They would not serve me any claypot because I was white. This is not an assumption on my part but the words of the staff. Pretty wild.

So we're in San Francisco and near Chinatown. We wanted some good Chinese food. Most locations are just doing delivery or takeout. I wanted something where I could sit down and enjoy my surroundings. I found this place. The food here is absolutely delicious and authentic. We ordered a few dishes and each one was so darn yummy. I can't wait to go back and try something different. read more

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Nothing memorable sums it up for this restaurant that looks like a small place but when you walk upstairs to use the restrooms, you will note the large banquet room/additional sitting area they have. We walked in for a quick early dinner. Promptly seated. They a few other tables occupied. We were tended to right away, the server was very friendly and helpful. We ordered half Peking duck ($30), cube steak with Chinese vegetables (it was only Buk Choi), and seafood fried rice with gravy on top. The total came out to $64 for two people with top $75 for two with food that was so so The Peking duck was a disappointment as t was the least flavor and crispness I have ever experienced. Steak cubes were not cooked well and they were large enough that you needed a knife to cut them to avoid chewing on a large piece of meat!! The fried rice with gravy had too much watery gravy. All together, other than good service, there wasn't anything that I would call good or great. A shame with all the restaurants in the area, they could still have businesses that lack Good to Great quality. read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

We weren't sure initially when walking by but man if this isn't the best Chinese food we've had in forever. The meals were perfectly seasoned without overtly heavy sauces, and the shrimp fried rice was expertly done. Amazing experience read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - Walnut prawns - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Eenie, meenie miney, moe Since I'm not from San Francisco just how does one choose a good Chinese restaurant in Chinatown?? Many of them have their menus posted outside their windows for tourist and passerby to see, right?? They all have a variety of noodles, fried rice, beef, chicken, and pork dishes but how do I know what restaurants are good? We looked down the street and checked out the menu of this restaurant and as we had just barely started looking at the menu from their window the host came outside and motioned for us to come inside... uh, okay? At the time there was only one other customer dining inside. We went in and were given a menu to look at. Hubby and I have our favorite Chinese food dishes that we order all the time when dining at a Chinese restaurant but this time we had their "dinner for 2" special for $26.95. The special came with wonton soup, pork chow mein, spring egg rolls, beef broccoli, and fortune cookies (not sure why they would add fortune cookies to the menu as if it counts, I thought that was standard). The food tasted okay. Nothing that prompted for a second visit. Didn't like the egg rolls, tasted different from what my taste buds were used to. The fried rice and beef broccoli were decent but the chow mein was tasteless with lots of bean sprouts which hubby didn't like too much and the portions were small. The place filled up eventually because the host would do like what they did to us and he'd go outside and tell them to come in while people would just check out the menu from the window. So weird also that some restaurants were closed in the height of dinner time. Did I miss a Chinese holiday? There are so many Chinese restaurants in Chinatown that it's easy to bypass this one over another one. Review #0917 read more

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My first time visiting San Francisco and cam to this restaurant since looks good, food it's okay and customer service sucks, the lady that takes your order it's super rude and what got me upset is that her own race she was really nice and felt sad since I was been nice to her. Anyway never again!!!! Worse experience read more

Was craving some roast duck at like 8:30pm and decided to check out the duck and taro clay pot they had at this place. It was great! I requested them to add extra duck and they added quite a bit for an additional 6 bucks! I think I will just stick to the original portion next time because holy shit that was a lot of duck read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - Duck and taro clay pot - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

An authentic Chinese place in the heart of Chinatown. It's got both the most genuine Chinese dishes and more "Americanized" Chinese dishes like potstickers and spring rolls. Although like other Chinese resturaunt I've seen, they have a "Americanized" general menu with English (it was tan when I went) and a more Chinese menu (black and no English) with plates more geared towards Chinese eaters, so try asking for that if you want to try some different flavors! And since it is located in Chinatown, expect that it will not have the best sanitary conditions and workers who speak Chinese to each other. But the authentic food is quite worth it! read more

