San Francisco Chinatown
add photosSan Francisco Chinatown is the largest Chinatown outside of Asia as well as the oldest Chinatown in North America. It is one of the top tourist attractions in San Francisco. Kids will love the vibrant culture and unique shops.
24 Reviews for San Francisco Chinatown
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1 family found this helpful
"must see while in San Fran"
My boys and I always make a trip to Chinatown while we are in the city visiting my sister. My favorite place in China town is a little teashop where they do tea tastings everyday. The people behind the bar are passionate about tea and make it fun and informative. The kids also love taking pictures with all the statutes on the side of the road and looking at all the fun toys and fruite sitting out in the streets to sell.
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"interesting to see"
San Francisco's Chinatown is a fun place to go. They have some cool shops and unique restaurants. However, I would not recommend it for small children, especially if you are traveling with a stroller. It is very crowded and most shops are small and hard to navigate. Plus, a lot of the shops have the same things. Definitely stop and visit a least few shops though, you are bound to walk a way with something!
0 families found this helpful
"bargain planet"
one word : cheap. just don't be embarrassed to bargain. throw your shame out the window. lotsa unique stuff here. and authentic. First the food. go to sam wo in 813 Washington St (between Grant Ave & Waverly Pl). lemme tell you won't be dissapointed. my suggestion, get over the part where the entrance is the kitchen and it looks greasy and yucky. this is the epitome of chinese food. you don't care what it looks like unless you're a noble. the noodle, is superb. my second suggestion, get over the old lady who seems like she mad all the time. that's how they speak, they're very, how do i say this, passionate. if you can't speak any chinese dialect don't ask too much. cause she seems frustrated (again the dialect) makes you and your family frustrated. just relax, get noodle, try the spicy sauce on the table, ask for soup, and cha (tea). the flavor blend better than water unless you find yourself in the middle of summer. other than that if you want a more luxurious place try R & G Lounge 631 Kearny St or hong kong clay pot 960 Grant Ave. If you want to walk more to the other end of chinatown you got yourself an anime heaven. don't forget to check small stores along the way. there's some cutesy stuff for your teen girl. don't forget also to take a pic on the gate, with qilin. enjoy!!
0 families found this helpful
"A great day trip"
This is a great place to emerge children into Asian culture. There are multiple shops and venues with things most children have not seen before from China and Japan. I would highly recommend taking your kids to a Dim Sum restaurant for lunch. The multiple carts that fly by your table encourage kids to try new and different things. Plus you might be able to score a neat set of chopsticks.
0 families found this helpful
"Chinatown"
Chinatown was extremely crowded but made for a fun evening. The shopping was interesting but after a few shops it became more of the same. Definitely stop by the fortune cookie factory and sample a fortune cookie fresh out of the oven - yum! There are plenty of restaurants to choose from and for the most part they look pretty good!
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"Chinatown"
What can i say, hard to find parking. Thought there would be good food, not so much.We went into Mcdonalds to use the bathroom and found something swimming in the toliet. It was very dirty and expensive. Will never go again. Planed on getting lots of shopping done, but bought nothing.
0 families found this helpful
"Chinatown"
Chinatown has some great places to eat and the shopping is so much fun but I wouldn't reccomend taking your little kids. It is very busy and kids could get lost very easily. Other than that if your looking for something fun to do in San Franciso this is the place to go.
0 families found this helpful
"Crowded"
My kids got nothing out of venturing through Chinatown. They saw some toys that of course they wanted but they kept complaining about being hot, and I was constantly worried that they were going to get lost in the crowds. I could see adults definitely enjoying it but not my children. there was just way too many people, not a lot of places for my children to relax of just run around, overall just bad experience. Older children might enjoy this place for the food but my children didn't take to the food either. I would try going back in a few years but for preschool aged children (three and five) this wasn't that much fun at all.
1 family found this helpful
"San Franciso Chinatown"
We walked the streets, let the kids shop, ate at a chinese restuarant, stopped at a fortune cookies factory that was in an alley (found this in the book Hidden San Francisco) stopped at a temple, played in a neigborhood park (this also noted in the book). We did a lot of different activities that kept the kids interested. Get off the main road - walk over a block one way or another and get away from the crowded main road.
0 families found this helpful
"So fun"
Both me and my 12 year old daughter love this place !!!! She goes absolutely crazy when we go to the san francisco china town. i would recommend this to everyone, but maybe not those with little babies, they might not last the whole time
0 families found this helpful
"San Fran's Chinatown"
San Fran's Chinatown is a cool example of culture. When I went, it was part of a tour, so we had someone guiding us around and didn't have to worry about parking or where to/not to go. Chinatown seems to be authentic to what you would see in China, foods, culture, etc. There's a lot to take in, it's very busy, so plan on keeping kids close by and attached :) .
0 families found this helpful
"Not for young children"
I do not recommend China Town for young children lots of shops and places to eat lot and lots of walking. While your there you might be able to ride the Trolley. Unique gifts in the gift shops for cheap. Tea and more Tea any kind you can think of. But as before this is not for young children.
