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Ah Lin Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Chinese Chinese [Edit]
1634 Bush St(between Franklin St & Gough St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
(415) 922-5279
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
82 reviews for Ah Lin Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"...thus far are their house special chicken, mango prawns, and..." In 5 reviews -
"Green onion pancakes." In 4 reviews -
"Surprisingly delicious chinese delivery." In 27 reviews
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82 reviews in English
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Review from Sarah S.
Oakland, CA
4/20/2012
I was getting my oil changed down the street, and randomly ran into a B-school friend. I asked him if he knew of a good place to grab some lunch, as the area is full of auto-related businesses and not as many restaurants as other SF neighborhoods. Turns out his friend's family runs this place and it seemed like the best of few options so I dropped in.
Super friendly and quick service. Tea and water were brought immediately, my order was taken shortly after I set the menu aside. I ordered the tofu and prawns lunch special with brown rice. Bonus points for not only having brown rice, but also for not charging extra for it! I've never had this dish at any Chinese restaurant before so I was kind of taking a leap of faith, but I liked it. It should probably be called tofu, prawns, and mushrooms. Nice soft but not mushy tofu, well cooked mushrooms, in a light garlicky sauce with flecks of ginger. Definitely different from what I'm used to, in a good way. Oh and hot & sour soup right away as well, which was better than at most establishments. Portions weren't huge but were generous for the price. I mean, it was only $6.80 for the special with tax (before tip). Ambiance felt much pricier.
Music was an interesting melange of classical-ish pieces...I swear I heard Brahms' Lullaby one moment and the Olympic Fanfare the next. Either way, it was soft and not overly intrusive.
It took a while to get my check, but I was reading and clearly not in any hurry, so I appreciated not being rushed. I don't know if they were slow or just letting me take my time.
Overall, I was pleased, and I'll probably go back there next time I get my oil changed rather than wander looking for a new spot. -
Review from Vivian W.
San Francisco, CA
4/13/2012
We ordered delivery via Seamless (timeframe given 30-45 minutes) and they showed up at 46 minutes. Not bad. For Chinese delivery, the food itself was pretty good. We ordered:
1) Special Eggplant with Spicy Sauce - tasty, pretty good. (Although I note that the description read that it was supposed to come with peppers, chicken and shrimp and we got none of those.)
2) Green Beans with Tofu - Not great. This doesn't have any sauce, and the tofu itself is fried so no moisture there. Biggest offense was that it was too salty. Next time we'll ask them to hold the salt.
3) Mu Shu Chicken - this was the best dish. Wish there were more pancakes (4), but this was good.
4) Brown rice - same as any other place, a little dry.
5) Steamed dumplings - lot of filling, very thick skins, so not my favorite. I prefer the more refined delicate skinned kind.
For the price ($35 before tip), it was a lot of food. Overall I'd try them again. -
Review from Rachel E.
San Francisco, CA
4/10/2012
Another late night at the office, another dinner delivered.
Delivery was super quick and way before the time estimate. Unfortunately, that was about where the good ended. My sweet and sour chicken was some of the worst I've ever had (although not completely inedible).
Would not order from this place again. -
Review from jared c.
San Francisco, CA
2/20/2012
A waste of $20. Not good at all.
Delivery, and it came on time, and was hot.
The pot sticker filling was okay, but the dough was way too chewy.
The chow mein was oily, and pretty much had no flavor aside from the oil. I made it a little better with soy sauce and salt, something they probably could have done.
Girlfriend had mu shu. The best way I can explain it is, it tasted like they dropped a cigarette into the food. It actually tasted smokey. Horrible flavor. I'm not sure you mess up chopped vegetables, but they found a way.
Too bad. I really wanted to like this place. -
Review from Francesco D.
San Francisco, CA
4/24/2012
My candidate for worst takeout food in San Francisco; worst Chinese; and worst restaurant overall. Salt and pepper shrimp, generally safe anywhere, came as batter-soaked glop. Steamed dumplings--how bad could they be? How about stuffed with Alpo? Chinese chicken salad--iceberg lettuce without chicken is really not that bad until you pour something on it that tastes like pesticide. Truly, folks, avoid this place, and tell your friends.
