Haven't tried many places in Chinatown after this one because when you have one this good, hard to try another place! It's a cozy vibe inside - no windows, more like a darker calmness. Service is normal- nothing to note super good or super bad. Food is good! My faves: scallion pancakes, mapo tofu, Dan Dan noodles, fried rice was sooooooo good read more

Spicy King - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

Super fast service and food Not loaded with msg Ordered the garlic pork slices and the spicy soup fish Pork slices had non traditional darker garlic sauce Spicy fish had really good flavor but the fish quantity was a bit lacking for that price Overall, solid spot read more

Spicy King - Spicy fish - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The food was all right. The chicken with explosive pepper is great. I liked the cauliflower and scallion pancakes as well. Most other foods were just okay, mostly just spicy, the cumin lamb's saltiness felt a bit uneven. The matcha cheesecake is not too sweet but a bit bland. The service is good. We called ahead to check if it's busy. The restaurant was not crowded so we got good service (conversing in Mandarin), though nothing outstanding. A member of our party had but allergies, so there was a bit of back and forth to check what they could eat, but we figured it out and they had no issues with the food. The decor in the restaurant is nice, definitely traditional Chinese vibe with the koi and stuff. read more

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Visiting Chinatown we were happy to stumble upon the Spicy King. We waited a bit to sit, we were told they just needed to clear a table but there seemed to be some confusion or delay between the two servers. The ambiance and decor is nice inside this small restaurant. Finally were able to sit and ordered the Dan Dan noodles, Pepper beef and Lamb with hot chili oil. All of them medium. They came out really quickly and were true to their word, the dishes were spicy! Once done we had to ask for our bill and a to go container. For some reason the door was left open during a lot of our meal and it got fairly chilly in there. We'd definitely visit again and try some of the other dishes next time in San Francisco read more

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I didn't have this place in my list, but I went yesterday night after a drink at Moongate Lounge! Very casual spot, and it felt authentic! As the name of the restaurant, they have a lot of spicy plates, but we asked for having a less spicy dish, and they did it. It was also very good. I don't remember the name but it came with a hot pot and there was beef and veggies. We ordered also the steamed rice and the hot tea. Prices were also a good point. read more

Spicy King - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

Delicious , located off the Main Street in Chinatown , so glad we stumbled upon the Spicy King, we loved the ambience , the food was off the charts , best Chinese I had in a long time, the only thing is my husband ordered medium spicy and it was above his level of tolerance, our waitress warmed him tho so this is on him lol The flavor of everything was amazing , I wish we weren't just visiting the City because I'd be there very often . The decor and everything made it for a very warm, authentic experience We Recommend it read more

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We came here on the evening of the San Francisco Lunar New Year Parade after a friend recommended it, so we were looking forward to trying it. It's a popular spot and there was a queue, partly due to the parade crowd. We waited about 20-25 minutes for a table; it's a small place with limited seating. We ordered the Chongqing chicken with explosive peppers, plain rice, and eggplant with garlic sauce. The Chongqing chicken was the highlight - well fried, not oily, and adequately spicy. The eggplant was flavorful but a bit too sweet for my taste. Service was slightly slow but they only had 2 servers on a very busy night. Slightly on the pricier side for Chinatown. Would recommend the Chongqing chicken. read more

Spicy King - Eggplant with garlic sauce - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We had the best time in Spicy King. The food was amazing. Only downside was that the dishes came one by one. They brought the chicken dish and rice after about 20 minutes and then honey pecan shrimp 30 minutes after we were done eating. We were in a good mood because we were there to see the Chinese New Year parade so didn't mind. The tea was great. The macha cheesecake was too good. Food was the star and service was polite. read more

