Top Shanghainese Restaurant in San Francisco
Dumpling Kitchen
1935 Taraval St, San Francisco, CA 94116, United States
We went to Dumpling Kitchen today because I desperately wanted dim-summy food... dumplings. This was my first Shanghainese restaurant experience (I think)?We put our names down, and were told 10-15 minutes. A few minutes later we were asked if we were okay with sharing a table. Sure! was our answer. We sat with two women, they had ordered a ton of food, so there was no need for any food ordering shame for me.We ordered:XLB Shanghai-style steamed pork dumplings (10pcs) - they were DELICIOUS!!!Shanghai-style pan-fried pork buns (8pcs) - Meh, would not order these againPork dumplings in chili oil (10pcs) - YUM. Wontons in sesame chili oil.Shanghai-style green onion pancake - YUM! Crispy, onions, light, fluffy!!!Beijing-style sweet buns (4pcs) - Meh. We ordered steamed but got fried. Even still, just meh.This is a good place for 4 or more people to come and dine with portion sizing. We ordered way too much food so that we could try a bunch of things. Wed definitely share a table again, just hopefully not the round table at the back (my hubs had to get up 3 times so the food delivery hand truck could make it to the kitchen). Parking wasnt too bad, we found a spot a long block away (and definitely needed the walk after our big meal).
New Dumpling King
3319 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121, United States
Visually, the food looks somewhat appetizing, but unfortunately its not palatable.1/5 The noodles tasted sour, the meat wasnt fresh either. Almost as if it were leftover from the night before, tossed into the wok and reheated.3/5 The filling of the soup dumplings was ok, a bit bland, but XLB was the best item.2.5/5 Pan fried dumplings couldve been fried a bit longer, but Ive definitely had worse.Out of all the excellent choices in the city theres no need to return here. I dined in as well, the vibe is extremely depressing. The kid working as the host and who is essentially the face of the restaurant didnt even want to be there.Theres just no pride and its obvious that this spot is coasting off of takeout and uber eats orders. Good luck!
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Wooly Pig
2295 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94107, United States
Our entire family went here today, and we had the absolute greatest experience! The breakfast sandwich was incredible and the morning bun was wonderful! Thats not what made the experience great though! While we were waiting for our food, a homeless mad came in and sat at our table, he started asking for money and food. The owner immediately came over and offered him coffee and something to eat so that he would stop asking for things from us. The man than three a bunch of trash on the ground and started spitting on the ground, but the owner was so kind and compassionate towards the man, offered to reseat us and never treated the man like he wasnt a human. I really loved how this was handled. The owner of this restaurant is a good person and the food is amazing. This place deserves your business.
Dumpling Specialist
1119-1123 Taraval St, San Francisco, CA 94116, United States
You will know there is indeed something special going on here when you see the number of regulars pack into the tiny, no-frills space, which claims a whopping four tables and a small takeaway counter to its name. You will know there is indeed something special going on here when you see the number of regulars pack into the space. When you notice a large number of regulars crammed into a small area, you will realize that this location is hosting an event of exceptional significance. Paul Yu and his daughter Rebecca own and operate the business together as a father-daughter duo. They once oversaw a larger site, but they have since moved into this quaint little corner, and their regular clients dont seem to be bothered by the change. To start, we have the pan-fried pork buns, which are made of five pillowy buns that have been loaded with tasty and juicy pork, and then pan-fried to perfection until they are golden and crunchy. Because they have a crisp shell and a vibrant, soft inside composed of rice noodles and bright vegetables, potstickers created with vegetarian fillings are just as wonderful as those prepared with meat because they have the same characteristics. Attention those who like noodles: the soups are tasty, but the dumplings are what really make this place stand out.
