Chow Lists

• 1. Jai Yun

  680 Clay St, San Francisco, CA 94111

  The chef shops for food daily and the menu is at his discression. Not the type of place to go if your idea of good Chinese food is sweet and sour pork with fried rice.

• 2. Bund Shanghai

  640 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA

  This newly opened restaurant with two chefs from Shanghai is getting many positive mentions on Chowhound

• 3. R & G Lounge

  631 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94108

  Often recommended as one of the better choices in Chinatown. Search Chowhound posts about best bets to order. The salt and pepper crab is often recommended

• 4. Golden Gate Bakery

  1029 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

  My favorite baked BBQ pork buns. The egg custard tarts are not as good as before the passing of the baker, but still tasty.

• 5. House of Nanking

  919 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94133

  If standing in a long line to sit at a shabby restaurant and eating carelessly prepared and overly sweet Americanized Chinese food served by a rude staff is your idea of a good time, hang the word 'tourist; around your neck and join the queue. As Herb Cean said, it's not even the best place on the block.

• 6. The House

  1230 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

  This is Asian fusion. It is technically in North Beach on the edge that touches Chinatown. <br><br> The food is so good it should be seriously considered by anyone thinking of eating in the Chinatown area.

• 7. Great Eastern Restaurant

  649 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133

  Often recommended on the SF boards as one of the better Chinatown options

• 8. Yuet Lee Seafood

  1300 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94133

  It is open until 3am so a good late night choice. Some favorably mentioned dishes are salt and pepper squid, clams in black bean sauce, fresh and dried squids, catfish hot pot, Won Ton Soup, spicy salt & pepper sparerib (pork cutlets)

• 9. Little Garden

  750 Vallejo St, San Francisco, CA 94133

  Some Hong Kong coffee shop dishes have been added since new owners took over. <br><br> The star here is the HK-style beef chow fun (dry-cooked). Read the Chowhound report linked in the Place record. <br><br> One poster writes "I’d have to say that this is one of the best renditions out there. The noodles actually have some wok char on them and are loose and not stuck together. The beef isn’t over tenderized and the seasonings support but don’t overwhelm the flavor of the meat. The knifework on the onions shows an even hand to cut them uniformly and they’re cooked to sweetness yet retain some juicy firmness. A seemingly simple dish, but the skill to make it well appears to be a dying art. We were very pleased to find it practiced so well here. And for only $4.50 to boot.'

• 10. Z & Y

  655 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133

  Read linked reports for what to order or avoid at this restaurant

• 11. Hon's Wun Tun House

  648 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94108

  As indicated by the name, won ton with noodles <br><br> As one poster writes "The shop hasn't changed in thirty years and has a very Streets of San Francisco look. If you want to get a feel for how Chinatown still functions as a neighborhood, this is a pretty good place to eat. The clientele is pretty interesting--financial types in their suits for lunch, blue collar workers, Chinatown brats looking for a snack after school, Chinese senior citizens on a tight budget enjoying a special dinner, and people dropping in to pick up noodles, fun, tong yuen to cook at home." <br><br> "Hon's also makes good ngow jaap (beef innards), brisket, and curry beef brisket ... I have asked once before if someone knew how to reproduce their curry beef brisket, because the proprietors are getting old and I think intent on taking their secret sauce to the grave." <br><br> Other recommendations: Shrimp dumplings and spicey beef tendon noodles

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