Chinatown

One of the oldest Chinatowns in North America, full of narrow alleys, bakeries, markets and history around every corner.

About Chinatown

San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest in North America, established in the 1840s and rebuilt after 1906 in a deliberately ornamental style that was partly a survival strategy: make it a destination and the city cannot push the community out.

There are two Chinatowns running in parallel. Grant Avenue is the postcard one, with lanterns and pagoda roofs. Stockton Street, one block west, is the working one, where the produce, fish and herb shops serve people who live here. Walk both.

It is dense, loud and crowded, with very little green space, and it is one of the most rewarding hours you can spend with children in this city.

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How far is it?

Union Square0.4 mi · an 8 minute walk
Fisherman's Wharf1.2 mi · 10 min by cable car
Golden Gate Bridge3.3 mi · 12–15 min drive
Golden Gate Park4 mi · 15–20 min drive
SFO airport14 mi · about 30 min on BART from Powell St

Getting here: The Chinatown–Rose Pak station on the Central Subway sits at Stockton and Washington, the California Street cable car runs along the top edge, and the 1, 8, 30 and 45 buses pass through. Powell Street BART is a ten-minute walk. Parking is tight; use the Portsmouth Square or Sutter-Stockton garages.

What to see

Dragon Gate

The ceremonial south entrance, a 1970 gift from Taiwan, guarded by stone lions. Start here.

Grant Ave at Bush St · Free

Waverly Place

The Street of Painted Balconies, with temples on the upper floors above the shops.

Between Sacramento and Washington · Free

Ross Alley

The city’s oldest alley, and home to the fortune cookie factory.

Between Jackson and Washington · Free

Portsmouth Square

Chinatown’s living room: tai chi at dawn, card games all day. A redesign has been in the works, so parts may be fenced.

Kearny at Washington · Free

Chinese Historical Society of America

A small, excellent museum in a 1932 building designed by Julia Morgan. Open limited days, currently Wednesday and Saturday.

965 Clay St

Old St. Mary’s Cathedral

Built in 1854 from brick shipped round Cape Horn, and one of the few walls that survived 1906.

660 California St

Things to do

Watch fortune cookies being made

Two women folding cookies by hand on hot presses, inches away. Buy a warm bag; there is a small charge for photos.

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, Ross Alley · Free to enter

Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground

The neighborhood playground and basketball court, named for a 1940s local legend.

830 Sacramento St · Free

Walk the alleys

Waverly Place, Ross Alley and Spofford Alley take about 45 minutes with stops and show you the real neighborhood.

Free

Shop Stockton Street

Produce, dried goods and fish markets, busiest and best before 10am.

Free

Chinese New Year Parade

One of the largest Lunar New Year parades outside Asia, with a 250-foot golden dragon.

February

Where to eat

Good Mong Kok Bakery

A takeout counter with a permanent line, selling bao and dumplings by the piece. Cash only, no seating.

1039 Stockton St · about $5–8

Golden Gate Bakery

The egg custard tarts, when they are open. Hours are famously unpredictable and it is cash only.

1029 Grant Ave · a couple of dollars a tart

Hon’s Wun-Tun House

Wonton noodle soup in a bowl the size of a sink. Cheap, fast, and there are chairs.

648 Kearny St · about $10–14

R&G Lounge

Salt and pepper crab is the order. Book ahead on weekends.

631 Kearny St · about $30–40

City View

Cart dim sum in a bright room off Portsmouth Square.

33 Walter U Lum Pl · about $15–25

Mister Jiu’s

Modern Cantonese with a Michelin star, upstairs in a former banquet hall. A special occasion.

28 Waverly Pl · about $120 and up

Local tip: Go on a weekday before 10am. You get Stockton Street working at full speed, first pick of the egg tarts, and the alleys to yourself before the tour groups arrive on Grant.