Peijing Restaurant rocks! No fancy decor, just great food at a very affordable price with friendly no nonsense service. If you're tired of driving around the Mission looking for parking for the latest restaurant with attitude this place is for you. Try the Chicken with basil (incredible!) or the simple beef with green beans (tasty beef with a delicious crunch of the beans. You can't go wrong here!
(5)
Soph I.
Wow! I always thought this place was the type of Chinese restaurant like panda express. Although it does offer the regular Mongolian beef, kung pao chicken, combination fried rice, etc... , their specialty is the Beijing-style food! Dishes I had are: wide rice noodle salad (soo flavorful! a little bit spicy! delicious!), cumin lamb ( but then again, i love cumin with anything), Beijing beef pancake (basically a green onion pancake with beef in the middle. i usually like my pancakes thin, but it's thick because of the meat so it's ok - very tasty), beef noodle soup ( the soup is very beefy/flavorful; the noodles were cooked just right - nice and chewy! i wouldn't be surprised if they're homemade noodles!), lamb and pork dumplings (i like dumplings in general; these were good dumplings. the lamb flavor wasn't very lamb-y), Beijing style meat ball ( i forgot what it's called on the menu; i think some people call it "lion's head"; that piece of meat was soo soft and packed full of flavor! i'm pretty sure there was a lot of fat in it! oh well! it's worth it!), and for dessert, we had the Beijing style fried sweet cake! (i'm not a big fan of red bean, but this piece of cake was deeeeeeeeelicious! it's basically red bean paste wrapped in deep-fried mochi. it comes out crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. )
(4)
Patricia W.
I finally went there in person (we've been enjoying the food via delivery for 10 months - gotta love it arrives in 15 minutes). Clean, attentive and informative service - and the food is AWESOME! Hot and Sour soup is outstanding. The house steamed meatballs are so good I ordered for a dinner party I threw - MAGIC. The chicken with broccoli is GREAT. Curry lamb is EXCELLENT. Potstickers are very good. The pancakes were good - but oily for me. Like a flattened potsticker, pan fried ... just not my cup of tea. I plan to sample more offerings ... when I don't go for the family favorite (steamed meatballs.) Highly recommend this neighborhood favorite that can compete with ANY Chinese restaurant - it really is THAT good. Sorry Henry Hunan - this is officially our favorite now! 5 stars is well deserved.
(5)
rick v.
Seen all the reviews and tried the place. I remember when it was nulite kitchen and before that it was fish and chips. Drove by at about 8, to try their wonton soup on a cold night but the restaurant was packed. So the following day ordered lunch special mongolian beef. Good taste and enough that i ate the rest for lunch. I like when the chiles are whole and you can break them up to your likin, very tasty. Second time i ordered the mushroom chicken, fresh mushrooms, no canned straw mushrooms here, very good. Now time to advance to eating in the restaurant. Not impressed. Order takeout, lunch special. Did like the chow fun, not so greasy
(4)
Angela W.
came here recently with my friend helen y, her fiance and another couple. they'd been raving about it and we finally found the time to make it where we could all have dinner together! it's a little far, but worth the trip, especially if you like chinese food that's more dough-y and dumpling based. it's a good thing there were so many of us, cause then we were able to order so much and try everything!! as helen says, the steamed bao-tzi, green onion pancake and the lamb soup are all quite good. i actually don't even really like lamb, but the soup is quite tasty. the pickled cabbage goes really well together. and i also like the fat, clear noodles in the soup. we also got this chive pancake kind of thing, and it's not usually the way i eat it, but still pretty good. not the best, but still pretty good. we also got the dumplings there, that had pork, shrimp and cabbage in it, which was really tasty. we finished the meal with their beef noodle soup, which is also not the best i've ever had, but pretty good. although, it might also be cause i was SO stuffed that i really had no business to be eating anything else, but just couldn't resist. i love beef noodle soup, so i'm always glad when i find another place that has it, cause not everywhere does. i did like that they had a good ratio of tendon and beef, since i love both!! the place is family owned, and it might have been helpful since helen y and her fiance seem to be pretty cozy with the owners, but they seemed really friendly to everyone. it really has a family feel and they are very welcoming to all and just seem very happy to have you come eat at their place.
(4)
Jeannette L.
Bah humbug - I've been quite lazy in updating my reviews on places. Beijing restaurant is a neighborhood gem, especially in this area. Great food, great prices, but not the best Beijing food I've ever had. As far as Mandarin food, they don't have much competition (Old Mandarin, Five Happiness). If you want to ask me how I rank them, I would still say 1) Old Mandarin, 2) Beijing Restaurant, 3) Five Happiness. On this cold winters night, we ordered a hot & sour soup (someone had a cold), pork pancake, stir fried green beans, lion's head meatballs, and beef noodle soup. All together not expensive... - Hot & Sour Soup - Delicious - and hit the craving for something with heat. Great for a cold! Not too goopy, fresh ingredients (well maybe not the bamboo shoot, but when has hot & sour soup ever had fresh and not canned bamboo shoot?) - Pork Pancake - Delicious, but probably even better there. We had it to go, so it was a bit soggy by the time we got home. - Stir Fried green beans - Good, not as good as Mandarin Islamic, but good. Deep fried (as usual) and stir fried in soy sauce. - Lion's Head Meatball - Really good, but not worth the price. I think it was something around $9-10 for 4 meatballs. Sorry I'll make it myself next time for 1/3 of the price. - Beef Noodle Soup - Yummy noodles - yes they make them fresh - I'm not sure these were my favorite homemade noodles, but they were good - something about the texture that I didn't LOVE (I did like it though). Soup was a bit disappointing - overall great, but the one we had that night it was clear that the meat hadn't been stewed in the soup for an incredibly long time as the flavor was not drenched into the beef and the soup lacked some soy sauce flavor - it was a bit watered down. I'd definitely try it again to see if it improves, but initially quite disappointing. Yes, Old Mandarin's was better this time around. Of course there can always be round 2.
(4)
Sophia B.
wonderful little addition to our neighborhood. i never wanted to go into the other chinese restaurant that was there before, but my husband and i were impressed with how beautifully the new owners decorated the joint, so we went in. i am not a huge fan of "authentic" food - either mexican or chinese or japanese - but i felt the food was really delicious. not too expensive, though not cheap. i hope to go there for lunch sometime. check out the photos of the customers - and Yao Lin (the tall basketball player from China - forgot his name) standing with the owners - it's a hoot. apparently, he has come to visit the restaurant twice, which means they've got that authentic thing going on... I'd definitely give it another try.
(4)
Ted L.
very good, had house special fish, 5 flavor beef.
(4)
Jess J.
the staff is always friendly and the dishes are great, one of my new favorite restaurants!
(5)
Annie M.
Great food, variety of Northern Chinese dishes not commonly carried at other Chinese restaurants. Really enjoyed spicy beef stew noodle soup, the beef cold cuts, and the combination stir-fried vegetables. The noodles were al dente, broth had a nice kick and a bit of Sichuan peppercorn taste without being too spicy. The cold cuts were drizzled with chili oil and showered with thin, delicate slivers of green onion and ginger. And the combination stir-fried vegetables were similarly cut by a master with a cleaver - the lotus root, celery, etc. were all beautifully cut and perfectly sauteed, with a nice crispness. Also, we had the jian-bing, like a Beijing street pancake, but thought the batter was a little too salty on this one, wouldn't order again. Was interesting to try, as it was made of buckwheat (I think, judging from the speckled flour) but wasn't a huge fan. Would rather eat more noodles or dumplings! And, Yao Ming ate here!
(4)
A W.
Ordered delivery. One of dishes was the house special shredded pork which is shown with noodles in the photos. I ordered that and noted with noodles. They call to tell me it's not with noodles and it's a pancake??? So I asked if we can change it and their reply? No. So why the f did you call me for?? The fried chicken wings taste like purse salt, gross. Eggplant was super oily and the shredded pork was pathetic and NOT a pancake, it's a wrap. Will never eat here again.
(1)
Donald W.
This restaurant has been a fixture in the Excelsior District and has been a mystery to me for years, at least until now. Beijing is known as the little red Resturant that specializes in norther Chinese dishes. Even Yao Ming (the Houston Rockets basketball legend) loved this place and has been on record as saying "it's one of his favorite places to eat when he comes to San Francisco." Each dish is packed with big flavors and the menu itself, offers so many options to choose from. In fact the current menu has about eight pages worth of delicious food. I personally loved the: long beans, a curry style chow mein, the crispy onion pancake and of course the steamed pork dumplings. The long beans were fried just right and the pepper sauce that's coated on those beans takes the dish to new heights. The curry version of chow mein uses angel hair noodles and mixed with large pieces of shrimp, green onions and dollops of Curry. Add eggs and cuts of sausage, that's married together in spices. The onion cake was cooked to perfection. Unlike most places that keep it drenched in cooking oil. It was the best combination of airy and crispy and cooked to perfection. Although it was good it missed a salty element like hoisin sauce to compliment it. Instead of getting it, Thats when the frustration began to set in. Our table had continuously asked for hoisin sauce or something to use as a dipping sauce. We were told numerous times they were getting it for us. But fifteen minutes later and after asking the staff members numerous times. we were finally told they don't carry any. That kinda served was the theme throughout the meal. Plates of food were slammed down on our dining table. When we were giving our order, the waiter was real short and seemed annoyed. Like we did something wrong by wanting to eat there. Asking for things like hoisin and water was a chore and became frustrating. Now I will say it could've been because it was busy. Because when I asked why was it like that. it was made clear the main focus should always be on the foods an not the service. So the service is just secondary I guess. Anyhow I say that as a warning so people aren't turned off by it. So once again the Restuarant is very small so you will feel like people are sitting and eating right on top of you. There's very little you can do about it But the food was really good and the price point was low. That ultimately means it's worth going back for another taste in my opinion.
(3)
Sherry L.
Very disappointing. Not very authentic Northern Chinese food. The jian bing guo zi was very disappointing. The pickled napa cabbage was okay... could've been more flavorful. Waiter was super rude -- rolled his eyes at me several times, gave cheeky remarks to every single table. Won't be coming back here.
(2)
Misha T.
I wasn't terribly impressed. My mom is from Beijing and she's fairly in to this Northern Chinese stuff and we split some marinated cucumbers, a jelly noodle chicken thing, some pork loin, and the funky spicy meatballs. I can't saw I was terribly impressed by any of it. The attitude is pretty authentic though. The staff is pretty argumentative, but not really in a bad way.
(3)
Steph N.
Great food and service. I recommend dumplings and anything else.
(5)
Michael J.
The food here is good and pretty authentic. It's supposed to also be Yao Ming's favorite when he comes to SF. If Yao thinks it's good, it MUST be good :) We got the dumplings, lamb with cumin and tofu with mushroom. The service was efficient and friendly. The dumplings were amazing! Lots of juice and chewy wrap. You can tell the dumplings were handmade at the restaurant. TOTALLY WORTH IT! You can't screw up lamb with cumin. It's a northern Chinese staple and this one was no different. The tofu was also very tasty. I'll definitely try some other more authentic Beijing dishes on my visits.
(4)
Patricia G.
Decided to give them a chance, hoping the food was good. I was mistaken. Food was bland, I stopped eating after 2 bites. Will not be ordering from them again. Driver got lost he was on the wrong block.
(1)
Stephanie L.
This place looks like a dirty little shack on the outside. But don't let that deceive you. They have authentic BeiJing style dishes you don't commonly see in restaurants. We ordered the Beijing street pancake, which was ok I would give it a 3. I've never tried it before and it was recommended on yelp. But it was a bit salty for my taste. The Chinese burger was real good though, a must try. We also got the cumin lamb. Real flavorful with a little kick. I definitely want to come back to get their green onion pancake and their hand pulled noodles. They have a small lot for parking too. A nice plus. Service was mediocre, usual for a Chinese restaurant.
(4)
William C.
Very very authentic beijing style food. Peking duck is a must try, also egg pancake, some of the dishes are hard to find in the bay area. Service is a ok, the server talks too much and likes to joke with you, some might find funny but I think it is kind of annoying.
(5)
Laura D.
The Peking Duck is amazing. They can run out of it pretty quickly so make sure you get there and order before you find a table. Very authentic northern Chinese cuisine. We ordered around 10 different dishes and they were all so delicious. Highlights would be the dumplings, boiled fish, and shredded pork. It is far out but totally worth the trip for the duck alone.
(4)
Christina N.
My office catered lunch from here, and I was sorely disappointed with the food. - Sesame chicken was cold. It wasnt even mildly warm, it was cold. - Kung pao tofu was too salty. - Vegetable fried rice was decent. Not too oily, but it'd be sad if you screw up fried rice too. One of the worst Chinese food I've had :(
(1)
Fannie S.
Food= good. I love their spicy dishes!! Dim sum items = okay. Service= OK. Prices= reasonable. I use EAT24, so I've yet to step inside this place. I drive past it several times a week... there's a small parking lot.
(3)
Amanda B.
I've eaten at/from Beijing a few times now. I have never gotten food poisoning from Beijing, so on the scale of good Chinese places, this place ranks high for me. The salt and pepper tofu is awesome. I don't like tofu, but this was so good. We also had some pork variation, and it was just too sweet, as were the meatballs. The mongolian beef, however, was great. Stay away from the dumplings, though. No bueno. The good: decent food. The bad: all of our dishes came in rapid succession, and we ran out of table space. Eat up, eat quickly. Protip: in the winter, the cold air rushes through that door, so bring a jacket, or try and nab a seat closer to the kitchen.
(3)
Kayla B.
Absolutely fantastic delivery spot, not in love with the eat-in experience. Super fast with delivery and the people are nice. Took a friend here who is from north China and he said the sliced meats are super authentic. Pine nut shrimp, spicy garlic eggplant are two things we always get, and then the dim sum menu is pretty tasty too. I also like the ground bean sheet noodles, great for when you are craving noodles but trying to do low carb :)
(4)
Mai P.
I decided to give them a second try. I ordered the oyster beef, curry beef , prawns with pine nuts, meat pancakes, I wanted to get the duck wings but they did have so the suggested I get chicken wings. That was a bad suggestion. I also ordered the sizzling soup. The curry was really watery and a lot of zucchini. I asked for everything spicy and nothing was spicy. Oyster beef almost all zucchini and barely any beef. The meat pancakes were very soggy. The prawns with pine nuts came with no pine nuts. My instructions online were to add white rice and I also called to make sure they added the with rice. I DID NOT GET ANY WHITE RICE! So I had to cook rice after my food came. By the time the rice was cooked, my food was cold. Spending $80 on the food, I would expect to get the rice I asked for.
(1)
Christine B.
When you approach this restaurant, it looks like some dingy little shack. And then once you push through the plastic curtain that covers the front door after you open it... you realize you are indeed in a dingy little shack. The restaurant is pretty small, but they can accommodate large groups of 10 because of the large banquet tables. FOOD: CHEAP, COMFORTING AND DELICIOUS. I recommend the beef noodle soup (veggies, beef, spicy broth and udon type noodles), Cumin Lamb (My favorite, spicy and flavorful. Tender not overcooked lamb, that didn't taste gamey), Chinese Burger (ground meat, green onions in a "bao" type bun). Dinner here for a group of 10 getting at least 8 dishes was somewhere in the $12-$15 neighborhood. STAFF: RUDE RUDE RUDE. I did not like the service I got at all. Overall, when going to a restaurant you should not feel bad for asking for: 1.) more bowls to eat the food you are paying for or 2.) Water to Drink. If you can stomach the service, then it is okay. Logistics: PARKING: Street parking available in the surrounding neighborhood. Be careful in the dark alleys at night Overall, I wouldn't come back to this little shack. The food is worth coming for, but the environment and staff would keep me away. The place felt really dirty and I had a fear of a cockroach in my food!
(2)
Cindy K.
Visiting the city and our friends again. This was suggested to us by our friend. I guess he was craving Chinese food. That's ok with me as long as it's not Panda Express. What's amazing about this place is that there is a parking lot. OMG yes you read that right! Hallelujah! Get here early though since it usually fills up fast. Did you know Yao Ming eats here? Staff is pretty funny and friendly. The menu features feel good home cooked meal items. Get the lamb skewers!! I liked the chive pancake. That was yummy. They have some interesting variations on the classics though. Like honey pine nut shrimp. What?? Yao Ming eats here. This place is pretty close to hubs' grandparents so we'll probably eat here again when we're visiting family.
(3)
Yang R.
Peking duck is great! The place is great, very Beijing flavor. You should really try the tea In here. 一定è¦åƒå•Šï¼Œå¿…须得æ¥å•Šã€‚店é¢å¾ˆå¥½å•Šï¼Œæœ‰å¾ˆå¤šå人过æ¥åƒã€‚
(5)
Chi G.
This place is excellent everything was good besides the none speaking English workers it was all perfect especially the garlic shrimp make to. Perfection
(5)
Laura S.
Haven't been to this place in a while. I called today to place a delivery, as soon as you I heard the voice I knew it was the same guy that has been rude before. As soon as I was done placing my order he rushed to hang up, didn't even ask how I was going to pay, so I had to quickly say I was going to pay with my card and he said "oh my god!" Like if I was waiting his time. Really!!! This guy is a total jerk. He is beyond rude. Every time is the same thing with this guy. This is the last time I will be ordering from there. Not because of the food, but this guy in particular. He has no manners, no professionalism, obviously no work ethic. What kind of jerk still holds a job, I'm sure his employers know about this. Just wanna let you know your a "server", I would talk some sh*t but I will not go to his level. You are not a server, real professional servers don't act the way you do. If your not happy with your job, go get another one. Really pissed me off.
(1)
Mark D.
Napa cabbage and tofu hot pot - loved it, though I'm biased as I've always loved this soup. Has vermicelli Pork with pancake slices (Beijing chao bing) - not too bad though I wish it had less liquid, a solid choice but not good enough for me to get again Steamed meatballs - they need to update the pic because the meatballs are like 2x bigger than it looks in the pic. Solid taste but same as above, would rather try something else Rou jia mo (hamburger) - no good, meat not enough fat and bun too hard / dry, stay away Ma la beef tripe - decent though could use more salt, a decent choice Beijing combination vegetables - surprisingly decent and not oily like every other Chinese vegetable dish, solid choice Everything was solid except the hamburger, with the hot pot being the winner. Would love to come back to this authentic place
(4)
Zhihua D.
Surprisingly BAD. Food material is not good-quality, service is sub-par, and the carpet smelled so bad that you just cannot ignore upon entering. We ordered cumin lamb (dry but ok, 3.5/5), onion pancake (very little union, plain; 3/5), boiled spicy beef (very few beef if they are actually beef... 2.5/5), and eggplant (sweet with a thick layer of sauce; 2.5/5). On top of the food, service is classic low quality. CASH ONLY as well... Couldn't be worse.
(2)
Youngshim H.
Love this place. It's near my house, it's affordable, it's got tasty food that gets made quick. And there's no crazy line. The eggplant with brown sauce or house sauce is awesome. Get it. The Chinese "hamburgers" with meat and chives inside are really good appetizers. Hard to choose between that and the beef pancake, which is deliciously crispy (but really meant to be shared, unlike the hamburgers). I also really liked the soup with sliced fish and preserved vegetables in a warm pot. Wasn't expecting it to be sour (due to the veggies), but it was actually really good. The white fish was super soft and tender. Service was fine for me. Everyone is pretty friendly.
(5)
Tian Q.
Brought my parents here for dinner one night because they were sick of all the fancy Michelin star stuff I'd been feeding them (first world asian people problems). Chose Beijing Restaurant because of the whole Yao-Ming-has-been-here deal and the good reviews. I think Yao Ming might've come here hungover. Service: -It was okay and cordial, did what was asked but nothing more, typical of asian restaurants' concept of "service" Food: -Fried lamb skewers, a signature order here but it was just decent, maybe 6.5/10 compared to typical lamb skewers you find on dirty chinese streets -Beijing street pancake, looked super authentic and I had high hopes for it especially from the waiter's recommendation, unfortunately this tasted terrible and I didn't understand the cheap wonton crisps in there -Beijing style noodles with brown sauce, house special three flavored vegetables, house special shredded pork with braised sauce, these all tasted more or less the same to me after a while, which screams non-authentic-americanized-chinese-food No, my parents didn't enjoy this either. Should've brought them to an asian buffet instead because at least the mediocre food there are of better value, and asian parents love value.
(2)
Jeffrey S.
Let me tell you about an ongoing experience I have. Here is a typical take out conversation via phone: Them: *Uttering Chinese*..."go ahead" Me: Hi, I'd like to place an order for takeout. Them: Ok. Go. (I then place my order) Them: Ok. Bye. They never tell me how much my order totals or when it will be ready. If I don't pick it up within 20 minutes, I get a phone call in a loud voice telling me I need to pick it now. I walk in and they utter to me "I've been waiting for you for a while. You need to pick up your orders quicker." I want to tell them they should specify this rather than blame me, but they're not worth my time and I would hit a new low to be arguing with a takeout chinese place. Also, 20 minutes is a long time? Seriously?! Long story short, I only go here because I live across the street and its extremely convenient/the food is decent. The people are absolutely terrible though and the inside/outside looks like a sewer system.
(2)
Eve S.
For all the negative ratings down there, I say they are honest. I would give this restaurant negative stars if I can. The food is ok, but the customer service is TERRIBLE. I have never EVER been to a restaurant that is so disrespectful to its customers. I have literally seen them picking up utensil from the floor and DIRECTLY put it on one of the tables. Yes, customers, you don't even know what you are putting into your mouth. The other time I ordered something for delivery, the experience didn't get any better. When I gave them the delivery address, the person on the phone just couldn't get the name of the address. I literally spent 10 minutes spelling out NELSON RISING LN. Literally. OK. I understand they are not native speakers so I went on with my utter patience. I said "I want No.x, blah blah blah; No.y, blah blah blah." While I try to be nice and make things go smooth, it made the guy on the phone impatient (WTF?). Him: "Don't say the numbers." Then I gave them my credit card number, the guy went: "If you're not pausing every four numbers I'm not writing it down". And no, he didn't say it in a suggestive manner, but really made me feel he was the boss and he's telling me I'm not doing the right thing. I am utterly offended. To the staff in this restaurant, there is a saying that customers are always right. You don't get to dictate how the customers make order. And If you don't get something the customer said, APOLOGIZE, say sorry or pardon me. Or I assure you that your place is gonna close down in a few years. To the fellow customers, run if you don't want to be bullied by these rude people. There are tons of nicer restaurants out there.
(1)
David C.
Beijing Restaurant serves legit, Northern Chinese cuisine. It doesn't make many accommodations for people expecting American-Chinese food, or Southern Chinese food. The cumin lamb is excellent. Flavorful and lots of cumin. It normally comes very spicy but you can request without spice. The beef pancake is tasty, but be forewarned it's also a grease bomb. The pea shoots are delicious: flavorful and not too oily or overcooked. They may have been the highlight of our meal. The house noodles with special sauce was the only major letdown. The noodles were gummy and the sauce didn't have a good flavor. As you'd probably expect, the restaurant decor is nonexistent. The place has a bit of a funky odor to it, too. Not at all surprising that it nearly failed its last health inspection.
(4)
Lm M.
Food great.customer service bad.the guy with the red hair is very rude....not come in back only for that.
(3)
Eric L.
I came to this restaurant with a friend, thinking it looked interesting from the outside. Interesting decor on the inside. There were only 2 tables besides ours, and the waiter handed us fairly thick menus. After 2 minutes, he came back and said very rudely "lunch is almost over, I don't want to wait for long time." It was 2:30 pm. As if that wasn't bad enough, he eyed us the entire time we waited for our one home-style tofu dish. As he brought out the food to the table, he nudged the tea pot on the table and wouldn't set the food down until I moved it from the middle of the practically bare table. The food was mediocre, what I had anyway. I felt uncomfortable sitting there eating having been treated so poorly. That was the first time I didn't leave a tip for a server in my life. Checked my bank statement a few days after and discovered that the waiter decided to add his own little tip after I left. Called the place afterwards to complain and was not allowed to speak to a manager. Never coming back again, save yourself the trouble also.
(1)
John C.
The most real chinese place ever. They A had food in less than 10 minutes, which is nice, and the inside is really nice. I've driven by this place like 100 times and decided to go get some take out with my girlfriend, and we both came to the conclusion that it was really good. The person at the station recommended the basil chicken which was very yumzzzzzzz. yummy. This is not the most gourmet chinese food ever, but it's still very good for the price.
(4)
Zachary Z.
delivery: 2 serpentine hairs laid ever so gently across the top of my food, daring me to eat it. which i didn't.
(1)
Kitten S.
After seeing all the great reviews, I wanted to try the food here. Seeing from the reviews that their specialty is beijing food and not american chinese food, I pretty much stuck to the beijing menu items. I ordered online at their website. If your order is less than $100, it takes about an hour. If it's more than $100, it will take longer. My order came promptly in about an hour. I found their beijing items interesting, but I don't think they are to my taste. I ordered: -jing dong meat pancakes -cumin lamb -steam house special baozi -west lake lamb dumpling -combination fried rice For $8.25 and only about 4-6 slices of a pancake, I thought it was pretty pricey and it wasn't especially tender or chunky or tasty. They give generous servings of cumin lamb with lots of green/red/yellow pepper chunks and I loved the fragrance/flavor of the cumin, but the meat wasn't especially tender and the heat of the chili or red pepper flakes was SOOOOO hot that I was grabbing for water/soda every mouthful. I am used to hot food since my mom cooks filipino dishes which are sometimes hot AND I also regularly like eating indian foods which are nearly always hot AND i do like many hot chinese dishes, but the heat was so hot even for me, especially without any other food items except rice to dissipate the heat like with dairy products (sour cream, yogurt) or bananas. They should put options as to how hot somebody wants their dishes like 1-not hot at all, 2-mildly hot, 3-normal hot. The steam house special baozi is like small sized steam buns. I thought I would enjoy them since I know how regular sized pork-filled steam buns taste like, but they smelled/tasted a bit too vinegary and there wasn't much filling. The west lake lamb dumpling was a bit too thick on the outside and the filling tasted kind of gamey. Also, the outside shell looked like it was kind of raw. I'm not an expert on these kind of dumplings, but it didn't look very appetizing at first. Funny as it seems, the only item I really felt comfortable with was their fried rice which was well mixed, had some medium shrimp and a few strips of meat, though I've had better fried rice at joe's excellent chinese cuisine or jasmine tea house. I couldn't finish all of the food in one sitting so I put the remainder - the baozi and dumplings in the refrigerator and fried/reheated them the next day and they tasted a lot better. I MAY try it another time to see what other food items are like, but I don't think I would make it a regular go-to place or be rushing back to order for delivery from there.
(3)
Edvin Adolfo L.
Great food!!! Good service Fast deliver Great price!!!! Get coupons over Eat24! Cant complain!
(5)
Sneakrs 1.
The food at this place tastes like it's been nuked twice over, then sat out for another 30 minutes until it reaches a Luke warm temperature. Then it is delivered to your place perfectly cold and rubbery. Trust me, there are other places in the city to order some good Chinese food, this isn't one of them. Save your money and get you Chinese delivery elsewhere.
(1)
Irene Z.
super slow in serving. Plus they don't serve in order. And the dishes are way too salty. Had to dip everything in tea before eating.
(1)
Renee Y.
Decided to try to this because I thought they would serve porridge, but they actually don't. I was sick during the time I came here so the chicken corn soup was my favorite of all the stuff I ordered. The soup was clear, refreshing and loaded with sweet corn. Definitely something to soothe a dry throat. The Cumin Beef looked like beef jerky and kind of tasted like it too. It was pretty chewy and hard to bite into. The egg pancake thing (forgot what it's called) was okay. I expected more of a scrambled egg taste, but it tasted more like a flour pancake mix. Waiting to get our check ruined my experience. We waited forever and had to ask them twice when we were seated right in front of the register. What made me more annoyed was when the table next to us ask for their check way after we did, they got theirs right away and we still didn't get ours. Other than that the guy who was serving pretty much everyone was very entertaining. He knows how to talk to people even though his English isn't that great and it was pretty funny just listening to how he interacted with other people. All in all, it's a good place for authentic Beijing food, but expect iffy customer service.
(3)
Kel V.
For deliveries, AVOID AT ALL COSTS! 3:46PM - Order placed on Seamless. 4:50PM - Called restaurant to check on food, placed on hold for FIFTEEN minutes. Guy on the phone was rude and blamed Seamless for never receiving the order, telling me that I won't be charged, and it's not their fault that they're busy and didn't receive the order. 5:10PM - Called Seamless to get my refund, because there's no way I won't be charged. Placed on hold for ten minutes before I got to speak to someone. Tells me they have to call the restaurant and that they'll give me a call back. 5:23PM - Guy arrives at my house with my order of food but I refuse it. 5:29PM - Seamless calls me back and tells me the restaurant would not tell them what happened with the order of food and that Seamless will be issuing me a refund. How are they gonna bring me my food after claiming they never received it and it's canceled and how do they know what I ordered if they never received my order? Business seems shady to me and wanted to keep my money. I am never dealing with this business ever again!
(1)
Brian H.
It was truly terrible food, probably the worst Chinese food I've ever had. 1hr and 15 min wait. The sesame chicken was one big soggy lump of breading and very dry chicken. Like eating hot garbage. Won't be back.
(1)
Lisa S.
Came in here 2 days ago with my friends.There is a small parking lot next to it where you can park your car. The place isn't very big, but we went during the day and it wasn't packed so it was fine. We ordered 5 dishes for the 3 of us and it was plenty. Sauteed String Beans: There was nothing special about this plate. Green Onion Pancake: This is actually my first time eating a thick green onion pancake. It tastes pretty good, maybe there were too much dough that the taste of green onion was quite lacking. It would have been better if it was more flavorful. one thing good about this is that it's not oily like other pancakes I've had. Beef Stew Noodle Soup: It tastes okay, it was a little spicy but very slightly. I like everything about this from the thick chewy noodles to the beef, but the soup was a bit bland for my liking, I've definitely had better beef stew noodle in the city. Chives and Shrimp dumpling: The dumpling tasted fine, it wasn't anything special. I don't think it was worth my money for the dumplings because I think the ones I buy at ranch 99 tastes better but that's just me. I don't remember what this dish is called so I'm just gonna name it the 5 color noodle salad: It consist of cucumbers, green and red bell peppers, egg, cilantro and noodles. It's a cold dish. They first bring it out and set up and placed nicely on a plate with the noodles in the middle, then they pour a brown thick soup with pork shreds in it, and starts mixing it all together. The texture of the noodle is actually very interesting because it looks like "Ho Fun" (Thick rice noodle) but when you bite it the texture tastes kind of like jello. I think it tastes okay, but I'm not a fan. Even though they mix it in the sauce it seems that the flavor of the sauce can't really seep into the food therefore you can't really taste it. For me I think the food here was all lacking in flavor which was disappointing because in the Chinese culture the flavors are suppose to be very bold and strong. All in all I don't think I'm a fan, but it may be too soon to judge because I haven't tried the other foods on the menu.
(2)
Casey U.
Although the grim exterior of Beijing Restaurant looks like it would be able to survive the Third World War completely intact, the cuisine to be found within its sparsely-decorated plastic-curtained threshold may very well be some of the most intriguing, authentic, and satisfying Chinese food in San Francisco. As a lover of offal, I instinctively went for the "House Special Pork Liver" (10.95) which featured thick cut celery, a hefty helping of Garlic and a simple, slightly sweet sauce which managed to offset and compliment the ureal flavor of the liver. Textually, this dish was perfectly prepared, the crunch of the celery combined with the toothsome offal provided a satisfying compliment to one another. I can say without hyperbole that this may have been one of the best preparations of liver I've had within the last six months. I enjoyed the House Special Eggplant (9.95) (ordered for my long-suffering mother) as well. Coming with a basil sauce, and incorporating both chicken and shrimp alongside the aforementioned eggplant, this dish easily won a place in my heart with it's exceptionally herbal flavor profile which graciously complimented the delicate flavor of the eggplant, without being overwhelming. The eggplant was extraordinarily tender, and contrasted well with the crunch of the perfectly cooked shrimp, and tender chicken. We also tried the Cumin Lamb (10.95 per serving) on the recommendation of just about every Yelper who has ever reviewed this Restaurant. While it wasn't overly spicy, the tender morsels of Lamb came coated in both cumin and crushed red peppers, which provided an explosive counterpart to the slightly gamey flavor of the exceptionally juicy, not overly greasy lamb, shocking my palate with an intense burst of flavors after every bite. When combined with the crunchy onions and green peppers that garnish the dish, what results is a unique flavor and textural profile miles away from the over-sauced, saccharine sweet examples of Chinese Cuisine I grew up on. For appetizers, we shared some excellent Crab and Cream Cheese Puffs (5.25), which featured excellent fillo dough and remarkably delicate crab. In addition, we also had the Jaebing, which combined soft scrambled egg, onions, cilantro and sesame seeds into a unique crepe-style treat which housed a deep-fried wonton in its center, providing a fantastic crunch in this extraordinarily hard-to-find dish. I would be remiss if I were to ignore the "Chinese Burger" (3.95 a piece), which combines tender pulled pork, vinegar and cilantro in a dense, biscuit-like bun. This culinary delight could be a revelation for anyone who hasn't found themselves in favor of fusion-style cuisine yet, existing for all intents and purposes as a fantastic bridge between Southern sandwiches and Chinese flavor profiles. 5 Stars, solid food.. Extras: Parking available! Convenient to the 44, 47, 29, 14. Credit Cards accepted. Open LATE.
(5)
Tifanie W.
We had such high hopes for this place since they have a "4 star" rating on Yelp. Their delivery service took over an hour. Then the food gets here & it's very bland & Luke warm. The Mongolian beef had little to no beef! The chicken in the dishes we ordered had no flavor. Super small portions too for the cost!!! We were soooo disappointed & will never order from here again!
(1)
John W.
This place i have visited for over 10 years . It was my favorite chinese food place before their quality of service went down the drain. Recently a few weeks ago i was in the mood for some good chow mein. I come in the best mood ever and leave in total dissapointment. My heart was crushed, the place where i had visited for years and recommended people to, had made me almost want to loose it. After i ordered i asked the waiter if i could have a cup of water he looked distresses that he had to bring me water. Ten minutes later no water ok no worries. My gf asks if she could have a side of white rice with the order and i remind him for my water and in a rude tone he almost screams at my girlfiend. Good food bad service. Never going back.
(1)
Wan C.
We used to dine at this restaurant frequently over the years. However, both the food and the service had gone downhill. Plus, it changed from taking credit cards to cash only. I'll be searching elsewhere for Northern Chinese cuisine.
(2)
Yidu L.
I have lived in the U.S for 4 years, and this is the best chinese restaurant I have ever been. Traditional Beijing food, We have been traveling in San Francisco for 4 days, and everyday we had dinner here, best place ever! no no complaint at all! The food here make me homesick.
(5)
Loriel L.
Mmm...one of my favorite places to go when i want authentic Northern style Chinese food! The dishes are similar to how my bf's mom makes it. & boy do I love her cooking. Coming here is a treat since it's a little more pricey compared to what you'd expect to pay for at other Chinese restaurants with similar dishes. However, I think it's more quality than quantity here, which is more important to me (ain't settling for less now that I'm past those college student days!). I never feel like I've had an overdose of grease, calories, or possible msg in my system after meals from here. The interior isn't much to look at - one big room for the dining area right when you walk in. The decorations are tacky, but I don't expect much here. Getting through the entrance is weird since they put some kind of freezer curtain for you to fight through right after you open the front door. Seriously, I don't understand that. And service is meh - hit or miss in good customer service. Although, what's cool is that Yao Ming has been here so they have a few pictures of him on the wall. Food: + Steam meat balls ($10.95) - 4 big meatballs with sauce served on a bed of lettuce. Perfect with rice! + Boiled seafood and vegetables in a warm pot ($11.95) - refreshing. Plenty of variety and served in generous portions. Good for 2-3 people. + Green onion pancake ($7.95) - addicted to these. So crispy and a good sub for rice. - Lamb skewers ($6) - 4 pcs. Decent, albeit dry so I wouldn't order this one again. Overall: For quality Chinese food (Northern style), this is a place to hit up. Take note: it's a $$ Chinese restaurant. They take card as well!
(4)
Snuffles B.
It is really freaking hard to make my parents happy at a Chinese restaurant. My Dad hates Dimsum or anything Cantonese, he is one hardcore Northerner. I'm trying hard to convince them that there is decent Chinese food in California outside of Queens. Parking in small lot out front is tight but at least its there! The place was packed with mostly Asians - promising. The bathroom was a little scary, ok lets be honest here, it was a lot scary. The food bits that came on the spoons they brought us and the questionable table wipe down - terrifying. Service was not nearly as bad as people say, it was actually pretty reasonable considering how busy they were. It's impressive how they juggle all the take out orders and a packed restaurant from such cramped quarters. The food was authentic and tasty: - Cumin lamb - Really good, not at all gamey, one of the only lamb dishes that I've been able to handle ever. Not bad as leftovers either. - Pork and pickled vegetable clay pot - Perfect - Exactly as it should taste - Shrimp & pine nuts - OK, not exactly authentic, but the shrimp was super tender. Better if you peel off the batter. $15/person - Between the cheap prices and the authentic food, Dad was happy, no easy feat there.
(4)
DeJanee C.
If i could give this place no stars i would. Terrible customer service... Very offensive and prejudice. DO NOT RECOMEND!
(1)
Alex C.
To be really honest, there are not too many good restaurants where I live - Mission Terrace. I generally venture away from my living quarters for an enjoyable "food experience". Since my friend that I had met up tonight preferred not to go too from home (she also lives in the Mission Terrace), I decided on Beijing Restaurant because it is in my bookmarks, I have never dined there, and it is within close proximity. The Good: 1) Clean 2) Simple decor embellished with Peking accessories 3) Friendly staff 4) Fast service 5) Menu is clearly labeled and organized 6) Tea offering is tasty 7) Food is not great tasting (i've had better), but is good overall *We ordered Beef with Broccoli (my friends #1 go to at any Chinese restaurant), Pan Fried Pot Stickers/Dumplings, Egg Flower Soup (with pork and corn), and Special Steamed Meat Balls. * I Want to try all their dumplings in the future Now for the Bad: 1)Restaurant is a bit small, luckily we came before it got packed with loud chatter, and luckily we weren't rushed to get the check since there were still open tables. 2)For a restaurant that does infact accept "credit cards", it fails to list which "plastic" types they offer. I suppose that might be an option YELP could add. *I am a bit appauled, because I went in hoping to use my everday go to - I am sorry, but I love American Express, and it is upsetting when my AMEX card is not accepted at any given business. I handed my card to the waitress, and without even looking at the card type she takes it to the register. Five minutes later she comes back and said that she tried to use my card and just realized that Beijing Restaurant does not accept AMEX. So okay, I asked if they accept DISCOVER - apparently, that is not accepted either..... Anyways, they only accept VISA and MASTERCARD, so I payed with my Debit card. I think businesses should accept all types of credit cards! Overall, I would give Beijing Restaurant 4 stars, but based on the fact that they only accept two types of plastic cards - only 3 stars. [Only accepts VISA & MASTERCARD]
(3)
Jessie Yingchao L.
More tasteful and spicier than standard American Chinese food. My favorite was the noodle and pork liver:)
(3)
Tony H.
As someone who studied and lived in Beijing for 6 months, I am very, very particular about getting awesome northern food that is pretty close to what you can get on the streets of smoggy, bustling Beijing. And for the most part, the Bay Area just sucks to get good northern Chinese food. Beijing restaurant comes somewhat close. I came here with my dad and was greeted with those wonderful plastic flaps. For Americans confused as this, the flaps are used to protect the diners from the cold and wind every time the door opens. This is a pretty small restaurant and I ordered the Beijing noodles (炸酱é¢) and Beijing crispy pancake (煎饼). The crispy pancake was pretty authentic, crispy on the inside, and had the right amount of egg, cilantro, green onions, and even sesames. However, I found the Beijing noodles to be TOO salty and lacking in pork pieces. The sauce is good, but the appeal for the noodles is the actual pork meat. I'll come back to try some other dishes to see if it matches my memory of Beijing, but at least service is pleasant and prompt here.
(3)
D.j. Y.
This place is super good! The main guy is super cute! I would like to see him walk around with no shirt yuummmy! The food is amazing! People say how rude or how not to good this place is bit I just think they need to get out more! Americans always think is should be there way or no way. Lame! One love people!
(5)
Wesley K.
Decent, but expensive for the price given. There's a more affordable option in Sunset that has same dishes. I remember ordering the green onion pancakes, cucumbers in chili oil, lamb in cumin, and chive dumplings? I guess I don't like repeating myself, but the name of this place says it all. Beijing Restaurant will specialize more in Northern Chinese food so basically if you are ordering the typical American Chinese food or something that's not native to the region, don't expect the dish to be the best.
(3)
Stephen S.
The food is decent enough, although nothing noteworthy. But they routinely get take out orders wrong. Even when using an app-based ordering service (one might expect that ordering via app would HELP with order accuracy) If I didn't live across the street, I don't think they'd ever get my business. Chinese restaurants are a dime-a-dozen in SF.
(3)
Jacky K C.
tip: siu long bao not really the soupy dumplings you'd come to expect. Rather, it's just a thicker skin version of it with no soup inside. The stir fried kidneys dish was very tasty. scallion pancake was bland at times. skewers are just okay. pot stickers were good but not great overall a good restaurant but nothing sticks out that really warrants another visit in this part of town.
(3)
Donna J.
When my chowmein arrived, my delivery guy looked up expectantly. "No tip for me?" he said. "I tipped on the card when I ordered from eat24," I said, caught off guard. "I don't get that card tip. I need cash tip." he replied. I looked around uneasily and thought about whether or not I had cash to throw atop the $4 tip I'd already given. "I don't have any cash and I already tipped you." I didn't know what else to tell him and he just stood there staring at me. I felt uneasy, like maybe he'd come later and take what is rightfully his. "Okay," he finally said after a 10 second staring contest that felt like 10 minutes, "Next time, I know. I know, next time." and then he left. I stood at the door watching his car go off, unsure if he meant he'll beat me up next time, I'll tip him more next time or was he just repeating what people who don't tip say? I felt bad. I felt indicted. I felt like I needed to overtip now to compensate for all the people who DON'T tip him. I felt responsible. I called the restaurant and spoke to someone who said that they don't take credit card tips, only cash. "Then who got my $4 tip?" I really wanted to know. The man on the phone told me I can come in and tip Joe (the delivery guy) in person, if I wanted him to get a tip, but that was it. I hung up, no longer dejected and mainly just over it all. Then I opened my hot, yummy looking noodles, took a big bite and stared at the bland, flavorless meal in front of me. What an illusion. How can you have so many yummy things in your chowmein and manage to render it flavorless? I ate 4 bites and gave up. Loss all around.
(2)
Liza T.
Came here with my friends on Sunday at 10:45am. It was good that they were opened 15 minutes early. The restaurant was empty and the service was ok. I would not expect any amazing service from a Chinese restaurant. The cleanliness of the restaurant was ok, but not great. I especially hate the big plastic outside the door. That plastic was pretty dirty and I don't know what's the purpose of that. Those plastics are only for places that have air conditions......WEIRD. We ordered: Wide Rice Noodle Salad - (5/5) It was very good. The noodle was chewy and the sauce was great. Not too spicy. Three Flavor Dumpling (4/5) - Good. Very juicy inside but very standard dumpling Beijing Style Cold Noodles (5/5) - Very good. The peanut sauce was very tasty and flavorful. The noodles were very chewy. Beef Stew Noodles Soup (5/5) - I didn't try the beef but my friend said the beef was tender and flavorful. Family Style Pancake (3/5) - This one was just ok. Not much ingredient and only eggs and green onion. Overall, all the food were good. The price was very reasonable in term of the portion. If I am craving the Chinese noodles, I will definitely come back.
(4)
Moni T.
I have been going to this place for about three years. I like their foo but their customer service could be better. Sometimes when you call and place an order they can be very RUDE, and since their accent is SO STRONG, it is also hard to understand them and viceversa. If you have any experience with customer service, it is absolutely not necessary to be RUDE on the phone by saying: W-H-E-R-E I-S. Y-O-U-R A-D-D-R-E-S-S? Like if I was retarded. Thank you for delivering, but at this point I rather try some other place, where they actually take care of people.
(2)
Vicky Z.
love their food and service. Went there with my boyfriend once and my family once. They all love this place. Tasty food.
Beijing restaurant is just fine. I've had a couple of dishes that were just fine. A couple of dishes that were off the charts and a couple of dishes that just did not tickle my fancy. Went there two nights ago, Corn and chicken soup, pretty good. Nothing too spectacular. Noodles in brown paste, noodles were good! Paste tasted like thick-too-salty hot and sour soup... I would say, stick with your tried and true. Far as Chinese food goes, they are definitely northern-style. A little bit on the pricier side. CASH ONLY!!! I know they take cards if you order on-line but if you try to pay in there with your card, you may be unpleasantly surprised.
(3)
Gilbert C.
Ordered about 4 of their dishes for delivery. I have to say that not even one dish satisfied me with the taste. This was surprising since I'm easy to please with food. I understand that maybe the cumin beef I ordered could've been my fault since I haven't eaten this dish before in a while or ever. The other dishes just missed the mark. For instance, the Beijing Noodles I ordered were totally over salted and neither me nor my 3 siblings could even stomach it. I was hoping I was discovering a new regular spot to order from but was sadly mistaken.
(1)
Earl G.
If it's good enough for Yao Ming, it's good enough for me! ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) Divey outside, pretty clean and modern for a Chinese dive inside. I like how they have pics of neighborhood peeps dining here on their walls. Came here for lunch with some coworkers. ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) Since I'm no Chinese food expert, ordered Beijing Resto's signature dishes according to Yelp friends Lolia S, Wilhelm Y, and Ken K #89 ($8) BEEF STEW NOODLE SOUP -- My favorite. A little different since I'm used to the Taiwanese beef noodle soup but the noodles were delicious with nice elasticity. Great flavor on the broth, not as deep as I've had but the super tender beef stew pieces make the dish. I want a whole bowl to myself. Order this! ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) #31 ($10) CUMIN LAMB -- Dry fried style, great cumin spice, tender. Perfect with rice. Order this! ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) #55 ($8) BEEF PANCAKE - Mexican folks speakin' Chinese! Tasted like a Chinese ground beef quesadilla. It went ok with the table chili sauce, it would be better with guac, sour cream, and Cholula! Try it, you might like it. ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) #46 ($10) HOT BRAISED BEEF TENDON - w/bok choy. Sticky, tender, but chewy. Could have been stewed more. Great flavors though. You can skip. ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) Another popular item here is the $5.50 lunch special, you get a soup and one of those typical Chinese-American rice plates. It was very popular with the Non-Chinese crowd and I'm sure it's OK. Do yourself a favor, skip it and order what they're known for, Beijing specialty dishes.
(4)
Nanny R.
I'm not against driving a distance or entering a dingy setting for great food, let alone great Chinese food. Beijing Restaurant is an unflashy restaurant located at a semi-isolated area within the boundaries of the city. I'd been reading reviews about this place for quite some time, and finally decided to give it a go. The staff was outstandingly personable and knowledgeable. I had a ball chatting with them. The food, however, was a different story. At best, it's okay. We ordered quite a few dishes (that's how excited we were and how much we trusted Yelp's 4 stars), including dumplings, chive pancakes, seafood, noodles, even their specialty of the day (large hotpot dish). It should have made for a lot of chopstick ruckus or starry-eyed patrons. And though no one spit out their food, no one was excited to take home leftovers either. I won't be choosing it over other restaurants in the city. If I'm in the area, perhaps I'd drop by -- but that'd be because of transportation issues, a line of closed restaurants, or ravenous hunger from dealing with the latter options. Beijing Restaurant is fine.
(3)
Monica B.
Great food. TERRIBLE SERVICE. The waiters barely even paid attention to us and we had to call their attention 5/5 times. Terrible. On the flip side we ordered green onion pancake, chicken corn soup, and cumin lamb. Great quality and great taste. So if you can put up with the worst service around, it's worth it.
(3)
Adrian E.
Nice. I have finally found a Chinese food delivery place that I am actually excited to have deliver. One thing you find in San Francisco is variety, and it isn't always a good thing, because places take something that everyone loves and try to make it better. Not this place. This is simple, awesome tasting, greasy, happy go lucky Chinese food. No re-inventing the wheel, no wasted creativity and no surprises. Tonight I ordered Mongolian Beef, General's Chicken, and rice. All outstanding. Best part? Everything was as it should be. Mongolian beef was simple. A ton of sauce, cuts of beef, dried peppers, and two types of onions. Simple. General's chicken? Deep fried chicken, covered in sticky & spicy sauce. Done. I gave this place 4 out of 5 stars because this is what this food should be. It should never try to be anything better, because this is what we love and this is what we want for late night delivery. Keep it up!!! -A
(4)
Kelly B.
Do yourself a favor and order all of these things: Beijing beef pancake, cumin lamb skewers, zhajiang mian, and lion's head meatballs. You're welcome.
(5)
Sharis Y.
I like the lamb skewer, it really taste like what I ate from Beijing in china. The combination dumpling is my kids favor. We always order to go and have them to deliver to our house, usually takes about 30-45 mins for the delivery.
(4)
Darwin N.
First of all, what's with the plastic drapes as you walk thru the front doors? When my friends and I ate here, service was horrible. We prolly waited 30 minutes before anyone even served us water. There were two other occupied tables being neglected as well. What was funny was there were two employees that appeared to be taking their break in the dining room. All employees deserve breaks but when you have customers waiting to be served and being ignored, someone has to step in and do something. And finally when we got our food, three items were never brought out but we were still charged. Of course, we made them correct it. I will never eat there again.
(1)
Josephine L.
*Sigh* I'm a niu rou mian (beef noodle soup) connoisseur. I'm just going to say it right now. No false modesty, no fake humility. I grew up with the stuff, it's my version of comfort food, I've studied its history, creation and technique extensively, and I make it myself. I've had beef noodle soup cooked by master Taiwanese chefs where the noodles are the definition of al dente ("kiu kiu" in Mandarin) because they're completely handmade, the beef and broth are stewed for an entire day and the bok choy (my preference over spinach) is just the right amount of crisp. I wasn't expecting anything like that from Beijing Restaurant, but I was expecting a certain level of quality for a restaurant purporting to offer Northern Chinese cuisine. The beef noodle soup here sucks. Don't get it. It's flavorless, oily beyond description and just plain gross. The beef is actually stewed quite nicely and very tender, but its good qualities are lost in a badly seasoned broth accompanied by overcooked, mushy bok choy (of which they only give a couple). The best thing I can say about their beef noodle soup is it's still miles better than that atrocious mess at Kingdom of Dumpling. The Beef with Green Onions is much better and gives me hope that Beijing Restaurant kind of knows what it's doing. In this dish, the beef was tender and perfectly flavored without being overwhelmed by all the green onions. Served simply over a bed of fragrant, jasmine long-grain rice, it's a simple, tasty meal for those days when you don't want to deal with anything fancy. I do plan on trying Beijing Restaurant again and ordering other dishes that they might be better at, so this review might get updated with a higher rating. But for now, I'll cross this place off as yet another beef noodle soup disappointment.
(3)
Tony C.
Sorry. No I mean sorry. Ordered delivery for the night. Read good reviews, but how can you mess up beef chow mein, and beef fried rice. Only if your place sucks. Food arrived. Question is where's the beef. Had a few scraps in each dish. Not much else. Could have gotten more flavor out of the frozen food Isle. Message to the cook. Flavor should be part of the dish. Soy sauce should no be the way you make it taste edible. Hated it. Last time I make this mistake
(2)
Eric Y.
Setting: Sitting in the car after work with my parents.... Parents: "Where we eatting tonight?" Me: "I'm thinking.... we're running out of places to eat" Parents: "Yah... But I'm thinking of this one restaurant" Me: "I think I know what your thinking... And I hope it's the same one" Parents: "If it's Yao's place, then let's GOOOO!" I immediately smirked and LOLed in my head. Yao's place. This is what we call Beijing Restaurant now... Because this is the only restaurant that we know Yao ate at, we referred this place as Yao's place. So what's on the menu today? Well... -Cumin Lamb -Fried Tofu w/ Fish -Cai Yang Bai Tsai -SECRET MENU! Now, you must be looking at this review and the last one as "what the hell is secret menu?" Well, this thing that we ordered wasn't on the menu. It was recommended by one of the young waiters because it was really windy and cold outside. They saw us shivering while walking inside. Revealing of House Special! ~ ULTIMATE SECRET DISH! ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) Check out the pics, you will see a Clay Pot on a stove w/ Huge Pork Bone boiled in it. It's a type of stew pork, except more like one of those Lamb Clay Pot type dishes. This was an extremely rich dish w/ lots of pork bones and meat. The broth was thick and tasted very very good. In fact, it's so good, I don't really know how to explain it. As you can see from the other pics, the special dish also had some Bai Tsai for you to boil in it (almost like a hotpot). Also came with Fun Pi (a kind of noodle like thing). Because this is a special, I wasn't sure the name of the dish. I also don't think ti's something that you can order everyday. I'm pretty sure they don't make it often because it seems like it would take forever to get the soup based so rich and tasty. But, all I can say now is that, this special dish definitely kept us warm for the rest of the night. It was very filling and definitely makes you crave for more. That's it for tonight! I will be back to Beijing Restaurant very soon! Hopefully they can suprise me with another special item. =)
(5)
Erica K.
Swear... if you order fried rice and you're at the table seated next to me, I am judging you jk. I came here for an early Father's day celebration & my mom called ahead of time to make a reservation... a reservation... for this restaurant. The parking lot seemed sketchy, and the restaurant's interior space was sOOoo cramped. Idks how they managed to fit so many tables and chairs, my seat was literally jammed against the back of another lady's chair. The employees are efficient, but slow at seeing a customer's need of attention. -$$ of food is eh.. NO. The food portion on the platter did not correspond to the price of the food. The sweet & sour soup was bleh. Like what on earth was added into this soup?? Honestly, it felt like the food here was either really sour, spicy, or exotic tasting (idks if that's a good or bad thing) -Onion pancakes. Omg I cannot believe we came to this restaurant and the key plate I liked here was the onion pancakes. On the real, they can be bought from a dimsum restaurant or a local supermarket. They were a smidge too salty, but was nonetheless tasty :') Overall, the food was decent and satisfying. Wouldn't want to come back here due to the miles away it is from my home. The restaurant's environment was harsh cause of the heat and the spiciness in the food! Omg the entrance of the restaurant has these plastic strip curtains, and they're basically the main reason why it's so hard to not sweat while eating the food in there. Aha, they block the wind from the outside and the employees don't exactly open the windows. Try at your own risk & don't expect much.
(3)
Jin S.
I'll keep it short, 4 stars for 2 reasons. the lamb kabob and the chicken wings. When in SF, when you mention chicken wings, I'm sure San Tung is probably one of the first place you come up with. The wings here, pretty damn good, and pending on your preference, might even be better than San Tung. The batter used creates a crispier skin, the meat is tender and the spice level just right. It has more of a after taste, smoky spicy feel. Doesn't hit you right away. The lamb, tender, not over cooked like a lot of other places I've tried. It's also not covered in chili powder, just a tad, along with pepper flakes. Not only is it cooked right, they left just enough fat on the meat. there are other dishes, but not really worth mentioning. Was not impressed with the steam pork buns, with thick skin like that, I much prefer it pan fried.
(4)
Maria P.
Since my walking distance Chinese place closed down, I found this place through eat 24 and loved it right away! One because of the food and 2 because of the fast delivery! They don't take forever like most places! So far I have had the Kung pao shrimp and the basil chicken! Both are amazing! They don't skimp u on the meats like other places do. This is my new favorite place!! :) highly recommend it.
(5)
Lucky L.
Please note that the health score is 87 out of 100. Yes, Yao Ming dined here...but that doesn't help the health score! Overpriced, unsanitary and poorly run little Chinese restaurant. Park behind the restaurant and you'll be totally repulsed with how the food is transported to the kitchen and stored (right next to the trash bins and exhaust from the parking lot). This place has some unique dishes...but not worth taking the health risks!
(1)
Erat W.
This restaurant is only a few blocks from where I live, but I haven't given it a try until a few months ago. Because of the location and its appearance, I assumed it was an Americanized Chinese, like a Panda Express. However, after the first try, I have been going back very often. The BeiJing food is very authentic. I like their meat pancake (jing dong pancake), and beef noodle soup. Tip: Part of their menu is design for its neighborhood, so some items are Americanized, such as their lunch special. They need the customer base from the people work and live near by, which are mostly American and Mexican. These items tend to be a little salty, not as authentic, but still good. So, when you are there, try things on the main menu, and ask for suggestions. Tip: For those who expect Cantonese food, don't go there. I think that was why someone gave one star because of "searching for green onion pancake" CONS: their service used to be very good, very polite and available. But the last two visits, the service is just like another Chinese restaurant. You will get service, but not as good as before. Last visits, I was there for week day lunch, but before, I was there for weekend lunch or dinner. Maybe that makes the difference. Update: ever since their menu updated with new price... couple of years ago(?), the food portion is smaller, and not tasted as good as before. Service is so so. Because I had been there so many times, I could even tell that there were missing ingredient in my favorite dishes a couple of times, that I had to tell them to fix it. So sad to see my favorite restaurant turned into a disappointment! Nah, not going back.
(3)
Renee Y.
I just put in my phone order for delivery with Beijing Restaurant, and it's 1 minute 'til closing time on a Saturday! Not only did they take my order heartily, they also deliver all the way to Daly City! It's pretty much my go-to place for very good delivered Chinese food.
(4)
Lisa K.
Wonderful. The menu's quite extensive, but we followed recommendations and tried to keep towards the Beijing dishes. The food: #26 Slice Fish with Preserved Vegetable in Warm Pot: Delicious. Normally I'm not particularly inclined towards fish soup or preserved vegetables, but I'd love to have this again, especially during cold weather. The mild white fish contrasts very well to the sharp taste of preserved vegetables, and the broth is tasty without being too heavy. The noodles were hard for me to eat, but that's my problem. #54 Beijing Beef Pancake - my favorite, 'cause how could it not be? There's a pretty thin layer of delicious beef between wonderful layers of soft, but crispy on the outside, "pancake." I can't offer the most accurate comparison of what other culture's bread-like, meat-stuffed thing this is, but it's pretty much perfect. #66 Stired Flour Ball with Pork - probably my least favorite, although still pretty tasty. I wasn't sure what to expect with the flour balls, but they had the texture of slightly undercooked pasta, which is not bad in and of itself, but I kind of associate it negatively with the pasta. The flavors were good though. #91 Beijing Style Noodles with Brown Paste - We asked for a recommendation between this and the Beijing Noodles with Special Sauce. We were told the "special sauce" one was "dry," while the brown paste was wet. I was a bit wary of the special sauce after hearing it was salty, so we went with brown paste - which definitely was "wet," somewhere in between a soup and heavy sauce consistency. I liked the noodles, and the sauce was tasty, but a little bland. We had tons of leftovers, and I think I'll add a lot of vegetables to absorb some of the sauce. The meal came to $33 without tip and would have very easily been enough food for 4 people. We were told the delivery radius is 2 miles. I can't wait to come back.
(5)
Wilsonathalie C.
Went in on a typical Monday wanting some grub. They used to be better and provided portions to match their price. I went in with a friend and wanted rice with our order. They charged us for 3 people and gave us enough for only myself. Service is bearable but most people go for their food, which is on the saltier side.
(2)
Dorothy T.
Been here many times since my last review. It's incredibly delicious and authentic, so my friends say who lived in Beijing.
(5)
Yanlin C.
Love the food! This is real Chinese food and they taste just like the ones from my hometown! Some dishes are different but it's definitely approaching to traditional non-customized Chinese food. Love it!
(4)
John K.
This place has fantastic food! Excellent service! MUST MUST TRY!
(4)
Aaron Y.
