Yank Sing

Great place for dim sum, you can't miss it. Good service too. I would recommend highly! Do yourself a favor and check it out.

San Francisco is known for its chinese cuisine, so I thought I'd try out the supposedly best dim sum in the city. I must admit, the dim sum at Yank Sing is impressive. I could tell all of the food was made in house (or at least made by someone who intended it for Yank Sing) and everything was cooked to perfection. No broken dumpling skins, no under seasoned/over seasoned foods. This is how all dim sum should strive to be done. But of course, greatness always has a price... and this place is pricey. Dim sum on sunday for 2 was $90. Granted we went dumpling happy, but I've had dim sum for 2, dumpling happy and all for $20. But definitely worth the experience of the best dim sum ever! Plenty of seating, good service.

Pros: best dim sum, lots of tables/seats, good service

Cons: expensive for dim sum

Yank Sing certainly does not deserve a high ranking for its dim sum. Growing up in Canton, I am a total dim sum snob and I went to Yank Sing out of its reputation. It was a total disappointment. It was very much Americanized (and maybe that is why many people think it is good). If you want more authentic dim sum, I would recommend the Canton Dim Sum Seafood Restaurant down on Hawthorne and Folsom, much more authentic and good dim sum.

Yes, the serving staff in Yank Sing speaks English, if that is more important than food quality then you probably would choose Yank Sing. Yank Sing has relatively good ambience, but to me, it is a little over done and commercial. It is in a good location, convenient for business lunch to please your clients. But for me, food is really the essence of a restaurant and Yang Sing certainly is overrated.

Pros: location, ambience

Cons: average dim sum quality, overrated reputation, price

This place has the best dim sum I have ever tasted. The have a very larrge selection. Went in between lunch and dinner hours and had no problem being seated. The servers were not very friendly but the food made up for it.

Pros: Great food

Cons: location, parking, very expensive 2 people for lunch was 100.00

This place is an easy target because of it's reputation and it is pricey. However, if you are truly objective and judge the food on it's merits, this is the best dim sum in the city. Lobster dumplings, sea bass dumplings, pork shumai, green beans, Peking duck all excel. If you don't see what you like, just ask to special order and you will get your request promptly.

The dessert tarts are a great way to end a meal here. The egg custard tarts and Chinese donuts are worth a visit all by themselves.

Pros: Lobster Dumplings, Peking Duck, Shumai

Cons: pricey, likely wait, no parking

Great food, and vegetarian/vegan friendly. The could try harder on the selection of dishes, but the extremely attentive waitstaff makes up for the lack of selection. The floor supervisor actually caught us about to eat something non-vegan and intervened! Great place and much better ambiance than you would expect.

Pros: Vegan friendly, Food, service

Cons: Slightly overpriced

The dim sum was excellent. The service was very "present". Our table was never empty. Yank Sing was busy and appeared to be very popular with all types of clients. Avoid the fried plates in order to save room for the creative traditional dishes that seem endless. When you are finished eating, run! Yah, that's right, just take off, run like hell. Dine and dash. Don't get caught as the bill may be more than you can handle.

Pros: excellent dim sum, attentive service

Cons: expensive, expensive, expensive

Despite the price, it's definitely worth a trip to see what the best dim sum experience in the city is like. I've tried so many restaurants in Chinatown and haven't been able to find anything that comes close to the quality and service you find at Yank Sing.

Pros: quality, variety

Cons: expensive

Yank Sing has outstanding dim sum. There can be no question about that. Sure, you can get dim sum at lower prices, but also at a very lower level of quality. I would rather pay more and get better quality even if it means that I can go less frequently. Be sure to have a reservation, go early, or be prepared for a long wait. It's best to go with several people (at least three) so you can share a variety of selections.

Pros: Outstanding dim sum, Very good service

The food was OK, but this was the most expensive dim sum I have ever had by a long shot. Two of us went there for lunch and did not eat very much, and the bill came out to $70! We had nothing to drink except for tea. I was sure there was a mistake. Also, never mind asking to see a price list before you order, because most of the plates contain 2 servings. That means those 4 tiny dumplings on your plate are actually 2 servings, although there are no plates available with only 1 serving. (We were told very snootily that we should have known, and should have asked them to give us half a plate.) With all the great dim sum places in SF, why would anyone go here and spend a fortune?

Pros: Decent food

Cons: Overpriced, Snooty service, Sneaky pricing method