Beau_Safken
(24) reviews
5/21/2008
 |
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ Easily the worst chinese food in Chinatown. The food I got wasn't cooked correctly. Either too salty, too sweet or oily. I have a feeling their oil wasn't hot enough because my food tasted oily and dead, not crisp and wonderful.
IF you are downtown looking for a place for chinese, really.. just go next door to Jia's for actual chinese food and matching atmosphere.
”
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sillygoose408
(54) reviews
11/5/2007
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ Haha, this is such a controversial place. You either love it or hate it. I used to come here for lunch all the time when I was working downtown. Get better service if you're a regular. I like the spicy dimpling soup on a cold rainy day.
The secret is to make your own dish = chicken with eggplant and yam in brown sauce. Overall, their flavor is sweeter than most other places, kinda unique. ”
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oaklandj
(94) reviews
6/29/2007
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ Surprisingly good. Usually, tourist traps usually favor shtick over taste, but the food we got (not ordered, mind you - they decide for you, despite being given a menu) we colorful, very fresh and delicious. I'm a vegetarian, and got colorful peashoot salad with tofu, pea & zucchini dumplings with chinese eggplant, and a deep-fried "pancake". All really flavorful and fantastic. The tea came with flowers & goji berries. Would easily go back again. ”
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ravenspit
(20) reviews
3/22/2007
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ After living in North Beach for 5 years I finally tried this place to see what all the hype was about. I have to admit it is pretty stinkin good. The Nanking sesame chicken was melt in your mouth yummy. The crispy rice shrimp was good too. Portions were generous and the price reasonable.
”
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Kanya Dorland
(6) reviews
3/14/2007
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ You are often welcomed with a glass of their flower herb tea. All dishes come with a side of fresh vegetables, which often includes watercress. You will want more of the Nanking pork chops and noodles because the sauce is so good. If you have a cold, a combination of their wonton and sizzling rice soup is a patent cure. ”
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pinkstilleto
(11) reviews
1/29/2007
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “
i love it when you can tell the server to bring you one chicken dish, one veggie dish and an appetizer and they make the choices for you. especially after a long day at work with incessant decision-making. i'm not a huge chinese food lover, but i am always pleasantly surprised here. ”
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tradfire
(13) reviews
1/19/2007
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “
Now the service is always interesting but I must say I've gone on a good day because the food has generally been excellent each time. I'd recommend it, but don't go there expecting to find American chinese food. ”
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zziht
(2) reviews
9/24/2006
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ Food is ok, not the best chinese food. like some one the other reviews said a lot of dishes share same sauce, kinda americanized. There are better chinese food in the area. but when i was there it was slow and the chef actually came out and talked to us for a while and make his recommendations. he was cool and told us not to order too much and didn't try to sell us into ordering a bunch of dishes ”
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TasteBuddy
(106) reviews
9/11/2006
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ I know, I know, it's a SF institution and I should respect it's authoritah, but really, my friends only like it because you don't have to order from the menu. You can point at the next table's dishes and say, "I want that but with prawns" and they'll do it. But even with such a novel technique of ordering, it doesn't make up for the fact that most of the dishes seem to share one special sauce. Ok, maybe it shouldn't be called special. Let's call it Only Sauce.
”
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EpicReviews
(41) reviews
9/8/2006
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ They are really All Hat and NO Cattle!...Great reputation among all of the hotels and tourists-I was not really sure why though. Nothing special at all. I actually noticed (as did a few other reviewers) that everything kind of tastes the same. It tasted OK, but all the same. I actually think that their neighbor in the picture, Chef Gia's, has much better food, service and decor. If you want the food go to Chef Gia's, if you want the blah blah blah go to House Of Nanking. ”
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Runabout
(62) reviews
8/2/2006
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ Don't go for good food, go for the quintessential SF experience. Went once, it was enough. Saturday night about 10. Service was gruff and weird. Waiter appeared to not have good hygiene. Beers were slammed down on the table in a what the f* are you doing bothering me fashion. I couldn't decide on a main and we were all riled up, so I just asked the waiter to decide. Later I got a plate of stuff plopped in front of me, ground up stuff and some lettuce. I was a lettuce novice and just looked at the plate while others tucked into their meals. Gruff waiter approaches, takes his bare hand, grabs a leaf of iceberg lettuce, spoons some stuff onto it, rolls it up and puts it against my lips. My pals nearly wet themselves with hysteria. What could I do? I took a bite praying his hands were cleaner than he appeared. Ya can't get this kind of service just anywhere. Is one of my favorite dining out memories! Go back?highly unlikely, but a great source of giggles for years to come. ”
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vader42
(16) reviews
6/29/2006
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ Hmm, I'm sure that there are many people on sfsurvey who are accustomed to nicer places, but are happy to be adventurous. Nanking isn't about the adventurous, it's ONLY for the experience and one definitely gets that. The food certainly isn't good, and this is coming from someone who ate only street food while in China, not that perfumey junk you can find in schmancy chinese restaurants. It's a shame, though because it once was at least tasty and not swimming in oil. At least it's a quick walk to the Hustler club. ”
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dekion22
(19) reviews
6/2/2006
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ I only eat here when I'm desperate. Everything seems to taste the same. I swear they use the same sauce for all their meat dishes. Never going back. ”
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booh berry
(19) reviews
5/29/2006
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ although the wait to get a table can be long and the service a bit "get in and get out", the food is good more often than not and comes out hot and fast. lower your expectations and you won't be disappointed.