I can't get enough of this place! The food is delicious, the servers are courteous and knowledgeable, and the photos on the wall make me smile. I love their Wide Rice Noodle Salad, Shredded Potatoes with Hot Oil, Fennel Dumplings, Salt & Pepper Tofu, all of their Warm Pots, and their Sweet & Sour Meatballs.
(5)
rhonda s.
Agree with other posters about the unexpected pleasure in finding this little gem. Love the decor of customer photographs--gives it a warm and friendly feeling. Staff is also super friendly and helpful. We tried 3 of the dishes recommended by fellow Yelpers and were not disappointed! All portions were larger than expected and our three dishes fed two of us for more than a day. (-: The Beijing Noodles were beautifully presented with the sauces/condiments separate from the noodles so that they could be custom mixed by the diner or server. The onion pancake was fresh and slightly sponge-y...again, perfectly prepared. The Cumin Lamb was a little salty, but delicious--spices were visible on the top of the moist and thin slices.
(4)
Janet S.
I will definitely come back. The food was pretty good and such a good deal. We accidentally ordered a potato salad in hot oil, which is actually uncooked potato shredded finely and soaked in hot chilli oil. The was so good and so unexpected. Definitely not something I would normally order. The other items we ordered were nothing special and it wasnt all that spectacular. However, for dessert we got the sweet fried rice cake that was stuffed with red bean paste and that was totally awesome. You get at least 16 pieces for like 5 bucks... I want to come back just for that and the potato salad. And next time I will try more beijing items.
(4)
Yi Y.
My favorite Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. It has some authentic northern style Chinese food, with some special street foods from Beijing, like Chinese style crepe (), lamb kabob / skewer (), and they also have Beijing Yogurt () and Plum drink (), etc. Definitely worth a shot if you miss the taste of food from northern China :).
(5)
Jorge Z.
Best Hot and Sour Soup in all the bay area! A must try.
(5)
Andrew Z.
After I made a bad review of this place, a friend got take out from this place as a joke, and brought it to work for everyone. It is not very good anymore in my opinion. I did not like it. I would not go here by choice for worker rights reasons, and I am sorry that my work friend got food here even as a joke. Anyway, the food was not good. I would not recommend it.
(1)
Ro R.
Good food. Probably some of the best Chinese food in the city. Intimate setting with pics of all of the good people who have eaten here. The staff is friendly BUT sometimes, even when the place isn't busy at all, there's 4-5 servers and it's still hard to get their attention. I've had to request the same thing to 4 different people and they all forget so easily. It's like they have short term memory loss. Can I get fork?!? May I have the bill please?!? Good food, though.
(4)
Vanessa T.
This place makes real good food. Especially the hot and sour soup, like no other place!
(4)
Matsuo U.
The look of the building is deceiving, the food is not nearly as bad as the building looks. Near where my student friend attends college, lunch for 2 was like $ 32.00 for 2. House special bao: hmmm, a little strange tasting, they were small & nicely made but the stuffing was not very good. Wor Won Ton soup: broth was ok, dumplings were a bit over cooked - read: mushy - to the point that some were falling apart before our very eyes. Ingredients other than the disintegrating dumplings, were very minimal - NOT a true Wor Won Ton soup. Special fried rice: just ok. Pork pieces were super sweet and kinda odd. Service was ok, I think the servers have not smiled in over a decade - which has sponsored a permanent sad look. Asked server when she was passing by what dish she just delivered to the table next to us --- answer: " I don't really know, I think fish - but not on menu". Okie dokie. Maybe if you live in this esteemed neighborhood next to the freeway, you would appreciate this joint as a kung pao oasis. Not much reason for me to return.
(2)
David C.
Always a good place even though it management and the name of this place changes more often than seasons....A good local place which popular people have visited! Worth the wait because its made to order...
(4)
Allison H.
Wonderful food and experience! Kung pao tofu w fried rice was a great choice. We also had the cucumber salad to start and loved it. As North Chinese is not the norm, I would definitely venture out here to try this place!
(5)
Prascilla L.
Food - 4.5 stars Green Onion Pancake - lots of green onion, hot and crispy on the outside and yet, chewy inside. One of the best we have had especially if you LOVE green onion Lamb Dumplings - you taste the lamb and know what you're eating. Juicy and soft. Beijing Style Noodles - great noodles, but would like to have more condiments - bean sprouts, cucumber and the sauce are a bit salty. Ambience - 4 stars Clean little place and imagine, has its own parking lot, Kudos for that!! Service - 4 stars Friendly and efficient! Price - 5 stars Two people stuffed with tasty food and out the door with tips @ $25!! What more can you ask for?! So... from my math, overall it's totally 5 stars and can't wait to try out the other recommendation!
(5)
Poppy C.
So I came in here with my darling dad and beloved uncle, both of whom are very picky eaters. The waitress made excellent suggestions, none of which I understood, many many plates rolled out and we ate ourselves sick and I'm stuck with at least two days worth of leftovers. Apparently there are weekend specials that are very beloved by my old school relatives.
(4)
Eunhae K.
This place is great! Recommend shrimp and chives dumpling, cumin lamb, spinach and tofu soup, and egg surfaced tofu.
(5)
Julia Z.
Check out the restaurant with a friend's invitation. Restaurant owner is from Beijing and my beijing friends love the food there. I really like the sheep soup(yang xie zi). Never tried it before. A little spicy and very delicious. Will definitely come again!
(5)
Lilly K.
I went here with my bf for Saturday lunch, decent amount of crowd. Jay Chou playing in the background for an authentic experience. We ordered 3 things, one too many but good anyway; Zha Jiang Mian, Cumin Lamb, and Beef Pancake. The Zha Jiang Mian was AMAZING. The noodles tasted handmade, and it was just..honestly it was SO GOOD. Cumin lamb was good by itself but when I ate it with the noodles it was WAAAAYYYYYYY better. I think with rice it would have tasted AMAZING. Finally the Beef pancake, it was good crispy on the outside nice and beefy on the inside. I think we would have been happier with the chive but none the less that was because we ordered incorrectly not because their food isn't anything short of amazing. I would definitely come here again. If you want delicious, authentic chinese eat here. I'd like to note I'm REALLY picky about what constitutes good Chinese food, and this place is definitely GOOD Chinese.
(5)
Edgar G.
I dined here with my family a few days before I left for Sydney thinking this place would be decent for Chinese food for dinner. WRONG. The service here is terrible with the workers wearing sweatpants and avoiding customers. Really now? The food was also meh. I don't even want to get into details about the food we ordered but it was bland and nobody at the table enjoyed dinner. It took us a while to flag down somebody to bring us the bill and it took ages for them to pick up the tab so we ended up walking up to hand them the cash. Worse off, they never returned with the change. Rude much? Do you assume the change is your tip? I don't even believe they deserved any tip whatsoever. This is one of the worse Chinese restaurant in the city. Nuff said.
(1)
TTrraaccYY H.
I go there almost once a week! The waiter/waitress are SUPER NICE. THE FOOD IS EXCELLENT! I can say this is the ONLY RESTAURANT I love in the MISSION TERRACE area. BEST!! BEST!! LOVE IT!!
(5)
Michael N.
What a place! My aunt brought me here claiming this place was as good as it gets for Beijing style cooking. Being the big Chinese foodie that I am, I tend to be very picky about restaurants, but wow. This blew my mind. Don't be deceived by the restaurant's appearance, this place will put you in awe. We order quite a few dishes too. We had the Pork Belly soup which was pretty out of this world. They put cabbage in it which gave it a very unique taste that was almost sour. It doesn't sound good, sure. Sour soup isn't the best way to describe, but it was a must try. The cumin lamb was fantastic. It was juicy and the spices they used made it taste like something out of this world. So flavorful and tender to the very last bite! The one thing to order though was not on the menu. If you eat here, ask for the Chinese Burger. This is something that is a must try. Home made buns stuffed with amazing meat that was packed with everything that will make your tongue go wild is the best description I could use. I ate 3 of them.
(5)
May T.
Overall: 4.5 stars Food: 5 stars Ambiance: 3 typical Chinese decor with photos on walls Service: 5 stars, very nice and helpful You know you're in a Northerner's house when all you hear are rolling RRR's in the spoken Mandarin and you can hear playful bantering in the background. Although the decor and the physical restaurant itself is rather mundane (red lanterns and red exterior paint) and kitschy (photos of regulars, Yao Ming are taped on walls and flat panel television with Chinese pop concerts in the background), the food is 100% Beijing style. We ordered only from the "Beijing Specialties" section: 1. Stir-fried Liver in Spicy Garlic Sauce - the liver was tender and the sauce was pure spicy delight. The gravy would have been excellent over a plate of rice or with a steamed bun. 2. Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs - The American sweet and sour sauce is laden with ketchup, red food coloring 5 and processed white vinegar. Authentic Chinese sweet and sour is actually a very heavy sauce, traditionally made with black vinegar that is more similar to Worcestershire and reduced with a lot of sugar to a sticky, thick-as-molasses syrup. This sauce is decadent, and drizzled over bite-sized, deep-fried pork meatballs. 3. Chive Dumplings (Jou Cai He Zi) These are like Chinese empanadas, filled with chives, eggs and garlic wrapped with a flour pastry. The pastry is then pan-fried in hot oil until the skin is bubbling and charred, and the juices from the filling run over your chin as you bite into it. 4. Sour Cabbage and Pork Belly Clay Pot (Suan Cai Bai Rou Sa Guo) This is the real deal. The cabbage is house-made and the pork is sliced so thin that it disintegrates in your mouth. The broth is rich in pork essence and they give you lots of fen pi (the slippery glass noodles) to slurp down with your soup. I took my father there to sample the food, and he was very pleased with the meal. This is a great family restaurant, with authentic Beijing-style food at a great price. Our entire meal came out to $39 and some change, and we had tons of leftovers for the next day.
(4)
C H.
My favorite chinese place in the USA! Thank you for your wonderful BBQ lamb kabobs, just like the street food in China. Thank you for your friendly service, and solid menu. Thank your for delivering to my house, even though I live in Brisbane. And especially, thank you for your "Beijing Style Noodles with Brown Paste" (Zha Jiang Mein). I never thought I would find this dish again the way I had it in Beijing, but they have it here, and it tastes the same as I remeber! Other menu highlights: Sweet and sour pork- I don't usually like this dish, but WOW! Fried Rice (any) - Super flavorful, and not too greasy Pork with sour preserved greens - think roast pork and saurcraut Stir-fried potatoes in chile- another Chinese dish I didn't think I'd find in the US. You guys are the best! Everyone should eat here for authentic Beijing food. Yum!
(5)
Claire M.
I dream about eating here often, which is painful as I no longer live in the area. My go to dishes are the two types of hot pot and the cold tripe dish that comes doused in a red oil sauce. When I didn't have a car, I once cycled here from SF braving dodgy freeway overpasses and aggro bike-hating drivers. It's worth it. Order the most "Beijing" oriented stuff and you're in for a treat.
(5)
jolie L.
So I guess I didn't know what to order the last time I ordered delivery from here. I recently sat down in the restaurant as my good friend ordered the good stuff: 27. Sliced Fish with Preserved Vegetable in Warm Pot - great for those that REALLY enjoy preserved veggies 39. House Special Hot Chicken Wings (ask for Irving St. style) - my friend thinks they're better than the wings at San Tung's. I think it's a matter of preference for dry-fried or saucy wings. 55. Beijing Beef Pancake The following were good, but I could live my life without: 9. Wide Rice Noodle Salad - flavors are light 31. Cumin lamb 62. Fennel dumpling - it's true, the wrapper is too thick This time, the meal didn't feel like a rock in my stomach the next morning. The meatballs, braised pork, Singapore style rice noodles, and the Beijing noodles with special sauce are a few dishes I def want to try next time. As for tonight, dinner for one, please: Preserved Vegetable Shredded Pork Noodles Soup. Hope it's good!
(4)
Bernadette G.
Not greasy. Good food. Clean place. Nice atmosphere. Been there only once but will definitely be back. My mom's favorite - Shrimp Cashew. My favorite - Mu Shu Shrimp..plum sauce was delish!!!
(4)
Jennifer Y.
This place is so cute, and has the most authentically homemade noodles and pancakes ever. Items to order: # Green onion oil pancake (not layered, but the dough-y kind) # Vegetable stuffed pancake (with chives, eggs, and mini shrimp --beware of these, if you cannot eat seafood) # Jajjang Myun (not the soupy kind, and not overly seasoned --very nice texture to the noodles, and table-side mixing) # Pork Meatballs with iceberg head lettuce and gravy (lion head-type meatballs) # Flour balls with shredded pork (these are very very close to being homemade at someone's granny's) # Salt and pepper pork nibblets with chili (yum!) Helpful Notes: # For parties larger than 4, reservations are in order. # Expect that for dining-in, seating, food prep and consumption, and paying of check will take ~1-1.5 hours. Everything is really, homemade. # Service is wonderful, and Mandarin, Cantonese, and English are spoken by the great hosts. # Prices are between $5-8/dish. # Cash seems to be the preferred method of payment. # This place is tiny with a smallish waiting area, but does have a convenient parking lot adjacent to the restaurant on Alemany and Ocean. # To-go orders are still tasty and prioritized.
(4)
Jade W.
good in theory - in practice another experience. I visited the food truck at the SF food festival. First, the Chinese burger was screaming at me - I was expecting the fried bao to be sweet & soft and instead it was hard & bland. The filling was a good start but needs tweaking more heat and easier on the Chinese 5 spice and cumin. Maybe more cilantro chopped it and some pickled onions? Something acidic. The skewers would have been better if they weren't soooo overcooked. The lamb didn't taste gamey, which is good, but it was chewy and dry - same with the chicken. Overall, it was a good start but needs improvement.
(3)
Hayden W.
It was late afternoon and the waiters were having a lot of fun. Their food is really genuine Chinese and they are very friendly and helpful. Another little bonus for this place is they have their private parking lot on the back and monitored by surveillance camera. Thumbs up
(5)
Annie L.
Beef and Broccoli? Crackin' Yao Ming's photo on the wall? Oh FoSho. Prominent B.O. Musk? Unfortunately.
(4)
cindy j.
I've been eating at Beijing for over a year now and after stopping in today, thought I should write a review. The hot and sour soup is the best in the city. It's HOT and it's SOUR and it is delicious. My husband and I always try to pick a new item instead of the same things over and over. The cumin lamb is really good if you like spicy. All of the dumplings are little gems with tasty fillings. The noodles are nice and chewy but soft at the same time. The standard things are good too, such as the Kung Pao chicken and the Mongolian Beef. The service is great on the front end of ordering and receiving the food. If you need anything after that, such as water, more tea or the check you have to pretty much get up and walk up to the counter. Despite this annoyance, I still love this restaurant.
(4)
Toby R.
ZOMG!!! After years of looking in the city, I have finally found a legit hotpot location. The owners are from right outside Beijing and clearly know what they are doing when it comes to hotpot. We got the split pot and both broths were incredibly flavorful and fool of good shit. The menu has a rather limited amount of options but we asked for off-menu items such as lotus an potatoes and they were more than happy to slice some up for us. I ate till my balls hurt and even slugged back some tallboy Yanjings. By far the best hotpot I have had in the city!
(4)
Rob C.
I enjoyed this restaurant, and it's right up there with Everyday Beijing. We shared: beef pancake -- crisp outer dough, little oily, with thin layers of meat house special eggplant -- nice flavor, on the sweet side, has chicken and shrimp beijing noodles with special sauce -- nice toothy noodles with little bits of salted meat, sprouts, sliced cucumber, works well if you get all the bits together in a bite need to try the other dishes here, including the pan fried dumplings, chive pancake, chicken wings, beef noodle soup, etc.
(4)
Helen L.
I went to try their House Special Spicy Chicken Wings. You get about 6-7 wings for $9.50. Wow, not worth it. Not even spicy. I do like the fried onions and green onions that came with it. Save your money and get something else. Amazing how small this place is inside. The parking lot was a plus, no need to look for a space. The lunch special is $5.99 on weekdays. It looks like the plate has more white rice than entree.
(3)
Wendy G.
Two hours late for delivery with no word at all from the restaurant?? F**k you!!!
(1)
Shan L.
after have tried many other northern style restaurants in the Bay Area, this is still my favorite Beijing style restaurant, But! if you only order the Americanized Chinese food, don't come here.
(5)
Michelle K.
Didn't enjoy the interior, just doesn't ,are you feel comfortable settling in. Some of the entrees were neat and are specialties. Give it a 3.5
(3)
Monica S.
I was brought here by a friend who recently returned from China. My knowledge of the menu is limited (in part because many items are only in Mandarin), but I hope to soon remedy this. What made my one-time Beijing Restaurant experience noteworthy was this: the cumin lamb. Holy moses, that was delicious. The cumin seeds taste freshly toasted and the rich ground lamb sings with flavor. I've since tried to order this elsewhere, but those dishes have been a pale comparison to my memory of my experience at Beijing. Looking forward to exploring the menu further...if I can tear myself away from the lamb!
(5)
Patty N.
I cannot rave enough about this place! If you ever find yourself in the boonies of SF/Daly City at 2 am, and wanting to gorge on some delicious Chinese food with Yao Ming uncomfortably staring at you, this is the place to be. Food: We ordered the Hot and Sour Soup, which is one of the most pepperiest sh*t I've ever had, but so delicious. I think my sinuses have been cleared for the rest of the year after drinking that soup. I'd say tone down the pepper by just a little notch and you are good. Our other dish, the Kung Pao chicken we had was also quite delicious. Now let me talk about them chicken wangs. Hands down some of the best fried chicken that my friend and I have ever had. It was the perfect amount of crispiness, not too greasy, bite size, and just spectacular (excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard). Service: These teenagers are fast. Honestly I don't even know if they are teenagers or adults but we did not have to wait long for our food at all and our waters were always filled. Although I should probably mention that we were the only ones in the restaurant at the time... VIP baby Price: 3 dishes and rice came out to be 40$ including tip. Overall: If 7'6'' Yao Ming likes it, and this 5'2'' girl loves it (me), I bet you will too! Live, Laugh, and Lunch Patty
(4)
Anne W.
Wow.. I was a little impressed. It's hard to find authentic and not oily.. and reasonably priced. We came in with eight adults and were seated at the back table. Service wasn't anything more than what you expect for a Chinese restaurant. We ordered a wide variety of things: 1. Gyoza - It was pretty decent but boiled.. got the stamp of approval from my parents who are Asian obviously 2. Pancakes with chives - Looked pretty good but didn't get to try a piece.. I heard it was good and cooked with minimal oil 3. Lamb soup with sour cabbage - It's pretty sour so you have been warned. I thought it was good still. There are clear wide noodles in it as well. 4. Pickled cucumber - Bad.. don't get it. We didn't finish it 5. Fried tofu in sauce - Pretty good.. I would get that.. crispy with good sauce. 6. Lions head - It's basically a meatball if you've never had it. Way too salty for my taste. Did not enjoy it. 7. Spicy pork intestines and stomach - really good.. my favorite dish 8. Eggplant with veggies - decent.. but I love eggplant 9. Seafood Crispy Noodles - Not very good.. but that's a Cantonese dish 10. Pea leaves - pretty good but it's also a very standard dish.. just sauteed with garlic The best things really were 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. It's still a good find in an area with no Asian food nearby.. well it seemed.
(3)
Eddie L.
Okay, located in a totally random part of SF but good food! Food = 4.0 - I went to Beijing Restaurant to try their Niu Rou Mian. The order came out in a big bowl full of noodles, tasty broth and beef/tendon. HEAVEN! The beef pancakes and dumplings were also a hit. On another visit on a foggy SF night, I shared the hot pot with a friend. I might have been coming down with a cold but the spice from the hot pot killed it. Service = 3.5 - Pretty good service for a Chinese restaurant (that means just average service for non-Chinese restaurants). Atmosphere = 4.0 - Small place. Thumbs up for having a private parking lot.
(4)
Alyssa L.
i get the feeling that this place used to be better. typically, i order delivery because the service at the restaurant itself isn't great. i've seen other review that lead me to believe it's better to eat at the restaurant because it tastes better but i haven't noticed a difference. my biggest problem is that they skimp on meat and their food always needs a little more seasoning. chinese places skimp on meat all the time and most of the time i could care less BUT... i ordered shrimp fried rice and it came with FIVE shrimp! are you joking me? for $8 you gave me five shrimp and a plate of rice? come on. i order beijing restaurant when crazy pepper is closed already. the end.
(3)
Cindy C.
I'm really surprised this place has such high ratings. Maybe our service was bad because we had a party of over 20. But they were definitely overwhelmed and therefore, had very poor customer service. We had to ask for water over 5 times to different waiters, and get out of our seats to do so, because the waiters were too scared to make eye contact with us. Or even come near our table. First, they failed to give us white rice, after many attempts of asking. Then they messed up on an order of Chicken Chow Mein twice. First they forgot to put our order in after 30 minutes of waiting. Then they brought over combination chowmein in stead of chicken chow mein. After we told them that was wrong, Shrimp Chow Mein appeared on their table.. My friends were starving so they didnt care anymore and just thought they should just eat it. Until we realized we would probably get charged more for it. Indeed I was right. I told them the problem, and they seemed to just shrug it off and say it would get fixed. But we were sick of waiting, and said we just want our food, but we dont want to be charged for something we didn't order. So either give us the right food, or charge us for what we ordered, but don't try to give us a more expensive dish and force us to pay for it. The second we brought money into the issue. their Chicken Chow Mein appeared in five minutes. -__-; Never going back.
(2)
Wen H.
The service and waiting is absolutely terrible! And the tables aren't exactly cleaned before they ask you to sit down. The little restaurant is so jam packed you can easily hear other tables whisper. The food is over rated too. The flavor is more gear toward "I'm gonna put soy sauce and sugar to make people like it" Authentic? Nope! Will I visit again? Nope!
(2)
Anthony B.
Very average. Had much higher expectations based on the reviews and photos. We chose the most unique dishes and were disappointed in some way with each one. Everything lacked in overall flavor and impact: just tasted kinda "flat" and uninspired. Nothing memorable. Won't be returning.
(2)
Rena J.
I am so in love with this place. My parents are hard to please and even more difficult to veer away from any Cantonese food that is within arms reach. Luckily, it was my bday dinner and they couldn't say no since it was still Chinese food. Everything was delicious, especially every type of noodle that we had. No rice ordered of course, northern China is big on noodles and breads while southern Chinese is about rice. The server made it sound like every dish was "special" to their restaurant which was another reason for us to order enough the usual 7+ dishes for a family of 4. The lamb dumplings are better at Darda in Milpitas but they had some of the best hong shao ro (red braised pork) I've had in a long time. The za zhang mein had a refreshing cucumber flavor and the texture of the noodles were springy. I got into zombie eating mode from all the deliciousness and ended up experiencing the meat sweats for the first time. My sister explained to me that difficulty breathing is part of the deal. I noticed that they also have American Chinese food on the menu which looked good too but I highly suggest that you avoid those and order what they're really known for - authentic northern Chinese food.
(5)
Edward C.
Went there again. When I picked up my fork, it was dirty and had leftover food stuck in between. When I wiped the plates with a napkin, my napkin turned brown. You guy's need to clean your plates and eating utensils better.
(1)
Steve W.
Twice I've tried to order from this restaurant and both times they've messed up the order. The last time they didn't even fill the order. I had to cancel the order after waiting two and a half hours.
(1)
Eric C.
I started ordering delivery from here about a month ago, about 2-3 times a week. Seems like every order after gets shittier and shittier each time. I'm a little fed up and I am never ordering from here again. Here's a list of fuck ups. 1. They forgot my soup that I ordered today. 2. They forgot my soda I ordered couple days ago. 3. THERE WAS HAIR IN MY FOOD. A LONG ONE TOO. 4. They don't ever follow delivery instructions. (i.e CALL WHEN OUTSIDE) 5. Sometimes the food tastes like it was made yesterday. They have what seems like a bunch of high school kids running the restaurant and it lacks consistency. This restaurant has potential to be a great restaurant and its losing its touch. Please work on your standards. AND WEAR HAIR NETS.
(1)
Al G.
Finally an outstandingly delicious Chinese delivery place. It is also pleasant to dine in. It took me 10 years of trying different Chinese restaurants in SF to finally find the one! Absolutely the best when it comes to the common items such as Mongolian beef and Generals chicken with an addition of interesting tasty delights such as flour balls and pancakes. Yummy!
(5)
Wilhelm Y.
Even though the location of this restaurant is fairly close to my home I would have not found it so soon had it not been for Yelp. I first tried some menu items from this restaurant back in June, and I've become a regular customer since, but only recently have I actually sat inside the restaurant to eat. The restaurant space is fairly small. Hundreds of photographs adorn the walls and if you've read some of the other reviews you'll probably already know that basketball star Yao Ming is featured on several of them. The service is excellent, and honestly, when was the last time you heard that about a casual, inexpensive Chinese restaurant in the City? They have their own parking lot too, and they deliver to the neighborhood. They even deliver for free if your food total hits the $15 minimum. I've stuck to the House Specials, the hand pulled noodles and the Beijing dim sum for the most part. I think the only dish I've ordered not listed under those three categories was a beef chow fun, and I've had that at least three times. Here are some of the items I've tried when I've dined at the restaurant. House Special Steamed Baozi ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) and ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) - These are little steamed buns with a lean pork and chopped Chinese greens filling. They're not soupy like xiao lung baos, and the outer bun is quite thin. These are quite good but only when they're hot. Three Flavor Dumplings ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) and ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) - These are my favorite steamed dumplings here. They're packed with a juicy mixture of ground pork, ground chicken, shrimp and chopped chives. Beef Stew Noodle Soup ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) - I love their hand pulled noodles which are less doughy than some and always seems to have the exact same chewy consistency and texture. The beef stew has a good mix of meaty pieces, pieces with tendons and tender Shanghai bok choy. I'm not a big fan of the dark brown broth though because I think it lacks depth. Preserved Vegetable Shredded Pork Noodle Soup ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) - This is easily my favorite of the soup noodles here. I often have the spicy preserved vegetables with pork over rice at home, so this selection is very homey to me. The vegetables and pork are stir fried then served on top of the handmade noodles and chicken broth. I love the little splash of sesame oil to finish the stir fry. It just taste so good! The broth in this dish is usually perfectly seasoned for me. Beef Chow Fun ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) - I learned about good wok hay at a very young age. Wok hay in Cantonese often refers to foods cooked perfectly in a wok with a nice seared flavor locked into the ingredients. The fried beef in Beijing's beef chow fun has a beautiful crust on nearly each piece of meat sizzled to near perfection. They go really easy on the bean sprouts and the onions too meaning I get more chewy rice noodles than I do inexpensive fillers. House Special Hot Chicken Wings ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) - These crispy fried chicken wings are very good with a nice outer crust and juicy meat on the inside. Mixed in a saute of green onion, white onion, cilantro and dry red chiles the flavor had absolutely no spicyness to it however. Perhaps had they broken the meat of the chiles that would have helped. If you want good chicken wings these are very good. If you want good, spicy chicken wings then these are definitely disappointing. Overall I'd give a 4.5, but for hand-pulled noodles and flavorful dumplings delivered to my front door I've got nothing but 5 star love for Beijing Restaurant.
(5)
Vonny W.
I went here a few days ago because of its 4 stars and well, Yao Ming went there! Must be good right? Wrong!! It costs you min $8 for vegetables and $10 for meal that contains meat. When I first looked at the menu I was like "wow, this is more expensive than any other Chinese Restaurant. Must be good." So, we ordered 3 dishes. The Cumin Lamb; Special (Sauce?) String Bean; and The Tofu I am not saying the dishes are not edible in fact they are good .... as good as some other Chinese restaurants with pricey price. Some dishes you can't find it anywhere is the cumin lamb/beef. When we were eating there were a fly flying around. Maybe I was expecting too much but the waitress didn't seem to care and It was bothering us!!! We decided not gonna come back here again because we've experienced better. First impression is important.
(2)
Jason D.
This is definitely one of my fav Chinese spots on this side of the city! The pancakes are awesome and all of the house-made noodles are out of control good. They also have these little spicy pork sandwich thingys that I haven't had anywhere else and absolutely LOVE!
(4)
Chanel L.
Ordered takeout for 4. Didn't realize how expensive they were charging for Chinese food, but I guess since YAO MING came here. Why not try it once! Jing dong meat pancake Egg plant with spicy garlic sauce Beijing noodles with special sauce BBQ pork fried rice House special hot chicken wings 2 Cumin beef The only two dishes I would recommend ordering out of the above, is the eggplant dish and the cumin beef. The Beijing noodle is OVERATED and so is the pancake. We all thought it was a bit dry and the noodles were overly salty and lack the black bean flavor. Chicken wings were a rip off and the BBQ pork fried rice? Where was the pork? Extremely disappointed, but had to challenge the 4 star yelp review and see what it was all about. My foodies and I will not be back.
(2)
IntelJ F.
Why it's only 4 star?!?!?!?!?! This restaurant is definitely 10 star OKKKkkkkkkkkkKKK?!
(5)
J C.
Update. This place is good and the flavor is there. But, the price is too high. I know they need to support themselves, but its prices deviates way too much from the average Chinese restaurant. Example: A wonton noodle soup and a Cumin "lamb" plate (which is actually beef and I have no clue why they call it lamb) cost over $18!? Wtf. No wonder it doesnt get business huh? I woulda got that for around $11 max at the other restaurants. Not to mention that the portion is small as hell. Btw, the server is not nice. They are sarcastically rude. That's even worse than rude.
(3)
Joshua G.
***Birthday Post*** I can't possibly say enough about this place. It's out on Alemany basically in the middle of nowhere, all by itself, and when you walk in you're transported into someone's kitchen in the far east. We could smell the food walking up and we were not disappointed. We sat down and looked at the menu. It's like seven pages. Seven pages... I thought any place with that many different things has to screw something up, but I was wrong. We ordered Stir-fried potatoes, Wushu Pork, Lamb Dumplings, General's Chicken, Egg rolls and Mongolian Beef. Stir-Fried Potatoes: They looked like noodles. We weren't sure if they screwed up our order, but one bite into them told us they'd gotten it just right. Seriously delicious. Savory, wonderful, thin sliced, wonderfully crispy potatoes in some amazing concoction of a sauce that just melts in your mouth. Wushu Pork: Four pancakes and a pile of goodness. You make the pancakes into containers for the food and you eat it as a wrap. It is absolutely delicious, sweet, perfectly cooked and awesome. Lamb Dumplings: I have heard on Yelp that these are really good and I have to say I wasn't surprised at all. Lamb can tend to be really overpowering, so to see it as part of a dumpling is a bit scary. Not so in the case of Beijing; every bite was a fantastic reminder of how truly gifted the chef is here. You have to taste these to believe them. General's Chicken: This recipe is always butchered. It's kind of the bastard child of every terrible Chinese restaurant, and honestly I was expecting it to be decent, but it was beyond description. Seriously, I've never had a rendition of General's Chicken that tasted this good. Perfectly battered, tender chicken. I feel like every dish here is a journey. Egg rolls: Meatless, terrific little bites of tastiness. Seriously great, and the sweet and sour is nothing to be trifled with. Mongolian Beef: This is by far the best rendition I've ever had of this dish. Tender beef, wonderful vegetables, I mean honestly there aren't enough adjectives in the world to describe this restaurant. Basically, the best chinese meal I've ever had. Hands down. And by the way, all this food came out to fifty bucks. *EPIC WIN* Tl;DR: AMAZING food, cheap, kind of out of the way spot, worth the trip, best chinese meal ever.
(5)
Blue S.
Beijing restaraunt comes through again! Food was delivered warm and they came right when they said they would. This time around my family ordered Beef Asparagus: DELICIOUS, Cumin Lamb: always a lovely treat, Singapore style Chicken Noodles: My favorite, Shrimp Wonton Soup: Yummy and Chicken Curry: Also a delight. And even though my brothers dog jumped on the delivery guy, the delivery guy left with a smile.
(5)
Elaine L.
Fairly authentic. The standout dishes here include their handmade Chive Pies and Beef Pies. I also like the texture of their noodles - they are thick and chewy. The beef noodle soup featured slices of very tender and flavorful roast beef; the only problem was the clear broth, which was bland and lukewarm. Perhaps some of the other noodle dishes may leave a better impression. I also note that cash is the preferred method of payment. The waiter informed me that there was an $18 minimum for payment by Visa, although this was not posted anywhere in the restaurant. Note to the Beijing Restaurant owners: if you require a minimum charge for using credit cards, please post it prominently as a courtesy to your customers. Thanks!
(4)
Minh H.
Horrible Tomato beef chow mein. It wasn't on their menu but they went ahead and made it for me. They were better off not trying.
(1)
Saint S.
The best Chinese food in San Francisco. I'm almost half way through their menu and haven't been disappointed yet. Being able to have my meals delivered is a plus. The only thing I dislike is they close at 2100.
(4)
Heather U.
I went to the Beijing restaurant in the Outer Sunset and very much liked it. We were dropping some friends off at the airport and decided to swing by Beijing restaurant on the way since we've been wanting to try it for a while. We ordered 2 bowls of beef noodle soup, a garlic beef appetizer, tripe appetizer, cucumber appetizer, and pork fried rice. My boyfriend (who's family is Taiwanese) said the beef noodle soup with homemade noodles is some of the best he's ever had. It was seriously tasty. The fried rice was also super good, and I don't usually order fried rice. The cucumbers were great and added a nice cool touch to the meal. The service was so so, about what you would expect. It's a small place and was packed on a Sunday night! We'll definitely be back!
(4)
Steph W.
Where to take mom on Mother's Day when a) She wants hotpot for lunch and b) We have procrastinated to make reservations anywhere?...to Beijing Restaurant! FYI: Yes, that parking lot on the side of the building is theirs. Despite the outside of the restaurant looking a bit sketch, how awesome is it when you see a pic of the owners with Yao Ming right next to your table? The hotpot part of the menu needed some translation/explanation so I'll break it down based on what I learned: For each person, it is $2.50 for dipping sauce and broth Then you can request "orders" of meat, veggies, or noodles. Meat is $6.50 an order and veggies/noodles/tofu=$3.50. You can get spicy, regular, or half spicy and half regular which comes in a divided hotpot. This is a great alternative to other shabu shabu places that require every person to order their own meat, veggies, etc and don't allow sharing. We got tofu, spinach, noodles, lamb, and 2 orders of beef with the half-half broth. The spicy side was for me, and warning: It is super spicy! My face was melting off, literally! I consumed probably 2 pitchers of water, but pain never tasted so good! My mouth waters just thinking about the tender meat and spicy noodles and veggies. Next time I take my friend out, it is my treat so I am going to take him here!! YUM! I can't wait! Beijing Restaurant also inspired me to perfect my own hotpot at home!
(4)
David M.
ordered food for delivery...an hour later (and 2 phone calls) the food showed up, cold. The food may be good, but don't order delivery if you actually want hot, good food....
(1)
Janielle F.
Ok, update. I've tried other items and I have to say, this will be my spot for Chinese food. Everything I have tried is fresh and seasoned with real seasonings (haha, no MSG... I can tell for the most part when it is used) I really enjoy their boiled beef warm pot with preserved vegetables. Ahhhhh... comfort food. So yummy. It reminds me a bit of Sinigang (a Filipino soup). I just love how the broth is soured with the preserved veggies. Also, their delivery is pretty fast. It only took about 15mins for my food to arrive- hot and steaming.
(4)
Aka C.
I was considering between a 5 and a 4, but it's difficult because even though compared to everything else I've had in the Bay Area this is a 5, I can't really give it a 5 when I compare it to some of the food I've had in NYC... so I'll settle for 4 for now, until they give me a WOW. This is the first place in SF that I have liked enough that I would go back to on a regular basis. I didn't read the reviews before I went but apparently I got exactly what I should've gotten. The food here really is very good. I had no less than 3 previous vegetarians now trying to get back onto a diet with some meat and they all loved this place. The Slice Fish with Preserved Vegetable in Warm Pot was definitely the favorite. The Cumin Lamb also was a hit as well. The skewers are awesome. On the menu it came in a set of 6 deep fried skewers... but apparently when you're ordering the skewers are roasted and you can order them by piece meal... $1/skewer. Awesome deal if you're just looking to finish off your dinner with icing on the top. Scallion pancakes were decent, the stir fried vegetables were simple but still pretty tasty. Even the fried salted pork was good, despite that none of us are really into fried food. I found that I liked the Yan-jing beer better than the Tsing Tao... and we actually got it by accident (they misunderstood us when we wanted to order a second TT). All in all, despite that I'm a food snob... do NOT just walk by this restaurant because it doesn't look like much on the exterior. Definitely give it a try and you won't regret it! Also, if you order two similar things and one is better than the other, they will let you know. I like that sort of business attitude.
(4)
John B.
Still really like this place. When I'm in SF, it's a dependable lunch. My String Beans with Chicken was a tad salty but still delicious, whereas my sister's Tofu with Mushrooms was a little bland and undercooked. (But that sounds like it should be a bland dish, right?) 3-4 stars, I guess.
(4)
Ken S.
I noticed there were no recent reviews, so I felt compelled to keep the energy moving. This place rocks!! I've driven by it 100 times since I moved to the neighborhood and wanted to try it. As luck would have it the previous yelp reviews directed me (us) here after my beloved Irving Cafe was found to be closed on Sunday - see separate yelp for Irving. I am working my way through the menu but as of yet, I just can't get past the Cumin Lamb, Flour ball, and Fennel Dumplings... YOU MUST TRY THE FENNEL DUMPLINGS!! Other awsome dishes so far were the eggplant, carrot dumplings, hot and sour soup (and I am not a big fan to begin with), onion pancake...can't remember the rest, wll amend soon. The neighborhood is not sketchy...they even have parking. So far I have eaten in, taken out and had delivery. For take out, I received a call because I was a bit late and they did not want my food to get cold (very kind). Delivery was great, the food was the same quality and hot to boot. The people are awsome and the price is fine...there is tons of food...I made three meels out of Cumin Lamb, Flour ball (have only tried the veggie and pork/veggie combo so far) and Fennel Dumplings (to live for) Oh, sorry..Flour ball is a dish made of cubes of Chinese pasta cooked with veggies or meat (or both on request). Tasty and filling. I am picking up an order of Fennel dumplings as a side dish tonight...love em.. You will be really glad you tried this place... Peace
(5)
Curtis L.
Crossing over to the Northern Chinese Cuisine, I tried this place with a friend! I must say I was pleasantly surprised that Yao Ming must have ate here because his picture was on the wall. I tried the sour cabbage warm pot and it really hit the spot! My friend also ordered the Mu-shu chicken and it was really good with just the right amount of veggie to meat ratio. Try the onion pancake! Honestly it was the best that I have eaten in the bay area! Not too greasy but just enough crisp, flakiness to explode more flavors into your mouth. I look forward to trying other dishes!
(3)
Cheryl M.
DO NOT order the Hot & Sour soup! I went to this restaurant with a huge craving for the sour/spicy goodness and instead got an off smelling glop of dark brown-near black liquid mess. I could not believe it! That is what they call hot & sour soup??? How could they let this dish pass the kitchen? I was so offended that they even served it to us this way. This is literally one of my favorite soups and have ordered and made it many, many times. I'm not usually a picky eater AND don't usually give bad reviews, but COME ON!!! This was soup was pretty foul. For a second, I thought: maybe it's just me and the H&S soup in Beijing is supposed to be this dark, so I hopped on my phone to google it. WRONG!!! SO SOOO WRONG!!! I came to the conclusion that they had this soup sitting out, it got a little suspect so they tried to cover it up by adding extra soy sauce. I'm still bothered by it. That soup wins an award for the WORST soup I have EVER had. I am writing this to call out the staff at Beijing Restaurant, to let your customers know if you don't have a dish available or made fresh tell your customer, "sorry we are out, " instead of serve someone that crap. Or even take it off the menu if you can't get it right. I can't imagine anyone enjoying it. I wish I had a picture of it to post along with this review. Despite the 1-star, horrible experience we had with the soup. The salt & pepper pork was pretty good and redeemed itself enough for another star.
(2)
Jon F.
Maybe we ordered the wrong items on the menu, but really one of the worst meals I've ever eaten. The four stars on yelp are pretty generous in my opinion. Although the reviews that say the food is less greasy than most Asian restaurants are pretty accurate, so that's a plus. What I ordered: Wide rice noodle salad: I accidentally spilled it all over the floor, didn't regret it after it happened. Cumin lamb: very popular among yelpers here, but not me. Tasted unsalted, and like it was dipped in a bowl of cumin after it was cooked...more than once. Very awful. Beijing style noodles: looks tasty on pics, but completely opposite in my mouth. Kung pao chicken: very fresh tasting, and not greasy like most places. I would love to try these dishes in another place that might be able to do it right, but maybe it was on just a bad night for these hard working people. If someone can sway my opinion, I'm open minded to any swaying. But until then I will never waste another $40 to get food delivered from here again.
(2)
Eudora Z.
I've done a few take-outs on weekdays since I work around the corner from the place. By far, comparing this newly reowned restaurant to the previously owned China Express, Beijing Restaurant wins my votes. The food best suits my taste and appetite and definitely attracts many others to their restaurant. Since I mostly do take-outs on the weekdays, they always have their lunch special of $5.50 for a list of 20+ selections on their menu. With their lunch special, for $5.50, they give you appetizer (1 egg roll), soup, and the meal. The place may seem a bit small but sure is cozy. Employees are always friendly. This place is a plus!
(4)
Audrey L.
Totally Yummy, eating it right now found it on yelp since I'm staying at the Alpine Inn in Daly City and this place had a good amount of stars. I have to say it was unexpectedly good! So good in fact that I would want to eat here again and again! we ordered the Combination Fried rice Salty pepper Pork Chops Shrimp with Walnut...except their shrimp is with pine nuts The pork chops are more like pork strips but either way it was tasty! I don't know if they really close at 9 or not but the delivery man said that they were really really busy. Happy Eatings! =]
(4)
Bruce W.
Looking at these other reviews I wonder what drastically changed. We ordered take out for here trying various dishes, everything is just a yellowish blur now. The food was horrible, the noodles were soggy and had no flavor at all, and greasier than your average mechanic. The soup was obviously watered down. Some sort of fish dish was also disgusting, Covered in some sauce that looked like sweet and sour, but tasted more like thick salty spit. I'm not sure if this is what caused the runs I got after it, but I wouldn't put it past it.
(1)
Mark N.
This place is one of my new favorite spots for sure. A bit off the beaten path, but it was worth going out of the way. I'm no expert on Northern Chinese cuisine, but I can definitely say that I really like how they do it at Beijing Restaurant. Here are the dishes that were notable: --Sliced Fish with Preserved Vegetable in Warm Pot I really liked this soup. The first taste, however, was a bit underwhelming. After stirring well and constructing a more comprehensive taste (be sure to get some of the preserved cabbage and some fish into a single bite), I found myself devouring the rest of my serving and going in for more. It was like fish soup with a ton of kimchi in it. I imagine that sounds pretty awful to some people, but for me it was great! --Shrimp with Pine Nuts This was surprisingly good, even though it just looked like Shrimp with mayonnaise on it, or maybe cake icing or something. --Sweet and Sour Chicken I never really like "sweet and sour" dishes. That being said, this was some of the best sweet and sour chicken I've had. I'm not sure what the other items were called... We had a noodle salad with HUGE noodles, nice fresh veggies, and well seasoned pork. I'll definitely try to figure out what this was and order it again. There was also a spicy beef dish that was basically a soup. It was a little greasy for some, and way too spicy for others, but it was right up my alley. With a good amount of rice to soak up some of the liquid, it was really good and definitely sated my spice lust for the evening. I had that great steady building-up of spice as opposed to a sharp biting spice. This would be a great dish on a cold day. I swear we had one more dish, but I can't remember what it was for the life of me. It must not have been all that remarkable. I will DEFINITELY come back.
(4)
Amy C.
Yum. Finally I've found a good Chinese restaurant outside of the Sunset and Richmond. Everything I've tried thus far has been top-notch. The cumin lamb is punch-you-in-face flavorful, the baozi have a perfect crispy crust, and the sliced fish with preserved vegetables soup is an unexpected treat. I wasn't sure what to think of the fish and preserved vegetable soup initially, but I took you Yelpers' recommendations and was not disappointed. It's a clear fish broth with rock cod fillet pieces, wide mung bean noodles, and what can be best described as Napa cabbage sauerkraut. It's tangy and salty and all sorts of gnarly goodness. It's so hard to try new dishes here because I always want to go back to my favorites!
(5)
Aya C.
YES, YES, YES! FINALLY! A Chinese restaurant near my house that I ACTUALLY LIKE! (and delivers!) I hardly ever eat Chinese food, simply because there are more crappy Chinese than good Chinese restaurants in the city. I've passed by this place many, many times over the years but never thought of actually going in...until this past Sunday. And boy, am I glad I did. We played it safe and ordered some pot stickers, crab puffs, shrimp fried rice (almost embarrassing), house eggplant special and the General chicken. EVERYTHING tasted great. And piping HOT, just the way it should be for Chinese food! And the service was excellent -kind of a rarity at a Chinese restaurant! I'm very, very happy about this place. Next time, I'll order less "tacky" items on the menu.
(4)
Patty C.
Good food, service, and parking in a lot! Food selection and quality is very similar to that I have had in Beijing. Food is a little pricey, but hey, its SF.
(4)
julia n.
I was starving after work and had a hard time finding a place that was open past 11PM. To my surprise, Beijing was still open, so I decided to go in. Their menu selection is huge! You can even opt for hotpot. I'm sure there's something on there for everyone to enjoy. I ordered the vegetable pancake and shrimp scrambled eggs (not on the menu but I asked them to make for me). The food came out in about 15 minutes and everything was very good -perfectly seasoned. The portions were quite big so i had to box up my left overs. Aside from the food, service was good -I was welcomed with a pot of tea and my water cup was always filled. This restaurant has come such a long way since I first ate here in 2011. Its a small restaurant, but the food is good! Pros: good food, fast service, open late, and big menu selection, Cons: small parking lot so the alternative is street parking around the mission/alemany area,
(4)
Lisa T.
Pavlov was right.... Whenever I drive by this little red building on the corner of Alemany, my mouth begins to water and I get a little hungry in my tummy. This place is too good to ignore. The dumplings, the egg surface tofu, and the black bean noodle are just some of the menu items that stand out (yum!). I would skip the hot and sour soup though (yuck!). By the way, the staff here is awesome. Even though I had a lot of questions, they were very helpful in suggesting the best dishes. Beijing Restaurant is definitely a local hidden gem. And yes, that is Yao Ming... And yes, I find it funny they chose the "ransom note" font for their logo. But either way...delicious!
(4)
Christina T.
I like this place a lot mainly for a few of their signature dishes. Here is what I recommend you must try here: 1. Fish and preserved vegetables warm pot (I believe it's #26) 2. Beef pancakes!! Yummy!! 3. Hot braised beef tendons 4. Honey shrimp and pine nuts (very similar to Honey Walnut Prawns at a Chinese restaurant, but with pine nuts....hehe) 5. Spicy hot beef tripe (appetizer) All of their dumplings are pretty good as well, but nothing too special that stood out to me. Their pan fried pork buns are supposedly really famous, but the last time we had them, it had very little meat in them and a whole lotta bread! I didn't like it much. Also, they tend to leave their doors closed and it gets quite stuffy and humid inside. Kinda gross because you see the steam on the windows and it gets fogged up and begins to drip......yuck! They really need a better ventilation system. But, I would definitely still come back here!
(4)
Hui C.
Finally found a good Northern Chinese style restaurant in SF! This place is a bit out of the way but well worth it. They have fennel dumplings which are pretty rare find in the US. Five spice beef and onion pancakes are recommended as well. Definitely going back!
(5)
Yeeman N.
salt salt salt salt salt salt salt Can I have some more tea with my salt please? 1 star for the parking lot 1 star for the hand made noodles 1 star for having pics of people my friend recognizes on the walls
(3)
Carrie W.
Lady who does our facials recommended this place which was nearby. It was a warm day and my sister wanted Chinese style cold noodles. Restaurant supposed to be authentic Beijing style and Yao Ming known to frequent. Everything was pretty good. We ordered Beijing Cold Noodles, fresh hand-pulled noodles with just the right amount of chew to it served with julienned cucumbers in a sauce of chili oil, sweet soy, ground sesame sauce, and chopped fresh garlic. This dish was clean and simple. Many other places will add bits of meat or gunk into the sauce which takes away from the refreshing nature of cold noodles. This is the best cold noodle I have had. We also ordered the General's Chicken Wings which were lightly battered, crispy wings in a sweet and spicy sauce. Yum! We also had the beef pancake which was pretty good. To start, we had the spicy tripe and Hot and Sour Cucumbers. The spicy tripe looked bathed in chili oil, but the taste was off because it tasted like black peppercorns. The cucumbers were really good and were marinated in soy, vinegar, and chili oil. This vinaigrette went well with the tripe and as a dipping sauce for the beef pancake. We definitely will be back, but because of its location on Alemany just off of Mission, we won't be back until the next facial. If you are in the area and looking for Northern Style Chinese food like noodles or dumplings, you have to try this place. They also have a variety of other meat and veggies entrees.
(4)
Charlie P.
As a fan of vegetable mushu / moo shu / moo shi / mu xu, I can only speak for this one dish. The vegetable mushu at Beijing was full of flavor, not too salty and did not cause a stomach ache. The sauce was also thick enough to stay in the pancake without being gelatinous. Why I stick with the mushu, I don't know. Perhaps it's the DIY roll-up or the ritual of asking for "more pancakes please" when I really should should ask for a to-go box. I never leave with a to-go box, just the gentle regret of eating too much of a dish that is usually good, occasionally bland, and sometimes ventures into greatness.
(4)
Qian L.
I love the pancake thereIt is hard to find beijing pancake in USA. I will bring more friends to there to try more yummy beijing food!
(5)
tiannaaah J.
Been here few times, and I especially liked their beef noodle soup, cumin lamb & Fish w/ sour veggie soup. Their beef noodle soup was my favorite. The noodles were handmade, and the broth was very rich in flavor with just the right amount of kick to it. Of course it may not compare to the ones you find in Asia, but for San Francisco, this may be the closest you can get. Unlike many other Chinese restaurants we've been to, their dishes didn't taste like it was loaded with MSG /oil. Overall, a very cozy restaurant with reasonable price, fast&friendly service, and good food. Great lunch spot!
(4)
Amy D.
My husband discovered this place awhile ago. he likes to try things that I would never normally order like cumin lamb, fennel dumplings, fish soup, the shredded Raw potato appetizer. I have to admit it's all very good, even though I am way more into the Americanized dishes. I don't really care for the fennel dumpling because it is too strong a flavor for me and he lamb can be tough.. My favorite is the flour balls. Today I got there just before 3 and the server didn't want to let me order off the lunch special. When I pointed out the time, he asked the owner, who told him to let me. I had kung pao shrimp. It wasn't the best tasting that I have had, but this one has no MSG. Also, it had loads of red peppers that were so fresh. I wish it had onion, because I love onion, but the quality was very good. They didn't bring me an egg roll, and I was not going to complain about it, but halfway through my meal someone brought me one with an apology. Pretty sweet of them.
(5)
Meg P.
If I'm too lazy to cook (which is nearly everyday), and I don't want to starve either myself, my fiance, or the rugrats, this is my go-to spot. The food is cheap, it's good, and best of all in San Francisco, they have a parking lot (albeit a small one)! I've seriously been here probably close to 30 times now, I feel like I should get some sort of mileage card from this place. It's in the Excelsior neighborhood, and for some reason my fiance automatically thought it meant they served bad Chinese food. Dude, just because it's not in freakin' Chinatown doesn't mean it's bad Chinese food! Heck, even Yao Ming has been in here, and if that ain't a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is! Seriously though, I've never had a bad meal in this joint. The combination fried rice, the sweet and sour chicken, the chicken and corn soup, the sizzling rice soup, the nappa cabbage with pork dumplings, the 3-flavor house special vegetables, they're all fantabulous! I will echo other reviewers though, and say that they could probably use a bigger space. When the restaurant is packed, it can get pretty hot in there, and yet if it's cold outside, every time the door opens the entire restaurant feels the cold draft. But, that's a small price to pay for not having to cook at home. And I don't do Hamburger Helper.
(5)
Aron L.
Pretty authentic Beijing-style food. Excellent quality. Nice and helpful people. Different from your usual Canto-dim sum run-of-the-mill Chinese food that everyone eats. Oh look. I can use a chopstick and know what a har gow is. I'm totally ethnic. Dude. Get over it. If you don't like this restaurant, you are a bad person. I don't want to hang out with bad people.
(5)
Sydney L.
Tried the "Sliced meat with Preserved Vegetable in Warm Pot." The soup is wonderful.
(4)
Lolia S.
There are pictures of diners on the walls of this cozy, house-like restaurant, including many pictures of Yao Ming. I wonder where he sat when he dined there? It's clean inside by Chinese restaurant standards. The majority of diners weren't Chinese. The menu has your standard Chinese fare along with Beijing specials (warm pots, hot pots, dim sum, flour balls, and hand pulled noodles). The menu says they don't use MSG and that they have free delivery. * Stirred flour balls with three flavors ($7.25). The flour balls are tiny little chewy balls stir fried in a slightly sweet, soy based sauce with shrimp, a mild white fish and chicken (three flavors), zucchini, and frozen peas and carrots. The balls are very hard to pick up. There wasn't much meat. The dish was interesting but hard to eat - probably wouldn't get it again. * Beijing beef pancake ($7.25): A must, but you need to eat it quickly. The outside is thin and crispy and the inside is stuffed with juicy ground beef. If you let it sit, the pancake becomes soggy. * West Lake lamb dumplings ($7.50): Very good boiled dumplings though not as good as Kingdom of Dumpling, juicy ground lamb in handmade thick wrappers. * Beef stew noodle soup: The broth was too salty and not that beefy. Good handpulled noodles though they're not as good as King of Noodle's. * Hot braised beef tendon ($8.95): Served over a bed of bok choy, the braised tendon pieces were extremely tender - really good, even better than I expected and I've had plenty of tendon * Chicken with ground bean sheet ($7.25): A bit oily but very tasty stir fry of slippery wide, clear bean noodles with pieces of skinless chicken and topped with cilantro Remember to get the beef pancake and hot braised beef tendon.
(4)
Gretchen S.
This is honestly the best Chinese food I've ever had. Such taste!! Each dish was so full of flavor, from the Hot & Sour soup through to the Fennel Dumplings. Thanks to the help of the mighty fine SF Yelpers, we tried the Cumin Lamb, which was as good as represented here. My standard test of good szechuan cooking, garlic eggplant, was stellar- a complex mix of deep flavor and textures. Even the simplest of dishes- flour balls with vegetables (reminded us of German Spaetzel) was a mouthful of flavor. Good service and parking too! Go!
(5)
Wendy L.
How is it that yelp reviewers know so much about Beijing cuisine? I'm no expert on Beijing cuisine being the southern Chinese girl that I am, but everything we ordered was much closer to what we found in Beijing than the other places we've tried in the bay area. I also probably shouldn't judge a restaurant by the people who run the place, but I give the family who owns the place bonus points for their tongue-rolling Mandarin, the same kind my mother-in-law from Beijing has to repeat so I can understand. But I digress.... We got the cumin lamb and ja jang mian (Beijing noodle dish). The ja jang mian is the only one I've had in the bay area that is even close to what we ate in Beijing. Everyone else serves it like spaghetti with meat sauce and that is not how it's supposed to be served. The lamb was also well seasoned and very tasty. I definitely see more meals at this place in our near future to try out more of their menu. It's not often that the husband and I come across a Chinese place worth writing about.
(4)
Jennifer I.
I've eaten here a few times and it's always been very good! The service is actually pretty good and there's even a parking lot. The location seems to be in the middle no where. I can recommend the following: -beef pancakes (super greasy but oh so good) -spicy beef noodle soup (the hand pulled noodles have just the right amount of softness and chewiness) -garlic spinach (really garlicy...love it!) -cumin lamb (the spices are something I'm not used to but very delicious if you like lamb) Enjoy!
(4)
Alan L.
The most important that needs to be said is a huge "thank you" for all the previous reviews for making this a great choice to bring my family. Every weekend, I take my grandma and my mom who are extremely picky old school eaters, out for lunch. One weekend, I didn't know where to go, and I just decided to stop by here since I read it up on Yelp, and since my mom loves beijing/sichuan style cooking.. it was perfect. Jing dong, hot boiled beef, cold tripe, wide rice noodle salad are simply divine. All the noodle soup dishes are amazing, and the pickled vegetable with fish filet soup is great. I don't really like the three flavor flour balls as much as most people do but this place has a lot of different great foods, and the price is very reasonable.
(5)
Eric A.
I liked it, the Cumin Lamb was good! Next time I go I will try to find a dish that has sauce. Yelper beware, if you can handle HOT/SPICY, you can try the Chili Delights with House Special Sauce. If not I highly recommend you do not get this. I took 2 bites and the dish was not edible, it was just too spicy. If you do get it, good luck.
(4)
Sheep M.
Love love love this place! Definitely the best Beijing style chinese food in Northern California and perhaps all of CA. I will literally drive from Sacramento just to eat here, beats having to fly home to LA or Vancouver every time I have a chinese food craving. Everytime I return to the states from Beijing I get dumpling withdrawls and crave all the different types of noodle based dishes served in China. This place does it right! Yum..
(5)
Kendra S.
Everything I've had has been amazing especially the egg rolls and string bean beef. They also listen well if you say you want extra sauce, no bean sprouts, etc. I don't like modifying things but sometimes you just want/love/need some extra sauce. They understand. You understand. Thanks Beijing. I finally found my neighborhood Chinese place! You're it.
(5)
Steve T.
We had an exceptional 12-course meal at Beijing (13 when you count the bonus plate after we paid the bill). It was a little bit of a cultural experience as we learned the stories behind the food. Not everyone in China eats rice, for instance. Away from the waterways, only the more affluent routinely eat rice. So the poor have to use something else. So they make flour balls as a substitute. Two of our dishes were from potatoes, too. I had no idea potatoes were that widely eaten in China. If you look at the photos I've posted you can see what we had in total. I'd say my favorites were the cumin lamb, which was spicy and perfectly cooked, the sour cabbage soup with clear noodles, the handmade noodle soup with beef, the flour balls and the stack of potatoes with black vinegar and chili sauce poured over it. The price was more than reasonable with the cost per person at about $27 each for our group of seven. The neighborhood is a little rough, but not too bad. I could see myself eating here many times as I explore the menu.
(5)
aL Z.
Opened less than a year, this small restaurant prides itself of several well prepared Beijing inspired dishes. Yao Ming dined at this place as well. His photos are well scattered throughout the wall. The food is delicious. My favorites are Jing Dong meat pancake, spicy boiled fish, mao xue wang spicy (blood and guts). Don't miss their signature lamb dishes: lamb dumplings, cumin lamb. and warm pot of soup of lamb and preserved vegetables. The noodles are freshly hand-pulled at the site. Great value...no dish over $9.95, majority are around $6.95. Yummmy.
(4)
Cary W.
This place still rocks! Again, the key thing is to NOT order standard sounding Cantonese or American-Chinese fare and to focus on the "Beijing Special", "Beijing Dim sum" and the "Noodle" sections. (See the menu photos I took that are in the photos section). Noodles are still hand pulled à là minute (or at least every day) in the kitchen. Since a lot of dishes are made to order, some dishes will come out quickly, while the other dishes will come much later, like the pancakes/pies (bing/he ze). Don't fret the wait and enjoy the freshly made stuff. Lots of other restaurants just heat up frozen (but housemade) bing/he ze in a wok of oil. I think the Yelp effect has taken over the place and now, and even on a weekday night, the wait for a table can be 20 minutes long. They also seem to do a lot takeout and delivery business too. I'm glad the owners (Sandy and Jin) are doing so well but I just wish I didn't have to wait to get seated to gorge on their food.
(5)
Oscia W.
I ordered two kinds of dumplings, to be delivered to my house. It came in 25 minutes, and was delicious. But I docked a star because they didn't tell me they only accept cash for delivery, and I didn't have enough cash. He had to write down my credit card number, go back to the restaurant to run it, and then come back again for me to sign it.