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In the neighborhood and went back for what else but their Shunde Delux Fish Salad (Medium $25.99). This time, my dad was pretty disappointed in the dish overall. It seemed like there was less fish this time and the general taste could have been better. We also got two orders of Hong Kong-style Chow Mein, one with veggies and another with combination style. My mom requested that they keep the noodles separate, that way the noodles don't get soggy too fast. The orders seemed a bit small for the price you pay. Then again, they are located on Grant Street and it's a pricier location! I got a pic of the fish salad this time! read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - Shunde Delux Fish Salad (Medium $25.99) - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

The food had hair in it and grossed us out this place wasnt the best and they didnt do nothing about it when i told them about the situation

Right at Chinatown. We got a serving for four. Their offer us a soup as an entree ( don't know the name). The food was good, service was fast and the prices are reasonable. They provide us wia high chair for the toddler. We're sitting right next to the entrance door, was super windy and we asked to move to another table. The waitress use a folding screen as a barrier and the problem was fixed. Also, the COVID vaccination card or negative test results are needed to enter the business. read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Don't trust a book by its cover. My cousin and I wanted to try a a china town restaurant and this hole in the wall restaurant was the best Chinese food we ever had!!! Amazing chicken and fried rice, I recommend everyone come try for yourself! Definitely impressed and glad we stopped by! read more

A golden standard of SF's Chinatown for clay-pot cooking. The atmosphere could be better but it's pretty typical of no-frills Chinese--especially Cantonese--places in Chinatown and has been around for decades. I don't think people should judge Bow Hon on atmosphere because it's simply not the type of place you come for a posh atmosphere: if you want that, go to Tommy Toy's. The quality of food varies but the clay-pot dishes and seafood in general are the best bets and what people come here for time and again. The clams in black bean sauce is also a favorite. If you get clay-pot, go for seafood over anything else. People on here seem to complain that Bow Hon is overpriced and it seems a bit high on some items, certainly. Golden Flower Vietnamese Restaurant, also in Chinatown but a Viet restaurant with clay-pot cooking Viet-style, is more fairly-priced and probably better overall quality, truth be told. read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Authentic and very tasty Chinese food. service was great. don't fall for the other tourist traps, come here.

We ordered 3 dishes and wasn't sure if it would be enough for the 3 of us. The portion came out quite generous for the price and the dishes taste as expected. The whole restaurant reminds me of a traditional Chinese restaurant that makes the whole dining experience feel like home. read more

The foods are very delicious and tasty. The restaurant is very clean. The service is very nice. My husband and I love their foods very much. We come to here once a week. My son's birthday was celebrated in here last year. The boss sent a birthday cake to my son. She gave us a big surprise. I definitely recommend this restaurant. Five stars restaurant. read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - Interior - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

I was walking in Chinatown and a patron's plate caught my eye. The food looked great so I looked at the menu. I wanted something simple since I was trying to fit a lot of sightseeing in one day. I ordered beef fried rice...omg, it was delicious! My plate was absolutely rounded over, but I didn't leave one piece of rice. Lol. Even the waitress laughed at me for eating it all, but I told her it was so dang good, I just couldn't leave any. Service was very good, and I dined outside on a beautiful day. Highly recommend! read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - Bow Hon sign - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Our family was walking down Chinatown in San Francisco and we came across this little hub in between shops. We sat and ate and couldn't tell you how much we enjoyed our meal. The fried rice is bomb the chow mein is bomb... and you must try there Honey Citrus tea amazing!! read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - Loved the noodles soooo delicious ! - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Read my image. Everything all in one photo. This location is not worth your money and time. read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - My description. - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Starting on the waiter was rude and not helpful. My food was nasty and mushy. I'm not sure if was reheated multiple times. I tried to get the order taken off my tab but I was not able to. Definitely will not be back for any of the appetizers or the beef wonton soup. read more

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Love the food at this restaurant. It has an open dining outside. The customer service is excellent. The food is good except I like it a little more salty. Price is reasonable for San Francisco. Good customer service is very important to me. So I definitely will return again. Thanks Ah Hing read more

It was great. I just moved to San Francisco and rarely do I enjoy restaurant's. I'm not new to Asian quaint, however, we were treated nicely Thank you. read more

