On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Check it out! http://www.youtube.com...
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Loading...
Hunan Home has been my favorite chinese joint since I found it while working in the financial district back in the 90s. They have a great lunch special. Great kung pao chicken and hot and sour soup. In fact this is the best hot and sour soup I have tasted in the city. It is awesome. The menu is great and all the dishes I have tasted here are really good. Lemon chicken, general chicken...whatever you want.
Sometimes the waiters here are pretty grumpy. But it doesn't bother me. The last time I went here by myself after a meeting with my banker downtown. I was starving. It was like 3:30. I said can I get the lunch special. Answer: no... Okay, can I order a cup of hot and sour soup for one. Answer: no.....Okay fine. I will take the hot and sour soup for 2-3 people and take the rest home.
I ordered the kung pao chicken and hot and sour soup. It was a great meal and I had some left overs for the trip home to nob hill. Hunan Home is still really good and is simply one of the best chinese restaurants in china town.
We started off our meal with wor wonton soup, which was delicious. We had shrimp chow mein and chicken with cashew nuts for our main course. The shrimp chow mein was really good. The chicken with cashew nuts was ok...a little on the bland side.
They have good customer service. I was impressed at how hard-working the wait staff there was.
Since there were only two of us eating, we didn't get to try as much variety of dishes as I wanted to. I would defintely go back to try other dishes if I'm back in SF.
"Succulent Bread"
My friend's family has been coming to this restaurant for 28 years. I'm not sure if this is even on the menu, but ask for it. It's a fresh baked, white soft "succulent" Chinese bread, that they deep fry ever so slightly. The result is a perfectly thin crisp layer around the soft white bread.
It's served hot, with a sweet condensed milk, but my friend tells me that there are really TWO dipping sauces, the "Sweet" (condensed milk), and the "Salty", your own concoction made at the table with soy sauce, vinegar, and hot chili paste.
I've never had anything like it in my whole life. My mouth was watering. I had to ask the owner what he called it and he looked at me the way people do when you ask something stupid, and he says, "It's Succulent Bread".
Of Course. Duh!
Came for: weekday lunch
Will come back for: weekday lunch special with brown rice option
It's a solid go-to to fill a chinese food craving near FiDi; nothing to rave about, but it's reliable and fills it's duty as a go-to. It's in the cusp of Chinatown, so its decor and service indicate just that. Their lunch (don't know about their dinners) is served with an a-ok hot-n-sour soup that stirs the palate to let you know that Chinese food is coming. I love it that they have brown rice. Personal fave is the chicken prawn with eggplant with brown rice, but they're flexible with lunch combos so take your pick. My colleagues have been happy with their picks of the day as well.
This Chicagoan checked out Hunan Homes after reading SF Yelper reviews...and VERY glad I did.
The Hot Sour Soup and Egg Drop/Flower soup both superb. The appetizer combo plater just so-so (I'd skip and go for another entree) BUT then the entrees sampled were top notch...shrimp/BBQ pork fried rice, Moo Shu Pork....mmm.
THE BEST dish was their hot spicy salt dungeness crab. I don't have a clue what the heck they do but the crab was perfectly moist inside with this dry rub outside (not battered) and it was 2 D-I-E 4. Really. I noted a few jalepenos on the platter and there was a faint flavor of garlic...whatever...unique and TASTY!
I also ask...what's with all the tour bus stops but I have to say my service did not suffer at all. These servers bust a nut assuring you get your food and aren't left hanging. If you have a small party you may want to stay in the front to avoid the bus loads of noisy tables that seat 10 each (achieved cafeteria noise decibel levels in a blink)..
Thanks again SF Yelpers....spot on with this one!
This has REALLY GOOD chow main, friendly people and great service!
Stopped in for lunch with the girls on Labor Day Monday.
It was about 11:30 & we wre the only one in the restaraunt.
Ordered the Pot Stickers,Veg Chow Mein & the Walnut Prawns with steamed rice.
Not the best Chinese food I've ever had ,but pretty tasty.