(4)
Chris K.
I haven't eaten here enough yet to give this place 5 stars, but noticed its original 4.5 star average was knocked down to 4. I glanced at the reviews and some guy posted a one star review yesterday, Have you noticed all the other glowing reviews? That's because it's good. So I'm giving 5 stars to offset this fucking numbskull. Hey, I'd buy it if he said it didn't float his boat, but to call the food "awful" and condemn it with one star comes across as sneering narcissism. I might write more about the restaurant later, but I'd like to point out one small thing--the big fat hand made noodles are apparently only available in the special noodle section. The chow mein is made with the regular skinny noodles you see all the time. Still, it's top notch.
(5)
meera h.
Cumin lamb - awesome! The closest to the Dongbei version I've had in China so far! Hot spicy boiled fish - superb!! lots of fish and spicy! Sauteed string beans - good but a little greasy! Pan Fried Baozi - not as good as expected. greasy and less flavorful. Staff: Friendly and helpful! 5 stars! Overall - loved the place and will be back!
(5)
Jonathan L.
One of the best Beijing places I've been to in San Francisco. I lived in Beijing for a while so I can say that their food is pretty authentic. Of course, you still have to watch out for the Cantonese and Americanized dishes. I like the lamb dishes including the skewers. The seafood clay pot is great and is relatively healthy. I like how there are pictures everywhere including one of Yao Ming who happened to visit the restaurant.
(5)
Ly T.
We've driven by this establishment so many times before, never really taking note of it. It looks run down and randomly....just there. We felt like being adventurous one night and said, let's give it a shot. What a leap that was, I think I may have found my neighborhood Chinese joint! If you know me, I'm not one to say I like Chinese food, I'll tolerate it but it wouldn't be my meal of choice. But O, an epiphany struck me! I do like Chinese food! Just not Cantonese, unless it's good. If I think about it, I like: Szechuan, HK, Hot Pot, Taiwanese, Shanghai & Beijing! the place: -random hole in the wall on a main residential street. literally, there aren't any other businesses on it's block. It looked shaky at best--old, red and run down looking. -but inside, it was surprisingly clean, and not big. for a weeknight, it was busy! -good staff, not rude nor impatient. attentive, you needn't feel like you had to flag them down before they disappear on you for the next 15 minutes. -seriously?!? competed in top 100 Chinese Restaurants in USA, placed in "Local Favorite" -small parking lot the food: the portions are BIG. come with ppl and *share* -they have a "secret" menu! thank you yelpers for posting those pics! don't be afraid to ask! -pass on the flour balls, don't waste your stomach on this! thought it would be different and glutinous, but nothing exciting about them. -get the meat pancakes! they're so good, esp for the carnivore in you. can't find these at most places. -chinese burger (imagine a english muffin for a "bun") was good, though i've had better. there is a LOT of cilantro in it, but surprisingly palatable for me since it was cut into small pieces. meat was tender and flavorful, just wish the bun was a little thinner so it wasn't so carby. -beef stew noodle soup is good. broth is light, mildy spicy and beefy; tasted like real broth, not made with heaps of additives and flavorings. beef was tender and they didn't give you just all tendons, like most places. Noodles are freshly made here, but can be on the heavy side. I wish they were a bit thinner. verdict: -great neighborhood restaurant! -come here on a seriously empty stomach & with friends. -we left having overeaten and having bellyaches! the sad part was, I was already in yoga pants! *yelpers sure love Yao Ming! no love for Martin Yan?! he's in that wall of pictures too!
(4)
Deanna T.
Haha, my aunt and her friends ordered the cumin lamb, fennel dumplings,the fried baozi, beef tendon with greens, and some eggplant with chicken and shrimp. I have to say it was pretty good, and the service was okay, but the only downside was that it was kind of oily. If you like spicy food you should come here.
(4)
Zach B.
I've never eaten-in here, but have gotten take-out a couple times now. Food's always been great, serving sizes are good, and they seem to have some pretty good selections for veggie-only dishes too (important for the wife). The english of the people on the phone can be a bit broken though, so it can be hard to order certain items unless you know what they're called on the menu (vegetable dumplings got us no where - but they have Fennel Dumplings on the menu and it wasn't a problem to order once we got the name).
(4)
Steve S.
Beijing continues to please. and they deliver fast! tonight, we tried: Fennel dumplings: delicious Spinach with garlic: simple and satisfying asparagus beef: decent, nothing special house chicken wings: still delicious but so decadent. i may pop a button.
(4)
Brian H.
Jonesing for some Chinese food the other day, we strayed from our usual go to Chinese takeout spot- Yummy House- and opted to give Beijing Restaurant a try. We ordered the following- Large hot and sour soup Pot stickers Beef pancakes Chicken chow fun Mongolian beef Steamed rice Total was $37, but could have easily served 4 or or 5 people. Katie H. and I got three meals out of it. The large hot and sour soup was about double the quantity I was expecting. Definitely a good value. And we were pleasantly surprised by the quality. The stand-out dishes for me were pot stickers and pancakes but everything hit the spot. Definitely at least on par with Yummy House, with a much bigger menu and an actual restaurant if you feel like dining in. They also have lunch specials for $5.50 which looked pretty good. (The lunch specials at Yummy House have always been a disappointment). I definitely look forward to eating here again and exploring the rest of the menu. Welcome to the neighborhood, Beijing Restaurant! Update 12/11/09: Went back for seconds and ordered the following for delivery: Lg. Hot and Sour Soup Beijing Beef Pancake Mu Shu Chicken Beijing Noodles in Special Sauce Beef with Green Onion Napa w/ Pork Dumpling Crab Cheese Puffs Steamed Rice Total was $56 + change. Nothing particularly wowed us this time. The napa/pork dumpling is basically a pot sticker, maybe slightly smaller, but more to an order. Crab cheese puffs were pretty standard. Beef w/ green onion was basically mongolian beef without white onions. The only truly "new" dishes that we ordered were therefore the mu shu chicken and the beijing noodles in special sauce. The former was pretty good, although a little light on chicken and heavy on cabbage and other filler. I did not enjoy the beijing noodles- the noodles themselves were OK but the sauce was overly salty. Basically, the dish consists of thick, udon-like noodles in salty brown sauce with bean sprouts, celery and eggplant. Seemed like kind of a rip for $7.25, the most expensive noodle dish on the menu. Not nearly as good as the chow fun. Delivery was pretty prompt at prime time on Friday night but the delivery man claimed not to have change. Not a big deal but something to keep in mind in the future. Everything was pretty good except for the beijing noodles, which I wouldn't order again. Got to try to branch out a little more next time.
(4)
John R.
This is one of my new favorite restaurants. A nice change of pace from the usual SF/Cantonese/Szechuan style food you find everywhere, although there seems to be some of that on the menu as well (but I haven't tried it yet). Recommend the dumplings, meatballs, baozi, and the homemade noodles -- wonderful texture and flavor. So far everything has been very good to great. Service is quick and efficient, yet friendly too. The couple that own the place are really nice, and when you ask about what is in something or how they make it, you can tell from how they answer that they take care about their food and take alot of pride in it.
(4)
Jaclyn C.
Whenever we order Chinese, we order from Beijing Restaurant. The cumin lamb is FANTASTIC, especially if you can handle the spice, and most everything else we've ordered (we change it up except for the lamb) has been great too. Haven't tried out the hotpot yet, but I'm looking forward to it!
(4)
Ching-Pei H.
"Yum" sums it up entirely! Hand pulled noodle, fresh northern style Chinese food (all doughy in a good way and delicious!), their own parking lot, free delivery - what more could you ask for? Totally authentic northern Chinese food; noodles and all dough items had the appropriate amount of chew/bounce back and were not at all soft or mushy. Don't be scared off by the exterior - the inside is nice and it's a great meal. The "fried cakes" are a mochi-like pastry filled with a red bean/date paste mixture (and deep fried) which is devine - just eat them hot or you won't be able to get past the oil! A few things to watch for: We've eaten here a couple of times now and it's delicious, but stick to eating in the restaurant...this stuff, even with free delivery, just isn't as good when you're waiting 30 minutes for it to arrive. Ordering off the menu is a little tricky - I speak Chinese and had a hard time with their dish names. The waitresses are very nice though and would tell me what the item's Chinese name was.
(4)
Denise C.
One star because they seem like nice people. Otherwise, the food is not worth a drive let alone a bike ride. We ordered take out which might be the reason because they don't have to look you in the eye when they present the food. Let me put it this way, the fried rice is more like a vegetarian steamed rice without much flavor. Literally, 2 shrimp and the rest vegetables, the frozen kind, you can tell because the carrots were perfect cubes. Next was the pork chow mein which probably had a total of 2 ounces meat, and lots of onion. Not much flavor either. Last, was the Mongolian beef, which should me called ketchup with onions and some beef. There were chilies for garnish only. My little ones could eat it without complaint. And the sauce was the combination ketchup and soy sauce. The price was average, but the food was really bad. We only tried because our place was closed. We would have had twice the weight in food for 2/3 rd of the cost. Go to the corner of Brazil and Mission on the Southeast side and you will know what I am talking about.
(1)
Kevin L.
Northern Chinese style (Beijing/Tianjin area), my favorite place in SF. The waiters were super nice. Very casual dinning place. Apparently Yao Ming visited there and there is photo proof. Good for small get together. The space is very limited but food is delicious, which reminds me of hometown. The day I visited SF was so hot. No A/C available inside, kind of surprised but later figured out temperature that day was abnormal for Bay Area :)
(4)
Byron L.
Seems lately I've been finding more and more restaurants that remind me of China. Each dish has a different taste. That's the tell tale of a good Chinese restaurant. The noodles here are better than at other restaurants, but not the best I've eaten. They are good for the price.
(3)
Amy L.
I didn't think much of this restaurant because I would drive by this lonely red building in what looked like nowhere. However, someone told me this place was great and it was also a favorite of Yao Ming. SOLD! Never mind the fact that I have never seen Yao Ming play. SOLD! hahaha. My favorites were the cumin lamb, five-spicy boiled beef and garlic spinach. I couldn't stop cramming garlic spinach down my mouth. I am a HUGE fan of vegetables and it tasted so frigging awesome we ordered a second plate. There was an order of chicken wings and fried tofu. Someone dubbed the fried tofu as Beijing french fries and was popular enough for another order. I'm biased because I like fried food in dosages so I dutifully ignored any more helpings. I think the wide noodle salad was good, but once all the cilantro disappeared I stopped fishing through that plate. We ordered so much I didn't keep track of what we ate and I was full for three hours. The service was nice and the people were very accommodating since we had a lady with a baby! The little tyke stayed quiet and I was surrounded by good friends. I'll be coming back!
(4)
Jefferson C.
I think I'm in love! You'd never be able to tell from the outside, but they serve straightup great food here . . . the Cumin Lamb is as advertised, an explosion of flavor - spicy and delicious and not greasy at all. Their Mongolian Beef is more subtly flavored but also terrific. Haven't tried many of their other dishes but I'm looking forward to many meals here so I will report back. All this, and FREE PARKING! Go! Now!
(5)
Mika K.
I really liked the food here, the food deserves a 4 star rating for it's unique flavors and authentic dishes. But the inside is too small and drafty to give it 4 stars. I would give the advice that the owners expand to a larger area as it gets rally busy and crowded. But if the interior is not an issue for you I really recommend making a trip and having some of the Beijing goodness.
(3)
Paul K.
The range of Beijing items offered is narrow,but the food is authentic (if you stay away from the non-Beijing items such as sweet and sour or cantonese items). Beijing items are grouped in two areas on the menu (Beijing Dim Sum and Beijing Specialties I believe) so they're fairly easy to identify. The stir-fried flour (like a gnocchi but with flour instead of potato) is also a Beijing specialty. I ordered the "vegetable pie" (Chinese crepe or Flatbread with Chinese Chives & Eggs is a better translation). It's really good and not greasy at all (sometimes it can be greasy if not well made). The version they make has dried-shrimp in it, so if you don't like dried shrimp avoid this dish. The house specialty pie is similar but with pork added. I also ordered a mixed vegetable which was very simple and light (cauliflowers, tree ears, tofu skin, gluten and celery). The lamb with cumin was good and surprisingly light. I liked it, but I prefer the heavier, spicier version in Sichuan restaurants more. I am looking forward to going back and trying their other flat breads/buns/dumplings which the North is known for.
(4)
Xq B.
I'm Chinese, and I spent 4 years in Beijing, my friend who came with me spent her entire life in Beijing. She loved it. So, it's good, we had a really good time, and we love the atmosphere there, that really feels like home.
(5)
Steven R.
How much do you trust celebrity opinions? That's right, someone who in reality you really don't know but are exposed to due to the lovely television. As a result I'm usually skeptical at best. I didn't put much faith in my friends who were touting this place with the assertion that "Hey, Yao Ming eats here! It's gotta be good!". After all, there are thousands of Chinese people in the City and I'm guessing many of them don't quite have the burdens of pro basketball to weigh them down in their production of great Chinese food. Well Yao, tip of the hat, well done, you are now famous in my book for your culinary sensibilities and not just your jump hook. To make this review short, this is the best Chinese food I've had in the City. You know, like me and at least 2 of my dining partners were like "we're gonna take our parents here next time they visit the City!" good. You won't find greasy meat and veggies served up in a kiddie pool of sauce. You'll find awesome flavorful dishes with the right amount of everything. The Cumin Beef is highly recommended as are the hunan green beans. As other Yelpers have mentioned, I'd order off the beaten path for the best experience. Just about anything off of the Beijing Special list is golden. Ever had flour balls? Me either until I came to this place. Give them a try! If you find yourself still lost, ask the waitstaff. Our waiter recommended the cashew shrimp and we got a delicious lightly glazed serving of shrimp and vegetables that tasted ridiculously fresh and was a nice compliment to the spicy dishes we ordered. Another great part; the prices aren't too different from any other place in SF and the food is top notch. The only possible drawback is that they do close at 9pm so make sure you're in early.
(5)
Priscilla L.
I'm telling all my friends about it. That one bowl of noodles just made my nervous little life worth living. Yes, it tastes muddy and salty, but it is soooooo comforting and good. It's like when I was little and eating shrimp-paste "jing" pork with my grandma and grandpa. It's like that and different. Jiang Mian. Hey, if all the Chinese construction workers are eating it, why not...? Of course my husband, a transplant from Portland Maine, is totally terrified by the noodle dish.
(5)
William G.
First, a couple of confessions. I'm a big fan of this restaurant and it's in my neighborhood, so I have a couple of reasons to rate them highly. Not saying they're perfect, just nearby and good. Observing other diners, I notice that they fall into two camps -those ordering Beijing-style food and those ordering typical Chinese-American fare - chicken chow mein, fried rice, and dishes in the style of other regions. I've never been to Beijing so I can only take the word of others that the rendition here is good. All I know is that I like it. I like the beef pancake and even the flour balls. My favorite is the noodle in brown paste and my son swears by their pork liver. I would not expect that their pseudo-Cantonese or Hunan dishes would be anything other than indifferent American food cooked Chinese style. If kung pow shrimp is your dish, perhaps you should seek it elsewhere.
(4)
Dina V.
My family has lived in and around this area since before I was born. I remember coming to this very location when it was HS Salt. It was a sad time when the fish and chips joint left. And we've seen so many Chinese restaurants sit in it's place. This is the first time I've seen such a highly rated place occupy this very location. All of the others seemed to be American fare Chinese food places. I was surprised when my brother showed me the to go menu the other day and said the place was actually good. He'd been trying their lunch menu and had nothing but good things to say about it. And of course he tried the 2 things I would have liked to have tried: the Mongolian Beef and the Double Mushroom Chicken. The two things he said that made me want to try this place is that they used fresh veggies. THere were NO canned straw mushrooms inthe double mushroom chicken and they make their own noodles. Okay let's give it a shot. He wanted to actually just do pick up and order in but he misplaced his to go menu so we drove over for an early Friday night dinner. He had actually driven by the night before with his friend in the hopes of having some soup but there were no parking spaces to be found within a 2 block radius and when they drove past they noticed every table occupied as well as the waiting area quite full. On our early Friday night dinner, there were 2 tables occupied and a few people waiting for pick up. Very small dining room. I was curious to see how they set up the dining room in the first place, remember this used to be HS Salt. Lol. And YES there are a plethora of random photos adorning their walls. What did we order? The beef chow fun, the general tso's chicken, sweet and sour chicken, and the Beijing beef pancake. The chow fun was great. Great flavor. Very fresh. And piping hot. The mistake we made was ordering 2 dishes that were very similar but we weren't sure how hot the GT chicken was going to be and we had my kids with us. Well both chicken dishes were very similar and really uneventful. The pancake was just okay to me, I think it needed some sort of sauce or something? Soy and vinegar? My brother and I both agreed that maybe we needed to order something else b/c this visit was just ok. I would have liked to try the other 2 dishes he tried, but he said he already had those and needed to try more on the menu especially since they're so close AND they deliver.
(3)
Sheri N.
i pass BR nearly everyday, and tell myself i need to try this place out. one random night after christmas the fella and i were driving around aimlessly trying to figure out where to go for dinner, and BR popped into his head. we ordered: 3 flavored dumplings, fillet fish w/house sauce, and hot and sour napa cabbage. the meal was deliciously flavored in a delicate way. none of the flavors were overpowering, but each stood out with a great taste. they cook their dishes beijing style, and it is not your standard chinese meal but with different flavors. i'll definitely return to try their other dishes. note: ask for no msg.
(4)
Jason H.
Worst service I've ever encountered. Don't order from this place - they make mistakes and mess you over.
(1)
Chris E.
Got a great jianbing fix here. Not on the menu of course, but maybe it should be. Love this place, but like the other location better (not like I care for the Sunset, but it's a bit easier for us to get to).
(5)
Laura A.
Stopped in for a late lunch with a friend; I'd been wanting to try it out. We were the only diners as it was about 4:00 p.m.; the family hopped up from their meal to handle our order and all was good. My friend ordered egg rolls, which I would never order, but it was her treat.The egg rolls were bland and a bit oily. The Singapore Noodles were good with a few shrimp that some restaurants leave out; I would have liked a bit more spiced cooked into the dish. At the young waiter's suggestion, we ordered the House dumplings. Again, an o.k. dish but a lot of muffin with not much stuffin'. Finishing our meal, we paid in cash, leaving a generous tip, and asked for our food to be packed. This is when it got strange. By now two other parties had come in to eat. With one waiter, the son it appears, is managing the front of the house and is now busy. I had to ask for the food twice, it's still not brought out but the mother brings the check back out to the table. We stand up to leave and I see our food packaged behind the register. I ask for it and am handed it and then I turn to walk out. The waiter/son, mother or father calls out to me and seem indicate that I've not paid. They're all standing together and I say that we did pay. I repeat myself and they say nothing. So I just leave. Weird. I might go back; it was o.k. enough and I didn't try much of the menu. The end of our meal though was simply weird and negative.
(3)
Danielle A.
the meat pie they make, is definitely not meeting my expectations. the thick clear noodles are not cooked through either. the kidney we ordered literally wasn't handled right, so it smelled and tasted like pee lol... that being said, it is not the worst place either. i give them credit for at least trying to make things authentic. things are not overly oily or salty. the price is decent. the staff is friendly. and you have yaoming's pictures all over the wall lol. i am just not impressed by it overall. would not care to go back
(3)
Harrison C.
Great authentic Beijng/chinese cooking. I came here for the first time for my boy's birthday. Ate many vegetable pies, spicy wide noodles, steam dumplings, and other items i can't remember (we ordered a lot!). The food is just perfectly seasoned, all handmade, just great food! So why 4 stars, well unfortunately i feel the prices are a bit on the higher side. It is the price you usually see at other places that serve the same dishes, but either way it is high in my opinion. In the end, i will return to this place, because the food is good. Service is okay, they don't come and check on you like other good customer service restaurants, but they are happy to assist you if you call them over.
(4)
rob s.
new cook? beef chow fun was mostly uncooked onion - yuck - so not a fan. pork nappa dumplings very bland. wonton soup awfully salty. kung pao chicken ok, chow mein ok, green beans ok. have been ordering out from beijing for a couple years - but there is a change in the flavors....more salt, too much onion, not as flavorful. will check back in a few months...
(2)
Helen Y.
favorite items on the menu (now that the fiance and i are regulars): (*) steamed bao tzi (steamed pork buns) (*) fennel dumplings (*) green onion pancakes (*) lamb and sour cabbage claypot the owners are still as friendly and helpful as ever.
(5)
Mark Y.
My favorite place in San Francisco for authentic hand pulled noodles. The beef noodle soup is hearty, with bits of stewed beef and tendon, and the noodles are long and chewy just how I like them. It's amazing how much difference I can find between the texture of hand pulled noodles and those that come out of the bag. The ja jiao mien is also good here, and a bit less salty than the one they serve at San Tung. I like how they prepare it in front of you and toss the noodles with the vegetables and sauce, it gets me hungry just thinking about it. The steamed lamb dumplings are also scrumptious and have similar flavor to the dumpling shops I used to frequent in Hong Kong. The cumin lamb also takes me back to late nights in Shanghai with the grilled lamb sticks they serve on the street just like bacon wrapped hot dogs in the Mission. Free parking in their parking lot is a big plus so I can just eat a decent quick bowl of noodles and be back on the freeway in under 30 minutes start to finish. I noticed they have more typical San Francisco Cantonese food here as well on their menu, but why come to a restaurant called Beijing Restaurant for Cantonese food?
(4)
Richard A.
As I drove up to this corner restaurant, I thought, "this can't be the place". I was looking at a run-down wooden building, slathered top-to-bottom in faded red paint, with a 20-foot tall, shorted out "Chinese Food" sign outside and wilted red lanterns hanging from the eaves. I noted two more "Chinese Food" signs leaning against the outside of the building. I might be wrong, but as I parked, I think I may have heard an argument coming from the kitchen (yes, this place has an actual parking lot!). I went in anyway. The interior was bright (almost too bright), cheery, and the walls were covered with photographs of hundreds of happy customers in various poses. The waitress was perky, helpful, and just as friendly as can be. And the food? Superb. As each dish came to the table, I struggled with the dichotomy of the impressive food quality versus the look of the building. How can this be? The explanation came quickly: "We've been open for six months". This place deserves all the rave reviews it's been getting. The prices are very fair, the cooking is superb, and the people are friendly and helpful. And there's parking. That's something I can't say about nearly any other Chinese restaurant in SF. Go there soon!
(5)
Amanda J.
Yummy Chinese food at a reasonable price. I've ordered from Beijing Restaurant twice, the first time Kung Pao Shrimp, and the second the General's Chicken, which is fried chicken with broccoli. Ingredients taste fresh and I don't wind up with MSG induced headaches. The delivery people were friendly and now it's my Chinese restaurant of choice. I have eaten in Beijing and the flavors are reminiscent.
(4)
Ken K.
Uh oh, San Tung better watch out. There's a serious ass kicker in town, truly from da North. Beijing Restaurant. Yes more NORTH than Shandong province. And I don't see any dumbed down Chinese or much in the way of other mixed regional Chinese on his menu either. This mofo also does not use M$G or rely on sweet and spicy fried chicken to prove his salt to the ma$$e$. Some hardcore culinary kung fuud indeed. RE$PECT SF may have the legendary Old Mandarin Islamic on Vicente, but that's a niche of Northern Islamic Chinese (no pork) and you really only should go there for the hot pots and chin dribbling greasy beef pancake. Beijing Restaurant offers something that's more down home, less flashy (similar to Everyday Beijing in San Mateo) but truly hits da $pot. Get the "warm pots" (sa guo), which are actually super piping hot contrary to the translation. Think of them as lesser refined Northern Chinese "nabemono", but will surely do wonders. The star of the warm pots is the key ingredient, sour/preserved/pickled napa cabbage (suan bai tsai). When paired with the right meats, it is an unbeatable combination that is perfect for cold weather. In NE China (dongbei), suan tsai bai rou (last 2 words = white meat = belly bacon = belly good) is probably the definitive comfort food. At Beijing Restaurant, the highly recommended item from the warm pots selection is #27 "Slice Fish with Preserved Vegetable in Warm Pot" or really "Suan Tsai Yu Pien Sa Guo" which is an easy 5 stars (provided you are not put off by sour cabbage, it is as strong as the kind at Old Islamic Mandarin). The sour cabbage has the positive effect of cutting down the fat and oils from the fatty meats (especially the belly bacon) so you don't feel so dirty, yet it nurtures and soothes (and lubes) going down, while working its way through your convoluted inner pipes. The fish used in #27 is a type of cod, and is super delicious, poached to the right texture, retaining flavor and bite. These guys have it down. In addition to the sour green goodness and scrumptious fish, the application of mung bean wide noodles (fen pi) worked out way better than their thinner bean thread vermicelli counterparts (fen si) served in other sour cabbage pots, an excellent detail. Worthy of applause. Incredible in house hand made noodles, and an extremely well executed #91 beef noodle soup (the clear broth rendition), Tsing Tang Niu Rou Mien, where they actually properly stewed slices of beef shank with the criss cross cut tendon, and not using brisket cuts like other Northern or non-Canto joints in town. Even the clear broth was great. The beef stew noodles soup did look REALLY good, although that will be on the to-try next time. Pork and cabbage dumplings.....sadly this is not their forte. The texture was good, but the content was overly marinated and seasoned, which no amount of white pepper or black vinegar could do much to help. This is where San Tung and Kingdom of Dumpling holds an edge. But in terms of noodles and "warm pots", this place is rockin'. There is a newer and bigger 2nd location of Beijing Restaurant on Irving / 40th Ave, where you can advance order Peking Duck. Anyone tried it yet?
(4)
Boris C.
It's hard to find good Chinese food in the City south of the Sunset, so for that reason alone the restaurant is a diamond in the rough. The food was flavorful and authentic, avoiding a lot of Americanizations. The decor is nothing remarkable, though it is a nice touch that the walls are adorned with past smiling customers. The staff is friendly and care about you enjoying your meal. The place is a little tiny, but you'll enjoy yourself the most with a group of friends since the joy of coming here (and all good Chinese restaurants) is the variety, crispy, soft, sour, spicy, salty, sweet, fried, steamed, etc. Some practicalities: If you come here with just another friend, take a peek at the recommendations to settle on something, otherwise, the choices can become daunting. I always like to choose one thing familiar, and one thing I've never had before. Parking is not bad and it's easy to get to by bus.
(4)
Brian S.
Fennel Dumplings was just alright for me. Hot and Sour soup is a bit sourly for my taste, but my friends LOVE it. Cumin Lamb is a MUST-have dish!!!! We will be back and try other dishes...:)
(4)
Candice L.
Beijing Restaurant is a great neighborhood resource for those living in the Mission/Bernal area who don't always have time to drive to the Sunset, Richmond, or the Peninsula for authentic Chinese food. Beijing Restaurant is definitely a family run, mom and pop kind of place. I love the cumin lamb (requested extra spicy) for its tender lamb and strong cuminy spicy flavors. The house special pie is about an inch thick and stuffed full of ground meat and scallions. It's quite different than the run of the mill scallion pancake at other places, more filling too. I had heard great things about the house special eggplant and I love Thai/Vietnamese/Japanese/Chinese preparations of eggplant. That being said, it was a decent plate of eggplant but no better than other versions I have tried. The sweet brown sauce served with it was reminiscent of that served by many take-out type of places. The waitstaff were really friendly and actually seemed to care if we enjoyed our food (a rarity at some Chinese places). They were also diligent about keeping our tea and water refilled. And they deliver too! Looking forward to returning to try the warm pots with preserved vegetables, house pies, pancakes, and dumplings, and some of the other Beijing specialties.
(4)
Geordie E.
There are photographs of patrons all over the walls... one was Yao Ming. Cumin Lamb is really, well... "cuminy"
(3)
Ro N.
I live 5 blocks from this place and just love their authentic beijing style food. there is so much cantonese cooking in SF that this is much needed. the hand pulled noodles and eggplant are my faves.
(4)
Cinnamon Z.
Not only do they deliver, but they deliver at lunch time! So, we wanted a day of dim sum. Loved the meat pancake - a bit too oily, but loved it. However, the rest of the dim sum we ordered really disappointed. We tried: West Lake Lamb dumplings, Three Flavor Dumplings, and Fennel Dumplings. They all tasted about the same. The filling was skimpy, and worse, the dough was really tough. Again, too oily. We also had the House Special Pie which was just ok. We intend to try more things and hopefully that will mean a revised review and more stars. Not to mention a new favorite restaurant. To close - they are nice as can be, and are savvy with your delivery, the assume you'll only have 20's - the change is in an envelope! SMART!
(2)
Angelina F.
This place use to be a Nulite kitchen and I never really had much from there besides the occasional Won Ton soup when I was sick, so when they opened as Beijing Restaurant I wanted to give it a try. I decided to go on Christmas Day 2 stars for being 5 blocks from my house. The other 2 stars were for the food. It wasn't THE BEST but it was good. I didn't try anything I didn't like. I will definitely be coming back for some conveinient food
(4)
Scott S.
Pretty good - not great. The hot & sour soup needs more hot and sour, some sriracha and a little vinegar fixed it right up. I did like how they loaded up the hot chilis in the mongolian beef, but I think the dish needed something else in it, maybe a rice noodle bed. The mushu pork was good too, things weren't greasy and it seems like they really know what they're doing. I'm going to try this place again but some of the less typical dishes the other dishes yelpers are talking about here.
(3)
Ella T.
They have the best chicken wings in SF even better than Sun Tong restaurant. They also have very decent beef stew noodle. However, some of dishes on the menu were not very impressive.
(4)
donald z.
The noodle soup is pretty good.
(5)
J S.
Beijing cuisine, yeah there was some, but a lot of what was on the menu was Americanized Chinese. The only reason I chose this place was because it had green onion pancake. It wasn't so much a pancake as it was pan-fried bread since it was thick and had the leavening texture of bread. Perhaps that's how it is? I don't know. I will come back for the green onion bread, but the search for green onion pancake continues. As for the others... The portions of food was very small in comparison to many other places for about the same price, so we did feel cheated. Some foods were heavy on the salt. The jiagyanmein was one of the worst I've had. The black bean sauce tasted like it came straight out of the jar and little was done to modify it.
(2)
Beatriz A.
This place was gross. I went because according to yelp, this place is poppin. WRONG. We had fried prawn that wasn't de-vained, and one of the prawns must have eaten a big lunch before being caught because there was a ton of poop (yes POOP) down its back. The rest of the food was way to salty and overall not good. So, it's safe to say I won't be coming back.
(2)
Yin Y.
Being from Beijing, I give this restaurant a thumbs up for authenticity! That goes for both the selection and flavor of the food, as well as the service. First the food: besides the cumin lamb that has been praised by many, I have to point out my favorite dish: Ga Da Tang, which is a soup made with droplets of dough, a bit like gnocchi, mixed with tomatoes, egg, and veggies. Not quite like congee, it's truly Northern-Chinese home-cooked goodness, which I have not seen in any restaurant outside of China. Their pea sprouts were great and not too greasy, as was their Zha Jiang Mian, which is the equivalent of a Beijing version of pasta bolognese, of which we ended up ordering 3 huge bowls. To our great surprise, they even had street food like Jian Bing, which is a egg pancake wrapped in a crispy layer and condiments, that is usually made by tricycle-riding street vendors in Beijing, as well as Rou Jia Mo, a hamburger-like bun stuffed with shredded meat and cilantro (though from ShanXi province originally, it has become a staple across China). The dumplings were quite good, especially the skins, where you could tell were freshly hand-rolled. The lamb dumplings were my personal favorite (though not quite as good as at Kingdom of Dumplings in SF). We also had two plates of Yu Xiang Rou Si (shreds of pork, carrots, bamboo shoots with fish sauce), which were legit, and a plate of home-style Tu Dou Si (shredded potato quick stir-fried) that came later in the meal, otherwise we would have ordered more. Also noteworthy: they have old-Beijing style yogurt, which brought back childhood memories for many of us, and YanJing Beer, which they privately import directly from Beijing! It's true that the place is small but last night, our group of 14 had an epic meal. Friends brought friends so we had to combine lots of tables into a long one that spanned the width of the restaurant. The waiters were surprisingly helpful and nice to accommodate more and more people, took our orders quickly, though we kept on adding more dishes one-off. Among our friends were several from Beijing or who had lived in Beijing at some point, so we happily conversed with the wait staff in Beijing-accented Mandarin and ended up making friends with the owner of the place, Mr. Jin, who showed us Beijing-style hospitality and introduced us to the chefs who are all family members. We were psyched to hear that they will soon be opening another location in the Mission this summer, though we will be back to this place for sure!
(5)
Vanna S.
I chowed here with my close friend and her family. And as we often do, we over order not knowing that they also serve huge portions. We had the green onion pancake, steamed shanghai dumplings, lion head meatballs, dish of mixed veggies, cumin lamb, cilantro tripe with some steamed rice. As we order, we are mindful to ask the server to go light on the oil as all to often Chinese food can be quite greasy. The food came out beautifully cooked, flavored, and not a bit greasy. And from reading other Yelpers, apparently their standard business practice is light on oil, huge portions, and yummy. They did completely forgot our drinks and had to be reminded, that is understandable as it was a early evening and our table carried great conversation of fond Beijing visitation memories. I loved everything (food, folks, and Beijing memories) about this restaurant and will definitely go back with friends and family. This place capture the delight of simple Beijing hospitality and mouth-watering food. As a bonus, they have a few parking spots belonging to the restaurant, and if you know SF, that is a gem...Superb food + Parking! Love it.
(5)
Melinda C.
Incredibly underwhelmed. Maybe I don't have an appreciation for Beijing food (I've been there twice but have never eaten any of these dishes), but I didn't like the food here at all despite a friend's raves about it. - Green Onion Pancake - tasty but a little greasy. Uneven spreading of the green onion among the pancake - Flour Balls - too gummy and not flavorful enough - Hand pulled noodles - noodles were okay, but even with a fair amount of black bean sauce (which most people would say is too much) was dry and not very tasteful. - Claypot soup - okay. Meat pieces very small. The only thing I really liked was dessert - some sort of hot, baked puff with red bean in it. Delicious.
(2)
Beyond S.
First of all, I love the food. Sans one star is for the wait they put me through. Now for the positives. Their take on the Mongolian beef is unusual and unlike other typical Cantonese restaurants. I was shock at how little beef, in respect to the amount of onions, that was on the plate. But my wife said you're suppose to pair the beef with the onion in each bite and it sure was delicious I also like the sour vegetable pork noodle soup in claypot. Not sure if that's the name but sounds about right in mandarin. The house eggplant is also good with shrimp and hoisin sauce. Taste just as good if not better than Eric's on Church Street.
(4)
Foodie K.
It's been a few days since my husband and I ate dinner here as we continued on our quest to find the best noodle soup. I'm still salivating just thinking about the hand pulled noodles and three flavor dumplings that we voraciously consumed. The noodles were cooked perfectly, firm to the bite but not too hard, and the broth was seasoned well without an excess of oil floating around on top (which seems to be the case at most Chinese places). The dumplings were also some of the best I've ever had, and I have had a lot of dumplings in my life. They do not skimp on the portions here though so come hungry! Aside from the excellent food, the service is friendly, they speak English (a big plus in my book - I have been to far too many Chinese restaurants and ended up with something that was not what I had expected), and they have free parking. Thank you fellow yelpers for helping me find this great spot!
(4)
OLGA M.
This restaurant has very delicious food. Everything that I have tried, I have loved! I especially like the -Green onion pancake -Chicken mushu -Egg flower soup Great service, fresh food...love it!
(5)
Yamilette C.
ordered delivery; delivery didn't follow specific instructions upon arriving and rang the doorbell when was asked not to but hey, it happens. it was pretty good but couldve been better. the pot stickers were delicious but i didnt like how little shrimp they served!!!! with a bunch of lettuce?? it didnt taste all that great but the chicken chow mein was really good!not my favorite chinese restaurant in the city, but it hit the spot!
(2)
lisa w.
This place is ideal for our neighborhood chineses place. Totally convenient location and they have parking. Food is really good. We've had the asparagas with chicken, beef with green onions, potstickers, fried rice, chowmein, sweet and sour shrimp. All are delicious. The beef with green onions could nearly pass for shaking beef at my favorite vietnamese place. Now for the ambiance. It is cute but a little crowded and very noisy. We were there last night on a friday and the place was packed. People were waiting in line outside the door. Still, our kids were able to kind of walk around the place when they got bored (and they didn't have won ton soup poured all over them) Service is pretty good and the food came fast. We felt like they rushed us out a little bit though. They started to clear the table and brought over used plates from another table and started to stack them in front of us. That wasn't too cool. I'd have given them four stars except for that. We've ordered delivery also, and they are super speedy.
(3)
Anya W.
Not your standard Americanized chinese food. Granted they offer those dishes, but why in the world would you ever order them? Beijing style is why you come here. Ordered a good array for only two people- Cumin Lamb: If you like cumin, this dish is wonderful. Good quality meat, and the flavor is really good. I have a very low threshold for spicy, and my friend love hot. I thought it was too hot, he thought it was just right. Onion Pancake: Really good. It was unlike any onion/scallion pancake I have ever had. This pancake was light and fluffy, with great flavor. Nothing like the greasy, chewy, and skinny pancakes that are usually so disappointing. Order this to gain a whole new respect for the onion pancake. Beijing Noodle with Special Sauce: This was just ok. The noodles themselves were good- homemade, chewy and just right. However, I was not a big fan of the "special sauce". I think it was plum something. Eh. I'd pass on this...or try a different noodle dish. Spinach with Garlic: Just as the name says. Good, basic vegetable dish. I am definitely excited to go back and try all the things I missed. Perfect restaurant when you are looking for great authentic chinese.
(4)
Jonathan T.
I checked out this restaurant with a couple coworkers yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised by the service and food. The owners have only been there for about a week. I've lived in Beijing for a little while so i can tell you that the food here is very authentic. They have all the dishes you would find in a beijing restaurant like their cold garlic cucumbers(pai huang gua), the spicy oil fish stew(shui zhu yu), traditional style tofu dishes, cumin lamb skewers, etc. I had the kung pao chicken from their Lunch Specials menu and it filled me up. It was a little on the salty side, so the rice was definitely welcomed. A $5.50 lunch that comes with soup and an eggroll, it can't be beat! I hope this place does well. I came here a second time and ordered their Soup in Clay Pot with cabbage and pork. It had these clear flat noodles in it too so you don't need to order rice. Huge portions at a great price! I was stuffed for lunch...then I ordered a lamb skewer. : )
(4)
Preston G.
Good food, nice folks. Its a win.
(4)
Matt G.
Really good fennel dumplings and beef pancake. A perfect spot to bring a group of people for lunch. With 8 people we ordered 12-15 items and were happy, satiated and not much lighter in the pocket by the end of the meal.
(4)
Ima S.
I was skeptical at first, but now I'm a believer. Fresh, plentiful & delishious - reasonable prices.
(5)
Andy T.
Good Stuff. They aren't the cheapest I've had, but so what. The food is REALLY traditional. They are all the classics you would expect, just better. Check 'em out.
(4)
Steven G.
Very authentic Beijing-style food! My wife and I ordered four items: 1) Beijing noodles with special sauce (Beijing zha jiang mian). I've had this in Beijing (where there are places that specialize in this one dish) and this is identical in style and pretty competitive in quality. As others have noted, the Beijing version of this is not quite the same flavor as Korean za zang noodles; the sauce is a bit saltier and has meat, and there are veggies to mix in as well. The noodles are freshly handmade and it's obvious from the texture. 2) Beijing vegetable pie (jiu cai su hezi). Paper-thin pancakes wrapped around a filling of green onions, tofu, and some other vegetables. Beware: this contains dried shrimp, so if you're allergic, best to avoid it. But if you're not, you'll appreciate the rich savory flavor and the fact that, although it's obviously fried, it doesn't come out at all oily. 3) Steam house special baozi (xiao long zheng bao). This was nothing too exceptional: it's a bun with a pork and vegetable meatball inside. They will warn you ahead of time not to expect a Shanghai-style xiao long bao (the kind with the paper-thin skin) -- this is a full-fledged bun. I may not sound super-enthusiastic but I'd probably order it again; it's a simple dish executed well. 4) Spicy bean curd beef (lazi xiang gan niu rou). If you've had Hunan xiao chao, this is similar, strips of bean curd and slices of beef stir-fried together. But it also has strips of crunchy bell pepper and other vegetables that provide a more varied mouth feel. Despite the name it's not particularly spicy. All in all, I'd definitely go back next time I was in that part of San Francisco with a hankering for Chinese food. Definitely reminds me of the food at the mom-and-pop places I like to frequent when I'm in China.
(4)
Millie K.
Just had dinner here last night. And we have been here a few other times before. But I couldn't remember why we stopped coming, so we figure we will give it a try again. One star for the service - helpful One star for the Parking BUT, too much MSG! And too salty! If you are allergic to MSG, make sure you tell them not to cook it in your dish. And all of our dishes were way too salty! I felt dehydrated even the next day morning with a huge headache ... I better drink more water now...
(2)
Katie H.
what the heck? this place is really good!!!! how did that happen? i guess new owners took over at one point and man- they are doing something right. cause this was some quality chinese food...for a pretty good price. the old man was sick, which he always is when it's a holiday or anytime i have vacation time scheduled, and he was craving hot and sour soup. so we decided to try beijing. then we realized yao ming ate there- and we were so pumped. that pumpedness might have caused us to order a little more food than we needed- but we got 3 meals out of it for 30 bucks. not bad. everyone said not to get the hot and sour soup- but we go against the grain and it was really tasty. just enough spice and not to thick. also had the beef pancakes which were wicked good with a little hot sauce on them. potstickers were standard, if not a little on the large side. chicken chow fun was ok- but i'm not a girl that likes big, flat noodles anyway, and we got the beijing beef, which was nicely spiced and really tender. no gross pieces of meat here! the decor is really neighborhoody with large pictures of patrons plastered on the wall with neon construction paper. everyone was friendly and the takeout was packaged properly. i think this might be our new go to chinese place in the neighborhood...if only to get our picture on the wall! and if it's good enough for yao ming...it's good enough for me.
(4)
Steve S.
The place has been fixed up very nicely inside and out since Beijing Restaurant took over, and the food and value are a definite step up from the many other Chinese restaurants in the Excelsior. They do lunch specials 11-3, which are much more mainstream chinese options that you see everywhere and just fairly average quality, but you get a whole meal (spring roll, rice, soup) with very generous portions for $5.50. For dinner or a la carte, the food is really fantastic. I am no expert on the different styles of Chinese cooking, but we've been trying out the menu and have definitely found some unique dishes. They also have a good number of vegetarian options, including a veggie mushu. And as others have said, the green onion pancakes are great!
(5)
Megan K.
I am pleased to report that I have finally found my regular chinese delivery spot! After much hunting and sampling in the area, this place has by far the freshest and tastiest chinese food that delivers to 941112. I ordered delivery last night and it arrived super fast. I got pork fried rice, egg rolls, basil chicken, and hot garlic shrimp. The vegetables tasted like they had just been chopped and sauteed, not taken out of a freezer. The chicken and shrimp were very fresh as well. I was delighted to experience dishes that had bold but refreshing flavors, not too salty or greasy.
(4)
Loretta G.
"Cumin Lamb. Cumin Lamb. Cumin Lamb. Must go there now!" This has been the latest soundtrack of my mind. I have been possessed by the powers of Beijing Restaurant and their mighty culinary skills. Wistful thoughts of that lamb, and it's cuminy goodness, have disrupted my ability to concentrate. My life will never be the same.
(5)
Shelley S.
Really good. Got the Curry Beef, Sweet and Sour Shrimp and some Cream Cheese Crab Egg rolls. The Curry Beef was ok, but the other stuff rocked... was so good. Not expensive either.
(4)
Tracy B.
It's Wednesday night, my wife, who is the toughest person I know, is on the couch crying due to a migraine headache. I can't do anything for her which kills me! Her stomach is upset, all the lights are off and I'm seating next to her trying to make her feel better. She asks me to get her something light to eat like soup. I suggest Won Ton Soup cuz there's plenty-O-Chinese food restaurants within blocks of our house. She agrees saying it sounds good. I call Beijing Restaurant because it's very close and has many and good reviews, takes credit cards and delivers however my wife can not eat shell fish! When the gentleman answers the phone I ask if their Won Ton soup has shrimp in it. It's not uncommon for the stuffing to contain shrimp. The gentleman on the other end of the phone doesn't seem to understand what I am asking so he gets another person on the line. I ask again and he says no, then I ask if he can deliver to which he replies no even though I know they do. He gives me an excuse about it being busy and the delivery person is gone and won't be back for sometime. I explain that I am just around the corner but he still says no. I decide that I can go get it and start to place an order. He stops me in the middle of placing my order and asks me to call back in 10 minutes. Needless to say, I didn't. In this day and age, customer service is paramount! I gave Beijing Restaurant one star because I couldn't choose -1,000,000 stars. Their food might be great but I'll never know because I will never eat there.
(1)
Martha M.
The food is not bad. Had lamb with green beans, wanton soup, pot stickers, and fried prawns. Everything was pretty good, but the prawns were GROSS, they had the shells on and their faces. Oh we didn't like the Pot Stickers either Other than that it was good. They only accept cash for delivery.
(4)
Mike L.
I reserved my review until now mainly because I wanted to give this place another try and I really did want this place to be good. We need good/clean restaurants in the area. My first visit was take out. I ordered traditional Beijing dishes. I don't remember what because it was some time ago. I do remember that I was disappointed by the lack of taste and poor representation of Beijing food. My second visit was dine-in. I was hoping that it would be better than take out. Again I was disappointed for the same reasons. My girlfriend is a fan of fried crab wontons. I know it's white people food, but she's white so that makes it okay. It came out looking like egg rolls, all rolled up. We have NEVER had crab wontons rolled up like egg rolls. We also ordered the Special Flour Ball with vegetables. I could not believe my eyes when I saw canned peas & carrots and something diced up (flour ball) with a bit disced cucumbers. Where are the flour balls? It was awful! We also ordered the Hunan Fish. Again it was awful. Imagine watered down Hunan sauce from a jar over fired fish that had been in a take out box for 30 min. Yes, soft and saugy. For desert we ordered the Fried Sweet Cake Beijing Style. OMG, it wasn't cake at all. It was fried sweet bun (like pork buns) with red bean paste inside over a bed of raw cabbage. Yes, cabbage! Who uses raw cabbage as garnish on a desert? To make the dish sweeter they sprinkled plain sugar all over. Needless to say we will not be back despite the glowing reviews here. Why people think a restaurant is good because Yao Ming eat there. Yao Ming is NOT a chief nor a food blogger/writer. He plays basketball!
(1)
Johnson H.
Their flour balls remind me of gnocci. Food is good. They have parking. A nice quiant chinese food joint in the Excelsior..
(4)
Constance C.
Last time I came here I had their cumin lamb, beef noodle soup and green onion pancakes and this dough ball dish. The cumin lamb was okay, personally I prefer the one I make myself since I make it with better flavor thanks to a restaurant grade stove. The beef noodle soup was okay, but I guess I just prefer Taiwanese style beef noodle soup. Their green onion pancake was pretty good, nice and flakey but a bit on the expensive side. The dough balls were ehh, I didn't like them but maybe it's not my thing.
(3)
Alo A.
After reading all the great reviews we decided to take the drive from Oakland all the way to try this place out. While the food is great, it really wasn't worth the drive out there. There are only 2 things that I liked... 1) they have the best potstickers I've ever had... and i've had a lot in my 31yrs of life lol and 2)normally a lot of asian restaurants use so much oil in their cooking. not this place. the food was oil free, very very delicious. Also the portion size for what you order is definitely not to be desired. If you're not a local skip it. And if you do decide to go don't listen to everyone and get the cummin beef. it was beef with a whole bottle of cummin. lol not that great. :)
(3)
beverly l.
I've been looking for a good chinese restaurant near my new home. I got the lamb skewers (great), beef pancakes (like long flat pot stickers. good but really greasy), and the beijing cold noodle (a little too sweet). Not the best chinese food I've ever had. They could ease up some on the oil, but overall it seemed fairly authentic and it will go on my list of places to hit up for easy to reach northern chinese food.
(4)
Christy Y.
I live really close to this restaurant but have never gave it a try because it gave me some cheap asian food feeling from the outside. But I finally decided to try it out because of the high rating. I went there at around 11:30pm, the employees were still eating, but they quickly put up their smiles and served us and other customers. The place was pretty small and I felt warm and cozy, there are a lot of pictures on the wall with mostly YaoMing... We ordered steamed baozi, fried veggie pancake, and beef stew noodles. steamed baozi was not the shanghainese type, it has no soup inside, but it still taste good. The veggie in the pancake are very fresh, and I really like the pancake's texture, its slightly crispy and the thickness was just right! Finally, the beef stew noodle was so far the best beef stew noodle i 've had in S.F, I like how they make their own noodle, the soup is really tasty too! Overall The food are fresh, tasty and good looking :D The service was great, too, although the employees were eating, but they still served us with their warm smile. I love this place, will definitely come back and try to have dinner here next time.
(5)
Carol L.
I'd like to come back here and try the other dishes. Three dishes were ordered: fennel dumplings, cumin lamb, and this chili delights special sauce with pancakes. OMG. this chili delight thing was crazy. I don't think anyone on earth is capable of eating the dish. i took a total of 5 bites, and after each bite, at least 10 mins worth of sweating. I'm pretty sure I'll have indigestion and heartburn in a few minutes...
(3)
Yvonne Z.
Im surprise that I can get such authentic food in SF,Thank you guys~
(4)
Anne W.
Just moved to Brisbane and are looking for good non-Cantonese Chinese restaurants nearby with decent vegetarian selections. This is definitely a possibility. Even for vegetarians like us, there are good choices of tofu and vege dishes. I was impressed with the eggplant in garlic sauce. Just the right firmness and tasty tangy sauce. Has its own parking lot is a big plus in that area of town. I got there just at 5:30. Got very busy pretty soon. Recommend going there off peak hour.
(4)
Matthew T.
All the dishes I tried were very good. They had some weird small doughy balls that were really good with vegetables. The noodles with the black sauce was good too. Extremely good quality, but it is expensive for chinese food.
(5)
Miranda J.
First experience. Cumin lamb was good, war won ton was just ok. But delivery was quick & friendly! Perhaps I should have ordered more of the Beijing specials! Will absolutely try again.
(3)
Johann K.
Just got delivery from Beijing the other night, it was good, and very fast. We ordered more 'american chinese' style food: Vegetarian hot-n-sour soup: okay, a little too peppery. My guess is the meaty variant would be better. Sauteed green beans (with soft tofu added): pretty good Chicken with broccoli: good - nothing out of the ordinary Brown rice: no complaints. Delivery was very fast. Overall, a good experience, not too greasy, would order from them again for sure.
(4)
Kevin S.
When I first moved into the excelsior I thought this place was the beesknees. My brother and I came in multiple times yet still the staff acted like they didn't know who we were. Not that I expect them to give us hugs and start dancing when we walk in but we certainly were not faceless customers. They always bring out the food out of order and that really bothers me. Also as another yelper said if you start questioning menu items they get all flustered. They all hang out and watch karaoke while you're trying to eat. The food isn't bad but the service has turned me off from this place.
(2)
christopher a.
it took me a long time to stop by here when i'm out visiting my dad, but my sister kept saying it was really good. and it is really good.
(4)
Sean S.
Just moved in down the street from this place and have really lucked out! The food is fantastic, the vibe inside is very relaxed and customer oriented with neon-backed photos on the walls, and a very friendly staff. The one criticism I have to make, which almost took the review to 4 stars, is sometimes the staff can be a little slow and/or confused. I have been here twice and both times we've had to do some extra waiting before getting service. I've also seen other customers struggling with this as well, having to flag down a server to order. I only really point this out because the place is so small that there shouldn't be tables that go forgotten; especially when the restaurant is only 3/4 full. That being said, when they do get around to helping you it's fantastic, aside from the issue we had last time where our vegetables came out 10 or more minutes after our meat and noodles, again, another table was having the same problem. I haven't branched out to the Beijing style dishes that a lot of people on here have been talking about but now that I've read the reviews next time I know what I have to order! Thus far the sweet and sour shrimp (sorry for being a cliche whitie) is out of this world! A light sweet red sauce on perfectly fried big shrimp with pineapple, onions, and green peppers. The asparagus chicken was also perfectly cooked and delicious. The chow mein extremely surprised me as it wasn't greasy AT ALL! Packed full of flavor but not drenched in oil it was some of the best chinese noodles I have ever had. The pot stickers were also good, but probably the least favorite of anything Ive had, but a killer deal! $4.50 for 6 pot stickers is almost unheard of in the bay area, especially at the quality that they produce. They were good, but I just prefer mine to be a little crispier with slightly thicker wrapper. While we're talking about prices though - GODDAMN!! SUCH fair prices! One of the main things that will keep me coming back for more. Pot stickers and 3 entrees for $27? Yes! Considering you get tea and water at no charge and that's what I usually go for in most situations, that's less than $35 out the door for an awesome and satisfying meal! I also want to note, and maybe this will further dampen my un-authentic food cred, that they have another delicious appetizer that is cream cheese and crab deep fried served with sweet and sour sauce. Yes, it is americanized and unhealthy, BUT, it is amazing! I haven't found a legitimate place that serves these (aside from panda express occasionally...meh) since I lived in another state, and I am extremely happy to have found a place that serves them worthy of my support :)
(5)
Johnson C.
This place was Great! good customer service! i actually never noticed this restaurant before until my friend had brought me there for lunch!
(5)
lily l.
I love the noodles here! They have amazing dishes and the quality of service is awesome. It is very quaint and I went here for my Christmas dinner. I don't recommend the Cumin Lamb for people who do not LOVE cumin or lamb (acquired taste I have not found).
(4)
kathy s.
It's called Beijing Restaurant on Alemany and Ocean and it's a rare find and an oasis in our neighborhood. We've been twice in the last week and both times the food was wonderful and really interesting. I should say my husband is Chinese and both of us are adventurous Asian food eaters, so we tend to know quality and authenticity when we find it. The owners Sandy and Jin are two Beijing natives (by way of New Zealand) who are young, energetic, and very outgoing. They are very excited about their food and eager to tell you about the special "small food" dishes and hand-made noodles Jin's mother (who ran a restaurant in Beijing for 20 years) is making in the back alongside another trained chef. The restaurant specializes in Beijing cuisine, only here, they mean it. The place is small (9 tables), occupying an unusual corner spot you may have never noticed before. There are dishes here you will rarely find in the bay area and everything we've had has been wonderful. The first time, we had: * Cumin Lamb * House Special Pie--really a kind of turnover with wonderful pork and ginger * House Special Steamed Meatball--amazingly tender and delicious The second time we had: * Warm Pot with fish-a kind of soup in a clay pot with tender slices of rock cod and preserved vegetable in a tasty broth * Beijing Beef Pie--fantastic * Beijing Style Noodles with Special Sauce-made with hand-pulled noodles you mix everything together with cucumber, been sprouts, and celery--a tad salty, but that might be Beijing style * We even tried dumplings with fennel! Apparently it's a Beijing favorite The menu has lots of other interesting dishes on it, including flour ball dishes (meaning dishes with dumplings), and lots of Beijing specialties as well as many more traditional Chinese restaurant dishes. They do a very inexpensive lunch as well. I hope Yelpers will check it out and help these guys get off the ground.
(4)
Nilofer M.
Great food. Yay for delivery & within an hour of placing the order on a friday evening. Green Onion Pancake - very nice. Better and less greasy compared to other places Stir Fy potato - yep, it looks like noodles, but its quite tasty. Quite garlic-y though. Could do with some salt. Green Beans - very nice. A bit greasy, but thats probably by definition Mu-Shu Chicken & Vegetable - Very nice. Liked it mucho Cumin Lamb : Had to order it based on the reviews. It was okay. A bit chewy and as advertized full of cumin.
(4)
Quantas G.
Yao Ming has 'endorsed' the place. He is Asian, a big one at that, so I trust his opinion. His face is plastered all over the walls along with a bunch of other locals who have gorged themselves on the delectables found at this joint. Good stuff.
(4)
zoom z.
Was there the other night. Reserved a table for 10. The restaurant is kinda small, so make sure you make reservation if you have a big group. Not sure why they close at 9:00 pm every night, so be there early as well. The food is way better that what I expected for a small restaurant out of no where, and the price is great. Could not find a dish that costs more than $10, and they have their own parking in the city!!! For sure will go back and try the other dishes.
(4)
Ed R.
I must add the Vegetable Pie to my list of fav dishes!
(4)
Charles B.
Beijing has just won a new convert. I started with the hot & sour cucumber. Not that hot and not that sour, but crisp and refreshing. The cumin lamb was tender, spicy in a slow heat way, flavorful and not at all oily. (Lamb is fatty, you can't help that, but the dish wasn't greasy.) I would order either dish again (after I got a chance to try some of the other dishes that you don't find on too many menus in Cantonese SF) (not hatin' on Cantonese, I love HK style, but I do like to have a change of pace) (as apparently do some Cantonese folks as I heard some sam yup at the next table). The staff was all friendly. The place is on the small side, nine 4-tops and a couple 2-tops. When I got there, the 2-tops were being used with the 4-tops to seat big families -- the one next to me was chowing down on some apparently authentic dishes such as a won ton soup with glass noodles. Despite me being a lone diner and there being another lone diner they sat me at a 4-top with no attitude and did not rush me either. (Of course, there was only one chair at my 4-top but still, they didn't ask us two lone diners to share a 4-top.) The place is definitely on the informal side -- they did borrow the other part of the table for less than a minute while switching out empty plates for full at the next table, but they asked if it was okay and I said it was. It wasn't a big deal for me but just be aware this place is close quarters. (Although the sound level is quite reasonable.) This place is definitely family-friendly. The big group had 2 young girls with them and there are photos of customers' families with the staff all over the wall. A few of the photos are with Yao Ming in the restaurant. I asked about it, and they said he had been there twice. Hey, if it's good enough for Yao it's good enough for me. I would definitely eat here again and I would bring friends here.
(4)
Michael W.
FRESH, TASTY, AND AUTHENTIC BEIJING CUISINE I ate at this restaurant for the first time yesterday, and was pleasantly suprised by how great it was. It reminded me of the best restaurants in Beijing, minus the loud grimy bustle of China. I will certainly be going back again. FOOD We ordered several dishes, almost all of which were amazing. The green onion pancakes were chock-full of freshly chopped green onions and were hot and slightly crispy without being oily at all.. The cold wide noodle salad was very spicy but delicious, with a hint of black pepper. We also had a clay pot with extremely fresh meat balls and homemade preserved vegetables. The stir-fried flour balls had a firm, slightly chewy texture and were well seasoned without being overpowering. The braised beef tendon was soft and chewy, with a rich brown sauce. Only the black bean paste noodle (jia jiang mian) was not to my liking, as it was too salty. We also ordered a dessert made from rice flour and red bean that was outstanding. Although I am normally a fan of red bean paste, I found myself eating two pieces without even realizing it. All of the food was made to order and tasted extremely fresh. The restaurant also uses seasons their dishes well, using minimal oil and salt and no MSG. SERVICE The restaurant is family owned and operated, and the staff is all extremely nice. They chatted with us, made great recommendations about dishes to order, and did not rush us at all, even though the restaurant was pretty packed. The food took a long time to come up, but the owner explained that this was because they were making everything to order. We weren't in a hurry, and you could really taste the freshness! VALUE The dishes were well priced and the portions were very generous. Especially considering the freshness and the wonderful flavors, this place is a great value.
(5)
Miriam M.
The food is always fresh and delicious. The Mongolian Beef is addicting (i am somewhat of a carnivore). Their dessert is really good--red bean paste--also the vegetable flour ball plate is refreshing. I have yet to try the more authentic Beijing plates but hopefully that will change soon! Love the warm atmosphere that the family/owner provides; I love to see hardworking people, especially those who really love what they do and are damn good at it be successful. It is pretty busy for dinner but their lunch specials are great and not too busy: from 11-3pm which includes your entree choice, egg flower soup, and a delicious vegetarian egg roll and all for $5.50!
