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Hunan Empire Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Chinese Chinese [Edit]
2001 Union St(between Buchanan St & Webster St)
San Francisco, CA 94123
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
(415) 775-4735
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11 am - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
45 reviews for Hunan Empire Restaurant
Review Highlights
"Eat in or take out and very reasonably priced."
(in 9 reviews)
"Great lunch specials at a great price, nice staff."
(in 4 reviews)
"Absolutely LOVE their crispy noodle vegetable chow mein."
(in 7 reviews)
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45 reviews in English
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Review from Moo M.
San Francisco, CA
11/20/2011
Gotta give Hunan Empire the Five stars! We live a block away and not a week goes by that we don't get a take-out dinner from here. The black bean chicken is awesome and the walnut prawns are the best I've had in some time.
Definitely the best chinese takeout and delivery place in Cow Hollow and the Marina. Cheap, too.
I've only dined in on a few occasions, but it is a pleasant and very quiet place to eat since there are rarely dine-in customers. Definitely casual. Make that very casual. Super kid friendly for all the above reasons. Great place for groups because you don't need a reservation and you can feed a ton of people without dropping a lot of coin.
It appears to be a family run business run by a very nice, hardworking couple (I think the husband cooks and the wife runs the front). I like supporting local businesses and Hunan Empire makes it easy with the delicious, affordable fare. -
Review from Lisa T.
San Francisco, CA
9/24/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Always walked past their huge menu posted on the building, finally decided to try it for lunch since they have a pretty cheap lunch menu.
Walked in, empty place (guess they do more deliveries than people eating there). Seated right away. I ordered the chicken and green beans (my favorite Chinese dish) and a side of egg rolls.
Chicken & Green Beans - the taste wasn't what I was used to, didn't really like it but I didn't want to waste my money. Since it was a lunch special it came with a side of rice and a small, small side soup (which is okay in taste).
Eggrolls were average in flavor, came with sweet/sour dipping sauce.
You pretty much get what you pay for in terms of quality. I may return to try something else to see if they have anything better.
UPDATE: I returned to try the chicken chow fun. It hit the spot. Definitely have to just try the various dishes to find the one you like. Yum! -
Review from Ada L.
San Francisco, CA
7/22/2011
Food is cheap yeah good deal... Service is bad... I've eaten here many times and It seems once you are an established customer they treat you in a bad manner... I've stopped going here although very convenient since I work in the same building. Not to mention the hair I have found in my food. I will NEVER eat here again!!!
Do not recommend. -
Review from Layla L.
1/14/2011
We ordered delivery last night: chicken and broccoli (which isn't on the menu, but they have it), kung pow chicken and chicken fried rice.
The chicken fried rice was my favorite- it was very flavorful (it's been sooo long since I've found a place with flavorful fried rice!), didn't taste like msg (I can usually tell).
The pieces of chicken in all 3 dishes were good (ie. it WAS in fact chicken, right flavor and texture and not dark meat either), I only had one piece that was cartlidge, and no pieces strung together (yes, I'm picky).
Delivery was fast, food was hot, inexpensive and delicious, I'll def. order from them again! -
Review from Cindy W.
1/10/2011
I'm rounding up to 4 stars because Hunan Empire gets a big bonus for being an authentic Chinese restaurant in the heart of the Marina / Cow Hollow area. I mean, across the street is Betelnut, which pales in comparison for authenticity. I had always wondered how this random Chinese restaurant could survive here, but now I understand.
+ 1: open late - where can one go for good grub on a weekday night at 9:30p. We had just finished rock climbing and were hungry. While even Osha was closed, Hunan Empire was open, and in fact stayed open just for our table of 5. That's awesome!
+ 1: authentic - the menu features a wealth of dishes. There are comfort items from Ma Po Tofu to more specialized items like Twice Cooked Pork. Impressive.
