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Happy Chinese Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Chinese Dim Sum Dim Sum [Edit]
1326 Powell Street(between Broadway St & Fisher Aly)
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 398-1268
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 7 am - 3 pm
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Cameron H. said: "First, this is restaurant really need two review because lunch and dinner menu are very different. Lunch: 5.50 - 7.00 $ for the lunch special, they are tradition sichuan food. Almost over 25 different noodle soup and 30 plus rice…" read more »
15 reviews for Happy Chinese Restaurant
15 reviews in English
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Review from Kim L.
Bay Area
1/22/2012
Needed a place that cooked up fresh bowl of porridge since it was the only food settling enough for my stomach. Had a small bowl of fish porridge which could have fed 2-3 people, and it was absolutely fresh and delicious. Since the porridge was the only thing I ordered, can't say about the dim sums served here.
Of course with most Chinatown restaurants and take-out places, CASH ONLY. -
Review from Doug R.
1/2/2011
It just suffices to say the food here is awful. Everything but the congee (rice porridge) is just horribly inedible and spoiled. I'm surprised nobody here has gotten a rotten case of food poisoning!
The best part about this restaurant is the rat problem. I like to call it, the "rat named Kitty".
The old woman who owns this place insists that the approximately 1 1/2 foot long rat that runs around the restaurant floor is a "cat". It's been pointed out numerous time that there's some kind of "animal" running around the floor by patrons, to which she says "must be the cat".
I guess it must that breed of cat with the bald tail? -
Review from Gloria H.
Updated - 9/4/2010
Cool windy night in SF calls for clay pot rice - at least for us...
Walking up, we noticed an A-frame sign directing customers to upstairs. It appears they have completed their remodeling for upstairs and is now working on downstairs. Who knew there was an upstairs? Walking up, we can hear some good music and came upon some shiny wood looking floor and some large tables. Little do we know, they have some kind of a dance dinner nights - where you pay $11/pp? for dinner and enjoy some karoke and dancing afterward. While hubby and I are not into it, we thought perhaps it can be good entertainment over dinner.
What we had:
yam leaves w/ fermented bean curd and pepper - this is the first time we've tried this veggie but the waitress highly recommended it. We liked it - it tasted like ong choy. it was flavorful and not over salty or oily.
lamb stew w/ dried bean curd stick - this was delicious. the large clay pot was lined with lettuce and topped with plenty lamb pieces, bean curd and some mushroom, ginger and water chestnut.
eight precious tofu pot - this is a pretty common dish but we like it. It has the fried soft tofu w/ ingredients like bbq pork, chicken, calamari, shrimp, cod...
All 3 dishes w/ rice came to $30 even. We were stuffed and had a little left over to take home.
This is becoming a favorite spot for home cooking soul food - will return for sure and look forward to trying their clay pot rice.Listed in: Chinatown Eats, Dim sum - what's not to love?, Porridge (jook)
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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8/28/2010
Didn't take long for us to return. I know exactly what to order, the steamed sparerib over rice… Read more »
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Review from Irene L.
5/19/2011
Mediocre food and service. I did enjoy their fried durian dessert and sesame balls. (YES I LOVE DURIAN and I'M NOT afraid to admit it!) The place looks grungy-ish (I was eating on the second floor), but at least the we got alot of fresh air and sunlight from the open windows... Overall, I would not come back here willingly.
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Review from jason g.
San Francisco, CA
1/25/2009
I am rating this restaurant 3 stars because I grew up with this style of restaurants. This is how the old school dim sum houses were like back in the 70's. Unfortunately for them................we are no longer in that time period. The food here is actually decent. Most of the locals dine at this establishment for the cheap eats. Do not come here if you expect service, cleanliness, or promptness. Do not come here if you are comparing this to Mayflower, Koi Palace, or City View. You will not see any tourists in this establishment. They cater to the locals and that's it. They are a no nonsense mom and pop restaurant. The don't even have carts rolling by. They actually have individuals with trays walking around. I like that. I like the edgy feel of these types of restaurants......it's very asian ghetto.
I found that the siu mai, beef rice roll, spareribs, chicken feet, and taro dumpling to be above average.
The XLB was terrible. I might even have to say the worst I have tasted in the city. The har gow had more soup in the dumpling than the xlb. Note..........har gow is not suppose to be soupy.
If you are adventurous and want to see how dim sum was like back in the 70's then give this place a try. It's not the best but it is an experience that is eye opening. -
Review from Teri C.
12/18/2006
"Only the locals eat here...real Chinese..." That is what my mom had to say about this dim sum restaurant as we sat upstairs amongst all the other 'older' generations of Chinese people dining. And she was right, all you hear is Cantonese spoken. No yuppie diners found here at all. (This is what I call casual eating, you won't find cloth napkins or pretentious people here!)