Three items with rice(no drinks,just Tea)$32.42 + tip.
2.5 STARS......
Overall: A-
High ratings since most dishes are pretty safe bets and tasty to boast.
Food: A
Try the sizzling prawns and walnut prawns dishes. The Peking duck is also killer. The mu shu pork was surprisingly delicious. I was expecting a dish fit for white folk but alas it was not.
Decor: C
Very simple and plain but I like the aquarium at the door
Service: A
Fast service, friendly and funny. James, the owner, is a quite a charmer and funny.
Value: B
Belly busting portions which are big enough to feed 3-4 people.
Amazing Food!
I started off with the deep fried shrimp balls and from there, I knew it was going to be a great day. Main course was Peking Duck (Mandarin Style), Minced Pork with Chinese Veggies, and Fook Yen Fried Rice. An absolute amazing meal! Great service and very efficient.
Lunch time is the best time to go...
You can get a very filling AND delicious meal for TWO all for around 20 bucks.
I recently visited with a friend and ordered their lunch special with the orange peel chicken and another savory dish. I really enjoyed the hot and sour soup. Cannot find another Chinese restaurant that serves such good soup!
Minus 1 start only for the waiter who took our order. I have heard of many horror stories of bad waiter service and never really thought it would happen to me. And so far it hasn't, I just didn't like the amount of attitude we received when we were ordering. I know, we all have bad days and I'm not expecting you to kiss up to me, but please, just be a bit more courteous.
Having a restaurant come highly recommended is a blessing and a curse. It can often lead you to a location you would have otherwise missed, but more often than not, it has also heightened my expectations of the establishment to a point that I am disappointed by a "good" meal. So, at my sisters suggestion, 8 of us went to eat in Chinatown last night at Hunan Homes.
We had no reservation, but were immediately seated to a nice round table towards the back. Even though there were only 3 of us there when they sat, the friendly staff never pressured us to get started. By the time we had all settled in, I was so ready to order it was painful. I had been looking over their extensive menu for 20 minutes, and by that time, each minute felt like an hour. We were unsure how much to order, so each person around the table suggested a dish. I added a few, needless to say, to the raised eyebrows around the table. The order was:
Prawns with Honey Walnut, Kung Pao Chicken, Beef Fried Rice, steamed white rice, Combination Chow Mein, Sizzling Beef Platter, Mongolian Beef, Hot Sour Soup, Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce, and Xiao Long bao.
The hot and sour soup came out first, quickly followed by a succession of dishes. The entire order had been served in about 10 minutes, which was just perfect. it gave us each time to take a serving off of each new plate before new ones arrived. Let me just cut to the chase and say, it was FANTASTIC!
I had read about the Prawns w/ walnuts and the sizzling beef platter on Yelp, and the other dishes were some of the usual standards I order at Chinese restaurants. Here were some of my thoughts about the individual dishes.
The hot and sour soup was good. Perfectly spiced, good consistency, and perfect temperature. At first i thought there was something lacking, something missing, but reflecting back on the meal, it did exactly what it was supposed to. It awakened my pallet and got me ready for more.
The combination chow mein was one of the best i have ever had. Perfect consistency, not too greasy, AMAZING flavor. I could have eaten it all to myself, but was grumpy to only taste a small serving before it was gone (I would go back for this alone).
The prawns w/ honey walnut were good, but I was a bit disapointed. I might have preferred the walnuts crushed and tossed with the prawns in the honey sauce before served. Still, the prawns were perfectly cooked and had a nice, sweet flavor. I seemed to be the only one at the table not blown away by the dish, so dont take it personally. :)
The sizzling beef platter has an amazing presentation. A hot cast iron plate sits with a few sizzling onions on a wooden plate, before the beef and vegtables were dropped onto it at the table. GREAT flavors! Very crisp vegtables, tender beef... love it.
The Mongolian beef was also one of the best i have ever had. A perfect combination of scallions, hot peppers, a small amount of those crispy rice noodles that sometimes overwhelm the dish.