+ 1: food - we all liked what we ordered shared family style of course. Salt & Pepper Fish Fillet ($7.95) was freshly fried, nice light batter. Yum!
Ginger Garlic Eggplant ($6.75) is a classic dish and one of my favorites.
Beef Chow Mein ($5.55) was solid.
Steamed Half Chicken ($8.25) was a large portion of chicken.
+ 1: cheap - seriously, our dinner tab came out to $10 or $11 pp, and that was after tax and tip. That's the kind of prices we should all be paying. -
Review from Michael M.
San Francisco, CA
9/14/2010 4 Check-ins Here
Only had it for delivery and pick up, but they never fail to satisfy. Being that I am just down the street, the delivery guy just has to walk the food down.
The pot stickers are some of the best I've had, filled with good things like pork, ginger and cabbage. The egg rolls are great too. Usually we order for work lunches, birthdays, etc. Top things we order are pot stickers, fried rice, Broccoli Beef, Mongolian Beef and Chow Mein.
Everything I've had has been very good. And with the quick delivery, I can't complain. I just wish they are open on Sunday. -
Review from Rox M.
San Leandro, CA
6/6/2010
I really enjoyed eating at Hunan Empire for lunch on a Saturday. It was very quiet when me & my "crew" arrived--only two other parties were dining in.
The wait seemed strangely long even though the restaurant wasn't busy. Luckily we weren't in a particular hurry. We had an order of veggie rolls as an appetizer, and the prawns with mixed vegetables with rice as the main course.
The service was friendly & attentive. I would definitely eat here again if I happened to be in the area. -
Review from Kari G.
San Francisco, CA
10/30/2011
Absolutely LOVE their crispy noodle vegetable chow mein. We order it frequently for take out at the office. Also, the green onion pancakes are great. The egg flower soup that comes with a lunch order is pretty mediocre, actually, but that's ok. Just don't order it! But everything else I've had is wonderful. The staff is so nice.
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Review from Orlando A.
San Francisco, CA
4/7/2011
Wonderful, delicious, tasteful cuisine with the most wonderful nicest couple of owners. Eat in or take out and very reasonably priced.
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Review from Paul W.
San Francisco, CA
8/27/2010
I give them 4.5 stars...
Four stars just because they're not capable of making my food extra spicy... I go there about 4 times a week and order a Mongolian beef over rice.. It is convenient and located in the same building as I work in--hurray for convenience! Oh yes, and they deliver it to me ... For just one order of 6 bucks and its on union ! HA ! What more can I ask!
Well... I'm don't have a high tolerance for spicy food but the Mongolian beef over rice is suppose to be a tad bit spicy and it's not the least bit spicy:(
I think their so called hot sauce is sweet sauce !
But ohwell!
Affordable
Delivery
Very nice/genuine staff
Fast/accurate
Minimum is I think $10 for credit/debt card use otherwise a 25 cent charge!!!!
make your food spicy!!
Oh and their shrimp wonton soup is oh-so tasty !!!! -
Review from Jess S.
San Francisco, CA
4/13/2007
Hot. Check.
Spicy. Check.
Quick. Check.
Fortune Cookie. No Check!!!!!!!!
No fortune = : ( How will I ever know if wealth and good times are ahead? Bummer. -
Review from Drea L.
San Francisco, CA
3/27/2008
You can tell a lot about a place typically by the condition of their bathroom facilities. Pealing, moldy wallpaper with a dirty scrubber sponge (whose whereabouts I don't even want to think about) sitting on the sink, made my appetite wane I must admit. I also dashed in for some quick carry out and was met with an almost 40 min wait for my Chow Fun and Chinese Broccoli Not cool when I am on a limited lunch break and STARVING.
Hmmph. The food is decent enough, they use compost friendly starch containers, and the prices are reasonable, but somehow I just can't get the dirty toilet sponge image out of my head. -
Review from Kristen C.
East Bay, CA
4/10/2010
Tucked away inside a financial building is this little Chinese Restaurant that offers Asian fare that is much more affordable than the eateries around Union.
