San Francisco Chinatown, alley by alley.

The place

Why San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Its food runs from Cantonese bakeries and dim sum counters to Sichuan noodle shops and big banquet dining rooms. Grant Avenue is the postcard street; Stockton Street, one block up, is where locals shop and eat.

Sam Wo on Clay Street is the neighborhood’s survivor. San Francisco Travel dates it to 1906; it closed in January 2025 when the family retired, and new owners reopened it in September 2025. Go and order the jook.

Seven stops

Seven Chinatown stops and what to order.

Addresses are as listed by San Francisco Travel in October 2025. Golden Gate Bakery is famous for keeping unpredictable hours, so treat it as a bonus.

The route

The order that works.

1. Breakfast on StocktonStart at Good Mong Kok when the steamers are fresh. Dim sum here is takeout: a box of har gow and pork buns to eat on the go.
2. Try for an egg tartWalk down to Grant Avenue and see if Golden Gate Bakery is open. If it is, buy egg tarts. If it is not, you are in good company.
3. Duck into Ross AlleyThe Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory is a narrow shop in a narrow alley. Buy a bag to snack on and a bag to take home.
4. Jook at Sam WoA bowl of rice porridge and a BBQ pork rice noodle roll is the classic Sam Wo order — warm, plain and very San Francisco.
5. Spice in the afternoonChong Qing Xiao Mian on Kearny Street does Chongqing-style noodles with real heat. Order a bowl to share and the spicy wontons.
6. Dinner for the tableFinish with a group dinner: chili chicken wings at Z & Y, or salt and pepper crab at R&G Lounge. Both are better with more people.

Take home

What to carry back.

• Fortune cookies from Ross Alley. They travel well and make a good gift.
• Egg tarts, if you got lucky. Eat them the same day.
• A box of buns from Good Mong Kok. Steam or microwave them the next morning.

Timing and getting there

How to do Chinatown well.

• Ride the Central Subway. The T Third Street line stops at Chinatown–Rose Pak station, under Stockton Street at Washington Street, one stop from Union Square/Market Street.
• Or take a cable car. The cable cars run right into Chinatown, which is a fun way to arrive, if not the fastest.
• It is a hill. Plan the route downhill where you can, and wear real shoes.
• Mornings for bakeries, evenings for banquets. Counters are fullest early; the big dining rooms come alive at dinner.
• Carry a little cash. Small bakeries and counters move quickly when you have it ready.

Sharing math

How to share San Francisco’s Chinatown.

• Bakery stops: one each. Buns and tarts are single servings, and that is half the fun.
• Noodles: one bowl per two. You will want room for dinner.
• Dinner: one dish per person, plus rice. Four people, four dishes, and a crab if the group agrees.
• Crab is the big one. Decide on it together before anyone orders.

Copy this

Your San Francisco Chinatown checklist.

New to dim sum? Read how to order dim sum first. Planning a bigger trip? Our food trip itinerary guide has a template.

• ☐ Egg tart — bakery open? ___
• ☐ Best fortune of the day: ___
• ☐ Jook at Sam Wo — topping: ___
• ☐ Numbing noodles, tingle out of 5: ___
• ☐ Chili chicken wings — how many chilies on the plate: ___
• ☐ Salt and pepper crab — worth it? ___
• ☐ Steepest hill climbed: ___

Keep the trip

Every alley, on the map.

Snap each table in PlateDiary and every bun, bowl and crab is cut out on your phone into a save. Each stop becomes its own moment, pinned on the map — Ross Alley included. Capture works offline, so a weak signal between buildings changes nothing.

Give each place a stamp in Stamps, your stamp book of places you’ve eaten, so a 1906 noodle house sits next to the fortune-cookie shop. Add whoever came as companions, and their pages keep this day too.