The kungpao chicken was perfectly executed... nice cuts of chicken with fresh vegetables. I dont know if i will order it again. It feels like a comfort food for me now, and im looking for new flavors over old favorites. Still, very tasty.
The real winner was the Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce and minced pork. If you go there, you HAVE to order this dish if none other. I was skeptical at first when we ordered it, ive had it before at a few places and was never impressed. So glad to be surprised. I scooped the extra sauce over the Xiao Long Bao dumplings to perfection. Wow. This is getting painful to write.
In summary, it was incredibly consistent. Each dish had a unique flavor (so rare in common Chinese restaurants), was perfectly cooked, and excellent presentation. The staff were patient, funny and always attentive and available. The bill with tip came to $164 (20% tip). per person, it was $20.50. I cant remember the last time I feasted at a restaurant and only spent $20. that included three Tsingtsao's and 3 glasses of wine. Without that, it would have been closer to $15 per person. If you haven't eaten here, please check them out. I hear they have free parking validation with a $20 purchase. I will certainly be back and am very grateful for the recommendation. I cant remember the last time a meal lived up to such a good buildup.
As an afterthought, I saw an order of the Sizzling Prawns go out as we were leaving... they looked and smelled so good i almost ordered it togo. Next time. Very very good.
I almost gave it a five star family, but my friends told me I'd better factor in my hunger level. I was starving. Food was ready real qucik- bout 10 minutes (once again did take out). We walked right over. We had orange chicken, chicken fried rice, soup, and a few more items. It was sooo good. Very well done!
My friend and I felt kind weird walking inside because there was no Asians eating here haha ! Seriously .. I don't think I've ever seen a Chinese restaurant without one single Asian customer dining there . I had the ma por tofu which was not bad ... it was decent . I asked for very spicy but it was only a little spicy . My friend complained that his fried rice had grains of salt on the pieces of egg lol . Oh , and the bathroom smells HORRIBLE .
This place is MMMmmm MSG good. They serve the best Chinese food I ever had. Thier walnut prawns are delicious and thier shrimp fried rice taste just like my grandma's. The staff is quick to serve you, friendly, and funny. I like watching them eat after they close- they all eat with forks, and not chopsticks!
I love this fucking place, but I don't think the pot stickers are that tasty...
I've been under the weather and the phenomenal hot & sour soup really cleared me up...
Again, I love the hunan chicken...
The first time I tried this joint I ordered the orange peel chicken and I didn't like it. Plus,… Read more »
This is the best Chinese place I've ever been to. Everything I've had here has been amazing. The servers are very attentive. I could eat here every day.
I came to Hunan Homes looking for a restaurant in SF that can come close in quality to Hunan Taste in San Jose. Sadly, Hunan Homes fell way short.
I went with the chicken and string beans which is typically a good yardstick of how good a Hunan-style restaurant is. Hunan Taste in San Jose uses black bean sauce, fresh garlic and string beans that are fried dry leaving them very crispy. The dish at Hunan Homes was nowhere near as good -- the chicken and string beans were swimming in a soup of red sauce. While it was very spicy, it didn't have much flavor otherwise.
The food was by no means terrible, it just didn't stand out in any way. My personal quest for fantastic Hunan cuisine in SF continues.
I would've given Hunan Home's another star, but a couple other negative reviews reinforced my perception of its shortcomings. The restaurant is pleasant enough, but I totally agree with James B.'s review: the prices are above average for smallish portions and less than flavorful food.
1. We asked for pot stickers fried (not steamed). They were small and mushier than I would've expected for fried dumplings.
2. The eggrolls were the size of small Vietnamese spring rolls, not the thicker kind we were used to from Chinese places back in Chicago.
3. The beef with broccoli was just that: beef with broccoli and a little bit of gravy/sauce. We ordered a dinner-sized entree, and it was small. Maybe you get more if you order carryout, but we paid $10.50 and thought it was paltry, even for lunch.
