We were at a show in the North Beach neighborhood that got out late and we were hungry and needed…read moresomething to eat before heading home, so we ventured into Chinatown for some late night food. Surprisingly, many restaurants weren't open past 9pm, but we found Grant Place restaurant open until 11pm and decided to give it a try. There are so many options for Chinese food in this neighborhood, but it being late, we could only find this restaurant open to serve us dinner.
We were waived in by the nice lady cutting meat at the front counter, and we were seated quickly, given menus, and served hot tea. This is what I love about typical Chinese restaurants, its fast service, and efficiency. No pomp & circumstance, wait time, chit-chat, confusion, or dilly-dallying, just sit down, order, eat, and leave.
The waiters here were very friendly and efficient, despite us being the final customers of the night. We never felt rushed, ignored, or scorned for being the final customers, we were welcomed & served as if we were the first customers for the dinner period. Everything felt comfortable, welcoming, friendly, and warm.
The menu looked pretty basic, but good and offered us some vegetarian options (as well as spicy ones) to satisfy our cravings & interests. The restaurant was empty, but everything seemed clean & organized. A few waiters remained around, doing closing duties such as cleaning, re-stocking, prepping for the next day, and attending to the remaining/departing customers, yet we were still given attention & good service. Rare to find a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown with good, non-rushed, friendly service, so this was a plus. I even practiced some of my poor Cantonese language skills with our waiter, and he took the time out of his long day & closing duties to engage with me. Nice people here.
The food was pretty good and served on the slow side, since we were the last customers, but it wasn't that long of a wait. We ordered the salt & pepper fried tofu, spicy green beans, and some rice. Everything was delicious, fresh, hot, and well-prepared. Generous portions & good flavors with just enough seasoning & spice so that we did not have to use condiments or additional flavorings.
I'd like to come back here to try more dishes, and we intend to when we come back to the area. Grant Place restaurant offers later dining hours in a clean environment, friendly & efficient service, generous portions, and good authentic Cantonese & Sichauan Chinese food at affordable prices. It is what you'd expect of a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, minus the grumpy & mean staff and dirty conditions. It felt like a nice family-run Chinese restaurant that was happy to have our business (despite our being there during closing time). We never felt rushed, unappreciated, neglected, or penalized for our presence. Plus, they served us good food at affordable prices at a late hour with smiles on their faces, and some fun friendly interaction before our departure. This is a good restaurant, and I will definitely be back to support them. We found a good one, purely by accident, and we appreciated & enjoyed the experience!