Mayflower Seafood Restaurant
268 reviews
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
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112 Reviews for Mayflower Seafood Restaurant
The best place where I have had Dim Sum. I mean, they kept bringing food after food and we couln't take it anymore. The chicken feet were very tasty and lots of appetizers. It was a very good sunday for dim sum
Fun for Dim Sum! I had a Fear Factor moment and ordered the Jelly Fish on a whim. I didn't know if I was eating the tentacles or the rounded cap and the slimey consistency did not do it for me, so I was only able to stomach one.
The shrimp dumplings were good, as were the clams. They ran out of roasted duck, which was upsetting.
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First time here. Came here for a friend's b-day. We had a set dinner for $200. I thought the price was much for what they gave us. The food wasn't extraordinary compared to the other Chinese restaurants that are much cheaper.
If I ever come back, I'll probably try the individual dishes and maybe Dim Sum.
I came here once for lunch during the weekday. The only thing was it got really crowded when the time. I went it didnt take the Hostess that long to get me to a table. Mayflower Seafood Restaurant is a good place and the dim sum is not that bad at all, it tasted pretty good.
A very good Chinese dinner in a restaurant full of Chinese families. There was even one group in the corner who ordered a whole roasted pig. Even though I don't eat pork, it was still fun to see piggy come out in all his glory.
Their steamed whole seabass was cooked perfectly. Some other menu items were just ok. A couple of dishes that I know well from Great Eastern or Ton Kiang are simply not as good at Mayflower. The oyster with ginger and scallions was a particular disspointment compared to other restaurants.
So, it is hit or miss with some of the menu items. However, it is still possible to have a nice experience here and that is why I have returned over the years.
my first dim sum experience was here about a decade ago....and I have not forgotten a bite. Since I have not been in since the 90's, i cannot give 5 stars.... but still, delicious dim sum.
The dim sum was good. They get really busy and service is a little hit or miss, but you should come here for the food - it is authentic and delicious. The wait on a Sunday morning is a little long, but once you start eating, you forget that you had to wait because everything we ordered satisfied the dim sum craving. I would come back, but I still prefer dim sum in Chinatown a little bit better.
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Dim sum is good and also banquet dinner is good here. I recommend this place very good. Located in Richmond district. Parking can be a pain but food is good.
I just came here today . This is one of the upscale dim sum places . Their dim sum is pretty good but I'm still not quite impressed . I HATE the fake shark fin soup . It was okay but it had so much MSG in it that it made my tongue dry and killed all my tastebuds for the whole day . The ha gow was okay but I feel like the outside layer wrapping the shrimp is too thick . The shrimp cherng fun wasn't that good . The cherng fun was not smooth enough or soft enough . The waitress recommended the XO fried turnip cake because it's uncommon .. you don't really see other places serving it . But it wasn't really that good . It was just decent . It didn't have much flavor and you can't really taste the XO . It seem like all they did was add pieces of egg to fried turnip cake . How stupid !! Might as well have ordered fried turnip cake right ? Haha . The shui mai and mango pudding was good . What really impressed me is their Braised E-Fu Noodle With Mushroom . like how the noodle was full of flavor and how it wasn't overloaded with other stuff . The waitress with short highlighted hair was pretty friendly . I thought my parents knew her but they didn't . She just started talking to us . This place opens at 11 Mon - Sat . I'm not sure about Sunday but I think it's a little earlier . Btw , they charge you 3$ for tea .
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My husband insists on going here for the duck tongue and, of course, chicken feet. By the end of our meal, he always has a pile of remnants large enough for a tasty little stock. It's all good!
Service is not very good but I don't really expect it from a mark-your-order-on-a-duplicate-paper dim sum spot.
Check out the back of the room (off the streetside corner) behind the plants....
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My dad used to be one of the managers here before he started working at Koi Palace. I used to come here quite often, but not so much anymore, which is a shame because I love their food! I've come for dim sum and dinner, and I love both. Very warm, welcoming place with delicious food. I like the big windows, too. Try this place out!
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This is real Chinese food baby ..that means stuff like grilled stuffed calamari, baby abalone and dried shitake braised in claypot. Whole fish from the live tank steamed with soy, ginger, sesame oil ,g.onion cilantro and finished with a little drizzle of garlic oil. A little pricey but just as much as your average European dinner.
The service is, well, asian (read: they avoid you at all costs). But the food is good, the choices are many, and it's pretty inexpensive. Parking's a bitch during peak hours.
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R. says:
We went here for dim sum. We thought it was pretty good. The dim sum came out hot and fresh - not cold like some restaurants we've been to. Overall, it's not sensational, but it's definitely worth visiting if you want to try something new.
Can't really go wrong with dim sum, ever.
