Good Chinese restaurant in San Francisco

drake · Dec 23, 2007

One of our friends is a foreign exchange student and we all wanted to take him out to a nice restaurant before he goes back to Australia.

So what's a good Chinese restaurant in the city that has a good ambiance and is in a nice area were we can walk around and see/do stuff as well.

itsstillmatt · Dec 23, 2007

IMO, the three best for food are R&G Lounge, Lychee Gardens and Oriental Pearl. They are all in Chinatown, and none has a particularly nice ambience, although R&G is better than the others.

For good Chinese with a nice ambience and a spectacular view, Empress of China is your best bet. It reminds me of the really good Chinese restaurants of the '70s and '80s in that it is pretty cheesy, pretty good and a lot of fun. It is also in Chinatown.

Tourists seem to love Chinatown, although I have been there so many times that it doesn't have much appeal left. The other good Chinese restaurants are out in the Richmond and they offer nothing as far as ambience or neighborhood.

LabelKing · Dec 23, 2007

Chinatown is vaguely decrepit. It was much more brimming in the '70s and '80s which was when most of the present businesses opened up, I suspect.

itsstillmatt · Dec 23, 2007

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Chinatown is vaguely decrepit. It was much more brimming in the '70s and '80s which was when most of the present businesses opened up, I suspect.
True. Back in the day, the Mandarin at Ghiradelli Square was an excellent, elegant restaurant. For a few years it was probably second to Trader Vic's as the hot ticket in town. I think it has since closed, but the Empress of China has a similar vibe. We hadn't been there for years, but you mentioned it on here and we went shortly thereafter.

rxcats · Dec 23, 2007

I like Eric's in Noe Valley (1500 Church St). They do quite a few seafood dishes. The restaurant is casual, but nice. There are a few shops in the area (walking distance) and more within a few minutes drive. I like Tong Kiang for Dim Sum. It is on Geary around 22nd Ave (Richmond District). There are not many nice shops around there; there are some that might be considered "interesting" on Clement which is a block north (parallel to Geary). Tong Kiang was featured on Martha Stewart's show once; she said: "the best place for Dim Sum outside of the orient is SF and the best place for Dim Sum in SF is Tong Kiang".

itsstillmatt · Dec 23, 2007

Originally Posted by rxcats

I like Eric's in Noe Valley (1500 Church St). They do quite a few seafood dishes. The restaurant is casual, but nice. There are a few shops in the area (walking distance) and more within a few minutes drive. I like Tong Kiang for Dim Sum. It is on Geary around 22nd Ave (Richmond District). There are not many nice shops around there; there are some that might be considered "interesting" on Clement which is a block north (parallel to Geary). Tong Kiang was featured on Martha Stewart's show once; she said: "the best place for Dim Sum outside of the orient is SF and the best place for Dim Sum in SF is Tong Kiang".
We used to go to Ton Kiang for dim sum a lot, until ten years or so ago a cockroach ran across our table. It really isn't a big deal in a Chinese (or any other) restaurant, but one of the prople with us freaked out so badly that it kind of soured us on the place. The food is superb, and the dinners are as good as the dim sum. Eric's is good, but it really isn't Chinese food. I always think of it as Chinese for people who don't leave the Mission/Castro/Noe crowd.

rxcats · Dec 23, 2007

Originally Posted by iammatt

We used to go to Ton Kiang for dim sum a lot, until ten years or so ago a cockroach ran across our table. It really isn't a big deal in a Chinese (or any other) restaurant, but one of the prople with us freaked out so badly that it kind of soured us on the place. The food is superb, and the dinners are as good as the dim sum.

Eric's is good, but it really isn't Chinese food. I always think of it as Chinese for people who don't leave the Mission/Castro/Noe crowd.

If I saw a cockroach, I wouldn't go back either. I know most restaurants probably have them, but if I see it, I can't get it out of my mind.

Eric's is more "white-people" Chinese food which is probably why I like it. I am not really a big fan of Asian food in general. I tend to like places like Slanted Door that are more fusion than traditionally Asian cuisine. I used to like Oritalia when it was on Fillmore. I never went there after they moved across from the Sutter-Stockton garage and then they closed down.

LabelKing · Dec 23, 2007

Originally Posted by iammatt

True. Back in the day, the Mandarin at Ghiradelli Square was an excellent, elegant restaurant. For a few years it was probably second to Trader Vic's as the hot ticket in town. I think it has since closed, but the Empress of China has a similar vibe. We hadn't been there for years, but you mentioned it on here and we went shortly thereafter.

There also used to be an Harbor Village at Embarcadero, in the Hyatt Regency building which was good. Now it only has an outlet at the SFO International Terminal.

itsstillmatt · Dec 23, 2007

Originally Posted by LabelKing

There also used to be an Harbor Village at Embarcadero, in the Hyatt Regency building which was good. Now it only has an outlet at the SFO International Terminal.
Yes, I just walked by the current outlet a minute ago. I didn't stop. Eric's is really very good as far as the quality goes. It may be the best in the city as far as that goes.

rxcats · Dec 23, 2007

Originally Posted by LabelKing

There also used to be an Harbor Village at Embarcadero, in the Hyatt Regency building which was good. Now it only has an outlet at the SFO International Terminal.

I loved Harbor Village for Dim Sum when it was at the Embarcadero. I would take out of town guests there since it was nicer than most Chinese restaurants.

Abudeeba · Dec 24, 2007

The House of Nanking used to be really good though I haven't eaten there in a while so I have no idea how it is today. It's a small, cramped place however, so if ambiance is key, well...if ambiance is key then better to find an Italian or French restaurant.

LabelKing · Dec 24, 2007

Originally Posted by iammatt

Yes, I just walked by the current outlet a minute ago. I didn't stop.

Eric's is really very good as far as the quality goes. It may be the best in the city as far as that goes.

One is better off not stopping at any of those overpriced airport restaurants.

Parker · Dec 24, 2007

+1 for the Empress of China for drinks and the view. It also has some great photos of celebs from the 70s. Never tried their food though.

drake · Dec 25, 2007

Thanks for the recommendations!

auto90403 · Dec 26, 2007

Originally Posted by Abudeeba

The House of Nanking used to be really good though I haven't eaten there in a while so I have no idea how it is today. It's a small, cramped place however, so if ambiance is key, well...if ambiance is key then better to find an Italian or French restaurant.

a few years ago, people seriously argued house of nanking served the best chinese food in US.

i always liked it. but it's not for everyone. last time i was there, the toilet backed up, causing to diner room to smell like ****. really nasty.

but the food is dirt cheap and amazing.

Good Chinese restaurant in San Francisco

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