Came in for lunch during our yearly SF visit January 2020. We pretty much order the same thing every time. Very authentic. Not warm and fuzzy service. No complaints. Delicious and satisfied as always! read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - Variety of Dim Sum. Ask for the Dim Sum menu! - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Many people have gave low ratings to this restaurant. Not me. I loved it ! The clay pot rice with preserved sausage, meats and duck was fabulous. It's the best clay pot rice I have had. One of their best dish is the sweet and sour pork ribs with pineapple. It's also the best I have had. I have decided to come back soon. read more

We walked in and were seated after showing the woman working there out Covid shots card. We sat inside no one else inside which should of alerted me that not many eat here and I know why. I asked the waitress same person who seated us what she recommended. She recommended the fired noodles with assorted meat and my husband ordered the sweet and sour pork. I took one mouthful of the fired noodle and spit it out ! It was so gross! Awful !! She told me to get it and it was bad tasting ! I was going to tell her I'm not going to eat it and my husband said he will eat it ! He ate it so I wouldn't complain but he did not enjoy it at all either ! Assorted meat? I counted three shrimp and about 5 very small bits of pork! I decided I was going to say something to tell her do not recommend that dish because it was terrible ! I asked if she ate that and she told me when she eats it they make it Chinese style and not this way ! So give the American slop and not the Chinese style? We won't be back ! Be warned! Go somewhere else in my opinion read more

The sign in the window says that the business has been there for 40 years which is great, but like a wine instead of getting better with age it is unfortunately turn to vinegar. The dim sum was sub quality, I've had better store-bought frozen dim sum. The room itself smelled like burnt cooking oil. Other reviews have said the wait staff was rude, I did not find that to be true in my case, although she did up the price by each menu item by a dollar which was in keeping with what other customers had reported. I am disappointed to have found out later on yelp that many of the bad reviews have been hidden and going through them I cannot understand why. If I had read them I definitely would not have selected this restaurant given all the other amazing choices in Chinatown. read more

I've been coming in for a long time whenever I'm in Chinatown. But it seems like every time I've been back the food has gotten more lack-luster. I always come here for the clay pot rice with preserved meats. The portions are huge but they have the rice already mixed when it is served. I prefer mixing it myself. The meats are served on the side and the meat to rice ratio is always off to me. I do enjoy their tomato beef noodles though. All in all, if you're craving clay pot rice in the Chinatown give this place a try but don't expect to be wowed. It is a solid week night dinner spot at most. read more

All I have to say is that you have to try the sashimi/raw fish salad and their clay pots which are pretty much what Bow Hon is known for. It was a fairly large space with 2 floors and they had a cool dumbwaiter (aka food elevator) that transported food from the kitchen downstairs to the tables upstairs where we were. Service was decent with our waitress checking on us regularly but she tended to forget things we requested and the food didn't come out as quickly compared to other Chinese restaurants I have been to. The floor was super sticky for some reason too so our chairs were difficult to move around most of the evening. At least no one left hungry after our meal here, that's for sure! The special sashimi salad platter (not sure of the price but probably close to $40) was amazing! There was a zesty lemon flavor with a lot of crunch. It was comprised of fried wonton strips, fried vermicelli, red pickled ginger, roasted peanuts, cilantro, ground peppercorns, and fresh pieces of raw fish/squid. I came back for seconds! I think it comes in smaller sizes as well but this platter fed 9 of us. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/AtU4bqmaF5Aw3zc1_n68Kg?select=dBntiM9bb-802gk6LdL48w) Here's a close up shot. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/AtU4bqmaF5Aw3zc1_n68Kg?select=-KNJzmfGtaAsCEXJYrZgag) Some other dishes we ordered were clams in a black bean sauce and Chinese broccoli with beef (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/AtU4bqmaF5Aw3zc1_n68Kg?select=8Ts9R-3cA_Awdv3lGywYgQ). Both were fairly large portions and tasted great! The 3rd dish accompanied our clay pot order which included preserved duck and Chinese sausage...yum! They cooked it with the meat on top of the rice so that the flavors infused into it (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/AtU4bqmaF5Aw3zc1_n68Kg?select=5RFGWo-T41GFaQJHQ5BlMg). The rice was piping hot, delicious, and went well with the salty, preserved meats. After the rice was all done, our waitress poured some soup into the clay pot to make porridge with the hardened rice on the bottom. So good! Totally worth $19 since it fed so many of us and we got 2 courses in one. Needless to say, my belly was bursting when it was time to leave. I want to try their other clay pots next time! Cash only of course. read more