4. The shrimp fried rice was a total rip: we ordered a large portion and got what we thought was a small plate.
5. Like 98% of the other two hundred Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, Hunan Home's gives out cans of soda, and you'll pay something like $2.25 for every can.
6. When we order Chinese food back home, entrees usually come with at least a small steamed rice; not here. Even though we ordered an additional shrimp fried rice for around $8, they charged us an extra $6 after we asked for steamed rice...why?
We thought our $59 bill for two appetizers, two entrees, an extra thing of fried rice, a can of Coke and steamed rice was expensive for just the three of us. The service was decent overall, and we were seated right away. We're used to Chinese waiters being less than gracious and friendly, and Hunan Home's didn't disappoint in that regard.
My friend's parents own this restaurant & so we went w/ him yesterday. I LOVE this place ! You can park for FREE at the Hilton because they validate your parking !
Their hot & sour soup is THE BEST I've ever tasted ! The woman even warmed it up when it got cold.
Their Peking Duck was soo SOFT & TENDER & it was not OiLY at all. The waiter even did a little show when he was folding the duck into the little pastry thing w/ hoison sauce & green onions. I don't know what that dish was called because my friend had ordered it.
The GARLiC PRAWNS W/ MUSHROOMS was very fresh. It was simple yet so flavorful. They even add the small corn I like.
I admit there was a lot of white people though, since they came w/ a party of 37 when I was eating. Nonetheless, thank you Jasper & SUPER NiCE Dad ! I love this place & will mosdef come here everytime I'm in Chinatown =D
I love Hunan Homes. I've been to the restaurant probably 2 or 3 times, but always get delivery. You can now even order everything online and you get a confirmation call back within ten minutes. I always get the exact same thing every time because it never fails me and is always super tasty.
Hot n Sour Soup
Hot n Sour Chicken (white meat only)
Brown Rice
Delicious and the perfect cure for anything!
I don't really enjoy Chinese food that much (other than dim sum), but I have to admit this place is good. The potstickers especially are addictive. I also like the mushu and peking duck here.
Hunan Homes was my first restaurant experience in San Francisco.
In 1991 I was living in L.A. and had just gotten my driver's license. To celebrate, I rented a car and drove up here. Toward the end of my first day I was zig-zagging the streets of Chinatown on foot, peering in windows and examining menus, trying to decide how to bust my restaurant cherry, when I found Hunan Homes. I ordered the beef with orange peel to go and headed back to my hotel room. By the time I settled in the food was cold, but I was starving so I dug in. HEAVEN. It was sweet and savory and chewy and beefy, laced with chile peppers and strips of orange peel and served with shredded carrot and daikon in a vinegary marinade that perfectly offset the sweetness of the beef's glaze.
I returned to L.A. and tried many restaurants over the ensuing year, searching in vain for that same perfect flavor. In 1992, I came back for my second visit to San Francisco with Hunan Homes at the top of my to-go-to list.
In 1993 I was in the midst of planning my third visit up north when everything got turned topsy-turvy and instead of planning a vacation to San Francisco I was planning a move here.
So, since 1993, Hunan Homes has been right in my backyard. Over the last decade and a half I have taken many friends and my entire family there and every single person has been as smitten as I am. Many of us remember when "the old man" was still alive...the family patriarch who oversaw the dining room with his never-empty glass of wine, stopping at each table to charm his customers.
The restaurant is now overseen by his son, James, and has retained its family-run feeling. When my parents come to visit twice a year, Hunan Homes is at the top of their list of must-go places as well, not only because of the food but because they appreciate the way that James and the staff make them feel so welcome.
But back to the food. I've been all over that menu and there hasn't been a single dish I didn't like. Today, among other things, we had the hot spice crispy chicken, a half-bird fried until the skin is crispy and even the bones are crunchy, then chopped up and slathered with a delectable sauce perfect for sopping up with rice or their "succulent bread". The sizzling sliced fish...how do they get so much flavor into a simple white fish? The house special crispy seafood chow mein is a nest of thin, crispy noodles topped with squid, fish, scallops, mushrooms and an assortment of vegetables.
