Chinatown
About Chinatown
The oldest Chinatown in North America and one of the most densely packed neighborhoods in San Francisco. Temples, markets, dim sum halls, and hidden alleys crammed into a few blocks that have anchored a community since the 1850s.
What to See & Do
Two main streets run parallel with completely different personalities. Grant Avenue caters to tourists with souvenir shops, pagoda architecture, and restaurants advertising in English. Stockton Street serves the community: grandmothers elbowing through crowds at 7 AM to get the best produce, live fish splashing in tanks, vendors shouting prices over the noise. Start on Stockton if you want the real thing.
The alleys hide the best secrets. Ross Alley holds the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, where workers fold cookies by hand on machines that haven’t changed in decades. Waverly Place earned the name Street of Painted Balconies for the colorful temple buildings lining both sides. Spofford Alley once ran with tong wars and underground gambling. The narrow passages feel like stepping back a century.
Portsmouth Square functions as Chinatown’s public living room. Elderly men play chess on stone tables. Women practice tai chi in the early morning. This was San Francisco’s original town square, where the American flag first flew over the city in 1846.
Where to Eat & Drink
Hon’s Wun Tun House on Kearny serves some of the best wonton noodle soup in the city. The wontons are hand-wrapped and the broth is clean and deeply flavored. This is the kind of place you come back to every time you’re in the neighborhood.
Capital Restaurant on Stockton is known for its roast chicken wings. Crispy skin, juicy meat, no frills. Order a plate with rice and you’ve got one of the best cheap meals in San Francisco.
Good Mong Kok Bakery on Stockton does dim sum to go. The char siu bao might be the best in the city. Expect a line, cash only, and nothing fancy about the experience except the food.
R&G Lounge has been a Chinatown fine dining anchor for decades. The salt and pepper crab is legendary and earned them a James Beard Award. Sam Wo on Clay Street has been serving congee and noodles for over 100 years. Hang Ah Tea Room, tucked in a Pagoda Place alley, is the oldest dim sum restaurant in America, making dumplings by hand since 1920.
Bakeries line Stockton selling pineapple buns, egg tarts, and cocktail buns stuffed with coconut. Late-night spots ladle out congee and wonton soup for the after-hours crowd.
The Character
The Dragon Gate at Grant and Bush provides the ceremonial entrance, but Chinatown spills far beyond these boundaries. The pagoda rooftops and ornate lampposts date to the 1906 rebuild, when community leaders deliberately chose an exotic style that would attract tourists and prevent the displacement other groups faced after the earthquake.
This community has been here since the 1850s. The architecture tells one story. The markets, temples, and family associations tell another. Both are worth paying attention to.
Getting There
The 30 Stockton bus runs through. The California Street cable car terminates at the edge. BART stations sit within walking distance at Montgomery and Powell. Parking will make you miserable.
Come early morning when the markets run full speed. Come weekend afternoons for dim sum and browsing. Wear comfortable shoes and plan to get lost in the alleys. The neighborhood rewards people who wander.
Where to Eat
All restaurants →
Mister Jiu’s
Book the tasting menu through Resy at least two weeks out. Ask for a table by the windows overlooking Grant Avenue. The whole roasted duck requires 48-hour advance notice but is the best thing on the menu.
City View Restaurant
Get there by 11 AM on weekends for the freshest carts. The har gow and salt and pepper squid are the standouts. Bring a group of four or more to try more dishes.
Hang Ah Tea Room
Go at lunch on a weekday when you can get a table without waiting. Order the har gow and pot stickers. Finding the alley entrance off Sacramento Street is part of the fun.
Sam Wo
Order the sampan congee and barbecue pork noodles. Late-night visits after 10 PM are the real Sam Wo experience. Cash is easiest.
R&G Lounge
The salt and pepper crab is the move. Bring four people so you can order it plus three or four other dishes family-style. Reserve for the downstairs room if you want tablecloths, upstairs for energy.
House of Nanking
Tell the owner what you don't eat and let him order for you. That's how it works here. Expect a wait on weekends. The portions are huge, so come hungry.
Things to Do
All activities →
Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company
Free to watch but they'll charge you 50 cents for a photo. Bag of fresh cookies is a couple dollars. In Ross Alley off Jackson Street. Takes five minutes but it's memorable.
International Hotel Manilatown Center
A small Chinatown museum and community space preserving the history of the International Hotel and Manilatown. Free to visit. The exhibits tell a powerful story about displacement and resistance. Worth 30 minutes to understand a crucial piece of SF history.
Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory
In Ross Alley off Jackson Street in Chinatown. Free to watch, small fee for photos. Bag of fresh cookies costs a couple dollars. Takes five minutes but the hand-folding process on copper griddles is memorable.