My mom chose this restaurant as I had pleaded for her to find a dim sum place that served the Shanghai dumplings AND the Shark Fin Dumplings in soup AND the pickled chicken feet. (I was trying my darnest to impress my man! And everyone knows it's through a man's stomach if you want him to stick around. I can't cook, but I sure as hell can read a menu and order!)
We started with the standard shrimp dumplings (har gow) and pork dumplings (sui mai). We also ordered the chicken feet in black bean sauce, which is always yum. The beef balls with Worcester sauce is tasty too. The tripe was a smaller order than what I'm used to though. We tried the spare ribs with ribbon rice noodles. I liked how the noodles stayed rolled together and found myself going back for seconds. The beancurd wrapped around something or other was much tastier and full of flavor than Orchids Garden Restaurant in Vegas.
The Shark Fin Dumpling in soup had to be ordered a good 20 minutes in advance, and it was impressive. I was hesitant that I would find any 'real' shark fin in there, as I had been misled before. As one of the older waitresses served us, she overheard us talking about 'fake shark fin' and she was quick to refute what we had said. She insisted there was real shark fin in our soup. As I broke my big dumpling up, I was not disappointed, there was indeed real shark fin in my soup! Yum yum! Score for them for getting that part right. My Shanghai dumplings were good too, hot as hell in the middle like they are supposed to be. I only wish they provided slices of ginger to go with the red vinegar you use for both dishes.
The picked white chicken feet came with a dipping sauce that could have used a bit more tang. Usually when I order this dish to go from other restaurants, they provide this orange color dipping sauce and I would have preferred that more. And I wish they had more pickled radish and carrots underneath the feet too!
Desserts - lacking. They only offered egg custard tarts from what I could see. I was looking for the Black Sesame Roll, and they didn't have that.
They only accept cash, which can be tricky! With a party of four, it was under $50 with leftover feet to bring home.
Being located on Powell, it's away from some of the other bigger dim sum restaurants. I usually don't eat dim sum in Chinatown because of the horrendous parking, but my parents were game. I was definitely pleased with my mom's choice, after all, she's a tour guide for Chinatown and she has to know her stuff. And plus, my man got to eat his favorite - the Shark Fin Dumpling in soup with REAL shark fin! Yay!
(Now, if only they upped their dessert choices, I may be open to upping their star status.)Listed in: Xiao Lung Bao!, Dim Sum in the City and Beyond, Goon Tong Gow!
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Review from Alice C.
3/6/2010
This is my go-to dim sum place...so CHEAP and delicious!
The atmosphere is no thrills, but the staples -- BBQ pork buns, shrimp dumplings, shiu mai, etc. -- are really flavorful and done right.
I've noticed though that it's pretty hard to order and get what you want if you don't speak Cantonese. (I'm pretty sure I would have given it less than 4 stars if I didn't have the language skills to work the system.) So next time you go, make sure you have your trusty translator!
And bring cash--they don't take credit card! -
Review from José C.
San Diego, CA
1/23/2010
During my visit to SF from SD I found Happy Chinese Restaurant while exploring the outskirts of Chinatown.
The restaurant's interior is past it's prime, but we were made welcome from the first moment. Our 70 year old waitress was funny and patient with us while ordering Dim Sum from the picture menu. We got 5 different types of Dim Sum and the total was $22. The quality is great and cheap. For true eaters the food quality is first with interior decor second! -
Review from Jerome L.
San Jose, CA
5/17/2010
I am only reviewing this place because I had dinner here with my family. Let me to you, this place sucks. However, I will have to look into the dim sum here because many of critics gave it legitimate reviews.
Let me just sum this off with three things:
- The chicken was sour. Not sweet & sour. Spoiled sour.
- The service was terrible. The woman kept insisting us to get the chicken, but we really didn't want it. She kept mention it to us every time she brought out our food.
- Did I mention about the sour chicken? Yes, they took it back and they gave us a vegetable dish with ham on it.
I highly recommend not going here for dinner on a weekday. -
Review from Travis G.
San Diego, CA
1/17/2010
Far removed from Chinatown's super touristy Grant Avenue, Happy Chinese Restaurant is definitely "off the beaten path." In fact the staff seemed rather shocked and confused when we, two non-Chinese, came through the door and asked for a table. There is nothing fancy or pretty about this place, but there is a great selection of yummy dim sum. We tried several dishes, ranging from barbecue pork buns to shrimp dumplings. Everything was absolutely delicious and exceeded my expectations. Oh, and the tea that they serve is wonderful. I asked one of the servers what it was and she simply stated that it was "flower tea." I would love to know the true name for it because it was quite possibly the best I've tasted.
In addition to the excellent food, the staff at Happy Chinese are incredibly friendly and helpful. It was truly a delight to interact with them!