”
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joeforart
(63) reviews
5/5/2006
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ Come on now..... House of Nan King is the best of the best. All of these neg reviews are uncalled for. Yes the service sucks, the wait sucks, the dirty cups that have recently been replaced suck, the tight fit sucks....... BUT THAT FOOD MAKES ME WHAT TO YELL HOW MUCH I LOVE IT>>>>>> I'm going tonight juist because the fried pot stickers are stuck in my head.
”
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Superswank
(237) reviews
4/17/2006
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ Get their sesame chicken and their sizzling shrimp. Huge portions, really fast service (mind you not great service), and incredibly cheap. We went at an odd time so we didn't have to wait at all. Definitely not authentic chinese food, but it is really tasty and cheap.
”
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samarati
(454) reviews
4/9/2006
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ I've eaten here 4 times since it opened and the meals went from very good to abysmal. 1st time - just months after it opened (yes a long time ago!) 8 of us waited 30 mins for a table. The press about the place was laudatory back then. We weren't allowed to order. They just brought us many different dishes until we told them to stop. We had a great variety of Won Tons, fishes, meats, vege's, noodles, etc.. Flavors were distinctive, all was good. Waiter was arrogant yet extremely fast. Subsequent visits I kept my hopes alive, but H of N never again delivered. Over the following 15 years I came back 3 more times just with one companion. Got crammed into tiny tables rubbing shoulders with the next table diners. Had to shout above the noise. Oily air, surly waiters. Greasy food that attempted to be adventurous and new wave, but just was plain bad. I've since given up looking for a decent meal in Chinatown. ”
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Doveman
(19) reviews
1/26/2006
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ To be blunt the place is overrated. Chef Jia's or RS next door are much better choices. The service is downright rude...my friend was livid at how we were treated. I can let it roll off my back but if you can't avoid this place. The food was definitely nothing special and they do attempt to order for you if you let them. I think quite literally they do run it like a factory and try to consume items that they need to use up by tossing out their "Suggestions". To be truthful I don't know what we had because both times they have been quite brusque and insistent and ordered for us..lol. That said, it was plain and not unique... ”
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mediumrare007
(39) reviews
1/25/2006
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
“ If these words ever came out of your mouth.....
"Nah... I don't feel like Mickey D's, let's hit Panda Express instead"
"Yes, I'm ready to order....can I get the sweet and sour pork over rice please"
"I hope they have good General Cho's chicken at this place!"
"I just found out about this great chinese joint called PF Changs!!"
.....then this place is for you. ”
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bigtongue
(23) reviews
11/28/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ Bad food, horrible service.
There was a piece of cardboard in 1 of our dishes!!!
And we didn't get any excuse for this.
An absolute no-no. ”
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killercrossover
(14) reviews
11/4/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ i'm chinese, so i can say i know chinese food. What is served here is American chinese food. get it? it's food for the round-eyes. get it?
the food is not horrible, but it's not anywhere close to being good. don't be sucked by the hype. you deserve better food. ”
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mfasman
(4) reviews
10/22/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ this place used to be the best, cheap and great food, but ever since being discovered they expanded and the quality has gone way down, much more sugary sauces, much less spice. ”
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silbakor
(167) reviews
8/31/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ Reservations or a list? Not so much. You wait in line at the door until there's space. Then someone takes your order while barely paying attention to you. Then this fantastically yummy food shows up. Seriously, this was some of the best chinese food I've had. Great flavor, and not overpoweringly cloying sauces.
