San Francisco has been eating dim sum since the 1880s and the city still does it in two completely different registers. There is the two-dollar takeout counter with a queue on the pavement, and there is the white-tablecloth banquet room where a cart comes to your table. Both are worth doing. Which one you want depends mostly on how much time and money you have.
What is the best dim sum in San Francisco?
For the best cheap dim sum, Good Mong Kok Bakery at 1039 Stockton Street in Chinatown. It is a takeout counter under an orange awning with a line most of the day, everything is sold by the piece, most items are under two dollars and you will feed two people for ten. There is nowhere to sit. Buy a bag and walk two blocks to Portsmouth Square.
For the best sit-down dim sum, Yank Sing at 101 Spear Street in SoMa. It has been open since 1958, it is the city’s grand old dim sum room, and it is expensive — budget thirty-five to fifty dollars a head. What you get for that is consistently excellent xiao long bao, scallop siu mai and proper service.
For the best of both, the Richmond District. Hong Kong Lounge at 5322 Geary Boulevard and Dragon Beaux at 5700 Geary do cart or order-sheet service at prices between the two extremes, and they are where a lot of San Francisco families actually go on a Sunday.
How do the main dim sum restaurants compare?
| Where | Neighborhood | Service style | Roughly per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good Mong Kok Bakery, 1039 Stockton St | Chinatown | Takeout counter, cash | $5–10 |
| Good Luck Dim Sum, 736 Clement St | Richmond | Takeout counter | $5–10 |
| Wing Lee Bakery, 503 Clement St | Richmond | Takeout counter | $5–10 |
| Hong Kong Lounge, 5322 Geary Blvd | Richmond | Carts and table service | $20–30 |
| Dragon Beaux, 5700 Geary Blvd | Richmond | Order sheet, upscale | $35–50 |
| Yank Sing, 101 Spear St | SoMa | Carts, full service | $35–50 |
| Palette Tea House, 900 North Point St | Fisherman’s Wharf | Order sheet, showy plating | $30–45 |
Is Chinatown or the Richmond better for dim sum?
Chinatown is better for the cheap counters and for the walk that comes with it. The Richmond is better for a sit-down meal: newer rooms, more space, easier parking, and the restaurants along Geary Boulevard are where the city’s Chinese families go when they want a proper weekend lunch. Clement Street between about 2nd and 12th Avenues is the best single street in the city for wandering between bakeries.
Is dim sum good with children?
It is one of the best restaurant meals in the city for children, for three reasons. Food arrives immediately and keeps arriving, so there is no hungry waiting. Everything is small and hand-sized. And the rooms are loud enough that nobody minds a noisy table — a busy dim sum hall on a Sunday runs at a volume that makes a toddler’s contribution irrelevant.
Safe first orders for a cautious eater: char siu bao, the fluffy white barbecue pork buns; egg tarts; plain rice noodle rolls; and steamed chicken feet, which are excellent and which most children will decline with great interest. Cart service is easier than an order sheet with children because you can point.
When should you go, and do you need a reservation?
Peak dim sum is 11am to 1pm on Saturday and Sunday, and at peak you will wait. Go at 10am or after 1.30pm and you will walk in almost anywhere. Yank Sing and Dragon Beaux take reservations and it is worth making one for a weekend group of four or more. The takeout counters take nobody’s reservation and the queue is the whole system.
Which dim sum places have closed or moved?
Three worth knowing, because old guides and old map pins still send people to them. Ton Kiang on Geary closed in 2019 after forty-two years. Hong Kong Lounge II on Geary closed after a fire and has reopened under a new name, HK Lounge Bistro, at 1136 Folsom Street in SoMa — it is small and wants a reservation. And City View has moved: it is now at 33 Walter U. Lum Place in Chinatown, opposite Portsmouth Square, not at its old Commercial Street address.
Prices and hours were checked in September 2026 and can change, so confirm before you go. We take no payment for inclusion.
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What is the best dim sum in San Francisco?
It depends on the format. Good Mong Kok Bakery in Chinatown is the best cheap takeout counter, with most items under two dollars. Yank Sing in SoMa, open since 1958, is the best full-service cart restaurant, at around thirty-five to fifty dollars a head. Hong Kong Lounge on Geary Boulevard is the best middle option.
Is dim sum better in Chinatown or the Richmond District?
Chinatown has the best cheap takeout counters and the better walk. The Richmond has the better sit-down restaurants — newer, larger rooms along Geary Boulevard where many local Chinese families eat at weekends, with easier parking.
Do you need a reservation for dim sum in San Francisco?
For Yank Sing and Dragon Beaux at a weekend, yes, especially for four or more. Most other sit-down rooms take walk-ins with a wait between 11am and 1pm at weekends. The takeout counters do not take reservations at all — the queue is the system.
Is dim sum a good meal with young children?
One of the best in the city. Food arrives straight away and keeps coming, everything is hand-sized, and the rooms are loud enough that a noisy table goes unnoticed. Start a cautious eater on char siu bao, egg tarts and plain rice noodle rolls, and choose cart service so children can point.
How much does dim sum cost in San Francisco?
From about five to ten dollars a person at the Chinatown and Clement Street takeout counters, twenty to thirty at a standard cart restaurant, and thirty-five to fifty at Yank Sing or Dragon Beaux. The counters are the best value food in the city by a wide margin.
Is Ton Kiang still open?
No. Ton Kiang on Geary Boulevard closed in 2019 after forty-two years, though old guides still list it. Two other frequently searched names have changed too: Hong Kong Lounge II reopened as HK Lounge Bistro at 1136 Folsom Street, and City View moved to 33 Walter U. Lum Place in Chinatown.