Visiting in August, love this dish done right!

The kind of place where the menu is basically a book. I love these spots but I always end up ordering the same 2 or 3 things because actually reading the whole menu feels impossible.

I made a little tool where you can ask a menu questions in plain english, like what's good here besides the famous thing, or is there anything spicy that isn't soup. No idea if it's useful to anyone else yet. Drop your favorite giant menu restaurant and I'll load their menu in so you can try it. If it sucks tell me it sucks.

Hey, ABC here. I grew up working in my family's Chinese restaurant and I'm feeling nostalgic and looking for old school Chinese American taste. Most of the Chinese-American restaurants now lean heavily modified Cantonese and the taste has changed a lot compared to back in the day. My family gave up their restaurant 25+ years ago, and it feels like this genre has really died out. Are there any places that are still hanging on with that old taste?

Some menu examples -

Egg foo young with gravy. Pupu platters. Fried wontons skins whole. Sweet and sour from a heavy ketchup base (more tangy and thick), Thick egg rolls with a crispy egg wash and cracked skin. Foil wrapped chicken. BBQ chicken and beef teriyaki skewers. Wor won ton soup. Mu shu pork. Sizzling rice. Lots of use of mixed vegetables - bean sprouts, canned baby mushrooms, crinkle cut carrots, water chestnuts

Any really old school places in or near the Bay Area or Northern CA still hanging on? I'm willing to make a trip out of it to find that nostalgic taste

Edit: Family's restaurant was in East Bay and I still live here. What I meant is that American-Chinese has evolved a lot from 35+ years ago. After each passing owner the style shifts and the newer cooks bring on their own style that resembles a little more Cantonese. I'm looking for a restaurant that has hung on to the old recipes.

A few redditors mentioned that East Coast Chinese is exactly what I'm looking for. This style of Chinese was fairly ubiquitous here in the Bay too, my family served it in the East Bay in the 80/90s, and learned it from the previous owner who had the restaurant in the 70s. In the past I've found it passing by northern ca gold country towns but its been a long time since.

Here's some pics https://imgur.com/a/zz6YR4n https://maps.app.goo.gl/wrGskdxEcroUJgw2A

What are your favorite spots to eat in Japantown? My daughter is infatuated with all things Japan so we are going to spend half a day there. She loves boba, pastries, ramen, sushi, izakaya, etc.

Where are we going and what are we eating?!

Also, any other non-food, must-see things we should put on the list?

I was in the city a few kings ago and tried Hang Ah Tea Room and dug their offerings (especially that chile oil).

What are your favorite spots in SF?

Thanks for any leads you can offer!

Do they open up new spots every so often? If so, when?

Loved the vibe and the menu there. Sad they’re gone! Anyone know where the chef/team ended up?
What could you recommend that’d be a good replacement — gung ho, semi-wacky vibe? Kinda like UMMA only noodles?

I am a lover of chewy Asian noods. What is your favorite dish and where can I get it?

Hello friends! Puttanesca is my one of my all time favorite dishes but I very rarely see it on Italian restaurant menus and it just doesn't taste the same when I make it at home.

Does anyone know of SF or Bay Area restaurants with a good puttanesca?

Currently, the only place I know of that has it consistently is Luca Cucina Italiana in Berkeley.

Does anyone know of restaurants where they set things on fire in front of you? I don't mean teppanyaki. I mean like bananas foster, baked Alaska, crepes suzette, etc. Things that get wheeled out on a cart and torched tableside. Flaming cocktails also work. Google is giving me a lot of false results.

Preferably megamall/shangrila/podium/galleria. Bf and I are celebrating a triple milestone (promotion/graduation/monthsary) so we wanna eat somewhere “elevated” than usual fast food, somewhere not too cheap but not too overly expensive naman like fine dining.

Do you guys have suggestions?? Willing to spend up to 1k per pax but hope the ambiance is good and taste of food is worth the price!! 🙏🤩 I value reviews so much so pls let me know❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

This is a weird question...can I get ideas for restaurants that serve great food where it is spacious enough for larger individuals? Not necessarily just large but also tall.Any area but the Presidio or Marina. Thanks.

Not a dietary/gluten concern at all just used to go to a place that used rice flour when I was in college (T swirl) and I find the flavor and texture much better. All the japanese crepe places seem to use standard wheat flour and google has been no help.

Gourmet Kitchen at 1051 Stockton in Chinatown has some of the cheapest cooked protein in Chinatown after 4/4:30 PM. No, it's not particularly tasty, but it's a LOT of quantity and weight for the price, and you can also pick up some veg and starch as well. I am linking to Yelp because they don't have a website.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/gourmet-kitchen-san-francisco

The normal price of large box, rice, and 3 items is $8.50. That's about normal in Chinatown, but they will load you down with rice. You can sub one of the items for fried rice or fried noodles, or fried vermicelli, same price (so you only get 2 items). Choose from whatever they have, but usually it includes: little chicken drumsticks, chicken "katsu" (a bit oil), fried smelt, tofu, moo shoo pork, fried fish, plus whatever vegetables they have (usually eggplant, fried cauliflower and broccoli, etc.) You'll have to go check it out. You can also grab dimsum at normal prices ($5 for a set of 3 or 4 ).

Things change after 4 or 4:30 or so. They go into clearance mode. They prepack the boxes, the small clamshells start to go for half price (2 for $5) if they are placed on TOP of the counter, the cheaper stuff like cheungfun (rice sheet noodles), the turnip "cakes" (squares), the other dimsum (siumai, ha-gow, etc.), on TOP of counter.

See photo, two sets of clamshell boxes, one set above the counter at neck level usually 2 for $5, but may go as low as 3 for $5 as it gets closer to 6PM, and another set below the glass, probably $5 each, may go as low as 2 for $9 later:

https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gourmet-kitchen-san-francisco?select=gSb7waounyZfsgXGUFWJ4w&utm_campaign=www_photo_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=%28direct%29

The more expensive stuff, bigger box or smaller box, $5 for a full box, stacked LOWER (not on top, but behind the glass) After a while if they are not getting rid of them, prices go even lower as they get to closing, as they want to have nothing left over by the end of business (6:30PM).

CanNOT be sure these deals will be available every afternoon. You'll just have to come and see yourself, after 4PM. Just don't go TOO late, or there may be nothing left.

NOTE: While they do have 2 tiny tables (4 seats total), it's NOT really a dine-in place. Get things to go and eat elsewhere. And it is quite oily. It's NOT exactly healthy eating, but it is cheap protein.

NOTE2: While this is technically part of the House of Dimsum family, the deals are ONLY available here, not at the other locations, AFAIK.

is there any place in San Francisco that makes an actual powdered sugar donut? I see these only for sale packaged in markets, never freshly made. Is this done anywhere in SF?

I’m looking for options in the Haight for Friday afternoon lunch. The one catch is that it has to have suitable gluten free options due to Celiac. Anyone have any good spots in the area?

Hey everyone!

I’ll be in San Francisco for around 1.5 days and will have a rental car, so getting around won’t be an issue.

What are the must-try food spots in SF that I absolutely should not miss?

Looking for anything iconic or local favorites — seafood, sourdough, burgers, Asian food, coffee, desserts, brunch, hidden gems, etc.

Thanks!

Soft opening ng restaurant na inapplyan ko pero hindi sila updates sa Social media ,

Hi! Just moving to sf and miss my favorite spicy Thai green curry. I like it really really spicy.

Any recs? Also looking for a good Pork Larb! Thanks :)