(5)
Mike G.
Went by this bright red place all the time but never went in until now. Had the sweet and sour shrimp, onion pancakes, eggplant, and rice. First impression, not bad, not bad at all. My favorite would be the sweet and sour shrimp, flavorful, not that soft, not that crunchy. Onion pancakes were ok, not good or bad but fills you up very fast. Would come back here again to try there lamb dishes.
(5)
Ammiel H.
I am giving one star because I cant give no stars. I ordered off of grubhub for delivery, my estimated time for delivery was an hour. An hour and a half pass and I call to check on my order and the man who answered the phone was absolutely confused and has no idea what customer service means. After asking me what I ordered 3 times, he told me my order was not placed THEN he told me it was placed for pick up (which is bull because on my e receipt it even says DELIVERY TIME) and THEN he asks me if I ordered a bunch of stuff that isnt even what I ordered! He then said I should have called in the order... well WHY ARE YOU ON GRUBHUB?? Now i am without any food and have to order from somewhere else and i'm effin starving! Maybe the food is great but I wouldnt know because after 10 minutes on the phone I received NO apology and was not offered until being told that its basically my fault for their mistake that they will now deliver the food. I'm sure that the dining experience is probably nice and I was looking forward to eat their food but damn gina the customer is always right even if they arent it in this case I was!
(1)
Andy R.
This was hands down the best Chinese food I have ever had in my life. I am 28 years old and have eaten a lot of food in my life, and this was really good. Very new flavors for me, very fresh food, very delicious. I recommend going with a larger group so you can try a variety of dishes. We had the lamb, meatballs, a few meat pancakes, chive pancakes, shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, a cucumber dish, a sour-ish onion/noodle/dumpling soup, a cold fat noodle dish, an eggplant dish, a greenbean dish, a crazy spiced sliced potato dish. Of all of those dishes I recommend the eggplant and the potatoes the most. I'm sure there other dishes that were excellent too, and am excited to go back. The interior is modest, the staff is very friendly and congenial, the price is moderate (good value). Parking is available behind the restaurant. Credit cards are accepted. Photos of happy customers on the wall, including Yao. They deliver w/in a 2 mile radius.
(5)
Angie C.
We had lunch here yesterday because my fellow Yelpers said this was a great spot. Did I go to the right restaurant? I can read English and I swear the reviews I read said it was good. Are all reviewers friends with the owners? Did you get paid to offer positive reviews? I told my mom, who also wanted to try it, that we did not enjoy the food and she said we might've gone on a bad day when the regular chef wasn't there. I don't know ... We order the Beijing noodles aka Ja jang mien. It was SUPER salty. We didn't even mix in the all the sauce. It was salty beyond belief. So salty that we just couldn't stomach it. The second dish was the pork and leek dumplings. That was bland and was just average. Ling lings from Costco (although not quite the same thing since those are pot stickers) are even tastier. Our last dish was the beef pancake (not the meat pancake ...). That was super oily and the beef filling was spread really thin but didn't make it to the outer edges of the pancake. It also lacked flavor. Overall, I'm really surprised. I love greasy food. I love cheap food. I love trying new restaurants. I love being surprised by hole in the walls. I love spending more money than I can afford at over rated places. But what happened yesterday was just not good. Their service wasn't good either! A young girl brought us tea and then came back with a plastic setting for our son (totally AWESOME!) but since we weren't ready to order, we asked her for another minute. We're still waiting 5 minutes later when my husband finally flags a woman down. The "young" person who brought our food over was not excited about working. We were not difficult. Never asked for anything except extra napkins and the check. From service to food, it was just a poor experience. I'm really shocked. I may disagree with some reviews but this was just crazy. Authentic or not, it just wasn't a good meal. Give it another try? Only if someone else is flipping the bill ...
As some of the other reviewers have mentioned, you should order their Beijing cuisine dishes rather than the Americanized Chinese fare. The food is authentic, the portions are generous, and the price is very reasonable. Dishes to order include: - Claypot soup with meatballs and pickled vegetables. The meatballs are made from scratch and the vegetables are grown by the owners. This is an exceptional (and very authentic) way to start a Beijing cuisine meal. Just make sure you like white pepper because there's quite a bit of it and it makes your throat sear! - Beijing style gnocchi stir fried with meat. This is equivalent to dough that's been chopped up into bits and stir fried with a meat of your choice. Very tasty and a favorite among a lot of my friends who come here. - Zha jiang noodles. Noodles are hand pulled so they're al dente and fresh. Just make sure to use the sauce sparingly because it's quite concentrated and intense! - Beef pie or vegetable pie. This is essentially a thin pie stuffed with your choice of filling. Very tasty as well. Glad there's finally more (authentic) variety of Chinese food in the bay area and in SF in particular.
(5)
Sha'de d.
I come here with my boyfriend just about every 1-2 weeks. They serve one of the best authentic chinese food in the city. Even Yao Ming thinks so...his pictures are all over the walls like he's the ambassador for the restaurant. Our favorites on the menu, are the cumin lamb and eggplant dishes. The seafood clay pot is good as well. If your craving soup try their half/half flavored hot pot- you can choose from different meats and vegetables, each of which are reasonably priced compared to an all-you- can-eat hot pot restaurant.
(4)
rainie z.
ohhhh~~~i love the food there~~have been there tons of time and still wanna go~~~ as a originally beijinger, i have to say that~~u just cant find any other "beijing" food better than here~~
(5)
Alexandra L.
I'm usually not a big Chinese food girl, but there's something about this place that keeps me coming back. First, it's the great selection of soups and fresh vegetables. All the food is cooked perfectly every time. The owners, waiters are always nice, and you can tell they really care about the service they give to their customers. I think you can't ask for anything better. I now have my favorite restaurant in the excelsior. Sorry sushi raw, you're too expensive and ya just down hold down the same type of welcoming as Beijing Restaurant!:) YUM, anyone who hasn't gone here, go, get a soup with extra veggies, it's healthy if you don't want to go too greasy, also another great thing is, sweet and sour shrimp, it's the alternative to pork or chicken, much lighter. Another YUM is their eggplant dishes, their pot stickers rock, and the wrapps with the stufing and plum sauce. crap cant remember what it's called. Those are my top favs. go gettem!
(5)
Manuel D.
I live in the area and had to find a new Chinese Restaurant. Emmys on Ocean Ave was just not cutting it. Thanks to YELP I can say I found it. The food was very tasty and fresh.
(5)
Kin M.
My family and I went to this place last week, this place is small, but a lot of people. We waited around 15 minutes to got a table. The waiter was very nice. The food were very good! I gave 4 stars because this place wasn't so comfortable!
(4)
Elena H.
Great place to eat. No MSG, which is a big plus for me. When we sat down, we saw the picture of YaoMing having been there in the restaurant. Well, if he was there, it must be good. This turned out to be true. We finished all the dishes that we ordered and went home satisfied.
(5)
Ho Yin C.
I am from Hong Kong, and this is one of the better hotpot places in the city I have had so far. I would consider it pricier for Asian food, around ~30 per head after all is said and done. They are known for their beef pankcakes, which I have to say are not bad. There non hotpot food is quite good as well.
(4)
Lester Y.
We tried their lunch specials ($5.50) of hot and spicy sliced pork which was good and their egg plant which was also good. Nothing really special about either dish as both dishes taste just like any other mandarin restaraunt food. Portions of egg plant was generous and very sweet, which I liked. Also ordered a cold dish of cucumbers, which was very good. Soup was napa cabbage soup that was good and the egg roll was plain but not greasy, much better than most places that serve egg rolls. I would come back again but not for their lunch special which was ordinary. I want to try their other dishes which looked The menu does look like they offer much better selection than the typical lunch specials, but was in the mood for standard dishes today. Service was ok
(3)
bitta h.
The food here is really good but do come with friends so you can try a wide variety of delicious items. Stay away from the stuff you will find everywhere else and stick with the Beijing specialties - you won't be sorry.
(5)
L. H.
The first time we came, it was too crowded. We decided to give it another try and was disappointed. The food was mediocre. We were in Beijing, China and the food tasted just like the restaurants there. Heavy on MSG and strong soy sauce.
(2)
Rob C.
not bad- local place that is good for take out and delivery
(3)
Bradley D.
Great family-owned authentic Chinese food. Every time we go we try something new and are not disappointed. Although the place is kinda small, it's still a good place to go with a group and eat family style as Chinese food is meant to be enjoyed that way. The service is always prompt and attentive as well. You can tell they are working hard to establish this new restaurant as one of San Francisco's best places for authentic Chinese food. There's also a very convenient free parking lot. When approaching on Alemany from the south the lot will be on the right just before reaching the restaurant.
(5)
Elena N.
Yum! I came here with a friend that's from Beijing so he ordered for the table. We had a beef soup that was sooo tasty! I could just eat that and be happy! They were also these pork sandwiches that apparently people in Beijing eat for breakfast. Delicious! A couple more of my favs were the corn with pine nuts and this amazing fish dish! They cook the fish in oil which keeps the fish nice and moist. We ended up getting like a 3.5 lbs fish so you can imagine it took a while to eat. But since the fish is served in the oil, it stays hot. If you get anything you have to try this one! Sooo good! You have to try it!!!
(5)
Aly A.
Standard cheap Chinese food. I got the beef noodle soup. The broth was fine, but the menu said it should be spicy. There was not even a tinge of spice. We also got the General's chicken. It was like an American version of Panda Express Orange chicken, but soggier and served with American broccoli. Lastly we got some nappa and pork dumplings. These I enjoyed, but cannot say they were much better or worse than another other place. I much rather go to King of Dumpling/Noodle.
(2)
H. D.
They have really authentic Chinese dishes that I never had at other restaurants before and very good customer service. It's a cute little place where I didn't expect to find a Chinese restaurant.
(4)
Kristen S.
One bite of their garlic-flavored sausage, and I'm transported back to my childhood in Beijing. Their cooked dishes are fairly authentic, too. Must tries: 1. chive pies 2. meatballs I'm not wowed by their zhajiang mian. Nice try, but it doesn't quite hit the right note.
(4)
Elaine Y.
You probably won't believe me, but I did bursted into tears when I smelled my Zha Jiang Mian, let alone when I ate it! I'm from Beijing, with a low expectation of Americanized Beijing food, this place is sooooo authentic! The sour chinese cabbage warm pot with meat ball, the fennel dumplings, string beans, yu xiang rou si (my all time favorite!!), and leek eggs pancake...OMG!! It simply blew my mind During the past weekend, I have to come here twice as I currently live in LA and there is nothing like this here..Carpe Diem when I was in SF!! Being a Chinese or not, you have to come to this restaurant. It's simply authentic and amazing!
(5)
Evan W.
Where should I begin? I know these are Chinese people but they have squeezed in tables to cover every available square foot so there is no area for one to order food to go as they have a table in front of the cash register. You will have to stand in the aisle which is one person wide and thus blocking the kitchen from the dining room tables. Been to this place maybe a dozen times, most of which was to go. So I place my order for onion pancakes, a side dish, and a main meal----all for myself which totaled $25 and change. I ate there the night prior and they told me to pay when I pick it up as I left to do a few errands, so I figure I could pay at the end. I'm sitting down at a table and the girl cashier waves and yells at me. I approach here and she blurts the total to me. She doesn't say, ' the total is xxx, please or thanks" or anything of that nature. 'TWENTY FIVE DOLLA', huh? 'TWENTY FIVE DOLLA". She didn't even show me the bill so I can see the total amount. The workers have horrible attitudes and the food is overpriced. Sure they had a food truck at the Mission St food festival but it doesn't mean the food is good(maybe to a white person). The green onion pancakes are way too doughy. It should have layers of flakiness. The chicken with hand cut noodles was drowned in sauce. Bleh. The dish tasted good after I drained the excess sauce. The spicy cucumber appetizer is tasty. --------------------------------------------------Â---------------- As for the other times I have called in, they said the food would be ready in 25 minutes. I come in there after the alloted time expired and the food wasn't ready for another 20 minutes. This has happened at least two other times. I guess they prioritize the eat in customers even if they come in after you submit your to go order. -------------------- Horrible service mediocre food long take out delay bad attitudes If you like all of those, please continue to eat there.
(1)
Wendy L.
I live 4 blocks away. I ordered chow mein & chow fun (simple orders) through eat24 app for delivery because I had stuff to do at home. It took 1 full hour to arrive and it was room temperature (not hot at all). I had to microwave it. It also did not taste very good. I threw half of it in the trash. Never again.
(1)
Max R.
Meh is the perfect way to describe this restaurant. Food was ok at best. Smaller portions, higher prices and a much lower quality than Chef Hunan, a chinese restaurant just two blocks away. Can't find a single reason to go back to this place.
(2)
Kevin M.
I love this place. And it is in my neighborhood which has a dearth of decent restaurants, so I come frequently. What can I say? Food is generally excellent and a welcome change from the prevalent Cantonese cuisine in the City. Get the pancakes, cumin lamb, Beijing noodles, egg surface toufu, 3 flavor vegetables.. I really like the owners. They are very friendly and care about what they do.
(5)
Katrina L.
This place is just okay for me. I was on a mission to find the best beef stew noodle soup in SF. Overall the noodles and beef were good but the broth was watered down and not as hot as I hoped it would be. We also ordered the house special shrimp and eggplant which barely had any shrimp in there. You could also tell that the shrimp were not fresh but frozen. The beef pancake was delicious though. I think it's hit or miss here. Service wasn't too great. I had to ask for ice water twice. I also thought it was odd when we asked for refills on water she took 3 of our cups into the back to fill them and handed them back to us. It's obvious that she didn't pay attention to who had which cup, which is disturbing. Why don't they have water pitchers? Oh and our "ice water" was iceless too.
(3)
Michael K.
I was looking forward to this place for years. Finally tried it and it was disgusting and I have a stomach ache. The place is pretty run down and dirty. The jian bing (Chinese pancake with egg, and crunchy crackers inside) was worse than any thing I ate in 2 years on the streets of Beijing. It was the size of a small plate and cost $7. The pea sprouts tasted OK, but were cold. The fried on bottom dumplings were half empty lacking meat. I asked if the sweet and sour was Chinese style or American style. They said, 'Not too sweet." It tasted lack typical American sweet and sour. Even eggplants were not browned well. Also the chop sticks were not the disposable kind and had food stuck on them. I told everyone not to use them, so we ate with forks. Disappointment.
(1)
Perci N.
I've been here about half a dozen times now. Two stars is the perfect number. It's edible, but it's just not worth it for the price. Their regional specialty dishes aren't anything to write home about. Their other location in the Sunset is better in both service and quality. Eat here only if you must have nearby non-American Chinese food, and don't mind the slightly higher prices and mediocre taste.
(2)
Patrick C.
Where have I been?? I've seen this place for years....drove by thinking that this place was a rip-off Chinese restaurant for people who only eat sweet-N-sour pork and hot-N-sour soup type of place. Until one day my friend keeps telling me that he goes here a lot and that it is open till 2am...?? I asked if he lived near by and he said no...he goes here because the food is really good....?? WOW...I said I must try (as my friend is also a Chinese restaurant owner. So came here and gave them a shot...wow...was I impressed! Weird spot for a restaurant at first as the location is a stand alone little hut on the corner of Alemany...just weird. Dumplings - Good...not some dumplings that I can't get anywhere else but just good. Intestine, pork blood pot - FAVE dish! This isn't even on their online menu, Spicy eggplant - Must have for eggplant lovers! Corn soup - Awesomeness!! They also deliver! Their sister property on Irving Street in the Sunset is just as good.
(4)
Ceecee W.
I have found home away from home, and I have been here 3 times in the last 2 weeks (mind you, I live rather far from Mission Terrace, but I'd always go far for good food) I'm sure you are here because you want Northern China food, and let me tell you right now that you are picking the right place. My to-go on a bad day is 1. #88 Beijing Noodles with Special Sauce (Zha Jiang Mian). C-O-M-F-O-R-T-F-O-O-D. Can not rave enough about this dish. Seriously, don't just come for chow mein and General Tao chicken. Go with something more authentic. 2. They also have some really good egg flower corn chicken soup - ask for red vinegar, you won't regret it. 3. #30 n Shredded Pork with Braised Sauce - if you are into meat, you would love this dish. Seasoned perfectly with an abundance amount of sauce. If you come here on a random weekday night, you might just see me sitting in the corner stuffing my face with #88. Do not disturb me then. You are warned.
(5)
Cara N.
Not the best food. Ordered for delivery since we live really close by, but the delivery still took an hour. I read most of the reviews & looked at pictures before ordering and was pretty disappointed in their food. I know that this is supposed to be "Yao Ming's fav restaurant" but I've had better food. We had: Spinach Tofu Soup (bland, nothing special) Beijing Noodles with Special Sauce (yuck.....) House Special Steam Meat Balls (looks good, but tasteless, needs more flavor) I'm sure there are other good dishes since there are so many reviews, but from what I've tried, I didn't like it at all.
(2)
Joanna W.
3 min drives from house. Convenient parking lot. If you come during lunch or dinner rush, you will need to wait. Most of the waiters have limited English skills but there's at least one that can speak and understand it. The owners are nice. The place is bright and one table is by the windows. They have pictures of their guests and Yao Ming on the walls, along with some Chinese decorations. If are one of the few tables there, you can hear Mandarin music playing. Large menu with specialized Beijing dishes, vegetarian options and lunch specials. Price are normal for a Chinese restaurant. Portions are big. The Bf and I usually spend $20-$24 with tip and we have enough for at least 2 meals. Take-out orders are ready in about 15 minutes. Favorite dishes: - Mapo tofu w/ pork - Very spicy w. the red mapo sauce. This is authentic mapo sauce, not the type the Cantonese restaurants cook with. Tofu, pork, peas, carrots. - Spicy Cold Beef Tripe ($6) - A bit expensive for a small amount of tripe but nonetheless very delicious with the mala sauce. - Garlic Eggplant - Eggplant with spicy garlic sauce. The sauce is great to go over rice. - House Chicken Wings ($12) - Expensive for the wings but they are delicious. Must try this at least once. When the BF went in for pick-up, he said he saw one of the workers eating from our Mapo Tofu. The lit was open and he literally had a spoon and was scooping it out. There was no bowl in sight so basically his saliva got mixed in the entree. They just closed the lid and put it in our take-out bag. It's surprising what you see at restaurants when the workers think you are not looking. Accepts credit cards.
(4)
Cassandra J.
After doing some searching on Yelp, the three of us decided to give Beijing Restaurant a try for three reasons: 1) we were craving Chinese food, 2) it was nearby, and 3) it had some really good reviews on Yelp. We were not disappointed in the least! We ordered a large bowl of Hot and Sour Soup to share among the three of us and what a surprise, we had far more than enough soup to have at least two generous bowls each! We followed it up with various entrees and left extremely full and satisfied. Service was extremely fast and friendly and helpful. The tables themselves are set a bit close together so you're almost brushing elbows with other diners that aren't even seated with you, but I'd happily go back for more delicious Chinese food. The price and quality are right on.
(4)
Sean W.
Food: It is OK. Nothing is really good or stands out. Panda Express is way than this. Price: Over $8 per dish. Seriously, i don't mind paying more, but not for poor quantity and quality of the food. Service: the waiters keeps yapping and ignoring customers. it does not deserve 4 stars at all. Just total disappointment.
(1)
Mengjie L.
Great beijing style cuisine, best quality considering the price in sf. wonderful service.
(5)
Cynthia F.
I made reservations for 5 people. My husband & I were 15 minutes earlier than our reservation time, but we got seated right away at our table while we waited for our guests. The service was quite fast, except for the soup bowls & spoons, which came a little later than the soup. We had for appetizers, three flavor dumplings, fried chicken wings & onion pancake. For soup, we had Sliced Fish with Preserved Vegetable in warm pot. For main dish, we had Beef with Green Onion & Spinach with Garlic. Everything had well balanced flavor and made fresh. The service was quick. We didn't feel rushed at all. The staff were very nice and attentive. We will definitely come back for more of Beijing's cuisine!
(5)
Brian B.
Unique restaurant different from your regular Cantonese style SF joints. The restaurant itself is one step above a hole in the wall. The place is decorated to a certain degree so it's decently nice for an SF restaurant, especially out on Alemany. There's a parking lot on Alemany so that's very convenient. The best part of this place is the type of Chinese food. The food is not your Cantonese style food, it's more of a northern and some western Chinese influence. The place is pretty small so is not good for a big group. They are also opened really late now. -Cummin lamb is delicious. They toss on the spices and create a good blend for the lamb. Very very tasty dish! -Mao Po(aka Numbing) fish soup with chilli peppers is very unique. The tastes are just really bold and unique. The fish and soup are a good compliment. This is a bigger dish that you'll definitely want to share as is the case for most Chinese dishes at Chinese restaurants -Lamb skewers, you can skip this. It's basically the cummin lamb but on skewers and more expensive. I didn't really taste all the good charcoal grill flavors that you would have if it was done on the streets in China. I'm assuming they used a griddle to cook these? -Dumplings were good! The skin of the dumpling is not too thick and the meat inside is pretty juicy and well seasoned. However, they do not have minced garlic for the dumplings? We requested it but they said that they didn't have any. How is it possible that a restaurant, any restaurant, not have minced garlic? I, and I believe many other people, like our dumplings with black vinegar(instead of soy sauce) and minced garlic. They have the black vinegar but not the minced garlic. -Eggplant dish was fabulous. They did a great job with the eggplant, very purple, tender but not overly mushy that the eggplant has no form.
(5)
Lisa N.
This is the place to go when you have the hankering for real food at 1am--sometimes Mel's or Denny's just doesn't cut it. I took my parents here and they are tough critics for authentic Chinese food, and this seemed to pass their test. Sure, it's not in the best of neighborhoods and it might look a little small and divey on the outside--but that's when you know you've stumbled on something good. The inside of the restaurant is much more warm and bright. Customer photos line the walls (but not in a cheesy sort of way). It's more charming than cheesy. Maybe the endorsement from Yao Ming helps--I don't know, maybe I'm biased because I like basketball. The service is good, and the food is good. We enjoyed the Beijing beef pancakes, the beef noodle soup, the Beijing noodles, the mushu pork, and these Bejing hamburger things my dad ordered that looked straight off some fancy food truck in SF. All in all, a pretty solid meal in an unexpectedly pleasant environment with decently priced food at a place that stays open til' 2am! You can't really go wrong there!
(4)
Juan B.
Pretty Simple: Service: Not great but what Chinese restaurant does has great service. Food: Oh so tasty. Mongolian beef was great with the meat so tender. Lemon Chicken was nice and crunchy and fresh tasting. Crab cheese puffs were yummy although I'm not fan of cream cheese. Going back for sure to try something else along with the Mongolian beef!
(4)
Mariela D.
Yao Ming eats here when he's in town! So it must be good, right? I was a bit skeptical until I walked in and saw pictures of his visit. Nice! I've been coming here with my family since it was Nulite Kitchen back in the 80s/90s. Different owners, different menu, but it still feels like the same place. My husband and I tried a bit of everything, to figure out if it was worth a second visit. I wanted to try the cumin beef based on the reviews, but he likes to stick to the more common dishes. BOO! But I was happy to get him to eat something other than wings, cheesesteak or pizza, so I was glad to compromise. So, we tried... - Potstickers: Too much wrapper and not enough filling. Disappointment :-( (photo: yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) - Egg rolls: These were crisp and tasty. But their sweet and sour dipping sauce was too watery and had too much vinegar in it, which ruined it a bit for me. (photo: yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) - Prawns in spicy garlic sauce: Served on a bed of steamed brocolli. Unfortunately there was mostly brocolli and not many prawns, and there were too many onions slathered on top. And the sauce wasn't even spicy garlic, it was vinegary-tasting and watery, much like the sweet and sour sauce. Disappointment again. (photo: yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) - Shrimp fried rice: Okay, it's getting a bit better. The carrot, green onion and peas were fresh and the egg was fluffy. Too bad they only put like 9 shrimp in it. (photo: yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) - Beef chow mein: Finally, a winner! Flavorful, not overly salty, not overfried, the beef was tender, and they had the right amount of onions/green onions without overtaking the dish. Loved this. (photo: yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) - Also, my water was served at room temperature with no ice in it. I feel like I'm complaining alot, but if you look at my reviews, I usually don't. So when I do, I think it's justified. Food: 3.5 stars. Hit-or-miss, but mostly miss on my visit. On a positive note, the food is much less greasy than at other Chinese restaurants. Service: 2 stars. Our server disappeared after he took our order. He also didn't pack our leftovers like other Chinese restaurants do - he just dropped off the boxes and walked off. So I packed the food myself and made a mental note: "Service is two stars." Value: 4 stars. Portions are much smaller than at other Chinese restaurants, but the food is also less greasy. So that's a pretty good tradeoff. Overall: 3 stars. My quest to find a great Chinese restaurant in SF continues. So far, I've come to this conclusion: Chinese restaurants tend to be hit-or-miss, meaning some dishes are great and others fall short. If I find one that's a HIT across the board, you'll be the first to know :)
(3)
Clarence A.
4 solid stars for this spot If Yao Ming eats here you know they got to be doing something right. I have past this place more then a few hundred times, glad I stopped by for a taste.. Food wise don't go for a lunch plate try there special plates here are some of the things we tried beef tendon with baby bak choy in what tasted like oyster sauce but it was not oyster sauce. If you don't like tendon dont order this plate, it is chewy, it is sticky, for me it was deliciously awesome we tried spicy lamb which tasted as if it was marinated overnight with some heat similiar to salt and pepper pork chops but taken to another level. Again this plate had heat and was seasoned you can taste through what seemed like it as deep fried we tried the beef pancake for me it tasted similar to a dumpling of meat flattened just needed a sauce maybe dipping sauce of soy sauce it was ok not my favorite last we sampled was a beef soup, thick ramen noodles with beef chunks close to the bone pieces some full pieces of tendon with lil meat holding onto it ever so lightly, the beef alone was super tender, fall apart tender, the noodles standard, the broth excellent lil spicy and mid saltiness all over the palette Big bowl of white rice to help put down all these amazing eats, I will have to come back and venture some other choices on the special menu food **** price $$ service **** ambiance *** small venue for parties of 4 perfect lil bit more then 4 folks will feel crowded, pictures of several patrons and 2-3 pics of Yao Ming that actually came by and ate there
(4)
Michael S.
Possibly the best Chinese food in the city. This little gem is hidden away not far from CCSF. I've been to this place over 30 times and it's just as good as the first. I'm glad they updated their menu and included the Chinese Hamburger. Previously, it was an "off the menu" request. Definitely recommended. One of my favorite dishes is the shredded potatoes with garlic and vinegar. They only have the hot oil shredded potatoes on the menu, so you have to special order the shredded potatoes with garlic and vinegar. Complete orgasm will occur when you put these things in your belly. The cumin lamb isn't the greatest and the mabou tofu leaves much to be desired, but the rest of the menu is on par as far as I'm concerned. All in all, very friendly service, GREAT food, and a satisfied tummy.
(5)
J L.
Yao Ming picture is on the wall! But, he is not a customer at the restaurant, I don't see him eating in the picture. He was just visiting! First item we order: 60, Steam House Special Baozi $8.25 Second item: 117, Beef with String Bean $8.50 Third item: 101, Sesame Chicken $8.50 Fourth item: 139, Hot Braised Toufu $7.95 Fifth item: 80, Steam Rice $1.50 x 4 = $6.00 Spend around $50 includes tax and tips. I did not like any of it! So, is up to you!
(1)
Nicole S.
So, apparently Yao Ming eats here when he's in SF... My friend and I came here Sunday around 5:15pm. She found it on Yelp and we both wanted to try Beijing since it's rated 4 stars and located close by. FOOD: *Sizzling Rice Soup ($5.95 small) - Good. Beware if you have seafood allergies - fish, imitation crab, squid, clams and shrimp are included in the broth. I'm allergic to fish and they were extremely nice to redo the soup for me without fish in the broth since I didn't know fish would be in the soup. *Cumin Lamb ($9.95) - YUM! Thin slices of lamb are cooked with a variety of spices, bell peppers, and onions. Be careful, the spices add a good kick to the dish. *House Special Steam Meat Ball ($9.95, 4 pieces) - It was okay. We figured this was similar to lionhead meatballs, which it sort of is. Medium size pan fried meatballs are served on lettuce leaves with a thick sauce and green onions on top. *Egg Surface Tofu ($8.95) - Good. We didn't know what the dish was and asked the waiter who told us an egg sauce was placed on top of the tofu. When the dish came out, it was deep fried tofu pieces with a thick light brown sauce. Although I don't know where the egg was in this dish, it was still good where the tofu was perfectly deep fried and the sauce gave it a bit more flavor. *Pork with Ground Bean Sheet ($7.95) - YUMMY!! This dish was similar to a chow fun dish with the sauce. Ground bean sheets were like clear chow fun/ho fun noodles or thick clear flat noodles. The dish contains lots of chopped garlic with shreds of pork in a very flavorful brown sauce. SERVICE: Good - the waiters were all friendly and accommodating. They were also willing to pack our leftovers (always a big plus to me!!). OTHER NOTES: *The menu states no MSG *The restaurant is clean (big bonus points for an Asian restaurant!) *The restaurant is small - it can probably accommodate about 30 people or so PARKING: A small lot is adjacent to Beijing on Alemany Blvd or metered street parking. Beijing has great food and I'll definitely be back to try more items off their extensive menu!
(4)
Jen S.
So I've returned back to Beijing restaurant twice since my last review and I've consulted Yelpers as to what they liked and suggested. I followed what they suggested. Some were hits and others were misses. Cumin Lamb - spicy; remember I'm a spice wimp but good flavor to it Sliced Fish with Preserved Vegetables - my grandma commented that it tasted like sinigang, a Filipino broth with vegetables which is quite tangy; great flavor Onion Pancakes - very good but $7.95 seemed a bit high to charge for it Pork with Nappa Cabbage Dumplings - 12 comes on a dish; meh - didn't care for it Vegetables with House Sauce - nothing to rave about; you're usual eggplant, tomatoes, string beans, and sweet potatoes (?) Seafood Tofu Soup - Enjoyed this dish; plenty of shrimp, tofu, scallops, squid included Still looking for the right dishes but overall, they provide good food at reasonable prices with good service.
(4)
Kelly K.
We had: combination vegetables, eggplant, carrot, beans, onions in a hoisin sauce. a bit mushy but tasty. lamb dim sum, tasty and spicy in a homemade wrapper. pork dim sum, bland but the wrapper is homemade. spicy chicken wings, really chicken balls, the tips are removed. fried is the predominant flavor, with some pepper. onion pancake is good, but way less onion than the beautiful photos on the menu. skip the shrimp chow mein. mongolian beef with green beans, classic rich hoisin, tasty, not too complex. cellophane noodles with tofu in a sour/hot sauce, they do sour hot right! hot and spicy chicken, not hot or spicy, so so. we ordered rice but it never arrived. I would give this restaurant another chance, their menu has some ethnic treasures that could be very good. our party has a tame approach to eating so we achieved that goal. clean, fresh food in a clean environment, can't beat that, and... a parking lot! Come here for lunch, many do, but make reservations.
(4)
Ann L.
Went to Beijing Restaurant in SF, 1801 Alemany Blvd @ Ocean, SF for the first time Sat 7/10/10. They have a small parking in the back of the restaurant enough for about 10 cars, side street has metered parking. We got there about 5:15pm and I was pretty hungry. There was 1 other table in there. It's a small restaurant about 20 tables. They have walls w/ photos of their customers. Chinese basketball player Yao Ming is in many photos. That's cool. We got 5 dishes + 1 bowl of rice: Shredded potatoes w/ hot oil $5.95 - it's nicely shredded, not spicy to me. I liked it ok. Cumin lamb $8.95 - not a lot of lamb, lots of spices, not very spicy at all. Sauteed string beans $6.95 - I thought they were ok. Onion pancake $6.95 - nice, round pancake cut into 8 slices, served temperature hot. Good amount of green onions inside. Not too greasy which was good. Recommended. Nappa (sic) w/ pork dumpling $7.5 - comes w/ a small pot of soy sauce/vinegar. 12 dumplings. I liked them fine. 1 small bowl of rice $1 - fine. Our total before tip $41.95. They take credit cards. One unisex bathroom in the back on the Right.
(4)
Tenzin N.
I'm giving 2 stars because the food was good. There are still other places you can get great chinese food with good service. The reason I'm giving less stars is because I didn't get what I ordered. I didn't get the rice or an order of egg rolls which I paid for. I also received kung pao chicken instead of cashew prawns. This was an order placed on the internet and doesn't seem too hard to mess up a written order. When I called to tell them about the mistake they brought the white rice, but not the egg rolls and they didn't say anything else. They really didn't seem to understand their mistake or communicate well. I probably won't order for delivery again.
(2)
Belle Z.
Awesome food! A great mandarin restaurant, definitely stands out from the typical Chinese restaurant(Cantonese). The owner is very nice, and all the workers work efficiently. I recommend the lamb screwer, yogurt drink, dong meat pancakes, and the sour vegetable fish soup(I forgot what its called..) I come and eat here whenever i want a fabulous dinner! Cons: limited seats Pros: parking lot, reasonable price, taste, workers, variety, schedule I definitely recommend this place!
(5)
Mike C.
How did I find out about this restaurant? Pulled one of those front door delivered menus from the door knob. There was something very different about this one... in reading the menu, there was acutally Beijing food on the menu! Boy, was this a pleasant surprise. So many restaurants named Mandarin, Hunan, Shanghai, or other northern cooking styles offer menus that don't reflect their cuisine, serving the more common Cantonese fare. This restaurant is the real deal and, yes, they literally deliver too! When dining with my family, we recently ordered the following: Appetizers: a) Green Onion Pancake - Green Onions check. Tasty dough check. b) Steamed Pork and Vegetable Dumplings - Tasty choice especially with dark vinegar dipping sauce. c) Pot Stickers - The plate came piping hot and the bottoms were crispy good. d) Rainbow Noodle Skin (Fen Pi) - A segregated salad mixture of shredded eggs, cucumber, green and red bell peppers, pork slices, and cellophane noodle in a sweet brown sauce (possibly the same bean sauce on their jia jiang mein). It reminded me of Great China's (Berkeley) famed "Double Skin", but not quite as good. ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) e) Pork Meatball Soup - Served in a clay pot over a small flame, the ingredients include sour cabbage, Napa Cabbage, pork meatballs, and cilantro in a tastebud opening broth. If you don't like sour, you won't like this dish. ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) f) House Fried Rice - My brother chose this dish because he tired of the normally served white rice at most Chinese restaurants. It was okay with small pieces of beef and shrimp. g) Fish Flavored Eggplant - Cooked in a brown sauce spiced up with some red chili oil, the eggplant was both soft and chewy at the same time. h) Basil Chicken - Stir fried chicken meat with baby corn, red bell peppers, water chestnuts (canned), and basil, this dish was tasty and a nice contrast to the other dinner flavors. ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) As usual, we overordered for a party of four. However, since our family doesn't mind leftovers, the abundance of food is not an issue. They also offer a hot pot menu, which is nice during winter months. We arrived before 6 pm to beat the dinner rush as the restaurant is quite small (six or seven tables for four and two large tables for ten or more). They have a small adjoining parking lot that is gets full later in the evening (if you don't want to wait, come early). We must dine here more than I remember as we were seated next to our picture on their walls of fame (assorted pictures of dining guests). The delivery option also makes things convenient if you can't let go of the TV remote control at home.
(4)
Yasuko R.
The food is very good. No complains and the service is good. Me and my family always come here.
(5)
Marissa H.
Ordered shen jian bao (don't know the English name), cumin lamb, pea sprouts, pork belly, and meat pancake. Everything was very well seasoned and flavorful except for the shen jian bao. The ground pork might have been a bit too lean and there wasn't much filling. They weren't bad though, and everything else was delicious. We didn't have to wait when we got there around noon, but it started getting really busy within half of hour of being there with a line out the door. The staff was nice too. Would eat there again.
(4)
Ivy V.
HUMAN!!!!! They serve human, here? 'No, that's Hunan', I told my friend. Friend: Man, I thought I was gonna be Hannibal Lector on this b*tch. I reply: So do you think Yao Ming eats human? He ate here too, you know! Friend: Yao Ming eats human?!? I put my hand over my face, and shake my head side to side in disappointment. IDIOT. Beijing Restaurant should be Shanghai Restaurant cause most of the food are from there. What makes this place, different from the rest is that it's serves Northern Chinese as well as Chinese America. The parking is free and easy. It's kinda small, but it's not that hard to find a place outside of that. They do delivery, but it's free only if you reach the $15 minimum for the meals. They do deliver during lunch, too!!!! It has one unisex bathrooms and the walls are decors with photos!!!! Looks something like a Chinese Memento. It's kinda odd and funny that they chose a Ransom Note Font as their greeting/logo!!! Reservations are accepted for 6 parties or more. Credit cards are accepted here! Now to the food: Appetizers, (3.95 to 6.95) you have to try the Pot Stickers for 4.95. It's the best. Soups: (large 6.95 to 7.95) (small: 4.95 to 5.95): get the Won Ton Soup as most resturant will serve you Hot and Sour. The Warm Pots (9.50 to 10.95) are soups as well, not solid dishes. The Beijing Specials: (6.95 to 12.95) are great!!! The main dish I would choice in my opinion would be the Cumin Lamb (beef) 9.95. It's kinda gamy, but it's great!!! Beijing Dim Sum (6.95 to 7.95) are another popular dish, the pancakes are great with rice. Flour Balls (7.95 to 8.25) are a Chinese Street Food that are great in the mouth. Fried Rice (5.95 to 6.95) Steam Rice is 1.00 here. Chow Mein (5.95 to 6.95) great dish with great food. The Chicken, Beef and Chicken meals (7.95 to 10.95) are the same as any other Chinese place. Mushu (7.25 to 8.95) are good, all of them cone with 4 pancakes. (note: Chinese pancakes are not the same as American Breakfast pancakes!!!! Lumberjacks beware.) For the Veggie Heads: Tou Fu and Beggie Meals (6.95 to 8.95). There is a great lunch special that only runs in the week days (5.50). You get served with Appetizer, Soup and Rice. The staff are very friendly and the vibe is great. There is a number of Asians that go here in a common basics. Overall: Great food, great place. If you don't believe me, trust Yao Ming or he'll dunked your *ss in the hoop!!!
(5)
Mark M.
Love this place. Far off the beaten path and worth every single ounce of effort to get here. You want Chinese food outside of Chinatown, RUN to eat here!
(5)
Mack C.
Food was good; however, the service sucked. It was not like they did not understand English, they were just flat out lazy! So don't expect good service here.
(2)
Chris T.
Came here recently with some friends. Food was above average but the service was below average. We had Mongolian beef, salt and pepper prawns, hot and sour soup, and the combination fried rice. The food were all pretty good but slightly overpriced for what it was. I wouldn't have mind if the service was a little bit better. We sat there for like 5-10 minutes without menus staring blankly as each other and attempted some form of eye contact with the waiters. I might give this a second chance. The place is pretty small so huge parties wouldn't be a good idea.
(3)
kent c.
Not your typical Chinese place here.. Authentic Beijing style cooking. No additives crap that makes it extra salty or extra oily. This place is the real deal. A noodle connoisseur like myself, I was in pure cloud 9 when I saw the doughy noodles they used in their beef noodle soup. It was excellent, could be smoking hot when they serve it but it was GOOD... The Chinese beef pancake was subpar. The noodle is the best I had in awhile. Fair in price of ($7 - $12) entree style plates. I will be back for more. Yao MING's been here, I know so because there are a number of pictures of him and the owner at posted on the walls.... so BEIJING creditability of this place goes up =)
(5)
Rick F.
My Chinese friend suggested we go here for lunch today! Due to Chinese New Year specials. Am I glad he did! He was able to walk us through the menu and we trusted Charlie to order everything and surprise us. We were the only non-Asians in the place. So you know its going to be authentic. I couldn't tell what the names were of what we ate but I'll see if I can give you a rough run down. Cold Cut platter with a soy dipping sauce with Tripe, not a fan of Tripe but the cold cuts were great. Beijing Beef Pancake was excellent. Shredded Pork with Braised Sauce my favorite. Jiao Liu Meat Ball Beijing Style crispy exterior but soft interior, loved it. Hot and Sour Potato really surprised me, I would have never guessed it was a potato. Beef with Ground Bean Sheet excellent. What a find great place. Very small only a handful of tables. The owner and staff are great!
Aww this place just rocks the house! Out on Alemany too! Perfect!
(5)
David C.
The food is really great, home made, very fresh. The service is charming-a little slow and inefficient, but in a way it adds to the charm. I really enjoyed the Beijing Noodles, but I admit they might not be for everyone.
(4)
Cindy W.
With just the two of us, it was hard to get a variety. What we ordered was just ok. I would be willing to come back with a larger group in order to dry some other Beijing dumplings and meats. But here's the low down on what we tasted: #148 Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce ($7.50) - yum! Can't go wrong with tender eggplant in lots of sauce. #55 Beijing Beef Pancake ($7.95) - a bit oily, unlike other beef pancakes, this one uses ground beef, rather than slices as I was expecting. #88 Beijing Noodles with Special Sauce ($7.95) - this was disappointing. Presentation wise, it was good. The bowl of al dente noodles was separate from the bowl of sauce and steamed bean sprouts, and cucumbers. She mixed it for us, dumping all of it in. Honestly, I didn't like the bean sauce. At least not this version. I've had other Zha Jiang Mian and Beijing style is not to my fancy. This was more fermented bean taste and savory with no sweetness. I would not get this particular dish again, though I would try other noodles here. Small parking lot available. Efficient service.
(3)
Mary Ann B.
Cash only after 9:30pm! The interior was nice and clean compared to what the outside looks like. On the walls you can see pictures posted of regulars, Yao Ming, and Martin Yan. Food was mediocre: fried crab puffs, green onion and beef, and beef stew noodles. The order came out like this: green onion and beef, then the beef stew noodles, a cup of rice, and last the deep fried crab puffs. Green onion and beef were tender, but it was pretty bland - it needed salt (and I am not a big salt person either but this dish needed it). Beef stew a little flavorful, beef was so tender too, noodles "freshly made", but did not stand out. D/f crab puffs contained plently of cream cheese but where's the crab? Maybe had 2-3 minced imitation crab pieces, but plenty of cream cheese - cream cheese galore! Oh well not a problem at least its less than $6. The service was not that great. Some of our plates and food were slammed on the table. Felt neglected because they pretty much just stood there and not once asked if we needed anything. The hubs asked for water politely and it felt like it was a hassle for them to do it. When another young couple came in they were pretty much entertained preferrably because they were Chinese and spoke Mandarin. Their server talked to them more, and ensured if everything was ok. And here we are in the corner neglected like a child on time out. The lady immediately had her glass refilled even though it was 2/3 full, and the owner seen this from his register. Note: my glass had been sitting empty for over 30 minutes. Mhmm wtf. Very disappointed because I have been waiting to try this place since I was a student of CCSF, been waiting over a year since I graduated. I would only come back to try other dishes, but will not try the ones that I ordered today. Hopefully the staff in the day time are much attentive and fair.
(3)
Mary W.
-They have Onion Pancakes which don't get enough credit as appetizers -The Sliced Pork Warm Pot is tender and savory. -Yao Ming, duh.
(5)
Cynthia C.
Never thought I'd be able to find good hand-pulled noodles in the city since most of the chinese food here is Cantonese cuisine. But of course I found this place on Yelp and went to try it after work with one of my buddies. It has its own parking lot so you don't have to worry about looking for parking. The staff here are very friendly and nice too. Portions are huge so make sure you come hungry or with people who can eat a lot. :) Between the two of us we had beef noodles with hand-pulled noodles. The noodles were soooo good. It's not too thick and it's just the right chewiness. We couldn't finish the whole bowl but it's so good! We also had the Beijing beef pancake. It's crispy on the outside with the moist beef on the inside. Yummy! We had cumin lamb too. It's spicy lamb with lots of red peppers. Probably not for someone who can't eat spicy. There were many things on the menu that I wanted to try but since there were only two of us... that was all we could order. We also had leftovers to take home. Will be back here to try all the other things I want to eat.
(5)
Tiffany C.
Damn this place gets busy really fast. When I walked in this place was probably only a fourth full, then it was crazy packed within the next ten minutes. Ordered the beef noodle soup, lamb skewers, and cumin lamb. My favorite was the cumin lamb, which was seasoned with whole cumin which gave it a nice texture contrast. The lamb skewers were okay, but tasted a bit like it was marinated with too much corn starch. The noodle soup was above average, but I've had better. The noodles were hand pulled but lacked some chewiness (tasted a bit overcooked?!?). I liked the beef slices though. The soup was also light and not too oily.
(4)
Wade W.
Food was ok... But the service was bad.. I came here because the reputation, Yao Ming came here before.. So, I expected it will be not bad.. But the result is pretty disappointed
(3)
Richard H.
It was kind of a shock when we ordered delivery from Beijing Restaurant. I can safely say I haven't had this bad of food while in SF for 4 years... but it was bad. We ordered three things: Broccoli Beef - tasted like beef covered in highly concentrated garlic salt sauce. Sesame Chicken - bland... and by bland I mean no flavor at all. It was kind of scary how this seriously tasted like only chicken even though it was breaded and covered in flavorless sauce. Fried Rice - the only agreeable thing we ordered, and it's rice... Would not order again or recommend.
(1)
Mel T.
Ya'll are gonna laugh when I tell you this - Y hit the nail on the head when he realized why the flavor of the cumin beef tasted so familiar - can we say Chili Cheese Fritos? Weird, right?? I kid you not. If you're willing to give the dish a try, please do so and let me know what you think. Maybe I just happened to go on an off night. Anyhow, this was my first visit to Beijing Restaurant (and, yes, among all the photos of patrons plastered along the restaurant's walls, I was able to quickly spot Mr. Yao Ming himself). Perhaps it's because I don't think I've ever really had Beijing cuisine before, but I was surprised to find myself underwhelmed about the place, especially after viewing all the other highly rated reviews. For the four of us, we ordered a special appetizer (didn't have a name), beef pancake, beef stew noodle, dumplings (half pork with string bean/half pork with carrot for a total of eight), and the cumin beef. Out of everything, I enjoyed the appetizer the best (wide noodles mixed with bits of pork, cilantro, and finely chopped cucumber, jalapenos, red chili peppers, and egg). The beef pancake had little flavor, I prefer Kingdom of Dumpling/King of Noodles' dumplings, I didn't care for the beef stew noodle (although the rest of my party really enjoyed it, especially the noodles), and the beef cumin was just really....odd (again, Chili Cheese Fritos). Service was friendly, but I doubt I'll be returning anytime soon. Although is it weird that I'm kinda craving Chili Cheese Fritos now?
(3)
Renee T.
The service is atrocious. Usually that's not enough to turn me off of a restaurant, but is is sooooooo terrible and frustrating. We've pretty much stopped going.
(2)
Sabrina K.
Feels like I'm in Beijing again! My boyfriend took me here and we been here twice within a week! Parking is not a problem. Parking lot available. Friendly servers and great suggestions Will defiantly spread the words to friends and family.
(5)
Amiee H.
The food here was DELICIOUS! I couldn't get enough of it! Food: OMG SO YUMMY! I'm totally coming back here! *beef noodle stew: BEST NOODLES EVER!!! If you don't like beef or stew, still order this because the noodles are AMAZING!!! *cumin lamb: I'm not a big fan of lamb but this dish was AWESOME! It's a bit spicy so might not be for everyone. *onion pancake: a bit on the disappointing side, they didn't distribute the onions evenly so some pieces were only dough, but the pieces that had onion on it were decent. I think I'm going to order the meat pancake in the future though. *fried baozi: a bit too doughy but the meat inside was pretty good. Service: Good service. Very tentative to our needs and super friendly. Price: It's pretty cheap, I don't know why this place has TWO dollar signs. The bill only came to about thirty something dollars with tax and tip. Not too bad. Ambiance: Just a typical Chinese restaurant. They have a ton of pictures of that have dined at the restaurant on their wall. One of which is YaoMing! Overall: TOTALLY COMING BACK FOR MORE FOOD!!
(5)
Kathleen P.
Who knew that this whole in the wall would be so good? Their prices are low and they offer a variety of choices. I would recommend the cucumber salad and the Beijing street pancake (which was very light). The service was ok but I would definitely come here again for a late night bite.
(3)
Katherine C.
there are plenty of other things on the menu that i wanted to try, but my reason for coming here for the first time was because i was craving dumplings and onion pancake. we didnt end up getting onion pancake, but the beijing veggie pancake and two orders of dumplings - the lamb and the nappa cabbage and pork the beijing veggie pancake - they used way too much flour for the crust, did not even come out crispy, and the chives and egg mixture inside was really bland i usually prefer dumplings over wontons because i actually like thicker skin... but the skin of these dumplings were way too thick. the nappa cabbage and pork one was just okayyy but the lamb one was not good at all. i LOVE lamb and can eat it despite its gaminess.. however this lamb mixture was too gamey and was just really disgusting.. i would still like to try their beef noodle soup (on a mission to find a good bowl of beef noodle soup in SF) and the fried potato strings dish. but i am staying away from ever ordering dumplings from here
(2)
Alice W.
Not easy to find a good northern Chinese food place as the landscape is dominated by Cantonese cuisine so I was glad to find this place on yelp. We ordered the beef pancakes, three flavors dumplings, sweet & sour meatballs, string beans and the cumin lamb. The pancakes were good, although a bit greasy. The flavor seemed pretty authentic too. The dumplings were above average and juicy, always a plus. Sweet & sour meatballs were a new item for me -- they were small and fried and smothered in a vinegar and sugar sauce (no ketchup, yay!). That was my least favorite item of the day, but still pretty tasty. The string beans were crispy and tender on the inside, very garlicky and good. Cumin lamb was packed with flavor and quite the punch. My boyfriend thought it was a bit dry, but the meat was very tender and I liked it. All in all, the place is definitely repeat visit worthy. The restaurant was a lot smaller than I expected and pretty packed. The wait staff is a bit disorganized at seating the guests, but it's worth the wait. Also endearing to hear a Beijing accent from the waiters and waitresses.
(4)
steven w.
Food was acceptable, but the service was just outright bizarre. We went on a Sunday morning and our server reeked of alcohol and was extremely rude. When he came to take our order (30 minutes after sitting down), he mentioned he was drunk the night before. I also overheard him bragging to a small boy (no more than 8 years) that he drank an entire bottle of alcohol by himself. Sorry, but this is no way to treat your customers. Will NOT return again and recommend those of you with kids avoiding going there as well.
(1)
Robert H.
Northern Chinese food is not a common occurrence in the bay area but these guys do it right. With that said let's talk about the food: Please don't come here if you want traditional "American" Chinese food. Go here for the glutinous meatballs, stir fried flour balls, hand made dumplings, and other tasty treats. They do have traditional American style grub but you can get that anywhere. The meatballs are high in starch, chewy, and very subtle in flavor. The balls get a quick fry then are "re-hydrated" in sauce (ie tossed in a wok w/sauce). The result is a savory, chewy meatball that is not like anything you will find at an Italian restaurant. I love them and think it is worth a shot for anyone with an adventurous palate. Stir fried flour balls are the Han version of gnocchi. They're smaller chewier and bathed in Chinese flavors. The dumplings are made fresh and available all day. I go in at 11pm and there are still dumplings to be had and they always taste delicious. I have tried them all and I love every single one of them. Very subtle fresh flavor. I have to reiterate that this food is subtle in flavor. It is not over the top like "American" style or Sichuan cuisine. There are many styles of food on the menu so there is something for everyone but if you want an authentic taste of Northern/Beijing cuisine stick to the house specialties. The cumin lamb is good: chewy, dry fried lamb with bell peppers stir fried together. The noodles with brown sauce are glutinous, savory, and mild. The cornstarch thickened broth has a viscous character to it but the mild, savory flavor paired with the chewy noodles really attracted my attention. The Beijing noodles have cold crunchy vegetables with black bean paste and hot noodles. The ingredients are tossed table side and give you and cold/warm, crunchy/chewy sensation when you're eating it. The garlicky pea shoots are always tasty and a good way to inject some vegetables into your meal. The liver and vegetables is good if you like a strong irony, metallic, liver flavor and crunchy savory bell pepper. Offal fans may like this dish. The pancakes are awesome and the scallion/green onion will appeal to authentic/American style fans alike. The cake is thick, flufy, doughy and packed with subtle oniony flavor. The vegetable pancake is so tasty and chewy it should not be missed. The stirred fried beef and tofu is also tasty. Never had anything from here I did not like. Please try the Chinese lager they have here it pairs well with the food and is pretty reasonable in price (for the large 24oz bottle). I love this restaurant. The food comes out as it is prepared so if you have a problem with that tell you server (ie mains before apps). The younger guys that work at night (when I go in) may not be polished servers but they are friendly and willing to help you understand what you are eating. Did I mention they cook until 1:30a and stay open till 2a! Love the food, beer, service and location, make Beijing your spot for Northern Chinese food too!
(4)
Jana C.
Although the 40th/Irving location opened up about a month ago in Outer Sunset, we thought to come to the orig. which opened up 2 years back, in order to shop at Manila Oriental afterward. Awesome food---layering of flavors and spicy notes really very tasty. One order lamb sa guo (clear broth soup served in an open tureen, kept warm with flame below. with special pickled cabbage which rounds out the overall flavor with a smooth, slightly sour kick) One order cumin lamb--crispy sautee/wok flavor with tons of cumin and a spicy bite to it. Hong xiao niu rou mian---braised brisket in a darker broth....noodles (thick-cut) were sooo yummy Jing dong rou bing--pork-stuffed meat pie ensconced in a very skillfully crafted thin layer of dough and layered throughout (3, i think) and then pan-fried. Perfection!!! Total for meal $40. Bargain PS There is a parking lot to the place...if coming from 280, drive past it and then do a 180 in order to spot it. Place fills up quickly, although we arrived just before the throngs came for a warm, tasty lunch.
(4)
michelle b.
I have wanted to try this place and I was sorely disappointed. I did have high hopes. The generals chicken was so over cooked that it was stringy and tough. The beef was extremely fatty and the chow mein had no flavor. Oh well....still in search of great Chinese.
(2)
Cherylynn N.
Me: "Been to any good restaurants lately?" J: "Have you tried Beijing Restaurant on Alemany and Ocean?" Me: "Err, Chinese food in The Mission?" *scratches head* J: "But, Yao Ming eats there!" Me: "SOLD!" When I went to see my friend and hairdresser, he told me about this gem in The Mission. At first, I was iffy b/c who eats Chinese food in The Mission?!?! But, if it's good enough for Yao Ming, it's good enough for me! My friend and I came here for dinner on Sunday, August 29th at 5:15ish. As you can tell, I'm a bit behind on my reviews. :X Beijing is quite small with several tables to accommodate a party of four, and then a large rectangular table in the back to accommodate 16. Since we came early enough, we were promptly seated. FOOD: BR serves up Northern Chinese Cuisine meaning you will find dishes with Szechuan and Shanghai influences that many other Chinese restaurants in the city won't have. If you're on a diet, make sure to ask how the dishes are cooked b/c some of the dishes are fried when I thought it would be braised or steamed. *Sizzling Seafood Rice Soup ($5.95): YUM! The soup was very comforting; the broth was rich and flavorful as opposed to being salty. The scallops, calamari, and shrimp were fresh, sweet, and tender. The sizzling rice is like rice crispies that are placed on the soup upon serving which give it a nice texture contrast. *Cumin Lamb ($9.95): VERY GOOD! The lamb was stir fried to a perfect tenderness and wasn't too gamey. The cumin flavor was very prominent which was slightly bitter and nutty, while the peppercorns added a strong kick. *Ground Bean Sheet w/ Pork ($7.95):YUM! This is basically a rendition of chow fun (wet). The bean sheets are like clear chow fun noodles which were tender w/ a bite. The pork was tender and flavorful and the bean sprouts added a nice fresh crisp to the dish. *House Special Steamed Meatball ($9.95): GOOD! These meatballs are basically lion head meatballs which is a hearty comfort food for me. The fist-sized meatballs were soft, tender, full of flavor; salty, savory, and sweet from the white/black pepper, soy, ginger, and scallions. *Egg Surface Tofu ($8.95): OK. I thought the tofu would be steamed or braised since it would be topped w/ an egg white sauce. However, it was fried. Aside from the misunderstanding, the tofu was soft, tender and the runny egg white sauce added creaminess to the tofu. SERVICE: Efficient and prompt, however, there was a slight language barrier. My friend can't eat fish and the Sizzling Rice Soup came w/ fish, so it took some explaining and hand gestures to the waiters. Overall Beijing is the real deal when it comes to Northern Chinese Cuisine. All the dishes are authentically cooked and as opposed to using salt or MSG, they utilize spices to produce flavorful dishes that will tingle your taste buds!
(4)
Brian W.
Food is pretty decent Beijing-style. Actually it's very good, I'm just not a huge fan of the Beijing-style xiaolongbao, and the dan dan noodle (was that it?)'s sauce was waaay too salty. They actually manage to have parking, they can handle a decent sized group, and even if the kitchen is a smidgen slow (maybe I was just impatient?) the price is right for what amounts to a fairly authentic Chinese dive. I suspect it's a 4-star place, but for the reasons above, it just didn't work for me. They've got a generous menu, I clearly need to explore more of it before passing a more comprehensive judgement.
(3)
John L.
Found this restaurant on Yelp and decided to check it out since I've been looking for some good hand-pulled noodles. The dining area was bright, neat and clean. The chairs and tables are dark wood and the restaurant has a cozy feeling to it as there were tons of pictures of the owners with customers throughout the walls. One particular customer that stood out was Yao Ming, definitely a good sign if he eats here. ;) The service was friendly and staff extremely nice. I ordered the Yelp recommendations but also asked the waitress/co-owner for recommendations. She said a soup or warm clay pot would complement our selections. She recommended the Sliced Fish with preserved vegetables warm pot. It was an excellent recommendation as it turned out to be my favorite dish here. To the food: * Sliced Fish with Preserved Vegetables Warm Pot: This was the best dish, tasty and contained generous slices of rock cod, homemade preserved vegetables, clear noodles, and topped with fresh cilantro. Nicely served on a stand with small sterno-type chafing fuel to keep the pot warm. ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) * Cumin Lamb: This dish was very tasty, generous amount of cumin seeds and lamb which were stir fried with green peppers and onions. Very flavorful and surprisingly minimal amount of oil. ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) * Beijing Beef Pancake: Was so huge it barely fit on the plate, filling tasted similar to the meat in dumplings. ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) * Beijing Noodles with special sauce: The noodles were chewy and slighlty gummy. The sauce was salty, dark brown, and contained real pieces of pork. Served with diced celery, bean sprouts, and julienned cucumber. ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) * Mongolian Beef: This was good as well but was overshadowed by the other dishes. ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) While we were eating one of the patrons asked the waiter/co-owner what ingredients were in a dish. He said about 14 different ingredients but he didn't know what they were. So he than called out the other waitress/co-owner and she patiently listed out all the ingredients by heart. This is the reason I gave this restaurant 5 stars, besides the great food, the owners are very nice and patiently answer all questions. Other Chinese restaurants you usually get a quick "I don't know" or dirty look like you are trying to steal their ancient Chinese recipe. Also, they have their own parking lot with 6-8 spaces and did I mention Yao Ming eats here?
(5)
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Address :1801 Alemany Blvd
San Francisco, CA, 94112
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
Carlos P.
GREAT Food! Good Service! Nice Restaurant!
(5)Randy H.
Peijing Restaurant rocks! No fancy decor, just great food at a very affordable price with friendly no nonsense service. If you're tired of driving around the Mission looking for parking for the latest restaurant with attitude this place is for you. Try the Chicken with basil (incredible!) or the simple beef with green beans (tasty beef with a delicious crunch of the beans. You can't go wrong here!
(5)Soph I.