I've come here three times and the dining room is usually empty, but I've noticed that there is a lot of take-out. I would recommend the potstickers and the hot and sour soup.
The food comes out hot, but the service is awfully slow - which is confusing because I've never seen them packed! Oh well, as long as the food is good, I'm not complaining. -
Review from Guy K.
San Francisco, CA
7/30/2009
Very Good Chinese food. Very nice staff. Good prices.
Mo Shu Chicken is pretty darn good. Potstickers are awesome. Chow fun is very tasty..
They probably take a hit because of their hidden location. -
Review from Mic D.
San Francisco, CA
5/31/2011
The food overall is ok - but they do have a great salt and pepper cod fish dish. Yes it's fried, salty and spicy - they do it to perfection! It's my guilty pleasure.
They're great for home delivery. Based on prior reviews I've read, reset your expectations when you visit the restaurant - it's not 5 star, of course; however, they are extremely affordable for what they deliver. -
Review from Katie T.
7/14/2006
My food from Hunan Empire has been delicious both times I've ordered from here, but in general the dishes seem hit or miss. The sweet & sour pork and chicken that my coworkers ordered did not win rave reviews (the sauce was thin and not very flavorful). But my other coworker has had the Mongolian prawns, chicken, & beef combo both times and it has been excellent on both tries. My wonton soup and ginger eggplant were also both extremely good. Good veggie eggrolls too.
For dinner you can order through http://delivery.com, but for whatever reason it doesn't work at lunch. If you call them you can order by phone for lunch delivery. -
Review from Sachi T.
San Francisco, CA
8/7/2008
My co-workers and I regularly order from this place, sometimes dining in, sometimes picking up, and occasionally having good ol' Jim hand-deliver our food.
It's not the greatest Chinese food out there, but for an hour-lunch on Union St, it definitely ain't bad. Prices are cheap, their lunch specials are Great deals (rice, soup and entree for $5-$6), and Jim is my favorite business owner on the street.
Favorite dishes among us:
-General Tso's Chicken (sauce on the side, otherwise it gets a little soggy)
-Mongolian Beef
-Chicken Chow Mein
-Shrimp Fried Rice
-Ma Po Tofu, over rice (saucy, spicy and one of my favorite dishes, in general.)
They charge you a transaction fee for card payments under $10, but it's only 25 cents. Also, when they [free] deliver your food, Jim walks it himself, so give him a break. We order all the time, and have only had to wait more than 20 minutes ONCE, because we called during lunch rush. -
Review from Jeff L.
San Francisco, CA
5/11/2011
I often order delivery from here. For cheap chinese food it is 4 star take out food with a 2 star delivery time. I used to like the orange beef here, but the last time I had it they decided it would be best to smother it in three times as much sauce as they used to use.
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Review from Vince S.
Berkeley, CA
8/30/2009
Pretty much your average Chinese restaurant.
I had the chicken corn soup, hunan chicken, and fried rice. Nothing really stuck out to me, to be completely honest. But if you're craving for some decent chinese food in this area (without the marina pricetag), I wouldn't pass this place up.
It's tucked away from the street too, so you kind of have to seek it out.
I've also had the lunch special here, which is also a pretty good value. -
Review from kathryn h.
San Francisco, CA
3/31/2011
I am a HUGE fan of Dim Sum but this place is Disgusting. I tried the Dim Sum variety platter and it was soooo greasy and the wraps were ooooh sooo tough with the fillings either over or under- cooked with who knows what. Too late ,I remembered why I hadn't patronized this place for years and way before Yelp was available. Really don't know why it has survived this long.
Go to Chinatown or Clement St (Lucky's on Clement and ?8th for take out is terrific and rock bottom prices!) I would hate for visitors and locals alike to think this represents anything near the real deal. -
Review from shanestar h.