Even when it's bad, it's good, just like pizza and other things I won't mention here.
In this case though, it's pretty good and pretty cheap. I feel like the portions here are larger than other dim sum places, but that may have just been the first time that I actually stopped eating when I was feeling full.
As with alot of dim sum places, service is spotty. Just be aggressive and wave them down! Wave your hand, call out their name, whatever. But then again, I am used to less than stellar service at Chinese places.
Either way, this is a good dim sum place............
Cheap, full service (even with their sour expressions), and just delicious dim sum.
I especially love their spicy turnip cake, and their usual dim sum fare. They have great stuff...not too greasy, and good quality. And it's really in the carts...okay, maybe they come around carrying trays sometimes, but it's better than pre-ordering it! I like having the choice to try something, especially as I cannot read the menus in Chinese!
I love how I can get away with eating about 20 dishes with two people and only spend $10! I like their 'regular' menu dishes as well, but I don't usually go there for it, as I have other places closer for that.
Parking is an utter pain, as this is on Geary! But, hey...you plan ahead.
I always take guests/out-of-towners here if they are into that sort of thing.
Edit 3/10/08: Dropping from 5 to 1 star. Why? Because after 5 years of coming here, and usually bringing out of towners here, they really, really f*cked up the service on Sunday. They yelled at us to sit in a certain chair, they stole the soy sauce off of our table without asking at all, they kept bumping into us, they ignored us, and they were just completely, inexcusably RUDE! Food is still good but not worth the frustration any more!
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Me: Yum Chow?
Chinese People: No, Yum Cha!
I tried a couple of new stuff here, alongside some usuals, and I was happy with each and every one. Go right before 2pm to avoid the wait and order by menu. This place made my stomach warm on a rainy day and the price is just right.
Dammit, now I need to go back to try the mango pudding, o boy o boy!
Mayflower has one of most eclectic selections of dim sum offerings I've seen. For Sunday dim sum, they were actually serving PIGS FEET! Some of you may be grossed out, but seriously, this is a treat. I rarely see this on a menu, and NEVER see it for dim sum. But it was great since we could share it across the group. Personally I'm a fan. It was a bday dish mom would cook up for dad (served w/ somen noodles, it symbolizes long life). Anyhoo, the pig knuckles was tender and flavorful.
Mayflower also serves up traditional ha gow, siu mai and cha siu bao. You can also get black bean clams, jellyfish, etc. Do be adventurous and try something different.
Note: Super long lines on weekends. Get there early.
This is the best dim sum restaurant I have been to so far.
Everything I tried at Mayflower was excellent, while other places for me have been hit or miss. A lot of the items are made with shrimp, including, if I remember correctly, the shiu mai and the stuffed eggplant. The stuffed eggplant is one of my favorite items.
Not only is the food great, the price was reasonable and we left full.
My girlfriend and I go here once a week for our weekend brunch.
Once a week, for last a year or so. That's hell lots of times.
It is truly a 4-star place... Not a 5-star one.
It's cheap and most of dishes are good. My girlfriend is from China and even she acknowledges, and complained only for a few of those. I have had dimsum for last 12 years or so, and I can tell they are good. But ever since I've had some original HK dimsums in Asia and Koi Palace dimsums, I can definitely tell they are not the greatest dimsum place, but the price helps it a lot.
Only one problem: I really don't like one waitress here who is basically just a super annoying B. Other than that, I wouldn't mind going here a lot whenever I can wake up late and give a lot of tips to waiters/waitresses for the great food.
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Fantastic dim sum but bad service! All the waiters seem to have selective sight, the moment they see you trying to flag them down, they turn their heads away. Despite this, I will definitely still come back for the dim sum cos we are shameless when it comes to great taste! It can be crowded though so come early. Big parties will tend to have to wait longer as they do not have many big tables to seat you. The cod fish was excellent and I always have to get my favorite rice noodles with the shrimp!
A lot has already been said so I will put in another vote for dinner - plan to check out the dim sum and compare it to it's sister restaurant in Milpitas (which is great). If you want good chinese food (and especially seafood) in the Richmond, you should feel confident heading here. The ambiance is casual - a bit noisy with all the big parties - and decor typical non-hole in the wall chinese restaurant.
I dont know what is is about Dim Sum servers they always look like they just ate shit and are pissed at life. That is what the service is kinda like here. Its not like service at any Dim Sum place should be exceptional but cmon put a fucking smile on your face.
The line is out the door everytime I come here. I have to wait like 40 minutes even if I come here early. The food is pretty good I guess. I enjoy the tripe a lot. Like many Dim Sum places there is a language barrier if you dont speak cantonese or mandarin. The decor is really ugly too and they have this weird area in the back of the restaurant which is like a table and they cook on there- kinda ghetto maybe?