Wow! I always thought this place was the type of Chinese restaurant like panda express. Although it does offer the regular Mongolian beef, kung pao chicken, combination fried rice, etc... , their specialty is the Beijing-style food! Dishes I had are: wide rice noodle salad (soo flavorful! a little bit spicy! delicious!), cumin lamb ( but then again, i love cumin with anything), Beijing beef pancake (basically a green onion pancake with beef in the middle. i usually like my pancakes thin, but it's thick because of the meat so it's ok - very tasty), beef noodle soup ( the soup is very beefy/flavorful; the noodles were cooked just right - nice and chewy! i wouldn't be surprised if they're homemade noodles!), lamb and pork dumplings (i like dumplings in general; these were good dumplings. the lamb flavor wasn't very lamb-y), Beijing style meat ball ( i forgot what it's called on the menu; i think some people call it "lion's head"; that piece of meat was soo soft and packed full of flavor! i'm pretty sure there was a lot of fat in it! oh well! it's worth it!), and for dessert, we had the Beijing style fried sweet cake! (i'm not a big fan of red bean, but this piece of cake was deeeeeeeeelicious! it's basically red bean paste wrapped in deep-fried mochi. it comes out crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. )
(4)Patricia W.
I finally went there in person (we've been enjoying the food via delivery for 10 months - gotta love it arrives in 15 minutes). Clean, attentive and informative service - and the food is AWESOME! Hot and Sour soup is outstanding. The house steamed meatballs are so good I ordered for a dinner party I threw - MAGIC. The chicken with broccoli is GREAT. Curry lamb is EXCELLENT. Potstickers are very good. The pancakes were good - but oily for me. Like a flattened potsticker, pan fried ... just not my cup of tea. I plan to sample more offerings ... when I don't go for the family favorite (steamed meatballs.) Highly recommend this neighborhood favorite that can compete with ANY Chinese restaurant - it really is THAT good. Sorry Henry Hunan - this is officially our favorite now! 5 stars is well deserved.
(5)rick v.
Seen all the reviews and tried the place. I remember when it was nulite kitchen and before that it was fish and chips. Drove by at about 8, to try their wonton soup on a cold night but the restaurant was packed. So the following day ordered lunch special mongolian beef. Good taste and enough that i ate the rest for lunch. I like when the chiles are whole and you can break them up to your likin, very tasty. Second time i ordered the mushroom chicken, fresh mushrooms, no canned straw mushrooms here, very good. Now time to advance to eating in the restaurant. Not impressed. Order takeout, lunch special. Did like the chow fun, not so greasy
(4)Angela W.
came here recently with my friend helen y, her fiance and another couple. they'd been raving about it and we finally found the time to make it where we could all have dinner together! it's a little far, but worth the trip, especially if you like chinese food that's more dough-y and dumpling based. it's a good thing there were so many of us, cause then we were able to order so much and try everything!! as helen says, the steamed bao-tzi, green onion pancake and the lamb soup are all quite good. i actually don't even really like lamb, but the soup is quite tasty. the pickled cabbage goes really well together. and i also like the fat, clear noodles in the soup. we also got this chive pancake kind of thing, and it's not usually the way i eat it, but still pretty good. not the best, but still pretty good. we also got the dumplings there, that had pork, shrimp and cabbage in it, which was really tasty. we finished the meal with their beef noodle soup, which is also not the best i've ever had, but pretty good. although, it might also be cause i was SO stuffed that i really had no business to be eating anything else, but just couldn't resist. i love beef noodle soup, so i'm always glad when i find another place that has it, cause not everywhere does. i did like that they had a good ratio of tendon and beef, since i love both!! the place is family owned, and it might have been helpful since helen y and her fiance seem to be pretty cozy with the owners, but they seemed really friendly to everyone. it really has a family feel and they are very welcoming to all and just seem very happy to have you come eat at their place.
(4)Jeannette L.
Bah humbug - I've been quite lazy in updating my reviews on places. Beijing restaurant is a neighborhood gem, especially in this area. Great food, great prices, but not the best Beijing food I've ever had. As far as Mandarin food, they don't have much competition (Old Mandarin, Five Happiness). If you want to ask me how I rank them, I would still say 1) Old Mandarin, 2) Beijing Restaurant, 3) Five Happiness. On this cold winters night, we ordered a hot & sour soup (someone had a cold), pork pancake, stir fried green beans, lion's head meatballs, and beef noodle soup. All together not expensive... - Hot & Sour Soup - Delicious - and hit the craving for something with heat. Great for a cold! Not too goopy, fresh ingredients (well maybe not the bamboo shoot, but when has hot & sour soup ever had fresh and not canned bamboo shoot?) - Pork Pancake - Delicious, but probably even better there. We had it to go, so it was a bit soggy by the time we got home. - Stir Fried green beans - Good, not as good as Mandarin Islamic, but good. Deep fried (as usual) and stir fried in soy sauce. - Lion's Head Meatball - Really good, but not worth the price. I think it was something around $9-10 for 4 meatballs. Sorry I'll make it myself next time for 1/3 of the price. - Beef Noodle Soup - Yummy noodles - yes they make them fresh - I'm not sure these were my favorite homemade noodles, but they were good - something about the texture that I didn't LOVE (I did like it though). Soup was a bit disappointing - overall great, but the one we had that night it was clear that the meat hadn't been stewed in the soup for an incredibly long time as the flavor was not drenched into the beef and the soup lacked some soy sauce flavor - it was a bit watered down. I'd definitely try it again to see if it improves, but initially quite disappointing. Yes, Old Mandarin's was better this time around. Of course there can always be round 2.
(4)Sophia B.
wonderful little addition to our neighborhood. i never wanted to go into the other chinese restaurant that was there before, but my husband and i were impressed with how beautifully the new owners decorated the joint, so we went in. i am not a huge fan of "authentic" food - either mexican or chinese or japanese - but i felt the food was really delicious. not too expensive, though not cheap. i hope to go there for lunch sometime. check out the photos of the customers - and Yao Lin (the tall basketball player from China - forgot his name) standing with the owners - it's a hoot. apparently, he has come to visit the restaurant twice, which means they've got that authentic thing going on... I'd definitely give it another try.
(4)Ted L.
very good, had house special fish, 5 flavor beef.
(4)Jess J.
the staff is always friendly and the dishes are great, one of my new favorite restaurants!
(5)Annie M.
Great food, variety of Northern Chinese dishes not commonly carried at other Chinese restaurants. Really enjoyed spicy beef stew noodle soup, the beef cold cuts, and the combination stir-fried vegetables. The noodles were al dente, broth had a nice kick and a bit of Sichuan peppercorn taste without being too spicy. The cold cuts were drizzled with chili oil and showered with thin, delicate slivers of green onion and ginger. And the combination stir-fried vegetables were similarly cut by a master with a cleaver - the lotus root, celery, etc. were all beautifully cut and perfectly sauteed, with a nice crispness. Also, we had the jian-bing, like a Beijing street pancake, but thought the batter was a little too salty on this one, wouldn't order again. Was interesting to try, as it was made of buckwheat (I think, judging from the speckled flour) but wasn't a huge fan. Would rather eat more noodles or dumplings! And, Yao Ming ate here!
(4)A W.
Ordered delivery. One of dishes was the house special shredded pork which is shown with noodles in the photos. I ordered that and noted with noodles. They call to tell me it's not with noodles and it's a pancake??? So I asked if we can change it and their reply? No. So why the f did you call me for?? The fried chicken wings taste like purse salt, gross. Eggplant was super oily and the shredded pork was pathetic and NOT a pancake, it's a wrap. Will never eat here again.
(1)Donald W.
This restaurant has been a fixture in the Excelsior District and has been a mystery to me for years, at least until now. Beijing is known as the little red Resturant that specializes in norther Chinese dishes. Even Yao Ming (the Houston Rockets basketball legend) loved this place and has been on record as saying "it's one of his favorite places to eat when he comes to San Francisco." Each dish is packed with big flavors and the menu itself, offers so many options to choose from. In fact the current menu has about eight pages worth of delicious food. I personally loved the: long beans, a curry style chow mein, the crispy onion pancake and of course the steamed pork dumplings. The long beans were fried just right and the pepper sauce that's coated on those beans takes the dish to new heights. The curry version of chow mein uses angel hair noodles and mixed with large pieces of shrimp, green onions and dollops of Curry. Add eggs and cuts of sausage, that's married together in spices. The onion cake was cooked to perfection. Unlike most places that keep it drenched in cooking oil. It was the best combination of airy and crispy and cooked to perfection. Although it was good it missed a salty element like hoisin sauce to compliment it. Instead of getting it, Thats when the frustration began to set in. Our table had continuously asked for hoisin sauce or something to use as a dipping sauce. We were told numerous times they were getting it for us. But fifteen minutes later and after asking the staff members numerous times. we were finally told they don't carry any. That kinda served was the theme throughout the meal. Plates of food were slammed down on our dining table. When we were giving our order, the waiter was real short and seemed annoyed. Like we did something wrong by wanting to eat there. Asking for things like hoisin and water was a chore and became frustrating. Now I will say it could've been because it was busy. Because when I asked why was it like that. it was made clear the main focus should always be on the foods an not the service. So the service is just secondary I guess. Anyhow I say that as a warning so people aren't turned off by it. So once again the Restuarant is very small so you will feel like people are sitting and eating right on top of you. There's very little you can do about it But the food was really good and the price point was low. That ultimately means it's worth going back for another taste in my opinion.
(3)Sherry L.
Very disappointing. Not very authentic Northern Chinese food. The jian bing guo zi was very disappointing. The pickled napa cabbage was okay... could've been more flavorful. Waiter was super rude -- rolled his eyes at me several times, gave cheeky remarks to every single table. Won't be coming back here.
(2)Misha T.
I wasn't terribly impressed. My mom is from Beijing and she's fairly in to this Northern Chinese stuff and we split some marinated cucumbers, a jelly noodle chicken thing, some pork loin, and the funky spicy meatballs. I can't saw I was terribly impressed by any of it. The attitude is pretty authentic though. The staff is pretty argumentative, but not really in a bad way.
(3)Steph N.
Great food and service. I recommend dumplings and anything else.
(5)Michael J.
The food here is good and pretty authentic. It's supposed to also be Yao Ming's favorite when he comes to SF. If Yao thinks it's good, it MUST be good :) We got the dumplings, lamb with cumin and tofu with mushroom. The service was efficient and friendly. The dumplings were amazing! Lots of juice and chewy wrap. You can tell the dumplings were handmade at the restaurant. TOTALLY WORTH IT! You can't screw up lamb with cumin. It's a northern Chinese staple and this one was no different. The tofu was also very tasty. I'll definitely try some other more authentic Beijing dishes on my visits.
(4)Patricia G.
Decided to give them a chance, hoping the food was good. I was mistaken. Food was bland, I stopped eating after 2 bites. Will not be ordering from them again. Driver got lost he was on the wrong block.
(1)Stephanie L.
This place looks like a dirty little shack on the outside. But don't let that deceive you. They have authentic BeiJing style dishes you don't commonly see in restaurants. We ordered the Beijing street pancake, which was ok I would give it a 3. I've never tried it before and it was recommended on yelp. But it was a bit salty for my taste. The Chinese burger was real good though, a must try. We also got the cumin lamb. Real flavorful with a little kick. I definitely want to come back to get their green onion pancake and their hand pulled noodles. They have a small lot for parking too. A nice plus. Service was mediocre, usual for a Chinese restaurant.
(4)William C.
Very very authentic beijing style food. Peking duck is a must try, also egg pancake, some of the dishes are hard to find in the bay area. Service is a ok, the server talks too much and likes to joke with you, some might find funny but I think it is kind of annoying.
(5)Laura D.
The Peking Duck is amazing. They can run out of it pretty quickly so make sure you get there and order before you find a table. Very authentic northern Chinese cuisine. We ordered around 10 different dishes and they were all so delicious. Highlights would be the dumplings, boiled fish, and shredded pork. It is far out but totally worth the trip for the duck alone.
(4)Christina N.
My office catered lunch from here, and I was sorely disappointed with the food. - Sesame chicken was cold. It wasnt even mildly warm, it was cold. - Kung pao tofu was too salty. - Vegetable fried rice was decent. Not too oily, but it'd be sad if you screw up fried rice too. One of the worst Chinese food I've had :(
(1)Fannie S.
Food= good. I love their spicy dishes!! Dim sum items = okay. Service= OK. Prices= reasonable. I use EAT24, so I've yet to step inside this place. I drive past it several times a week... there's a small parking lot.
(3)Amanda B.
I've eaten at/from Beijing a few times now. I have never gotten food poisoning from Beijing, so on the scale of good Chinese places, this place ranks high for me. The salt and pepper tofu is awesome. I don't like tofu, but this was so good. We also had some pork variation, and it was just too sweet, as were the meatballs. The mongolian beef, however, was great. Stay away from the dumplings, though. No bueno. The good: decent food. The bad: all of our dishes came in rapid succession, and we ran out of table space. Eat up, eat quickly. Protip: in the winter, the cold air rushes through that door, so bring a jacket, or try and nab a seat closer to the kitchen.
(3)Kayla B.
Absolutely fantastic delivery spot, not in love with the eat-in experience. Super fast with delivery and the people are nice. Took a friend here who is from north China and he said the sliced meats are super authentic. Pine nut shrimp, spicy garlic eggplant are two things we always get, and then the dim sum menu is pretty tasty too. I also like the ground bean sheet noodles, great for when you are craving noodles but trying to do low carb :)
(4)Mai P.
I decided to give them a second try. I ordered the oyster beef, curry beef , prawns with pine nuts, meat pancakes, I wanted to get the duck wings but they did have so the suggested I get chicken wings. That was a bad suggestion. I also ordered the sizzling soup. The curry was really watery and a lot of zucchini. I asked for everything spicy and nothing was spicy. Oyster beef almost all zucchini and barely any beef. The meat pancakes were very soggy. The prawns with pine nuts came with no pine nuts. My instructions online were to add white rice and I also called to make sure they added the with rice. I DID NOT GET ANY WHITE RICE! So I had to cook rice after my food came. By the time the rice was cooked, my food was cold. Spending $80 on the food, I would expect to get the rice I asked for.
(1)Christine B.
When you approach this restaurant, it looks like some dingy little shack. And then once you push through the plastic curtain that covers the front door after you open it... you realize you are indeed in a dingy little shack. The restaurant is pretty small, but they can accommodate large groups of 10 because of the large banquet tables. FOOD: CHEAP, COMFORTING AND DELICIOUS. I recommend the beef noodle soup (veggies, beef, spicy broth and udon type noodles), Cumin Lamb (My favorite, spicy and flavorful. Tender not overcooked lamb, that didn't taste gamey), Chinese Burger (ground meat, green onions in a "bao" type bun). Dinner here for a group of 10 getting at least 8 dishes was somewhere in the $12-$15 neighborhood. STAFF: RUDE RUDE RUDE. I did not like the service I got at all. Overall, when going to a restaurant you should not feel bad for asking for: 1.) more bowls to eat the food you are paying for or 2.) Water to Drink. If you can stomach the service, then it is okay. Logistics: PARKING: Street parking available in the surrounding neighborhood. Be careful in the dark alleys at night Overall, I wouldn't come back to this little shack. The food is worth coming for, but the environment and staff would keep me away. The place felt really dirty and I had a fear of a cockroach in my food!
(2)Cindy K.
Visiting the city and our friends again. This was suggested to us by our friend. I guess he was craving Chinese food. That's ok with me as long as it's not Panda Express. What's amazing about this place is that there is a parking lot. OMG yes you read that right! Hallelujah! Get here early though since it usually fills up fast. Did you know Yao Ming eats here? Staff is pretty funny and friendly. The menu features feel good home cooked meal items. Get the lamb skewers!! I liked the chive pancake. That was yummy. They have some interesting variations on the classics though. Like honey pine nut shrimp. What?? Yao Ming eats here. This place is pretty close to hubs' grandparents so we'll probably eat here again when we're visiting family.
(3)Yang R.
Peking duck is great! The place is great, very Beijing flavor. You should really try the tea In here. 一定è¦åƒå•Šï¼Œå¿…须得æ¥å•Šã€‚店é¢å¾ˆå¥½å•Šï¼Œæœ‰å¾ˆå¤šå人过æ¥åƒã€‚
(5)Chi G.
This place is excellent everything was good besides the none speaking English workers it was all perfect especially the garlic shrimp make to. Perfection
(5)Laura S.
Haven't been to this place in a while. I called today to place a delivery, as soon as you I heard the voice I knew it was the same guy that has been rude before. As soon as I was done placing my order he rushed to hang up, didn't even ask how I was going to pay, so I had to quickly say I was going to pay with my card and he said "oh my god!" Like if I was waiting his time. Really!!! This guy is a total jerk. He is beyond rude. Every time is the same thing with this guy. This is the last time I will be ordering from there. Not because of the food, but this guy in particular. He has no manners, no professionalism, obviously no work ethic. What kind of jerk still holds a job, I'm sure his employers know about this. Just wanna let you know your a "server", I would talk some sh*t but I will not go to his level. You are not a server, real professional servers don't act the way you do. If your not happy with your job, go get another one. Really pissed me off.
(1)Mark D.
Napa cabbage and tofu hot pot - loved it, though I'm biased as I've always loved this soup. Has vermicelli Pork with pancake slices (Beijing chao bing) - not too bad though I wish it had less liquid, a solid choice but not good enough for me to get again Steamed meatballs - they need to update the pic because the meatballs are like 2x bigger than it looks in the pic. Solid taste but same as above, would rather try something else Rou jia mo (hamburger) - no good, meat not enough fat and bun too hard / dry, stay away Ma la beef tripe - decent though could use more salt, a decent choice Beijing combination vegetables - surprisingly decent and not oily like every other Chinese vegetable dish, solid choice Everything was solid except the hamburger, with the hot pot being the winner. Would love to come back to this authentic place
(4)Zhihua D.
Surprisingly BAD. Food material is not good-quality, service is sub-par, and the carpet smelled so bad that you just cannot ignore upon entering. We ordered cumin lamb (dry but ok, 3.5/5), onion pancake (very little union, plain; 3/5), boiled spicy beef (very few beef if they are actually beef... 2.5/5), and eggplant (sweet with a thick layer of sauce; 2.5/5). On top of the food, service is classic low quality. CASH ONLY as well... Couldn't be worse.
(2)Youngshim H.
Love this place. It's near my house, it's affordable, it's got tasty food that gets made quick. And there's no crazy line. The eggplant with brown sauce or house sauce is awesome. Get it. The Chinese "hamburgers" with meat and chives inside are really good appetizers. Hard to choose between that and the beef pancake, which is deliciously crispy (but really meant to be shared, unlike the hamburgers). I also really liked the soup with sliced fish and preserved vegetables in a warm pot. Wasn't expecting it to be sour (due to the veggies), but it was actually really good. The white fish was super soft and tender. Service was fine for me. Everyone is pretty friendly.
(5)Tian Q.
Brought my parents here for dinner one night because they were sick of all the fancy Michelin star stuff I'd been feeding them (first world asian people problems). Chose Beijing Restaurant because of the whole Yao-Ming-has-been-here deal and the good reviews. I think Yao Ming might've come here hungover. Service: -It was okay and cordial, did what was asked but nothing more, typical of asian restaurants' concept of "service" Food: -Fried lamb skewers, a signature order here but it was just decent, maybe 6.5/10 compared to typical lamb skewers you find on dirty chinese streets -Beijing street pancake, looked super authentic and I had high hopes for it especially from the waiter's recommendation, unfortunately this tasted terrible and I didn't understand the cheap wonton crisps in there -Beijing style noodles with brown sauce, house special three flavored vegetables, house special shredded pork with braised sauce, these all tasted more or less the same to me after a while, which screams non-authentic-americanized-chinese-food No, my parents didn't enjoy this either. Should've brought them to an asian buffet instead because at least the mediocre food there are of better value, and asian parents love value.
(2)Jeffrey S.
Let me tell you about an ongoing experience I have. Here is a typical take out conversation via phone: Them: *Uttering Chinese*..."go ahead" Me: Hi, I'd like to place an order for takeout. Them: Ok. Go. (I then place my order) Them: Ok. Bye. They never tell me how much my order totals or when it will be ready. If I don't pick it up within 20 minutes, I get a phone call in a loud voice telling me I need to pick it now. I walk in and they utter to me "I've been waiting for you for a while. You need to pick up your orders quicker." I want to tell them they should specify this rather than blame me, but they're not worth my time and I would hit a new low to be arguing with a takeout chinese place. Also, 20 minutes is a long time? Seriously?! Long story short, I only go here because I live across the street and its extremely convenient/the food is decent. The people are absolutely terrible though and the inside/outside looks like a sewer system.
(2)Eve S.
For all the negative ratings down there, I say they are honest. I would give this restaurant negative stars if I can. The food is ok, but the customer service is TERRIBLE. I have never EVER been to a restaurant that is so disrespectful to its customers. I have literally seen them picking up utensil from the floor and DIRECTLY put it on one of the tables. Yes, customers, you don't even know what you are putting into your mouth. The other time I ordered something for delivery, the experience didn't get any better. When I gave them the delivery address, the person on the phone just couldn't get the name of the address. I literally spent 10 minutes spelling out NELSON RISING LN. Literally. OK. I understand they are not native speakers so I went on with my utter patience. I said "I want No.x, blah blah blah; No.y, blah blah blah." While I try to be nice and make things go smooth, it made the guy on the phone impatient (WTF?). Him: "Don't say the numbers." Then I gave them my credit card number, the guy went: "If you're not pausing every four numbers I'm not writing it down". And no, he didn't say it in a suggestive manner, but really made me feel he was the boss and he's telling me I'm not doing the right thing. I am utterly offended. To the staff in this restaurant, there is a saying that customers are always right. You don't get to dictate how the customers make order. And If you don't get something the customer said, APOLOGIZE, say sorry or pardon me. Or I assure you that your place is gonna close down in a few years. To the fellow customers, run if you don't want to be bullied by these rude people. There are tons of nicer restaurants out there.
(1)David C.
Beijing Restaurant serves legit, Northern Chinese cuisine. It doesn't make many accommodations for people expecting American-Chinese food, or Southern Chinese food. The cumin lamb is excellent. Flavorful and lots of cumin. It normally comes very spicy but you can request without spice. The beef pancake is tasty, but be forewarned it's also a grease bomb. The pea shoots are delicious: flavorful and not too oily or overcooked. They may have been the highlight of our meal. The house noodles with special sauce was the only major letdown. The noodles were gummy and the sauce didn't have a good flavor. As you'd probably expect, the restaurant decor is nonexistent. The place has a bit of a funky odor to it, too. Not at all surprising that it nearly failed its last health inspection.
(4)Lm M.
Food great.customer service bad.the guy with the red hair is very rude....not come in back only for that.
(3)Eric L.
I came to this restaurant with a friend, thinking it looked interesting from the outside. Interesting decor on the inside. There were only 2 tables besides ours, and the waiter handed us fairly thick menus. After 2 minutes, he came back and said very rudely "lunch is almost over, I don't want to wait for long time." It was 2:30 pm. As if that wasn't bad enough, he eyed us the entire time we waited for our one home-style tofu dish. As he brought out the food to the table, he nudged the tea pot on the table and wouldn't set the food down until I moved it from the middle of the practically bare table. The food was mediocre, what I had anyway. I felt uncomfortable sitting there eating having been treated so poorly. That was the first time I didn't leave a tip for a server in my life. Checked my bank statement a few days after and discovered that the waiter decided to add his own little tip after I left. Called the place afterwards to complain and was not allowed to speak to a manager. Never coming back again, save yourself the trouble also.
(1)John C.
The most real chinese place ever. They A had food in less than 10 minutes, which is nice, and the inside is really nice. I've driven by this place like 100 times and decided to go get some take out with my girlfriend, and we both came to the conclusion that it was really good. The person at the station recommended the basil chicken which was very yumzzzzzzz. yummy. This is not the most gourmet chinese food ever, but it's still very good for the price.
(4)Zachary Z.
delivery: 2 serpentine hairs laid ever so gently across the top of my food, daring me to eat it. which i didn't.
(1)Kitten S.
After seeing all the great reviews, I wanted to try the food here. Seeing from the reviews that their specialty is beijing food and not american chinese food, I pretty much stuck to the beijing menu items. I ordered online at their website. If your order is less than $100, it takes about an hour. If it's more than $100, it will take longer. My order came promptly in about an hour. I found their beijing items interesting, but I don't think they are to my taste. I ordered: -jing dong meat pancakes -cumin lamb -steam house special baozi -west lake lamb dumpling -combination fried rice For $8.25 and only about 4-6 slices of a pancake, I thought it was pretty pricey and it wasn't especially tender or chunky or tasty. They give generous servings of cumin lamb with lots of green/red/yellow pepper chunks and I loved the fragrance/flavor of the cumin, but the meat wasn't especially tender and the heat of the chili or red pepper flakes was SOOOOO hot that I was grabbing for water/soda every mouthful. I am used to hot food since my mom cooks filipino dishes which are sometimes hot AND I also regularly like eating indian foods which are nearly always hot AND i do like many hot chinese dishes, but the heat was so hot even for me, especially without any other food items except rice to dissipate the heat like with dairy products (sour cream, yogurt) or bananas. They should put options as to how hot somebody wants their dishes like 1-not hot at all, 2-mildly hot, 3-normal hot. The steam house special baozi is like small sized steam buns. I thought I would enjoy them since I know how regular sized pork-filled steam buns taste like, but they smelled/tasted a bit too vinegary and there wasn't much filling. The west lake lamb dumpling was a bit too thick on the outside and the filling tasted kind of gamey. Also, the outside shell looked like it was kind of raw. I'm not an expert on these kind of dumplings, but it didn't look very appetizing at first. Funny as it seems, the only item I really felt comfortable with was their fried rice which was well mixed, had some medium shrimp and a few strips of meat, though I've had better fried rice at joe's excellent chinese cuisine or jasmine tea house. I couldn't finish all of the food in one sitting so I put the remainder - the baozi and dumplings in the refrigerator and fried/reheated them the next day and they tasted a lot better. I MAY try it another time to see what other food items are like, but I don't think I would make it a regular go-to place or be rushing back to order for delivery from there.
(3)Edvin Adolfo L.
Great food!!! Good service Fast deliver Great price!!!! Get coupons over Eat24! Cant complain!
(5)Sneakrs 1.
The food at this place tastes like it's been nuked twice over, then sat out for another 30 minutes until it reaches a Luke warm temperature. Then it is delivered to your place perfectly cold and rubbery. Trust me, there are other places in the city to order some good Chinese food, this isn't one of them. Save your money and get you Chinese delivery elsewhere.
(1)Irene Z.
super slow in serving. Plus they don't serve in order. And the dishes are way too salty. Had to dip everything in tea before eating.
(1)Renee Y.
Decided to try to this because I thought they would serve porridge, but they actually don't. I was sick during the time I came here so the chicken corn soup was my favorite of all the stuff I ordered. The soup was clear, refreshing and loaded with sweet corn. Definitely something to soothe a dry throat. The Cumin Beef looked like beef jerky and kind of tasted like it too. It was pretty chewy and hard to bite into. The egg pancake thing (forgot what it's called) was okay. I expected more of a scrambled egg taste, but it tasted more like a flour pancake mix. Waiting to get our check ruined my experience. We waited forever and had to ask them twice when we were seated right in front of the register. What made me more annoyed was when the table next to us ask for their check way after we did, they got theirs right away and we still didn't get ours. Other than that the guy who was serving pretty much everyone was very entertaining. He knows how to talk to people even though his English isn't that great and it was pretty funny just listening to how he interacted with other people. All in all, it's a good place for authentic Beijing food, but expect iffy customer service.
(3)Kel V.
For deliveries, AVOID AT ALL COSTS! 3:46PM - Order placed on Seamless. 4:50PM - Called restaurant to check on food, placed on hold for FIFTEEN minutes. Guy on the phone was rude and blamed Seamless for never receiving the order, telling me that I won't be charged, and it's not their fault that they're busy and didn't receive the order. 5:10PM - Called Seamless to get my refund, because there's no way I won't be charged. Placed on hold for ten minutes before I got to speak to someone. Tells me they have to call the restaurant and that they'll give me a call back. 5:23PM - Guy arrives at my house with my order of food but I refuse it. 5:29PM - Seamless calls me back and tells me the restaurant would not tell them what happened with the order of food and that Seamless will be issuing me a refund. How are they gonna bring me my food after claiming they never received it and it's canceled and how do they know what I ordered if they never received my order? Business seems shady to me and wanted to keep my money. I am never dealing with this business ever again!
(1)Brian H.
It was truly terrible food, probably the worst Chinese food I've ever had. 1hr and 15 min wait. The sesame chicken was one big soggy lump of breading and very dry chicken. Like eating hot garbage. Won't be back.
(1)Lisa S.
Came in here 2 days ago with my friends.There is a small parking lot next to it where you can park your car. The place isn't very big, but we went during the day and it wasn't packed so it was fine. We ordered 5 dishes for the 3 of us and it was plenty. Sauteed String Beans: There was nothing special about this plate. Green Onion Pancake: This is actually my first time eating a thick green onion pancake. It tastes pretty good, maybe there were too much dough that the taste of green onion was quite lacking. It would have been better if it was more flavorful. one thing good about this is that it's not oily like other pancakes I've had. Beef Stew Noodle Soup: It tastes okay, it was a little spicy but very slightly. I like everything about this from the thick chewy noodles to the beef, but the soup was a bit bland for my liking, I've definitely had better beef stew noodle in the city. Chives and Shrimp dumpling: The dumpling tasted fine, it wasn't anything special. I don't think it was worth my money for the dumplings because I think the ones I buy at ranch 99 tastes better but that's just me. I don't remember what this dish is called so I'm just gonna name it the 5 color noodle salad: It consist of cucumbers, green and red bell peppers, egg, cilantro and noodles. It's a cold dish. They first bring it out and set up and placed nicely on a plate with the noodles in the middle, then they pour a brown thick soup with pork shreds in it, and starts mixing it all together. The texture of the noodle is actually very interesting because it looks like "Ho Fun" (Thick rice noodle) but when you bite it the texture tastes kind of like jello. I think it tastes okay, but I'm not a fan. Even though they mix it in the sauce it seems that the flavor of the sauce can't really seep into the food therefore you can't really taste it. For me I think the food here was all lacking in flavor which was disappointing because in the Chinese culture the flavors are suppose to be very bold and strong. All in all I don't think I'm a fan, but it may be too soon to judge because I haven't tried the other foods on the menu.
(2)Casey U.
Although the grim exterior of Beijing Restaurant looks like it would be able to survive the Third World War completely intact, the cuisine to be found within its sparsely-decorated plastic-curtained threshold may very well be some of the most intriguing, authentic, and satisfying Chinese food in San Francisco. As a lover of offal, I instinctively went for the "House Special Pork Liver" (10.95) which featured thick cut celery, a hefty helping of Garlic and a simple, slightly sweet sauce which managed to offset and compliment the ureal flavor of the liver. Textually, this dish was perfectly prepared, the crunch of the celery combined with the toothsome offal provided a satisfying compliment to one another. I can say without hyperbole that this may have been one of the best preparations of liver I've had within the last six months. I enjoyed the House Special Eggplant (9.95) (ordered for my long-suffering mother) as well. Coming with a basil sauce, and incorporating both chicken and shrimp alongside the aforementioned eggplant, this dish easily won a place in my heart with it's exceptionally herbal flavor profile which graciously complimented the delicate flavor of the eggplant, without being overwhelming. The eggplant was extraordinarily tender, and contrasted well with the crunch of the perfectly cooked shrimp, and tender chicken. We also tried the Cumin Lamb (10.95 per serving) on the recommendation of just about every Yelper who has ever reviewed this Restaurant. While it wasn't overly spicy, the tender morsels of Lamb came coated in both cumin and crushed red peppers, which provided an explosive counterpart to the slightly gamey flavor of the exceptionally juicy, not overly greasy lamb, shocking my palate with an intense burst of flavors after every bite. When combined with the crunchy onions and green peppers that garnish the dish, what results is a unique flavor and textural profile miles away from the over-sauced, saccharine sweet examples of Chinese Cuisine I grew up on. For appetizers, we shared some excellent Crab and Cream Cheese Puffs (5.25), which featured excellent fillo dough and remarkably delicate crab. In addition, we also had the Jaebing, which combined soft scrambled egg, onions, cilantro and sesame seeds into a unique crepe-style treat which housed a deep-fried wonton in its center, providing a fantastic crunch in this extraordinarily hard-to-find dish. I would be remiss if I were to ignore the "Chinese Burger" (3.95 a piece), which combines tender pulled pork, vinegar and cilantro in a dense, biscuit-like bun. This culinary delight could be a revelation for anyone who hasn't found themselves in favor of fusion-style cuisine yet, existing for all intents and purposes as a fantastic bridge between Southern sandwiches and Chinese flavor profiles. 5 Stars, solid food.. Extras: Parking available! Convenient to the 44, 47, 29, 14. Credit Cards accepted. Open LATE.
(5)Tifanie W.
We had such high hopes for this place since they have a "4 star" rating on Yelp. Their delivery service took over an hour. Then the food gets here & it's very bland & Luke warm. The Mongolian beef had little to no beef! The chicken in the dishes we ordered had no flavor. Super small portions too for the cost!!! We were soooo disappointed & will never order from here again!
(1)John W.
This place i have visited for over 10 years . It was my favorite chinese food place before their quality of service went down the drain. Recently a few weeks ago i was in the mood for some good chow mein. I come in the best mood ever and leave in total dissapointment. My heart was crushed, the place where i had visited for years and recommended people to, had made me almost want to loose it. After i ordered i asked the waiter if i could have a cup of water he looked distresses that he had to bring me water. Ten minutes later no water ok no worries. My gf asks if she could have a side of white rice with the order and i remind him for my water and in a rude tone he almost screams at my girlfiend. Good food bad service. Never going back.
(1)Wan C.
We used to dine at this restaurant frequently over the years. However, both the food and the service had gone downhill. Plus, it changed from taking credit cards to cash only. I'll be searching elsewhere for Northern Chinese cuisine.
(2)Yidu L.
I have lived in the U.S for 4 years, and this is the best chinese restaurant I have ever been. Traditional Beijing food, We have been traveling in San Francisco for 4 days, and everyday we had dinner here, best place ever! no no complaint at all! The food here make me homesick.
(5)Loriel L.
Mmm...one of my favorite places to go when i want authentic Northern style Chinese food! The dishes are similar to how my bf's mom makes it. & boy do I love her cooking. Coming here is a treat since it's a little more pricey compared to what you'd expect to pay for at other Chinese restaurants with similar dishes. However, I think it's more quality than quantity here, which is more important to me (ain't settling for less now that I'm past those college student days!). I never feel like I've had an overdose of grease, calories, or possible msg in my system after meals from here. The interior isn't much to look at - one big room for the dining area right when you walk in. The decorations are tacky, but I don't expect much here. Getting through the entrance is weird since they put some kind of freezer curtain for you to fight through right after you open the front door. Seriously, I don't understand that. And service is meh - hit or miss in good customer service. Although, what's cool is that Yao Ming has been here so they have a few pictures of him on the wall. Food: + Steam meat balls ($10.95) - 4 big meatballs with sauce served on a bed of lettuce. Perfect with rice! + Boiled seafood and vegetables in a warm pot ($11.95) - refreshing. Plenty of variety and served in generous portions. Good for 2-3 people. + Green onion pancake ($7.95) - addicted to these. So crispy and a good sub for rice. - Lamb skewers ($6) - 4 pcs. Decent, albeit dry so I wouldn't order this one again. Overall: For quality Chinese food (Northern style), this is a place to hit up. Take note: it's a $$ Chinese restaurant. They take card as well!
(4)Snuffles B.
It is really freaking hard to make my parents happy at a Chinese restaurant. My Dad hates Dimsum or anything Cantonese, he is one hardcore Northerner. I'm trying hard to convince them that there is decent Chinese food in California outside of Queens. Parking in small lot out front is tight but at least its there! The place was packed with mostly Asians - promising. The bathroom was a little scary, ok lets be honest here, it was a lot scary. The food bits that came on the spoons they brought us and the questionable table wipe down - terrifying. Service was not nearly as bad as people say, it was actually pretty reasonable considering how busy they were. It's impressive how they juggle all the take out orders and a packed restaurant from such cramped quarters. The food was authentic and tasty: - Cumin lamb - Really good, not at all gamey, one of the only lamb dishes that I've been able to handle ever. Not bad as leftovers either. - Pork and pickled vegetable clay pot - Perfect - Exactly as it should taste - Shrimp & pine nuts - OK, not exactly authentic, but the shrimp was super tender. Better if you peel off the batter. $15/person - Between the cheap prices and the authentic food, Dad was happy, no easy feat there.
(4)DeJanee C.
If i could give this place no stars i would. Terrible customer service... Very offensive and prejudice. DO NOT RECOMEND!
(1)Alex C.
To be really honest, there are not too many good restaurants where I live - Mission Terrace. I generally venture away from my living quarters for an enjoyable "food experience". Since my friend that I had met up tonight preferred not to go too from home (she also lives in the Mission Terrace), I decided on Beijing Restaurant because it is in my bookmarks, I have never dined there, and it is within close proximity. The Good: 1) Clean 2) Simple decor embellished with Peking accessories 3) Friendly staff 4) Fast service 5) Menu is clearly labeled and organized 6) Tea offering is tasty 7) Food is not great tasting (i've had better), but is good overall *We ordered Beef with Broccoli (my friends #1 go to at any Chinese restaurant), Pan Fried Pot Stickers/Dumplings, Egg Flower Soup (with pork and corn), and Special Steamed Meat Balls. * I Want to try all their dumplings in the future Now for the Bad: 1)Restaurant is a bit small, luckily we came before it got packed with loud chatter, and luckily we weren't rushed to get the check since there were still open tables. 2)For a restaurant that does infact accept "credit cards", it fails to list which "plastic" types they offer. I suppose that might be an option YELP could add. *I am a bit appauled, because I went in hoping to use my everday go to - I am sorry, but I love American Express, and it is upsetting when my AMEX card is not accepted at any given business. I handed my card to the waitress, and without even looking at the card type she takes it to the register. Five minutes later she comes back and said that she tried to use my card and just realized that Beijing Restaurant does not accept AMEX. So okay, I asked if they accept DISCOVER - apparently, that is not accepted either..... Anyways, they only accept VISA and MASTERCARD, so I payed with my Debit card. I think businesses should accept all types of credit cards! Overall, I would give Beijing Restaurant 4 stars, but based on the fact that they only accept two types of plastic cards - only 3 stars. [Only accepts VISA & MASTERCARD]
(3)Jessie Yingchao L.
More tasteful and spicier than standard American Chinese food. My favorite was the noodle and pork liver:)
(3)Tony H.
As someone who studied and lived in Beijing for 6 months, I am very, very particular about getting awesome northern food that is pretty close to what you can get on the streets of smoggy, bustling Beijing. And for the most part, the Bay Area just sucks to get good northern Chinese food. Beijing restaurant comes somewhat close. I came here with my dad and was greeted with those wonderful plastic flaps. For Americans confused as this, the flaps are used to protect the diners from the cold and wind every time the door opens. This is a pretty small restaurant and I ordered the Beijing noodles (炸酱é¢) and Beijing crispy pancake (煎饼). The crispy pancake was pretty authentic, crispy on the inside, and had the right amount of egg, cilantro, green onions, and even sesames. However, I found the Beijing noodles to be TOO salty and lacking in pork pieces. The sauce is good, but the appeal for the noodles is the actual pork meat. I'll come back to try some other dishes to see if it matches my memory of Beijing, but at least service is pleasant and prompt here.
(3)D.j. Y.
This place is super good! The main guy is super cute! I would like to see him walk around with no shirt yuummmy! The food is amazing! People say how rude or how not to good this place is bit I just think they need to get out more! Americans always think is should be there way or no way. Lame! One love people!
(5)Wesley K.
Decent, but expensive for the price given. There's a more affordable option in Sunset that has same dishes. I remember ordering the green onion pancakes, cucumbers in chili oil, lamb in cumin, and chive dumplings? I guess I don't like repeating myself, but the name of this place says it all. Beijing Restaurant will specialize more in Northern Chinese food so basically if you are ordering the typical American Chinese food or something that's not native to the region, don't expect the dish to be the best.
(3)Stephen S.
The food is decent enough, although nothing noteworthy. But they routinely get take out orders wrong. Even when using an app-based ordering service (one might expect that ordering via app would HELP with order accuracy) If I didn't live across the street, I don't think they'd ever get my business. Chinese restaurants are a dime-a-dozen in SF.
(3)Jacky K C.
tip: siu long bao not really the soupy dumplings you'd come to expect. Rather, it's just a thicker skin version of it with no soup inside. The stir fried kidneys dish was very tasty. scallion pancake was bland at times. skewers are just okay. pot stickers were good but not great overall a good restaurant but nothing sticks out that really warrants another visit in this part of town.
(3)Donna J.
When my chowmein arrived, my delivery guy looked up expectantly. "No tip for me?" he said. "I tipped on the card when I ordered from eat24," I said, caught off guard. "I don't get that card tip. I need cash tip." he replied. I looked around uneasily and thought about whether or not I had cash to throw atop the $4 tip I'd already given. "I don't have any cash and I already tipped you." I didn't know what else to tell him and he just stood there staring at me. I felt uneasy, like maybe he'd come later and take what is rightfully his. "Okay," he finally said after a 10 second staring contest that felt like 10 minutes, "Next time, I know. I know, next time." and then he left. I stood at the door watching his car go off, unsure if he meant he'll beat me up next time, I'll tip him more next time or was he just repeating what people who don't tip say? I felt bad. I felt indicted. I felt like I needed to overtip now to compensate for all the people who DON'T tip him. I felt responsible. I called the restaurant and spoke to someone who said that they don't take credit card tips, only cash. "Then who got my $4 tip?" I really wanted to know. The man on the phone told me I can come in and tip Joe (the delivery guy) in person, if I wanted him to get a tip, but that was it. I hung up, no longer dejected and mainly just over it all. Then I opened my hot, yummy looking noodles, took a big bite and stared at the bland, flavorless meal in front of me. What an illusion. How can you have so many yummy things in your chowmein and manage to render it flavorless? I ate 4 bites and gave up. Loss all around.
(2)Liza T.
Came here with my friends on Sunday at 10:45am. It was good that they were opened 15 minutes early. The restaurant was empty and the service was ok. I would not expect any amazing service from a Chinese restaurant. The cleanliness of the restaurant was ok, but not great. I especially hate the big plastic outside the door. That plastic was pretty dirty and I don't know what's the purpose of that. Those plastics are only for places that have air conditions......WEIRD. We ordered: Wide Rice Noodle Salad - (5/5) It was very good. The noodle was chewy and the sauce was great. Not too spicy. Three Flavor Dumpling (4/5) - Good. Very juicy inside but very standard dumpling Beijing Style Cold Noodles (5/5) - Very good. The peanut sauce was very tasty and flavorful. The noodles were very chewy. Beef Stew Noodles Soup (5/5) - I didn't try the beef but my friend said the beef was tender and flavorful. Family Style Pancake (3/5) - This one was just ok. Not much ingredient and only eggs and green onion. Overall, all the food were good. The price was very reasonable in term of the portion. If I am craving the Chinese noodles, I will definitely come back.
(4)Moni T.
I have been going to this place for about three years. I like their foo but their customer service could be better. Sometimes when you call and place an order they can be very RUDE, and since their accent is SO STRONG, it is also hard to understand them and viceversa. If you have any experience with customer service, it is absolutely not necessary to be RUDE on the phone by saying: W-H-E-R-E I-S. Y-O-U-R A-D-D-R-E-S-S? Like if I was retarded. Thank you for delivering, but at this point I rather try some other place, where they actually take care of people.
(2)Vicky Z.
love their food and service. Went there with my boyfriend once and my family once. They all love this place. Tasty food.
(5)Winé C.
Beijing restaurant is just fine. I've had a couple of dishes that were just fine. A couple of dishes that were off the charts and a couple of dishes that just did not tickle my fancy. Went there two nights ago, Corn and chicken soup, pretty good. Nothing too spectacular. Noodles in brown paste, noodles were good! Paste tasted like thick-too-salty hot and sour soup... I would say, stick with your tried and true. Far as Chinese food goes, they are definitely northern-style. A little bit on the pricier side. CASH ONLY!!! I know they take cards if you order on-line but if you try to pay in there with your card, you may be unpleasantly surprised.
(3)Gilbert C.
Ordered about 4 of their dishes for delivery. I have to say that not even one dish satisfied me with the taste. This was surprising since I'm easy to please with food. I understand that maybe the cumin beef I ordered could've been my fault since I haven't eaten this dish before in a while or ever. The other dishes just missed the mark. For instance, the Beijing Noodles I ordered were totally over salted and neither me nor my 3 siblings could even stomach it. I was hoping I was discovering a new regular spot to order from but was sadly mistaken.
(1)Earl G.
If it's good enough for Yao Ming, it's good enough for me! ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) Divey outside, pretty clean and modern for a Chinese dive inside. I like how they have pics of neighborhood peeps dining here on their walls. Came here for lunch with some coworkers. ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) Since I'm no Chinese food expert, ordered Beijing Resto's signature dishes according to Yelp friends Lolia S, Wilhelm Y, and Ken K #89 ($8) BEEF STEW NOODLE SOUP -- My favorite. A little different since I'm used to the Taiwanese beef noodle soup but the noodles were delicious with nice elasticity. Great flavor on the broth, not as deep as I've had but the super tender beef stew pieces make the dish. I want a whole bowl to myself. Order this! ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) #31 ($10) CUMIN LAMB -- Dry fried style, great cumin spice, tender. Perfect with rice. Order this! ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) #55 ($8) BEEF PANCAKE - Mexican folks speakin' Chinese! Tasted like a Chinese ground beef quesadilla. It went ok with the table chili sauce, it would be better with guac, sour cream, and Cholula! Try it, you might like it. ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) #46 ($10) HOT BRAISED BEEF TENDON - w/bok choy. Sticky, tender, but chewy. Could have been stewed more. Great flavors though. You can skip. ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) Another popular item here is the $5.50 lunch special, you get a soup and one of those typical Chinese-American rice plates. It was very popular with the Non-Chinese crowd and I'm sure it's OK. Do yourself a favor, skip it and order what they're known for, Beijing specialty dishes.
(4)Nanny R.
I'm not against driving a distance or entering a dingy setting for great food, let alone great Chinese food. Beijing Restaurant is an unflashy restaurant located at a semi-isolated area within the boundaries of the city. I'd been reading reviews about this place for quite some time, and finally decided to give it a go. The staff was outstandingly personable and knowledgeable. I had a ball chatting with them. The food, however, was a different story. At best, it's okay. We ordered quite a few dishes (that's how excited we were and how much we trusted Yelp's 4 stars), including dumplings, chive pancakes, seafood, noodles, even their specialty of the day (large hotpot dish). It should have made for a lot of chopstick ruckus or starry-eyed patrons. And though no one spit out their food, no one was excited to take home leftovers either. I won't be choosing it over other restaurants in the city. If I'm in the area, perhaps I'd drop by -- but that'd be because of transportation issues, a line of closed restaurants, or ravenous hunger from dealing with the latter options. Beijing Restaurant is fine.
(3)Monica B.
Great food. TERRIBLE SERVICE. The waiters barely even paid attention to us and we had to call their attention 5/5 times. Terrible. On the flip side we ordered green onion pancake, chicken corn soup, and cumin lamb. Great quality and great taste. So if you can put up with the worst service around, it's worth it.
(3)Adrian E.
Nice. I have finally found a Chinese food delivery place that I am actually excited to have deliver. One thing you find in San Francisco is variety, and it isn't always a good thing, because places take something that everyone loves and try to make it better. Not this place. This is simple, awesome tasting, greasy, happy go lucky Chinese food. No re-inventing the wheel, no wasted creativity and no surprises. Tonight I ordered Mongolian Beef, General's Chicken, and rice. All outstanding. Best part? Everything was as it should be. Mongolian beef was simple. A ton of sauce, cuts of beef, dried peppers, and two types of onions. Simple. General's chicken? Deep fried chicken, covered in sticky & spicy sauce. Done. I gave this place 4 out of 5 stars because this is what this food should be. It should never try to be anything better, because this is what we love and this is what we want for late night delivery. Keep it up!!! -A
(4)Kelly B.
Do yourself a favor and order all of these things: Beijing beef pancake, cumin lamb skewers, zhajiang mian, and lion's head meatballs. You're welcome.
(5)Sharis Y.
I like the lamb skewer, it really taste like what I ate from Beijing in china. The combination dumpling is my kids favor. We always order to go and have them to deliver to our house, usually takes about 30-45 mins for the delivery.
(4)Darwin N.
First of all, what's with the plastic drapes as you walk thru the front doors? When my friends and I ate here, service was horrible. We prolly waited 30 minutes before anyone even served us water. There were two other occupied tables being neglected as well. What was funny was there were two employees that appeared to be taking their break in the dining room. All employees deserve breaks but when you have customers waiting to be served and being ignored, someone has to step in and do something. And finally when we got our food, three items were never brought out but we were still charged. Of course, we made them correct it. I will never eat there again.
(1)Josephine L.
*Sigh* I'm a niu rou mian (beef noodle soup) connoisseur. I'm just going to say it right now. No false modesty, no fake humility. I grew up with the stuff, it's my version of comfort food, I've studied its history, creation and technique extensively, and I make it myself. I've had beef noodle soup cooked by master Taiwanese chefs where the noodles are the definition of al dente ("kiu kiu" in Mandarin) because they're completely handmade, the beef and broth are stewed for an entire day and the bok choy (my preference over spinach) is just the right amount of crisp. I wasn't expecting anything like that from Beijing Restaurant, but I was expecting a certain level of quality for a restaurant purporting to offer Northern Chinese cuisine. The beef noodle soup here sucks. Don't get it. It's flavorless, oily beyond description and just plain gross. The beef is actually stewed quite nicely and very tender, but its good qualities are lost in a badly seasoned broth accompanied by overcooked, mushy bok choy (of which they only give a couple). The best thing I can say about their beef noodle soup is it's still miles better than that atrocious mess at Kingdom of Dumpling. The Beef with Green Onions is much better and gives me hope that Beijing Restaurant kind of knows what it's doing. In this dish, the beef was tender and perfectly flavored without being overwhelmed by all the green onions. Served simply over a bed of fragrant, jasmine long-grain rice, it's a simple, tasty meal for those days when you don't want to deal with anything fancy. I do plan on trying Beijing Restaurant again and ordering other dishes that they might be better at, so this review might get updated with a higher rating. But for now, I'll cross this place off as yet another beef noodle soup disappointment.
(3)Tony C.
Sorry. No I mean sorry. Ordered delivery for the night. Read good reviews, but how can you mess up beef chow mein, and beef fried rice. Only if your place sucks. Food arrived. Question is where's the beef. Had a few scraps in each dish. Not much else. Could have gotten more flavor out of the frozen food Isle. Message to the cook. Flavor should be part of the dish. Soy sauce should no be the way you make it taste edible. Hated it. Last time I make this mistake
(2)Eric Y.
Setting: Sitting in the car after work with my parents.... Parents: "Where we eatting tonight?" Me: "I'm thinking.... we're running out of places to eat" Parents: "Yah... But I'm thinking of this one restaurant" Me: "I think I know what your thinking... And I hope it's the same one" Parents: "If it's Yao's place, then let's GOOOO!" I immediately smirked and LOLed in my head. Yao's place. This is what we call Beijing Restaurant now... Because this is the only restaurant that we know Yao ate at, we referred this place as Yao's place. So what's on the menu today? Well... -Cumin Lamb -Fried Tofu w/ Fish -Cai Yang Bai Tsai -SECRET MENU! Now, you must be looking at this review and the last one as "what the hell is secret menu?" Well, this thing that we ordered wasn't on the menu. It was recommended by one of the young waiters because it was really windy and cold outside. They saw us shivering while walking inside. Revealing of House Special! ~ ULTIMATE SECRET DISH! ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) Check out the pics, you will see a Clay Pot on a stove w/ Huge Pork Bone boiled in it. It's a type of stew pork, except more like one of those Lamb Clay Pot type dishes. This was an extremely rich dish w/ lots of pork bones and meat. The broth was thick and tasted very very good. In fact, it's so good, I don't really know how to explain it. As you can see from the other pics, the special dish also had some Bai Tsai for you to boil in it (almost like a hotpot). Also came with Fun Pi (a kind of noodle like thing). Because this is a special, I wasn't sure the name of the dish. I also don't think ti's something that you can order everyday. I'm pretty sure they don't make it often because it seems like it would take forever to get the soup based so rich and tasty. But, all I can say now is that, this special dish definitely kept us warm for the rest of the night. It was very filling and definitely makes you crave for more. That's it for tonight! I will be back to Beijing Restaurant very soon! Hopefully they can suprise me with another special item. =)
(5)Erica K.
Swear... if you order fried rice and you're at the table seated next to me, I am judging you jk. I came here for an early Father's day celebration & my mom called ahead of time to make a reservation... a reservation... for this restaurant. The parking lot seemed sketchy, and the restaurant's interior space was sOOoo cramped. Idks how they managed to fit so many tables and chairs, my seat was literally jammed against the back of another lady's chair. The employees are efficient, but slow at seeing a customer's need of attention. -$$ of food is eh.. NO. The food portion on the platter did not correspond to the price of the food. The sweet & sour soup was bleh. Like what on earth was added into this soup?? Honestly, it felt like the food here was either really sour, spicy, or exotic tasting (idks if that's a good or bad thing) -Onion pancakes. Omg I cannot believe we came to this restaurant and the key plate I liked here was the onion pancakes. On the real, they can be bought from a dimsum restaurant or a local supermarket. They were a smidge too salty, but was nonetheless tasty :') Overall, the food was decent and satisfying. Wouldn't want to come back here due to the miles away it is from my home. The restaurant's environment was harsh cause of the heat and the spiciness in the food! Omg the entrance of the restaurant has these plastic strip curtains, and they're basically the main reason why it's so hard to not sweat while eating the food in there. Aha, they block the wind from the outside and the employees don't exactly open the windows. Try at your own risk & don't expect much.
(3)Jin S.
I'll keep it short, 4 stars for 2 reasons. the lamb kabob and the chicken wings. When in SF, when you mention chicken wings, I'm sure San Tung is probably one of the first place you come up with. The wings here, pretty damn good, and pending on your preference, might even be better than San Tung. The batter used creates a crispier skin, the meat is tender and the spice level just right. It has more of a after taste, smoky spicy feel. Doesn't hit you right away. The lamb, tender, not over cooked like a lot of other places I've tried. It's also not covered in chili powder, just a tad, along with pepper flakes. Not only is it cooked right, they left just enough fat on the meat. there are other dishes, but not really worth mentioning. Was not impressed with the steam pork buns, with thick skin like that, I much prefer it pan fried.
(4)Maria P.
Since my walking distance Chinese place closed down, I found this place through eat 24 and loved it right away! One because of the food and 2 because of the fast delivery! They don't take forever like most places! So far I have had the Kung pao shrimp and the basil chicken! Both are amazing! They don't skimp u on the meats like other places do. This is my new favorite place!! :) highly recommend it.
(5)Lucky L.
Please note that the health score is 87 out of 100. Yes, Yao Ming dined here...but that doesn't help the health score! Overpriced, unsanitary and poorly run little Chinese restaurant. Park behind the restaurant and you'll be totally repulsed with how the food is transported to the kitchen and stored (right next to the trash bins and exhaust from the parking lot). This place has some unique dishes...but not worth taking the health risks!
(1)Erat W.
This restaurant is only a few blocks from where I live, but I haven't given it a try until a few months ago. Because of the location and its appearance, I assumed it was an Americanized Chinese, like a Panda Express. However, after the first try, I have been going back very often. The BeiJing food is very authentic. I like their meat pancake (jing dong pancake), and beef noodle soup. Tip: Part of their menu is design for its neighborhood, so some items are Americanized, such as their lunch special. They need the customer base from the people work and live near by, which are mostly American and Mexican. These items tend to be a little salty, not as authentic, but still good. So, when you are there, try things on the main menu, and ask for suggestions. Tip: For those who expect Cantonese food, don't go there. I think that was why someone gave one star because of "searching for green onion pancake" CONS: their service used to be very good, very polite and available. But the last two visits, the service is just like another Chinese restaurant. You will get service, but not as good as before. Last visits, I was there for week day lunch, but before, I was there for weekend lunch or dinner. Maybe that makes the difference. Update: ever since their menu updated with new price... couple of years ago(?), the food portion is smaller, and not tasted as good as before. Service is so so. Because I had been there so many times, I could even tell that there were missing ingredient in my favorite dishes a couple of times, that I had to tell them to fix it. So sad to see my favorite restaurant turned into a disappointment! Nah, not going back.
(3)Renee Y.
I just put in my phone order for delivery with Beijing Restaurant, and it's 1 minute 'til closing time on a Saturday! Not only did they take my order heartily, they also deliver all the way to Daly City! It's pretty much my go-to place for very good delivered Chinese food.
(4)Lisa K.
Wonderful. The menu's quite extensive, but we followed recommendations and tried to keep towards the Beijing dishes. The food: #26 Slice Fish with Preserved Vegetable in Warm Pot: Delicious. Normally I'm not particularly inclined towards fish soup or preserved vegetables, but I'd love to have this again, especially during cold weather. The mild white fish contrasts very well to the sharp taste of preserved vegetables, and the broth is tasty without being too heavy. The noodles were hard for me to eat, but that's my problem. #54 Beijing Beef Pancake - my favorite, 'cause how could it not be? There's a pretty thin layer of delicious beef between wonderful layers of soft, but crispy on the outside, "pancake." I can't offer the most accurate comparison of what other culture's bread-like, meat-stuffed thing this is, but it's pretty much perfect. #66 Stired Flour Ball with Pork - probably my least favorite, although still pretty tasty. I wasn't sure what to expect with the flour balls, but they had the texture of slightly undercooked pasta, which is not bad in and of itself, but I kind of associate it negatively with the pasta. The flavors were good though. #91 Beijing Style Noodles with Brown Paste - We asked for a recommendation between this and the Beijing Noodles with Special Sauce. We were told the "special sauce" one was "dry," while the brown paste was wet. I was a bit wary of the special sauce after hearing it was salty, so we went with brown paste - which definitely was "wet," somewhere in between a soup and heavy sauce consistency. I liked the noodles, and the sauce was tasty, but a little bland. We had tons of leftovers, and I think I'll add a lot of vegetables to absorb some of the sauce. The meal came to $33 without tip and would have very easily been enough food for 4 people. We were told the delivery radius is 2 miles. I can't wait to come back.
(5)Wilsonathalie C.
Went in on a typical Monday wanting some grub. They used to be better and provided portions to match their price. I went in with a friend and wanted rice with our order. They charged us for 3 people and gave us enough for only myself. Service is bearable but most people go for their food, which is on the saltier side.
(2)Dorothy T.
Been here many times since my last review. It's incredibly delicious and authentic, so my friends say who lived in Beijing.
(5)Yanlin C.
Love the food! This is real Chinese food and they taste just like the ones from my hometown! Some dishes are different but it's definitely approaching to traditional non-customized Chinese food. Love it!
(4)John K.
This place has fantastic food! Excellent service! MUST MUST TRY!
(4)Aaron Y.
I can't get enough of this place! The food is delicious, the servers are courteous and knowledgeable, and the photos on the wall make me smile. I love their Wide Rice Noodle Salad, Shredded Potatoes with Hot Oil, Fennel Dumplings, Salt & Pepper Tofu, all of their Warm Pots, and their Sweet & Sour Meatballs.
(5)rhonda s.
Agree with other posters about the unexpected pleasure in finding this little gem. Love the decor of customer photographs--gives it a warm and friendly feeling. Staff is also super friendly and helpful. We tried 3 of the dishes recommended by fellow Yelpers and were not disappointed! All portions were larger than expected and our three dishes fed two of us for more than a day. (-: The Beijing Noodles were beautifully presented with the sauces/condiments separate from the noodles so that they could be custom mixed by the diner or server. The onion pancake was fresh and slightly sponge-y...again, perfectly prepared. The Cumin Lamb was a little salty, but delicious--spices were visible on the top of the moist and thin slices.
