We'll be in San Francisco in two weeks and
would love to dine in Chinatown. Any suggestions? We don't want to get stuck in
some tourist joint. Nice atmosphere would
be a bonus, but the most important citeria
is really good and authentic food.
Thanks. Wolfye

Hi, Walfye!

If you want to eat where the Chinese eat, you can't get more "authentic" than that!

Try FAR EASTERN CAFE on Grant Street. Big cavernous place but pretty good food. Very authentic and not too hard on the pocket book. Dinner here would be "a good thing".

R&G Lounge on Kearny Street is a bit more upscale (with prices to match), but very good food as well.

If you want to be really authentic, then have "dim sum" which is usually eaten between 10:30am and 2pm. On a weekend, you have to get to the restaurant around 11am to be able to snag a table without a one hour wait.

Dim Sum is somewhat like "tapas" in that they are small dishes and you order as many as you wish. E.g. barbecue buns will come 3 or 4 in a small container.

The most "user friendly" dim sum house for newbies is YANK SING. There are two locations, neither one being in Chinatown proper. They will explain what the dishes are and the waitresses may even speak English. Prices are pretty exorbitant, but they don't lack for customers coming from the Financial District.

In Chinatown itself, the dim sum restaurants cater to the local Chinese population and so, there may be scant explanation of what you are getting and maybe even the waiter doesn't speak English.

But no fear, I will explain to you how to act like you are old hands at ordering dim sum in Chinatown.

On Pacific (just off the Chinatown main drag of Grant Street) is NEW ASIA. Next door to New Asia is MIRIWA which is upstairs.

On Broadway is GOLD MOUNTAIN.

Any one of these three would work. There are a few other good dim sum houses, as dim sum is very popular, but these three have been very stable for years.

The moment you get a table, the waiter will give you an inquiring look, usually no words are exchanged. The waiter will most likely be a he. He will wait to know what you want to drink. You nod at him and say "Gok Bow" for a kind of tea that is drunk usually only with dim sum. If you prefer, you can say "Jasmine" or whatever other tea you like. If you can't stand caffeine, then you say "Gok Fa" which is dried crysanthemum flowers only - this too can be drunk with dim sum. Now is also a good time to order other drinks like Coke, 7Up, etc. It is also a good time to order water. You may not see your waiter again for awhile. No alcohol, remember this is a "tea" lunch!

This exchange usually takes less than a minute. I would suggest that you also, while you have the full attention of the waiter, order a plateful of beef/shrimp/whatever fried rice/chow mien noodles. This is especially necessary if you have children with you and they are unfamiliar with dim sum.

How you are seated.

Is there a condiments tray? Is there any soy sauce? If not - well, yup, you got it! Should have asked the waiter for soy sauce while he was at your table! You have a second chance at the waiter when he brings you your tea, water, other drinks.

There will be women (sometimes young boys) who will be rolling carts of small plate food by you. You motion for them to come over and indicate which dishes you want. If a cartful of metal steamer baskets roll by and they are covered, it's perfectly OK to ask to see what's beneath each stack of baskets. The waitress will lift the cover off each stack.

Dim sum prices are usually in three varieties - small plate, medium plate, large plate. There will be a cart with plate glass windows, these usually carry the most expensive dishes. Avoid ordering off of these carts unless you see something you really must have - like roast duck.

The fried rice/noodles will be charged at the regular rate somewhere between $8-$12 a full plate.

Once you have ordered one plate off a cart, it will be placed on your table and your table "card" will be marked. Like filling up a dance card, you could really fill up your dim sum card, so don't over-order!

When you are done, wave at any one of the waiters to catch his eye, when he sees you, make a writing motion with your hand, he'll nod and come over and take away your card to total up your bill.

One last thing: when your teapot is empty, don't try to flag down the waiter or ask the ladies pushing the carts. Just tilt the lid of the teapot or set it off center. Removing the lid signals to the waiter that your teapot is empty and he'll come and fill it with hot water. No need to stress yourself.

Enjoy! And remember to burp when you're finished eating (Just kidding!)

Great Eastern on Jackson (between Kearny and Stockton) is a very good restautrant, and has that grand and formal look in therms of ambiance (even the waiters are tuxedoed).