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Review from Wakako U.
San Francisco, CA
12/9/2011
More than an hour and a half to deliver our (cold) order.
Veggie eggrolls= tasty, but soaked in oil.
"House special" chicken= fried, chewy, hard nuggets.
"Mongolian" beef= mediocre meat over stale-tasting rice noodles.
Never again! -
Review from Kimya P.
12/26/2011
They deliver! I used grubhub which was really convenient and our order arrived 20 minutes earlier than expected.
The Special Eggplant with Spicy Sauce was actually spicy (and delicious!). The dumplings were also great (there was a hint of ginger in the stuffing). Also, they were huge in size, both the stuffing and pastry part were fresh, and the portion was definitely worth the price!
The Shanghai chicken was awful. The meat was cut up into small cubes. I can't stand my meat like this - there's no way to know what part of the animal you are eating. To top it off, there was no flavor - bland and tasteless.
Despite the Shanghai Chicken, the spicy eggplant coupled with how easy the delivery was made Ah Lin one of my go-to Chinese delivery places. -
Review from Ashley J.
11/1/2011
This is one of my favorite places for Chinese takeout (doesn't hurt that it's a block away from me too). I always get the mu-shu pork and it's serious business. There's plenty to go around for 2 people, or save the rest for leftovers (it's still good then too). I like that I can look at the menu and order online and just pick it right up 15 minutes later. This place isn't too expensive (about $7-8 for an average meal), but let's not forget that you're probably going to get more than one meal out of it.
This isn't a restaurant you'd really want to sit in and eat... although there's nothing wrong with it. It's just not the best decor, and there's usually hardly anyone inside eating. Perfect place for takeout! -
Review from Brett W.
San Francisco, CA
12/7/2011
More than an hour and a half to deliver our (cold) order.
Veggie eggrolls= tasty, but soaked in oil.
"House special" chicken= fried, chewy, hard nuggets.
"Mongolian" beef= mediocre meat over stale-tasting rice noodles.
Never again! -
Review from soledad a.
San Francisco, CA
10/20/2011
Second time ordering delivery from this place and I am a very happy customer. Ordered for 3 kids and 3 adults and everybody loves the food. It looks and tastes fresh and the delivery is fast and hot.
I have not had good Chinese food delivered until this place came on to my radar, thanks Yelpers! -
Review from Matthew T.
North Las Vegas, NV
10/29/2011
Staying in Union Sq on business and discovered this place. Ordered delivery online thru their website and got food fast, hot, and accurate.
Potstickers: **** out of 5
Orange Peel Chicken: ***.5 out of 5
Beef Fried Rice: ****.5 out of 5.
Try it, you'll enjoy! -
Review from Mark D.
6/13/2011 3 photos
1. This is a review of delivery from Ah Lin Restaurant.
2. Easy to order on http://eat24hours.com
3. Delivery - Order was placed at 1:42 PM. The delivery was made at just after 2:00 pm. 20 minute delivery time is very quick. The delivery person was not very friendly. There is no delivery fee.
4. Order Minimum - The required minimum delivery is relatively low ($15).
5. Mongolian Beef - This was pretty bland. I added the requested hot sauce. There were no veggies in the Mongolian Beef. The noodles were very hard. This was not a very good rendition of Mongolian Beef.
http://tinyurl.com/3d9...
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6. Chicken with Green Beans - The green beans were relatively crisp. There was not very much chicken though. The overall flavor needed more zip.
http://tinyurl.com/3e5...
7. Brown Rice - The brown rice was properly prepared.
8. Delivery Error - I ordered and paid for 3 7-Ups. There was one Sprite delivered. It was room temperature. There were no 7-Ups delivered.
9. Packing - The entrees were packed in easy to reseal plastic containers. The container for the chicken was open but luckily it had not spilled. The rice was stored in a traditional Chinese carry-out container. The Sprite was packed just next to the hot food. So, one half was actually even warmer than room temperature.