I could go on and on but I won't. Just go to Hunan Homes already!
holy crap! the lemon chicken.
the lemon chicken, the lemon chicken.
some tasty food.
and the service was awesome. hilarious host.
I came here today for lunch with my coworkers. I've been once before and I totally enjoyed the experience. Lunch is not terribly crowded, and they have tons of places to sit. And the resturant is clean! Service there is exceptional, everyone is really friendly and actually rememvbers to bring whatever you ask for.
Lunch is inexpensive here. They have a special lunch menu that if you order the rice plates (ranging from $6.25-$7) you get a bowl of their delicious hot and sour soup. The lunch menu here is great, there is a lot of selection here! I've tried the chicken with asparagus, chicken with eggplant, and the fried rice cakes - all which were delicious. The food isn't your typical greesy chinese food either, which is great! They also have brown rice for only an additional 50 cents, if you choose to be on the healthier side! Food comes out quickly for those who just need a quick lunch. Overall, a great place to come for chinese food!
When I think of Chinese food, I don't think of Sizzling Beef, Mushu Pork, Tea Smoked Duck, Hot and Sour Soup, Walnut Prawns, Fried String Beans with Garlic, but these are all Chinese dishes, and this place does it well.
You walk in and its a stereotypical Chinese Restaurant, something that might be depicted on a TV show. All the wait staff are Chinese with not the best Engrish and the captain is, "Oh that Funny Chinese Guy." Look around and no one looks like me, except the wait staff. Every one is non-Chinese and you can tell some are tourists.
I was really excited for the Sizzling Beef. I even held my napkin in front like a curtain so that the hot oil or the steam wouldn't get all up in my face. But when the lady poured the beef onto the stone plate. .. ss. NO SIZZLE. I was made a fool holding up my napkin. Oh well, I thought.. but then I heard SSSS and SSSS and SSSS from all other tables around us. Smoke in the air, sizzling here and there. What the heck?! How come all theirs sizzled and not mine? MAYBE IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS CHINESE AND SPOKE CHINESE. I don't know, but their stuff is okay so I ate some fried string beans and got over it.
thumbs up: American Chinese Food, friendly staff
thumbs down: no sizzle, the mushu pork only comes with 4 pancakes... if you want another one, its 50 cents. So if you come with a party of 5, make sure someone brings 50 cents.
Tip: Pork Blood not on menu, but you can order it.
One of the safer bets in China Town. Always quality food with fast and good service. Everyone speaks English and the menu is HUGE.
Not the best Chinese I have ever had in my life but everything is usually pretty good. If you're looking to fulfill a Chinese craving....this place will do it. They have really great hot and sour soup!
This is also a good place to bring a large group. It is a really big place with a 2nd huge room in the back. They also have several large tables that can accommodate probably up to 12 people.
I could care less how "authentic" a Chinese place is. I'm an American, but I've eaten Chinese food my entire life. So I enjoy "good" more than "traditional". More often than not, hybrid/fusion/Americanized Chinese places are simply better than places that make you feel like you have to order in Chinese.
And that's the case for Hunan Homes. The chefs have skill and care about what they do. They go easy on the oil and use fresh ingredients. Their complimentary hot and sour soup is good. They have some unique dishes like the "Yummy Sliced Fish" that are as yummy as they are unusual. The Shanghai dumplings are very decent, especially for a place that doesn't specialize in dumplings. And for the protein-impaired among us, the vegetable dishes are good.
Enjoy!
Hunan Homes and I go way back...way, way back. I had a manager about twenty bosses ago that used to love bringing us here when we were wet-behind-the-ears corporate pups hanging on his every word on how to get ahead in the rat race. I think the only part of the advice that took was coming here all these years later. I just like this place for the food, the efficiency, and the teal carpet (see my photo). OK, I really hate the teal carpet, and there is a heavy Caucasian predominance among the diners. But trust me, this place is very good by Chinatown standards.