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The king of spice is alive and well in San Francisco's Chinatown neighborhood! Located on the corner of Clay Street and Waverly Place, Spicy King serves up authentic Chinese Szechuan, or Sichuan as they call it their native language, cuisine. Open for over a decade now, Spicy King replaced the longstanding Uncle Restaurant on the same corner. Gone are the more esoteric tables and chairs for both small and large parties, and since opening, they have remodeled to turn Spicy King into a more themed restaurant complete with interior woodwork that represents a more traditional yet exotic restaurant whose goal is to clearly match the cuisine with the ambience. What brought a group of myself and two other diners here on a chilly weekend evening before we headed out to take in some local flavor of downtown San Francisco. With one of our group of three a serious spice addict, I suggested we head to the Spicy King for dinner, as it was their well lit signage that alerts all passersby of what they are serving up. Upon entry to Spicy King, we were instantly seated at a table close to their open kitchen area taking in all of the atmosphere that Spicy King has to offer. The menu at Spicy King is separated into categories including Appetizers/ Side Dishes; Chef Recommendations; Pork, Beef, Lamb; Chicken and Duck; Seafood; Mini Hot Pot; Vegetable; Noodle & Rice; Family Combo Dinners; and Beverages. Of course with Spicy King serving up authentic Sichuan cuisine, we wanted a little kick with our dinner, so we ordered their Mapo Tofu; Dan Dan Noodles; and Kung Pao Chicken along with two individual bowls of steamed rice to go with our entrées. Our first dish to be served was our Mapo Tofu which was served in a metal bowl on their version of an iron hot plate complete with open flame. Presentation wise the dish came across as very authentic, and taste wise the dish was mid-level acceptable as the tofu was nice and soft without the over-bearing of hot chili peppers. Our second dish to arrive was their Kung Pao Chicken which would turn out to be the star of our meal, as it was both flavorful and filling, thanks to the abundance of chunks of chicken, chili peppers, zucchini, peanuts and a plethora of heavy sauce. When combined with our steamed rice, we easily could have enjoyed this one dish and steamed rice and had been completely satiated for the evening. Our third dish, their Dan Dan Noodles was a bit of a disappointment, as once again their presentation was really strong on this bowl of noodles, as it was topped with ground pork, green onions and sliced vegetables along with a heart red soup broth. Perhaps it was the noodles being overcooked, but everything in this bowl tasted too bland for our taste as the umami never came out with any sip of broth or noodles with every bite. Two out of three hits among our dishes is not too bad of an odds when dining at what is essentially a place for tourists to partake in, but clearly locals can easily enjoy it as well. With a total bill that was under 60 dollars before tax and gratuity was added in, Spicy King provided both an affordable and filling meal without busting our wallets and taste-level thanks to a moderated level of spiciness. With the weather outside being so chilly, it was nice to enjoy comfort food that was a little outside of all of our comfort zones, and it was nice to see a steady stream of customers come in and enjoy everything from their mini hotpot entrées to their traditional stir-fried entrées. Here's to the long-lasting reign of Spicy King, may they continue to proudly show off their crown as the king of Sichuan cuisine in San Francisco's Chinatown. read more

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A funny story, I joined the Yellp wait list for Spicy&cloud across the street from it, my google map said arrived so I walked in, the restaurant was somewhat empty so in my mind I was wondering why there was a waitlist.. When our host brought us the menu I realized it was the wrong place but since we were there I didn't want to leave. So I left the waitlist line instead and will try it next time. Asian/ Chinese decor, almost nostalgic, but lots of the restaurant in Chinatown would brings you that feeling. Proceed to ordered a mini combo hotspot with the sour mustard broth. When you are at a schezuan restaurant must order the stir-fry shredded potato and we also got the onion pancake. Attentive service and food arrived HOT and hot, they are not spicy King for no reasons. We enjoyed our hotpot very much, crying and dripping runny nose from the spiciness...lol but it's a good clearing for any head congestion. I didn't care for the pancake as much. Overall a good stumbled upon. read more

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We tried the Veg Hot Pot, and while the Sichuan broth and glass noodles were tasty, overall the experience didn't quite live up to others I've had at similar spots. The vegetarian options were limited, and it felt like the menu was more focused on meat dishes. Service was underwhelming, we waited around 10-15 minutes without being checked on, both before and after being seated. When it came to tipping, we had planned to leave a custom amount, but the server was quite pushy about selecting a higher tip, which felt uncomfortable given the service quality. The food had its moments, but overall, I've had better hot pot experiences elsewhere. The ambiance was cozy I liked it. read more

