECTION! Spring rolls - Doughy. Yummy. Tea - Delicious They were FULL but the service was great. Clean. Quick. And kind, which must be a usual since they were kind although busy. 10/10 recommend

stumbled upon this after ma's and a few other spots were packed on a monday at 12pm. cozy, intimate…read moreinterior after you go up a flight of stairs, server was welcoming, and got seated/served tea quickly. did get busier and small parties were being seated together. i ordered my clay pot and it came out in under 5 minutes, i was so surprised. #35, chicken clay pot with mushroom and chinese sausage (7/10): came out sizzling and with rice on the side. chicken was plentiful and cooked great. wish there was more chinese sausage and i loved the onion. sauce wasn't too oily or salty and is a little sweet. usually i don't like ginger but it cut through the sauce well. was not expecting to like it this much! their clay pot was great for the price ($12.50), the workers were very nice, and it was just so homey in there for me. would definitely come back for clay pots and try their deluxe specials.

Mongolian Beef

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Egg Fried Rice

Yongzi Ji Restaurant

4.5(61 reviews)

4.0 mi•Mission

Stopped by Yongzi Ji for an early Saturday breakfast right when they open at 11:30 am. The place…read morewas still quiet, so we were seated immediately. We ordered : - Braised beef wonton noodle soup : noodles had that perfect springy bite, the broth was light , well seasoned & comforting. The braised beef was melt in your mouth tender, and the wontons were fresh, plump, and juicy. Everything was on point. - Fish porridge : I appreciate that the congee is not too soupy/ watered down. It was hearty and fish was delicately cooked just right, not dry or rubbery like some places. - Curry fish balls with pork rind : Good side dish, nicely seasoned with a spicy kick which we loved. Parking was relatively easy, there's metered spots across the street. Service was fast & efficient, the aunty who served us was super friendly and on top of everything. The interior is clean and comfy with a chill, welcoming vibe. Definitely planning to return, especially for another bowl of that beef noodle soup!

Came here with my boyfriend and it was a great chill date spot!…read more Good: - The value of the family dinner is insane - we got the Hong Kong style and it came with like 5 different dishes - I liked the eggroll, very crispy and came with a super tasty sauce - The fried rice was really good - We ended up with so much food we had another meal to bring home - and for less than $20 each! - Service was incredibly fast and also they were very nice Bad: - It's a bit hectic inside since it gets busy! Overall, it was such a good deal and the staff were really efficient and nice and would come back!

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HK Lounge Bistro

4.2(296 reviews)

4.6 mi•SoMa

Excellent dim sum spot!! Yes, it's definitely pricey, but everything from the food to the service…read moreand ambiance was fantastic. We ordered 8 items and everything was top quality, but my favorites were: - Ribeye XO "Dan Dan" mein with sesame sauce - Berkshire pork Shanghai soup dumplings (XLB) - Crispy shrimp & meat tofu skin roll It's a small restaurant and was super busy when we went around 11:40am on a Sunday, but luckily we were seated immediately when we walked in. Service was very friendly and efficient. Our server also helped refill our teapot with hot water when we finished the first pot. I really enjoyed the meal here and will definitely be back to try the dinner menu next time!

TL;DR: Pretty small, amazing service (new plates for everything), food comes out fast but…read morecomparable to other dim sum places in SF. Went here with my girlfriends to celebrate a wonderful dim sum dinner for AAPI month! We had heard about this place because it is a Michelin recognized restaurant and while we live closer to Chinatown figured it was worth heading down to SOMA. It was good, but like similar reviews say, pretty shocked with how comparable it tasted to some other dim sum places in the city. Imperial Peking Duck - 10/10! XLB - 11/10 just for the presentation! The waiter serves you the first one :) House Pan Fried noodles - 8/10, not the best but still tasty. We also had the egg cake for dessert and we've never had that before so it was nice to try something new. Would come back if I was in the area but since I'm close to Chinatown, can find places there too.

Rib eye chow fun (best chow fun ever?) possibly. so delicious

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Shanghai dumpling

Good Mong Kok Bakery

4.1(3.8k reviews)

•$

30 person line, on Memorial Day. 1 hour for us to get inside and order. Food is served immediately…read moreover the counter. Waiting in the line is an experience in itself, if you have a group, time will go by faster because you can yap. An hour was a dread. But 30 minutes do fly. There's a grocery store next door to snack on/explore if you have a group member that'd you want to send in there. If you don't know what to get, there's a sign outside the door when you hit the front of the line that lists the top menu items. We got an order (each) of the shrimp, chive dumplings. And the baked pork buns were absolutely worth the wait. Don't be afraid to get one too many, as you can take it home and reheat. And by the way, we arrived during lunch time. The line was half the size around 2p.

A regular trek to the city was in order where a stop to China Town on the list. We do something…read moreunusual when in China Town, we go to several food establishments and purchase a couple of pork buns to compare with others. It's been a fun family tradition for years. Today we visited Good Ming Kok Bakery. The shop is small and crowded with cookware and patrons. The order board is on the wall with corresponding numbers to make it go quicker. It's a walk in, order and walk out establishment. Be prepared...there is a line. The ladies working are not personable and act as if they are doing us a favor. Very stern faced. (Service 1/5) The buns (5/5) were very tasty, light and full of meat. Definitely will keep this one on our radar when the kids come for a visit.