Skip the soup though - the wonton soup had the most bland, uninspired broth I've encountered. It might as well have been water with hot oil in it. ”
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trappedinSV
(6) reviews
8/7/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ YUMMY food! avoid lunch and dinner rush hours, ignore the tourists, and feel free to ask the owner for suggestions. we've only been there about 3 times but all the dishes we've tried there are good. ”
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normal0c
(8) reviews
8/6/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ Believe the hype. First we tried it at 2pm, when we could sit down immediately. We ordered steamed veggie dumplings and sesame pork, both of which were delicious. It was good enough to go back two days later at 6pm to wait in a long line... which took only 20 minutes! This time we let the boss order for us. Everything was great. Sure, the service is too fast and impersonal, but get over it... the food is great. We'll be back again soon! ”
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maverick
(29) reviews
7/29/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ Nanking is good, not great, but its very original. Its known for having crappy s**tty service. And even though its in North Beach, deal with it. The food is really worth it. ”
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VeggieJen
(58) reviews
6/19/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ Cramped, but good food. I haven't been in a few years but as I remember it, the food is always great and it is a fun place to have a meal. ”
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animalchin
(6) reviews
6/17/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ I went here with my mom once and the owner and staff looked at us like "What are you doing here?" because we were chinese. He ordered for us... the food was not remarkably good or bad. The thing I remebered most was that the owner ordered some tourists a cup of tea that costs 4 bucks!! I'm not sure how this place built it's reputation, but their schtick must be raking in the dough and I can't hate on that. ”
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kushnir
(405) reviews
6/11/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ Well my friend wanted to try this Nanking place. Ok, I?ll never wait in line longer than 15 minutes, after 30 we finally got in, and guess what? More Tourists and non chinese than chinese. Not a good sign, as we were seated the waiter screamed “What you want??, can we have a few minutes first? 2 mins later, “OK What you want? I make order for you OK??. Sure why not, after all he?s the chinese guy right? The stuff that came out was right out of a chinese Hometown Buffet! Goopy, slimy, gooey, beef, chicken and pork dishes all tasting the same! This is not the chinese food that I consider good or a representation of what real CF is all about. This is prepared for what the tourist?s idea of CF is. There are so many better restaurants in town, this is a joke! AND $93 for dinner with 6 dishes w/2 beers is a rip off! Why is this small loud rude place so popular with Tourists is a mystery to me! So if you?re looking for mediocre non authentic CF this is your place! Not for me! ”
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jpierson
(412) reviews
6/11/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ I used to work two blocks from here, and probably ate at every restaurant in the neighborhood twice before giving Nanking a try. Part was the crowds, and part was the anti-hype, hype. We lucked out late one afternoon and the only other people there were family members of the shopkeeper. I was with a co-worker who knew the place well. As we were in the process of settling in, he said, "One chicken, and one beef, both spicy." A few minutes later, we had a really nice meal. Tsingtao (the beer) chicken was really memorable. ”
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Tonimaddog
(37) reviews
5/17/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ I haven't eaten there in a while because there are many great restaurants close by doing great chinese food for half the price..I never got the whole line -up thing..hello! go nextdoor! I would go again because it does have some ambiance, and the food was good, just not worth waiting an hour for. ”
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tinle
(39) reviews
5/14/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ I think the food here is good
What I really like is the experience. Its crowded, busy, and i never make a decision on what i want to order, the owner fixes me up something great. If your not adventerous, this is not your place. ”
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funktastyk
(40) reviews
5/9/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ House of Nanking has always been kind of a childhood joke for me. My family used to drive up to Chinatown from the suburbs to do some shopping on the weekends and we never fail to notice the fat line that's always in front of this place! My dad would always point out all the white people waiting to get gypped. Can't knock something until you try it right? 13 years later (last month), my bf and I were once again fumbling for food after a movie late on Friday night, so I suggested the place since one of my friends recently mentioned it. We were crazy hungry so when we got there, we were super delighted that the chef (Mr. Fang?) came up and asked us a few questions, ordered for us and voila food was on our table-great for indecisive people. Definitely not Panda Express style, but the chef definitely took liberties with the menu. Food was pretty good but not so chinese prices. Not to say that it was pricey, but it wasn't thaaat cheap. Definitely a SF institution. Gotta love their sign! ”
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gourmetpalate
(14) reviews
4/28/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ This is not real chinese food, but food prepared for the unacclimatized Western palate. To make matters worst, service was extremely bad. Certainly not worth the wait and the insult. ”
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juliemarie2000
(31) reviews
4/20/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ I actually thought the food was good and super-cheap, but the service cannot be excused. I couldn't even get a word in edgewise when trying to tell him what I wanted. I guess you get what you pay for. I'd rather have bad service than bad food, but I won't make a 2nd appearance for either. ”
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jimmy188
(2) reviews
4/16/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ Bad food. Don't know why there is a line in front of the restuarnt. I would try Brandy Ho's which is near House of NanKing instead ”
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whitecamero
(49) reviews
