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Access to wonderful dim sum is one of the great privileges of life in San Francisco. Whether you’re seeking a traditional cart-fueled adventure, a high-end take on the art form, or a way to recreate the experience at home, these places should be your first stops. [Establishments appear in alphabetical order, not in order of preference.]
Okay, look — your table might be a little bit sticky and your chair will most certainly be sat too close to a stranger at this Parkside hole in the wall. But those little niceties don’t really matter once you are slurping on some soup dumplings and breaking open some beef-stuffed pancakes. Close your eyes and inhale the bliss.
Koi Palace lands in this guide even though it is a little bit outside of San Francisco’s city limits in Daly City. A time capsule of a banquet hall holds seemingly thousands of diners and almost just as many options. Live seafood is a hit here, and we recommend ordering lightly with the tempting carts that circle the room in favor of exploring the printed menu. A whole fried Dungeness crab ringed with crab and shrimp dumplings, for example is a special worth the extra 20 minutes it takes to make. Also make sure and order a box of hand-pulled Dragon’s Beard candy (made of sugar, corn starch, coconut, sesame seeds and crushed peanuts); Koi Palace is one of the few places in America that sells this ancient confection.
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A splashy collaboration between TV chef Martin Yan and the owners of Koi Palace inside the Westfield rivals Hakkasan for prices, beauty of presentation and creative cocktails. The interior has a stunning, old world elegance — though you will frankly still feel like you’re inside the mall unless you request a seat at the chef’s counter (where there’s a great view of the hand-pulled noodles) or in the back. The menu offers the tame classics alongside more adventurous bites like wild boar noodles, chicken feet. Since you’re already going to spend a little money here, might as well go for the gusto and try the pork and black truffle juicy dumplings. At $18 for five, they’re probably the highest price dumplings in town but are worth treating yourself.
This pop-up-to-permanent success story took over the Castro’s Queen Malika Cafe a little over a year ago, elevating the neighborhood’s somewhat dubious culinary standard almost immediately. A combination of family recipes and a dim sum maker poached from Yank Sing offers a solid regional diversity. It’s hard to go wrong here, but airy bao stuffed with mushrooms or hot flowing custard are must-haves.
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