Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant in San Diego

Sam Woo, next to 99 Ramch on Clairmont Mesa, one of the decent, authentic Cantonese restaurants in San Diego.Not elegant with classy service, but big portions with a price thats not representative of the California premium. For a Chinese restaurant in the US, I think its a strong B+. And they now accept Venmo & Zelle so for lazy me that rarely carries cash, thats a big plus!Ranked from favorite to least:Beef brisket with turnip: very well done - meat was appropriately tender, marinated maybe a touch too sweet, but not having had a good version in a very long time, it was very satisfying. A strong B+.Garlic gailan: very nicely done. Veggies were fresh and crunchy, served very hot with decent wok hei. A touch light on the garlic but the quantity given was quite generous. Another strong B+.BBQ pork & duck with rice: Duck was done well - among the best Ive had in the US. What I had yesterday was as good as Eastern Dynasty or Taste of HK amd that was a nice surprise. The BBQ pork was also quite nice. Not tender enough and the flavor not strong enough to make it to the great level but quite good. A solid B.Yeen yeung fried rice: Havent had this in ages! The white sauce side was a touch underseasoned, and although appropriately generous in the amount of shrimp, they could have been fresher. The sweet & sour sauce side was done better and the fried rice itself had good flavor although a touch too wet. Nonetheless, a good showing and a solid B.BBQ pork fried noodles: the noodles were fine. Maybe a little too much sauce and I prefer a bit more crunchy parts on top, but decently well done. The problem with this dish was the stale tasting BBQ pork. I forgot to follow the cardinal rule of never ordering something with BBQ pork thats not freshly chopped. I assume they used left over BBQ pork because I tasted the previously frozen / refrigerated flavor, and the texture was quite off. Despite the very generous portion, I can only give this a C.Given the convenient location - being next to 99 Ranch - I will definitely visit again.

Love the ladies there, super friendly. Dirty washroom hence -1 star but typical. Food was great. Can tell them to alter your salt level if you are health conscious (bless them) can’t wait to try more goodies

CASH ONLY. The restaurant is located in the same building as the Ranch 99 supermarket. We got the duck and BBQ pork lomein entree. It came with a cup of chicken broth and two small pieces of bok choy. The pork was tasty and lean. The duck was mostly bones and very little meat. We would not order an entree with duck again. The food is good, but not a great value for the prices charged compared with other nearby restaurants.

I love the breakfast menu!! Such a satisfying craving!! Great customer service. The milo drink is a mist have. They have a great lunch menu also.

This place isnt going to blow your mind, but it offers great value esp if you are say a college kid looking for a cheap fillimg meal.Duck with bean curd plate. 7/10 note to self bean curd is tofu. I would have preferred just the duck. Standard.Service: 8/10 cant expect much, but its good overall.Atmosphere: 7/10 its not the greatestPrice: $ this is where it shines. You get a lot for the price. $14 before tip for a meal that could feed 2-3ppl.

The worst Cantonese food I have ever eaten in my life. I understand that the Asian Food became sweeter in US. But the sauce was too sweet with the meat and rice. The Beef chow fun was too oily and no taste at all. I was very excited to bring my husband to eat Cantonese food, it was his first time trying and he was so disappointed. Not worth the money….

One of our favorite causal Chinese restaurants. Reasonable priced and huge portion! Delicious BBQ items, tasty takeouts at the counter, and yummy kitchen dishes! I am a customer for 20 years.Make sure to bring cash.

I had the orange flavored chicken. I couldnt even eat half. It was so gross. The string beans looked wonderful. Tasted like shrimp and perfume. Yuck. Rice was undercooked and it tasted like shrimp. Miso soup wasnt fit for a dog to eat. Awful, just awful. And I have been living in the bathroom since I ate this nasty food. I couldnt eat it and it went in the trash. That really makes me mad. I hate wasting food. Use fresh water to cook in. Not everyone is a fan of seafood. Im not, it upsets my stomach. Thanks for nothing.

Authentic Cantonese food.Recommended their BBQ pork and duck.Location is super convenient. It is in the 99 ranch market. Also it close at 11pm. Great place to have a feast when you are super hungry.Their to go bento is great portion with lots of food selection. Usually I can separate one bento into 2 meals.

Yummy food, convenient located, nice people.