(4)Janet S.
I will definitely come back. The food was pretty good and such a good deal. We accidentally ordered a potato salad in hot oil, which is actually uncooked potato shredded finely and soaked in hot chilli oil. The was so good and so unexpected. Definitely not something I would normally order. The other items we ordered were nothing special and it wasnt all that spectacular. However, for dessert we got the sweet fried rice cake that was stuffed with red bean paste and that was totally awesome. You get at least 16 pieces for like 5 bucks... I want to come back just for that and the potato salad. And next time I will try more beijing items.
(4)Yi Y.
My favorite Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. It has some authentic northern style Chinese food, with some special street foods from Beijing, like Chinese style crepe (), lamb kabob / skewer (), and they also have Beijing Yogurt () and Plum drink (), etc. Definitely worth a shot if you miss the taste of food from northern China :).
(5)Jorge Z.
Best Hot and Sour Soup in all the bay area! A must try.
(5)Andrew Z.
After I made a bad review of this place, a friend got take out from this place as a joke, and brought it to work for everyone. It is not very good anymore in my opinion. I did not like it. I would not go here by choice for worker rights reasons, and I am sorry that my work friend got food here even as a joke. Anyway, the food was not good. I would not recommend it.
(1)Ro R.
Good food. Probably some of the best Chinese food in the city. Intimate setting with pics of all of the good people who have eaten here. The staff is friendly BUT sometimes, even when the place isn't busy at all, there's 4-5 servers and it's still hard to get their attention. I've had to request the same thing to 4 different people and they all forget so easily. It's like they have short term memory loss. Can I get fork?!? May I have the bill please?!? Good food, though.
(4)Vanessa T.
This place makes real good food. Especially the hot and sour soup, like no other place!
(4)Matsuo U.
The look of the building is deceiving, the food is not nearly as bad as the building looks. Near where my student friend attends college, lunch for 2 was like $ 32.00 for 2. House special bao: hmmm, a little strange tasting, they were small & nicely made but the stuffing was not very good. Wor Won Ton soup: broth was ok, dumplings were a bit over cooked - read: mushy - to the point that some were falling apart before our very eyes. Ingredients other than the disintegrating dumplings, were very minimal - NOT a true Wor Won Ton soup. Special fried rice: just ok. Pork pieces were super sweet and kinda odd. Service was ok, I think the servers have not smiled in over a decade - which has sponsored a permanent sad look. Asked server when she was passing by what dish she just delivered to the table next to us --- answer: " I don't really know, I think fish - but not on menu". Okie dokie. Maybe if you live in this esteemed neighborhood next to the freeway, you would appreciate this joint as a kung pao oasis. Not much reason for me to return.
(2)David C.
Always a good place even though it management and the name of this place changes more often than seasons....A good local place which popular people have visited! Worth the wait because its made to order...
(4)Allison H.
Wonderful food and experience! Kung pao tofu w fried rice was a great choice. We also had the cucumber salad to start and loved it. As North Chinese is not the norm, I would definitely venture out here to try this place!
(5)Prascilla L.
Food - 4.5 stars Green Onion Pancake - lots of green onion, hot and crispy on the outside and yet, chewy inside. One of the best we have had especially if you LOVE green onion Lamb Dumplings - you taste the lamb and know what you're eating. Juicy and soft. Beijing Style Noodles - great noodles, but would like to have more condiments - bean sprouts, cucumber and the sauce are a bit salty. Ambience - 4 stars Clean little place and imagine, has its own parking lot, Kudos for that!! Service - 4 stars Friendly and efficient! Price - 5 stars Two people stuffed with tasty food and out the door with tips @ $25!! What more can you ask for?! So... from my math, overall it's totally 5 stars and can't wait to try out the other recommendation!
(5)Poppy C.
So I came in here with my darling dad and beloved uncle, both of whom are very picky eaters. The waitress made excellent suggestions, none of which I understood, many many plates rolled out and we ate ourselves sick and I'm stuck with at least two days worth of leftovers. Apparently there are weekend specials that are very beloved by my old school relatives.
(4)Eunhae K.
This place is great! Recommend shrimp and chives dumpling, cumin lamb, spinach and tofu soup, and egg surfaced tofu.
(5)Julia Z.
Check out the restaurant with a friend's invitation. Restaurant owner is from Beijing and my beijing friends love the food there. I really like the sheep soup(yang xie zi). Never tried it before. A little spicy and very delicious. Will definitely come again!
(5)Lilly K.
I went here with my bf for Saturday lunch, decent amount of crowd. Jay Chou playing in the background for an authentic experience. We ordered 3 things, one too many but good anyway; Zha Jiang Mian, Cumin Lamb, and Beef Pancake. The Zha Jiang Mian was AMAZING. The noodles tasted handmade, and it was just..honestly it was SO GOOD. Cumin lamb was good by itself but when I ate it with the noodles it was WAAAAYYYYYYY better. I think with rice it would have tasted AMAZING. Finally the Beef pancake, it was good crispy on the outside nice and beefy on the inside. I think we would have been happier with the chive but none the less that was because we ordered incorrectly not because their food isn't anything short of amazing. I would definitely come here again. If you want delicious, authentic chinese eat here. I'd like to note I'm REALLY picky about what constitutes good Chinese food, and this place is definitely GOOD Chinese.
(5)Edgar G.
I dined here with my family a few days before I left for Sydney thinking this place would be decent for Chinese food for dinner. WRONG. The service here is terrible with the workers wearing sweatpants and avoiding customers. Really now? The food was also meh. I don't even want to get into details about the food we ordered but it was bland and nobody at the table enjoyed dinner. It took us a while to flag down somebody to bring us the bill and it took ages for them to pick up the tab so we ended up walking up to hand them the cash. Worse off, they never returned with the change. Rude much? Do you assume the change is your tip? I don't even believe they deserved any tip whatsoever. This is one of the worse Chinese restaurant in the city. Nuff said.
(1)TTrraaccYY H.
I go there almost once a week! The waiter/waitress are SUPER NICE. THE FOOD IS EXCELLENT! I can say this is the ONLY RESTAURANT I love in the MISSION TERRACE area. BEST!! BEST!! LOVE IT!!
(5)Michael N.
What a place! My aunt brought me here claiming this place was as good as it gets for Beijing style cooking. Being the big Chinese foodie that I am, I tend to be very picky about restaurants, but wow. This blew my mind. Don't be deceived by the restaurant's appearance, this place will put you in awe. We order quite a few dishes too. We had the Pork Belly soup which was pretty out of this world. They put cabbage in it which gave it a very unique taste that was almost sour. It doesn't sound good, sure. Sour soup isn't the best way to describe, but it was a must try. The cumin lamb was fantastic. It was juicy and the spices they used made it taste like something out of this world. So flavorful and tender to the very last bite! The one thing to order though was not on the menu. If you eat here, ask for the Chinese Burger. This is something that is a must try. Home made buns stuffed with amazing meat that was packed with everything that will make your tongue go wild is the best description I could use. I ate 3 of them.
(5)May T.
Overall: 4.5 stars Food: 5 stars Ambiance: 3 typical Chinese decor with photos on walls Service: 5 stars, very nice and helpful You know you're in a Northerner's house when all you hear are rolling RRR's in the spoken Mandarin and you can hear playful bantering in the background. Although the decor and the physical restaurant itself is rather mundane (red lanterns and red exterior paint) and kitschy (photos of regulars, Yao Ming are taped on walls and flat panel television with Chinese pop concerts in the background), the food is 100% Beijing style. We ordered only from the "Beijing Specialties" section: 1. Stir-fried Liver in Spicy Garlic Sauce - the liver was tender and the sauce was pure spicy delight. The gravy would have been excellent over a plate of rice or with a steamed bun. 2. Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs - The American sweet and sour sauce is laden with ketchup, red food coloring 5 and processed white vinegar. Authentic Chinese sweet and sour is actually a very heavy sauce, traditionally made with black vinegar that is more similar to Worcestershire and reduced with a lot of sugar to a sticky, thick-as-molasses syrup. This sauce is decadent, and drizzled over bite-sized, deep-fried pork meatballs. 3. Chive Dumplings (Jou Cai He Zi) These are like Chinese empanadas, filled with chives, eggs and garlic wrapped with a flour pastry. The pastry is then pan-fried in hot oil until the skin is bubbling and charred, and the juices from the filling run over your chin as you bite into it. 4. Sour Cabbage and Pork Belly Clay Pot (Suan Cai Bai Rou Sa Guo) This is the real deal. The cabbage is house-made and the pork is sliced so thin that it disintegrates in your mouth. The broth is rich in pork essence and they give you lots of fen pi (the slippery glass noodles) to slurp down with your soup. I took my father there to sample the food, and he was very pleased with the meal. This is a great family restaurant, with authentic Beijing-style food at a great price. Our entire meal came out to $39 and some change, and we had tons of leftovers for the next day.
(4)C H.
My favorite chinese place in the USA! Thank you for your wonderful BBQ lamb kabobs, just like the street food in China. Thank you for your friendly service, and solid menu. Thank your for delivering to my house, even though I live in Brisbane. And especially, thank you for your "Beijing Style Noodles with Brown Paste" (Zha Jiang Mein). I never thought I would find this dish again the way I had it in Beijing, but they have it here, and it tastes the same as I remeber! Other menu highlights: Sweet and sour pork- I don't usually like this dish, but WOW! Fried Rice (any) - Super flavorful, and not too greasy Pork with sour preserved greens - think roast pork and saurcraut Stir-fried potatoes in chile- another Chinese dish I didn't think I'd find in the US. You guys are the best! Everyone should eat here for authentic Beijing food. Yum!
(5)Claire M.
I dream about eating here often, which is painful as I no longer live in the area. My go to dishes are the two types of hot pot and the cold tripe dish that comes doused in a red oil sauce. When I didn't have a car, I once cycled here from SF braving dodgy freeway overpasses and aggro bike-hating drivers. It's worth it. Order the most "Beijing" oriented stuff and you're in for a treat.
(5)jolie L.
So I guess I didn't know what to order the last time I ordered delivery from here. I recently sat down in the restaurant as my good friend ordered the good stuff: 27. Sliced Fish with Preserved Vegetable in Warm Pot - great for those that REALLY enjoy preserved veggies 39. House Special Hot Chicken Wings (ask for Irving St. style) - my friend thinks they're better than the wings at San Tung's. I think it's a matter of preference for dry-fried or saucy wings. 55. Beijing Beef Pancake The following were good, but I could live my life without: 9. Wide Rice Noodle Salad - flavors are light 31. Cumin lamb 62. Fennel dumpling - it's true, the wrapper is too thick This time, the meal didn't feel like a rock in my stomach the next morning. The meatballs, braised pork, Singapore style rice noodles, and the Beijing noodles with special sauce are a few dishes I def want to try next time. As for tonight, dinner for one, please: Preserved Vegetable Shredded Pork Noodles Soup. Hope it's good!
(4)Bernadette G.
Not greasy. Good food. Clean place. Nice atmosphere. Been there only once but will definitely be back. My mom's favorite - Shrimp Cashew. My favorite - Mu Shu Shrimp..plum sauce was delish!!!
(4)Jennifer Y.
This place is so cute, and has the most authentically homemade noodles and pancakes ever. Items to order: # Green onion oil pancake (not layered, but the dough-y kind) # Vegetable stuffed pancake (with chives, eggs, and mini shrimp --beware of these, if you cannot eat seafood) # Jajjang Myun (not the soupy kind, and not overly seasoned --very nice texture to the noodles, and table-side mixing) # Pork Meatballs with iceberg head lettuce and gravy (lion head-type meatballs) # Flour balls with shredded pork (these are very very close to being homemade at someone's granny's) # Salt and pepper pork nibblets with chili (yum!) Helpful Notes: # For parties larger than 4, reservations are in order. # Expect that for dining-in, seating, food prep and consumption, and paying of check will take ~1-1.5 hours. Everything is really, homemade. # Service is wonderful, and Mandarin, Cantonese, and English are spoken by the great hosts. # Prices are between $5-8/dish. # Cash seems to be the preferred method of payment. # This place is tiny with a smallish waiting area, but does have a convenient parking lot adjacent to the restaurant on Alemany and Ocean. # To-go orders are still tasty and prioritized.
(4)Jade W.
good in theory - in practice another experience. I visited the food truck at the SF food festival. First, the Chinese burger was screaming at me - I was expecting the fried bao to be sweet & soft and instead it was hard & bland. The filling was a good start but needs tweaking more heat and easier on the Chinese 5 spice and cumin. Maybe more cilantro chopped it and some pickled onions? Something acidic. The skewers would have been better if they weren't soooo overcooked. The lamb didn't taste gamey, which is good, but it was chewy and dry - same with the chicken. Overall, it was a good start but needs improvement.
(3)Hayden W.
It was late afternoon and the waiters were having a lot of fun. Their food is really genuine Chinese and they are very friendly and helpful. Another little bonus for this place is they have their private parking lot on the back and monitored by surveillance camera. Thumbs up
(5)Annie L.
Beef and Broccoli? Crackin' Yao Ming's photo on the wall? Oh FoSho. Prominent B.O. Musk? Unfortunately.
(4)cindy j.
I've been eating at Beijing for over a year now and after stopping in today, thought I should write a review. The hot and sour soup is the best in the city. It's HOT and it's SOUR and it is delicious. My husband and I always try to pick a new item instead of the same things over and over. The cumin lamb is really good if you like spicy. All of the dumplings are little gems with tasty fillings. The noodles are nice and chewy but soft at the same time. The standard things are good too, such as the Kung Pao chicken and the Mongolian Beef. The service is great on the front end of ordering and receiving the food. If you need anything after that, such as water, more tea or the check you have to pretty much get up and walk up to the counter. Despite this annoyance, I still love this restaurant.
(4)Toby R.
ZOMG!!! After years of looking in the city, I have finally found a legit hotpot location. The owners are from right outside Beijing and clearly know what they are doing when it comes to hotpot. We got the split pot and both broths were incredibly flavorful and fool of good shit. The menu has a rather limited amount of options but we asked for off-menu items such as lotus an potatoes and they were more than happy to slice some up for us. I ate till my balls hurt and even slugged back some tallboy Yanjings. By far the best hotpot I have had in the city!
(4)Rob C.
I enjoyed this restaurant, and it's right up there with Everyday Beijing. We shared: beef pancake -- crisp outer dough, little oily, with thin layers of meat house special eggplant -- nice flavor, on the sweet side, has chicken and shrimp beijing noodles with special sauce -- nice toothy noodles with little bits of salted meat, sprouts, sliced cucumber, works well if you get all the bits together in a bite need to try the other dishes here, including the pan fried dumplings, chive pancake, chicken wings, beef noodle soup, etc.
(4)Helen L.
I went to try their House Special Spicy Chicken Wings. You get about 6-7 wings for $9.50. Wow, not worth it. Not even spicy. I do like the fried onions and green onions that came with it. Save your money and get something else. Amazing how small this place is inside. The parking lot was a plus, no need to look for a space. The lunch special is $5.99 on weekdays. It looks like the plate has more white rice than entree.
(3)Wendy G.
Two hours late for delivery with no word at all from the restaurant?? F**k you!!!
(1)Shan L.
after have tried many other northern style restaurants in the Bay Area, this is still my favorite Beijing style restaurant, But! if you only order the Americanized Chinese food, don't come here.
(5)Michelle K.
Didn't enjoy the interior, just doesn't ,are you feel comfortable settling in. Some of the entrees were neat and are specialties. Give it a 3.5
(3)Monica S.
I was brought here by a friend who recently returned from China. My knowledge of the menu is limited (in part because many items are only in Mandarin), but I hope to soon remedy this. What made my one-time Beijing Restaurant experience noteworthy was this: the cumin lamb. Holy moses, that was delicious. The cumin seeds taste freshly toasted and the rich ground lamb sings with flavor. I've since tried to order this elsewhere, but those dishes have been a pale comparison to my memory of my experience at Beijing. Looking forward to exploring the menu further...if I can tear myself away from the lamb!
(5)Patty N.
I cannot rave enough about this place! If you ever find yourself in the boonies of SF/Daly City at 2 am, and wanting to gorge on some delicious Chinese food with Yao Ming uncomfortably staring at you, this is the place to be. Food: We ordered the Hot and Sour Soup, which is one of the most pepperiest sh*t I've ever had, but so delicious. I think my sinuses have been cleared for the rest of the year after drinking that soup. I'd say tone down the pepper by just a little notch and you are good. Our other dish, the Kung Pao chicken we had was also quite delicious. Now let me talk about them chicken wangs. Hands down some of the best fried chicken that my friend and I have ever had. It was the perfect amount of crispiness, not too greasy, bite size, and just spectacular (excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard). Service: These teenagers are fast. Honestly I don't even know if they are teenagers or adults but we did not have to wait long for our food at all and our waters were always filled. Although I should probably mention that we were the only ones in the restaurant at the time... VIP baby Price: 3 dishes and rice came out to be 40$ including tip. Overall: If 7'6'' Yao Ming likes it, and this 5'2'' girl loves it (me), I bet you will too! Live, Laugh, and Lunch Patty
(4)Anne W.
Wow.. I was a little impressed. It's hard to find authentic and not oily.. and reasonably priced. We came in with eight adults and were seated at the back table. Service wasn't anything more than what you expect for a Chinese restaurant. We ordered a wide variety of things: 1. Gyoza - It was pretty decent but boiled.. got the stamp of approval from my parents who are Asian obviously 2. Pancakes with chives - Looked pretty good but didn't get to try a piece.. I heard it was good and cooked with minimal oil 3. Lamb soup with sour cabbage - It's pretty sour so you have been warned. I thought it was good still. There are clear wide noodles in it as well. 4. Pickled cucumber - Bad.. don't get it. We didn't finish it 5. Fried tofu in sauce - Pretty good.. I would get that.. crispy with good sauce. 6. Lions head - It's basically a meatball if you've never had it. Way too salty for my taste. Did not enjoy it. 7. Spicy pork intestines and stomach - really good.. my favorite dish 8. Eggplant with veggies - decent.. but I love eggplant 9. Seafood Crispy Noodles - Not very good.. but that's a Cantonese dish 10. Pea leaves - pretty good but it's also a very standard dish.. just sauteed with garlic The best things really were 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. It's still a good find in an area with no Asian food nearby.. well it seemed.
(3)Eddie L.
Okay, located in a totally random part of SF but good food! Food = 4.0 - I went to Beijing Restaurant to try their Niu Rou Mian. The order came out in a big bowl full of noodles, tasty broth and beef/tendon. HEAVEN! The beef pancakes and dumplings were also a hit. On another visit on a foggy SF night, I shared the hot pot with a friend. I might have been coming down with a cold but the spice from the hot pot killed it. Service = 3.5 - Pretty good service for a Chinese restaurant (that means just average service for non-Chinese restaurants). Atmosphere = 4.0 - Small place. Thumbs up for having a private parking lot.
(4)Alyssa L.
i get the feeling that this place used to be better. typically, i order delivery because the service at the restaurant itself isn't great. i've seen other review that lead me to believe it's better to eat at the restaurant because it tastes better but i haven't noticed a difference. my biggest problem is that they skimp on meat and their food always needs a little more seasoning. chinese places skimp on meat all the time and most of the time i could care less BUT... i ordered shrimp fried rice and it came with FIVE shrimp! are you joking me? for $8 you gave me five shrimp and a plate of rice? come on. i order beijing restaurant when crazy pepper is closed already. the end.
(3)Cindy C.
I'm really surprised this place has such high ratings. Maybe our service was bad because we had a party of over 20. But they were definitely overwhelmed and therefore, had very poor customer service. We had to ask for water over 5 times to different waiters, and get out of our seats to do so, because the waiters were too scared to make eye contact with us. Or even come near our table. First, they failed to give us white rice, after many attempts of asking. Then they messed up on an order of Chicken Chow Mein twice. First they forgot to put our order in after 30 minutes of waiting. Then they brought over combination chowmein in stead of chicken chow mein. After we told them that was wrong, Shrimp Chow Mein appeared on their table.. My friends were starving so they didnt care anymore and just thought they should just eat it. Until we realized we would probably get charged more for it. Indeed I was right. I told them the problem, and they seemed to just shrug it off and say it would get fixed. But we were sick of waiting, and said we just want our food, but we dont want to be charged for something we didn't order. So either give us the right food, or charge us for what we ordered, but don't try to give us a more expensive dish and force us to pay for it. The second we brought money into the issue. their Chicken Chow Mein appeared in five minutes. -__-; Never going back.
(2)Wen H.
The service and waiting is absolutely terrible! And the tables aren't exactly cleaned before they ask you to sit down. The little restaurant is so jam packed you can easily hear other tables whisper. The food is over rated too. The flavor is more gear toward "I'm gonna put soy sauce and sugar to make people like it" Authentic? Nope! Will I visit again? Nope!
(2)Anthony B.
Very average. Had much higher expectations based on the reviews and photos. We chose the most unique dishes and were disappointed in some way with each one. Everything lacked in overall flavor and impact: just tasted kinda "flat" and uninspired. Nothing memorable. Won't be returning.
(2)Rena J.
I am so in love with this place. My parents are hard to please and even more difficult to veer away from any Cantonese food that is within arms reach. Luckily, it was my bday dinner and they couldn't say no since it was still Chinese food. Everything was delicious, especially every type of noodle that we had. No rice ordered of course, northern China is big on noodles and breads while southern Chinese is about rice. The server made it sound like every dish was "special" to their restaurant which was another reason for us to order enough the usual 7+ dishes for a family of 4. The lamb dumplings are better at Darda in Milpitas but they had some of the best hong shao ro (red braised pork) I've had in a long time. The za zhang mein had a refreshing cucumber flavor and the texture of the noodles were springy. I got into zombie eating mode from all the deliciousness and ended up experiencing the meat sweats for the first time. My sister explained to me that difficulty breathing is part of the deal. I noticed that they also have American Chinese food on the menu which looked good too but I highly suggest that you avoid those and order what they're really known for - authentic northern Chinese food.
(5)Edward C.
Went there again. When I picked up my fork, it was dirty and had leftover food stuck in between. When I wiped the plates with a napkin, my napkin turned brown. You guy's need to clean your plates and eating utensils better.
(1)Steve W.
Twice I've tried to order from this restaurant and both times they've messed up the order. The last time they didn't even fill the order. I had to cancel the order after waiting two and a half hours.
(1)Eric C.
I started ordering delivery from here about a month ago, about 2-3 times a week. Seems like every order after gets shittier and shittier each time. I'm a little fed up and I am never ordering from here again. Here's a list of fuck ups. 1. They forgot my soup that I ordered today. 2. They forgot my soda I ordered couple days ago. 3. THERE WAS HAIR IN MY FOOD. A LONG ONE TOO. 4. They don't ever follow delivery instructions. (i.e CALL WHEN OUTSIDE) 5. Sometimes the food tastes like it was made yesterday. They have what seems like a bunch of high school kids running the restaurant and it lacks consistency. This restaurant has potential to be a great restaurant and its losing its touch. Please work on your standards. AND WEAR HAIR NETS.
(1)Al G.
Finally an outstandingly delicious Chinese delivery place. It is also pleasant to dine in. It took me 10 years of trying different Chinese restaurants in SF to finally find the one! Absolutely the best when it comes to the common items such as Mongolian beef and Generals chicken with an addition of interesting tasty delights such as flour balls and pancakes. Yummy!
(5)Wilhelm Y.
Even though the location of this restaurant is fairly close to my home I would have not found it so soon had it not been for Yelp. I first tried some menu items from this restaurant back in June, and I've become a regular customer since, but only recently have I actually sat inside the restaurant to eat. The restaurant space is fairly small. Hundreds of photographs adorn the walls and if you've read some of the other reviews you'll probably already know that basketball star Yao Ming is featured on several of them. The service is excellent, and honestly, when was the last time you heard that about a casual, inexpensive Chinese restaurant in the City? They have their own parking lot too, and they deliver to the neighborhood. They even deliver for free if your food total hits the $15 minimum. I've stuck to the House Specials, the hand pulled noodles and the Beijing dim sum for the most part. I think the only dish I've ordered not listed under those three categories was a beef chow fun, and I've had that at least three times. Here are some of the items I've tried when I've dined at the restaurant. House Special Steamed Baozi ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) and ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) - These are little steamed buns with a lean pork and chopped Chinese greens filling. They're not soupy like xiao lung baos, and the outer bun is quite thin. These are quite good but only when they're hot. Three Flavor Dumplings ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) and ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) - These are my favorite steamed dumplings here. They're packed with a juicy mixture of ground pork, ground chicken, shrimp and chopped chives. Beef Stew Noodle Soup ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) - I love their hand pulled noodles which are less doughy than some and always seems to have the exact same chewy consistency and texture. The beef stew has a good mix of meaty pieces, pieces with tendons and tender Shanghai bok choy. I'm not a big fan of the dark brown broth though because I think it lacks depth. Preserved Vegetable Shredded Pork Noodle Soup ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) - This is easily my favorite of the soup noodles here. I often have the spicy preserved vegetables with pork over rice at home, so this selection is very homey to me. The vegetables and pork are stir fried then served on top of the handmade noodles and chicken broth. I love the little splash of sesame oil to finish the stir fry. It just taste so good! The broth in this dish is usually perfectly seasoned for me. Beef Chow Fun ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) - I learned about good wok hay at a very young age. Wok hay in Cantonese often refers to foods cooked perfectly in a wok with a nice seared flavor locked into the ingredients. The fried beef in Beijing's beef chow fun has a beautiful crust on nearly each piece of meat sizzled to near perfection. They go really easy on the bean sprouts and the onions too meaning I get more chewy rice noodles than I do inexpensive fillers. House Special Hot Chicken Wings ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) - These crispy fried chicken wings are very good with a nice outer crust and juicy meat on the inside. Mixed in a saute of green onion, white onion, cilantro and dry red chiles the flavor had absolutely no spicyness to it however. Perhaps had they broken the meat of the chiles that would have helped. If you want good chicken wings these are very good. If you want good, spicy chicken wings then these are definitely disappointing. Overall I'd give a 4.5, but for hand-pulled noodles and flavorful dumplings delivered to my front door I've got nothing but 5 star love for Beijing Restaurant.
(5)Vonny W.
I went here a few days ago because of its 4 stars and well, Yao Ming went there! Must be good right? Wrong!! It costs you min $8 for vegetables and $10 for meal that contains meat. When I first looked at the menu I was like "wow, this is more expensive than any other Chinese Restaurant. Must be good." So, we ordered 3 dishes. The Cumin Lamb; Special (Sauce?) String Bean; and The Tofu I am not saying the dishes are not edible in fact they are good .... as good as some other Chinese restaurants with pricey price. Some dishes you can't find it anywhere is the cumin lamb/beef. When we were eating there were a fly flying around. Maybe I was expecting too much but the waitress didn't seem to care and It was bothering us!!! We decided not gonna come back here again because we've experienced better. First impression is important.
(2)Jason D.
This is definitely one of my fav Chinese spots on this side of the city! The pancakes are awesome and all of the house-made noodles are out of control good. They also have these little spicy pork sandwich thingys that I haven't had anywhere else and absolutely LOVE!
(4)Chanel L.
Ordered takeout for 4. Didn't realize how expensive they were charging for Chinese food, but I guess since YAO MING came here. Why not try it once! Jing dong meat pancake Egg plant with spicy garlic sauce Beijing noodles with special sauce BBQ pork fried rice House special hot chicken wings 2 Cumin beef The only two dishes I would recommend ordering out of the above, is the eggplant dish and the cumin beef. The Beijing noodle is OVERATED and so is the pancake. We all thought it was a bit dry and the noodles were overly salty and lack the black bean flavor. Chicken wings were a rip off and the BBQ pork fried rice? Where was the pork? Extremely disappointed, but had to challenge the 4 star yelp review and see what it was all about. My foodies and I will not be back.
(2)IntelJ F.
Why it's only 4 star?!?!?!?!?! This restaurant is definitely 10 star OKKKkkkkkkkkkKKK?!
(5)J C.
Update. This place is good and the flavor is there. But, the price is too high. I know they need to support themselves, but its prices deviates way too much from the average Chinese restaurant. Example: A wonton noodle soup and a Cumin "lamb" plate (which is actually beef and I have no clue why they call it lamb) cost over $18!? Wtf. No wonder it doesnt get business huh? I woulda got that for around $11 max at the other restaurants. Not to mention that the portion is small as hell. Btw, the server is not nice. They are sarcastically rude. That's even worse than rude.
(3)Joshua G.
***Birthday Post*** I can't possibly say enough about this place. It's out on Alemany basically in the middle of nowhere, all by itself, and when you walk in you're transported into someone's kitchen in the far east. We could smell the food walking up and we were not disappointed. We sat down and looked at the menu. It's like seven pages. Seven pages... I thought any place with that many different things has to screw something up, but I was wrong. We ordered Stir-fried potatoes, Wushu Pork, Lamb Dumplings, General's Chicken, Egg rolls and Mongolian Beef. Stir-Fried Potatoes: They looked like noodles. We weren't sure if they screwed up our order, but one bite into them told us they'd gotten it just right. Seriously delicious. Savory, wonderful, thin sliced, wonderfully crispy potatoes in some amazing concoction of a sauce that just melts in your mouth. Wushu Pork: Four pancakes and a pile of goodness. You make the pancakes into containers for the food and you eat it as a wrap. It is absolutely delicious, sweet, perfectly cooked and awesome. Lamb Dumplings: I have heard on Yelp that these are really good and I have to say I wasn't surprised at all. Lamb can tend to be really overpowering, so to see it as part of a dumpling is a bit scary. Not so in the case of Beijing; every bite was a fantastic reminder of how truly gifted the chef is here. You have to taste these to believe them. General's Chicken: This recipe is always butchered. It's kind of the bastard child of every terrible Chinese restaurant, and honestly I was expecting it to be decent, but it was beyond description. Seriously, I've never had a rendition of General's Chicken that tasted this good. Perfectly battered, tender chicken. I feel like every dish here is a journey. Egg rolls: Meatless, terrific little bites of tastiness. Seriously great, and the sweet and sour is nothing to be trifled with. Mongolian Beef: This is by far the best rendition I've ever had of this dish. Tender beef, wonderful vegetables, I mean honestly there aren't enough adjectives in the world to describe this restaurant. Basically, the best chinese meal I've ever had. Hands down. And by the way, all this food came out to fifty bucks. *EPIC WIN* Tl;DR: AMAZING food, cheap, kind of out of the way spot, worth the trip, best chinese meal ever.
(5)Blue S.
Beijing restaraunt comes through again! Food was delivered warm and they came right when they said they would. This time around my family ordered Beef Asparagus: DELICIOUS, Cumin Lamb: always a lovely treat, Singapore style Chicken Noodles: My favorite, Shrimp Wonton Soup: Yummy and Chicken Curry: Also a delight. And even though my brothers dog jumped on the delivery guy, the delivery guy left with a smile.
(5)Elaine L.
Fairly authentic. The standout dishes here include their handmade Chive Pies and Beef Pies. I also like the texture of their noodles - they are thick and chewy. The beef noodle soup featured slices of very tender and flavorful roast beef; the only problem was the clear broth, which was bland and lukewarm. Perhaps some of the other noodle dishes may leave a better impression. I also note that cash is the preferred method of payment. The waiter informed me that there was an $18 minimum for payment by Visa, although this was not posted anywhere in the restaurant. Note to the Beijing Restaurant owners: if you require a minimum charge for using credit cards, please post it prominently as a courtesy to your customers. Thanks!
(4)Minh H.
Horrible Tomato beef chow mein. It wasn't on their menu but they went ahead and made it for me. They were better off not trying.
(1)Saint S.
The best Chinese food in San Francisco. I'm almost half way through their menu and haven't been disappointed yet. Being able to have my meals delivered is a plus. The only thing I dislike is they close at 2100.
(4)Heather U.
I went to the Beijing restaurant in the Outer Sunset and very much liked it. We were dropping some friends off at the airport and decided to swing by Beijing restaurant on the way since we've been wanting to try it for a while. We ordered 2 bowls of beef noodle soup, a garlic beef appetizer, tripe appetizer, cucumber appetizer, and pork fried rice. My boyfriend (who's family is Taiwanese) said the beef noodle soup with homemade noodles is some of the best he's ever had. It was seriously tasty. The fried rice was also super good, and I don't usually order fried rice. The cucumbers were great and added a nice cool touch to the meal. The service was so so, about what you would expect. It's a small place and was packed on a Sunday night! We'll definitely be back!
(4)Steph W.
Where to take mom on Mother's Day when a) She wants hotpot for lunch and b) We have procrastinated to make reservations anywhere?...to Beijing Restaurant! FYI: Yes, that parking lot on the side of the building is theirs. Despite the outside of the restaurant looking a bit sketch, how awesome is it when you see a pic of the owners with Yao Ming right next to your table? The hotpot part of the menu needed some translation/explanation so I'll break it down based on what I learned: For each person, it is $2.50 for dipping sauce and broth Then you can request "orders" of meat, veggies, or noodles. Meat is $6.50 an order and veggies/noodles/tofu=$3.50. You can get spicy, regular, or half spicy and half regular which comes in a divided hotpot. This is a great alternative to other shabu shabu places that require every person to order their own meat, veggies, etc and don't allow sharing. We got tofu, spinach, noodles, lamb, and 2 orders of beef with the half-half broth. The spicy side was for me, and warning: It is super spicy! My face was melting off, literally! I consumed probably 2 pitchers of water, but pain never tasted so good! My mouth waters just thinking about the tender meat and spicy noodles and veggies. Next time I take my friend out, it is my treat so I am going to take him here!! YUM! I can't wait! Beijing Restaurant also inspired me to perfect my own hotpot at home!
(4)David M.
ordered food for delivery...an hour later (and 2 phone calls) the food showed up, cold. The food may be good, but don't order delivery if you actually want hot, good food....
(1)Janielle F.
Ok, update. I've tried other items and I have to say, this will be my spot for Chinese food. Everything I have tried is fresh and seasoned with real seasonings (haha, no MSG... I can tell for the most part when it is used) I really enjoy their boiled beef warm pot with preserved vegetables. Ahhhhh... comfort food. So yummy. It reminds me a bit of Sinigang (a Filipino soup). I just love how the broth is soured with the preserved veggies. Also, their delivery is pretty fast. It only took about 15mins for my food to arrive- hot and steaming.
(4)Aka C.
I was considering between a 5 and a 4, but it's difficult because even though compared to everything else I've had in the Bay Area this is a 5, I can't really give it a 5 when I compare it to some of the food I've had in NYC... so I'll settle for 4 for now, until they give me a WOW. This is the first place in SF that I have liked enough that I would go back to on a regular basis. I didn't read the reviews before I went but apparently I got exactly what I should've gotten. The food here really is very good. I had no less than 3 previous vegetarians now trying to get back onto a diet with some meat and they all loved this place. The Slice Fish with Preserved Vegetable in Warm Pot was definitely the favorite. The Cumin Lamb also was a hit as well. The skewers are awesome. On the menu it came in a set of 6 deep fried skewers... but apparently when you're ordering the skewers are roasted and you can order them by piece meal... $1/skewer. Awesome deal if you're just looking to finish off your dinner with icing on the top. Scallion pancakes were decent, the stir fried vegetables were simple but still pretty tasty. Even the fried salted pork was good, despite that none of us are really into fried food. I found that I liked the Yan-jing beer better than the Tsing Tao... and we actually got it by accident (they misunderstood us when we wanted to order a second TT). All in all, despite that I'm a food snob... do NOT just walk by this restaurant because it doesn't look like much on the exterior. Definitely give it a try and you won't regret it! Also, if you order two similar things and one is better than the other, they will let you know. I like that sort of business attitude.
(4)John B.
Still really like this place. When I'm in SF, it's a dependable lunch. My String Beans with Chicken was a tad salty but still delicious, whereas my sister's Tofu with Mushrooms was a little bland and undercooked. (But that sounds like it should be a bland dish, right?) 3-4 stars, I guess.
(4)Ken S.
I noticed there were no recent reviews, so I felt compelled to keep the energy moving. This place rocks!! I've driven by it 100 times since I moved to the neighborhood and wanted to try it. As luck would have it the previous yelp reviews directed me (us) here after my beloved Irving Cafe was found to be closed on Sunday - see separate yelp for Irving. I am working my way through the menu but as of yet, I just can't get past the Cumin Lamb, Flour ball, and Fennel Dumplings... YOU MUST TRY THE FENNEL DUMPLINGS!! Other awsome dishes so far were the eggplant, carrot dumplings, hot and sour soup (and I am not a big fan to begin with), onion pancake...can't remember the rest, wll amend soon. The neighborhood is not sketchy...they even have parking. So far I have eaten in, taken out and had delivery. For take out, I received a call because I was a bit late and they did not want my food to get cold (very kind). Delivery was great, the food was the same quality and hot to boot. The people are awsome and the price is fine...there is tons of food...I made three meels out of Cumin Lamb, Flour ball (have only tried the veggie and pork/veggie combo so far) and Fennel Dumplings (to live for) Oh, sorry..Flour ball is a dish made of cubes of Chinese pasta cooked with veggies or meat (or both on request). Tasty and filling. I am picking up an order of Fennel dumplings as a side dish tonight...love em.. You will be really glad you tried this place... Peace
(5)Curtis L.
Crossing over to the Northern Chinese Cuisine, I tried this place with a friend! I must say I was pleasantly surprised that Yao Ming must have ate here because his picture was on the wall. I tried the sour cabbage warm pot and it really hit the spot! My friend also ordered the Mu-shu chicken and it was really good with just the right amount of veggie to meat ratio. Try the onion pancake! Honestly it was the best that I have eaten in the bay area! Not too greasy but just enough crisp, flakiness to explode more flavors into your mouth. I look forward to trying other dishes!
(3)Cheryl M.
DO NOT order the Hot & Sour soup! I went to this restaurant with a huge craving for the sour/spicy goodness and instead got an off smelling glop of dark brown-near black liquid mess. I could not believe it! That is what they call hot & sour soup??? How could they let this dish pass the kitchen? I was so offended that they even served it to us this way. This is literally one of my favorite soups and have ordered and made it many, many times. I'm not usually a picky eater AND don't usually give bad reviews, but COME ON!!! This was soup was pretty foul. For a second, I thought: maybe it's just me and the H&S soup in Beijing is supposed to be this dark, so I hopped on my phone to google it. WRONG!!! SO SOOO WRONG!!! I came to the conclusion that they had this soup sitting out, it got a little suspect so they tried to cover it up by adding extra soy sauce. I'm still bothered by it. That soup wins an award for the WORST soup I have EVER had. I am writing this to call out the staff at Beijing Restaurant, to let your customers know if you don't have a dish available or made fresh tell your customer, "sorry we are out, " instead of serve someone that crap. Or even take it off the menu if you can't get it right. I can't imagine anyone enjoying it. I wish I had a picture of it to post along with this review. Despite the 1-star, horrible experience we had with the soup. The salt & pepper pork was pretty good and redeemed itself enough for another star.
(2)Jon F.
Maybe we ordered the wrong items on the menu, but really one of the worst meals I've ever eaten. The four stars on yelp are pretty generous in my opinion. Although the reviews that say the food is less greasy than most Asian restaurants are pretty accurate, so that's a plus. What I ordered: Wide rice noodle salad: I accidentally spilled it all over the floor, didn't regret it after it happened. Cumin lamb: very popular among yelpers here, but not me. Tasted unsalted, and like it was dipped in a bowl of cumin after it was cooked...more than once. Very awful. Beijing style noodles: looks tasty on pics, but completely opposite in my mouth. Kung pao chicken: very fresh tasting, and not greasy like most places. I would love to try these dishes in another place that might be able to do it right, but maybe it was on just a bad night for these hard working people. If someone can sway my opinion, I'm open minded to any swaying. But until then I will never waste another $40 to get food delivered from here again.
(2)Eudora Z.
I've done a few take-outs on weekdays since I work around the corner from the place. By far, comparing this newly reowned restaurant to the previously owned China Express, Beijing Restaurant wins my votes. The food best suits my taste and appetite and definitely attracts many others to their restaurant. Since I mostly do take-outs on the weekdays, they always have their lunch special of $5.50 for a list of 20+ selections on their menu. With their lunch special, for $5.50, they give you appetizer (1 egg roll), soup, and the meal. The place may seem a bit small but sure is cozy. Employees are always friendly. This place is a plus!
(4)Audrey L.
Totally Yummy, eating it right now found it on yelp since I'm staying at the Alpine Inn in Daly City and this place had a good amount of stars. I have to say it was unexpectedly good! So good in fact that I would want to eat here again and again! we ordered the Combination Fried rice Salty pepper Pork Chops Shrimp with Walnut...except their shrimp is with pine nuts The pork chops are more like pork strips but either way it was tasty! I don't know if they really close at 9 or not but the delivery man said that they were really really busy. Happy Eatings! =]
(4)Bruce W.
Looking at these other reviews I wonder what drastically changed. We ordered take out for here trying various dishes, everything is just a yellowish blur now. The food was horrible, the noodles were soggy and had no flavor at all, and greasier than your average mechanic. The soup was obviously watered down. Some sort of fish dish was also disgusting, Covered in some sauce that looked like sweet and sour, but tasted more like thick salty spit. I'm not sure if this is what caused the runs I got after it, but I wouldn't put it past it.
(1)Mark N.
This place is one of my new favorite spots for sure. A bit off the beaten path, but it was worth going out of the way. I'm no expert on Northern Chinese cuisine, but I can definitely say that I really like how they do it at Beijing Restaurant. Here are the dishes that were notable: --Sliced Fish with Preserved Vegetable in Warm Pot I really liked this soup. The first taste, however, was a bit underwhelming. After stirring well and constructing a more comprehensive taste (be sure to get some of the preserved cabbage and some fish into a single bite), I found myself devouring the rest of my serving and going in for more. It was like fish soup with a ton of kimchi in it. I imagine that sounds pretty awful to some people, but for me it was great! --Shrimp with Pine Nuts This was surprisingly good, even though it just looked like Shrimp with mayonnaise on it, or maybe cake icing or something. --Sweet and Sour Chicken I never really like "sweet and sour" dishes. That being said, this was some of the best sweet and sour chicken I've had. I'm not sure what the other items were called... We had a noodle salad with HUGE noodles, nice fresh veggies, and well seasoned pork. I'll definitely try to figure out what this was and order it again. There was also a spicy beef dish that was basically a soup. It was a little greasy for some, and way too spicy for others, but it was right up my alley. With a good amount of rice to soak up some of the liquid, it was really good and definitely sated my spice lust for the evening. I had that great steady building-up of spice as opposed to a sharp biting spice. This would be a great dish on a cold day. I swear we had one more dish, but I can't remember what it was for the life of me. It must not have been all that remarkable. I will DEFINITELY come back.
(4)Amy C.
Yum. Finally I've found a good Chinese restaurant outside of the Sunset and Richmond. Everything I've tried thus far has been top-notch. The cumin lamb is punch-you-in-face flavorful, the baozi have a perfect crispy crust, and the sliced fish with preserved vegetables soup is an unexpected treat. I wasn't sure what to think of the fish and preserved vegetable soup initially, but I took you Yelpers' recommendations and was not disappointed. It's a clear fish broth with rock cod fillet pieces, wide mung bean noodles, and what can be best described as Napa cabbage sauerkraut. It's tangy and salty and all sorts of gnarly goodness. It's so hard to try new dishes here because I always want to go back to my favorites!
(5)Aya C.
YES, YES, YES! FINALLY! A Chinese restaurant near my house that I ACTUALLY LIKE! (and delivers!) I hardly ever eat Chinese food, simply because there are more crappy Chinese than good Chinese restaurants in the city. I've passed by this place many, many times over the years but never thought of actually going in...until this past Sunday. And boy, am I glad I did. We played it safe and ordered some pot stickers, crab puffs, shrimp fried rice (almost embarrassing), house eggplant special and the General chicken. EVERYTHING tasted great. And piping HOT, just the way it should be for Chinese food! And the service was excellent -kind of a rarity at a Chinese restaurant! I'm very, very happy about this place. Next time, I'll order less "tacky" items on the menu.
(4)Patty C.
Good food, service, and parking in a lot! Food selection and quality is very similar to that I have had in Beijing. Food is a little pricey, but hey, its SF.
(4)julia n.
I was starving after work and had a hard time finding a place that was open past 11PM. To my surprise, Beijing was still open, so I decided to go in. Their menu selection is huge! You can even opt for hotpot. I'm sure there's something on there for everyone to enjoy. I ordered the vegetable pancake and shrimp scrambled eggs (not on the menu but I asked them to make for me). The food came out in about 15 minutes and everything was very good -perfectly seasoned. The portions were quite big so i had to box up my left overs. Aside from the food, service was good -I was welcomed with a pot of tea and my water cup was always filled. This restaurant has come such a long way since I first ate here in 2011. Its a small restaurant, but the food is good! Pros: good food, fast service, open late, and big menu selection, Cons: small parking lot so the alternative is street parking around the mission/alemany area,
(4)Lisa T.
Pavlov was right.... Whenever I drive by this little red building on the corner of Alemany, my mouth begins to water and I get a little hungry in my tummy. This place is too good to ignore. The dumplings, the egg surface tofu, and the black bean noodle are just some of the menu items that stand out (yum!). I would skip the hot and sour soup though (yuck!). By the way, the staff here is awesome. Even though I had a lot of questions, they were very helpful in suggesting the best dishes. Beijing Restaurant is definitely a local hidden gem. And yes, that is Yao Ming... And yes, I find it funny they chose the "ransom note" font for their logo. But either way...delicious!
(4)Christina T.
I like this place a lot mainly for a few of their signature dishes. Here is what I recommend you must try here: 1. Fish and preserved vegetables warm pot (I believe it's #26) 2. Beef pancakes!! Yummy!! 3. Hot braised beef tendons 4. Honey shrimp and pine nuts (very similar to Honey Walnut Prawns at a Chinese restaurant, but with pine nuts....hehe) 5. Spicy hot beef tripe (appetizer) All of their dumplings are pretty good as well, but nothing too special that stood out to me. Their pan fried pork buns are supposedly really famous, but the last time we had them, it had very little meat in them and a whole lotta bread! I didn't like it much. Also, they tend to leave their doors closed and it gets quite stuffy and humid inside. Kinda gross because you see the steam on the windows and it gets fogged up and begins to drip......yuck! They really need a better ventilation system. But, I would definitely still come back here!
(4)Hui C.
Finally found a good Northern Chinese style restaurant in SF! This place is a bit out of the way but well worth it. They have fennel dumplings which are pretty rare find in the US. Five spice beef and onion pancakes are recommended as well. Definitely going back!
(5)Yeeman N.
salt salt salt salt salt salt salt Can I have some more tea with my salt please? 1 star for the parking lot 1 star for the hand made noodles 1 star for having pics of people my friend recognizes on the walls
(3)Carrie W.
Lady who does our facials recommended this place which was nearby. It was a warm day and my sister wanted Chinese style cold noodles. Restaurant supposed to be authentic Beijing style and Yao Ming known to frequent. Everything was pretty good. We ordered Beijing Cold Noodles, fresh hand-pulled noodles with just the right amount of chew to it served with julienned cucumbers in a sauce of chili oil, sweet soy, ground sesame sauce, and chopped fresh garlic. This dish was clean and simple. Many other places will add bits of meat or gunk into the sauce which takes away from the refreshing nature of cold noodles. This is the best cold noodle I have had. We also ordered the General's Chicken Wings which were lightly battered, crispy wings in a sweet and spicy sauce. Yum! We also had the beef pancake which was pretty good. To start, we had the spicy tripe and Hot and Sour Cucumbers. The spicy tripe looked bathed in chili oil, but the taste was off because it tasted like black peppercorns. The cucumbers were really good and were marinated in soy, vinegar, and chili oil. This vinaigrette went well with the tripe and as a dipping sauce for the beef pancake. We definitely will be back, but because of its location on Alemany just off of Mission, we won't be back until the next facial. If you are in the area and looking for Northern Style Chinese food like noodles or dumplings, you have to try this place. They also have a variety of other meat and veggies entrees.
(4)Charlie P.
As a fan of vegetable mushu / moo shu / moo shi / mu xu, I can only speak for this one dish. The vegetable mushu at Beijing was full of flavor, not too salty and did not cause a stomach ache. The sauce was also thick enough to stay in the pancake without being gelatinous. Why I stick with the mushu, I don't know. Perhaps it's the DIY roll-up or the ritual of asking for "more pancakes please" when I really should should ask for a to-go box. I never leave with a to-go box, just the gentle regret of eating too much of a dish that is usually good, occasionally bland, and sometimes ventures into greatness.
(4)Qian L.
I love the pancake thereIt is hard to find beijing pancake in USA. I will bring more friends to there to try more yummy beijing food!
(5)tiannaaah J.
Been here few times, and I especially liked their beef noodle soup, cumin lamb & Fish w/ sour veggie soup. Their beef noodle soup was my favorite. The noodles were handmade, and the broth was very rich in flavor with just the right amount of kick to it. Of course it may not compare to the ones you find in Asia, but for San Francisco, this may be the closest you can get. Unlike many other Chinese restaurants we've been to, their dishes didn't taste like it was loaded with MSG /oil. Overall, a very cozy restaurant with reasonable price, fast&friendly service, and good food. Great lunch spot!
(4)Amy D.
My husband discovered this place awhile ago. he likes to try things that I would never normally order like cumin lamb, fennel dumplings, fish soup, the shredded Raw potato appetizer. I have to admit it's all very good, even though I am way more into the Americanized dishes. I don't really care for the fennel dumpling because it is too strong a flavor for me and he lamb can be tough.. My favorite is the flour balls. Today I got there just before 3 and the server didn't want to let me order off the lunch special. When I pointed out the time, he asked the owner, who told him to let me. I had kung pao shrimp. It wasn't the best tasting that I have had, but this one has no MSG. Also, it had loads of red peppers that were so fresh. I wish it had onion, because I love onion, but the quality was very good. They didn't bring me an egg roll, and I was not going to complain about it, but halfway through my meal someone brought me one with an apology. Pretty sweet of them.
(5)Meg P.
If I'm too lazy to cook (which is nearly everyday), and I don't want to starve either myself, my fiance, or the rugrats, this is my go-to spot. The food is cheap, it's good, and best of all in San Francisco, they have a parking lot (albeit a small one)! I've seriously been here probably close to 30 times now, I feel like I should get some sort of mileage card from this place. It's in the Excelsior neighborhood, and for some reason my fiance automatically thought it meant they served bad Chinese food. Dude, just because it's not in freakin' Chinatown doesn't mean it's bad Chinese food! Heck, even Yao Ming has been in here, and if that ain't a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is! Seriously though, I've never had a bad meal in this joint. The combination fried rice, the sweet and sour chicken, the chicken and corn soup, the sizzling rice soup, the nappa cabbage with pork dumplings, the 3-flavor house special vegetables, they're all fantabulous! I will echo other reviewers though, and say that they could probably use a bigger space. When the restaurant is packed, it can get pretty hot in there, and yet if it's cold outside, every time the door opens the entire restaurant feels the cold draft. But, that's a small price to pay for not having to cook at home. And I don't do Hamburger Helper.
(5)Aron L.
Pretty authentic Beijing-style food. Excellent quality. Nice and helpful people. Different from your usual Canto-dim sum run-of-the-mill Chinese food that everyone eats. Oh look. I can use a chopstick and know what a har gow is. I'm totally ethnic. Dude. Get over it. If you don't like this restaurant, you are a bad person. I don't want to hang out with bad people.
(5)Sydney L.
Tried the "Sliced meat with Preserved Vegetable in Warm Pot." The soup is wonderful.
(4)Lolia S.
There are pictures of diners on the walls of this cozy, house-like restaurant, including many pictures of Yao Ming. I wonder where he sat when he dined there? It's clean inside by Chinese restaurant standards. The majority of diners weren't Chinese. The menu has your standard Chinese fare along with Beijing specials (warm pots, hot pots, dim sum, flour balls, and hand pulled noodles). The menu says they don't use MSG and that they have free delivery. * Stirred flour balls with three flavors ($7.25). The flour balls are tiny little chewy balls stir fried in a slightly sweet, soy based sauce with shrimp, a mild white fish and chicken (three flavors), zucchini, and frozen peas and carrots. The balls are very hard to pick up. There wasn't much meat. The dish was interesting but hard to eat - probably wouldn't get it again. * Beijing beef pancake ($7.25): A must, but you need to eat it quickly. The outside is thin and crispy and the inside is stuffed with juicy ground beef. If you let it sit, the pancake becomes soggy. * West Lake lamb dumplings ($7.50): Very good boiled dumplings though not as good as Kingdom of Dumpling, juicy ground lamb in handmade thick wrappers. * Beef stew noodle soup: The broth was too salty and not that beefy. Good handpulled noodles though they're not as good as King of Noodle's. * Hot braised beef tendon ($8.95): Served over a bed of bok choy, the braised tendon pieces were extremely tender - really good, even better than I expected and I've had plenty of tendon * Chicken with ground bean sheet ($7.25): A bit oily but very tasty stir fry of slippery wide, clear bean noodles with pieces of skinless chicken and topped with cilantro Remember to get the beef pancake and hot braised beef tendon.
(4)Gretchen S.
This is honestly the best Chinese food I've ever had. Such taste!! Each dish was so full of flavor, from the Hot & Sour soup through to the Fennel Dumplings. Thanks to the help of the mighty fine SF Yelpers, we tried the Cumin Lamb, which was as good as represented here. My standard test of good szechuan cooking, garlic eggplant, was stellar- a complex mix of deep flavor and textures. Even the simplest of dishes- flour balls with vegetables (reminded us of German Spaetzel) was a mouthful of flavor. Good service and parking too! Go!
(5)Wendy L.
How is it that yelp reviewers know so much about Beijing cuisine? I'm no expert on Beijing cuisine being the southern Chinese girl that I am, but everything we ordered was much closer to what we found in Beijing than the other places we've tried in the bay area. I also probably shouldn't judge a restaurant by the people who run the place, but I give the family who owns the place bonus points for their tongue-rolling Mandarin, the same kind my mother-in-law from Beijing has to repeat so I can understand. But I digress.... We got the cumin lamb and ja jang mian (Beijing noodle dish). The ja jang mian is the only one I've had in the bay area that is even close to what we ate in Beijing. Everyone else serves it like spaghetti with meat sauce and that is not how it's supposed to be served. The lamb was also well seasoned and very tasty. I definitely see more meals at this place in our near future to try out more of their menu. It's not often that the husband and I come across a Chinese place worth writing about.
(4)Jennifer I.
I've eaten here a few times and it's always been very good! The service is actually pretty good and there's even a parking lot. The location seems to be in the middle no where. I can recommend the following: -beef pancakes (super greasy but oh so good) -spicy beef noodle soup (the hand pulled noodles have just the right amount of softness and chewiness) -garlic spinach (really garlicy...love it!) -cumin lamb (the spices are something I'm not used to but very delicious if you like lamb) Enjoy!
(4)Alan L.
The most important that needs to be said is a huge "thank you" for all the previous reviews for making this a great choice to bring my family. Every weekend, I take my grandma and my mom who are extremely picky old school eaters, out for lunch. One weekend, I didn't know where to go, and I just decided to stop by here since I read it up on Yelp, and since my mom loves beijing/sichuan style cooking.. it was perfect. Jing dong, hot boiled beef, cold tripe, wide rice noodle salad are simply divine. All the noodle soup dishes are amazing, and the pickled vegetable with fish filet soup is great. I don't really like the three flavor flour balls as much as most people do but this place has a lot of different great foods, and the price is very reasonable.
(5)Eric A.
I liked it, the Cumin Lamb was good! Next time I go I will try to find a dish that has sauce. Yelper beware, if you can handle HOT/SPICY, you can try the Chili Delights with House Special Sauce. If not I highly recommend you do not get this. I took 2 bites and the dish was not edible, it was just too spicy. If you do get it, good luck.
(4)Sheep M.
Love love love this place! Definitely the best Beijing style chinese food in Northern California and perhaps all of CA. I will literally drive from Sacramento just to eat here, beats having to fly home to LA or Vancouver every time I have a chinese food craving. Everytime I return to the states from Beijing I get dumpling withdrawls and crave all the different types of noodle based dishes served in China. This place does it right! Yum..
(5)Kendra S.
Everything I've had has been amazing especially the egg rolls and string bean beef. They also listen well if you say you want extra sauce, no bean sprouts, etc. I don't like modifying things but sometimes you just want/love/need some extra sauce. They understand. You understand. Thanks Beijing. I finally found my neighborhood Chinese place! You're it.
(5)Steve T.
We had an exceptional 12-course meal at Beijing (13 when you count the bonus plate after we paid the bill). It was a little bit of a cultural experience as we learned the stories behind the food. Not everyone in China eats rice, for instance. Away from the waterways, only the more affluent routinely eat rice. So the poor have to use something else. So they make flour balls as a substitute. Two of our dishes were from potatoes, too. I had no idea potatoes were that widely eaten in China. If you look at the photos I've posted you can see what we had in total. I'd say my favorites were the cumin lamb, which was spicy and perfectly cooked, the sour cabbage soup with clear noodles, the handmade noodle soup with beef, the flour balls and the stack of potatoes with black vinegar and chili sauce poured over it. The price was more than reasonable with the cost per person at about $27 each for our group of seven. The neighborhood is a little rough, but not too bad. I could see myself eating here many times as I explore the menu.
(5)aL Z.
Opened less than a year, this small restaurant prides itself of several well prepared Beijing inspired dishes. Yao Ming dined at this place as well. His photos are well scattered throughout the wall. The food is delicious. My favorites are Jing Dong meat pancake, spicy boiled fish, mao xue wang spicy (blood and guts). Don't miss their signature lamb dishes: lamb dumplings, cumin lamb. and warm pot of soup of lamb and preserved vegetables. The noodles are freshly hand-pulled at the site. Great value...no dish over $9.95, majority are around $6.95. Yummmy.
(4)Cary W.
This place still rocks! Again, the key thing is to NOT order standard sounding Cantonese or American-Chinese fare and to focus on the "Beijing Special", "Beijing Dim sum" and the "Noodle" sections. (See the menu photos I took that are in the photos section). Noodles are still hand pulled à là minute (or at least every day) in the kitchen. Since a lot of dishes are made to order, some dishes will come out quickly, while the other dishes will come much later, like the pancakes/pies (bing/he ze). Don't fret the wait and enjoy the freshly made stuff. Lots of other restaurants just heat up frozen (but housemade) bing/he ze in a wok of oil. I think the Yelp effect has taken over the place and now, and even on a weekday night, the wait for a table can be 20 minutes long. They also seem to do a lot takeout and delivery business too. I'm glad the owners (Sandy and Jin) are doing so well but I just wish I didn't have to wait to get seated to gorge on their food.
(5)Oscia W.
I ordered two kinds of dumplings, to be delivered to my house. It came in 25 minutes, and was delicious. But I docked a star because they didn't tell me they only accept cash for delivery, and I didn't have enough cash. He had to write down my credit card number, go back to the restaurant to run it, and then come back again for me to sign it.
(4)Chris K.
I haven't eaten here enough yet to give this place 5 stars, but noticed its original 4.5 star average was knocked down to 4. I glanced at the reviews and some guy posted a one star review yesterday, Have you noticed all the other glowing reviews? That's because it's good. So I'm giving 5 stars to offset this fucking numbskull. Hey, I'd buy it if he said it didn't float his boat, but to call the food "awful" and condemn it with one star comes across as sneering narcissism. I might write more about the restaurant later, but I'd like to point out one small thing--the big fat hand made noodles are apparently only available in the special noodle section. The chow mein is made with the regular skinny noodles you see all the time. Still, it's top notch.
(5)meera h.
Cumin lamb - awesome! The closest to the Dongbei version I've had in China so far! Hot spicy boiled fish - superb!! lots of fish and spicy! Sauteed string beans - good but a little greasy! Pan Fried Baozi - not as good as expected. greasy and less flavorful. Staff: Friendly and helpful! 5 stars! Overall - loved the place and will be back!
