Why
- 01
Grant Ave is the souvenir gauntlet; duck into Ross Alley and Waverly Place and it turns into a living, working neighborhood with food worth the trip.
Our read - 02
Established more than 150 years ago, it's the oldest Chinatown on the continent and a continuously living cultural enclave, not a re-creation.
theinfatuation.com - 03
Hang Ah is America's first-ever dim sum spot and Sam Wo is a century-old institution where the pork rice rolls are 'a rite of passage in this city.'
theinfatuation.com - 04
Streets are lined with dim sum spots, Chinese bakeries and milk-tea cafés serving xiao long bao, hand-pulled noodles and fresh pastries.
theinfatuation.com
Is it a fit?
Go if
You are watching the budget
Chinatown earns the spend, even on a tight budget.
You only have one day
Short trip or not, keep Chinatown.
You are traveling with kids
With kids, Chinatown is an easy yes.
You are traveling as a couple
As a couple, Chinatown is an easy yes.
Think twice if
You want context, not just the photograph
Chinatown offers some depth & learning, but not enough to make it the reason to go.
Plan it well
- Cost
- Free to wander
- Timing
- Late morning for dim sum; weekday for a less tourist-heavy Grant Avenue
- Booking
- Free to wander; dim sum bakeries are walk-in and cash-friendly
- Allow
- 2 hrs
- Getting there
- Walkable from Union Square through the Dragon Gate; the Powell-Mason cable car skirts the edge
Sources and method (4)
- San Francisco's Chinatown, centered on Grant Avenue, is the oldest in North America and one of the largest Chinese enclaves outside Asia; Ross Alley holds the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory en.wikipedia.org ↗
- theinfatuation.com ↗
- inside-guide-to-san-francisco-tourism.com ↗
- thefanggirl.com ↗