Locals caution that for top-tier Chinese cooking the Richmond and Sunset now outclass Chinatown — come for the institutions and atmosphere, not a cutting-edge meal.
The main Grant Avenue drag skews to tourist trinket shops; the real neighborhood life is one block over on Stockton, where locals actually buy groceries.
Graze the dim sum bakeries and historic dining rooms — Good Mong Kok's takeout counter and Sam Wo's noodle rolls are the move, even if the trophy meals are elsewhere in town.
“The orange awning outside of Good Mong Kok acts like a lighthouse beacon, signaling to the neighborhood that it's a legendary dim sum destination.”
150+ years of Gold Rush-era immigrant history layered into the alleys, temples and family-association buildings; the food institutions are part of the record.
“Hang Ah Tea Room in Chinatown is America's first-ever dim sum spot, making it an institution.”
Wandering is free and dim sum bakeries sell pork buns and egg tarts for a couple of dollars — one of the cheapest great meals in the city.
For photos
Lantern-strung alleys, the Dragon Gate, produce stalls on Stockton and steep cross-streets give dense, colorful frames any hour.
What people say
Straight from the reviews
“San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest in North America, and it's been a culturally important area since the enclave was established more than 150 years ago.”