San Francisco dim sum is the longest-running Cantonese tea service in the United States, with carts at Hang Ah on Sacramento Street and bamboo-steamer counters citywide.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Cantonese tea houses arrived with the first wave of Chinese immigration during the 1850s Gold Rush. Hang Ah Tea Room, opened in 1920 on Pagoda Place, is the oldest dim sum house in the country still operating; Yank Sing opened on Stockton in 1958 and moved to its SoMa flagship in 2002. The Bay Area's Cantonese diaspora kept the tradition closer to Hong Kong than New York's, where Toisanese dialects dominated; that means more har gow, more cheong fun and less Americanised chop suey. The cart tradition is mostly gone (cost of waitstaff), but Hang Ah still serves a fixed steamer menu, and Good Mong Kok on Stockton runs the takeaway window the city actually eats at on weekends.
Common allergens: Gluten, Shellfish, Soy, Sesame
Tip from the editors. The wrapper turns rubbery as it cools; steam in batches and eat each batch before the next is plated.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Yank Sing in San Francisco is the Chan family's Cantonese dim sum institution since 1958, with a SoMa flagship and weekend lines that run to 90 minutes.
Signature: Shanghai dumplings, Peking duck buns, Har gow
Order: Shanghai dumplings: the kitchen's most-ordered cart item for decades.
Tip: The Stevenson Street original is smaller and quieter; book the Spear Street flagship only if you want carts.
Hang Ah Tea Room in San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest dim sum house in the United States, opened 1920 on Pagoda Place, with a small fixed steamer menu.
Why locals love it: The oldest continuously operating dim sum house in the United States, opened 1920, sits on a side alley off Sacramento Street that most tourists miss.
Tip: No carts; order the fixed steamer menu and ask for the off-menu turnip cake when in season.
Good Mong Kok in San Francisco is the Stockton Street Cantonese takeaway window with a ten-item haul for under fifteen dollars on a Saturday morning queue.
Try: Char siu bao and shrimp dumplings
Tip: Cash only; bring a clear list of items because the line behind you moves at speed.
Dragon Beaux in San Francisco is a 2015 Outer Richmond room from the Koi Palace family, with modern dim sum at lunch and Cantonese hot pot at dinner.
Signature: Five Guys xiao long bao, Black truffle har gow, BBQ pork puff pastry
Order: The Five Guys xiao long bao (five colours, five flavours) and the BBQ pork puff with apple.
Tip: Dim sum is lunch-only; book ahead for weekend brunch or arrive before 11:30 for a walk-in seat.
Z & Y Bistro in San Francisco is the contemporary sister to Chinatown's Z & Y on the same Jackson Street block, with yakitori, Lanzhou ramen and Sichuan classics.
Signature: Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles, Yakitori skewers, Hot pot
Order: Lanzhou hand-pulled beef noodle soup and a plate of cold sesame noodles.
Tip: Closed Tuesdays; the bistro books up earlier than the main Z & Y on weekends.
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