0 families found this helpful
"Good for adults"
While this is a fun cultural experience for adults, I don't think it is good for small children. It is usually very crowded, with mostly shops and sidewalk markets. Lots of walking for the little guys, but not much else. If you want to take the kids somewhere in San Francisco, I would not recommend China Town.
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"not recomended for small children"
my husband and i love chinatown. our 1year old not so much. very crowded but also so full of life. when we take our trips here we usually bring our teenage nephews and nieces or come with friends. fun to eat and shop or to just enjoy the great enviornment
0 families found this helpful
"San Francisco Chinatown"
I love San Francisco Chinatown. We have been to many different chinatowns and I think San Francisco Chinatown is the best one. It has so many different restaurant and shops. It is very crowded though especially on the weekend. You can always get a good bite to eat and everything is cheap. The parking has gotten a little better but there is traffic at all times. You might consider taking the buses but they are also very crowded. You have to experience this with or without the kids. We try going there with the stroller sometimes when it's not as crowded. Most of the time I hold her in my rms because it is easier to gedt around the crowds. Most restaurants don't have a changing table. Sometimes we change our daughter in the car after parking in chinatown so we don't have to find a bathroom to change her.
1 family found this helpful
"San Francisco Chinatown"
I took my wife of 10 years there on a day date. The weather was perfect and was not very crowded being it was a Sunday. We parked at the parking garage on Sutter near Grant. There was a very short walk to the main China Town entrance. From there we used a self guided walking tour which I found on About.com, it was easy to follow and the attractions were worth visiting. Definitely would recommend doing it both as a date and with children.
0 families found this helpful
"Crowded"
I like to take my children to the Fortune Cookie Factory (Ross Alley), grab a bag of fortune cookie and enjoy eating it while discovering the area.
We like to visit the stores/market on Stockton, it is pretty crowded so I would not advise it with strollers.
0 families found this helpful
"Great shops, food, entertainment"
You can find some great deals in China Town as well as good food and entertainment. We have a blast shopping in all of the outdoor markets, and seeing the different architectur Last time we were there they even had a ice skating rink set up outside. Great taste of what other parts of the world are like. :)
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"Fun with the Family"
Stand at the ornate Chinese Gate at Bush and Grant, and look down Grant at the blizzard of neon signs, pagoda roofs, and dragon-bedecked lampposts, all in the colors of China—blood red, gold, and bright green. Flying from the rooftops of the more elaborate buildings are banners and flags heralding the family and benevolent associations that unite Chinese people with a common heritage. At one of these, the Chinese Six Companies building at 843 Stockton, the steps between the green dogs are a good place for a family photo. Chinatown comprises about twenty-four square blocks, including most of Grant Avenue and the streets and alleys off Grant.
No visit to San Francisco is complete without a few hours in Chinatown, one of the oldest and most vibrant Asian neighborhoods in the United States. This is the place to give the kids a few dollars and let them cruise around the many gift emporiums, which are loaded with inexpensive trinkets and toys. The larger souvenir stores and Asian antiques emporiums are on Grant, while the small shops are found in the forty-one narrow alleys crisscrossing the main street. As you prowl the alleys, watch out for laundry dripping from balconies overhead.
On Washington Street look through the open doorways of the fragrant shops and watch herbalists concoct potions and medicines by scooping fungi, roots, spices, and herbs into paper packets.
A meal in a Chinatown restaurant is a must, from an elegant dining room to a hole-in-the-wall noodle shop or a dim sum emporium. Most of us are familiar with Cantonese-style food—chow mein, sweet-and-sour dishes, fried rice—and you can get that all over Chinatown, but it’s fun to try “hot pots” and noodle dishes from northern China or hot-and-spicy Szechwan style cuisine. In dim sum teahouses, steamed dumplings and stuffed buns and turnovers are rolled by on carts.
Reflecting the large Asian and Pacific Islander population, a “New Chinatown” has emerged in the Richmond district along Clement Street from Arguello Boulevard to 25th Avenue. Here you can shop for the same roasted ducks, ginseng, mangoes, and star fruit as in Chinatown, and browse for old records, flowers, and books. The many family-owned restaurants are multicultural, from Chinese and Japanese to Thai, Persian, French, and Burmese cuisine. You may hear some of twenty-five different languages while hanging out with teens at Java Source Coffee Shop or stopping in at Green Apple Books and Vinh Khang Herbs and Ginsengs. Sweet Delite sells popular coconut- and taro-flavored tea shakes with tapioca balls at the bottom, which customers slurp up with a fat straw.
1 family found this helpful
"Take A Picture By The Gate!"
Everyone who comes through San Francisco needs to get their picture taken by the green gate to the entrance of China Town. Entering China Town is like entering a whole other world. The food in China Town is amazing and I am pretty sure you cannot eat any where that is bad. People don't often visit their tea stops. Just about the only shopping you can find in this area is touristy stuff but if you like fresh fruits and veggies, you can find some good markets.
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