Ton Kiang Restaurant

It takes two buses and over 40 minutes to get to Ton Kiang from where I live, and it's usually followed by at least a 20 minute wait for a table but once inside, any hassle is immediately forgotten. The dim sum here is certainly not the best in North America - Lai Wah Heen in Toronto currently holds the top spot in my book, but I'm not about to take a 5 hour flight just to get some of their heavenly dumplings. However, as dim sum restaurants in San Francisco proper go, it's a perfect balance of quality and price. I've never had a bad piece of dim sum there, and the mochi filled with coconut custard is one of my favorite desserts regardless of cuisine. Standout dishes: snow pea shoots with garlic, rice noodles with char siu, crab claws in seafood mousse, shrimp with snow pea shoots, har gow, mango pudding and the mochi-custard. The Pu Erh tea is good, but not outstanding. On top of that, four of us ate until we almost burst and it only cost us $20 a head, half of what we would have paid at Yank Sing. Expect a wait, but it's worth it. more

This Ton Kiang is very busy at night. Both Chinese people and non-Chinese come here to eat an assorted variety of dishes from the Hakka Cuisine. It's a little different, and in my opinion a little spicier. Their specialities here are their seafood dishes and are well known for their dimsum. They serve dimsum at all hours of the day, even late at night. What I dislike about this restaurant is its location. It's on a busy street (Geary), and parking is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO FIND. You may have to park on a side street and walk a couple of blocks. The food is good, albeit it is on the expensive side. But if you're willing to spend more, this place is for you more

The food taste and quality have declined in the last few years. Dim Sum is okay kind of bland, not worth the high prices. I have had much better dim sum for much less money. It is one of the nicer, cleaner dim sum places in the city, but the food is just okay. more

One of the better dim sum places in terms of presentation in the City. There's a lot of quality in there dim sum dishes, however a bit bland tasting as there seasoning at times is not strong enough. The dishes are quite costly compared to other area places. Parking is pretty much non existent, and can get fairly busy during the weekends. So if you were to go there, remember to get there early. The dim sum taste with the feel of Hong Kong dishes, but I've tasted better dim sum. If you have the cash, and want to take your partner out, this is a nice place, however if your on a budget, and value oriented, then pass on Ton Kiang. more

Many people consider this the best dim sum in the city. I haven't tried many other places in the city because I keep coming back to Ton Kiang because I know I'll always have a great meal. I always get a kick at the huge crowd waiting outside the restaurant on weekends. It's worth the wait, so plan accordingly. If you don't see what you're looking for, don't be afraid to ask for it. The staff is accomodating and the place is run pretty efficiently. It can seem a bit impersonal, but then again you are pointing at food being wheeled around in carts. more