Joe Chang, co-owner of Showa SF, at Dumpling Zone in Forest Hill. | Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard
In San Francisco, locals talk about dim sum with the zeal of diehard sports fans. In record time, they can spout off where to find the greatest-of-all-time soup dumplings, the all-star lineup for grab-and-go har gow and siu mai, and, of course, the most underrated players in the barbecue pork bun game.
So in this city of hundreds of Chinese food options, we turned to the pros for a scouting report on the best places for dim sum and what to order when you’re there. Here are 14 top spots for soup dumplings, steamed buns, and turnip cakes, according to chefs, restaurant owners, and bakers who have spent years hunting down the city’s best.
Joe Chang, co-owner, Showa
Spicy xiao long bao at Dumpling Zone. | Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard
Favorite spot: Dumpling Zone, 408 Dewey Blvd., Forest Hill
When Chang moved to San Francisco in 2007, he went on a quest to find dumplings like the ones he had growing up in Taiwan. After 16 years, he found the holy grail near his daughter’s school in Forest Hill. “Dumpling Zone was the first place where I found dumplings and noodles that really reminded me of traditional, handmade Northern Chinese cooking — especially that bouncy, springy dumpling texture.” His favorite dishes include spicy xiao long bao, shrimp-pork-and-chive potstickers, and tomato egg noodle soup. To re-create one of his favorite childhood dishes, he adds cabbage and pork dumplings to an order of hot and sour soup. “I like to enjoy one bite on its own first to taste the original flavor, then dip the next bite into the soup so it soaks up the broth. It adds a whole extra layer of umami.”
Azikiwee “Z” Anderson, owner and founder, Rize Up Bakery
Favorite spot: Dumpling King, 336 Clement St., Inner Richmond
Anderson subscribes to two main principles for a dim sum spot. First, it must be a place he can go with a group, and second, it must be within walking distance of his home. Dumpling King, a bustling, unpretentious joint in the Inner Richmond, checks both boxes — and serves all his favorites, including shrimp toast, har gow, pork xiao long bao, and siu mai. To Anderson, pacing is part of the art and joy of dim sum, so he orders in rounds and prefers to dine in. “That rhythm of a few dishes at a time — that’s part of the whole experience.”
Kathy Fang, chef, Fang Restaurant and House of Nanking
Kathy Fang. | Source: Carolyn Fong for The Standard
Favorite spot: Wong Lee Bakery, 760 Jackson St., Chinatown
As a kid, Fang loved accompanying her parents to dim sum shops like Wong Lee Bakery. She and her mom would share an order of ham sui gok — fried, sweet-and-savory glutinous rice dumplings filled with pork, dried shrimp, and mushrooms. Now she visits this grab-and-go spot in the morning to pick up ho fun (fresh flat rice noodles), pea-sprout shrimp dumplings, ja leung (a fried cruller wrapped in sheets of steamed rice noodles, dressed in a sweet, light soy sauce), and fried taro puffs, which she says make for an excellent snack or breakfast when reheated the next day. “There’s something therapeutic about being inside these shops for me — the nostalgia, the closeness I feel to my parents, community, and childhood all rolled up into a delicious bite,” Fang says. For those who are particularly hungry — or just want to experience “the largest bun you’ll ever see” — she recommends the dai bao, a steamed bun big enough for four, packed with ground pork, cabbage, lap cheong sausage, shiitake mushrooms, and egg.
Jason Halverson, chef, Hi Neighbor Restaurant Group
Favorite spot: Palette Tea House, 900 North Point St., Ghirardelli Square
Halverson adheres to one philosophy when ordering dim sum: Don’t overthink it. “I order like there’s no tomorrow — and those who know me know how scary and true that is.” He has a “core” selection of nine dishes, including supreme crab dumplings, pork and shrimp siu mai, lotus leaf-wrapped abalone sticky rice, Peking duck, and wagyu beef chow fun. With a bigger group, he adds the whole crab with garlic butter and the lobster with ginger scallion. Because the restaurant takes reservations — and is near Fisherman’s Wharf — Halverson loves taking out-of-towners and finishing with a post-meal walk by the bay. One word of advice: Ask for a big bowl of chile oil and spicy mustard when you’re ordering. “Waiting on condiments mid-bite is a mistake you only make once.”
James Yuen Leong Parry, chef and owner, The Happy Crane
Dim sum at HK Lounge Bistro. | Source: Han Li/The Standard
Favorite spot: HK Lounge Bistro, 1136 Folsom St., SoMa
Parry doesn’t have a standing dim sum order or a single place he visits for a specific dish. Instead, he puts stock in a restaurant’s craftsmanship. “The nonnegotiables are quality and freshness,” he says. “You can taste when dim sum is made to order, and places like HK Lounge Bistro consistently deliver on that.” This is high praise from Parry, who was raised between London and Hong Kong and has worked in Michelin-level restaurants, including Benu. He tends to bring chef friends for dim sum at this small restaurant and orders a wide range of dishes. “In my opinion, it’s the highest level of dim sum execution in the city. It’s always busy, the service is polished and attentive, and everything feels incredibly fresh.”
Thomas McNaughton, co-chef and cofounder, Flour + Water Hospitality Group
Thomas McNaughton. | Source: Justin Katigbak/The Standard
Favorite spot: Dumpling Home, 298 Gough St., Hayes Valley
When he has time for lunch on weekdays, McNaughton heads to Dumpling Home, a casual spot that opened in 2020 — and has been attracting long wait times ever since. At this Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, he orders a round of his favorites: dry-fried string beans, any of the six varieties of xiao long bao, pan-fried bao, and dan dan noodles. “No matter what, always wait to bite into the pan-fried baos,” McNaughton warns. “I can’t count the number of times I’ve destroyed the inside of my mouth due to my impatience.”