(5)Jonathan L.
One of the best Beijing places I've been to in San Francisco. I lived in Beijing for a while so I can say that their food is pretty authentic. Of course, you still have to watch out for the Cantonese and Americanized dishes. I like the lamb dishes including the skewers. The seafood clay pot is great and is relatively healthy. I like how there are pictures everywhere including one of Yao Ming who happened to visit the restaurant.
(5)Ly T.
We've driven by this establishment so many times before, never really taking note of it. It looks run down and randomly....just there. We felt like being adventurous one night and said, let's give it a shot. What a leap that was, I think I may have found my neighborhood Chinese joint! If you know me, I'm not one to say I like Chinese food, I'll tolerate it but it wouldn't be my meal of choice. But O, an epiphany struck me! I do like Chinese food! Just not Cantonese, unless it's good. If I think about it, I like: Szechuan, HK, Hot Pot, Taiwanese, Shanghai & Beijing! the place: -random hole in the wall on a main residential street. literally, there aren't any other businesses on it's block. It looked shaky at best--old, red and run down looking. -but inside, it was surprisingly clean, and not big. for a weeknight, it was busy! -good staff, not rude nor impatient. attentive, you needn't feel like you had to flag them down before they disappear on you for the next 15 minutes. -seriously?!? competed in top 100 Chinese Restaurants in USA, placed in "Local Favorite" -small parking lot the food: the portions are BIG. come with ppl and *share* -they have a "secret" menu! thank you yelpers for posting those pics! don't be afraid to ask! -pass on the flour balls, don't waste your stomach on this! thought it would be different and glutinous, but nothing exciting about them. -get the meat pancakes! they're so good, esp for the carnivore in you. can't find these at most places. -chinese burger (imagine a english muffin for a "bun") was good, though i've had better. there is a LOT of cilantro in it, but surprisingly palatable for me since it was cut into small pieces. meat was tender and flavorful, just wish the bun was a little thinner so it wasn't so carby. -beef stew noodle soup is good. broth is light, mildy spicy and beefy; tasted like real broth, not made with heaps of additives and flavorings. beef was tender and they didn't give you just all tendons, like most places. Noodles are freshly made here, but can be on the heavy side. I wish they were a bit thinner. verdict: -great neighborhood restaurant! -come here on a seriously empty stomach & with friends. -we left having overeaten and having bellyaches! the sad part was, I was already in yoga pants! *yelpers sure love Yao Ming! no love for Martin Yan?! he's in that wall of pictures too!
(4)Deanna T.
Haha, my aunt and her friends ordered the cumin lamb, fennel dumplings,the fried baozi, beef tendon with greens, and some eggplant with chicken and shrimp. I have to say it was pretty good, and the service was okay, but the only downside was that it was kind of oily. If you like spicy food you should come here.
(4)Zach B.
I've never eaten-in here, but have gotten take-out a couple times now. Food's always been great, serving sizes are good, and they seem to have some pretty good selections for veggie-only dishes too (important for the wife). The english of the people on the phone can be a bit broken though, so it can be hard to order certain items unless you know what they're called on the menu (vegetable dumplings got us no where - but they have Fennel Dumplings on the menu and it wasn't a problem to order once we got the name).
(4)Steve S.
Beijing continues to please. and they deliver fast! tonight, we tried: Fennel dumplings: delicious Spinach with garlic: simple and satisfying asparagus beef: decent, nothing special house chicken wings: still delicious but so decadent. i may pop a button.
(4)Brian H.
Jonesing for some Chinese food the other day, we strayed from our usual go to Chinese takeout spot- Yummy House- and opted to give Beijing Restaurant a try. We ordered the following- Large hot and sour soup Pot stickers Beef pancakes Chicken chow fun Mongolian beef Steamed rice Total was $37, but could have easily served 4 or or 5 people. Katie H. and I got three meals out of it. The large hot and sour soup was about double the quantity I was expecting. Definitely a good value. And we were pleasantly surprised by the quality. The stand-out dishes for me were pot stickers and pancakes but everything hit the spot. Definitely at least on par with Yummy House, with a much bigger menu and an actual restaurant if you feel like dining in. They also have lunch specials for $5.50 which looked pretty good. (The lunch specials at Yummy House have always been a disappointment). I definitely look forward to eating here again and exploring the rest of the menu. Welcome to the neighborhood, Beijing Restaurant! Update 12/11/09: Went back for seconds and ordered the following for delivery: Lg. Hot and Sour Soup Beijing Beef Pancake Mu Shu Chicken Beijing Noodles in Special Sauce Beef with Green Onion Napa w/ Pork Dumpling Crab Cheese Puffs Steamed Rice Total was $56 + change. Nothing particularly wowed us this time. The napa/pork dumpling is basically a pot sticker, maybe slightly smaller, but more to an order. Crab cheese puffs were pretty standard. Beef w/ green onion was basically mongolian beef without white onions. The only truly "new" dishes that we ordered were therefore the mu shu chicken and the beijing noodles in special sauce. The former was pretty good, although a little light on chicken and heavy on cabbage and other filler. I did not enjoy the beijing noodles- the noodles themselves were OK but the sauce was overly salty. Basically, the dish consists of thick, udon-like noodles in salty brown sauce with bean sprouts, celery and eggplant. Seemed like kind of a rip for $7.25, the most expensive noodle dish on the menu. Not nearly as good as the chow fun. Delivery was pretty prompt at prime time on Friday night but the delivery man claimed not to have change. Not a big deal but something to keep in mind in the future. Everything was pretty good except for the beijing noodles, which I wouldn't order again. Got to try to branch out a little more next time.
(4)John R.
This is one of my new favorite restaurants. A nice change of pace from the usual SF/Cantonese/Szechuan style food you find everywhere, although there seems to be some of that on the menu as well (but I haven't tried it yet). Recommend the dumplings, meatballs, baozi, and the homemade noodles -- wonderful texture and flavor. So far everything has been very good to great. Service is quick and efficient, yet friendly too. The couple that own the place are really nice, and when you ask about what is in something or how they make it, you can tell from how they answer that they take care about their food and take alot of pride in it.
(4)Jaclyn C.
Whenever we order Chinese, we order from Beijing Restaurant. The cumin lamb is FANTASTIC, especially if you can handle the spice, and most everything else we've ordered (we change it up except for the lamb) has been great too. Haven't tried out the hotpot yet, but I'm looking forward to it!
(4)Ching-Pei H.
"Yum" sums it up entirely! Hand pulled noodle, fresh northern style Chinese food (all doughy in a good way and delicious!), their own parking lot, free delivery - what more could you ask for? Totally authentic northern Chinese food; noodles and all dough items had the appropriate amount of chew/bounce back and were not at all soft or mushy. Don't be scared off by the exterior - the inside is nice and it's a great meal. The "fried cakes" are a mochi-like pastry filled with a red bean/date paste mixture (and deep fried) which is devine - just eat them hot or you won't be able to get past the oil! A few things to watch for: We've eaten here a couple of times now and it's delicious, but stick to eating in the restaurant...this stuff, even with free delivery, just isn't as good when you're waiting 30 minutes for it to arrive. Ordering off the menu is a little tricky - I speak Chinese and had a hard time with their dish names. The waitresses are very nice though and would tell me what the item's Chinese name was.
(4)Denise C.
One star because they seem like nice people. Otherwise, the food is not worth a drive let alone a bike ride. We ordered take out which might be the reason because they don't have to look you in the eye when they present the food. Let me put it this way, the fried rice is more like a vegetarian steamed rice without much flavor. Literally, 2 shrimp and the rest vegetables, the frozen kind, you can tell because the carrots were perfect cubes. Next was the pork chow mein which probably had a total of 2 ounces meat, and lots of onion. Not much flavor either. Last, was the Mongolian beef, which should me called ketchup with onions and some beef. There were chilies for garnish only. My little ones could eat it without complaint. And the sauce was the combination ketchup and soy sauce. The price was average, but the food was really bad. We only tried because our place was closed. We would have had twice the weight in food for 2/3 rd of the cost. Go to the corner of Brazil and Mission on the Southeast side and you will know what I am talking about.
(1)Kevin L.
Northern Chinese style (Beijing/Tianjin area), my favorite place in SF. The waiters were super nice. Very casual dinning place. Apparently Yao Ming visited there and there is photo proof. Good for small get together. The space is very limited but food is delicious, which reminds me of hometown. The day I visited SF was so hot. No A/C available inside, kind of surprised but later figured out temperature that day was abnormal for Bay Area :)
(4)Byron L.
Seems lately I've been finding more and more restaurants that remind me of China. Each dish has a different taste. That's the tell tale of a good Chinese restaurant. The noodles here are better than at other restaurants, but not the best I've eaten. They are good for the price.
(3)Amy L.
I didn't think much of this restaurant because I would drive by this lonely red building in what looked like nowhere. However, someone told me this place was great and it was also a favorite of Yao Ming. SOLD! Never mind the fact that I have never seen Yao Ming play. SOLD! hahaha. My favorites were the cumin lamb, five-spicy boiled beef and garlic spinach. I couldn't stop cramming garlic spinach down my mouth. I am a HUGE fan of vegetables and it tasted so frigging awesome we ordered a second plate. There was an order of chicken wings and fried tofu. Someone dubbed the fried tofu as Beijing french fries and was popular enough for another order. I'm biased because I like fried food in dosages so I dutifully ignored any more helpings. I think the wide noodle salad was good, but once all the cilantro disappeared I stopped fishing through that plate. We ordered so much I didn't keep track of what we ate and I was full for three hours. The service was nice and the people were very accommodating since we had a lady with a baby! The little tyke stayed quiet and I was surrounded by good friends. I'll be coming back!
(4)Jefferson C.
I think I'm in love! You'd never be able to tell from the outside, but they serve straightup great food here . . . the Cumin Lamb is as advertised, an explosion of flavor - spicy and delicious and not greasy at all. Their Mongolian Beef is more subtly flavored but also terrific. Haven't tried many of their other dishes but I'm looking forward to many meals here so I will report back. All this, and FREE PARKING! Go! Now!
(5)Mika K.
I really liked the food here, the food deserves a 4 star rating for it's unique flavors and authentic dishes. But the inside is too small and drafty to give it 4 stars. I would give the advice that the owners expand to a larger area as it gets rally busy and crowded. But if the interior is not an issue for you I really recommend making a trip and having some of the Beijing goodness.
(3)Paul K.
The range of Beijing items offered is narrow,but the food is authentic (if you stay away from the non-Beijing items such as sweet and sour or cantonese items). Beijing items are grouped in two areas on the menu (Beijing Dim Sum and Beijing Specialties I believe) so they're fairly easy to identify. The stir-fried flour (like a gnocchi but with flour instead of potato) is also a Beijing specialty. I ordered the "vegetable pie" (Chinese crepe or Flatbread with Chinese Chives & Eggs is a better translation). It's really good and not greasy at all (sometimes it can be greasy if not well made). The version they make has dried-shrimp in it, so if you don't like dried shrimp avoid this dish. The house specialty pie is similar but with pork added. I also ordered a mixed vegetable which was very simple and light (cauliflowers, tree ears, tofu skin, gluten and celery). The lamb with cumin was good and surprisingly light. I liked it, but I prefer the heavier, spicier version in Sichuan restaurants more. I am looking forward to going back and trying their other flat breads/buns/dumplings which the North is known for.
(4)Xq B.
I'm Chinese, and I spent 4 years in Beijing, my friend who came with me spent her entire life in Beijing. She loved it. So, it's good, we had a really good time, and we love the atmosphere there, that really feels like home.
(5)Steven R.
How much do you trust celebrity opinions? That's right, someone who in reality you really don't know but are exposed to due to the lovely television. As a result I'm usually skeptical at best. I didn't put much faith in my friends who were touting this place with the assertion that "Hey, Yao Ming eats here! It's gotta be good!". After all, there are thousands of Chinese people in the City and I'm guessing many of them don't quite have the burdens of pro basketball to weigh them down in their production of great Chinese food. Well Yao, tip of the hat, well done, you are now famous in my book for your culinary sensibilities and not just your jump hook. To make this review short, this is the best Chinese food I've had in the City. You know, like me and at least 2 of my dining partners were like "we're gonna take our parents here next time they visit the City!" good. You won't find greasy meat and veggies served up in a kiddie pool of sauce. You'll find awesome flavorful dishes with the right amount of everything. The Cumin Beef is highly recommended as are the hunan green beans. As other Yelpers have mentioned, I'd order off the beaten path for the best experience. Just about anything off of the Beijing Special list is golden. Ever had flour balls? Me either until I came to this place. Give them a try! If you find yourself still lost, ask the waitstaff. Our waiter recommended the cashew shrimp and we got a delicious lightly glazed serving of shrimp and vegetables that tasted ridiculously fresh and was a nice compliment to the spicy dishes we ordered. Another great part; the prices aren't too different from any other place in SF and the food is top notch. The only possible drawback is that they do close at 9pm so make sure you're in early.
(5)Priscilla L.
I'm telling all my friends about it. That one bowl of noodles just made my nervous little life worth living. Yes, it tastes muddy and salty, but it is soooooo comforting and good. It's like when I was little and eating shrimp-paste "jing" pork with my grandma and grandpa. It's like that and different. Jiang Mian. Hey, if all the Chinese construction workers are eating it, why not...? Of course my husband, a transplant from Portland Maine, is totally terrified by the noodle dish.
(5)William G.
First, a couple of confessions. I'm a big fan of this restaurant and it's in my neighborhood, so I have a couple of reasons to rate them highly. Not saying they're perfect, just nearby and good. Observing other diners, I notice that they fall into two camps -those ordering Beijing-style food and those ordering typical Chinese-American fare - chicken chow mein, fried rice, and dishes in the style of other regions. I've never been to Beijing so I can only take the word of others that the rendition here is good. All I know is that I like it. I like the beef pancake and even the flour balls. My favorite is the noodle in brown paste and my son swears by their pork liver. I would not expect that their pseudo-Cantonese or Hunan dishes would be anything other than indifferent American food cooked Chinese style. If kung pow shrimp is your dish, perhaps you should seek it elsewhere.
(4)Dina V.
My family has lived in and around this area since before I was born. I remember coming to this very location when it was HS Salt. It was a sad time when the fish and chips joint left. And we've seen so many Chinese restaurants sit in it's place. This is the first time I've seen such a highly rated place occupy this very location. All of the others seemed to be American fare Chinese food places. I was surprised when my brother showed me the to go menu the other day and said the place was actually good. He'd been trying their lunch menu and had nothing but good things to say about it. And of course he tried the 2 things I would have liked to have tried: the Mongolian Beef and the Double Mushroom Chicken. The two things he said that made me want to try this place is that they used fresh veggies. THere were NO canned straw mushrooms inthe double mushroom chicken and they make their own noodles. Okay let's give it a shot. He wanted to actually just do pick up and order in but he misplaced his to go menu so we drove over for an early Friday night dinner. He had actually driven by the night before with his friend in the hopes of having some soup but there were no parking spaces to be found within a 2 block radius and when they drove past they noticed every table occupied as well as the waiting area quite full. On our early Friday night dinner, there were 2 tables occupied and a few people waiting for pick up. Very small dining room. I was curious to see how they set up the dining room in the first place, remember this used to be HS Salt. Lol. And YES there are a plethora of random photos adorning their walls. What did we order? The beef chow fun, the general tso's chicken, sweet and sour chicken, and the Beijing beef pancake. The chow fun was great. Great flavor. Very fresh. And piping hot. The mistake we made was ordering 2 dishes that were very similar but we weren't sure how hot the GT chicken was going to be and we had my kids with us. Well both chicken dishes were very similar and really uneventful. The pancake was just okay to me, I think it needed some sort of sauce or something? Soy and vinegar? My brother and I both agreed that maybe we needed to order something else b/c this visit was just ok. I would have liked to try the other 2 dishes he tried, but he said he already had those and needed to try more on the menu especially since they're so close AND they deliver.
(3)Sheri N.
i pass BR nearly everyday, and tell myself i need to try this place out. one random night after christmas the fella and i were driving around aimlessly trying to figure out where to go for dinner, and BR popped into his head. we ordered: 3 flavored dumplings, fillet fish w/house sauce, and hot and sour napa cabbage. the meal was deliciously flavored in a delicate way. none of the flavors were overpowering, but each stood out with a great taste. they cook their dishes beijing style, and it is not your standard chinese meal but with different flavors. i'll definitely return to try their other dishes. note: ask for no msg.
(4)Jason H.
Worst service I've ever encountered. Don't order from this place - they make mistakes and mess you over.
(1)Chris E.
Got a great jianbing fix here. Not on the menu of course, but maybe it should be. Love this place, but like the other location better (not like I care for the Sunset, but it's a bit easier for us to get to).
(5)Laura A.
Stopped in for a late lunch with a friend; I'd been wanting to try it out. We were the only diners as it was about 4:00 p.m.; the family hopped up from their meal to handle our order and all was good. My friend ordered egg rolls, which I would never order, but it was her treat.The egg rolls were bland and a bit oily. The Singapore Noodles were good with a few shrimp that some restaurants leave out; I would have liked a bit more spiced cooked into the dish. At the young waiter's suggestion, we ordered the House dumplings. Again, an o.k. dish but a lot of muffin with not much stuffin'. Finishing our meal, we paid in cash, leaving a generous tip, and asked for our food to be packed. This is when it got strange. By now two other parties had come in to eat. With one waiter, the son it appears, is managing the front of the house and is now busy. I had to ask for the food twice, it's still not brought out but the mother brings the check back out to the table. We stand up to leave and I see our food packaged behind the register. I ask for it and am handed it and then I turn to walk out. The waiter/son, mother or father calls out to me and seem indicate that I've not paid. They're all standing together and I say that we did pay. I repeat myself and they say nothing. So I just leave. Weird. I might go back; it was o.k. enough and I didn't try much of the menu. The end of our meal though was simply weird and negative.
(3)Danielle A.
the meat pie they make, is definitely not meeting my expectations. the thick clear noodles are not cooked through either. the kidney we ordered literally wasn't handled right, so it smelled and tasted like pee lol... that being said, it is not the worst place either. i give them credit for at least trying to make things authentic. things are not overly oily or salty. the price is decent. the staff is friendly. and you have yaoming's pictures all over the wall lol. i am just not impressed by it overall. would not care to go back
(3)Harrison C.
Great authentic Beijng/chinese cooking. I came here for the first time for my boy's birthday. Ate many vegetable pies, spicy wide noodles, steam dumplings, and other items i can't remember (we ordered a lot!). The food is just perfectly seasoned, all handmade, just great food! So why 4 stars, well unfortunately i feel the prices are a bit on the higher side. It is the price you usually see at other places that serve the same dishes, but either way it is high in my opinion. In the end, i will return to this place, because the food is good. Service is okay, they don't come and check on you like other good customer service restaurants, but they are happy to assist you if you call them over.
(4)rob s.
new cook? beef chow fun was mostly uncooked onion - yuck - so not a fan. pork nappa dumplings very bland. wonton soup awfully salty. kung pao chicken ok, chow mein ok, green beans ok. have been ordering out from beijing for a couple years - but there is a change in the flavors....more salt, too much onion, not as flavorful. will check back in a few months...
(2)Helen Y.
favorite items on the menu (now that the fiance and i are regulars): (*) steamed bao tzi (steamed pork buns) (*) fennel dumplings (*) green onion pancakes (*) lamb and sour cabbage claypot the owners are still as friendly and helpful as ever.
(5)Mark Y.
My favorite place in San Francisco for authentic hand pulled noodles. The beef noodle soup is hearty, with bits of stewed beef and tendon, and the noodles are long and chewy just how I like them. It's amazing how much difference I can find between the texture of hand pulled noodles and those that come out of the bag. The ja jiao mien is also good here, and a bit less salty than the one they serve at San Tung. I like how they prepare it in front of you and toss the noodles with the vegetables and sauce, it gets me hungry just thinking about it. The steamed lamb dumplings are also scrumptious and have similar flavor to the dumpling shops I used to frequent in Hong Kong. The cumin lamb also takes me back to late nights in Shanghai with the grilled lamb sticks they serve on the street just like bacon wrapped hot dogs in the Mission. Free parking in their parking lot is a big plus so I can just eat a decent quick bowl of noodles and be back on the freeway in under 30 minutes start to finish. I noticed they have more typical San Francisco Cantonese food here as well on their menu, but why come to a restaurant called Beijing Restaurant for Cantonese food?
(4)Richard A.
As I drove up to this corner restaurant, I thought, "this can't be the place". I was looking at a run-down wooden building, slathered top-to-bottom in faded red paint, with a 20-foot tall, shorted out "Chinese Food" sign outside and wilted red lanterns hanging from the eaves. I noted two more "Chinese Food" signs leaning against the outside of the building. I might be wrong, but as I parked, I think I may have heard an argument coming from the kitchen (yes, this place has an actual parking lot!). I went in anyway. The interior was bright (almost too bright), cheery, and the walls were covered with photographs of hundreds of happy customers in various poses. The waitress was perky, helpful, and just as friendly as can be. And the food? Superb. As each dish came to the table, I struggled with the dichotomy of the impressive food quality versus the look of the building. How can this be? The explanation came quickly: "We've been open for six months". This place deserves all the rave reviews it's been getting. The prices are very fair, the cooking is superb, and the people are friendly and helpful. And there's parking. That's something I can't say about nearly any other Chinese restaurant in SF. Go there soon!
(5)Amanda J.
Yummy Chinese food at a reasonable price. I've ordered from Beijing Restaurant twice, the first time Kung Pao Shrimp, and the second the General's Chicken, which is fried chicken with broccoli. Ingredients taste fresh and I don't wind up with MSG induced headaches. The delivery people were friendly and now it's my Chinese restaurant of choice. I have eaten in Beijing and the flavors are reminiscent.
(4)Ken K.
Uh oh, San Tung better watch out. There's a serious ass kicker in town, truly from da North. Beijing Restaurant. Yes more NORTH than Shandong province. And I don't see any dumbed down Chinese or much in the way of other mixed regional Chinese on his menu either. This mofo also does not use M$G or rely on sweet and spicy fried chicken to prove his salt to the ma$$e$. Some hardcore culinary kung fuud indeed. RE$PECT SF may have the legendary Old Mandarin Islamic on Vicente, but that's a niche of Northern Islamic Chinese (no pork) and you really only should go there for the hot pots and chin dribbling greasy beef pancake. Beijing Restaurant offers something that's more down home, less flashy (similar to Everyday Beijing in San Mateo) but truly hits da $pot. Get the "warm pots" (sa guo), which are actually super piping hot contrary to the translation. Think of them as lesser refined Northern Chinese "nabemono", but will surely do wonders. The star of the warm pots is the key ingredient, sour/preserved/pickled napa cabbage (suan bai tsai). When paired with the right meats, it is an unbeatable combination that is perfect for cold weather. In NE China (dongbei), suan tsai bai rou (last 2 words = white meat = belly bacon = belly good) is probably the definitive comfort food. At Beijing Restaurant, the highly recommended item from the warm pots selection is #27 "Slice Fish with Preserved Vegetable in Warm Pot" or really "Suan Tsai Yu Pien Sa Guo" which is an easy 5 stars (provided you are not put off by sour cabbage, it is as strong as the kind at Old Islamic Mandarin). The sour cabbage has the positive effect of cutting down the fat and oils from the fatty meats (especially the belly bacon) so you don't feel so dirty, yet it nurtures and soothes (and lubes) going down, while working its way through your convoluted inner pipes. The fish used in #27 is a type of cod, and is super delicious, poached to the right texture, retaining flavor and bite. These guys have it down. In addition to the sour green goodness and scrumptious fish, the application of mung bean wide noodles (fen pi) worked out way better than their thinner bean thread vermicelli counterparts (fen si) served in other sour cabbage pots, an excellent detail. Worthy of applause. Incredible in house hand made noodles, and an extremely well executed #91 beef noodle soup (the clear broth rendition), Tsing Tang Niu Rou Mien, where they actually properly stewed slices of beef shank with the criss cross cut tendon, and not using brisket cuts like other Northern or non-Canto joints in town. Even the clear broth was great. The beef stew noodles soup did look REALLY good, although that will be on the to-try next time. Pork and cabbage dumplings.....sadly this is not their forte. The texture was good, but the content was overly marinated and seasoned, which no amount of white pepper or black vinegar could do much to help. This is where San Tung and Kingdom of Dumpling holds an edge. But in terms of noodles and "warm pots", this place is rockin'. There is a newer and bigger 2nd location of Beijing Restaurant on Irving / 40th Ave, where you can advance order Peking Duck. Anyone tried it yet?
(4)Boris C.
It's hard to find good Chinese food in the City south of the Sunset, so for that reason alone the restaurant is a diamond in the rough. The food was flavorful and authentic, avoiding a lot of Americanizations. The decor is nothing remarkable, though it is a nice touch that the walls are adorned with past smiling customers. The staff is friendly and care about you enjoying your meal. The place is a little tiny, but you'll enjoy yourself the most with a group of friends since the joy of coming here (and all good Chinese restaurants) is the variety, crispy, soft, sour, spicy, salty, sweet, fried, steamed, etc. Some practicalities: If you come here with just another friend, take a peek at the recommendations to settle on something, otherwise, the choices can become daunting. I always like to choose one thing familiar, and one thing I've never had before. Parking is not bad and it's easy to get to by bus.
(4)Brian S.
Fennel Dumplings was just alright for me. Hot and Sour soup is a bit sourly for my taste, but my friends LOVE it. Cumin Lamb is a MUST-have dish!!!! We will be back and try other dishes...:)
(4)Candice L.
Beijing Restaurant is a great neighborhood resource for those living in the Mission/Bernal area who don't always have time to drive to the Sunset, Richmond, or the Peninsula for authentic Chinese food. Beijing Restaurant is definitely a family run, mom and pop kind of place. I love the cumin lamb (requested extra spicy) for its tender lamb and strong cuminy spicy flavors. The house special pie is about an inch thick and stuffed full of ground meat and scallions. It's quite different than the run of the mill scallion pancake at other places, more filling too. I had heard great things about the house special eggplant and I love Thai/Vietnamese/Japanese/Chinese preparations of eggplant. That being said, it was a decent plate of eggplant but no better than other versions I have tried. The sweet brown sauce served with it was reminiscent of that served by many take-out type of places. The waitstaff were really friendly and actually seemed to care if we enjoyed our food (a rarity at some Chinese places). They were also diligent about keeping our tea and water refilled. And they deliver too! Looking forward to returning to try the warm pots with preserved vegetables, house pies, pancakes, and dumplings, and some of the other Beijing specialties.
(4)Geordie E.
There are photographs of patrons all over the walls... one was Yao Ming. Cumin Lamb is really, well... "cuminy"
(3)Ro N.
I live 5 blocks from this place and just love their authentic beijing style food. there is so much cantonese cooking in SF that this is much needed. the hand pulled noodles and eggplant are my faves.
(4)Cinnamon Z.
Not only do they deliver, but they deliver at lunch time! So, we wanted a day of dim sum. Loved the meat pancake - a bit too oily, but loved it. However, the rest of the dim sum we ordered really disappointed. We tried: West Lake Lamb dumplings, Three Flavor Dumplings, and Fennel Dumplings. They all tasted about the same. The filling was skimpy, and worse, the dough was really tough. Again, too oily. We also had the House Special Pie which was just ok. We intend to try more things and hopefully that will mean a revised review and more stars. Not to mention a new favorite restaurant. To close - they are nice as can be, and are savvy with your delivery, the assume you'll only have 20's - the change is in an envelope! SMART!
(2)Angelina F.
This place use to be a Nulite kitchen and I never really had much from there besides the occasional Won Ton soup when I was sick, so when they opened as Beijing Restaurant I wanted to give it a try. I decided to go on Christmas Day 2 stars for being 5 blocks from my house. The other 2 stars were for the food. It wasn't THE BEST but it was good. I didn't try anything I didn't like. I will definitely be coming back for some conveinient food
(4)Scott S.
Pretty good - not great. The hot & sour soup needs more hot and sour, some sriracha and a little vinegar fixed it right up. I did like how they loaded up the hot chilis in the mongolian beef, but I think the dish needed something else in it, maybe a rice noodle bed. The mushu pork was good too, things weren't greasy and it seems like they really know what they're doing. I'm going to try this place again but some of the less typical dishes the other dishes yelpers are talking about here.
(3)Ella T.
They have the best chicken wings in SF even better than Sun Tong restaurant. They also have very decent beef stew noodle. However, some of dishes on the menu were not very impressive.
(4)donald z.
The noodle soup is pretty good.
(5)J S.
Beijing cuisine, yeah there was some, but a lot of what was on the menu was Americanized Chinese. The only reason I chose this place was because it had green onion pancake. It wasn't so much a pancake as it was pan-fried bread since it was thick and had the leavening texture of bread. Perhaps that's how it is? I don't know. I will come back for the green onion bread, but the search for green onion pancake continues. As for the others... The portions of food was very small in comparison to many other places for about the same price, so we did feel cheated. Some foods were heavy on the salt. The jiagyanmein was one of the worst I've had. The black bean sauce tasted like it came straight out of the jar and little was done to modify it.
(2)Beatriz A.
This place was gross. I went because according to yelp, this place is poppin. WRONG. We had fried prawn that wasn't de-vained, and one of the prawns must have eaten a big lunch before being caught because there was a ton of poop (yes POOP) down its back. The rest of the food was way to salty and overall not good. So, it's safe to say I won't be coming back.
(2)Yin Y.
Being from Beijing, I give this restaurant a thumbs up for authenticity! That goes for both the selection and flavor of the food, as well as the service. First the food: besides the cumin lamb that has been praised by many, I have to point out my favorite dish: Ga Da Tang, which is a soup made with droplets of dough, a bit like gnocchi, mixed with tomatoes, egg, and veggies. Not quite like congee, it's truly Northern-Chinese home-cooked goodness, which I have not seen in any restaurant outside of China. Their pea sprouts were great and not too greasy, as was their Zha Jiang Mian, which is the equivalent of a Beijing version of pasta bolognese, of which we ended up ordering 3 huge bowls. To our great surprise, they even had street food like Jian Bing, which is a egg pancake wrapped in a crispy layer and condiments, that is usually made by tricycle-riding street vendors in Beijing, as well as Rou Jia Mo, a hamburger-like bun stuffed with shredded meat and cilantro (though from ShanXi province originally, it has become a staple across China). The dumplings were quite good, especially the skins, where you could tell were freshly hand-rolled. The lamb dumplings were my personal favorite (though not quite as good as at Kingdom of Dumplings in SF). We also had two plates of Yu Xiang Rou Si (shreds of pork, carrots, bamboo shoots with fish sauce), which were legit, and a plate of home-style Tu Dou Si (shredded potato quick stir-fried) that came later in the meal, otherwise we would have ordered more. Also noteworthy: they have old-Beijing style yogurt, which brought back childhood memories for many of us, and YanJing Beer, which they privately import directly from Beijing! It's true that the place is small but last night, our group of 14 had an epic meal. Friends brought friends so we had to combine lots of tables into a long one that spanned the width of the restaurant. The waiters were surprisingly helpful and nice to accommodate more and more people, took our orders quickly, though we kept on adding more dishes one-off. Among our friends were several from Beijing or who had lived in Beijing at some point, so we happily conversed with the wait staff in Beijing-accented Mandarin and ended up making friends with the owner of the place, Mr. Jin, who showed us Beijing-style hospitality and introduced us to the chefs who are all family members. We were psyched to hear that they will soon be opening another location in the Mission this summer, though we will be back to this place for sure!
(5)Vanna S.
I chowed here with my close friend and her family. And as we often do, we over order not knowing that they also serve huge portions. We had the green onion pancake, steamed shanghai dumplings, lion head meatballs, dish of mixed veggies, cumin lamb, cilantro tripe with some steamed rice. As we order, we are mindful to ask the server to go light on the oil as all to often Chinese food can be quite greasy. The food came out beautifully cooked, flavored, and not a bit greasy. And from reading other Yelpers, apparently their standard business practice is light on oil, huge portions, and yummy. They did completely forgot our drinks and had to be reminded, that is understandable as it was a early evening and our table carried great conversation of fond Beijing visitation memories. I loved everything (food, folks, and Beijing memories) about this restaurant and will definitely go back with friends and family. This place capture the delight of simple Beijing hospitality and mouth-watering food. As a bonus, they have a few parking spots belonging to the restaurant, and if you know SF, that is a gem...Superb food + Parking! Love it.
(5)Melinda C.
Incredibly underwhelmed. Maybe I don't have an appreciation for Beijing food (I've been there twice but have never eaten any of these dishes), but I didn't like the food here at all despite a friend's raves about it. - Green Onion Pancake - tasty but a little greasy. Uneven spreading of the green onion among the pancake - Flour Balls - too gummy and not flavorful enough - Hand pulled noodles - noodles were okay, but even with a fair amount of black bean sauce (which most people would say is too much) was dry and not very tasteful. - Claypot soup - okay. Meat pieces very small. The only thing I really liked was dessert - some sort of hot, baked puff with red bean in it. Delicious.
(2)Beyond S.
First of all, I love the food. Sans one star is for the wait they put me through. Now for the positives. Their take on the Mongolian beef is unusual and unlike other typical Cantonese restaurants. I was shock at how little beef, in respect to the amount of onions, that was on the plate. But my wife said you're suppose to pair the beef with the onion in each bite and it sure was delicious I also like the sour vegetable pork noodle soup in claypot. Not sure if that's the name but sounds about right in mandarin. The house eggplant is also good with shrimp and hoisin sauce. Taste just as good if not better than Eric's on Church Street.
(4)Foodie K.
It's been a few days since my husband and I ate dinner here as we continued on our quest to find the best noodle soup. I'm still salivating just thinking about the hand pulled noodles and three flavor dumplings that we voraciously consumed. The noodles were cooked perfectly, firm to the bite but not too hard, and the broth was seasoned well without an excess of oil floating around on top (which seems to be the case at most Chinese places). The dumplings were also some of the best I've ever had, and I have had a lot of dumplings in my life. They do not skimp on the portions here though so come hungry! Aside from the excellent food, the service is friendly, they speak English (a big plus in my book - I have been to far too many Chinese restaurants and ended up with something that was not what I had expected), and they have free parking. Thank you fellow yelpers for helping me find this great spot!
(4)OLGA M.
This restaurant has very delicious food. Everything that I have tried, I have loved! I especially like the -Green onion pancake -Chicken mushu -Egg flower soup Great service, fresh food...love it!
(5)Yamilette C.
ordered delivery; delivery didn't follow specific instructions upon arriving and rang the doorbell when was asked not to but hey, it happens. it was pretty good but couldve been better. the pot stickers were delicious but i didnt like how little shrimp they served!!!! with a bunch of lettuce?? it didnt taste all that great but the chicken chow mein was really good!not my favorite chinese restaurant in the city, but it hit the spot!
(2)lisa w.
This place is ideal for our neighborhood chineses place. Totally convenient location and they have parking. Food is really good. We've had the asparagas with chicken, beef with green onions, potstickers, fried rice, chowmein, sweet and sour shrimp. All are delicious. The beef with green onions could nearly pass for shaking beef at my favorite vietnamese place. Now for the ambiance. It is cute but a little crowded and very noisy. We were there last night on a friday and the place was packed. People were waiting in line outside the door. Still, our kids were able to kind of walk around the place when they got bored (and they didn't have won ton soup poured all over them) Service is pretty good and the food came fast. We felt like they rushed us out a little bit though. They started to clear the table and brought over used plates from another table and started to stack them in front of us. That wasn't too cool. I'd have given them four stars except for that. We've ordered delivery also, and they are super speedy.
(3)Anya W.
Not your standard Americanized chinese food. Granted they offer those dishes, but why in the world would you ever order them? Beijing style is why you come here. Ordered a good array for only two people- Cumin Lamb: If you like cumin, this dish is wonderful. Good quality meat, and the flavor is really good. I have a very low threshold for spicy, and my friend love hot. I thought it was too hot, he thought it was just right. Onion Pancake: Really good. It was unlike any onion/scallion pancake I have ever had. This pancake was light and fluffy, with great flavor. Nothing like the greasy, chewy, and skinny pancakes that are usually so disappointing. Order this to gain a whole new respect for the onion pancake. Beijing Noodle with Special Sauce: This was just ok. The noodles themselves were good- homemade, chewy and just right. However, I was not a big fan of the "special sauce". I think it was plum something. Eh. I'd pass on this...or try a different noodle dish. Spinach with Garlic: Just as the name says. Good, basic vegetable dish. I am definitely excited to go back and try all the things I missed. Perfect restaurant when you are looking for great authentic chinese.
(4)Jonathan T.
I checked out this restaurant with a couple coworkers yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised by the service and food. The owners have only been there for about a week. I've lived in Beijing for a little while so i can tell you that the food here is very authentic. They have all the dishes you would find in a beijing restaurant like their cold garlic cucumbers(pai huang gua), the spicy oil fish stew(shui zhu yu), traditional style tofu dishes, cumin lamb skewers, etc. I had the kung pao chicken from their Lunch Specials menu and it filled me up. It was a little on the salty side, so the rice was definitely welcomed. A $5.50 lunch that comes with soup and an eggroll, it can't be beat! I hope this place does well. I came here a second time and ordered their Soup in Clay Pot with cabbage and pork. It had these clear flat noodles in it too so you don't need to order rice. Huge portions at a great price! I was stuffed for lunch...then I ordered a lamb skewer. : )
(4)Preston G.
Good food, nice folks. Its a win.
(4)Matt G.
Really good fennel dumplings and beef pancake. A perfect spot to bring a group of people for lunch. With 8 people we ordered 12-15 items and were happy, satiated and not much lighter in the pocket by the end of the meal.
(4)Ima S.
I was skeptical at first, but now I'm a believer. Fresh, plentiful & delishious - reasonable prices.
(5)Andy T.
Good Stuff. They aren't the cheapest I've had, but so what. The food is REALLY traditional. They are all the classics you would expect, just better. Check 'em out.
(4)Steven G.
Very authentic Beijing-style food! My wife and I ordered four items: 1) Beijing noodles with special sauce (Beijing zha jiang mian). I've had this in Beijing (where there are places that specialize in this one dish) and this is identical in style and pretty competitive in quality. As others have noted, the Beijing version of this is not quite the same flavor as Korean za zang noodles; the sauce is a bit saltier and has meat, and there are veggies to mix in as well. The noodles are freshly handmade and it's obvious from the texture. 2) Beijing vegetable pie (jiu cai su hezi). Paper-thin pancakes wrapped around a filling of green onions, tofu, and some other vegetables. Beware: this contains dried shrimp, so if you're allergic, best to avoid it. But if you're not, you'll appreciate the rich savory flavor and the fact that, although it's obviously fried, it doesn't come out at all oily. 3) Steam house special baozi (xiao long zheng bao). This was nothing too exceptional: it's a bun with a pork and vegetable meatball inside. They will warn you ahead of time not to expect a Shanghai-style xiao long bao (the kind with the paper-thin skin) -- this is a full-fledged bun. I may not sound super-enthusiastic but I'd probably order it again; it's a simple dish executed well. 4) Spicy bean curd beef (lazi xiang gan niu rou). If you've had Hunan xiao chao, this is similar, strips of bean curd and slices of beef stir-fried together. But it also has strips of crunchy bell pepper and other vegetables that provide a more varied mouth feel. Despite the name it's not particularly spicy. All in all, I'd definitely go back next time I was in that part of San Francisco with a hankering for Chinese food. Definitely reminds me of the food at the mom-and-pop places I like to frequent when I'm in China.
(4)Millie K.
Just had dinner here last night. And we have been here a few other times before. But I couldn't remember why we stopped coming, so we figure we will give it a try again. One star for the service - helpful One star for the Parking BUT, too much MSG! And too salty! If you are allergic to MSG, make sure you tell them not to cook it in your dish. And all of our dishes were way too salty! I felt dehydrated even the next day morning with a huge headache ... I better drink more water now...
(2)Katie H.
what the heck? this place is really good!!!! how did that happen? i guess new owners took over at one point and man- they are doing something right. cause this was some quality chinese food...for a pretty good price. the old man was sick, which he always is when it's a holiday or anytime i have vacation time scheduled, and he was craving hot and sour soup. so we decided to try beijing. then we realized yao ming ate there- and we were so pumped. that pumpedness might have caused us to order a little more food than we needed- but we got 3 meals out of it for 30 bucks. not bad. everyone said not to get the hot and sour soup- but we go against the grain and it was really tasty. just enough spice and not to thick. also had the beef pancakes which were wicked good with a little hot sauce on them. potstickers were standard, if not a little on the large side. chicken chow fun was ok- but i'm not a girl that likes big, flat noodles anyway, and we got the beijing beef, which was nicely spiced and really tender. no gross pieces of meat here! the decor is really neighborhoody with large pictures of patrons plastered on the wall with neon construction paper. everyone was friendly and the takeout was packaged properly. i think this might be our new go to chinese place in the neighborhood...if only to get our picture on the wall! and if it's good enough for yao ming...it's good enough for me.
(4)Steve S.
The place has been fixed up very nicely inside and out since Beijing Restaurant took over, and the food and value are a definite step up from the many other Chinese restaurants in the Excelsior. They do lunch specials 11-3, which are much more mainstream chinese options that you see everywhere and just fairly average quality, but you get a whole meal (spring roll, rice, soup) with very generous portions for $5.50. For dinner or a la carte, the food is really fantastic. I am no expert on the different styles of Chinese cooking, but we've been trying out the menu and have definitely found some unique dishes. They also have a good number of vegetarian options, including a veggie mushu. And as others have said, the green onion pancakes are great!
(5)Megan K.
I am pleased to report that I have finally found my regular chinese delivery spot! After much hunting and sampling in the area, this place has by far the freshest and tastiest chinese food that delivers to 941112. I ordered delivery last night and it arrived super fast. I got pork fried rice, egg rolls, basil chicken, and hot garlic shrimp. The vegetables tasted like they had just been chopped and sauteed, not taken out of a freezer. The chicken and shrimp were very fresh as well. I was delighted to experience dishes that had bold but refreshing flavors, not too salty or greasy.
(4)Loretta G.
"Cumin Lamb. Cumin Lamb. Cumin Lamb. Must go there now!" This has been the latest soundtrack of my mind. I have been possessed by the powers of Beijing Restaurant and their mighty culinary skills. Wistful thoughts of that lamb, and it's cuminy goodness, have disrupted my ability to concentrate. My life will never be the same.
(5)Shelley S.
Really good. Got the Curry Beef, Sweet and Sour Shrimp and some Cream Cheese Crab Egg rolls. The Curry Beef was ok, but the other stuff rocked... was so good. Not expensive either.
(4)Tracy B.
It's Wednesday night, my wife, who is the toughest person I know, is on the couch crying due to a migraine headache. I can't do anything for her which kills me! Her stomach is upset, all the lights are off and I'm seating next to her trying to make her feel better. She asks me to get her something light to eat like soup. I suggest Won Ton Soup cuz there's plenty-O-Chinese food restaurants within blocks of our house. She agrees saying it sounds good. I call Beijing Restaurant because it's very close and has many and good reviews, takes credit cards and delivers however my wife can not eat shell fish! When the gentleman answers the phone I ask if their Won Ton soup has shrimp in it. It's not uncommon for the stuffing to contain shrimp. The gentleman on the other end of the phone doesn't seem to understand what I am asking so he gets another person on the line. I ask again and he says no, then I ask if he can deliver to which he replies no even though I know they do. He gives me an excuse about it being busy and the delivery person is gone and won't be back for sometime. I explain that I am just around the corner but he still says no. I decide that I can go get it and start to place an order. He stops me in the middle of placing my order and asks me to call back in 10 minutes. Needless to say, I didn't. In this day and age, customer service is paramount! I gave Beijing Restaurant one star because I couldn't choose -1,000,000 stars. Their food might be great but I'll never know because I will never eat there.
(1)Martha M.
The food is not bad. Had lamb with green beans, wanton soup, pot stickers, and fried prawns. Everything was pretty good, but the prawns were GROSS, they had the shells on and their faces. Oh we didn't like the Pot Stickers either Other than that it was good. They only accept cash for delivery.
(4)Mike L.
I reserved my review until now mainly because I wanted to give this place another try and I really did want this place to be good. We need good/clean restaurants in the area. My first visit was take out. I ordered traditional Beijing dishes. I don't remember what because it was some time ago. I do remember that I was disappointed by the lack of taste and poor representation of Beijing food. My second visit was dine-in. I was hoping that it would be better than take out. Again I was disappointed for the same reasons. My girlfriend is a fan of fried crab wontons. I know it's white people food, but she's white so that makes it okay. It came out looking like egg rolls, all rolled up. We have NEVER had crab wontons rolled up like egg rolls. We also ordered the Special Flour Ball with vegetables. I could not believe my eyes when I saw canned peas & carrots and something diced up (flour ball) with a bit disced cucumbers. Where are the flour balls? It was awful! We also ordered the Hunan Fish. Again it was awful. Imagine watered down Hunan sauce from a jar over fired fish that had been in a take out box for 30 min. Yes, soft and saugy. For desert we ordered the Fried Sweet Cake Beijing Style. OMG, it wasn't cake at all. It was fried sweet bun (like pork buns) with red bean paste inside over a bed of raw cabbage. Yes, cabbage! Who uses raw cabbage as garnish on a desert? To make the dish sweeter they sprinkled plain sugar all over. Needless to say we will not be back despite the glowing reviews here. Why people think a restaurant is good because Yao Ming eat there. Yao Ming is NOT a chief nor a food blogger/writer. He plays basketball!
(1)Johnson H.
Their flour balls remind me of gnocci. Food is good. They have parking. A nice quiant chinese food joint in the Excelsior..
(4)Constance C.
Last time I came here I had their cumin lamb, beef noodle soup and green onion pancakes and this dough ball dish. The cumin lamb was okay, personally I prefer the one I make myself since I make it with better flavor thanks to a restaurant grade stove. The beef noodle soup was okay, but I guess I just prefer Taiwanese style beef noodle soup. Their green onion pancake was pretty good, nice and flakey but a bit on the expensive side. The dough balls were ehh, I didn't like them but maybe it's not my thing.
(3)Alo A.
After reading all the great reviews we decided to take the drive from Oakland all the way to try this place out. While the food is great, it really wasn't worth the drive out there. There are only 2 things that I liked... 1) they have the best potstickers I've ever had... and i've had a lot in my 31yrs of life lol and 2)normally a lot of asian restaurants use so much oil in their cooking. not this place. the food was oil free, very very delicious. Also the portion size for what you order is definitely not to be desired. If you're not a local skip it. And if you do decide to go don't listen to everyone and get the cummin beef. it was beef with a whole bottle of cummin. lol not that great. :)
(3)beverly l.
I've been looking for a good chinese restaurant near my new home. I got the lamb skewers (great), beef pancakes (like long flat pot stickers. good but really greasy), and the beijing cold noodle (a little too sweet). Not the best chinese food I've ever had. They could ease up some on the oil, but overall it seemed fairly authentic and it will go on my list of places to hit up for easy to reach northern chinese food.
(4)Christy Y.
I live really close to this restaurant but have never gave it a try because it gave me some cheap asian food feeling from the outside. But I finally decided to try it out because of the high rating. I went there at around 11:30pm, the employees were still eating, but they quickly put up their smiles and served us and other customers. The place was pretty small and I felt warm and cozy, there are a lot of pictures on the wall with mostly YaoMing... We ordered steamed baozi, fried veggie pancake, and beef stew noodles. steamed baozi was not the shanghainese type, it has no soup inside, but it still taste good. The veggie in the pancake are very fresh, and I really like the pancake's texture, its slightly crispy and the thickness was just right! Finally, the beef stew noodle was so far the best beef stew noodle i 've had in S.F, I like how they make their own noodle, the soup is really tasty too! Overall The food are fresh, tasty and good looking :D The service was great, too, although the employees were eating, but they still served us with their warm smile. I love this place, will definitely come back and try to have dinner here next time.
(5)Carol L.
I'd like to come back here and try the other dishes. Three dishes were ordered: fennel dumplings, cumin lamb, and this chili delights special sauce with pancakes. OMG. this chili delight thing was crazy. I don't think anyone on earth is capable of eating the dish. i took a total of 5 bites, and after each bite, at least 10 mins worth of sweating. I'm pretty sure I'll have indigestion and heartburn in a few minutes...
(3)Yvonne Z.
Im surprise that I can get such authentic food in SF,Thank you guys~
(4)Anne W.
Just moved to Brisbane and are looking for good non-Cantonese Chinese restaurants nearby with decent vegetarian selections. This is definitely a possibility. Even for vegetarians like us, there are good choices of tofu and vege dishes. I was impressed with the eggplant in garlic sauce. Just the right firmness and tasty tangy sauce. Has its own parking lot is a big plus in that area of town. I got there just at 5:30. Got very busy pretty soon. Recommend going there off peak hour.
(4)Matthew T.
All the dishes I tried were very good. They had some weird small doughy balls that were really good with vegetables. The noodles with the black sauce was good too. Extremely good quality, but it is expensive for chinese food.
(5)Miranda J.
First experience. Cumin lamb was good, war won ton was just ok. But delivery was quick & friendly! Perhaps I should have ordered more of the Beijing specials! Will absolutely try again.
(3)Johann K.
Just got delivery from Beijing the other night, it was good, and very fast. We ordered more 'american chinese' style food: Vegetarian hot-n-sour soup: okay, a little too peppery. My guess is the meaty variant would be better. Sauteed green beans (with soft tofu added): pretty good Chicken with broccoli: good - nothing out of the ordinary Brown rice: no complaints. Delivery was very fast. Overall, a good experience, not too greasy, would order from them again for sure.
(4)Kevin S.
When I first moved into the excelsior I thought this place was the beesknees. My brother and I came in multiple times yet still the staff acted like they didn't know who we were. Not that I expect them to give us hugs and start dancing when we walk in but we certainly were not faceless customers. They always bring out the food out of order and that really bothers me. Also as another yelper said if you start questioning menu items they get all flustered. They all hang out and watch karaoke while you're trying to eat. The food isn't bad but the service has turned me off from this place.
(2)christopher a.
it took me a long time to stop by here when i'm out visiting my dad, but my sister kept saying it was really good. and it is really good.
(4)Sean S.
Just moved in down the street from this place and have really lucked out! The food is fantastic, the vibe inside is very relaxed and customer oriented with neon-backed photos on the walls, and a very friendly staff. The one criticism I have to make, which almost took the review to 4 stars, is sometimes the staff can be a little slow and/or confused. I have been here twice and both times we've had to do some extra waiting before getting service. I've also seen other customers struggling with this as well, having to flag down a server to order. I only really point this out because the place is so small that there shouldn't be tables that go forgotten; especially when the restaurant is only 3/4 full. That being said, when they do get around to helping you it's fantastic, aside from the issue we had last time where our vegetables came out 10 or more minutes after our meat and noodles, again, another table was having the same problem. I haven't branched out to the Beijing style dishes that a lot of people on here have been talking about but now that I've read the reviews next time I know what I have to order! Thus far the sweet and sour shrimp (sorry for being a cliche whitie) is out of this world! A light sweet red sauce on perfectly fried big shrimp with pineapple, onions, and green peppers. The asparagus chicken was also perfectly cooked and delicious. The chow mein extremely surprised me as it wasn't greasy AT ALL! Packed full of flavor but not drenched in oil it was some of the best chinese noodles I have ever had. The pot stickers were also good, but probably the least favorite of anything Ive had, but a killer deal! $4.50 for 6 pot stickers is almost unheard of in the bay area, especially at the quality that they produce. They were good, but I just prefer mine to be a little crispier with slightly thicker wrapper. While we're talking about prices though - GODDAMN!! SUCH fair prices! One of the main things that will keep me coming back for more. Pot stickers and 3 entrees for $27? Yes! Considering you get tea and water at no charge and that's what I usually go for in most situations, that's less than $35 out the door for an awesome and satisfying meal! I also want to note, and maybe this will further dampen my un-authentic food cred, that they have another delicious appetizer that is cream cheese and crab deep fried served with sweet and sour sauce. Yes, it is americanized and unhealthy, BUT, it is amazing! I haven't found a legitimate place that serves these (aside from panda express occasionally...meh) since I lived in another state, and I am extremely happy to have found a place that serves them worthy of my support :)
(5)Johnson C.
This place was Great! good customer service! i actually never noticed this restaurant before until my friend had brought me there for lunch!
(5)lily l.
I love the noodles here! They have amazing dishes and the quality of service is awesome. It is very quaint and I went here for my Christmas dinner. I don't recommend the Cumin Lamb for people who do not LOVE cumin or lamb (acquired taste I have not found).
(4)kathy s.
It's called Beijing Restaurant on Alemany and Ocean and it's a rare find and an oasis in our neighborhood. We've been twice in the last week and both times the food was wonderful and really interesting. I should say my husband is Chinese and both of us are adventurous Asian food eaters, so we tend to know quality and authenticity when we find it. The owners Sandy and Jin are two Beijing natives (by way of New Zealand) who are young, energetic, and very outgoing. They are very excited about their food and eager to tell you about the special "small food" dishes and hand-made noodles Jin's mother (who ran a restaurant in Beijing for 20 years) is making in the back alongside another trained chef. The restaurant specializes in Beijing cuisine, only here, they mean it. The place is small (9 tables), occupying an unusual corner spot you may have never noticed before. There are dishes here you will rarely find in the bay area and everything we've had has been wonderful. The first time, we had: * Cumin Lamb * House Special Pie--really a kind of turnover with wonderful pork and ginger * House Special Steamed Meatball--amazingly tender and delicious The second time we had: * Warm Pot with fish-a kind of soup in a clay pot with tender slices of rock cod and preserved vegetable in a tasty broth * Beijing Beef Pie--fantastic * Beijing Style Noodles with Special Sauce-made with hand-pulled noodles you mix everything together with cucumber, been sprouts, and celery--a tad salty, but that might be Beijing style * We even tried dumplings with fennel! Apparently it's a Beijing favorite The menu has lots of other interesting dishes on it, including flour ball dishes (meaning dishes with dumplings), and lots of Beijing specialties as well as many more traditional Chinese restaurant dishes. They do a very inexpensive lunch as well. I hope Yelpers will check it out and help these guys get off the ground.
(4)Nilofer M.
Great food. Yay for delivery & within an hour of placing the order on a friday evening. Green Onion Pancake - very nice. Better and less greasy compared to other places Stir Fy potato - yep, it looks like noodles, but its quite tasty. Quite garlic-y though. Could do with some salt. Green Beans - very nice. A bit greasy, but thats probably by definition Mu-Shu Chicken & Vegetable - Very nice. Liked it mucho Cumin Lamb : Had to order it based on the reviews. It was okay. A bit chewy and as advertized full of cumin.
(4)Quantas G.
Yao Ming has 'endorsed' the place. He is Asian, a big one at that, so I trust his opinion. His face is plastered all over the walls along with a bunch of other locals who have gorged themselves on the delectables found at this joint. Good stuff.
(4)zoom z.
Was there the other night. Reserved a table for 10. The restaurant is kinda small, so make sure you make reservation if you have a big group. Not sure why they close at 9:00 pm every night, so be there early as well. The food is way better that what I expected for a small restaurant out of no where, and the price is great. Could not find a dish that costs more than $10, and they have their own parking in the city!!! For sure will go back and try the other dishes.
(4)Ed R.
I must add the Vegetable Pie to my list of fav dishes!
(4)Charles B.
Beijing has just won a new convert. I started with the hot & sour cucumber. Not that hot and not that sour, but crisp and refreshing. The cumin lamb was tender, spicy in a slow heat way, flavorful and not at all oily. (Lamb is fatty, you can't help that, but the dish wasn't greasy.) I would order either dish again (after I got a chance to try some of the other dishes that you don't find on too many menus in Cantonese SF) (not hatin' on Cantonese, I love HK style, but I do like to have a change of pace) (as apparently do some Cantonese folks as I heard some sam yup at the next table). The staff was all friendly. The place is on the small side, nine 4-tops and a couple 2-tops. When I got there, the 2-tops were being used with the 4-tops to seat big families -- the one next to me was chowing down on some apparently authentic dishes such as a won ton soup with glass noodles. Despite me being a lone diner and there being another lone diner they sat me at a 4-top with no attitude and did not rush me either. (Of course, there was only one chair at my 4-top but still, they didn't ask us two lone diners to share a 4-top.) The place is definitely on the informal side -- they did borrow the other part of the table for less than a minute while switching out empty plates for full at the next table, but they asked if it was okay and I said it was. It wasn't a big deal for me but just be aware this place is close quarters. (Although the sound level is quite reasonable.) This place is definitely family-friendly. The big group had 2 young girls with them and there are photos of customers' families with the staff all over the wall. A few of the photos are with Yao Ming in the restaurant. I asked about it, and they said he had been there twice. Hey, if it's good enough for Yao it's good enough for me. I would definitely eat here again and I would bring friends here.
(4)Michael W.
FRESH, TASTY, AND AUTHENTIC BEIJING CUISINE I ate at this restaurant for the first time yesterday, and was pleasantly suprised by how great it was. It reminded me of the best restaurants in Beijing, minus the loud grimy bustle of China. I will certainly be going back again. FOOD We ordered several dishes, almost all of which were amazing. The green onion pancakes were chock-full of freshly chopped green onions and were hot and slightly crispy without being oily at all.. The cold wide noodle salad was very spicy but delicious, with a hint of black pepper. We also had a clay pot with extremely fresh meat balls and homemade preserved vegetables. The stir-fried flour balls had a firm, slightly chewy texture and were well seasoned without being overpowering. The braised beef tendon was soft and chewy, with a rich brown sauce. Only the black bean paste noodle (jia jiang mian) was not to my liking, as it was too salty. We also ordered a dessert made from rice flour and red bean that was outstanding. Although I am normally a fan of red bean paste, I found myself eating two pieces without even realizing it. All of the food was made to order and tasted extremely fresh. The restaurant also uses seasons their dishes well, using minimal oil and salt and no MSG. SERVICE The restaurant is family owned and operated, and the staff is all extremely nice. They chatted with us, made great recommendations about dishes to order, and did not rush us at all, even though the restaurant was pretty packed. The food took a long time to come up, but the owner explained that this was because they were making everything to order. We weren't in a hurry, and you could really taste the freshness! VALUE The dishes were well priced and the portions were very generous. Especially considering the freshness and the wonderful flavors, this place is a great value.
(5)Miriam M.
The food is always fresh and delicious. The Mongolian Beef is addicting (i am somewhat of a carnivore). Their dessert is really good--red bean paste--also the vegetable flour ball plate is refreshing. I have yet to try the more authentic Beijing plates but hopefully that will change soon! Love the warm atmosphere that the family/owner provides; I love to see hardworking people, especially those who really love what they do and are damn good at it be successful. It is pretty busy for dinner but their lunch specials are great and not too busy: from 11-3pm which includes your entree choice, egg flower soup, and a delicious vegetarian egg roll and all for $5.50!
(5)Mike G.
Went by this bright red place all the time but never went in until now. Had the sweet and sour shrimp, onion pancakes, eggplant, and rice. First impression, not bad, not bad at all. My favorite would be the sweet and sour shrimp, flavorful, not that soft, not that crunchy. Onion pancakes were ok, not good or bad but fills you up very fast. Would come back here again to try there lamb dishes.
(5)Ammiel H.
I am giving one star because I cant give no stars. I ordered off of grubhub for delivery, my estimated time for delivery was an hour. An hour and a half pass and I call to check on my order and the man who answered the phone was absolutely confused and has no idea what customer service means. After asking me what I ordered 3 times, he told me my order was not placed THEN he told me it was placed for pick up (which is bull because on my e receipt it even says DELIVERY TIME) and THEN he asks me if I ordered a bunch of stuff that isnt even what I ordered! He then said I should have called in the order... well WHY ARE YOU ON GRUBHUB?? Now i am without any food and have to order from somewhere else and i'm effin starving! Maybe the food is great but I wouldnt know because after 10 minutes on the phone I received NO apology and was not offered until being told that its basically my fault for their mistake that they will now deliver the food. I'm sure that the dining experience is probably nice and I was looking forward to eat their food but damn gina the customer is always right even if they arent it in this case I was!