10. Prices - Their overall cost is in the middle for Chinese food delivery.
Brown Rice
2 $1.25
String Beans Chicken
1 $8.25
Soda
3 $1.35
Choice of: 7up
Mongolian Beef
1 $8.50
Subtotal: $23.30
Tax: $2.21
Total: $25.51
11. Overall, the food was mediocre and the order was not delivered correctly. The delivery was fast though.
12. Fortune - "You will soon witness a miracle."
13. Lucky Numbers - 10, 21, 32, 36, 40, 44 -
Review from Sarah B.
San Francisco, CA
10/26/2011
I would give the place 3.5 stars if I could, but we ordered delivery from here last Saturday evening. The food was decent, arrived on time, with the order 100% correct, however the food just wasn't very flavorfull. It wasn't bad, but also wasn't that great. The dishes marked as spicy were not spicy at all, and overall just not as tasty as our other Chinese restaurant choices. They do package the food very nicely, and included chop sticks which our other place consistently forgets to include.
Would potentially give them another try with some other dishes, but won't go running back anytime soon. -
Review from Erin S.
San Francisco, CA
8/7/2011
My neighborhood Chinese food joint. I love this place! Their steamed dumplings are my absolute favorite and the Shanghai chicken is fantastic! They're really nice people, too. I've never had an unpleasant experience here. Give it a shot. Portions are generous and you definitely get your money's worth.
p.s. - on a cold day (which happens often in SF) their wonton soup can't be beat. -
Review from Angela F.
6/4/2011 5 photos
We ordered delivery from here on a Saturday night and it took roughly 1.5 hours for our food to arrive. Fortunately, our food was still hot when it came.
Mixed vegetables with tofu
-This was probably the best dish out of all the dishes we ordered. They listened to my request for this dish to be made with less oil and less salt so this vegetable dish was very light and healthy. I liked that they used soft tofu instead of the typical fried tofu in this dish too. There was a variety of vegetables including asparagus, broccoli, peas, cucumbers, carrots, and mushrooms too.
Roast duck
-I was really craving roast duck so I was excited that they had this dish on their menu. When I opened the box, it looked quite delicious. However, after my first bite, I realized the duck had been fried more so than it had been roasted. The skin of the duck was way too crunchy, lacking the light crispiness of a typical roast duck. The meat was quite dry also, lacking the juiciness of a good roast duck.
House special chicken
-We ordered this dish because it was mentioned multiple times on Yelp as a favorite dish. However, I wouldn't recommend getting this dish as takeout because all the fried batter just absorbed all the sauces and made the chicken soggy. The sauce was tasty though.
Green onion pancakes
-This was complimentary with our order of $30 and over. Luckily, it was free because this dish was simply subpar. The pancake was too fried and tasteless. The peanut sauce that came with it didn't really complement the pancakes either.
Hot and sour soup
-This soup was nice and light but lacked the spiciness factor. Good portions and the soup was full of ingredients including mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tofu, etc.
Overall, the food was mediocre. I've had worse and I've had better. No one dish stood out to me but my meal did satisfy my craving for Chinese food. The prices are reasonable...the total cost of our entire meal including tips and tax was $37 or so. It's a good option for Chinese delivery and I do appreciate the different specials they offer when you spend over $15, $30, and so on. -
Review from Winnie C.
San Mateo, CA
6/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
3.5 stars. Super clean place. Food's pretty good. Taste-wise, it's good. Ingredients were fresh. Their special house chicken dish is a bit saucy for me. I like my food's flavor to come from the food, not the sauce it's cooked in.
Their potstickers were done well (fried just the right way), unfortunately, it's really really bland. Bland even with the sauce they give you. Some salt or soy sauce in the meat before they wrapped them up would have really helped.
I gave them an extra star for the clean space and comfortable and relaxing space they have created. Kudos for the decor! -
Review from Alice S.
Updated - 4/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ah Lin Restaurant in Pacific Heights is the best Chinese food delivery in town. I've tried numerous Chinese restaurants and this one is clearly the best. The Wok Shop on Sutter and Franklin is a close second but their crab puffs don't even come close to the delicious flavors of Ah Lin.