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Jeez! It finally dawned on me that the years have sneaked up on me. When I say I have been patronizing Bow Hon for a long time, I do mean a long time. I don't just mean years but decades. Yes, without being too specific.... multiple decades! Bow Hon and I go waaaay back.... back to the days of Nancy Kwan in Flower Drum Song. What? You don't remember Flower Drum Song? We are talking about Grant Avenue, San Francisco, CA, USA. http://youtu.be/Qzv_qAlDZyA Grant is a touristy thoroughfare in Chinatown where BH is located, lined with dragon-entwined lampposts during Chinese festivals and jammed with restaurants, quaint shops selling furniture, fabrics, souvenirs and knickknacks etc from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. BH is in the heart of Chinatown. So don't expect anything fancy. BH was closed recently for a remodel and all they did to the interior was the bare minimum...a clean up, a new coat of paint and some furniture rearrangement. The façade remained divey and the decor was still bare bones. It was kind of like Sam Wo, where the food was better than the ambiance. The servers are the nicest ladies and even though English is barely spoken, it is not difficult to communicate with them. The clay pot rice was undoubtedly BH's specialty from time immemorial. We went off the menu and ordered the classic Salted Fish with Pork Patty ($18.95 for 2), one of the most well loved Cantonese dishes. Traditionally, some bits of fat are preferred in the pork patty so the meat will stay moist and flavorful. However I applauded BH to be so thoughtful to use lean pork for me maybe because they recognized me as a long time customer. Paired with the pork was the salted fish in all its fragrance and saltiness. The rice was cooked in the clay pot creating the much-coveted crusty layer of slightly charred rice at the bottom (farn jiu). Think Rice Krispies.... only better! At the end of the meal, chicken broth with chopped cilantro was poured over the hardened rice crust and scraped off. That provided yet another end-of-the-meal treat. I can't believe I ordered the Cold Boiled Chicken (half-$10.95) with a side of Ginger and Scallions sauce. The cooking method is homey, simple and a favorite among gong-gongs (grandpas) and poh-pohs (grandmas) from the old country and you guess it.... Me as well! BH uses "yellow feathered chicken" (wong mo gai). This chicken is usually free ranged, smaller in size and has less fat. There is less meat, a little tougher but a lot more flavorful especially eaten with ginger and scallions. The chicken was really an accompaniment for the lo mein I ordered ($8.95). The noodles were tossed in soy, sugar and oyster sauce. I love to sprinkle some white pepper on the noodles, slurp them in between bites of the chicken, sucking the bones and gnawing on the wings. I hope I didn't sound too gross but that was the way to do it! BH has definitely withstood the test of time. It is with sadness and nostalgia to see the disappearance of so many iconic old school restaurants from the Chinatown dining scene recently. Time marches on ruthlessly, stops for no one, restaurants included. BH has created a well deserved 'clay pot rice' niche and hopefully they can continue to uphold this tradition for many more generations to come. read more

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Walkin around chinatown in sf and we were starved. out of the numerous hole in the walls we stumbled into this one. it looked packed but the waitress opened the door and said "come in come in we have room!!" the girls and i thought..."WHERE?!?!?!" she led us up a loooong staircase and it was an upstair dining area. we got the veggie chowmein, mongolia beef, and some tea. the way they transport the meals from downstairs to upstairs is amazing! im thinking its more of a trash chute/elevator thing but still cool. the food was decent nothing out of the ordinary. portions were a LITTLE small considerin its chinese food ...but then again it was lunch... read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - to transport from the downstairs kitchen to the 2nd floor - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Dining area: place could use a clean and touch up. You are able to see the kitchen wherever you sit in the place, so it is fairly small. They were not playing any music, but it was interesting to people-watch through the glass window. They could improve on this a little. Maybe some interesting things to look at. Staff: very helpful and were working hard to please their customers. Food: we ordered the orange chicken, side of rice, and wonton soup. This was all 25$ portion sizes are medium and satisfying. No complaint about the food. If I were to be picky, I'd say the rice could have been more moist. I would definitely return again. read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Came here because a friend of a friend was already inside. The place is fairly small. I looked at the menu and noticed the prices were kind of high for Chinatown, but still ordered a few plates. Each plate were tiny, about the size of a standard serving plate. The cheapest plates were already $9. The service was new because they didn't know how to serve the clay pot. The service was slow because they took forever to fill the tea. The journey to the restroom was a big trip. Each floor has 10' ceilings and the restroom was on the 3rd floor. The men's restroom had a big window that one cannot easily close, so neighbors can easily watch a person doing their business. Even the door was hard to lock and open. Coming back down to the first floor, one can feel the heat from the stoves making one feel kind of dizzy or at least I was. read more