Hai Ky Mi Gia
707 Ellis St, San Francisco, CA 94109, United States
Ive been here several times and they are extremely consistent in taste and portion size. Prices are reasonable for the portions you get and the service is always very efficient and friendly. Sure its messy in the TL, but the restaurant is a homey spot with lots of customers and comfortable on the inside.Things Ive ordered:House special ho fun (soup and dry) - this is the must order here in my opinion, it is full of toppings over the noodles (shrimp, char siew, pork slices, ground pork, chicken strips, fish cakes, beef balls, bean sprouts, pork liver if you want it). Ive only gotten the rice noodle version and like it dry with soup on the side. It is well seasoned on its own but you can jazz it up with pickled jalapenos and other sauces that they provide on the table. The fried garlic oil they put in it is delicious and Ive never regretted ordering this.Golden fried fish cakes - about 3 whole fishcakes in each order, cut into half and fried to golden perfection. They are a little greasy but tasty with a nice bounce, they taste great dipped in the hoisin sauce. Served with pickled vegetables on the side (cucumber and carrot) which cuts through the grease perfectly.Wonton soup - the wontons are just ok, theres no shrimp in it that I could discern and is mostly just wrapper and ground pork. Its seasoned well and comes in the same soup that they serve with the house special noodles.Beef stew ho fun - this was more soupy than stewy in my opinion, with a strong tomato flavor. The beef was alright and pretty chewy and tough, it would have been nice if they had stewed the meat a little longer to get it nice and soft. The rice noodles dont come with anything else except beef and bean sprouts. Its an ok option but I would opt for the house noodles over this anytime.The crowds here seem inconsistent, I had to wait once for over 20 mins for a table and it was packed to the gills, and other times I got a table right away and there were a decent number of customers but no wait. The tables turn over quickly though since people are here to eat, not sit around for hours.
Shanghai Dumpling King
720 14th St, San Francisco, CA 94114, United States
Not authentic at all, sorry. The name of the restaurant is Shanghai Dumpling, but it was both precisely the “Shanghainese” dishes (weren’t that many on the menu to begin with) and the dumplings that were the worst. As someone who grew up in Shanghai.. I know my soup dumplings. Shengjianbao 生煎包was too fluffy, barely any meat inside, no soup inside, no green onions, and bottom wasn’t pan fried correctly. It was made all wrong, so I know for a fact that the owner isn’t shanghainese and might be cantonese. Xiaolongbao 小笼包was so big, lacked soup, and the meat inside (as well as the meat inside most other dumplings we tried) tasted like weird soft mush. Nearly everything else was a disappointment as well and there were a lot of spicy dishes which is not really a Shanghainese thing. Spicy chili wonton was no good.. so weird how it was drenched in an entire layer of very viscous sauce so every dumpling was like stuck. I think the best dishes were the vegetables. We also ordered the Shanghai style noodles and some of the beef pieces were too grisly and hard to chew. Glad I gave this place a try anyway but I should’ve known better being in the Castro.
United Dumplings
525 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
Far and away the best dining experience Ive had in my life, in terms of both food and service. Steven is the man! Somehow he knew what we wanted before we even knew it ourselves. I came here two days in a row, and I would have gone for a third if I was still in the city. To rank what I tried:1. Pork Xio Long Bao (XLB)- Very flavorful broth with a delicate dumpling casing. Texturally, they are super fun to eat. This is my new death row meal. Soy/vinegar/garlic sauce adds nice contrast to the rich broth.2. Chicken Wings- These wings had an incredible batter that was shatteringly crispy and coated with the perfect amount of a sweet and tangy sauce. The meat was very tender and moist. These are probably the best wings Ive ever had in my life. Dipping sauces would be a nice add.3. Dan Dan Noodles- Crazy al dente noodles with a nutty, spicy sauce. Lots of garlic, onion and sesame flavor. Only would have liked more greens.4. Chicken XLB- See pork xlb review. The broth is not as rich, and the meat is not as satisfying, but these are still excellent.5. Szechuan Dumplings- Great flavor and texture from the green onion and peanuts with the classic numbing Szechuan spice. Would have maybe liked more heat.6. Scallop Chicken XLB- The sea flavors of the scallop and roe paired perfectly with the savory chicken and broth. The chili sauce, reminiscent of gochujang, completes the dish.7. Potato Salad- Raw potatoes julienned with a vinegar/soy sauce, chili flake, and green onion. Great with a Sapporo (or four), nice palate cleanser. Crisp and tangy.8. Sesame Red Bean Balls- These taste fresh out of the fryer, with an awesome donut aroma. Intensely crisp and nutty exterior with a sweet and chewy mochi interior. Great way to end a meal, not too sweet or overwhelming.9. Bulgogi Dumplings10. Curry Fried Rice- Good yellow curry flavor but in serious need of more heat. Rice was perfectly dry. The sweetness of the peas and pineapple were a solid pair with the savory rice and chicken. A chili sauce would have been a great addition.Server Steven is who I want to be when I grow up. Very funny and open, the experience he created around the excellent food was a major highlight of my trip. Very grateful! And the prices are insanely modest. I would recommend United Dumplings to anyone.