Ah Lin is run by a husband and wife who seem to never have a break and literally are at the restaurant from open to close everyday. In addition to delivery and take-out, Ah Lin has a very nice dining room if you want to eat at the restaurant. They offer beer and wine and the service is fast and friendly. Ordering take-out and delivery is easy over the phone or online. I prefer online, so that I can type in any modifications I want to the dishes, which is never a problem. Plus if you order online, you can take advantage of the online coupon offers: one free soda or Thai ice tea for orders of $15 or more; free order of egg rolls or green onion cakes for orders of $30 or more and free wonton or hot and sour soup for orders of $40 or more.
My favorite dishes at Ah Lin are the Mongolian Beef and Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce. The appetizers at Ah Lin are also the best in the city. The crab puffs and dumplings are homemade and bursting with flavors. The egg rolls although offered in chicken, vegetarian or shrimp are really only available in vegetarian so keep that in mind if you order online. Also, the owner makes her own spicy mustard which is one of the reasons this restaurant is so highly rated. No more packaged preservative filled sauces!
The quality of the food can't be beat. Next time your looking to order Chinese food delivery give Ah Lin a try.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/29/2010
I've been a customer of Ah Lin's ever since I moved into the neighborhood. About 6 months ago I… Read more »
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Review from Rachel D.
4/13/2011
This place is a gem.
For a lunch special of $6-$7 (includes tax and tip), I expected far less. Instead, there were little touches here and there that made my meal pleasant:
a.) *Loose leaf* green tea.
b.) Lemon slice in the water.
c.) Water in a wine glass.
d.) Orange wedge with your meal.
e.) Green onions in the egg drop soup. I think there were flecks of tomato, which I don't like. But they were small enough for me not to notice any tomato-y taste.
By contrast, for the price I paid, I usually get:
a.) Ten Ren brand tea, if tea is even offered at all.
b.) Water that has to be requested (when we had the drought).
c.) Orange slice.
d.) No soup. If there is one, there'd be no green onions.
I had the sauteed string beans. It was sweet (and I wish there had been some spice), but I liked it. YMMV.
The place was packed by the time I got my meal and many people were picking up takeout for their entire office. Because of this, I think this was why they didn't take my order for nearly 20 minutes. And I didn't get my meal for 15 minutes.
There were only 2 people serving, but they did a combination of working with the takeout as well as FOH duties. The cook was constantly clanging his spatula in the wok, stir frying endlessly.
I enjoyed my meal immensely. And if my office didn't require me to take lunch during the standard 12-1 lunch hour, I'd come by more often, and during my preferred 11am lunch or 1pm lunch hour. But during the 12pm lunch hour, I'm not sure I could be that patient again. -
Review from Susan M.
San Francisco, CA
12/18/2011
The flavor extractors must be running full time because this was the worst Chinese food ever. The mongolian beef, kung pao chicken, pot stickers, onion pancakes all unrecognizable. There are something like 1,000 Chinese restaurants here in the city and this one is near the bottom---not because the food was scary or vile but because it was deeply uninteresting and lacked anything approximating taste--soggy, oily, cold...
They do deserve a star because delivery was timely -
Review from G C.
San Francisco, CA
5/18/2011
Out of all of the Chinese delivery places that I have ordered from, this is by far the best. My lack of hives and overall itchiness attests to their 'no MSG' claims. Don't pay much attention to the 30-60 minute wait time they list on their website, I've never had it take longer than 30. The free thai iced tea makes this place all the better. :D
Their house special duck was loaded with all sorts of fresh and crisp vegetables. There unfortunately wasn't that much meat in it though. But DO try either their beef or shrimp with the spicy hoisin sauce! I swear I could eat that every day. d(^o^)b -
Review from Nancy B.
San Francisco, CA
11/21/2010
I hate to do this to you Ah Lin, but you managed to kill a completely great day. We brought guests here because we love your food.