Among the many choices on the menu, I like - brace yourself - the $10.95 plate of Steamed Chicken pieces covered in ginger and scallions (see my photo). I know the sight of raw-looking chicken skin makes many stomachs turn, but I just like the freshness of the taste without the burden of an unrecognizable brown sauce. I do get the occasional random piece of bone, but I am usually able to maneuver it before it reaches my gullet. Am I getting too graphic? Anyway, you can probably guess this is not a commonly served dish, but I get it here because they do it very well.
Otherwise, the rest of the menu is perfectly fine. In fact, their dishes make them a perennial winner of Citysearch's annual polls. The menu is mainly a combination of Hunan and Cantonese dishes, but I've enjoyed most everything I've had here over the years. So don't be put off by the big family from Iowa taking over the center tables. They just couldn't fit through the rickety stairwell at Sam Wo's.
FOOD - 4 stars...honestly, one of the better Chinatown options even if I do order strange stuff
AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...clean but that teal carpet has got to go
SERVICE - 4 stars...completely buttoned-up
TOTAL - 4 stars...Home is where Hunan is...there's your slogan...I'll send my bill later
What's with all the tour groups?
Went here for dinner with the Mrs. after recommendations from my Australian brother in law who got a recommendation from his hotel. After all the reviews we've read, we figured it should be pretty good. We walked in on a Friday night with no reservations at about 6 and were promptly seated. Hot and sour soup was very good. We ordered the curry chicken and hunan prawns. Downed them in no time flat. We were stil hungry so the waitress suggested we try the beef sizzling plate. Great dish! Overall, very good food and friendly service. But what's the deal with the tour bus groups? We sat there for almost 2 hours and we must've seen at least 3 groups of tourists with cameras swinging from their necks numbering anywhere from 12 to about 25 folks each. They all had this dumbfounded look on their face like they had never had chinese food before. They must have some huge cave in the back where they cater to groups as the front dining area isn't that big and it was consistently full all evening. Overall, a good night out for chinese, but with so many other options available, we'll chalk this up as good place to go, but we'll try other places next time. Don't want to get stuck in a rut.
Consistent tasty hommy Chinese food with great service. Hidden jewel on a side street in China town. Local's favorite to go place for yummy Chinese food!
Very Good
Solid Four Stars
Best Dishes
Hot & Sour Soup
BBQ Pork Fried Rice
Pot Stickers
Mu Shu Pork
This is one of the best for
"Old School" Chinese In San Francisco
A solid establishment, Hunan Homes Restaurant has THE MOST entertaining waiters ever! Go because you're hungry and leave laughing.
What a schtick!
First Chinese dinner of the New Year, and I'm happy to report that Hunan Home's remains excellent.
We had shrimp with lobster sauce, chicken with string beans, and kung pao beef. All were excellent with distinct flavors and fresh ingredients.
Service is friendly and attentive. The 5-star rating is well deserved.
I'd recently signed up for an American Airlines plan that adds miles for dining in member… Read more »
Went to this restaurant on a recommendation...big mistake!! I'm Hispanic and I can tell that it's fake Chinese food. Knew I made a mistake when I didn't see any asains eating there.
chinatown small street dining...chinese hunan homes...various dishes....from chicken to beef....eggplants to tofu....portions smaller noticing for same pricing elsewhere...finding variety to be uni-sauce seasoning...bored of similar tastes...just different texture...good for solo dinner....rice and one item....group dinners finding disappointing by lack of taste variation....uni-flavor...
Plain & simple: really, really good Chinese food. I was looking for a non-skeezy Chinese place around Nob Hill where I could eat without risking food poisoning and this is definitely it. My friends and I showed up around 8:30 PM on a Sunday night and the place was pretty crowded (so I'd hate to see what it's like at dinnertime on Friday or Saturday night) but somehow we got seated immediately upon walking in the door. The restaurant itself was clean albeit tacky (but that just gave it character!) and the waiter brought out tea and water ASAP. The food came out piping hot and everything tasted amazingly fresh. Just remember that when you order, rice doesn't come with the entrees and needs to be ordered separately.
