From Chinatown dim sum carts to Michelin-starred Cantonese, San Francisco's Chinese restaurant scene spans more of the cuisine than almost any American city. These are the rooms worth finding.
Nob Hill + Chinatown · 28 Waverly Pl, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA
Cantonese in structure and California in sourcing, the Peking-style duck from Liberty Farms in Sonoma, roasted whole and served with classic trimmings and whipped duck liver mousse, anchors everything else. Ham sui gok,…
SoMa · 49 Stevenson St, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA
The pushcart still rules at Yank Sing, the same family, three generations in, has been running this SoMa dim sum hall since 1958, with over 100 rotating dishes that circle the room rather than sit on a menu. Paper-thin …
Financial District · 631 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA
A Cantonese restaurant in Chinatown built around salt and pepper Dungeness crab as the signature order, with Peking duck, garlic steamed Maine lobster, roasted squab, and beef brisket braised in clay pot rounding out th…
Mission · 2234 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
Sichuan-accented Chinese that plays loose with Western ingredients: kung pao pastrami (deli beef tossed with chili peppers, peanuts, and scallions) is the anchor dish that put this restaurant on the national map. The ti…
North Beach · 504 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
Handcrafted siu mai, shrimp cheong fun, and XO noodle rolls are served all day from 10:30am, alongside a whiskey list that makes the room feel more like a lounge than a typical dim sum spot. It's compact, slightly unort…
Hayes Valley · 451 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
A warm, art-forward dining room where the menu moves between dim sum-style small plates and entrees rooted in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Sichuan technique. Five-spice quail arrives lacquered and crisped, biang biang noodle…
South S.F. · 439 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
A Cantonese barbecue counter in Bernal Heights specializing in roast meats — honey-glazed char siu, crispy roast pork belly, juicy duck, and soy sauce chicken — sold by the pound or over steamed rice. The name is a joke…
Haight-Ashbury · 500 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA
A Northern Chinese restaurant that's all about the Peking duck, which arrives table-side in the Beijing style: lacquered skin, thin pancakes, scallions, hoisin, and cucumber. The surrounding menu runs Northern Chinese c…