The dishes are creative, authentic and delicious, very strong on seafood. Pre-order the sticky rice wrapped chicken (need 24 hours advance) and this will blow your mind. More of a celebratory type Chinese restaurant - at least for us.

http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/profile/917708


R&G Lounge along Kearny is a staple when we have out-of-town-guests who crave authentic and good Chinese food. The dungenees crab specials are always a hit (and a must), just make sure to ask for the price before ordering as this is seasonal. Meat and poultry dishes are terrific. Free underground garage parking on next block - just have your ticket validated at the restaurant.

http://www.rnglounge.com/contact.asp

Empress of China on Grant Ave. Great food and a beautiful view over the city.

If you decide on trying dim sum, I recommend Tan Kiang off of Geary and 22nd.

Not in China town, but if you are planning on visiting the Legion of Honor or the Inner Sunset district, it's worth a trip.

kd

Re: dining in a good SanFrancisco Chinese restaurant ~ THANK YOU everyone who responded. I have quite a selection
from which to choose. Will let you know
how we fared when we get back.
Wolfye

I just wanted to say that we've done and loved dim sum at a number of standard "hole in the wall" type places in Chinatown. But last summer we decided to splurge and do it at the often touted Yank Sing. It was probably the most mediocre of all dim sums we've ever done -- although there were about a million choices -- most of them seemed pretty tasteless. I also found the cart girls overly aggressive. They were constantly at our table and wouldn't pass us by with a simple head shake of no or wave of the hand. And of course, the bill was at least triple any better experience we've had elsewhere. I guess I just didn't get the attraction.

Just for the record, we took your advice
and had dinner at THE FAR EASTERN CAFE.
It was sub-mediocre and probably the
worst meal we had in SF. Guess the good
chef was off that day.
But the whole idea of travel is to experience new adventures and I really
do appreciate someone taking the time
to reply to my travel inquiries.
Happy travels y'all!
Wolfye

bookmark

I sometimes go to the Yank Sing in the finacial district, and it has been good, but I can never get over how expensive it always is. Golden Mountain is ok, but it is sometimes too quiet for me, and service has been so so.

If you want a REALLY great experience with new Chinese...you have goto try the House of Nan King. There is usually a line up to get in, but it moves fast and is well worth it. We usually ask the owner to recommend a few things, and they mix and match the most amazing combinations.

To be honest...if you really really want GOOD Dim Sum...go to Toronto where the Chinese food and ESPECIALLY the Dim Sum is WAY WAY BETTER then anything in San Fran.

Most people do not realize it, but Toronto has the largest asian community in the world outside of Asia with at least 4 or 5 large chinatowns.

mark, we've been to Nan King also and it IS a great experience. But our friend from SF who takes us there had us look around. While they make a big thing about preparing dishes just for you, etc., if you look around the room any given night you'll see that nearly everyone is eating the same thing. In other words "the special things for you" are simply what they've decided to prepare that night. In fact, our hostess did try to order two of her favorites there but neither was available that night. You get what they're cooking. That said, everything "they're cooking" seems to be wonderful. And of course, it is dirt cheap!

Wolfye: I'm so sorry you had a bad experience at the Far Eastern Cafe. Cook staff changes can really ruin a restaurant.

We have a friend who owns a restaurant in the East Bay and they are trying to sell the restaurant because of staffing issues. It's just gotten so difficult they don't want to struggle with the problems any longer.

Thanks for the heads up! I'll not recommend Far Eastern again!

BTW: Hope you had excellent dining experiences in SF apart from this one place...and do return again to SF!

mark99: I've been to two separate locations in Toronto for Chinese food - Markham and downtown Toronto and I must say that neither area gave me outstanding experiences. OTOH, the Chinese restaurants in Vancouver's Richmond suburb are awesome!

I've found that the best Chinese restaurants in SF are not in Chinatown but out in the 'burbs.

Neo: I'll have to try the House of Nanking. Always thought of it as a tourist trap, but maybe it's time to revise opinions!

I'd call Nan King a "gimmick" restaurant. Our friend worked for a bank locally and said she always saw people she knew there, but basically it's a fun place to take "tourist" friends. And it was also their usual spot when they were really low on funds.

I agree that Nan King is not touristy but gimmicky. You will often see celebs in cognito there. THe food is a bit fusion...not standard traditional chinese, but we like it for a change.

As for Toronto, there are some amazing Dim Sum rest in the downtown Dundas area that are way better then San Fran, but you need to know where to go. THere are alos many many "gourmet" asian fusion but again you need to know where, usually you can spot them because the lines go outside and down the block. But I have to say, as much as I love San Fran, there is no way you can beat Toronto or even Vancouver....just a matter of the best coming out with som much competition. I think now the asian population in Toronto alone is close to 3 million.