Best SF Bay Area Dim Sum

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San Francisco Bay Area

These are places often mentioned as having the best dim sum in the Bay Area Generally, the consensus is that to find good dim sum, the better choices are not in SF itself, but on the Peninsula In SF, the Richmond / Sunset has better options than Chinatown Dim sum is dynamic. Chefs come and go, somethimes rapidly The top places for dim sum change with the chef and also with an individual's taste, so your mileage may vary. This is not meant to be the ultimate list but a starting point for visitors. Check the Chowhond SF board for updates

1. Yank Sing
101 Spear St, San Francisco, CA 94105

Location: Embarcadero, SOMA, Financial district People either love it or think there is better elsewhere for less Suggestions; xlb, sesame balls, egg custard tarts There are two locations. This is in the lovely restored Old Post Office. <A href="http://www.chow.com/places/5544" hasbox="2">Click here for Stevenson location</A>
2. Fook Yuen
195 El Camino Real, Millbrae, CA

Pretty good but not great. They're boring, but what they do, they do well with fresher ingredients and less grease than HKFL Opened in 1988, it is part of a chain, with the original in Hong Kong and branches on Kowloon, Singapore and Australia
3. Koi Palace Restaurant
365 Gellert Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015

The menu lists over 100 dim sum choices (77 of the S/M/L variety and another 28 separately priced various “specials”. There’s also a choice of 18 teas (8 “house” teas and 10 “premium” teas). Even fans concede the terrible service. Not only is the wait extremely long but even once you get a table its very difficult to get service. Suggestions: XO pork and mushroom dumplings (XLB wrapper and filled with spicy broth), the fried Dungeness crab legs, crab XLB, egg puffs, sesame balls, taro/pork balls. bee’s nest taro puff, chive and shrimp dumpling, egg custard tarts, Shanghai dumpings, lobster dumplings
4. ABC Sea Food Restaurant
973 E Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404

ABC is a fun place, it's huge and the price is right and it is solid dim sum but not top tier There are two locations <A href="http://www.chow.com/places/11247" hasbox="2">Click here for Milpitas restaurant</A>.
5. Hong Kong Flower Lounge
51 Millbrae Ave, Millbrae, CA 94030

Recent change in management/ownership to the owners of Mayflower Restaurant. Traditional dim sum and some less common items such as bau low char siu bow), They have individual portions of clay pot rice.
6. Zen Peninsula
1180 El Camino Real, Millbrae, CA 94030

While not being as good as Koi Palace, has a lots of variety on their dim sum menu. Inventive and they make a nice house XO sauce, but the cooking is a little too savory to be properly balanced and their wrappers are kind of ehh.
7. The Kitchen
279 El Camino Real, Millbrae, CA 94030

Dim sum is decent but variety and quality aren't up to Koi's
8. South Sea Seafood Village
1420 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Sometimes good, sometimes just ok. Recommended: taro dumplings, crab claws Get the tea service to start, it's a lot of fun to watch them prepare and pour Skip; har gaw. .
9. Peninsula Asian Pearl
1671 El Camino Real, Millbrae, CA 94030

Asian Pearlis actually making a nice comeback with some surprisingly light dishes. Shrimp and pork dumpling wrapped in chinese cabbage was very clean and charming.
10. Hung To Seafood
221 S Spruce Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080

Hung To in South SF makes decent dim sum for cheap--and they still serve pig's blood
11. Gold Mountain Restaurant
644 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133

The best of the Chinatown options and it is a good value.
12. New Asia
772 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Only two dishes were really good. The Har Gaw was huge with lots and lots of whole shrimp and the XO turnip cakes were also a hit. The lave bun might be good The rest of the dishes were just OK and for the most part cold
13. City View Restaurant
662 Commercial St, San Francisco, CA 94111

A clear, bright dim sum place. Decent dim sum not great. Better choice than most in Chinatown.
14. Tian Sing Chinese Restaurant
138 Cyril Magnin St, San Francisco, CA 94102

The prices are good and the dim sum is fresh.
15. Legendary Palace
708 Franklin St, Oakland, CA 94607
16. Joy Luck
327 8th St, Oakland, CA 94607
17. East Ocean Seafood
1713 Webster St, Alameda, CA 94501
18. Asian Pearl
3288 Pierce St, Richmond, CA 94804
19. Koi Garden
4288 Dublin Blvd, Dublin, CA
20. Tin's Tea House
1829 Mount Diablo Blvd, Walnut Creek, CA

Probably the best bet in the Walnut Creek Area
21. S&T Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant
2578 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122

S&T has an extensive dim sum and dinner. menu
22. Louie's California Chinese
646 Washington Street, San Francisco, CA 94111-2106

Location: Chinatown There are about 50 dim sum items that can be ordered off the menu. No carts
23. House of Banquet
939 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118

Location: Richmond district Dim sum carts offer over a hundred small dishes. An interesting sweet, here are the green tea-flavored chewy balls filled with red bean paste
24. Ton Kiang
5821 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94121

Location: Richmond district Dim Sum served all day. Their dim sum is Hakka Style. This is a good place for people new to dim sum
25. Joy Luck Place San Mateo
88 E 4th Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401

There are dim sum carts. Not at the same level as HKFL or even Imperial Garden. But handy for meeting friends mid-peninsula and overall not expensive Recommended: chive dumplings, siu mai, fried shrimp with peach, tofu fa Skip: xiao long bao (awful!), the almond taro <A href="http://www.chow.com/places/7887" hasbox="2">There is a second location in Cupertino </A>