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good dim sum and cheap. I love their deep fried tofu, crispy outside and soft inside. Their mango pudding is excellent!
I give the dim sum 4 stars,
but at dinner time the seafood is 5 stars, my favorite is their seasonal shark fin soup in a whole steamed papaya, oh so good. Sorry conservationalists, animal and environmental activists. Please don't hate me because I eat shark fin.
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Decent Dim Sum in the outer richmond. There's numerous choices around the city, so the only reason I come here is if others have decided to meet here already.
Nothing to rave about.
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One of my favorite dim sum and dinner places. Always able to get a seat. The food is great. The service is great as well. I heard that they just acquired another venue in Millbrae.. So I gotta check that out later.
Good place for Dim Sum, was lucky and got a seat not too long on a Saturday afternoon. Service was pretty good and reasonably friendly.
I didn't care for the variety. Pretty basic stuff, nothing special, but what we had was pretty good. I didn't like their egg rolls. It was not as crispy as I liked it. A bit pricey, and parking is hard!
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Dim sum is either expensive-good, expensive-bad, cheap-good, or cheap-bad.
Mayflower is cheap-good.
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I was driving around Geary and wanted dim sum when I randomly stopped here...I'm glad I did :) Well, other than my initial unpleasant experience of having two parties who arrived AFTER me get seated BEFORE me (miscommunication between waiters) everything was good. My waiter knew I was a little peeved, because I gave him the good ol' evil eye as I was walking to our table. My mood quickly changed as our waiter proved to be courteous, friendly, and constantly checked to see if I needed anything. I didn't order any special dishes, just the dim sum and just about everything we ordered was tasty. My only complaint, the broth of the shark fin dumpling soup was bland...but the dumpling? YUM! The dishes were inexpensive and quality.
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Reasons to visit:
1. You like waiters with attitude problems.
2. You want waiters that can't take your order correctly and is unwilling to correct it afterwards.
3. You have tons of money to blow on food that is overly greasy and tasteless.
4. You enjoy being harassed by the servers when they realized you didn't give them tip for their horrible service.
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My family's come here for years and years and is the traditional place to go for dinner. I personally hate eating here. The place is pretty small and crowded, although when I was younger it was so much worse. I guess my family learned to make reservations and actually be prompt about it.
It's your standard Cantonese food, with nothing amazing or "must eat again". I haven't had the problems other people have had with the service, and usually the wait staff is pretty polite and happy to see us. It could be because more people=bigger orders/tips, but I've never experienced rude waiters/waitresses. In fact, one waitress whacked/was run into by a kid and both her and another waiter began apologizing and asking if the girl was okay immediately.
The only problem is that sometimes the wait times are annoying. My table got all of our food and had finished eating almost completely before our other table had gotten beyond the soup. This may have been simply parental concern for their offspring to eat first, but it was a pain for us kids, who really hated waiting another hour for them to finish.
I wouldn't come here of my own free will, but it's a very popular place.
There really aren't that many good dim sum places in San Francisco, which is ironic considering there are so many people from the old country here. You'd think some star chefs would be amongst the transplants.
Mayflower isn't bad; in fact, it's one of the better places. They feature a lot of the usual fare and in a respectable variety. Many of the highlights are featured here by other Yelpers.
But after you've chosen your favorites from the dim sum menu, try ordering some of the house specials like lobster noodles - that's "loong ha yee mein." The chef here does an excellent rendition of this indulgent dish. They also have different kinds of fried rice and various other noodle dishes worth trying.
Going for dim sum does not have to be limited to dim sum. You can treat the dim sum as appetizers and check out the little menu that's slipped in between the soy sauce and chili oil rounder for some main courses to round out the meal.
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JESUS CHRIST WTF?!?
For the love of God, please STAY AWAY from this restaurant!
Ridiculously OVERPRICED food. Simple steamed fish was $24+ per pound, and when it is served suddenly that 1.25lb fish becomes a minuscule 1/4lb morsel. Oh and the fish STILL HAS SCALES all over it! Enjoy chewing each bite as you spit dozens of small scales out of your mouth.
Food itself was NOTHING SPECIAL. For the prices you are paying, you would expect some quality and uniqueness in the dishes... but NOT HERE! That expensive fish was overcooked and totally ruined. Expect your food to be bland & tasteless like cardboard, everything is greasy as hell, and portions SO SMALL that Nicole Richie wouldn't be satisfied.
WORST...
....SERVICE...
........EVER!
The worst service in any San Francisco restaurant I have been to. We ordered the 'Roast Duck' appetizer for $6.50, but they ended up giving us the 'Peking Duck' dish that cost $23.00! They would not even let us change the order afterwards.
