Neighborhood
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.
Every late summer, Grant Avenue and Portsmouth Square host the free Hungry Ghost Festival, with a giant paper Ghost King parade, Cantonese opera and community altars.
Our neighborhood lines are based on DataSF's Analysis Neighborhoods, adjusted where visitors use a smaller area or a different name: Dogpatch and Fisherman's Wharf stand on their own, and the Richmond and the Sunset are each kept whole.
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.
Waverly Place
The Street of Painted Balconies, with temples on the upper floors above the shops.
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.
Chinese Historical Society of America
A small, excellent museum in a 1932 building designed by Julia Morgan. Open limited days, currently Wednesday and Saturday.
Old St. Mary’s Cathedral
Built in 1854 from brick shipped round Cape Horn, and one of the few walls that survived 1906.
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.
Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground
The neighborhood playground and basketball court, named for a 1940s local legend.
Walk the Alleys
Waverly Place, Ross Alley and Spofford Alley take about 45 minutes with stops and show you the real neighborhood.
Shop Stockton Street
Produce, dried goods and fish markets, busiest and best before 10am.
Chinese New Year Parade
One of the largest Lunar New Year parades outside Asia, with a 250-foot golden dragon.
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.
Golden Gate Bakery
The egg custard tarts, when they are open. Hours are famously unpredictable and it is cash only.
Hon’s Wun-Tun House
Wonton noodle soup in a bowl the size of a sink. Cheap, fast, and there are chairs.
Mister Jiu’s
Modern Cantonese with a Michelin star, upstairs in a former banquet hall. A special occasion.
Upcoming in Chinatown
Syd Mead: Future Pastime
Chinatown Halloween Festival
Popovich Comedy Pet Theater
Places We Rate in Chinatown
Chinatown/Him Mark Lai Branch Library
Chinese Historical Society of America Museum
Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory
Jessica Silverman
Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground
Guides
Lunar New Year Flower Fair in San Francisco Chinatown
San Francisco's Chinatown Lunar New Year Flower Fair: where it is, the 2026 dates and hours, what is for sale, and when…
Read the guide →Hungry Ghost Festival in San Francisco: Chinatown’s Ghost Festival
San Francisco's Hungry Ghost Festival in Chinatown: what it is, every date since 2023, the Ghost King parade, kid tips, Muni and…
Read the guide →San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade 2027: Date, Route, Tickets and the Street Fair
The 2027 San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade is Saturday 20 February at 5:15pm. The route, when bleacher tickets go on sale,…
Read the guide →Questions People Ask About Chinatown
Is San Francisco Chinatown worth visiting?
Yes. It is the oldest Chinatown in North America and still a working residential neighborhood, not just a tourist strip. Walk Grant Avenue for the lanterns and Stockton Street for the produce markets that locals actually use, and go on a weekday morning.
What is there to do in Chinatown with kids?
Watch fortune cookies being folded by hand in Ross Alley, walk the painted balconies of Waverly Place, eat dumplings by the piece from a takeout counter, and use the zodiac-animal playground at Portsmouth Square or the courts at Willie Woo Woo Wong Playground.
Where do you park in Chinatown?
Use a garage: Portsmouth Square, Sutter-Stockton or St Mary’s Square. Street parking is scarce and driving through is slow. The Central Subway station at Stockton and Washington puts you in the middle of the neighborhood.
When is the Chinese New Year Parade?
February, usually a couple of weeks after Lunar New Year itself. It is one of the largest celebrations of its kind outside Asia, with a 250-foot golden dragon, and the date shifts each year.
Recently Closed or Moved
1 place in Chinatown has closed, moved or changed name. Each one keeps a page saying what happened, when, and where that was checked.
- City View Restaurant MOVED