(1)Andy R.
This was hands down the best Chinese food I have ever had in my life. I am 28 years old and have eaten a lot of food in my life, and this was really good. Very new flavors for me, very fresh food, very delicious. I recommend going with a larger group so you can try a variety of dishes. We had the lamb, meatballs, a few meat pancakes, chive pancakes, shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, a cucumber dish, a sour-ish onion/noodle/dumpling soup, a cold fat noodle dish, an eggplant dish, a greenbean dish, a crazy spiced sliced potato dish. Of all of those dishes I recommend the eggplant and the potatoes the most. I'm sure there other dishes that were excellent too, and am excited to go back. The interior is modest, the staff is very friendly and congenial, the price is moderate (good value). Parking is available behind the restaurant. Credit cards are accepted. Photos of happy customers on the wall, including Yao. They deliver w/in a 2 mile radius.
(5)Angie C.
We had lunch here yesterday because my fellow Yelpers said this was a great spot. Did I go to the right restaurant? I can read English and I swear the reviews I read said it was good. Are all reviewers friends with the owners? Did you get paid to offer positive reviews? I told my mom, who also wanted to try it, that we did not enjoy the food and she said we might've gone on a bad day when the regular chef wasn't there. I don't know ... We order the Beijing noodles aka Ja jang mien. It was SUPER salty. We didn't even mix in the all the sauce. It was salty beyond belief. So salty that we just couldn't stomach it. The second dish was the pork and leek dumplings. That was bland and was just average. Ling lings from Costco (although not quite the same thing since those are pot stickers) are even tastier. Our last dish was the beef pancake (not the meat pancake ...). That was super oily and the beef filling was spread really thin but didn't make it to the outer edges of the pancake. It also lacked flavor. Overall, I'm really surprised. I love greasy food. I love cheap food. I love trying new restaurants. I love being surprised by hole in the walls. I love spending more money than I can afford at over rated places. But what happened yesterday was just not good. Their service wasn't good either! A young girl brought us tea and then came back with a plastic setting for our son (totally AWESOME!) but since we weren't ready to order, we asked her for another minute. We're still waiting 5 minutes later when my husband finally flags a woman down. The "young" person who brought our food over was not excited about working. We were not difficult. Never asked for anything except extra napkins and the check. From service to food, it was just a poor experience. I'm really shocked. I may disagree with some reviews but this was just crazy. Authentic or not, it just wasn't a good meal. Give it another try? Only if someone else is flipping the bill ...
(1)Karen B.
So this is the place you always drive by and see, but never actually stop to eat at. Came on a Wednesday night @ 6, no reservation and 12 people. Small place, but we fit very comfortably along the back wall over 2 tables. As it got later, the place started to fill up with the neighborhood peeps. Solid: Chowmein - for the kiddies and they ate it all. Mongolian beef - good, but nothing out of this world. Standouts: Spicy chicken wings - loved these! My 2 year old ate them up, after I took off the outer spicy crunchy top - yay mom! Best part :) Beef Pancake - not what you'd expect. Very tasty and I really liked the texture and crispiness to the sides. Eggplant with spicy sauce - excellent and Sautéed String Beans - so, my bro never eats greens...and he scarfed these string beans down and commented how delicious they were over white rice. There is no better compliment than that. Skip: Salt n Pepper Pork. These were just pork nuggets deep fried with a cup of salt n pepper? Huh? I guess so you can watch your salt intake, but I did not care for it. Spent most of the after dinner chitchat time trying to see what everyone else in the place was ordering. Everything tasted super fresh and just good. I loved the little spicy "kick" every dish had. Very family friendly joint.
(4)P B.
As some of the other reviewers have mentioned, you should order their Beijing cuisine dishes rather than the Americanized Chinese fare. The food is authentic, the portions are generous, and the price is very reasonable. Dishes to order include: - Claypot soup with meatballs and pickled vegetables. The meatballs are made from scratch and the vegetables are grown by the owners. This is an exceptional (and very authentic) way to start a Beijing cuisine meal. Just make sure you like white pepper because there's quite a bit of it and it makes your throat sear! - Beijing style gnocchi stir fried with meat. This is equivalent to dough that's been chopped up into bits and stir fried with a meat of your choice. Very tasty and a favorite among a lot of my friends who come here. - Zha jiang noodles. Noodles are hand pulled so they're al dente and fresh. Just make sure to use the sauce sparingly because it's quite concentrated and intense! - Beef pie or vegetable pie. This is essentially a thin pie stuffed with your choice of filling. Very tasty as well. Glad there's finally more (authentic) variety of Chinese food in the bay area and in SF in particular.
(5)Sha'de d.
I come here with my boyfriend just about every 1-2 weeks. They serve one of the best authentic chinese food in the city. Even Yao Ming thinks so...his pictures are all over the walls like he's the ambassador for the restaurant. Our favorites on the menu, are the cumin lamb and eggplant dishes. The seafood clay pot is good as well. If your craving soup try their half/half flavored hot pot- you can choose from different meats and vegetables, each of which are reasonably priced compared to an all-you- can-eat hot pot restaurant.
(4)rainie z.
ohhhh~~~i love the food there~~have been there tons of time and still wanna go~~~ as a originally beijinger, i have to say that~~u just cant find any other "beijing" food better than here~~
(5)Alexandra L.
I'm usually not a big Chinese food girl, but there's something about this place that keeps me coming back. First, it's the great selection of soups and fresh vegetables. All the food is cooked perfectly every time. The owners, waiters are always nice, and you can tell they really care about the service they give to their customers. I think you can't ask for anything better. I now have my favorite restaurant in the excelsior. Sorry sushi raw, you're too expensive and ya just down hold down the same type of welcoming as Beijing Restaurant!:) YUM, anyone who hasn't gone here, go, get a soup with extra veggies, it's healthy if you don't want to go too greasy, also another great thing is, sweet and sour shrimp, it's the alternative to pork or chicken, much lighter. Another YUM is their eggplant dishes, their pot stickers rock, and the wrapps with the stufing and plum sauce. crap cant remember what it's called. Those are my top favs. go gettem!
(5)Manuel D.
I live in the area and had to find a new Chinese Restaurant. Emmys on Ocean Ave was just not cutting it. Thanks to YELP I can say I found it. The food was very tasty and fresh.
(5)Kin M.
My family and I went to this place last week, this place is small, but a lot of people. We waited around 15 minutes to got a table. The waiter was very nice. The food were very good! I gave 4 stars because this place wasn't so comfortable!
(4)Elena H.
Great place to eat. No MSG, which is a big plus for me. When we sat down, we saw the picture of YaoMing having been there in the restaurant. Well, if he was there, it must be good. This turned out to be true. We finished all the dishes that we ordered and went home satisfied.
(5)Ho Yin C.
I am from Hong Kong, and this is one of the better hotpot places in the city I have had so far. I would consider it pricier for Asian food, around ~30 per head after all is said and done. They are known for their beef pankcakes, which I have to say are not bad. There non hotpot food is quite good as well.
(4)Lester Y.
We tried their lunch specials ($5.50) of hot and spicy sliced pork which was good and their egg plant which was also good. Nothing really special about either dish as both dishes taste just like any other mandarin restaraunt food. Portions of egg plant was generous and very sweet, which I liked. Also ordered a cold dish of cucumbers, which was very good. Soup was napa cabbage soup that was good and the egg roll was plain but not greasy, much better than most places that serve egg rolls. I would come back again but not for their lunch special which was ordinary. I want to try their other dishes which looked The menu does look like they offer much better selection than the typical lunch specials, but was in the mood for standard dishes today. Service was ok
(3)bitta h.
The food here is really good but do come with friends so you can try a wide variety of delicious items. Stay away from the stuff you will find everywhere else and stick with the Beijing specialties - you won't be sorry.
(5)L. H.
The first time we came, it was too crowded. We decided to give it another try and was disappointed. The food was mediocre. We were in Beijing, China and the food tasted just like the restaurants there. Heavy on MSG and strong soy sauce.
(2)Rob C.
not bad- local place that is good for take out and delivery
(3)Bradley D.
Great family-owned authentic Chinese food. Every time we go we try something new and are not disappointed. Although the place is kinda small, it's still a good place to go with a group and eat family style as Chinese food is meant to be enjoyed that way. The service is always prompt and attentive as well. You can tell they are working hard to establish this new restaurant as one of San Francisco's best places for authentic Chinese food. There's also a very convenient free parking lot. When approaching on Alemany from the south the lot will be on the right just before reaching the restaurant.
(5)Elena N.
Yum! I came here with a friend that's from Beijing so he ordered for the table. We had a beef soup that was sooo tasty! I could just eat that and be happy! They were also these pork sandwiches that apparently people in Beijing eat for breakfast. Delicious! A couple more of my favs were the corn with pine nuts and this amazing fish dish! They cook the fish in oil which keeps the fish nice and moist. We ended up getting like a 3.5 lbs fish so you can imagine it took a while to eat. But since the fish is served in the oil, it stays hot. If you get anything you have to try this one! Sooo good! You have to try it!!!
(5)Aly A.
Standard cheap Chinese food. I got the beef noodle soup. The broth was fine, but the menu said it should be spicy. There was not even a tinge of spice. We also got the General's chicken. It was like an American version of Panda Express Orange chicken, but soggier and served with American broccoli. Lastly we got some nappa and pork dumplings. These I enjoyed, but cannot say they were much better or worse than another other place. I much rather go to King of Dumpling/Noodle.
(2)H. D.
They have really authentic Chinese dishes that I never had at other restaurants before and very good customer service. It's a cute little place where I didn't expect to find a Chinese restaurant.
(4)Kristen S.
One bite of their garlic-flavored sausage, and I'm transported back to my childhood in Beijing. Their cooked dishes are fairly authentic, too. Must tries: 1. chive pies 2. meatballs I'm not wowed by their zhajiang mian. Nice try, but it doesn't quite hit the right note.
(4)Elaine Y.
You probably won't believe me, but I did bursted into tears when I smelled my Zha Jiang Mian, let alone when I ate it! I'm from Beijing, with a low expectation of Americanized Beijing food, this place is sooooo authentic! The sour chinese cabbage warm pot with meat ball, the fennel dumplings, string beans, yu xiang rou si (my all time favorite!!), and leek eggs pancake...OMG!! It simply blew my mind During the past weekend, I have to come here twice as I currently live in LA and there is nothing like this here..Carpe Diem when I was in SF!! Being a Chinese or not, you have to come to this restaurant. It's simply authentic and amazing!
(5)Evan W.
Where should I begin? I know these are Chinese people but they have squeezed in tables to cover every available square foot so there is no area for one to order food to go as they have a table in front of the cash register. You will have to stand in the aisle which is one person wide and thus blocking the kitchen from the dining room tables. Been to this place maybe a dozen times, most of which was to go. So I place my order for onion pancakes, a side dish, and a main meal----all for myself which totaled $25 and change. I ate there the night prior and they told me to pay when I pick it up as I left to do a few errands, so I figure I could pay at the end. I'm sitting down at a table and the girl cashier waves and yells at me. I approach here and she blurts the total to me. She doesn't say, ' the total is xxx, please or thanks" or anything of that nature. 'TWENTY FIVE DOLLA', huh? 'TWENTY FIVE DOLLA". She didn't even show me the bill so I can see the total amount. The workers have horrible attitudes and the food is overpriced. Sure they had a food truck at the Mission St food festival but it doesn't mean the food is good(maybe to a white person). The green onion pancakes are way too doughy. It should have layers of flakiness. The chicken with hand cut noodles was drowned in sauce. Bleh. The dish tasted good after I drained the excess sauce. The spicy cucumber appetizer is tasty. --------------------------------------------------Â---------------- As for the other times I have called in, they said the food would be ready in 25 minutes. I come in there after the alloted time expired and the food wasn't ready for another 20 minutes. This has happened at least two other times. I guess they prioritize the eat in customers even if they come in after you submit your to go order. -------------------- Horrible service mediocre food long take out delay bad attitudes If you like all of those, please continue to eat there.
(1)Wendy L.
I live 4 blocks away. I ordered chow mein & chow fun (simple orders) through eat24 app for delivery because I had stuff to do at home. It took 1 full hour to arrive and it was room temperature (not hot at all). I had to microwave it. It also did not taste very good. I threw half of it in the trash. Never again.
(1)Max R.
Meh is the perfect way to describe this restaurant. Food was ok at best. Smaller portions, higher prices and a much lower quality than Chef Hunan, a chinese restaurant just two blocks away. Can't find a single reason to go back to this place.
(2)Kevin M.
I love this place. And it is in my neighborhood which has a dearth of decent restaurants, so I come frequently. What can I say? Food is generally excellent and a welcome change from the prevalent Cantonese cuisine in the City. Get the pancakes, cumin lamb, Beijing noodles, egg surface toufu, 3 flavor vegetables.. I really like the owners. They are very friendly and care about what they do.
(5)Katrina L.
This place is just okay for me. I was on a mission to find the best beef stew noodle soup in SF. Overall the noodles and beef were good but the broth was watered down and not as hot as I hoped it would be. We also ordered the house special shrimp and eggplant which barely had any shrimp in there. You could also tell that the shrimp were not fresh but frozen. The beef pancake was delicious though. I think it's hit or miss here. Service wasn't too great. I had to ask for ice water twice. I also thought it was odd when we asked for refills on water she took 3 of our cups into the back to fill them and handed them back to us. It's obvious that she didn't pay attention to who had which cup, which is disturbing. Why don't they have water pitchers? Oh and our "ice water" was iceless too.
(3)Michael K.
I was looking forward to this place for years. Finally tried it and it was disgusting and I have a stomach ache. The place is pretty run down and dirty. The jian bing (Chinese pancake with egg, and crunchy crackers inside) was worse than any thing I ate in 2 years on the streets of Beijing. It was the size of a small plate and cost $7. The pea sprouts tasted OK, but were cold. The fried on bottom dumplings were half empty lacking meat. I asked if the sweet and sour was Chinese style or American style. They said, 'Not too sweet." It tasted lack typical American sweet and sour. Even eggplants were not browned well. Also the chop sticks were not the disposable kind and had food stuck on them. I told everyone not to use them, so we ate with forks. Disappointment.
(1)Perci N.
I've been here about half a dozen times now. Two stars is the perfect number. It's edible, but it's just not worth it for the price. Their regional specialty dishes aren't anything to write home about. Their other location in the Sunset is better in both service and quality. Eat here only if you must have nearby non-American Chinese food, and don't mind the slightly higher prices and mediocre taste.
(2)Patrick C.
Where have I been?? I've seen this place for years....drove by thinking that this place was a rip-off Chinese restaurant for people who only eat sweet-N-sour pork and hot-N-sour soup type of place. Until one day my friend keeps telling me that he goes here a lot and that it is open till 2am...?? I asked if he lived near by and he said no...he goes here because the food is really good....?? WOW...I said I must try (as my friend is also a Chinese restaurant owner. So came here and gave them a shot...wow...was I impressed! Weird spot for a restaurant at first as the location is a stand alone little hut on the corner of Alemany...just weird. Dumplings - Good...not some dumplings that I can't get anywhere else but just good. Intestine, pork blood pot - FAVE dish! This isn't even on their online menu, Spicy eggplant - Must have for eggplant lovers! Corn soup - Awesomeness!! They also deliver! Their sister property on Irving Street in the Sunset is just as good.
(4)Ceecee W.
I have found home away from home, and I have been here 3 times in the last 2 weeks (mind you, I live rather far from Mission Terrace, but I'd always go far for good food) I'm sure you are here because you want Northern China food, and let me tell you right now that you are picking the right place. My to-go on a bad day is 1. #88 Beijing Noodles with Special Sauce (Zha Jiang Mian). C-O-M-F-O-R-T-F-O-O-D. Can not rave enough about this dish. Seriously, don't just come for chow mein and General Tao chicken. Go with something more authentic. 2. They also have some really good egg flower corn chicken soup - ask for red vinegar, you won't regret it. 3. #30 n Shredded Pork with Braised Sauce - if you are into meat, you would love this dish. Seasoned perfectly with an abundance amount of sauce. If you come here on a random weekday night, you might just see me sitting in the corner stuffing my face with #88. Do not disturb me then. You are warned.
(5)Cara N.
Not the best food. Ordered for delivery since we live really close by, but the delivery still took an hour. I read most of the reviews & looked at pictures before ordering and was pretty disappointed in their food. I know that this is supposed to be "Yao Ming's fav restaurant" but I've had better food. We had: Spinach Tofu Soup (bland, nothing special) Beijing Noodles with Special Sauce (yuck.....) House Special Steam Meat Balls (looks good, but tasteless, needs more flavor) I'm sure there are other good dishes since there are so many reviews, but from what I've tried, I didn't like it at all.
(2)Joanna W.
3 min drives from house. Convenient parking lot. If you come during lunch or dinner rush, you will need to wait. Most of the waiters have limited English skills but there's at least one that can speak and understand it. The owners are nice. The place is bright and one table is by the windows. They have pictures of their guests and Yao Ming on the walls, along with some Chinese decorations. If are one of the few tables there, you can hear Mandarin music playing. Large menu with specialized Beijing dishes, vegetarian options and lunch specials. Price are normal for a Chinese restaurant. Portions are big. The Bf and I usually spend $20-$24 with tip and we have enough for at least 2 meals. Take-out orders are ready in about 15 minutes. Favorite dishes: - Mapo tofu w/ pork - Very spicy w. the red mapo sauce. This is authentic mapo sauce, not the type the Cantonese restaurants cook with. Tofu, pork, peas, carrots. - Spicy Cold Beef Tripe ($6) - A bit expensive for a small amount of tripe but nonetheless very delicious with the mala sauce. - Garlic Eggplant - Eggplant with spicy garlic sauce. The sauce is great to go over rice. - House Chicken Wings ($12) - Expensive for the wings but they are delicious. Must try this at least once. When the BF went in for pick-up, he said he saw one of the workers eating from our Mapo Tofu. The lit was open and he literally had a spoon and was scooping it out. There was no bowl in sight so basically his saliva got mixed in the entree. They just closed the lid and put it in our take-out bag. It's surprising what you see at restaurants when the workers think you are not looking. Accepts credit cards.
(4)Cassandra J.
After doing some searching on Yelp, the three of us decided to give Beijing Restaurant a try for three reasons: 1) we were craving Chinese food, 2) it was nearby, and 3) it had some really good reviews on Yelp. We were not disappointed in the least! We ordered a large bowl of Hot and Sour Soup to share among the three of us and what a surprise, we had far more than enough soup to have at least two generous bowls each! We followed it up with various entrees and left extremely full and satisfied. Service was extremely fast and friendly and helpful. The tables themselves are set a bit close together so you're almost brushing elbows with other diners that aren't even seated with you, but I'd happily go back for more delicious Chinese food. The price and quality are right on.
(4)Sean W.
Food: It is OK. Nothing is really good or stands out. Panda Express is way than this. Price: Over $8 per dish. Seriously, i don't mind paying more, but not for poor quantity and quality of the food. Service: the waiters keeps yapping and ignoring customers. it does not deserve 4 stars at all. Just total disappointment.
(1)Mengjie L.
Great beijing style cuisine, best quality considering the price in sf. wonderful service.
(5)Cynthia F.
I made reservations for 5 people. My husband & I were 15 minutes earlier than our reservation time, but we got seated right away at our table while we waited for our guests. The service was quite fast, except for the soup bowls & spoons, which came a little later than the soup. We had for appetizers, three flavor dumplings, fried chicken wings & onion pancake. For soup, we had Sliced Fish with Preserved Vegetable in warm pot. For main dish, we had Beef with Green Onion & Spinach with Garlic. Everything had well balanced flavor and made fresh. The service was quick. We didn't feel rushed at all. The staff were very nice and attentive. We will definitely come back for more of Beijing's cuisine!
(5)Brian B.
Unique restaurant different from your regular Cantonese style SF joints. The restaurant itself is one step above a hole in the wall. The place is decorated to a certain degree so it's decently nice for an SF restaurant, especially out on Alemany. There's a parking lot on Alemany so that's very convenient. The best part of this place is the type of Chinese food. The food is not your Cantonese style food, it's more of a northern and some western Chinese influence. The place is pretty small so is not good for a big group. They are also opened really late now. -Cummin lamb is delicious. They toss on the spices and create a good blend for the lamb. Very very tasty dish! -Mao Po(aka Numbing) fish soup with chilli peppers is very unique. The tastes are just really bold and unique. The fish and soup are a good compliment. This is a bigger dish that you'll definitely want to share as is the case for most Chinese dishes at Chinese restaurants -Lamb skewers, you can skip this. It's basically the cummin lamb but on skewers and more expensive. I didn't really taste all the good charcoal grill flavors that you would have if it was done on the streets in China. I'm assuming they used a griddle to cook these? -Dumplings were good! The skin of the dumpling is not too thick and the meat inside is pretty juicy and well seasoned. However, they do not have minced garlic for the dumplings? We requested it but they said that they didn't have any. How is it possible that a restaurant, any restaurant, not have minced garlic? I, and I believe many other people, like our dumplings with black vinegar(instead of soy sauce) and minced garlic. They have the black vinegar but not the minced garlic. -Eggplant dish was fabulous. They did a great job with the eggplant, very purple, tender but not overly mushy that the eggplant has no form.
(5)Lisa N.
This is the place to go when you have the hankering for real food at 1am--sometimes Mel's or Denny's just doesn't cut it. I took my parents here and they are tough critics for authentic Chinese food, and this seemed to pass their test. Sure, it's not in the best of neighborhoods and it might look a little small and divey on the outside--but that's when you know you've stumbled on something good. The inside of the restaurant is much more warm and bright. Customer photos line the walls (but not in a cheesy sort of way). It's more charming than cheesy. Maybe the endorsement from Yao Ming helps--I don't know, maybe I'm biased because I like basketball. The service is good, and the food is good. We enjoyed the Beijing beef pancakes, the beef noodle soup, the Beijing noodles, the mushu pork, and these Bejing hamburger things my dad ordered that looked straight off some fancy food truck in SF. All in all, a pretty solid meal in an unexpectedly pleasant environment with decently priced food at a place that stays open til' 2am! You can't really go wrong there!
(4)Juan B.
Pretty Simple: Service: Not great but what Chinese restaurant does has great service. Food: Oh so tasty. Mongolian beef was great with the meat so tender. Lemon Chicken was nice and crunchy and fresh tasting. Crab cheese puffs were yummy although I'm not fan of cream cheese. Going back for sure to try something else along with the Mongolian beef!
(4)Mariela D.
Yao Ming eats here when he's in town! So it must be good, right? I was a bit skeptical until I walked in and saw pictures of his visit. Nice! I've been coming here with my family since it was Nulite Kitchen back in the 80s/90s. Different owners, different menu, but it still feels like the same place. My husband and I tried a bit of everything, to figure out if it was worth a second visit. I wanted to try the cumin beef based on the reviews, but he likes to stick to the more common dishes. BOO! But I was happy to get him to eat something other than wings, cheesesteak or pizza, so I was glad to compromise. So, we tried... - Potstickers: Too much wrapper and not enough filling. Disappointment :-( (photo: yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) - Egg rolls: These were crisp and tasty. But their sweet and sour dipping sauce was too watery and had too much vinegar in it, which ruined it a bit for me. (photo: yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) - Prawns in spicy garlic sauce: Served on a bed of steamed brocolli. Unfortunately there was mostly brocolli and not many prawns, and there were too many onions slathered on top. And the sauce wasn't even spicy garlic, it was vinegary-tasting and watery, much like the sweet and sour sauce. Disappointment again. (photo: yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) - Shrimp fried rice: Okay, it's getting a bit better. The carrot, green onion and peas were fresh and the egg was fluffy. Too bad they only put like 9 shrimp in it. (photo: yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) - Beef chow mein: Finally, a winner! Flavorful, not overly salty, not overfried, the beef was tender, and they had the right amount of onions/green onions without overtaking the dish. Loved this. (photo: yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) - Also, my water was served at room temperature with no ice in it. I feel like I'm complaining alot, but if you look at my reviews, I usually don't. So when I do, I think it's justified. Food: 3.5 stars. Hit-or-miss, but mostly miss on my visit. On a positive note, the food is much less greasy than at other Chinese restaurants. Service: 2 stars. Our server disappeared after he took our order. He also didn't pack our leftovers like other Chinese restaurants do - he just dropped off the boxes and walked off. So I packed the food myself and made a mental note: "Service is two stars." Value: 4 stars. Portions are much smaller than at other Chinese restaurants, but the food is also less greasy. So that's a pretty good tradeoff. Overall: 3 stars. My quest to find a great Chinese restaurant in SF continues. So far, I've come to this conclusion: Chinese restaurants tend to be hit-or-miss, meaning some dishes are great and others fall short. If I find one that's a HIT across the board, you'll be the first to know :)
(3)Clarence A.
4 solid stars for this spot If Yao Ming eats here you know they got to be doing something right. I have past this place more then a few hundred times, glad I stopped by for a taste.. Food wise don't go for a lunch plate try there special plates here are some of the things we tried beef tendon with baby bak choy in what tasted like oyster sauce but it was not oyster sauce. If you don't like tendon dont order this plate, it is chewy, it is sticky, for me it was deliciously awesome we tried spicy lamb which tasted as if it was marinated overnight with some heat similiar to salt and pepper pork chops but taken to another level. Again this plate had heat and was seasoned you can taste through what seemed like it as deep fried we tried the beef pancake for me it tasted similar to a dumpling of meat flattened just needed a sauce maybe dipping sauce of soy sauce it was ok not my favorite last we sampled was a beef soup, thick ramen noodles with beef chunks close to the bone pieces some full pieces of tendon with lil meat holding onto it ever so lightly, the beef alone was super tender, fall apart tender, the noodles standard, the broth excellent lil spicy and mid saltiness all over the palette Big bowl of white rice to help put down all these amazing eats, I will have to come back and venture some other choices on the special menu food **** price $$ service **** ambiance *** small venue for parties of 4 perfect lil bit more then 4 folks will feel crowded, pictures of several patrons and 2-3 pics of Yao Ming that actually came by and ate there
(4)Michael S.
Possibly the best Chinese food in the city. This little gem is hidden away not far from CCSF. I've been to this place over 30 times and it's just as good as the first. I'm glad they updated their menu and included the Chinese Hamburger. Previously, it was an "off the menu" request. Definitely recommended. One of my favorite dishes is the shredded potatoes with garlic and vinegar. They only have the hot oil shredded potatoes on the menu, so you have to special order the shredded potatoes with garlic and vinegar. Complete orgasm will occur when you put these things in your belly. The cumin lamb isn't the greatest and the mabou tofu leaves much to be desired, but the rest of the menu is on par as far as I'm concerned. All in all, very friendly service, GREAT food, and a satisfied tummy.
(5)J L.
Yao Ming picture is on the wall! But, he is not a customer at the restaurant, I don't see him eating in the picture. He was just visiting! First item we order: 60, Steam House Special Baozi $8.25 Second item: 117, Beef with String Bean $8.50 Third item: 101, Sesame Chicken $8.50 Fourth item: 139, Hot Braised Toufu $7.95 Fifth item: 80, Steam Rice $1.50 x 4 = $6.00 Spend around $50 includes tax and tips. I did not like any of it! So, is up to you!
(1)Nicole S.
So, apparently Yao Ming eats here when he's in SF... My friend and I came here Sunday around 5:15pm. She found it on Yelp and we both wanted to try Beijing since it's rated 4 stars and located close by. FOOD: *Sizzling Rice Soup ($5.95 small) - Good. Beware if you have seafood allergies - fish, imitation crab, squid, clams and shrimp are included in the broth. I'm allergic to fish and they were extremely nice to redo the soup for me without fish in the broth since I didn't know fish would be in the soup. *Cumin Lamb ($9.95) - YUM! Thin slices of lamb are cooked with a variety of spices, bell peppers, and onions. Be careful, the spices add a good kick to the dish. *House Special Steam Meat Ball ($9.95, 4 pieces) - It was okay. We figured this was similar to lionhead meatballs, which it sort of is. Medium size pan fried meatballs are served on lettuce leaves with a thick sauce and green onions on top. *Egg Surface Tofu ($8.95) - Good. We didn't know what the dish was and asked the waiter who told us an egg sauce was placed on top of the tofu. When the dish came out, it was deep fried tofu pieces with a thick light brown sauce. Although I don't know where the egg was in this dish, it was still good where the tofu was perfectly deep fried and the sauce gave it a bit more flavor. *Pork with Ground Bean Sheet ($7.95) - YUMMY!! This dish was similar to a chow fun dish with the sauce. Ground bean sheets were like clear chow fun/ho fun noodles or thick clear flat noodles. The dish contains lots of chopped garlic with shreds of pork in a very flavorful brown sauce. SERVICE: Good - the waiters were all friendly and accommodating. They were also willing to pack our leftovers (always a big plus to me!!). OTHER NOTES: *The menu states no MSG *The restaurant is clean (big bonus points for an Asian restaurant!) *The restaurant is small - it can probably accommodate about 30 people or so PARKING: A small lot is adjacent to Beijing on Alemany Blvd or metered street parking. Beijing has great food and I'll definitely be back to try more items off their extensive menu!
(4)Jen S.
So I've returned back to Beijing restaurant twice since my last review and I've consulted Yelpers as to what they liked and suggested. I followed what they suggested. Some were hits and others were misses. Cumin Lamb - spicy; remember I'm a spice wimp but good flavor to it Sliced Fish with Preserved Vegetables - my grandma commented that it tasted like sinigang, a Filipino broth with vegetables which is quite tangy; great flavor Onion Pancakes - very good but $7.95 seemed a bit high to charge for it Pork with Nappa Cabbage Dumplings - 12 comes on a dish; meh - didn't care for it Vegetables with House Sauce - nothing to rave about; you're usual eggplant, tomatoes, string beans, and sweet potatoes (?) Seafood Tofu Soup - Enjoyed this dish; plenty of shrimp, tofu, scallops, squid included Still looking for the right dishes but overall, they provide good food at reasonable prices with good service.
(4)Kelly K.
We had: combination vegetables, eggplant, carrot, beans, onions in a hoisin sauce. a bit mushy but tasty. lamb dim sum, tasty and spicy in a homemade wrapper. pork dim sum, bland but the wrapper is homemade. spicy chicken wings, really chicken balls, the tips are removed. fried is the predominant flavor, with some pepper. onion pancake is good, but way less onion than the beautiful photos on the menu. skip the shrimp chow mein. mongolian beef with green beans, classic rich hoisin, tasty, not too complex. cellophane noodles with tofu in a sour/hot sauce, they do sour hot right! hot and spicy chicken, not hot or spicy, so so. we ordered rice but it never arrived. I would give this restaurant another chance, their menu has some ethnic treasures that could be very good. our party has a tame approach to eating so we achieved that goal. clean, fresh food in a clean environment, can't beat that, and... a parking lot! Come here for lunch, many do, but make reservations.
(4)Ann L.
Went to Beijing Restaurant in SF, 1801 Alemany Blvd @ Ocean, SF for the first time Sat 7/10/10. They have a small parking in the back of the restaurant enough for about 10 cars, side street has metered parking. We got there about 5:15pm and I was pretty hungry. There was 1 other table in there. It's a small restaurant about 20 tables. They have walls w/ photos of their customers. Chinese basketball player Yao Ming is in many photos. That's cool. We got 5 dishes + 1 bowl of rice: Shredded potatoes w/ hot oil $5.95 - it's nicely shredded, not spicy to me. I liked it ok. Cumin lamb $8.95 - not a lot of lamb, lots of spices, not very spicy at all. Sauteed string beans $6.95 - I thought they were ok. Onion pancake $6.95 - nice, round pancake cut into 8 slices, served temperature hot. Good amount of green onions inside. Not too greasy which was good. Recommended. Nappa (sic) w/ pork dumpling $7.5 - comes w/ a small pot of soy sauce/vinegar. 12 dumplings. I liked them fine. 1 small bowl of rice $1 - fine. Our total before tip $41.95. They take credit cards. One unisex bathroom in the back on the Right.
(4)Tenzin N.
I'm giving 2 stars because the food was good. There are still other places you can get great chinese food with good service. The reason I'm giving less stars is because I didn't get what I ordered. I didn't get the rice or an order of egg rolls which I paid for. I also received kung pao chicken instead of cashew prawns. This was an order placed on the internet and doesn't seem too hard to mess up a written order. When I called to tell them about the mistake they brought the white rice, but not the egg rolls and they didn't say anything else. They really didn't seem to understand their mistake or communicate well. I probably won't order for delivery again.
(2)Belle Z.
Awesome food! A great mandarin restaurant, definitely stands out from the typical Chinese restaurant(Cantonese). The owner is very nice, and all the workers work efficiently. I recommend the lamb screwer, yogurt drink, dong meat pancakes, and the sour vegetable fish soup(I forgot what its called..) I come and eat here whenever i want a fabulous dinner! Cons: limited seats Pros: parking lot, reasonable price, taste, workers, variety, schedule I definitely recommend this place!
(5)Mike C.
How did I find out about this restaurant? Pulled one of those front door delivered menus from the door knob. There was something very different about this one... in reading the menu, there was acutally Beijing food on the menu! Boy, was this a pleasant surprise. So many restaurants named Mandarin, Hunan, Shanghai, or other northern cooking styles offer menus that don't reflect their cuisine, serving the more common Cantonese fare. This restaurant is the real deal and, yes, they literally deliver too! When dining with my family, we recently ordered the following: Appetizers: a) Green Onion Pancake - Green Onions check. Tasty dough check. b) Steamed Pork and Vegetable Dumplings - Tasty choice especially with dark vinegar dipping sauce. c) Pot Stickers - The plate came piping hot and the bottoms were crispy good. d) Rainbow Noodle Skin (Fen Pi) - A segregated salad mixture of shredded eggs, cucumber, green and red bell peppers, pork slices, and cellophane noodle in a sweet brown sauce (possibly the same bean sauce on their jia jiang mein). It reminded me of Great China's (Berkeley) famed "Double Skin", but not quite as good. ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) e) Pork Meatball Soup - Served in a clay pot over a small flame, the ingredients include sour cabbage, Napa Cabbage, pork meatballs, and cilantro in a tastebud opening broth. If you don't like sour, you won't like this dish. ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) f) House Fried Rice - My brother chose this dish because he tired of the normally served white rice at most Chinese restaurants. It was okay with small pieces of beef and shrimp. g) Fish Flavored Eggplant - Cooked in a brown sauce spiced up with some red chili oil, the eggplant was both soft and chewy at the same time. h) Basil Chicken - Stir fried chicken meat with baby corn, red bell peppers, water chestnuts (canned), and basil, this dish was tasty and a nice contrast to the other dinner flavors. ( yelp.com/biz_photos/8sTq… ) As usual, we overordered for a party of four. However, since our family doesn't mind leftovers, the abundance of food is not an issue. They also offer a hot pot menu, which is nice during winter months. We arrived before 6 pm to beat the dinner rush as the restaurant is quite small (six or seven tables for four and two large tables for ten or more). They have a small adjoining parking lot that is gets full later in the evening (if you don't want to wait, come early). We must dine here more than I remember as we were seated next to our picture on their walls of fame (assorted pictures of dining guests). The delivery option also makes things convenient if you can't let go of the TV remote control at home.
(4)Yasuko R.
The food is very good. No complains and the service is good. Me and my family always come here.
(5)Marissa H.
Ordered shen jian bao (don't know the English name), cumin lamb, pea sprouts, pork belly, and meat pancake. Everything was very well seasoned and flavorful except for the shen jian bao. The ground pork might have been a bit too lean and there wasn't much filling. They weren't bad though, and everything else was delicious. We didn't have to wait when we got there around noon, but it started getting really busy within half of hour of being there with a line out the door. The staff was nice too. Would eat there again.
(4)Ivy V.
HUMAN!!!!! They serve human, here? 'No, that's Hunan', I told my friend. Friend: Man, I thought I was gonna be Hannibal Lector on this b*tch. I reply: So do you think Yao Ming eats human? He ate here too, you know! Friend: Yao Ming eats human?!? I put my hand over my face, and shake my head side to side in disappointment. IDIOT. Beijing Restaurant should be Shanghai Restaurant cause most of the food are from there. What makes this place, different from the rest is that it's serves Northern Chinese as well as Chinese America. The parking is free and easy. It's kinda small, but it's not that hard to find a place outside of that. They do delivery, but it's free only if you reach the $15 minimum for the meals. They do deliver during lunch, too!!!! It has one unisex bathrooms and the walls are decors with photos!!!! Looks something like a Chinese Memento. It's kinda odd and funny that they chose a Ransom Note Font as their greeting/logo!!! Reservations are accepted for 6 parties or more. Credit cards are accepted here! Now to the food: Appetizers, (3.95 to 6.95) you have to try the Pot Stickers for 4.95. It's the best. Soups: (large 6.95 to 7.95) (small: 4.95 to 5.95): get the Won Ton Soup as most resturant will serve you Hot and Sour. The Warm Pots (9.50 to 10.95) are soups as well, not solid dishes. The Beijing Specials: (6.95 to 12.95) are great!!! The main dish I would choice in my opinion would be the Cumin Lamb (beef) 9.95. It's kinda gamy, but it's great!!! Beijing Dim Sum (6.95 to 7.95) are another popular dish, the pancakes are great with rice. Flour Balls (7.95 to 8.25) are a Chinese Street Food that are great in the mouth. Fried Rice (5.95 to 6.95) Steam Rice is 1.00 here. Chow Mein (5.95 to 6.95) great dish with great food. The Chicken, Beef and Chicken meals (7.95 to 10.95) are the same as any other Chinese place. Mushu (7.25 to 8.95) are good, all of them cone with 4 pancakes. (note: Chinese pancakes are not the same as American Breakfast pancakes!!!! Lumberjacks beware.) For the Veggie Heads: Tou Fu and Beggie Meals (6.95 to 8.95). There is a great lunch special that only runs in the week days (5.50). You get served with Appetizer, Soup and Rice. The staff are very friendly and the vibe is great. There is a number of Asians that go here in a common basics. Overall: Great food, great place. If you don't believe me, trust Yao Ming or he'll dunked your *ss in the hoop!!!
(5)Mark M.
Love this place. Far off the beaten path and worth every single ounce of effort to get here. You want Chinese food outside of Chinatown, RUN to eat here!
(5)Mack C.
Food was good; however, the service sucked. It was not like they did not understand English, they were just flat out lazy! So don't expect good service here.
(2)Chris T.
Came here recently with some friends. Food was above average but the service was below average. We had Mongolian beef, salt and pepper prawns, hot and sour soup, and the combination fried rice. The food were all pretty good but slightly overpriced for what it was. I wouldn't have mind if the service was a little bit better. We sat there for like 5-10 minutes without menus staring blankly as each other and attempted some form of eye contact with the waiters. I might give this a second chance. The place is pretty small so huge parties wouldn't be a good idea.
(3)kent c.
Not your typical Chinese place here.. Authentic Beijing style cooking. No additives crap that makes it extra salty or extra oily. This place is the real deal. A noodle connoisseur like myself, I was in pure cloud 9 when I saw the doughy noodles they used in their beef noodle soup. It was excellent, could be smoking hot when they serve it but it was GOOD... The Chinese beef pancake was subpar. The noodle is the best I had in awhile. Fair in price of ($7 - $12) entree style plates. I will be back for more. Yao MING's been here, I know so because there are a number of pictures of him and the owner at posted on the walls.... so BEIJING creditability of this place goes up =)
(5)Rick F.
My Chinese friend suggested we go here for lunch today! Due to Chinese New Year specials. Am I glad he did! He was able to walk us through the menu and we trusted Charlie to order everything and surprise us. We were the only non-Asians in the place. So you know its going to be authentic. I couldn't tell what the names were of what we ate but I'll see if I can give you a rough run down. Cold Cut platter with a soy dipping sauce with Tripe, not a fan of Tripe but the cold cuts were great. Beijing Beef Pancake was excellent. Shredded Pork with Braised Sauce my favorite. Jiao Liu Meat Ball Beijing Style crispy exterior but soft interior, loved it. Hot and Sour Potato really surprised me, I would have never guessed it was a potato. Beef with Ground Bean Sheet excellent. What a find great place. Very small only a handful of tables. The owner and staff are great!
(5)Stephen H.
Because I live half the time in Beijing, China, I have become addicted to the amazing food there, which of course is nothing like "Chinese food" in the U.S. Fortunately, Beijing Restaurant comes close on some items, allowing me to get my fix while stateside. I have chatted with the owners a few times, a couple from Beijing, and they are really nice people. I guess me being a caucasian speaking some Mandarin with them and sharing stories about their hometown is something they find amusing. I usually order House Special Eggplant, which is Jin's take on a Sichuan dish called yú xiang qiézi. Not like China, but the best I have had here. They do a few other local Beijing comfort foods, like dumplings (jiaozi) and onion pancake. And they have the requisite American-style offerings, as well. I wish it were easier to get there on public transportation. There is a small parking lot next to the restaurant, which makes take-out a good bet, since the place is pretty small. But the smallness means you will get freshly made dishes and a homey atmosphere.
(4)Sir Paul L.
Aww this place just rocks the house! Out on Alemany too! Perfect!
(5)David C.
The food is really great, home made, very fresh. The service is charming-a little slow and inefficient, but in a way it adds to the charm. I really enjoyed the Beijing Noodles, but I admit they might not be for everyone.
(4)Cindy W.
With just the two of us, it was hard to get a variety. What we ordered was just ok. I would be willing to come back with a larger group in order to dry some other Beijing dumplings and meats. But here's the low down on what we tasted: #148 Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce ($7.50) - yum! Can't go wrong with tender eggplant in lots of sauce. #55 Beijing Beef Pancake ($7.95) - a bit oily, unlike other beef pancakes, this one uses ground beef, rather than slices as I was expecting. #88 Beijing Noodles with Special Sauce ($7.95) - this was disappointing. Presentation wise, it was good. The bowl of al dente noodles was separate from the bowl of sauce and steamed bean sprouts, and cucumbers. She mixed it for us, dumping all of it in. Honestly, I didn't like the bean sauce. At least not this version. I've had other Zha Jiang Mian and Beijing style is not to my fancy. This was more fermented bean taste and savory with no sweetness. I would not get this particular dish again, though I would try other noodles here. Small parking lot available. Efficient service.
(3)Mary Ann B.
Cash only after 9:30pm! The interior was nice and clean compared to what the outside looks like. On the walls you can see pictures posted of regulars, Yao Ming, and Martin Yan. Food was mediocre: fried crab puffs, green onion and beef, and beef stew noodles. The order came out like this: green onion and beef, then the beef stew noodles, a cup of rice, and last the deep fried crab puffs. Green onion and beef were tender, but it was pretty bland - it needed salt (and I am not a big salt person either but this dish needed it). Beef stew a little flavorful, beef was so tender too, noodles "freshly made", but did not stand out. D/f crab puffs contained plently of cream cheese but where's the crab? Maybe had 2-3 minced imitation crab pieces, but plenty of cream cheese - cream cheese galore! Oh well not a problem at least its less than $6. The service was not that great. Some of our plates and food were slammed on the table. Felt neglected because they pretty much just stood there and not once asked if we needed anything. The hubs asked for water politely and it felt like it was a hassle for them to do it. When another young couple came in they were pretty much entertained preferrably because they were Chinese and spoke Mandarin. Their server talked to them more, and ensured if everything was ok. And here we are in the corner neglected like a child on time out. The lady immediately had her glass refilled even though it was 2/3 full, and the owner seen this from his register. Note: my glass had been sitting empty for over 30 minutes. Mhmm wtf. Very disappointed because I have been waiting to try this place since I was a student of CCSF, been waiting over a year since I graduated. I would only come back to try other dishes, but will not try the ones that I ordered today. Hopefully the staff in the day time are much attentive and fair.
(3)Mary W.
-They have Onion Pancakes which don't get enough credit as appetizers -The Sliced Pork Warm Pot is tender and savory. -Yao Ming, duh.
(5)Cynthia C.
Never thought I'd be able to find good hand-pulled noodles in the city since most of the chinese food here is Cantonese cuisine. But of course I found this place on Yelp and went to try it after work with one of my buddies. It has its own parking lot so you don't have to worry about looking for parking. The staff here are very friendly and nice too. Portions are huge so make sure you come hungry or with people who can eat a lot. :) Between the two of us we had beef noodles with hand-pulled noodles. The noodles were soooo good. It's not too thick and it's just the right chewiness. We couldn't finish the whole bowl but it's so good! We also had the Beijing beef pancake. It's crispy on the outside with the moist beef on the inside. Yummy! We had cumin lamb too. It's spicy lamb with lots of red peppers. Probably not for someone who can't eat spicy. There were many things on the menu that I wanted to try but since there were only two of us... that was all we could order. We also had leftovers to take home. Will be back here to try all the other things I want to eat.
(5)Tiffany C.
Damn this place gets busy really fast. When I walked in this place was probably only a fourth full, then it was crazy packed within the next ten minutes. Ordered the beef noodle soup, lamb skewers, and cumin lamb. My favorite was the cumin lamb, which was seasoned with whole cumin which gave it a nice texture contrast. The lamb skewers were okay, but tasted a bit like it was marinated with too much corn starch. The noodle soup was above average, but I've had better. The noodles were hand pulled but lacked some chewiness (tasted a bit overcooked?!?). I liked the beef slices though. The soup was also light and not too oily.
(4)Wade W.
Food was ok... But the service was bad.. I came here because the reputation, Yao Ming came here before.. So, I expected it will be not bad.. But the result is pretty disappointed
(3)Richard H.
It was kind of a shock when we ordered delivery from Beijing Restaurant. I can safely say I haven't had this bad of food while in SF for 4 years... but it was bad. We ordered three things: Broccoli Beef - tasted like beef covered in highly concentrated garlic salt sauce. Sesame Chicken - bland... and by bland I mean no flavor at all. It was kind of scary how this seriously tasted like only chicken even though it was breaded and covered in flavorless sauce. Fried Rice - the only agreeable thing we ordered, and it's rice... Would not order again or recommend.
(1)Mel T.
Ya'll are gonna laugh when I tell you this - Y hit the nail on the head when he realized why the flavor of the cumin beef tasted so familiar - can we say Chili Cheese Fritos? Weird, right?? I kid you not. If you're willing to give the dish a try, please do so and let me know what you think. Maybe I just happened to go on an off night. Anyhow, this was my first visit to Beijing Restaurant (and, yes, among all the photos of patrons plastered along the restaurant's walls, I was able to quickly spot Mr. Yao Ming himself). Perhaps it's because I don't think I've ever really had Beijing cuisine before, but I was surprised to find myself underwhelmed about the place, especially after viewing all the other highly rated reviews. For the four of us, we ordered a special appetizer (didn't have a name), beef pancake, beef stew noodle, dumplings (half pork with string bean/half pork with carrot for a total of eight), and the cumin beef. Out of everything, I enjoyed the appetizer the best (wide noodles mixed with bits of pork, cilantro, and finely chopped cucumber, jalapenos, red chili peppers, and egg). The beef pancake had little flavor, I prefer Kingdom of Dumpling/King of Noodles' dumplings, I didn't care for the beef stew noodle (although the rest of my party really enjoyed it, especially the noodles), and the beef cumin was just really....odd (again, Chili Cheese Fritos). Service was friendly, but I doubt I'll be returning anytime soon. Although is it weird that I'm kinda craving Chili Cheese Fritos now?
(3)Renee T.
The service is atrocious. Usually that's not enough to turn me off of a restaurant, but is is sooooooo terrible and frustrating. We've pretty much stopped going.
(2)Sabrina K.
Feels like I'm in Beijing again! My boyfriend took me here and we been here twice within a week! Parking is not a problem. Parking lot available. Friendly servers and great suggestions Will defiantly spread the words to friends and family.
(5)Amiee H.
The food here was DELICIOUS! I couldn't get enough of it! Food: OMG SO YUMMY! I'm totally coming back here! *beef noodle stew: BEST NOODLES EVER!!! If you don't like beef or stew, still order this because the noodles are AMAZING!!! *cumin lamb: I'm not a big fan of lamb but this dish was AWESOME! It's a bit spicy so might not be for everyone. *onion pancake: a bit on the disappointing side, they didn't distribute the onions evenly so some pieces were only dough, but the pieces that had onion on it were decent. I think I'm going to order the meat pancake in the future though. *fried baozi: a bit too doughy but the meat inside was pretty good. Service: Good service. Very tentative to our needs and super friendly. Price: It's pretty cheap, I don't know why this place has TWO dollar signs. The bill only came to about thirty something dollars with tax and tip. Not too bad. Ambiance: Just a typical Chinese restaurant. They have a ton of pictures of that have dined at the restaurant on their wall. One of which is YaoMing! Overall: TOTALLY COMING BACK FOR MORE FOOD!!
(5)Kathleen P.
Who knew that this whole in the wall would be so good? Their prices are low and they offer a variety of choices. I would recommend the cucumber salad and the Beijing street pancake (which was very light). The service was ok but I would definitely come here again for a late night bite.
(3)Katherine C.
there are plenty of other things on the menu that i wanted to try, but my reason for coming here for the first time was because i was craving dumplings and onion pancake. we didnt end up getting onion pancake, but the beijing veggie pancake and two orders of dumplings - the lamb and the nappa cabbage and pork the beijing veggie pancake - they used way too much flour for the crust, did not even come out crispy, and the chives and egg mixture inside was really bland i usually prefer dumplings over wontons because i actually like thicker skin... but the skin of these dumplings were way too thick. the nappa cabbage and pork one was just okayyy but the lamb one was not good at all. i LOVE lamb and can eat it despite its gaminess.. however this lamb mixture was too gamey and was just really disgusting.. i would still like to try their beef noodle soup (on a mission to find a good bowl of beef noodle soup in SF) and the fried potato strings dish. but i am staying away from ever ordering dumplings from here
(2)Alice W.
Not easy to find a good northern Chinese food place as the landscape is dominated by Cantonese cuisine so I was glad to find this place on yelp. We ordered the beef pancakes, three flavors dumplings, sweet & sour meatballs, string beans and the cumin lamb. The pancakes were good, although a bit greasy. The flavor seemed pretty authentic too. The dumplings were above average and juicy, always a plus. Sweet & sour meatballs were a new item for me -- they were small and fried and smothered in a vinegar and sugar sauce (no ketchup, yay!). That was my least favorite item of the day, but still pretty tasty. The string beans were crispy and tender on the inside, very garlicky and good. Cumin lamb was packed with flavor and quite the punch. My boyfriend thought it was a bit dry, but the meat was very tender and I liked it. All in all, the place is definitely repeat visit worthy. The restaurant was a lot smaller than I expected and pretty packed. The wait staff is a bit disorganized at seating the guests, but it's worth the wait. Also endearing to hear a Beijing accent from the waiters and waitresses.
(4)steven w.
Food was acceptable, but the service was just outright bizarre. We went on a Sunday morning and our server reeked of alcohol and was extremely rude. When he came to take our order (30 minutes after sitting down), he mentioned he was drunk the night before. I also overheard him bragging to a small boy (no more than 8 years) that he drank an entire bottle of alcohol by himself. Sorry, but this is no way to treat your customers. Will NOT return again and recommend those of you with kids avoiding going there as well.
(1)Robert H.
Northern Chinese food is not a common occurrence in the bay area but these guys do it right. With that said let's talk about the food: Please don't come here if you want traditional "American" Chinese food. Go here for the glutinous meatballs, stir fried flour balls, hand made dumplings, and other tasty treats. They do have traditional American style grub but you can get that anywhere. The meatballs are high in starch, chewy, and very subtle in flavor. The balls get a quick fry then are "re-hydrated" in sauce (ie tossed in a wok w/sauce). The result is a savory, chewy meatball that is not like anything you will find at an Italian restaurant. I love them and think it is worth a shot for anyone with an adventurous palate. Stir fried flour balls are the Han version of gnocchi. They're smaller chewier and bathed in Chinese flavors. The dumplings are made fresh and available all day. I go in at 11pm and there are still dumplings to be had and they always taste delicious. I have tried them all and I love every single one of them. Very subtle fresh flavor. I have to reiterate that this food is subtle in flavor. It is not over the top like "American" style or Sichuan cuisine. There are many styles of food on the menu so there is something for everyone but if you want an authentic taste of Northern/Beijing cuisine stick to the house specialties. The cumin lamb is good: chewy, dry fried lamb with bell peppers stir fried together. The noodles with brown sauce are glutinous, savory, and mild. The cornstarch thickened broth has a viscous character to it but the mild, savory flavor paired with the chewy noodles really attracted my attention. The Beijing noodles have cold crunchy vegetables with black bean paste and hot noodles. The ingredients are tossed table side and give you and cold/warm, crunchy/chewy sensation when you're eating it. The garlicky pea shoots are always tasty and a good way to inject some vegetables into your meal. The liver and vegetables is good if you like a strong irony, metallic, liver flavor and crunchy savory bell pepper. Offal fans may like this dish. The pancakes are awesome and the scallion/green onion will appeal to authentic/American style fans alike. The cake is thick, flufy, doughy and packed with subtle oniony flavor. The vegetable pancake is so tasty and chewy it should not be missed. The stirred fried beef and tofu is also tasty. Never had anything from here I did not like. Please try the Chinese lager they have here it pairs well with the food and is pretty reasonable in price (for the large 24oz bottle). I love this restaurant. The food comes out as it is prepared so if you have a problem with that tell you server (ie mains before apps). The younger guys that work at night (when I go in) may not be polished servers but they are friendly and willing to help you understand what you are eating. Did I mention they cook until 1:30a and stay open till 2a! Love the food, beer, service and location, make Beijing your spot for Northern Chinese food too!
(4)Jana C.
Although the 40th/Irving location opened up about a month ago in Outer Sunset, we thought to come to the orig. which opened up 2 years back, in order to shop at Manila Oriental afterward. Awesome food---layering of flavors and spicy notes really very tasty. One order lamb sa guo (clear broth soup served in an open tureen, kept warm with flame below. with special pickled cabbage which rounds out the overall flavor with a smooth, slightly sour kick) One order cumin lamb--crispy sautee/wok flavor with tons of cumin and a spicy bite to it. Hong xiao niu rou mian---braised brisket in a darker broth....noodles (thick-cut) were sooo yummy Jing dong rou bing--pork-stuffed meat pie ensconced in a very skillfully crafted thin layer of dough and layered throughout (3, i think) and then pan-fried. Perfection!!! Total for meal $40. Bargain PS There is a parking lot to the place...if coming from 280, drive past it and then do a 180 in order to spot it. Place fills up quickly, although we arrived just before the throngs came for a warm, tasty lunch.
(4)michelle b.
I have wanted to try this place and I was sorely disappointed. I did have high hopes. The generals chicken was so over cooked that it was stringy and tough. The beef was extremely fatty and the chow mein had no flavor. Oh well....still in search of great Chinese.
(2)Cherylynn N.
Me: "Been to any good restaurants lately?" J: "Have you tried Beijing Restaurant on Alemany and Ocean?" Me: "Err, Chinese food in The Mission?" *scratches head* J: "But, Yao Ming eats there!" Me: "SOLD!" When I went to see my friend and hairdresser, he told me about this gem in The Mission. At first, I was iffy b/c who eats Chinese food in The Mission?!?! But, if it's good enough for Yao Ming, it's good enough for me! My friend and I came here for dinner on Sunday, August 29th at 5:15ish. As you can tell, I'm a bit behind on my reviews. :X Beijing is quite small with several tables to accommodate a party of four, and then a large rectangular table in the back to accommodate 16. Since we came early enough, we were promptly seated. FOOD: BR serves up Northern Chinese Cuisine meaning you will find dishes with Szechuan and Shanghai influences that many other Chinese restaurants in the city won't have. If you're on a diet, make sure to ask how the dishes are cooked b/c some of the dishes are fried when I thought it would be braised or steamed. *Sizzling Seafood Rice Soup ($5.95): YUM! The soup was very comforting; the broth was rich and flavorful as opposed to being salty. The scallops, calamari, and shrimp were fresh, sweet, and tender. The sizzling rice is like rice crispies that are placed on the soup upon serving which give it a nice texture contrast. *Cumin Lamb ($9.95): VERY GOOD! The lamb was stir fried to a perfect tenderness and wasn't too gamey. The cumin flavor was very prominent which was slightly bitter and nutty, while the peppercorns added a strong kick. *Ground Bean Sheet w/ Pork ($7.95):YUM! This is basically a rendition of chow fun (wet). The bean sheets are like clear chow fun noodles which were tender w/ a bite. The pork was tender and flavorful and the bean sprouts added a nice fresh crisp to the dish. *House Special Steamed Meatball ($9.95): GOOD! These meatballs are basically lion head meatballs which is a hearty comfort food for me. The fist-sized meatballs were soft, tender, full of flavor; salty, savory, and sweet from the white/black pepper, soy, ginger, and scallions. *Egg Surface Tofu ($8.95): OK. I thought the tofu would be steamed or braised since it would be topped w/ an egg white sauce. However, it was fried. Aside from the misunderstanding, the tofu was soft, tender and the runny egg white sauce added creaminess to the tofu. SERVICE: Efficient and prompt, however, there was a slight language barrier. My friend can't eat fish and the Sizzling Rice Soup came w/ fish, so it took some explaining and hand gestures to the waiters. Overall Beijing is the real deal when it comes to Northern Chinese Cuisine. All the dishes are authentically cooked and as opposed to using salt or MSG, they utilize spices to produce flavorful dishes that will tingle your taste buds!
(4)Brian W.
Food is pretty decent Beijing-style. Actually it's very good, I'm just not a huge fan of the Beijing-style xiaolongbao, and the dan dan noodle (was that it?)'s sauce was waaay too salty. They actually manage to have parking, they can handle a decent sized group, and even if the kitchen is a smidgen slow (maybe I was just impatient?) the price is right for what amounts to a fairly authentic Chinese dive. I suspect it's a 4-star place, but for the reasons above, it just didn't work for me. They've got a generous menu, I clearly need to explore more of it before passing a more comprehensive judgement.
(3)John L.
Found this restaurant on Yelp and decided to check it out since I've been looking for some good hand-pulled noodles. The dining area was bright, neat and clean. The chairs and tables are dark wood and the restaurant has a cozy feeling to it as there were tons of pictures of the owners with customers throughout the walls. One particular customer that stood out was Yao Ming, definitely a good sign if he eats here. ;) The service was friendly and staff extremely nice. I ordered the Yelp recommendations but also asked the waitress/co-owner for recommendations. She said a soup or warm clay pot would complement our selections. She recommended the Sliced Fish with preserved vegetables warm pot. It was an excellent recommendation as it turned out to be my favorite dish here. To the food: * Sliced Fish with Preserved Vegetables Warm Pot: This was the best dish, tasty and contained generous slices of rock cod, homemade preserved vegetables, clear noodles, and topped with fresh cilantro. Nicely served on a stand with small sterno-type chafing fuel to keep the pot warm. ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) * Cumin Lamb: This dish was very tasty, generous amount of cumin seeds and lamb which were stir fried with green peppers and onions. Very flavorful and surprisingly minimal amount of oil. ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) * Beijing Beef Pancake: Was so huge it barely fit on the plate, filling tasted similar to the meat in dumplings. ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) * Beijing Noodles with special sauce: The noodles were chewy and slighlty gummy. The sauce was salty, dark brown, and contained real pieces of pork. Served with diced celery, bean sprouts, and julienned cucumber. ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) * Mongolian Beef: This was good as well but was overshadowed by the other dishes. ( static.px.yelp.com/bphot… ) While we were eating one of the patrons asked the waiter/co-owner what ingredients were in a dish. He said about 14 different ingredients but he didn't know what they were. So he than called out the other waitress/co-owner and she patiently listed out all the ingredients by heart. This is the reason I gave this restaurant 5 stars, besides the great food, the owners are very nice and patiently answer all questions. Other Chinese restaurants you usually get a quick "I don't know" or dirty look like you are trying to steal their ancient Chinese recipe. Also, they have their own parking lot with 6-8 spaces and did I mention Yao Ming eats here?
(5)