We sat at our table for 30 minutes without ice water, even though you had already taken our order and I had asked for it then. I had to flag down the delivery guy who was very nice and even brought us more tea (because that had been empty for about 25 minutes).
Our pot stickers finally arrived and were fabulous. We kept waiting for the soup. About 30 minutes after that, our entrees arrived. Like I said before, the food is great! Everything was delicious.
But you kept answering that phone. Call after call after call. I kinda wish we had just called you and ordered by phone and had you deliver to our table in the middle of the restaurant. You had millions of virtual customers and only 4 real face to face customers, yet we were totally ignored. The soup never made it to our table and I'm not sure if we'll make it back to your restaurant. :( -
Review from Mildred A.
Bay Area
6/17/2010 1 Check-in Here
My good friends took me here and I loved it! We had several plates family style:
*portobello mushroom shrimp plate (exquisite)
*potstickers (silky and tasty pork stuffing, fresh and crispy wrapper)
*special eggplant w/shrimp dish (fan-freaking-tastic)
*orange chicken (sauce is just right without coating and overpowering the main ingredient)
*mu-shu pork (so so good, perfect meld of fresh and flavorful ingredients that each stood out in their own right
Service was extremely attentive. Our glasses and tea cups never went empty. Not to mention the great prices (about $60 for 4 people).
I'm making Ah Lin a regular spot. -
Review from Alexandra N.
San Francisco, CA
3/14/2010
4.5 Stars!! Finally, Chinese delivery I can count on!
The other reviewers really sold this place to me, and I would like to thank them for their excellent opinions. Ah Lin served us up a delicious and quick meal and left us wanting more-- which is unusual for Chinese delivery, as I typically regret eating afterward, feeling sick to my stomach. This was not the case at Ah Lin. My spicy tofu was actually spicy and had a great garlicky flavor. The tofu was cooked perfectly and was accented with fresh stir-fried mushrooms-- even Ben liked it, and he's a certified carnivore. I can't wait to eat the leftovers later.
Ben's sesame chicken was not what I expected, so I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting some deep-fried encrusted chicken with some slimy sauce. Nope! The dish was fresh and flavorful, stir-fried gently with loads of fresh vegetables. It was crisp and healthful. The vegetable spring rolls were fresh-tasting as well. The only thing I was mildly disappointed with was the hot and sour soup, which wasn't hot, in flavor, enough for my liking, so I added some Sriracha sauce. What I liked about the soup was that it wasn't some murky mix with a few pieces of tofu thrown in. Instead, it was chock-full of different kinds of mushrooms and fungi and also some carrots, which is a nice twist.
Ah Lin, we got you on speed dial!Listed in: Absolutely Delicious
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Review from Erika C.
San Francisco, CA
2/20/2008
I live so close to this place I can literally throw a rock at it.
But if I did that, then I probably would never be allowed back in, which would really ruin rainy days for me.
Pretty basic fare, has all the standard menu items, and, apparently, no MSG. Also, it only takes about 15 minutes between call time and pick up time, which is pretty sweet. Maybe someday if I get really, really lazy I'll have them deliver, see how long THAT takes instead.
I've been eating the same take out for 2 days, it's cheap and I swear those plastic containers are never ending. So it might be a while until I go back. But I'll get there eventually. -
Review from Connie C.
San Jose, CA
9/21/2006
No one's food compares to my mom's. But I will crave Mandarin cooking, and since she's not in town, I have to go out and buy some. Yes, my mom's tried to teach me her recipes, but they just don't come out the same. I'm sure many of you have a similar problem.
I stumbled upon this place a block away from my office and checked out the menu posted in the window. Lunch specials under $6, and over 35 dishes to choose from. The spicy chicken with basil sounded good to me, so I decided to place an order for take out. The kitchen was pretty busy, but they whipped out my order in about 10 minutes. The dish came with a cup of hot & sour soup and a choice of white or brown rice. The soup was pretty good - not to starchy, just enough flavor. The chicken dish was also pretty good - it was prepared like 5 spices clay pot chicken, but with peppers and sliced water chestnuts. The portion was big enough for me to have leftovers for tomorrow. Oh, and they claimed to not use any MSG. The food was not greasy, and way better prepared than Gourmet Carousel around the corner (of course, my mom's food is still better).