The bottom line - don't go here for the ambience, go for the food! This restaurant is an inexpensive, and probably more authentic alternative to the options that are available on Grant. I will definitely return to this location! -
Review from Justin I.
Pacifica, CA
6/22/2010
ewww friend found a bug in her food and the lady refused to refund the money thats just nasty. Keep moving to the next spot you dont want to eat in here you might die. Or get more protien then you expected
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Review from Michael M.
San Francisco, CA
6/6/2010
Shame on Happy Chinese restaurant for serving shark fin to their customers. The high levels of methyl mercury that accumulate in shark tissue make for seriously unhealthy eating, and anyone who's paying attention knows that shark populations worldwide are crashing due to over-harvesting. I will definitely not be going here any time soon.
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Review from K Y.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 10/26/2008
I am no longer happy with this place.
After a homecoming dance, for sure me and my buddies planned to go yumcha the following morning. You have a group of indecisive teens wandering around our beloved Chinatown, unable to decide on a place. We walked by here and figured we might as well go in since the last time we all went there individually, it was still good.
After being seated at the lonesome corner at the back, we waited for dimsum carts to come by. All we got were some pork and beef, and that's about it. No ha-gow or siu-mai or ANYTHING. Their food definitely downgraded and we ended up getting food somewhere else after paying the bill.
As for the service? It was ok, but towards the end we all left pretty mad. The waitor told us the total was $10.80, so we dropped a 20 and waited for our change. When we got our money back, there was only $4.80 on the tray... We went up to the cashier and argued and it so happens the waitor was just being orally disabled and told us the wrong amount.
Though this place has been one of my childhood favorites, I may never return here again.1 Previous Review:
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8/13/2007
The dim sum here is good, and they have the best mango pudding!
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Review from Reggie M.
Las Vegas, NV
12/19/2006
i havent ate dim sum in chinatown for quite some time. when i used to visit, it was always harbor village. if i was in chinatown, it had to be new asia. our newest mission this time was for me to try some new items and the best or better shanghai dumplings and shark fin dumplings in soup compared to what ive had before...namely my vegas dim sum adventures. i have to thank my lovely dining companion and her mother and father to take me there. this isnt your elegant chinese restaurant, so its no harbor village with fabric napkins. it is a bit run down, but still it look descent compared to many restaurants that ive been to in chinatown (b/c there are better). there were no foreigners in there, so thats a definite plus. there are plenty of tables here. we were seated in the second floor.
we ordered a myriad of items, such as shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, and beef balls (i really didnt taste the worsteshire sauce, though). we had my favorite chicken feet in black bean sauce, which was tasty as hell. i really enjoyed the sauced and fried wrapped bean curd. we also ordered thin strips of tripe, which i have never ordered before. the shanghai dumplings were just delicious. you dip these soft crescent shaped dumplings in red vinegar. when you take your first bite, you get the tang on the outside from the vinegar and surprised by a flood of savory soup from biting through the skin of the dumpling. they also preorded by favorite shark fin dumpling in soup. it was so good and a lot bigger than i am used to. i was also rest assured that there was real shark fin in the soup and not clear glass noodles. i could tell this time b/c the glass clear strips were firmer than the noodles that ive been tricked into eating before. i was disappointed that they did not give a lot red vinegar up front and like my g/f said they didnt give us slivers of ginger either. i finally got to try the pickled white chicken feet that was accompanied with what i thought was a white vinegar sauce. it is served cold atop pickled daikon and carrots. i really like it and would like to try again with this orange colored dipping sauce that i was told about.
all in all i was impressed with the dishes here, and will return here again along w/ some friends. i give a BiG "UPS" to my lovely dining companion and her mother for introducing me to this place.
oh yeah, for any of you havent been to a dim sum restaurant, dont wear white...i made that mistake before, but this time i wore black...he..he..he -
Review from Eileen L.
San Francisco, CA
7/13/2009
This restaurant switched owners many times . I haven't been here for a long time so I decided to come here to yum cha with my parents and their friends a couple weeks ago . I must say .. this is the worst dim sum restaurant I been to . It is also the most ghetto and " different " . Instead of the staff pushing trolley carts , they carry trays . Besides ha gau and shui mai , everything else they serve is not something you will see in your average dim sum restaurant . hey hella random stuff like deep fried bitter melon with filling and some kind of black flour cake . My mom told me that they don't sell the flour here and that it's hard to make . Anyways , I had tne ha gau and su mai which were ok . I also had some kind of " spicy " dumpling which was terrible and not spicy at all . I had a little bit of the sparerib noodle which was terrible .. it was very tasteless and bland !! The sesame rolls were not sweet enough . Overall , I guess this would be a good restaurant for people who like Toisan -style food because that's the type of food they serve here . Otherwise , I do not recommend this place to anyone .