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Rude Chinese lady! She just wanted to get me to order stuff and bag em. The roasted duck was thrown into the box with low-quality packing material and did not answer to things I was asking about food. Just money minded and no proper customer experience. Food was not that great. I will not try again. read more

CASH ONLY! his place is ok for tourist, but for SF locals and people in the Bay Area it's NOT a destination. There have been a few chowhound reports raving about this place so was pretty excited to finally get to try it, should have known better. These are the dishes we got: 1. House special shunde delux fish salad. Small $12.95; Medium $23.80; Large $38.80. i think we got a medium $23.80 and it was Huge. Lots of fried vermicelli noodles, chip like thingies, and red ginger, and some raw fish. Fish was ok, but not enough of it..too much filler stuff and not worth getting. 2. Rice noodles w/ beef & soy sauce $5.95 - well, I ordered it as dry-style beef chow fun so this is the closest I could find on the menu. It was good, but kinda small. Two ppl can finish it. 3. water spinach w/ fermented bean curd (on choi fu yee) think it was between $6.50-$8.95. It was good, not great. 4. braised brisket of beef baked clay pot $8.50- not enough beef brisket, was tender, chinese turnips were fine. Doesn't come w/ rice, u would need to order separate. Took forever to get our food, got charged $1.5 for what I think was hot tea though we didn't ask for it, that's EVIL. Didn't get any free house soup nor fortune cookies though others got them. Evil. Total for 4 dishes $41.55 before tip. Evil. There's an upstairs dining room that you have to walk by the kitchen to get to, weird. CASH ONLY. read more

Seems like a small family operation by a father, mother and daughter trio. Super friendly people and clean interior. Food is served fast. They also take credit cards, which most other places on Grant do not as they are cash only. Unfortunately, the food was not as great as the people serving it. read more

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Got totally ripped off. $6 for a few bites of rice noodle (the cheapest item in the world) and veggie dumplings (come on.. there's not even meat in here!). I could get more food at the overpriced dim sum restaurant City View. see photo ~ http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/AtU4bqmaF5Aw3zc1_n68Kg?select=zKEDkPELi9vZyUWk1e5HHA read more

Bow Hon Restaurant - What $6 will buy you here. Hope you're not hungry! - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

I ordered the beef short rib and did not like it at all. It didn't seem cooked all the way through and was completely drenched in sauce . I told the woman my grievances very kindly and she gave me a lot of attitude and told me don't order things I don't know and told me I still have to pay even though I only had one piece. She proceeded to open the menu and point to what I ordered and said this is what you ordered , this is what you got . Do not eat here . read more

food and service was excellent in an older biulding. clay pot three meat dinner was outstanding

I was walking thru Chinatown to find a restaurant that would have orange beef. I passed this restaurant and was told that it was off menu but they can make. HORRID choice. I will give them credit for the fastest stir fry crispy beef; however, there was no orange flavor. The waitress was too busy outside hustling other potential customers to come in and made the experience as miserable as the food. The small kitchen area was loud for no reason other than the one person (me) in the restaurant. read more

WORSTSERVICE and the Food is ehhhhh.... nothing memorable, we came here with a large party and they told us "supposedly" they don't do family style. We usually go to Kam Lol Resturant (less than a block away- but they were closed on Thursdays). Decided to go to BowHon wished we didn't! Again, food was ehh Service HORRIBLE! Over priced for basic food. They get their money from Tourist. Not Euthentic food. read more