Spicy King - House Vegetarian Pot - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

I recently tried Spicy King on a Sunday night and ordered the shredded potato (7/10) and spicy fish fillet with flaming chili oil (9/10). Both dishes were delicious but my favorite was the fish fillet! It had the right amount of spice and mala numbing paired with rice. The server was so kind and attentive! The ambiance was beautiful, I loved the little attention to details. read more

Service friendly and upbeat for Chinese restaurant! Server gave wonderful recs and accurately persuaded us to order us less since it was the 2 of us. Their portions are humongous though so we still have lotsa leftovers. Their eggplant is the best since I've left Berkeley. Twice cooked pork and noodle dish were ballin too. Gf and I both wanna come back soon read more

Spicy King - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Solid sichuan spot but I have to take off two stars since TWO of the dishes came out extremely salty, which I assume the chef overseasoned it in the kitchen. Overall flavors were pretty good though and authentic, but not the best I've had. The BBQ fish was the best dish of the night. Got 4 dishes (1 not pictured). I would've rated a 4/5 if 2/4 dishes weren't over seasoned (we sent 1 back). read more

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This was a great find! There was enough variety in the menu to satisfy folks on all ends of the picky spectrum. The food was great, the service was good, and this will now be on the list of places to come back to when in Chinatown :) read more

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Service was friendly and warm while the dishes were spicy and flavorful! My meal was served with flame lit under the bowl, to keep it Hot. Nice touches and nicer servers. read more

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We were strolling around China Town and wanted to find somewhere good for lunch. We found Spicy King and decided to give them a try. They weren't very busy since it was during a weekday for lunch but it was really nice to sit in a quiet restaurant after being out all day. The ambiance was really nice and relaxing, we enjoyed it. They had lots of different options on their menu to pick from. We decided to try the general tso chicken and Mongolian beef. Our food came out fast and fresh and hot. The food was delicious. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive and filled our drinks up often. We will definitely be back when visiting the area! read more

Spicy King - General tso chicken. So good! - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I don't really eat Szechuan food enough. I was looking for a quick lunch in Chinatown that was a little out of the ordinary and I stumbled upon Spicy King. It's an intimidating name for a restaurant but I gave them a try. I ordered the chicken and fish maw with flaming pot and it was excellent. It was definitely "hot" - it numbs the tongue a little and my face started really sweating. I absolutely loved it. I needed more napkins to wipe the sweat off my face. Service was good though the restaurant wasn't busy. I liked the decor - it's a little more upscale than the traditional Chinatown restaurant. With tax and tip, this dish was around $38 - relatively pricey for lunch but I enjoyed it. I'd recommend them if you are looking for some spicy food in Chinatown. read more

Spicy King - Chicken And Fish Maw w/Flaming Pot - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place is definitely spicy (the name didn't lie haha). I would not recommend if you don't have a medium / high spicy tolerance. I particularly enjoyed the Dan Dan noodles and the mapo tofu! We ordered 3 dishes for 3 people and had some leftover so the portions are pretty fair. All the food came out relatively quickly as well read more

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Might be my new favorite Chinese place in SF! I LOVED the decor inside -- it felt like sitting in an outdoor courtyard somewhere in Imperial China, with tiled roofs peeking over tables, thatched lighting fixtures, and warm red pillars separating the dining areas. The vibe is perfect for both a catch up with friends and an intimate romantic night out. The food was, in a word, killer. Bright, fresh, and spicy, this was everything I hoped it would be. The deluxe chicken came out with its own flame burner to keep it warm, which added warmth to the intoxicatingly spicy heat already there! The sesame chicken was the perfect pairing for the spicy chicken, as the sweetness was a nice break in between bites of chili. Mapo tofu is my personal favorite Chinese dish, and this place did a good job -- the firm tofu and bright, thick sauce made it the perfect pair for some white rice. I do wish there was less ground pepper and more sichuan pepper (I was surprised to not experience any of the signature mouth-numbing effect of mapo tofu from a place called "Spicy King"). The waiter came once to take our order and we never saw them again -- it was a bit of a challenge to flag someone down when we wanted our bill, but otherwise everything flowed nicely. I'm not kidding when I say this is going to be the new place I take visitors for dinner in Chinatown -- the decor makes it unique and fun (without being kitschy) while the flavors seal the deal (for those really looking to impress guests, I'd recommend a nightcap one block down at the mysterious Moongate Lounge!). read more