Moms Dumpling
31 Cambon Dr, San Francisco, CA 94132, United States
Came here with reservations at 6:30pm on a Tuesday with 3 other friends. Walked in and realized we probably didn't need a reservation but safer in the bay to always have a reservation. We ordered a ton of food to try:- cucumber salad: always refreshing & satisfying- pigs ears: crunchy and tasty, but the kick of spice may have been too powerful for me- numb & spicy beef dry noodle: surpassingly I can handle this more then the pigs ear, but the noodles were bland and the meat was very dry. I wouldn't order this again.- green beans: one of my favorite dishes of the night. So crunchy on the outside and soft inside. Very tasty.- crab & pork XLB: solid. Soup was flavorful inside the bao and the meat had great taste too.- crispy tofu with pepper salt: I'm a huge fan of the round tofu and the flavor on them were delicious with a hint of spice from peppers. Highly recommend :)- braised beef brisket pot: my least favorite. It was too salty for my taste.- pan fried pork baos: yum! These had soup inside too, but the bottom layered was too fried where I could taste all the oil absorbed into it. The inside was good though.- pork XLB: solid, recommend to order.- numb & spicy XLB: can't really taste the sauce they drizzled on top, which is probably the same for the numb & spicy noodles above. It was still good because the XLB are solid here, but didn't taste any spice.- glutinous rice dumpling with osmanthus & rice wine: very yummy! each glutinous rice dumpling has its own flavor. Yellow was peanut butter, pink was strawberry, and white was black sesame. Really liked this dish too.- walnut bao: we were gifted this dish from the kitchen (so nice of them) and it was delicious. There's a walnut in there and the flavor inside was tasty. Definitely worth trying!Overall, solid spot. Friendly service. Will be back :)
Shanghai Dumpling King
696 Monterey Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94127, United States
SDK has a new location here in addition to the original one in the Richmond. Ive been to the original location a couple times and decided to try the new one since Im pretty close by. I was never a huge fan of SDK, and its pretty much the same story here.Beef Stew Noodle Soup - The broth had a good depth with various spices to highlight the flavor. I could tell that there was some ginger and cloves to give it some layers of complexity. I actually found a piece of dried shrimp in the broth, and that probably helps add some savoriness to the soup. Smart stuff. With the tasty broth, the beef brisket and tendons had good flavor as well, but some pieces could have been more tender. I was not a fan of the noodles though. They were thin like Cantonese egg noodles, but the texture and taste were really odd. The noodles had a strange soft doughiness. It wasnt springy and firm like Cantonese egg noodles or chewy like hand pulled noodles. It was just kind of soft and mushy. I really didnt like that.XLB - The skin was nice and thin, but it didnt break apart smoothly when I bit into it. The skin had this weird elasticity that made it kind of stretch when I tried to open it up and slurp the broth. It was kind of the same issue I had with Benus XLB, but at least these are a lot cheaper so its much more forgivable. Inside, theres a generous amount of pork stuffing, and the broth was pretty much just pure grease. Some people might not appreciate such a heavy handed approach, but it didnt really bother me. What bothered me was the flavor of the broth and pork, which was pretty one dimensional. There wasnt much to balance out the richness and saltiness. It really lacked the aromatic spices like ginger and green onions to cut through the heaviness. The aromatics also give the broth and stuffing a bolder punch of flavor. Without those components, the XLB didnt really stand out.Stir Fried Green Beans - I thought this was probably the best dish of the night. The green beans had a firm wrinkly exterior while the center was tender and smooth. Garlic, onions, and some fried cured meat stuff added a lot of flavor and crunchy texture to the green beans. It was well seasoned, and the stir frying added that wok hei intensity to the flavor.Sugar Coated Chinese Doughnuts (Sah Yong) - They came completely cold and not fresh. I didnt like that the sugar was just lazily dumped on top. It should be evenly coated all around the doughnut. I told a waiter about our lackluster doughnuts, and he had some explanation and comped it for us which was a nice gesture. I still think that if the doughnuts had just been sitting there or if the cook was off, then they shouldnt serve them. In their defense, freshly made Sah Yong isnt that common around here. Even venerable Koi Palace can be inconsistent with theirs. I feel like people treat SDK like its the only place in the city that has good Sah Yong, but Ive never had a good one here or at the Richmond location. Am I missing something?The food hasnt changed with the new location so if youre a fan of SDK, Im sure youll still love the food here.