They also offer free, hot and fast delivery. But I'm not that lazy, really, I'm not. -
Review from Mike C.
San Francisco, CA
11/15/2007
How do you know when a place is far below par? Simple really - they can't get a simple a basic dish right. Using that formula Ah Lin is far far below par, because how on earth do mess up Sesame Chicken and potstickers?
We were doing laundry 1/2 block away and wanted some dinner while we grueled over trying to catch up on laundry (yes so much so we had to leave our building). OK, not many people in side (one actually) at peak dinner time (should have been a sign enough, but I try give places a chance), so made the safe play Sesame Chic, potstickers and Veggie Kung Pao.
WTF is this - ground nori on my chicken? Wait what, they didn't' fry my chicken - its stir-fried? Stir-fry is better for you, but blech it was not better tasting for me and nori - nori on Mandarin food? Six potstickers and only one survived the trip from container to mouth without losing the filling en route.
Not to be too harsh, but I would have rather gone hungry. Sorry Ah Lin - I gave you a fair chance. -
Review from Alexandra D.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 3/22/2009 14 Check-ins Here
This is an update to say that we have now also had every item on the chef special's by now, and many more items around the menu and everything has been tasty. Most of the meat dishes have a significant amount of veggies as well and they still are our go-to place for evenings and lunches when we don't feel like cooking.
Plus the prices are very good and the service is always friendly. I love this place!Listed in: My Neighborhood, Lunch when wfh
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/13/2008
We like to go here regularly, since it's close and yummy. We have eaten ourselves through the menu… Read more »
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Review from Valerie F.
Fremont, CA
11/13/2007
Decent Chinese hold the MSG!
Walking distance of http://www.yelp.com/bi... so when I go to SF to see cheap theater it fills my tummy.
The Mango Chicken is definitely more-ish! -
Review from Jasmine F.
San Francisco, CA
1/5/2007
What is it with Chinese delivery in this city?!? It's all so terribly...mediocre. Am I mistaken, or doesn't San Francisco have a large Chinese population? Shouldn't this mean an abundance of excellent Chinese food? Am I missing something here? All I want is some fantastic Americanized Asian cuisine delivered hot and relatively fast to my door--is that so much to ask? Apparently so. (sigh)
So, Ah Lin. It's ok. Seemed a little pricier than other establishments, but not by much. They have good hot & sour soup, but everything else that we tried was pretty bland. Perhaps I'm cursed. -
Review from Sarah G.
New York, NY
5/12/2008
Surprisingly delicious chinese delivery! Came quickly and wasn't too greasy (ya gotta expect a tiny bit with fast chinese food). Everything had tons of veggies in it, veggies were fresh and not your standard broccoli and carrots (also had asparagus, cabbage, zucchini, onion).
They didn't mix up the lo mein sauce with all the noodles so half the noodles were sticking to each other and sauceless but otherwise I recommend! -
Review from Aurora C.
San Jose, CA
7/5/2007
It's hard to find an authentic Chinese restaurant that matches up to my family's dishes, but Ah Lin certainly makes a mean meal!
We had their string beans w/tofu, salt and pepper tofu, orange peel shrimp, and their green onion pancake. The latter was fried to crisp, a tad oily, and the green onions seemed to have all but disappeared...not like my grandma's! Yet, the rest of the meal was delish! -
Review from Pamela B.
San Francisco, CA
1/16/2010
This is by far the best Chinese delivery I've had in SF. The food isn't greasy, the ingredients are fresh, and the service arrives within the estimated delivery time.
The mango chicken rocks. -
Review from Flora C.
San Francisco, CA
1/3/2009
Don't you hate it when you order a plate of Mongolian Beef - and you end up getting a plate of Mongolian Onions???