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I love this place. The ambiance is great and the service is fast and seamless. We ordered and got our food within 10 minutes. I love the crab puffs, sweet and sour chicken and green beans. I will be craving them for the next week. They have so many options it is hard to pick! Such a staple in China Town. read more

We were looking for a good szechuan restraunt and, after a quick reddit search, this one was recommended. Our two go tos are eggplant in garlic sauce and crispy szechuan tofu. While they didn't have the first, the eggplant was just like we are use to. Caramelized rich and filling. The eggplant was almost it's own sauce with how cooked down it was. With how oily and cooked down it was, I think one rice almost wasn't enough. The service was good and they were attentive but not overwhelming. They were quick with water but the water wasn't cold which was a bit of a bummer. The ombionce of the place was nice and not too cheesy like a lot of Chinese restraunts. I don't really know how to feel about the motorcycle though. It certainly make the place it's own at least. read more

Spicy King - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

Let me start by prefacing my rating a bit -- I'd still come again, but only after studying what to order. This place has high highs and low lows, as some dishes are miles better than other dishes. I ordered the mustard green fish soup, spare pork ribs, and cabbage. The soup was standout. It wasn't fishy at all, flavors were well balanced, and the dish portions were huge. The spare ribs were rock hard. Literally thought I was going to injure a tooth at some point trying to gnaw meat off the bone. Cabbage was good, but really overpriced for what it was. Service was friendly but incredibly slow. Decor was interesting. It was casual Chinese, but had a decorative motorcycle in the front with lights. Again, I'm still going to be a repeat customer and recommend people visit but I'd advise to go by other people's recommendations, or ask the server for input. read more

Spicy King - Sweet & Sour Spare Rib - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I love trying Asian food as I travel for business. Today after an evening of cocktails and appetizers at a work event, I needed real food to fill my stomach. Logged into google and found a few Chinese places close to my hotel. Went to Spicy King because I needed a punch of heat. The dan dan noodle dish was with broth and very good noodles. Spice level was perfect and it filled my stomach. Service was great and ambiance was your typically Chinese restaurant. Great place in SF Chinatown for a good meal. read more

Spicy King - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

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So yummy! New spot saved in chinatown :D very yummy and good variety of szechuan foods! Hotpot was the perfect variety of everything I wanted and the fish and veggies had such a yummy sauce. Service was very quick after ordering! Love how they plated all the food and the inside was cozy and intimate for a group of friends. read more

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We really like their chongquing chicken and keep getting it over and over. Their mapo tofu is also great. Service is great and it's a low key place to eat at. It is a little bit on the pricey side but the food is quite good. Wish they had more appetizers options since we don't really eat pork. read more

The ambiance is interesting but welcoming. Service was quick but inattentive throughout the visit; only coming to seat us, take the order, and have us pay. The food was fantastic though. General tsos chicken never fails! Just remember to order your side of rice read more

Spicy King - General Tao's Chicken - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

A solid sichuan spot in the heart of Chinatown. We were seated in a semi-secluded area near the back, which was nice despite having no reservation. The spicy chicken with explosive chili peppers was top tier, but the cucumber salad was surprisingly my favorite dish. Crunchy fresh cucumbers with yummy garlic & cilantro that wasn't too overpowering - the perfect appetizer to precede some spicy noms! My only complaints would be that the tea smoked duck looked nothing like the menu photo, and that it was difficult to get the attention of our server on a busy night. read more

