Brandy Ho's Hunan Food
After learning from the best Hunan chefs, Brandy Ho together with his brothers decided to open a Chinese restaurant in 1980. Their dishes are mainly country-style cooking of the Hunan region, characteristic for its spice. Its authentic hot and spicy cuisine and comfortable bar with open kitchen setting make this restaurant a hit, with long lines always a regular sight. Their house-smoked meat, which they prepare right in their premises using aged hardwood to bring out distinct Hunan flavors, highlights the menu. With its first branch right in the heart of North Beach at Columbus Avenue, Brandy Ho's also opened up two more branches in San Francisco at Castro and Danville. It also introduced online reservations and deliveries within the Bay Area. Tourist attractions within a mile from Brandy Ho's---Columbus include the Cable Car Museum and Union Square Park.
Brandy Ho's Hunan Food
217 Columbus Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 788-7527
brandyhos.com
R & G Lounge
After spending a decade as a dim sum chef, Kinson Wong opened his own restaurant in 1985. R & G---which stands for Red & Great, a Chinese university's motto---later expanded to a three-story venue with a bar and lounge on the ground floor and dining rooms on the upper floors. The dining rooms feature Chinese antiques and Japanese bamboo screens. The signature dish is the battered live crab, deep-fried with garlic and hot peppers. Other local favorites include the R&G Special Beef and the Peking duck. Walk off a hearty meal with a stroll along the nearby parks such as Huntington, Union Square or the Monterey State Historical Park, all of which are less than a mile away.
R & G Lounge
631 Kearny St.
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 982-7877
rnglounge.com
Yank Sing
If dim sum carts weaving around tables is your idea of lunch, then try Yank Sing, which is open only during lunch hours. This restaurant, founded by Alice Chan in 1958, started out in Chinatown but later moved to Stevenson, the financial district of San Francisco, when her son, Henry, took over in 1974. Now owned by a third generation of Chans, Yank Sing continues to serve more than 100 kinds of dim sum everyday featuring both traditional and modern concoctions. Famous for Alice's original recipe of chicken and mushroom dumpling with garlic, water chestnut and cilantro, other unique creations that also became local favorites include the Sea Bass Roll and the Lobster with Tobiko Roe dumpling. Their Egg Custard Tart sells best for dessert. Catering mostly to the workers of the nearby offices, Yank Sing's contemporary design and white-tablecloth setting also attracts tourists. Recently, they've opened a new branch at the One Rincon Center, just five blocks away from their Stevenson branch and a block away from Embarcadero, a major sightseeing attraction famous for its shops and scenic historic boardwalk.
Yank Sing Restaurant
49 Stevenson St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 541-4949
yanksing.com