Carrie Blease, co-owner, Wolfsbane
Favorite spot: Dragon Beaux, 5700 Geary Blvd., Richmond
The memory of biting into a crispy, deep-fried, shrimp-stuffed crab claw at the now-closed Ton Kiang in the Richmond has stayed with Blease since high school. It was her first dim sum experience — and her first trip to San Francisco — and she’s been obsessed ever since. Today, Dragon Beaux is one of her go-to spots, especially when she wants to satisfy a craving for soup dumplings. If you have a hard time choosing, Blease recommends the salted egg yolk lava buns and the soup dumpling sampler.
Ian Morano, owner, Kissaten HiFi
Ian Morano. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
Favorite spot: Wing Lee Bakery, 503 Clement St., Inner Richmond
Morano discovered Wing Lee Bakery the way many of the best spots in the Richmond are found: through word of mouth. “There’s something about this neighborhood where the locals just know,” he says. “If you listen, they’ll steer you right every time.” At this cash-only, counter-service spot, he always walks away with a clamshell of siu mai. (He’ll head to Good Luck Dim Sum for an egg custard tart afterward.) But no matter what you order, he has three pieces of advice: Come early, don’t overthink it, and bring other people. “Eating dim sum alone doesn’t hit the same.”
Michael Tusk, chef and owner, Cotogna, Quince, and Verjus
Source: Courtesy Yank Sing
Favorite spot: Yank Sing, 49 Stevenson St., Financial District
When he’s not at Harborview Restaurant or Koi Palace, Tusk loves taking in the scene at Yank Sing, a family-run institution founded in 1958. It’s one of the few places in the city where you can still experience the magic of dim sum served on carts, with more than 100 rotating dishes available on any given day. To get the first pick, Tusk suggests arriving right when the restaurant opens. As the carts roll by, he keeps an eye out for Shanghai pork soup dumplings, har gow, and siu mai (some of the best in the city, he claims), plus Peking duck, which is carved tableside and served with soft steamed buns, hoisin, and scallions. “Honestly, if I see anything new coming off a cart, I’m getting it — no question.”
Pim Techamuanvivit, chef and owner, Kin Khao and Nari
Pim Techamuanvivit. | Source: Liz Hafalia/SF Chronicle/Getty
Favorite spot: Harborview Restaurant & Bar, 4 Embarcadero Center, Street Level, Financial District
When she’s not at Shanghai House polishing off an order of sheng jian bao — which she’s dubbed the best pan-fried pork buns in town — Techamuanvivit finds herself at Harborview Restaurant for dim sum. She’ll wrap up shopping at the Ferry Building Farmers Market on Saturdays and snag a seat right when the doors open — no reservations required. At this classic Cantonese dim sum restaurant, Techamuanvivit orders har gow, siu mai, har cheung fun (shrimp rice rolls), gai lan (Chinese broccoli), and barbecue pork buns. “And I never miss the chicken feet in black bean sauce,” she says. “All the collagen that’s in it — it’s like an expensive face cream!”
Isaac Taitano, pastry chef and owner, Tano
Favorite spot: Gourmet Dim Sum & Cafe, 651 Clement St., Inner Richmond
“Gourmet Dim Sum had the most juicy and giant siu mai I’ve ever seen in my life,” Taitano says. And he should know. After shopping at nearby New May Wah Supermarket to pick up groceries for Warung Siska, a now-closed Indonesian restaurant he worked for in 2021, Taitano would visit a different dim sum joint on the block. Gourmet Dim Sum was the clear winner. “I still shop at May Wah each week for my own business and always plan to get my normal order of pork or beef siu mai and a side order of the steamed barbecue pork buns. But,” he adds with a laugh, “I always go alone so I don’t have to share any of my siu mai.”
Christopher Kostow, chef and restaurateur, The Charter Oak, Ciccio, and Loveski
Peking duck at Koi Place. | Source: Lauren Saria/The Standard
Favorite spot: Koi Palace, 365 Gellert Blvd., Daly City
Kostow has fond memories of dining at SF favorites Yank Sing, HK Lounge Bistro, and Dragon Beaux. But these days, when Kostow and his wife, Martina, head to SFO, they make sure to build in time to stop at Koi Palace. “There’s no better mix of crazy banquet-hall vibes, great food, and value,” he says. Over half a dozen visits a year, he has perfected his order: spare ribs with black beans, siu mai, barbecue pork rice rolls, and soy sauce noodles — the best in the Bay Area, he says.
Intu-On Kornnawong, executive chef, Shoji
Favorite spot: Good Luck Dim Sum, 736 Clement St., Inner Richmond
For Kornnawong, the ideal dim sum spot depends on the situation. If she’s hosting friends from out of town, she’ll take them to Hong Kong Lounge. To satisfy a hankering for barbecue pork buns, she’ll stop at Lung Fung Bakery on Clement. When she lived in the Inner Richmond, however, Good Luck Dim Sum became part of her routine. After stopping by New May Wah Supermarket to pick up Thai ingredients, she’d swing by for a breakfast of shrimp dumplings, siu mai, barbecue pork buns, and whatever else was fresh out of the steamer. For good dim sum at to-go spots like this, she recommends coming early for the freshest selection and to avoid a line. “It’s quick, no-frills, and always satisfying,” she says.