Spicy King - chicken with explosive chili pepper - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Good spot for Sichuan food in Chinatown but definitely on the pricy side with small portions, hence my 3 star rating. I'd give it a 4 for the food itself. I'm a wimp when it comes to spice and don't eat a lot of Sichuan food, so I'm not an expert by any means, but I thought the dishes we ordered here were flavorful. My part of 3 came for Saturday lunch a little after 1 and the restaurant was pretty empty. The restaurant looks small from the outside but was much bigger inside than I expected. Dector looked a little bit old but was still nice. The menu has mostly spicy dishes (I assume most of them are standard Sichuan dishes?) but also has some non-spicy options as well if you're a spice wimp like me. We ordered 3 dishes to share: Szechuan chili pepper with pork ($18.95) - pork was very tender and flavorful. This dish was the spiciest of the three as they sauté the pork with a ton of jalapenos BBQ cumin lamb ribs ($28.95) - my favorite of the three dishes! It's marked as spicy but was manageable and had a lot of flavor from the cumin. I wish there was more lamb ribs though... for the price, it didn't have enough meat Braised peking duck with steamed buns ($28.95) - would skip this dish as it's a small portion (sad given the price). I also didn't particularly enjoy the duck which was a bit sweet We shared one bowl of rice ($2.25), which was enough for us. I read some other reviews that service was slow and the food took a while to come out, but that wasn't the case for us, probably because it wasn't that busy when we came. I saw another table sharing a whole fish cooked in a spicy broth. Would like to try that next time I come. read more

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We came on a weekday around 4pm for a quick bite after walking around Chinatown. We were the only customers at the time and got seated pretty quickly. The restaurant has a cozy atmosphere with beautiful artwork along the walls as well as gorgeous koi fish that greet you as you walk in. After ordering, the food came out pretty quickly within a few minutes. The vegetable spring rolls were hot and crispy and came with a dipping sauce which was delicious. The cumin lamb came out in a sizzling hot pot and the flavors were well balanced, with the nice sweetness of the grilled onions pairing with the spice and umami of the lamb. The food was enough to feed 2 people, so if you come in a larger group, you may want to order accordingly. It is a little pricey for the amount of food you get, which is why I knocked it down a star. read more

Spicy King - 4 Vegetable Spring Roll - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Decent Szechuan spot in Chinatown, but probably wouldn't be my first choice. We came here during the peak of Lunar New Year celebrations so it was extremely packed, but so was everywhere else in the area. The garlickyness and savory qualities of each dish were pleasing to the taste buds, but the spice wasn't as intense as I would've preferred. My friends were suffering a little though since they have lower tolerances LOL so it worked out for the group. The spiciest dish that we ordered was definitely the 重慶辣子雞 (Chicken with Explosive Chili Pepper). We were initially shook at how large each of these dishes appeared at first glance, but the quantity was not that much since most of it was covered in chili peppers. I'll give this establishment the benefit of the doubt due to LNY, but I wanted to say that the service was unbearably slow even after we had already been seated (ex: requesting extra bowls, waiting for the check). The waiters actually forgot a table next to us to which we kindly pointed out to them. Thankfully, the ordering process and speed of the food being made was efficient, which we appreciated since that's the most important anyway. read more

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Food was great. At good quantity and pricing. Service was great even when the restaurant was super busy. Ambiance was good

Came pretty hungry and neighboring restaurants had long wait times. This restaurant had a few open tables, clean and modern interior (good for date nights), and food was pretty good Twice cooked bacon was a big hit and so was the cabbage. The eggplant was pretty spicy and the scallion pancakes were ok. Some of the portion sizes were a little smaller than I expected. It had enough vegetarian options for our friend read more

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I'm not sure if this was an error, but this place had no real Szechuan pepper flavor in any of the dishes. There was no numbing. The only thing I thought stood out was the wontons in spicy chili oil. Everything else was pretty mid. The server seemed busy and forgetful. The restaurant is cute with what you would expect in a Chinatown establishment. But spicy? I'm not so sure of that. read more

