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Kam Lok Restaurant

3.6 (193 reviews)
InexpensiveChinese
Closed • 11:00 am - 9:30 pm

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KAM LOK RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for kids
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Kam Lok Restaurant

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The entrance
Jerad G.

My buddies and I were venturing through China town. It finally came time to find a place to eat. This place is located in the basement of a building. When we came down the stairs and noticed we were the only white people there. We knew the food was gonna be fire. And it really was. The staff were super friendly. The place didn't seem like the cleanest place in the world. The bathroom had a slimy texture to it that your feet started sliding while standing still. But And I can't stress this enough: The food is delicious. It's really really good. We got two differ shared dinner options and had a little bit of everything. 10/10 I would go back

Shrimp and vegetables over rice
Su O.

I LOVE old-skool Chinese places as it reminds me of home. This one is a Chinatown staple, where locals, and older folks always come back and I am so mentally satisfied that we tried. Being in a basement of a building, it is nothing fancy with a few round tables of different sizes (which i love) and some tables for two. Service was great, and the server speaks English which was very unassuming. They have a few vegetarian/no-meat dishes and vegetable stir-fry dishes which was very helpful. Most of the lunch options are around $10. GOLD! We had Szechuan tofu over rice which is spicy but as someone with a high-spice tolerance, it was just mild to me. (They could make it extra spicy). It is a comfort meal, satisfying, and filling enough. NOT HUGE PORTIONS FOR $10 but it was comfortable for lunch. Shrimp with vegetable over rice was a classic thing. Anyway, we will always go back if we don't want to spend a ton for something like this. Plus side, they take cards.

Lobster- delicious
Vivian H.

After a really amazing Chinatown history tour given by a local who is very well known, we were all pretty hungry and our tour leader suggested this place. Kam Lok means "Gold Happy," and you'll definitely leave this place happy but leave with less gold than you walked in, but a full and satiated belly. This place is definitely a hole in the wall and as for ambiance, well it doesn't have any. We sat at one of the back tables and had a very large group, probably 15 people. The food here was excellent and I got to try dishes I have never had before. I also enjoyed the bitter melon dish as I don't get to eat this often. There was a meat pie dish that was excellent and where my family is from, we have something similar but just a tad different. Overall, this place makes really good food, come for the food but go elsewhere for ambiance. I'd definitely come back again just for the meat pie kind of dish.

Photo 1: Montage of images from Kam Lok Restaurant
Ed U.

This casual subterranean spot is as old school as it gets in Chinatown, and it's really easy to miss on Washington Street unless you're looking for it in particular. I wasn't, but out of curiosity, I walked down the steps anyway to see the restaurant quite empty with the staff just chatting with each other. I think they were surprised to see me since the banquet tables signaled to me they target large groups. There was a robust selection of traditional Cantonese dishes in their menu, and some of the higher than normal prices likely reflected banquet size portions. Logically I probably should've gone with the $14 Sautéed Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce or the $12 BBQ Pork Wonton Noodle Soup. However, the dish that drew my attention was the Steamed Chicken with Mustard Greens, a half chicken that would cost me a somewhat exorbitant $23 (Photo 9). I bit, and what arrived was a rather huge platter of steamed poultry surrounded by a forest of bok choy, all of it lacquered in a coating of sesame oil and accompanied by a small dish of minced garlic sauce. It was decent enough, and I was surprised how much of a dent I made. I might come back to try one of their house specials like their egg drop soup with deep-fried wontons, but I'll probably need to bring my own hungry batallion. FOOD - 3 stars...steamed fine, big portion with a big price to match AMBIANCE - 3 stars.. an aged banquet basement SERVICE - 3.5 stars...fast enough given I was the only customer TOTAL - 3 stars...targeted to large groups with big appetites RELATED - Exploring SF's Chinatown? Here's my collection of places l've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2WoF1Z2

Fish
Steven S.