So my family used to regularly visit the one in Los Altos on a regular basis... and believed that this was the only edible restaurant in tourist laden Chinatown. We've been here a couple of times and twice... we saw a furry fat bald tailed rat running around late last year. Of course all the kids were screaming "RAT RAT RAT!!" and the waitress kept insisting that they had no vermin... Until Mr. Rat scurried across her feet since a neighboring table also started screaming.
Food is actually good here (4 stars)... but sanitation is VERY VERY bad.... Unless... you have a thing for rats. The show was very entertaining I have to admit...
So the owner of the restaurant contacted me about the sanitation issues... and said that there are some "rat-proofing" methods done around the kitchen area. I don't know how that changes things in terms of keeping the furry friends out of the kitchen... or out of the dining area. (Yes it is Chinatown... and I would never trust the sanitation at ANY restaurant here... but this is the first restaurant where I've actually seen a live rat running around.) But still... vermin is vermin. He also requested that the time frame of my visit. SO YELP READERS... This review is from 4 months ago! (If that makes any difference.... since we know that rats live a lot longer than 4 months... and can breed exponentially in tha time!)
To the restaurant's credit, the salt and pepper crab and lobster are done VERY well here. And if you are fond of little oinky-innards, they have this dish that boils pork blood cubes with pork intestines with tofu that's served over this flambe thing. That is very well flavored... I avoid the intestines and blood and go for the tofu.
I come here with regulars and always order an item that isn't listed on the menu. Let me just say it's wonderfully salty, spicy, deep fried, and always fresh. As far as appetizers go, I really like the potstickers and fried prawns. Eggrolls, not so much. The hot and sour soup is consistently delicious. Once, I strayed from my usual lunch plate and ordered the mongolian beef and didn't care for it much. You can pay extra for brown rice w/ the lunch plates, which is nice, but I've always stuck w/ white rice. Service is fast and the owners are very welcoming. We always walk here, but apparently they will validate parking in certain locations (call to confirm).
(This is a review from 2 years ago)
The worst Chinese restaurant I've ever been to. We stumbled into this restaurant while touring Chinatown. We had String Beans and Chow Mein. Portion was small. Food was just alright. Service wasn't so good. And we paid $20.85 for it. Over $20 for tiny plates of string beans and chow mein? I will never go back to this restaurant.
Update:
After posting the review, I received a message from the owner of the restaurant on my blog. I forgot to mention the review is from two years ago, which is my fault. But it is still my honest opinion about the restaurant. The owner said my comment is not fair and cheating to the public. He also said, "I didn't know that Taiwanese will do such thing like you,so mean,used an old article to hurt a business." Then he asked me to delete my "unhonest" review from Yelp.
To the owner of the restaurant, anything I wrote here is my honest opinion. I didn't write this review because I am Taiwanese, nor am I trying to be mean, nor am I trying to hurt your business. You should've ask yourself why would a customer feel the way like I do about your restaurant. Calling me "a mean Taiwanese with unhonest review that just try to hurt your business" is not the right thing to do here. Just for your comment, I would give your restaurant a minus 5 stars. Thank you.
I go here every Christmas Eve with my parents (what a cliche), because this is some of the best Chinese food in the city.
John, the manager is really nice, always helpful with questions, suggestions and reservations (which you should make if you are coming in on a busy night like xmas eve, or just a Friday or Saturday night).
The whole braised fish is always cooked perfectly and they de-bone it at the table for you which is cool to watch, the hot spicy bean curd is just spicy enough without being overpowering, and the crispy duck is
really flavorful--the fat of the duck just melts in your mouth....aaaaand i'm drooling right now.
I have been coming here since I was probably 4 or 5 years old (I'm 22) and I've never had a bad experience.
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Dim Sum
Ooops, wrong Chinatown. But hey, I love a classic…
Tourist traps? Hole in the walls? Hidden gems?…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Every now and then Santa Cruz gets a bit…
In Chinatown, there are five good…
Here's where you'll find me when the hunger pangs…
Eat where locals eat, not your typical tourist…
