Top Chinese Restaurant South in San Francisco
Dumpling Kitchen
1935 Taraval St, San Francisco, CA 94116, United States
We had a pretty large group here last night for a couple of friends birthdays. For the value, Dumpling Kitchen was pretty good. Its no Michelin star restaurant but a satisfying combination of price, portion, and flavor.XLB - The skins were way better than I expected at this price point. Their texture was smooth with the right amount of firm chewiness. Just from looking at them, the fine folds at the top was a good sign that the skins would be thin and delicate. They also didnt break open when picked up with chopstick. Not much to complain about there. The stuffing was not the best but still decent for a low end restaurant. The texture of the pork was on the grittier side, and I thought it couldve had more ginger and green onions mixed in for more brightness. The broth was similar to the pork stuffing in that it could be brighter and bolder, but it still had good body and was seasoned with enough salt . The broth was also on the fattier side, which doesnt bother me, but I know some people out there prefer cleaner XLB broths.Braised Pork Belly with Pickled Vegetables - You can tell this restaurant probably isnt run by Shanghainese people because of kitchen staff yelling at each other in Cantonese, and this is reflected in some of the menu items. This braised pork belly dish is a traditional Hakka classic from southern China, far from Shanghai. Dumpling Kitchens rendition is actually pretty good. The pork belly was tender, and the sauce was a good balance of sweetness and pickled earthiness. My favorite place to order this is at Hakka Restaurant in the Outer Richmond. If I had to compare the two, Hakkas sauce is thicker and richer with a more complex spice mixture. Theres a slight orange peel flavor in Hakkas that separates it from the rest. Despite not being as good as Hakkas, I would have no qualms with getting the pork belly here.Green Onion Pancakes - Not really my cup of tea. They have the lighter and fluffier version of green onion pancakes, and I didnt think it had much green onion flavor. It kinda just tasted doughy. The crispy and layered green onion pancakes are way better.Vegetarian Potstickers - There was a vegetarian in our group so we had an order of vegetarian potstickers. I was kinda surprised because they turned out to be pretty tasty. I probably liked them more than the pork and chive dumplings. Theres a good amount of shiitake mushrooms to give it a lot of umami and earthy flavors. They also put in dried tofu (doufu gon), and its firmer texture and five spice flavor paired well with the other ingredients in the stuffing.Noodles with Black Bean Sauce - Not good. Sauce was not very savory and didnt taste black bean-y. Noodles were mushy and gross. Skip this.Egg Puffs (Sah Yong) - Freshly fried and really delicious. They were light, airy, and full of eggy goodness. If I had to complain about something, its that instead of surrounding the donuts in sugar, its just poured all on top of the donuts. I just rolled the donut around to get the sugar everywhere.
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Sofra grill
132 Hazelwood Dr, South San Francisco, CA 94080, United States
Millbrae, San Bruno, and South San Francisco are turning into a Mediterranean food hub now, and I am always looking for Turkish food and Turkish breakfast.As soon as we found out there was a new place open close to our home, we looked at each other and said, Lets go.I prepared myself that its a brand new place, so I need to ignore little stuff here and there and focus on the food.Parking is on the street, and there is plenty of parking available. At that time, there were not many people because it was too early for us too.We waited a few minutes at the counter because I wasnt sure if it was a seated restaurant or not.Our server came and took us to our table, where he asked us politely for drinks. We ordered Ayran, but they were out, so he got us a regular yogurt drink. We also ordered tea at the same time.Here comes the menu, and Im so happy my favorite dish, best, was listed. Usually, Beyti is lamb, but I requested chicken, and the Chef accepted my request, so I was very thrilled.My friend ordered chicken skewers with salad and some pita bread.Our food came on time, and Im sure the waiting time will improve slowly since its been only two weeks.We loved the presentation, and the salad came in a separate bowl, which I really appreciate when salad juices get mixed with food. I wish other places would start doing that or give customers dressings or lemon on the side.Both chicken dishes were excellent, and the meat was perfectly terminated and cooked. Beyti needs more sauce and yogurt; maybe I can request extra sauce next time. Most Turkish restaurant doesnt serve this authentic signature dish.Chicken kabobs and rice were full of flavor, and the pickle with salad was very yummy. I think these pickles are homemade