{"id":481428,"date":"2026-10-01T09:00:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T09:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/481428\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T09:00:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T09:00:31","slug":"people-cant-get-enough-of-rice-roll-express-in-san-franciscos-chinatown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/481428\/","title":{"rendered":"People can’t get enough of Rice Roll Express in San Francisco’s Chinatown"},"content":{"rendered":"

In notoriously expensive San Francisco<\/a>, a filling lunch for less than $10 is apparently worth waiting for.<\/p>\n

Rice Roll Express, a no-frill Chinatown joint that became a TikTok sensation<\/a> for its freshly made chewy rice noodle rolls \u2014 known as cheung fun \u2014 is still pulling huge lunchtime crowds, with lines stretching out the door two years after opening.<\/p>\n

The star of the show is the restaurant\u2019s namesake Rice Roll Express special: layers of thin steamed rice noodle wrapped around beef, pork, barbecue pork and egg, all for just $9.21.<\/p>\n

The Pork Rice Roll at Rice Roll Express. Minh Connors for CA Post<\/p>\n

Its \u201cshrimp feast\u201d is another fan favorite, loaded with fresh shrimp, dried shrimp, egg and scallions, ringing in at $10.78.<\/p>\n

The restaurant\u2019s prices are particularly eye-popping in the notoriously<\/a> expensive Bay Area<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Restaurant menu items in the city averaged $25.51 in September, according to Market Pulse<\/a>, which tracks prices at local eateries \u2014 meaning Rice Roll Express\u2019 signature dish costs less than half that average.<\/p>\n

And customers are apparently willing to pay for the savings with their time. <\/p>\n

Diners have been spotted waiting roughly 25 minutes for food and then jockeying for precious seats inside, according to a recent lunchtime visit by SFGATE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The viral lunch spot became a TikTok hit for fresh cheung fun under $10 and continues to draw huge lines. Minh Connors for CA Post<\/p>\n

Amanda Becerra holds a Pork Rice Roll at Rice Roll Express. Minh Connors for CA Post<\/p>\n

The hype was so high that even Mayor Daniel Lurie was swept up in the noodle mania. <\/p>\n

\u201cI kept hearing about Rice Roll Express, so when I had some time before an event in Chinatown, I stopped by their spot on Stockton and Pacific,\u201d Mayor Lurie wrote in a Facebook post<\/a>. \u201cI got the BBQ pork rice roll, with chili oil and lots of their special soy sauce on top, and it was delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie visits Rice Roll Express in Chinatown, San Francisco Facebook\/Daniel Lurie<\/p>\n

At Rice Roll Express, the noodles are reportedly made with rice soaked overnight and ground before being steamed into delicate sheets. <\/p>\n

Once hungry patrons get their hands on a plate, there\u2019s another attraction: a DIY sauce station where you can douse the rolls in house-made chile oil, a special sweetened soy sauce, vinegar and Sriacha.<\/p>\n

The secret to the hysteria isn\u2019t marketing genius \u2014 it\u2019s raw, unapologetic old-school labor, and owner Tom Zhen took an unusual route to noodle stardom. <\/p>\n

Rice Roll Express is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Minh Connors for CA Post<\/p>\n

The BBQ Pork Rice Roll hyped by Lurie. Minh Connors for CA Post<\/p>\n

Zhen reportedly grew up eating cheung fun in China, and his father previously operated a rice roll restaurant before the family to San Francisco. <\/p>\n

He initially went into tech, but ultimately ditched that industry at age 29 to return to his family\u2019s culinary roots and open Rice Roll Express.<\/p>\n

Zhen reportedly saw specialized cheung fun shops flourishing in New York City, and figured SF could use one of its own.<\/p>\n

Soon after, influencers began flooding social media with videos<\/a> of the restaurant\u2019s translucent, steamed-and-folded noodles drenched in sauce. The rest is history.<\/p>\n

Rice Roll Express is located at 1131 Stockton Street in San Francisco. Just make sure you bring cash \u2014 the restaurant doesn\u2019t accept cards, but it does take Venmo and Zelle.<\/p>\n

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