Chinatown Parking
Street parking is tough here; I don't attempt it myself. But there are three decent parking garages, two in the neighborhood and one close-by with a shuttle on weekends.
Portsmouth Square Garage. This one is my favorite garage, where I usually park. It's right in the center of things, has lots of room, and isn't outrageously priced. $3 per hour. Open 24 hrs. They take some restaurant validations after 5 p.m. When it starts to get filled up, they do valet parking. Entrance at 733 Kearny St.
Tip: the garage is surrounded by one way streets and the traffic is pretty congested there. The easiest approach is to come down Clay Street in the left lane and turn left onto Kearny to get into the line for the garage entrance on Kearny. When you exit the garage, stay on Kearny St. Don't turn onto Washington Street; you'll run into a traffic mess.
Parking is very, very tight in Chinatown. The best place to go is the large city garage under Portsmouth Square.
Parking is very, very tight in Chinatown. The best place to go is the large city garage under Portsmouth Square.
The best deal for weekend parking: Golden Gateway Garage, at 250 Clay Street. It's three blocks from Portsmouth Square, on the outskirts of Chinatown in the Financial District.
They have a free shuttle that drives around Chinatown from the garage, and parking is only $3 for the day if you spend $3 at a participating merchant (huge list) and get your parking garage ticket validated. See details at Park and Ride.
Golden Gate Bakery
If you’re in the market for fresh dan tat, the traditional Chinese egg-custard tart with a flaky, buttery crust, this is the only place to get it. Period. 1029 Grant; 415/781-2627. but it has unpredictable hours. The two ladies who run it close it at odd times, so it's hit or miss.
- New Hollywood Bakery & Restaurant, 652 Pacific Ave/Columbus — Around the corner from Golden Gate Bakery. Not fancy at all and far less crowded but here you can get 3 egg custard tarts for $1.30 and even sit down to eat them.
Eastern Bakery for a snack to revive you. It's on Grant, next door to the Wok Shop; you can pick up some yummy (and cheap) Chinese pastries there. They're famous for their egg custard tarts; the pineapple buns and Chinese donuts are very good, too. The oldest Chinese bakery in San Francisco. 720 Grant.
Good Mong Kok Bakery. Always a line, very cheap, very good, not very clean, famous for their rude service. Point at what you want and say how many; you can order individual pieces of dim sum if you like (unusual). Specialities: steamed pork buns, siu mai. No English spoken, but they have an English menu on the wall. Go before noon; they often run out of popular items. Takes credit cards now. Many people say this is the best dim sum place in Chinatown. Daily 7-6. 1039 Stockton Street.
Old-school restaurant
R & G Lounge
A longtime restaurant beloved for its high-quality signature Cantonese dishes: tender glazed spare ribs, delicate salt-and-pepper Dungeness crab. 631 Kearny St.; rnglounge.com.
- House of Nanking, 919 Kearny St/Jackson St — A “not-so-fancy restaurant” with a big reputation on the far eastern edge of Chinatown. Good food but expect crowds, waits, and no atmosphere. Ask the waiter to make a suggestion. Chef Jias next door advertises that they are just as good but we have not tried it.
House of worship
Tin How Temple
Go back in time in the century-old Buddhist temple, housed in a four-level apartment building, where locals pray, burn incense, and get their fortunes read. Donation suggested; 125 Waverly Place.
Tien Hou Temple: (125 Waverly Place) The smell of temple incense is one of Chinatown's sensory treats, and you'll find plenty of it on the top floor at 125 Waverly Place, in a temple dedicated to the Goddess of Heaven. After you climb the long stairway, you'll find a tiny, incense-filled room hung with red and gold lanterns, several shrines and a statue of the goddess in the back. They don't mind respectful visitors (but don't allow photographs). Admission is free, but I recommend making a small donation, just to be polite.
History fix
Chinese Historical Society of America
Inside the gorgeous landmark Chinatown YWCA building, designed by architect Julia Morgan, the museum does a knockout job with exhibits and programs related to Chinese culture. Free; 965 Clay St.; chsa.org.
The Big Emporiums
Along Grant Avenue, you'll see some large, two and three story stores, full of an amazing variety of things to buy, and actually lots of fun to explore. My favorites: Canton Bazaar and Old Shanghai face each other across the street.
Canton Bazaar
This shop is even bigger, three stories of odd and interesting stuff, along with the usual dolls, parasols, jade, and tchotchkes. 616 Grant.
More Gift Shops
Peking Bazaar
Another large gift emporium, with lots to see. Brace yourself for the unattractive, erotic sculptures that are interspersed with some of the other merchandise. This isn't the only store that has this stuff, either. 826-832 Grant.
Asian Renaissance
Asian Renaissance (and its sister store, Asian Image at 800 Grant) is a smaller, prettier, higher-quality version of some of the larger emporiums. 662 Grant.
Chinatown Tour Map
To download a PDF of the map: click here.
Key to Walking Tour
- The Chinatown Gate: aka the Dragon Gate, entrance to Chinatown, built in 1970.
- Grant Avenue: the main street of Chinatown with most of the tourist shops.
- Sing Chong Building: first building of post- earthquake Chinatown, in new "Chinese" style. 601 Grant Ave.
- Old Saint Mary's Cathedral: early SF church, only Chinatown building to survive earthquake and fire.
- Waverly Place: "Street of Painted Balconies", pretty alley, former setting of brothels and tong battles.
- Tin How Temple: top floor, oldest Chinese temple in U.S. 125 Waverly Place.
- Old Chinese Telephone Exchange: now a bank, formerly the telephone exchange for Chinatown. 743 Washington.
- Portsmouth Square: SF began here, Democracy statue, elderly Chinese chess players.
- Ross Alley: "Street of the Gamblers", picturesque alley, location of the Fortune Cookie Factory.
- Great China Herb Co.: long-time, traditional Chinese apothecary shop, opened 1922. 857 Washington St.
- Stockton Street: where the residents shop. Vegetable, seafood and animal markets.
- Chinese Historical Society: museum of Chinese history and culture, different exhibits. 965 Clay St.
- Hang Ah Street: alley with Hang Ah Tea Room, oldest dim sum restaurant in Chinatown. Mah Jong parlors.
Miss those dim sum carts? I love them, too! City View has them (and Dol Ho)
This is where many older Chinatown residents go for dim sum, while they read a Chinese newspaper and catch up on the neighborhood gossip. Customers often share tables.
Open 8-3, closed Wednesday. Cash only. 808 Pacific Avenue.
The Hang Ah Tea Room
The Hang Ah Tea Room, hidden away in a little alley in Chinatown, has been in operation since 1920. This little tea house is the oldest continuously open dim sum place in America
Delicious Dim Sum. Menu in Chinese only; point at what you want, or say the names if you know them. Delicious and cheap...and grimy (recent health dept. warning, but that's not unusual in Chinatown). Try the fried shrimp and chive dumplings, and regular shrimp dumplings. Very generous fillings. There's a small table in back, but not really a sit down place. Open 7-6, closed Wednesday. Cash only. 752 Jackson Street.
Honorable mention: Hunan Home restaurant is a place to get good Chinese food in a comfortable setting. The lines can be really long at mealtimes, but if you go on off hours, you can either get right in or be seated after a short wait.
Plan:
1. Bakery snack/walking tour stops
2. Bazaars/markets
3. Dim sum lunch
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