Dim Sum San Francisco
Everyday on Gridskipper we give you a new map. Some are new, some are fetched from our archive, newly updated. Happy Gridskipping. Nothing converts otherwise civilized gwailo into ravening gluttony-obsessed oinkers than dim sum. Or maybe that's just me. San Francisco has one of the largest Asian populations on the West Coast, and with that comes excellent pho, superlative lumpia, and of course, dim sum. My intrepid group of investigators sacrificed their time to accompany me to these hallowed havens of gustatory glee. Dim sum, for those not in the know, involves sitting down in the middle of a crowded dining room surrounded by ladies with little carts. When the cart comes around, you giggle and point at things that look interesting. Chao siu bai, siu mai, har gow -- one's knowledge of various aspects of Chinese languages expands immeasurably. Traditionally good for large groups and weekend brunch, dim sum tends toward the cheap side for a meal that's big enough to kill a yak. Make sure you don't show up too late, as most places stop serving with the carts at 11 a.m. or noon.
House of Banquet
939 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94118
House of Banquet is the alluringly Engrish-named palace of stuffing your face silly on Clement Street. The food is yummy, the prices are right, and the atmosphere is … convivial. The service not so much, but that's the beauty of the dim sum carts -- you get to flag them down and point if you don't speak Mandarin or Cantonese. Good for a leisurely brunch. [link]
S & T Hong Kong Seafood
2588 Noriega St
San Francisco, CA 94122
Go here for the food, because the atmosphere is modeled on a feed lot. On Sundays, everyone and their children, grandchildren, sisters-in-law, grandparents, moms, dads, … and fourth cousin twice removed from their mother's -side is crammed into the dining room. Which is to say, the food is pretty durn tasty. Expect a wait, especially if you visit between 10 a.m.-noon. [link]
Good Luck Dim Sum
736 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94118
The best takeout dim sum place in the Richmond -- possibly the whole city. The line tends to be out the door, but you can call ahead and skip the line to pick up. Earlier … in the day is better in terms of selection, but Good Luck distinguishes itself by serving until late in the day. [link]
Koi Palace
365 Gellert Blvd
Daly City, CA 94015
This place is probably the highest rated in terms of atmosphere and food, but like Yank Sing, it falls on the spendier side of dim sum feasts. The decor is awesome, and … the service is probably a little more consistent than some others. The salt and pepper prawns are worth fighting over. [link]
Imperial Palace
818 Washington St
San Francisco, CA 94108
This place is a little bit out of the way along San Bruno Avenue near Highway 101, but it's a quaint view of a neighborhood tourists never see. The seafood is stunning. … You get to meet it when you walk in and listen to its fishy little brainwaves telling you to order vegetarian. Yum. The selection is good; alongside standards like pork buns and har gow, there are interesting items that the cart lady generally won't let you order unless you insist (especially if you're non-Asian). These delicacies are worth it. The wait is not as bad as some other places, but parking tends to be horrible, so prepare yourself. [link]
Hang Ah Tea Room
1 Pagoda Pl
San Francisco, CA 94108
Dispel all your anxieties about back-alley cuisine with a trip to Hang Ah. Touted as the oldest restaurant in San Francisco (they opened in 1920), the food is good, the … service is good, and the atmosphere is 1970s fabulous. It's down a dark alley, where the sounds of mahjong games filter from unseen rooms. Look for a little old lady out on Sacramento Street handing out fliers. [link]
Yank Sing
49 Stevenson St
San Francisco, CA 94105
An upscale joint where the service is smooth and the atmosphere is a lot less chaotic than some dim sum palaces. The food has a slight fusion spin, and it's fantastic and … well made. It's not the "traditional" dim sum experience, but it's dandy when you want to do something a little different for lunch downtown. A little on the spendier side. [link]