If you've ever had this experience, you must try Ah Lin! I do not kid - their Mongolian Beef a la carte is pure meat and sauce, sitting on a bed of those oh-so-delicious crispy noodles (you know, the ones that sort of look like styrofoam but they are so good just the same). But be sure you get the a la carte order, and not the lunch plate because that one has all the other vegetables mixed up in it.
Each time I order from Ah Lin, I am so impressed by the quality of the food. I had the House Special Chicken one time, and it was so nice and clean with neat little cuts of white-meat strips. I think I had a bad experience from a close-by restaurant when I ordered a similar saucy dish, and the next day as I was eating the dish for leftovers, I saw for the first time how "ugly" the chicken meat looked. It just looked dirty! When you try Ah Lin, you'll know what I'm talking about.
The only complaint I have about them is they never seem to have a delivery guy on hand when I call. They always tell me that the guy will come in at least half an hour and then will deliver my food. I just tell them to not start cooking my order until closer to when he arrives, so I don't end up having a cold order. But they've always taken care of it. -
Review from miriam b.
San Francisco, CA
9/5/2007
Good place to order BROWN rice.
Horribly oily eggplant....huge oil seepage out of the container and into the paper and plastic to go bag!!!! YUCK
Mango chicken...interesting, but not enough to repeat.
It was late...what else can I say.... -
Review from Gus J.
San Francisco, CA
3/26/2007
A good spot for lunch with plenty of items on the menu. Brown rice by request. Portions are a bit smaller than my other nearby favorite Chinese restaurant, but it seems to depend on the dish/day. The dining room is always clean and tidy, sometimes a bit chilly in the winter.
If you lunch alone, bring your cash, there's a minimum for credit/debit that always gets me here. -
Review from Josh E.
San Francisco, CA
8/3/2010 1 Check-in Here
This place deserves more for what it is getting. The front only has so few seats, but that may be because theres only one women to get your food and usually only her husband in the kitchen cooking. This is probably my favorite chinese restaurant and growing up in SF I been to allot. I don't no why yelp is giving this place a "$$" on price because this place is so cheap, that really needs to be changed to one "$"
What do you think of when you think of Chinese food? I used to think allot of grease, but this place is not greasy at all. They have no MSG this is something I don't care for, I would rather they have MSG so my food taste better. Even with the no MSG the food is amazing and you can really tell its healthier than other chinese food. Another problem with the majority of Chinese restaurants is the sanitation, they're usually disgusting in the kitchen, but this place is very well maintained. -
Review from Kevin W.
Apparently my order that didn't arrive a few days ago was actually delivered 3 times but I never got a knock or call. I gave this place another try, and I'm glad I did. Their homemade potstickers are well-made, the pork is nice and crumbly and the wrap is panfried and not too thick. The beef and broccoli with garlic sauce is awesome, a little spicy but its actually quite sweet. The mango chicken is excellent, the mango was ripe and there was plenty of it. The delivery came fast too. Thanks
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/15/2011
I sent in a delivery order before 730pm this Sunday thru GrubHub. Their site says they open till… Read more »
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Review from Eric T.
South Pasadena, CA
8/29/2011
I was driving through town and wanted to grab some good food nearby on the way home. I checked my mobile Yelp app and it seemed like a nice lead.
Their service is friendly and not pushy, the place was immaculate and the food was good. The spicy salt prawns were a variation on the usual recipe, which was outstanding, and their garlic noodles were good, but not great.
Kudos to the SFO Yelpers for this solid lead! Glad I got that app on my phone. -
Review from Vitaliy D.
San Francisco, CA
7/13/2011
Reasonably priced, the food is pretty tasty. It's nothing remarkable, but it's way better than Carousel a block away.
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Review from Candice S.
San Francisco, CA
5/14/2009
Just okay in my opinion. My boyfriend prefers Mandarin to any other kind of Chinese food so we thought we'd give Ah Lin a whirl. I liked how the chicken dishes were all white meat and fresh.
The portions were a little puny and the service was a bit pushy. When we were looking over the menu and making our entree decisions, the waitress would adamantly scream "NO! This one NO GOOD! You get THIS ONE!"
What's the point of ordering for yourself if they decide what they want to serve you. LOL