For those of you that don't know, 'Peking Duck' consists of thin shavings of fatty duck skin that you put inside little doughy pieces of bread and smear with dark sauce. You are supposed to be served the rest of the duck, meat cut into small pieces, afterwards. However we were never served the duck meat, and when we complained at the end of the meal, the waiter went back and stuffed a greasy whole uncut skinless bony duck corpse into a plastic bag and handed it to us. WTF! Can you at least cut it up into pieces and put it in a to-go box?!? He was EXTREMELY RUDE to us about the whole affair.
When the check came, we decided to withhold tip because of the outrageously bad service. The staff started jabbering in Cantonese to each other about how we did not tip, and had the gall to try to bully us into a mandatory gratuity charge. Our party only consisted of four people, so that ploy was total BS. We made our dissatisfaction known to the wait staff (and a few nearby tables as well) before leaving and promising never to come back again.
I have uploaded a picture of the nasty duck-in-a-plastic-bag for all of you to see ( http://www.yelp.com/bi... ). Please do not patronize this establishment!
I would give this place NEGATIVE stars if possible.
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I found myself craving some good ethnic food last night, jumped in my car with good company and drove out to the Outer Richmond for a little foodie adventure...enter the Mayflower Restaurant.
It was awful. I don't even know where to begin. For a starter I ordered the crab wontons and they had no crab (does this place have Seafood in the name) and they actually had crusted lard on the outside. The chicken cashew dish I ordered contained very little chicken and so much salt that my mouth still hurts.
I was charged $4 for two orders of steamed white rice which anyone would say is outrageous. The total was $40 for two meals, a starter, and the obnoxiously expensive white rice. When I had paid the waiter came over to the table and checked out my tip before I left the restaurant (which I may add was 18% for an awful meal because I am sucker).
As for the dim sum reviews...maybe, but I do not see after this meal how it could be more affordable or delicious than Ton Kiang.
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Finally a good dim sum place in the richmond! Decor is decent - not hole in the wall, more like a good seafood place that has character (perhaps has seen better days, but is still quite in the running). A bit oily, but still flavorful. I also didn't get dim sum hangover/sickness per usual when I overeat (a big plus). And the prices are disgustingly reasonable.
I look forward to coming back here.
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Yes, there was a long wait.
Yes, I had to shove past little Chinese women to get through the cluttered waiting area.
Yes, the first waiter ignored our request for their house-made hot sauce.
Yes, the second waiter ignored our request for water.
Yes, the third waiter ignored our request for water.
But, OH YES, today I ate the dish of my dreams!
***Cubed Pan Fried Turnip Cake with X.O. Sauce and Eggs***
Now, I've had my fair share of dim sum. I've been to places all throughout the city, east bay, south bay, SoCal, East Coast, London, Singapore, and even Hong Kong! But I've never had a dish quite like this. It's the perfect blend of sweet, savory, squishy, crispy, oily, chewy, yumminess! Mmmm!
All dishes were great and I highly recommend this place! Though, it's not like they need the business - be prepared to wait! Go hungry, but not too hungry or you'll end up passed out on the side of the street.
Oh, another new dish I had was a puff pastry like concoction stuffed with char siu (bbq'd pork) - yum!
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Holy Toledo, Batman!!!! WHAT WAS THAT CRAP I PUT IN MY MOTUH?!?!
Hahaha, okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but seriously I will never be going back there. Just didn't seem to fit together, the place was packed, all the other tables looked like they had great dishes, which is why it got two stars, but other than that, food was tasteless. Cashew Chicken a big no, and the shrimp dish we had tasted like they had been dipped in miracle whip. I could think of plenty of other places where I would rather eat in the City. Oh well, I gave it a shot.
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Good Dim Sum for a good price. One star off for the lack of ambiance. The customer service here is not bad. They know my niece and nephew so they are pretty nice to us :) but you know they are pretty standard.
Mmmm... I've been a really, really bad Yelper for some time now: letting my Elite status expire, building up such a backlog of reviews that I just stopped writing altogether. It took rediscovering Mayflower to be inspired to write again!
I really like Mayflower - and I'm one of those Chinese people that hates Chinese food unless its fairly authentic. Mayflower is great for 3 reasons: (a) its not crap American-Chinese food; (b) it specializes in incredibly fresh seafood; and (c) its pretty dern yummy!
I intro'd the bf to conch there, and it was done so well that he loved it. We also had a pretty good braised fish claypot, and the jellyfish was stellar. The only thing that is a little irritating is how cold it is inside. I odn't know if its to keep the seafood fresh (haha) or what, but if you go, bring a sweater.
Definitely coming back to try the dim sum.
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