San Francisco, CA
1/18/2011
two stars b/c clearly they are barely surviving.
..
a place where the waitress should leave her day job. can she get out of her chair when someone enters? should I really have to ask for a glass of water when she gave no tea???
..
bad food. the cabbage was so old that it had black on it. the beef. glad i didn't die.
..
the WORST DUMPLINGS EVER. how how how can you mess up shrimp and chive dumplings?? now i know why it is cheap. i feel sorry, but maybe this place should give up their expensive real estate and let the forces of gentrification finish its job on Union St.
..
not a cheap meal if I couldn't eat it! -
Review from Ali G.
San Francisco, CA
5/1/2009
Got takeout here today for the first time.
Chicken chow mein - good. On the bland side, but good.
Wonton soup - good. I can taste a little msg in the broth, but thank gosh its only a little. Pieces of pork in the soup are gross, but the wontons themselves are pretty good.
I will definitely do takeout from this place again since I live close by, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here - its just a solid chinese place with cheap prices. But you can definitely get better chinese food than this. -
Review from Norma O.
Oakland, CA
10/8/2010
I like this place...what can I say... I am a sucker for greasy chinese... Good prices, considering it's in the marina, like their $6 lunch specials... And the portions are big... You can eat for 2 days if you can pry yourself away from the orange chicken... The owner is nice... And he makes the most AMAZING chili paste... It's the best chili paste I've ever tasted... That paste is the biggest reason for my regular visits when I was working by them... Their fast, and the food is made to order... So it's always fresh... The only thing to look out for is I had an issue with them and my check card... I was charged more then I should've been charged, so just look out for that and don't toss the receipt like I usually do.
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Review from Jenny B.
San Francisco, CA
2/5/2011
A hidden Chinese gem. Free delivery and the cutest little man to deliver it everytime. Hunan has an amazing lunch special and great service.
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Review from Gregor G.
San Francisco, CA
7/31/2008 1 photo
The good news is ~ this place delivers. The bad news is ~ it took over an hour to arrive. The good news is ~ they have dim sum. The bad news is ~ it tasted like paste and sweat (except for the shrimp dumplings, which were nice). I'm thinking the words dim sum and delivery just don't go together -- what was I thinking? Anyway, the good news is ~ it was very inexpensive. The bad news is ~ they needn't count on me calling again.
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Review from Brendan H.
Bay Area
4/7/2009
Like an oasis if you have the munchies for Chinese food in the northside especially in this part of the city. Pork fried rice and sweet and sour pork are definitely tasty lol. The people there are nice and the food is super good in value. Funny thing is they charge you extra if you use CC payment but it's only 25 cents lol. Lunch is bomb too b/c you get free soup with any order YESSS! Unfortunately I can definitely taste the MSG in their food sometimes womp womppp. They close daily at 10pm.
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Review from Mimi T.
8/4/2006
This is the closest Chinese take out place on Union St. I love the guy who cooks and delivers the food...he is totally sweet...but why is it everytime I eat from here and I can't feel my left leg afterwards? Can we say.."MSG"?
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Review from jocelyn l.
San Francisco, CA
2/8/2009
"Cheap, pretty tasty and good service. Shirmp fried rice was good for $6 (dinner), Hunan Chicken was pretty tasty and the potstickers were good. $24 with tip + tax for 2 people. A steal in Marina!"
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Review from Sarah R.
San Francisco, CA
3/2/2007
We got some soup delivered from here Monday night, and it was just eh - nothing memorable or worth writing home about by any means. Cheap and quick though!
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Review from Lisa C.
San Francisco, CA
7/2/2007
I can't believe I haven't reviewed Hunan Empire yet! This is a regular delivery choice for us as they are speedy and they have damn good pork shu mai. Damn good! I like it because on a good night, they're exactly like the shu mai (pork hash) I grew up on in Hawaii. I can devour two orders of those little suckers in one sitting. Also, the food is always piping hot when it arrives and the portions are huge.
