Downstairs at George Chen’s massive, multi-venue complex, you’ll find a full menu of Chinese specialties, including customer favorites like crisp-bottomed sheng jian bao and Peking duck sesame pockets. The more upscale Eight Tables upstairs serves a more expensive tasting menu. There’s also the swanky Cold Drinks Bar for cocktail fans, and don’t forget to peruse the marketplace’s selection of housemade condiments and snacks on your way out.

V.I.P. features the kind of eclectic menu that’s typical of a Hong Kong-style cafe including baked pork chops over rice or red-sauce spaghetti; hot, sweet milk tea; stir-fried noodles; and fried chicken wings. It’s also a bakery, with a full selection of cakes and pastries.

As quintessential as Coit Tower, Vesuvio is well-regarded as a historic spot for beat poets to kick back after a long day of being provocateurs. Now, the bar and cafe is still a vibrant scene for bohemians and not-so-bohemians alike; the cheap drinks, tiny poetry readings, and musical performances in the alley outside keep the bar vibrant throughout the decades.

Those looking for a hefty dose of spice will want to check out Chong Qing Xiao Mian, a Sichuan restaurant on the edge of Chinatown and North Beach. The lunch scene can get busy, but the restaurant’s fans know the spicy Sichuan noodle soup is worth the wait. Try the wontons with spicy chile oil or the Wuhan hot dry noodles, or verge into the restaurant’s chicken dishes, such as the Sichuan-style mouth-watering chicken.

From the team behind neighboring and original restaurant Z&Y, comes a haven for all things crispy and fowl. Obviously, this new restaurant specializes in carved duck and other high-end Chinese fare. The restaurant recommends reserving a duck in advance for your meal, but there are also other dishes to try such as Wan Zhou grilled whole fish or plates of dim sum. The restaurant also does special occasion meals, such as their 2024 Lunar New Year dinner, for example, a $680 feast for 8-10 people with “contemporary Beijing-inspired dishes.”

Chinatown’s most legendary egg tarts can be found at Golden Gate Bakery, but in a pinch you can get your fix at Wong Lee Bakery, an itty bitty counter on Jackson Street. The egg tarts are everything you could want and more with a flaky crust — no soggy bottoms — and a smooth custard inside. There’s also a selection of dim sum classics including dumplings, noodles, and more.

This Chinatown basement restaurant — whose history goes back some 90 years — serves some of the heartiest and most inexpensive Cantonese food in town. Customer favorites include old-school dishes like tomato-and-beef chow mein, salt-and-pepper fried pork chops, and steamed pork hash. The rice plates are an especially good deal, at just $9 or $10 a pop.

There are few more legendary watering holes than Grant Avenue’s Chinese mai tai progenitor Li Po. Yes, it’s well-known as a respite for celebrities including Abbot Elementary’s Chris Perfetti, NFL players, and Anthony Bourdain. But really this longtime drinking destination is for the people, and believe the hype: The mai tais are that good.

The Coffee Movement is serious about its coffee drinks, yet it manages to be accessible to the coffee-curious. Along with the usual suspects of coffee — namely, the espressos, drip coffees, cappuccinos, and lattes on the menu — there is a tasting flight of three different coffees, or one coffee prepared in three different ways, perfect for learning about caffeine preferences. There is also an espresso tonic for a cooling moment, seasonal drinks, and two tea offerings should one need a less caffeinated drink.

Ordering at this decades-old legacy business is about as straightforward as it gets. You’re going to want noodles, probably the soupy ones with bite-size wontons served in the same style as the bustling noodle shops found on countless Hong Kong street corners — and at a similarly affordable price point. Toppings run the gamut from stewed beef brisket and tendon to pig’s feet, and the housemade chile oil is a must.

Capital remains a prime destination for large groups and rambunctious get-togethers in Chinatown. Whatever you do, don’t skip the salt-and-pepper fried chicken wings.

Four Kings made the leap from pop-up to permanent location in 2024, infusing Chinatown with Hong Kong food nostalgia. The showstopper dish is the restaurant’s fried squab, which is dry-aged for a week and then fried to order — just be aware that availability is limited. Other favorites include escargot mixed with XO sauce and served with a side of milk bread; pork chop rice with tomato egg; and mapo spaghetti. The beverage list is brief but features some unique options, such as Toastea Lager from Taiwan’s Ugly Half Beer and Chinese almond milk.

Mister Jiu’s is a destination not only in Chinatown but also for all of San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. There’s perhaps no better place to get a taste of what fine dining modern Cantonese food can be than at James Beard award-winning chef Brandon Jew’s Michelin-starred restaurant. Perched on the second floor of a building overlooking the neighborhood, the tasting menu changes seasonally but you can (and should) add on a whole roasted Liberty duck served with peanut butter hoisin.