because I can smell fresh and crunch simultaneously in my mouth.It was so good and then came the dessert that absolutely everyone needed to try. You can see in the picture how nicely it is represented. I am not a dessert person and usually dont like to order, but this Kunafa with ice cream on the top is freshly prepared and very crunchy, not too sweet, and we start enjoying it with a sip of hot tea.This is our new place for sure. We enjoyed being served by Arie, who was very kind and smiled during his serving. Then we met The Chef, Mr. Azad, who was a very gracious and humble person. He went to everyone and asked if all was okay with their orders.This place is very homey and simple, and some of us love these neighborly restaurants.We wish you good luck and looking forward to going back soon. Thank you
Dumpling Zone
408 Dewey Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94116, United States
My new favorite Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. When I said this to the waiter (who is from China) he gave me a look of surprise that seemed to communicate “girl, you haven’t seen the world - have you been to China? Or even South Bay?) lol. Seriously though, Dumpling Zone had some of the best soup dumplings I’ve ever had. An incredibly delicate, thin skin. The dough was smooth. The dumpling was filled with so much soup. The soup and pork filling was light and delicate in flavor. I also really love the pan fried pork chive and shrimp dumplings. They also had soup inside and a homemade dough with crispy pan fried skin. I can’t wait to go back and try more dishes from this place. The restaurant also had a nice local feel. Lots of tables seemed to know each other and were chatting with each other. The restaurant is right next to the forest hills muni stop which is so convenient. 10/10 recommend
Sidewalk Food Tours of San Francisco
186 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102, United States
GREAT JOB by Dean from Sidewalk Food Tours of San Francisco! I took the Chinatown tour and had a fabulous time. Our tour guide Dean was knowledgeable, engaging and funny. It was clear to see he enjoys his job and takes pride in knowing and learning about Chinatown. Group sizes are limited to 12, perfect for navigating busy Chinatown and keeping the experience intimate.The food selections were all delicious. Dean gave us a 30 minute introduction presentation to Chinatown, and then we made our first stop for a delicious pork bun. It was freshly baked and still warm. We walked and talked to the next stop for Tan Tan Noodles. Homemade noodles with a spicy (but not too spicy) peanut sauce. The sauce is served on the side so you choose your level of heat. No visit to Chinatown is complete without Dim Sum, which we had at our third stop. We enjoyed Shrimp Dim Sum and a Mincemeat Turnover. It was so delicious I actually forgot to take a picture to share on Facebook before devouring it. The restaurant owner really likes Dean and showed her appreciation by giving us some freebies that included a Chinese doughnut. Made-to-order Chicken Pot stickers were enjoyed at the fourth stop. Then we moved into the dessert part of the tour. First we stopped by a longstanding fortune cookie shop to see how they are made and try a few samples. My favorite part of the tour was the next to last stop for Egg Custard Tart. The crust was flakey and delicious. The last stop was a tea tasting. The owner shared her knowledge of the different kinds of teas and herbal drinks and their benefits. Dean stopped and discussed points of interests in between the food stops, but I really enjoyed the food and choose to share that aspect of the tour. By the way, there were two vegetarians on our tour and Dean made sure they had unique Chinatown food to enjoy as well.Book your tour today!
Society for Asian Art
200 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102, United States
Lucky to have the largest Asian Art museum in the U.S. in San Francisco. The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco has 3 floors devoted to Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Southeast Asian, South Asia (India) and Himalayan antiquity. The old museum was a part of the old De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, but now in the refurbished SF Main Library Building in the Civic Center. I can easily spend a half day walking through the museum and viewing the current exhibition. My favorite floor is the 3rd floor where all the Asian religious statues are displayed. Its so peaceful and tranquil.Even on the first Sunday of every month (which is free, generously sponsored by Target), this place is spacious enough to handle the crowds. The museum is also part of the Bay Area Library Card program in which your countys library card can get you 2 adults and children under 12 free admission (have to sign up from your librarys site first to get the tickets). Access to BART and MUNI are walking distance so you dont need to drive or park.