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Review from Nina S.
San Francisco, CA
3/27/2010
Amazing chow mein. Great lunch specials at a great price, nice staff... Basically if you're looking for a cheap but quality Chinese place, Hunan Empire is it.
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Review from Liz C.
San Francisco, CA
11/16/2005
Pretty delicious - menu seems to change a lot though!
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Review from Sarah I.
San Francisco, CA
8/12/2009
I never thought I would ever enter this strangely massive office building/parking structure that is smack dab in the middle of the Marina/Pacific Heights; however one night my bf and I were craving chinese food. We had tried Andy's delivery and were grossed out. (by the polk st location- the geary one is tasty). Anyways, we had the bright, yet seemingly risky, idea to visit Empire Hunan. We had seen this crazy structure many times before and simply laughed at thought of a huge mall in the middle of the Marina.
Anyways, we ventured in. It was around 6:15 and there were a few parties already seated, mostly finishing up their meals. Over the course of our meal quite a number of people came in for takeout orders. I never knew the place was so popular. We ordered the combination appetizer platter, steamed rice, general tsaos chicken and broccoli beef. The beef was nice and tender, and the slices were a nice size and thickness. The vegetables were nice and crisp, and the sauce very flavorful. The general chicken was listed as being spicy, however was not spicy at all. It was actually a little too sweet for my liking, but I didn't complain. The combination appetizer platter was a plate of fried goodness. It fit our mood at the moment, but i dont see us including that in our next trip.
One complaint, the bbq was pretty dry. I wouldnt order it.
Overall it was a pretty good place. It's nice that we don't have to go all the way to Chinatown or Downtown for decent chinese food anymore! Also something else to note, this building is very busy. Aside from all of the to go orders, there were tons and tons of people coming in and out on the elevators, i assume parking. -
Review from gordon g.
San Francisco, CA
12/25/2009
We have been here on several occasions and each time the service was fast, the food was delicious and the price is very affordable. We have ordered the family dinner special each time and have been very satisfied and would recommend this place to anyone who is up for a good meal and a decent price. Happy dining!
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Review from Bruce C.
San Francisco, CA
11/22/2006
Not bad. Big portions. Decently quick delivery (within 1/2 hr). I don't taste much msg.
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Review from Caedmon P.
San Francisco, CA
9/28/2008
Pretty darn good. Only complaint is that after ordering black bean chicken with asparagus 5 times and having them call every time to say they are out of asparagus ,I have come to the conclusion that they actually never have asparagus and I should quite trying to order it. Other than that, no complaints.
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Review from K L.
San Francisco, CA
3/3/2007
Ongoing survey of Chinese takeout in north-central SF; benchmark dish: General (Tso's) chicken + eggrolls.
Verdict: Chicken mushy to soggy, rather than slightly crispy on the outside as it should be. General's sauce bland and not very spicy. Egg rolls passable but unremarkable.
Parking in the neighborhood is also a nightmare. -
Review from Lea P.
San Francisco, CA
12/18/2007
I am never disappointed when I order from Hunan Empire. The food is made quickly, and it is very tasty. The staff are very nice people.
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Review from Rob B.
San Francisco, CA
9/23/2008
In the Marina its hard to find a good cheap lunch. Here you can get that. About 6 bucks for an entree and it fills you up. Its a 1/3 of the price of the restaurant across the street and tastes a lot better.
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Review from Rachele T.
San Francisco, CA
8/11/2009
I had a great experience here on my lunch time. The young boy that seated me was very friendly, and I felt like the decor was very welcoming.
The lunch specials they have are very affordable. For under $6 I received soup, steamed rice, and my entree of string bean chicken. The portions are enough to take home the next day, and it wasn't very busy so they quick to get my food to me.
For this area of the city it is surprising (and relieving) to find an affordable lunch spot. It's definitely worth the drive if you're coming from a different part of the city.
Try the string bean chicken!