4/11/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ House of Nanking seems to cater largely to a tourist, non-SF crowd. Some of the dishes are tasty yet on the whole, it doesn't seem worth the ridiculous wait. If you order more than three dishes, you realise they all kind of taste the same. However, if you want some fried won tons, some noodles and want a popular greasy spoon chinese diner, this may be the place for you. ”
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xscientist
(222) reviews
4/9/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ This place is famous and very populated, and the food is very fresh and very good, but I have to say that of the 4 dishes we ordered, all which had different menu descriptions, 3 of the 4 had the EXACT same brown sauce all over it. The sauce was damn good, so it's hard to complain, but a little more effort on variety would be appreciated. Decor is lacking, cramped and noisy, and food comes really fast. ”
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cheeselover
(79) reviews
3/29/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ The peculiar ordering style was odd, if you're picky, you won't like it. They offer you a family style dinner or lunch which consists of a few courses and they pick what to serve you. Sometimes they bring you not what you ordered anyway so might as well go with the family style menu. It is good to take a chance, I would never have ordered some of the dishes, but loved them all. Especially tasty was the spicy calimari. This is a good place for large parties and sharing. ”
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mssurly
(45) reviews
3/25/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE! I don't know why San Franciscan's think this is the place for chinese food. I've always been disapointed with the food here but end up having to go when guests are in town or others say "let's go here". It's one of those ONE SAUCE restaurants. You know, everything taste the same regardless of if it's Kung Pao or General Tso? Portions are small, atmosphere is lively and fun in that crowded excited sense. Otherwise, steer clear! ”
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ondmtn
(49) reviews
3/11/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ Yeah it is crazy here and the wait can be long. I have actually never had bad service - a lot of chaos - yes, but not bad service. Mooshu pork is awesome along with their green beans. As long as you order things that you will eat - I think you will like this place. Letting the owner order for you can make it interesting - did that once and will not do that again because we ended up w/ items that I do not prefer. ”
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bradlauster
(16) reviews
3/4/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ House of Nan King is yet another SF restaurant that's less about the food and the service than it is about experiencing a genuine San Francisco institution. Follow Girlrrilla's advice: go with friends, check in with Peter (the owner) when you get there and then head over to the place "where friends and girls meet" for a drink. They'll call the bar when your table is ready. Nice! When you sit down, don't bother with the menu, just have Peter order for you. He's a whiz at asking the right questions to find out what you'll like. Be adventurous! You'll try some new things and the surprise of it all will make it an experience you won't forget. Honestly, he's never brought us a dish I didn't like and every time we eat here, I can't believe how cheap it ends up being. ”
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mariannepri
(43) reviews
3/4/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ comments: If you want to wait in line for 30 minutes for some food, wait in front of the House of Nanking! Last time I stood in that line, the Brandy Ho owner kept pushing all 20 of us to move away from his door! Felt sorry for the man. The food at House of Nanking is good. I like the Seasame Chicken, and surprisingly, the fish dish with eggplant! Mr. Fong, the owner/order taker, runs a tight ship! ”
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Girlrrilla
(25) reviews
3/1/2005
|
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ I have to disagree with all the Nanking haters. Sure the service is not great, you will often be served what they have available, but everything I have had there has been excellent and a great value. Always impressed by the fresh produce, especially the sweet potatoes in the Chicken Nanking. I usually go with a large group, and we tell them we will be at the bar a couple doors down. (sign outside bar says "where friends and girls meet"!) The staff at HofK calls the bar when our table is ready! ”
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geordie
(83) reviews
2/27/2005
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|
Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ This place is just ok, so I can't help but wonder why throngs of people come here.
The owner is very unintentionally entertaining in a very weird way. He will take your order and basically order for you, claiming to be out of the dish you wanted... be prepaired for a surprise. Best for 4 or more people.
”
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chris1
(116) reviews
1/14/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ not sure what all the hype about this place is. The servers pretend they don't see you and tend to forget you are there. The entire menu is practically prepared in a deep fryer. Very dirty. ”
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Miss Mise en Place
(5) reviews
1/11/2005
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ Another great place to take visiting east coasters. If you are up for it, tell the waiter (often times the owner) to order for you. This adds some surprise & adventure to the meal & they always pick the good stuff. Not much by way of ambiance, but the staff is efficient, and the neighborhood is lively. ”
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ROMster
(29) reviews
12/10/2004
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Cuisine:
Chinese
|
Chinatown |
| “ I agree this is place is over rated and it's mostly for the tourist attraction. They make some good spicy chinese food here. It all depends on what you want and knowing what to order. Some of their tea specialties taste really good after a good meal. ”
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keepcool
(63) reviews
11/23/2004
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Cuisine:
Chinese
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Chinatown |
| “ I have no idea why people flock to this joint. It is dirty, crowded and the staff very rude. Perhaps people enjoy the novelty of being bossed around as if they are reliving an old episode of Sienfeld and the Soup Nazi. ”
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