I've been coming here for years but haven't been here recently so when my other favorite Chinatown restaurant is closed I decided to come here for lunch. Boy was that a mistake. Service is not bad per se but food takes forever especially for lunch. The place is definitely understaffed so I waited for food for over 50 minutes which is crazy for lunch. The food is decent as they do try to do traditional dishes a little differently. For example, they used pork neck meat for the stir fried pork which is quite unique and they also added long bean so that was great. The pork kidney is so so. I wish they have frogs in the menu. What I also like is that they use a small grain rice which is great and shows that they care about food taste. Overall good enough for food if you have time to wait. read more

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I was craving 酸辣粉 (sour spicy vermicelli) really badly, and Spicy King was recommended to me by a friend. The interior looks like a classic Chinese spot, eccentric decor, reasonable prices, one server. The noodles were $13.95 for a bit bowl, but no protein included. The flavor was great! I asked for more sour and less spicy and they delivered. I'd come back to try their whole fish and other more popular dishes! read more

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The Best Kung Pao I've ever had. This place is legit! Great place, in San Francisco China Town to come have lunch or Dinner read more

Two of us shared the chongqing mao xue wang ($32.95) and a bowl of rice ($2.25). We weren't that hungry so we even brought the leftovers of dish home! They charged us $0.30 for the box and $0.25 for the bag which I do not understand but all is good because the dish we ordered was so delicious...!!!! The Chongqing Mao Xue Wang is a spicy broth that has pork blood, pork stomach, beef, fish, tripe (not a lot), wood ear mushroom (I think), and some cabbage pieces and bean sprouts. It comes with a hot pot stove and will be boiling hot! It is extremely flavorful and does have that spicy kick! We paired it with rice! Honestly a bowl of rice is a lot so I recommend sharing a bowl of rice! The staff are nice, friendly, and chill. If you hear shouting, they're just talking amongst themselves about restaurant or personal business lol I liked the chill vibes. Restrooms are clean! Parking may be hard to find so good luck. I can't wait to come back when I'm in SF, Chinatown! read more

Spicy King - Chongqing Mao Xue Wang - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

My partner and i are strolling around chinatown during Easter looking for a good szechuan place. He recommended this place and mentioned he want to try that one spicy dish he cant remember. I was down the second he said spicy. Ambiance: This place is so homey. It doesn't feel like im dining at a nice restaurant, but a really nice home. The comfort we felt when we arrived is really nice. But then we're not westerners so it could be different for everyone. The restaurant is ran by a family, from the looks of it is such a really tightly ran business with 1 lady (as front of the house) killin it with a full house and a constant line of doordashers. Restaurant industry people would really enjoy the scene in this restaurant. it's pretty cool. Service: Just awesome. Our server is fast, not overbearing at all and you can tell she's running it for years. Food: I've been disappointed with how whitewashed alot of restaurants in SF is. But this one will take you back to Asia. (again, different for people of cultures.) One of the best meals i've had in YEARS. I recommend this highly, just get the dishes as how they are without compromises. Balanced in flavours, ingredients cooked to perfection. Chili cut perfectly either side of the piece is sweetened by caramelized onions and crunchy spicy inside. I'm sure we got the Dandan Noodle, and that one i finished singlehandedly. Ramen addicts would love their dandan noodles. I highly recommend this place. Have a realistic expectation as this is not a fine-fine dining restaurant. It is however one of the best restaurants focused on good food executed well that you can taste the consistency that some people like me crave for. read more

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The restaurant has a great atmosphere, very clean, fast service. The food was great and freshly made. Went with my gf and we had the Mandarin dinner 28.95 per person, enough food for 2 people. It came with sour soup, veggie egg rolls, steamed white rice, cashew chicken and Mongolian beef. Not sure on the parking since we were walking and stumbled across it, luckily. Would most definitely recommend! read more

Spicy King - Outside the restaurant - Szechuan Near Me - San Francisco, California

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