Himalayan Cuisine SF
1412 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109, United States
We loved this place. LOTS of vegetarian options. Affordable. Perhaps best of all, owner is very nice.Here are the things we got:Dahi puri- decent, a little sweet, but definitely better than at a lot of placesChana masala- authentic taste, not too much oil, loved itMalai kofta- i am an expert in this haha because I order it everywhere. It was actually delicious. Well made. We got it spicy and it was PERFECTTandoori paneer kebab- My favorite dish. Very good. My friends got the chicken version and said that was dry- i dont know and i cant comment on it. But the paneer version was ON POINT.Veggie steamed momo- oK. Not my favorite. Definitely have had better momos before. Here i could recommend they work on some improvement. The chutney was also very similar in flavor to the momo, which might be why the combo wasnt good. A fresh flavorful spicy chutney might work better with these momos.Veggie chow mein- we got SPICY. my husband loved this, he said it was his fave. i couldnt eat it because it was too spicy for me, but what little i did eat was deliciousRice, naan, papadam were standard and good.Overall very good restaurant, friendly people, and deserving of the 4.9 stars it has currently
Cantoo Latin Asian Rotisserie
572 O'Farrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102, United States
I really, really enjoy the food and service at Cantoo Latin Asian Rotisserie!After reading and hearing reviews, I got the chance to go with my mom. We ordered the Combo Valenciano, Singapore noodles, and a cheese empanada. All were delicious! The Combo Valenciano comes with rotisserie chicken, fried rice, two sauces, and coleslaw. Im not a fan of coleslaw, but this one rocks! I usually dont like coleslaw because theres usually too much dressing that makes the slaw soggy. Not this one. Its light on the dressing so the veggies stayed crunchy. The rotisserie chicken was moist and had good seasoning. It paired well with the fried rice.The Singapore noodles had good texture and seasoning. My mom was afraid it would be spicy, but its more peppery. I thought it also paired well with the chicken. Im not familiar with Venezuelan empanadas, but I will say I thought it was good. The dough is fried, so it can be a little greasy. But I liked the texture and honestly you cant go wrong with cheese wrapped in a fried dough. The dessert is not on their menu, so it may be a limited option. We ordered the flan, which had a slightly airier texture than Mexican flan. It had a light caramel sauce that wasnt too sweet. The strawberries and limes balanced the caramel with their acidity.We dined in and its a casual vibe. Its the basement level of the building. No frills with the decor, so all focus is on providing delicious food and excellent service. Seriously, service is top notch! The women who work there were super welcoming and were always available if we had any questions. We had leftovers and each takeout bag comes with a handwritten thank you note in 3 languages. How thoughtful is that!!?!?My family and I ordered recently for take out. We got the Combo Valenciano again so my dad can try it. We also got the croquetas de camarones, stir fry soy sauce noodles, fried calamari, and the pollo agridulce. They hit it out of the ballpark again. Everything was sooo good! The shrimp croquettes were like shrimp lumpia that came with a sweet and sour sauce. The pollo agridulce is their sweet and sour chicken. The chicken was fried lightly and the sauce tasted homemade (like, it didnt taste artificial). It made for good leftovers. The calamari also had a different spice to it, which was yummy. The stir fry soy sauce noodles was packed with savory flavor.This is one of the best restaurants in the Tenderloin. Not only the food is spectacular but it's at a great price! The combo is currently $9. And I cant think of any other place on the city like this. Asian-Latin fusion is common (mostly Filipino-Mexican or Korean-Mexican in my experience). But Cantoo offers something different. Its a je ne sais quoi. You have to experience it for yourself.
Indian Street Food
603 Old San Francisco Rd, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, United States
Prepare your taste buds for a flavor-packed journey at Indian Street Food, a remarkable food truck nestled in Sunnyvale, CA. If youre longing for the true taste of South India, look no further. Indian Street Food serves up the most delectable dosas in the entire Sunnyvale area, transporting you straight to the streets of Chennai, India.From the moment I arrived, I was greeted by Arul, the exceptional manager, who ensures that every customer is treated like family. His passion for providing an authentic experience shines through in every aspect of the food truck.The dosas served at Indian Street Food are simply outstanding. Crispy on the outside, yet soft and flavorful on the inside, they are a culinary masterpiece. The accompanying chutney and sambar are nothing short of authentic, mirroring the flavors I experienced during my travels to Chennai. The combination of the dosa, chutney, and sambar creates a symphony of taste that is both comforting and exciting.One of the many reasons Indian Street Food stands out is its commitment to maintaining the true essence of South Indian cuisine. The attention to detail in recreating these flavors is evident in every bite. Its no wonder that this food truck has gained such a loyal following and is soon opening a physical location—something that has me eagerly anticipating their continued success.If you find yourself in the Sunnyvale area, make it a point to visit this hidden gem of a food truck. Indian Street Food offers an authentic South Indian culinary experience that will leave you craving more. The impending opening of their physical location is sure to be a testament to their popularity and the appreciation for their exceptional fare.In conclusion, Indian Street Food in Sunnyvale, CA, is a must-visit for anyone seeking genuine South Indian flavors. With Aruls attentive service, the incredible dosas, and the remarkable authenticity that permeates every dish, this food truck is a true culinary delight. Embark on a taste adventure that will transport you to the streets of Chennai and allow yourself to savor the rich and vibrant flavors of South India at their finest.