The food I had delivered to my restaurant was great. The wonton soup with beef chunks was like butter in my mouth and the fish dish I had was incredible. I highly recommend this place if you are in Chinatown San Francisco. Next time I will go to that restaurant in person to eat there in person. The service and the ambience of the place was great from what I've read in other reviews. I give them 5 stars

Lou L.

Excellent chinese food at a decent price. Good sized portions. The salt bake chicken is nice and juicy, not dry at all. Twice cook pork has great flavor and not too salty. Pork was not overly fatty. The salt and pepper fried pork chop was nice and crispy. Not overly fried. It could use a little bit of more salt and pepper. Friendly service. Kinda of a hole in the wall place. Well actually hole in the ground. You gotta go down a few stairs to the restaurant. It's not fancy dining, so don't go in with your nose in the air. But would definitely recommend trying.

The best Chineese Food in San Francisco China Town! Great people! I love them. Thank you so much.

Menu
Allena C.

This is old school Chinese food! My bf has been to this restaurant years ago, while growing up near Chinatown. So it was a trip down memory lane and nostalgic for him! Kam Lok is not ground level and located downstairs. There may be a few tourists that might take a chance and check this place out but more than likely, people who live in Chinatown come here to chow down! It's a no frills, hole in the wall restaurant. Don't expect great ambiance, service, or spotless silverware. That's typical in Chinatown! You come hungry, expect to pay lower prices and go away satisfied. Well, that's how it went for us. We ordered shrimp with scrambled eggs over rice noodles, garlic yam leaves, and beef stew with curry sauce on crispy Hong Kong style noodles. After ordering, she gave us the house soup and a pot of tea. Nowadays, you pay for these things but here, it's complimentary. The food came out quickly and piping HOT! You get a decent amount of food and may need to bring leftovers home unless you wanna stuff yourself silly! Just might be our new go-to resto in Chinatown!

Outside
Jeff H.

Kam Lok is a classic SF Chinatown basement style restaurant. I've eaten here in the past and didn't post a review. Tonight, I had the runny egg shrimp chow fun $12. This was delicious with ample wok flavor. This dish can be challenging to make because chow fun and egg are kind of plain. That gravy has to be good. Their menu is limited if you are ordering fried rice, noodles and etc. It is more family style dishes orientated with only one page for rice and noodles. Not on the menu is crispy Hong Kong style noodles, which I love. If you ask, they will make it for you. So, don't rely too much on the written menu. Service was excellent.

Menu
Pamela L.

This is a Cantonese restaurant that is in a basement - no windows. Basement restaurants once housed prostitution, gambling, and opium dens. Its entrance was hidden from the sidewalk via a steep, dark, narrow stairwell either with and without a gate. There are about 3 of these basement restaurants in SF Chinatown. All of these 'no frill" basement restaurants serve Cantonese food; nothing fusion - "soul" Chinese food. Service is quick and efficient. The waitress checked in frequently and made sure our tea pots were filled Portions are ample and ingredients are fresh. They can cook any dish that isn't on the menu. I ordered my two favorites from my childhood (1960) that most restaurants never heard of a stuffed boneless duck ($50) and stuffed boneless chicken ($50). None of these restaurants cook it alike. At Kam Lok, the stuffed boneless duck is filled with taro and Chinese vegetables like gingko nuts, lotus roots, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, jujubes, etc. It comes sliced with brown gravy. (Other restaurants fill theirs with barley, rice, etc. Each restaurant has their on take on it. Either way, it's good.) The stuffed boneless chicken is deep fried filled with sticky rice, Chinese sausage, Chinese bacon, dried shrimps. and Chinese mushrooms. (Note: These two dishes are prepared with onions and parsley. Since I don't eat these ingredients, I asked that it be omitted.) I ordered a whole steam fish with ginger, soya sauce, oil and green onions. (Even though I don't eat green onions, you need to have green onions to give the fish more flavor. The green onions are easily be taken off once the dish is on the table.) NOTE: These two dished have to be ordered 2 days in advance.

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Kam Lok Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

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Kam Lok Restaurant - chinese - Updated November 2026

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