Best Chinese restaurants in San Francisco - Help me feed my parents...

[pwu_88]

My Chinese parents are in town, and they MUST eat Chinese food. Can you please help me identify the top Chinese restaurants in San Francisco. I am looking for AUTHENTIC food (none of this crab rangoon stuff)- it does not need to be fancy. If there is anything close to Noe Valley or is BART friendly - then that would be a plus. Your help is greatly appreciated!

[pwu_88]

Thank you for all your suggestions - I am happy to say my Dad enjoyed his meal at R&G Lounge last night. We had the ground pork / salted fish, do miao, ginger chicken, lettuce cups, and west lake beef soup. I thought the dishes were very good (except for the lettuce cups - fairly bland). Again, appreciate the help!

[vincentlo]

Yeah but Hong Sing is just a neighborhood restaurant, not a destination like R&G Lounge. So they are not in the same class. =)

Vincent

[deelish]

Vincent,
Not to be too technical, but Hong Sing is in the Glen Park village on Diamond, up the hill from Chenery. It is an easy bus ride from Noe Vally. I share your fondness for their cooking, the War Won Ton Soup is curative, their Steamed Bass in Ginger Sauce is perfect, and they always have an array of pea shoots, or pea leaves (or some leafy green) in heavy garlic that is fresh and tasty. Just get past the take out area with the steam table slop!

[K K]

I remember Hong Sing vividly, as my family and I used to live up the hill on Diamond Heights. When we were new to the area, this was the place to get decent takeout, and even the steam table stuff was acceptable (cha shiu chow fun being a favorite). Yuet Wah in the shopping center w/Safeway and BofA down the street from where we lived was nothing like the one in Clement and their to go steam table station was a bit greasy and horrid

[makaroon]

Not to be negative, but I wasn't very impressed with Hong Sing and would suggest other places...

My favorite Chinese places in the city are San Tung (Northern chinese - good noodles and potstickers) in the Inner Sunset, Spices II (Szechuan) on Clement St., R&G Lounge in Chinatown (Cantonese) and Shanghai Dumpling (great dumplings and other dishes) on Balboa St in the Richmond. As far as ease of transportation, your best bet is probably somewhere in Chinatown...

[vincentlo]

Well Millbrae has a number of amazing Cantonese restaurants. I now consider The Kitchen in Millbrae the best Cantonese restaurant in the Bay Area, kicking Koi Palace off its No. 1 position. Zen, Fook Yuen, Hong Kong Flower Lounge are all very good with their respective strengths. They are all pretty close to the Millbrae BART/Caltrain station.

If you're looking for something "local," I like Hong Sing in Daimond Heights, just a minute on foot from the Glen Park BART station. It's nothing too special, but it beats a lot of the so-so Cantonese restaurants in the city. You can get fresh steamed bass, roasted duck, and your usual Americanized Chinese food--nothing too greasy or salty. Warning: It's a relatively cheap restaurant, and it's not that fancy, but it is in Daimond Heights/Noe Valley.

Vincent

[pwu_88]

Thanks so much for all the comments so far. So - my Dad likes Cantonese, Shanghainese, northern Chinese cuisine - actually any chinese food except Sichuan (too spicy). Again appreciate the help... they live in Alabama where it is hard to get authentic food, so any suggestions about good spots here are most welcome.

Cheers!

[Robert Lauriston]

Shanghai in Oakland is 3-4 blocks from the 12th St. BART station.

[Melanie Wong]

You might want to try Old Shanghai on Geary, dinner is a better bet than for lunch. The atmosphere is a little nicer and you can make a reservation. Here's my post from last year -
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

[nja]

Here are some of my recommendation from a while back:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

To that I'll add that Hong Kong Flower Lounge, especially for weekend dim sum but also for other meals. It's right across the street from the Millbrae BART station.

[Waysic]

Superior Palace. Corner of 37th Avenue and Balboa in the Richmond district. Cheap and delicious authentic Chinese food. There's also one on 45th Avenue and Balboa. Forgot the English name. Something like K1-Cantonese Restaurant. Great frog dishes there!! Sorry homie, but i don't know the Noe Valley area too well.

[jkinla]

R and G Lounge on Kearny at Sacramento is my favorite Cantonese restaurant in SF. They are a little pricey (a real sit-down restaurant with the tanks of live seafood), but it's worth it.

[angel816]

I was going to make that suggestion myself! :)

[Robert Lauriston]

If they're staying in Noe Valley and dependent on public transporation, good Chinese food is a logistical challenge.

[Ruth Lafler]

What kind of Chinese food and dining experience are they looking for?

[Melanie Wong]

Authentic what? Cantonese, Sichuan, Shanghainese...?

[ChowFun_derek]

Hakka, Chiu Chow????

[Melanie Wong]

Thought i'd start with the easier ones . . . (g)