Avalon Ocean Avenue
1200 Ocean Ave, San Francisco, CA 94112, United States
Ive been here for 15 months and just renewed for another term. To echo what most everyone else has said here, Ive enjoyed my stay.TLDRs:Maintenace and Administrative: Issues are solved fast by nice, communicative people.Community: A friendly and quiet community.Location: Ocean Avenue is great and is near highway so most places are 15-30 minutes away.Maintenance and Administrative:Just recently Donovan from maintenance helped me out late at night when my lock was broken which is only the most recent example of how helpful he has been. Another maintenance member quickly fixed some blinds issues I was having too. Rommel from administration/sales was very friendly and communicative with my renewal lease process. I had a few questions with pricing, duration, technology packages, that he was able to help with after some back and forth. When there are community issues with parking, elevators, etc. if they are not fixed speedily, there are generally quick communications out about them to keep the community in the loop.Community:Ive had basically 0 noise issues which is a huge plus for me, and Im on the same floor as the shared space with grill/benches/fireplace. Neighbors are friendly - I left my new iPhone 15 in the lobby and a neighbor left a note and took it with them to safety.Location: I personally really enjoy this location. The building is next/on a Whole Foods which is convenient. There are restaurants/bars, hardware stores, grocery stores, pharmacies, etc. all within an easy walking distance. Its very close to the highway making it easy to get most anywhere you want in 15-30 minutes: downtown, beach, park, Costco, mall, etc. If youre trying to get into the city daily during peak traffic hours this may not be the spot, but for my work commute south to San Bruno and for going into the city a couple times a week for events/dinner/etc. its really great. Disclaimer: I Uber only so cant comment on public transportation, but theres a lot of public transportation nearby if you look at Google maps.For price transparency outside of the rental amount, parking will cost you an additional ~300 if you want the garage (though there is street parking). There is another ~150-200 in utilities for water/sewer/trash.If I was to give one complaint for balance, which may even be fixable but havent taken the time, is that my apartment does get a little warm in the hotter months due to airflow maybe.
Local Tastes of the City Tours - San Francisco ...
2179 12th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94116, United States
I booked the Chinatown & North Beach Food Walking Tour for a recent girls trip to San Francisco. On the website, under the FAQs, it says that this tour accommodates vegan and vegetarian diets, and to indicate at the time of booking, which I did. When we arrived for the tour, our guide had no idea that 2 members of our tour required vegan options, and 1 member required vegetarian options. This meant that the delicious bakery treats at the beginning of the tour could not be enjoyed by 2 members off the group, as our tour guide had no idea if they were vegan (and our vegetarian could not enjoy the pork bun); no substitutions were provided.The beginning of the tour was super stressful, as the tour guide seemed flustered with the 3 members dietary needs. I felt horrible having booked the tour since it did not meet everyones needs, and our 2 vegan friends debated if it was worth it to stay on a 4 hour walking/food tour when there may not be any food options for them.Our tour guide did her best to find last minute substitutions for my 3 friends; the Peking duck restaurant did a great job with the fried tofu dish, and our tour went out of her way to find vegan dumpling options too. However, some stops were not able (or willing?) to make substitutions. For example, the pizza place would not do a cheese-less pizza or flat bread. I wonder if they would have been more accommodating if they had been given more notice.As someone who has no food restrictions, I loved the tour! The food was amazing, and the tour guide was very knowledgeable. I left full, and with left overs. I would definitely recommend this tour for anyone who likes trying new food, and exploring new neighbourhoods.However, if you have any dietary restrictions, I would urge caution when booking; they do not seem able to accommodate different dietary needs, in spite of what the website says.