Chinatown Restaurants Offer Exotic Taste Treats
Chinatown from Nob Hill 1877
In San Francisco, the Chinatown restaurants offer exotic flavors from Canton, Hunan and other Asian cuisines like Thai and Vietnamese.
Chinatown sprouted from the area originally settled as Alta California. A Swiss engineer laid out La Calle de la Fundacion (now Grant Ave.) in 1839 when he plotted the original town (from Sacramento to Pacific and Grant to Montgomery).
Portsmouth Square was the central plaza for this already multi-national population. The small lot size and quirky streets of that era can still be found in the maze of dead-end alleys at the heart of Chinatown.
Hang Ah Tea Room
Dim Sum
One of the Chinatown restaurants that is almost obscure in just such a place is the oldest Chinese restaurant in San Francisco, Hang Ah Tea Room. Since 1920 Hang Ah, located at #1 Pagoda Place (about a block from Portsmouth Square), has been handing out flyers on the street and guiding lucky people into this hidden gem.
Some of the San Francisco restaurants offering Asian delicacies are notorious for hustling customers out the door after a hurried meal. The Hang Ah Tea Room is an exception.
Here you can enjoy the Dim Sum at your leisure. You can find many items on the menu that are familiar . . .
Try the usual or stretch your horizons and try the unfamiliar but don't miss the Egg Custard Buns. A take out order of these sweet treats are nice to have while you visit San Francisco.
#1 Pagoda Place (off Sacramento between Stockton and Grant)
SF, CA
Open daily 10am to 10pm
Some of the San Francisco restaurants offering Asian delicacies are notorious for hustling customers out the door after a hurried meal. The Hang Ah Tea Room is an exception.
Here you can enjoy the Dim Sum at your leisure. You can find many items on the menu that are familiar . . .
- Kung Bow Chicken
- Egg Rolls
- Pot Stickers . . .
- Hum Su Guk
- Su Mi
- Law Bock Gow . . .
Try the usual or stretch your horizons and try the unfamiliar but don't miss the Egg Custard Buns. A take out order of these sweet treats are nice to have while you visit San Francisco.
#1 Pagoda Place (off Sacramento between Stockton and Grant)
SF, CA
Open daily 10am to 10pm
Great Eastern Restaurant
There is no doubt that this is one of the restaurants in San Francisco where your seafood is as fresh as it gets. You're assured of this because dinner is still swimming, in one of the fish-tanks that adorn the dining area, when you arrive.
The menu is very large, with items like . . .
But what they excel at is the Cantonese style clay-pot cooking. The meal's ingredients are placed in an unglazed ceramic pot that has been soaking in water. Cooked slowly, with low heat, in the oven so the food stays moist and retains its flavor. Who can resist gustatory delights such as . . .
Located at;
649 Stockton St. (near Kearny)
Open daily 11am to 1am
The menu is very large, with items like . . .
- Spiced Salted Baked Duck Tongue
- Chinese Herb and Crocodile Soup . . .
But what they excel at is the Cantonese style clay-pot cooking. The meal's ingredients are placed in an unglazed ceramic pot that has been soaking in water. Cooked slowly, with low heat, in the oven so the food stays moist and retains its flavor. Who can resist gustatory delights such as . . .
- Sea Cucumber and fresh assorted mushrooms in clay pot
- Dried Lily Flower and Cloud mushrooms in clay pot
- Sizzling Fresh Frog in clay pot
Located at;
649 Stockton St. (near Kearny)
Open daily 11am to 1am
Yuet Lee Sea Food Restaurant
Yuet Lee is one of those restaurants in San Francisco that you will love or hate . . . or love to hate.
When people describe the interior décor the word 'ugly' is often used, even those that actually say they enjoy it. The service gets the same treatment, like describing a beloved curmudgeon.
But the food is consistently fresh and delicious with a large menu that features seasonal delights like . . .
And if the service is brusque, it is fast and efficient. There are two things to keep in mind about Yuet Lee Seafood restaurant;
1300 Stockton St.
Open Wednesday through Monday 11am to 3am
When people describe the interior décor the word 'ugly' is often used, even those that actually say they enjoy it. The service gets the same treatment, like describing a beloved curmudgeon.
But the food is consistently fresh and delicious with a large menu that features seasonal delights like . . .
- Live Boston Lobster
- Fresh New Zealand Mussels
- Fresh Frogs (sautéed or steamed with ham)
And if the service is brusque, it is fast and efficient. There are two things to keep in mind about Yuet Lee Seafood restaurant;
- Cash only
- Open until 3am
1300 Stockton St.
Open Wednesday through Monday 11am to 3am
Brandy Ho's Hunan Food
Hunan cuisine is spicy
Chinese style country cooking is what you find at Brandy Ho's. The Hunan cuisine relies heavily on garlic and spices, with an emphasis on smoked meats.
The smoking is done on-site and no MSG is used in any of the food. Fresh ingredients and classic Hunan recipes are used to bring you the authentic taste of central China.
Try the smoked ham that is cooked in a wok with garlic, spring onions and bamboo shoots for a simple meal that delivers the true Hunan style fare. The extensive menu offers some delicious surprises and many familiar favorites.
The smoking is done on-site and no MSG is used in any of the food. Fresh ingredients and classic Hunan recipes are used to bring you the authentic taste of central China.
Try the smoked ham that is cooked in a wok with garlic, spring onions and bamboo shoots for a simple meal that delivers the true Hunan style fare. The extensive menu offers some delicious surprises and many familiar favorites.
Located at;
217 Columbus (near Pacific between Grant and Kearny) Lunch - Monday through Friday - 11:30am to 3pm Dinner - Monday through Thursday - 3pm to 11pm Friday - 3pm to 12 midnight Saturday - 6pm to 12 midnight Sunday - 6pm to 11pm |  |
The Exotic Flavors of Chinatown Restaurants
The above reviews of Chinatown restaurants are just to give you an idea of the wide variety of ethnic and regional cuisines available.
There are many places to eat within a few blocks of each other, all serving delicious Asian delicacies in many styles. The oldest part of the City by the Bay still contains some of the best restaurants in San Francisco.
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