Try the fish fillet in hot chili oil for flaky fish with a numbing, mala-style kick.
ZY is my fav szechuan food in chinatown
Z&Y for Szechuan food
Chinese: Dumpling Home, Z&Y, Four Kings, Happy Crane
2
R&G Lounge
Chinatown
Try the salt-and-pepper Dungeness crab; it’s a repeated recommendation. The baked Chilean sea bass is also suggested.
R & G Lounge. Great Chinese food.
R and G Lounge! Kearny and Clay.
R&g lounge for Cantonese.
Worth knowing
A commenter reported "some people complain that it's not hot, it's not cooked through enough" (branch unspecified; incident date unknown). This is an unverified report.
3
Harborview Restaurant and Bar
Embarcadero
Try the pork buns or Peking duck; one diner specifically recommends both and also praises the dim sum.
Harborview! It’s on Embarcadero and overlooks the ferry building. It’s on the second floor and sits outside. I recommend the pork buns and Peking duck but the dim sum is all good as well.
Harborview is great. It’s your typical dim sum
If you want a solid Chinese dinner, I recommend Harborview!
Worth knowing
Multiple commenters raised price and value concerns; one reported "Yank Sing and Harborview: excellent but pricey dim sum" (branch unspecified).
4
San Tung
Try the dry-fried chicken wings; one diner says they’ve declined in recent years.
Chinese: San tungs gotta get the chicken wings.
I loved the wings, combo chowmein and king pao chicken!
Full quote
I loved the wings, combo chowmein and king pao chicken! … San Tung was amazing!!
San Tung for Chinese.
5
Capital Restaurant
Chinatown
Try the salt-and-pepper chicken wings; several diners recommend them, though one reviewer found them salty.
Capital for won ton soup.
The wings are the best
Capital! Their salt and pepper wings are one of the best in the city.
6
Dumpling Home
Hayes Valley
Try the numbing-spice XLB or pan-fried sheng jian bao; both are specifically recommended.
Numbing XLB at Dumpling Home
Dumpling Home (numbing spice XLB)
Dumpling Home for Chinese.
7
Dragon Beaux
Inner Richmond
Try the pork buns, described as having crispy sugar flakes.
I see someone already mentioned Mission Chinese and Dragon Beaux for dim sum and I second those recommendations.
Dim sum at Dragon Beaux!
That scallop shuimai from dragon beaux is goat-level for me and I grew up in Hong Kong
8
Good Mong Kok Bakery
Chinatown
Reported picks include baked BBQ pork buns and sesame seed balls; another diner recommends har gow and siu mai.
Good Mong Kok on Stockton is great for dim sum and super kid-friendly, just expect a line during peak hours.
Scallion pancake for $2 at good mong kok bakery
Good Mong Kok is a favorite dim sum place in Chinatown
9
Lung Fung Bakery
Richmond District
Try the baked BBQ pork buns; recommendations specifically point to Lung Fung on Clement.
Lung Fung is on Clement at 19th Avenue.
Also don’t sleep on the Chinese bakeries for egg tarts and other pastries - popular ones include Napoleon Bakery and Lung Fung, among others.
bbq pork bun at Lung Fung
10
Yank Sing
A reported Rincon Center dim sum platter included shrimp dumplings, siu mai, a steamed BBQ pork bun and an egg custard tart; the menu may change.
Definitely Yank Sing. I was just there last weekend.
Yank Sing, Dumpling Home and Bao for dim sum.
Yank Sing has yummy sesame balls
Worth knowing
Multiple commenters raised availability concerns; one reported "doesn’t have as many options for dim sum" (branch unspecified).
Multiple commenters raised price and value concerns; one reported "the Yank Sing is its expensive" (branch unspecified).