Today’s edition of your weekly guide to food in the Bay Area hones in on the Chinese New Year tradition of eating dumplings to symbolize great wealth to come, with a heartfelt guide to the best dumplings at eight lucky San Francisco spots. Here’s not only where to go, but what to order.
Best potstickers: One of the early favorite foods of my life, it’s hard to pick a favorite potsticker in a city full of good ones. But I think the version at Old Mandarin Islamic (3132 Vicente) in Parkside is essentially perfect, with a thick yet supple wrapper and clean-tasting Halal beef. The restaurant has been open since 1997, and is one of my mainstays across the board.
Best boiled dumplings: Yuanbao Jiaozi (2110 Irving) makes boiled dumplings to order, and you can have them on a plate or in a bowl of soup. The most unusual for San Francisco are filled with minced mushrooms and sole, and are subtle wonders.
Best xiao long bao: I like to get my soup dumplings underground at King of Noodles (1639 Irving), a small spot that sits below street level. They’ve made one of the best versions for me for more than 20 years. I’ve seen too many emaciated XLB around town lately, so I stick with the King.
Best sheng jian bao: Dumpling Home (298 Gough Street) in Hayes Valley has prices that don’t inspire super-frequent visits. But if you’re going to try one item here, you should absolutely treat yourself to an order of sheng jian bao, which is a pan fried, juicy ‘n squishy pork dumpling/bun mashup with a golden crisp booty that isn’t always easy to find around these parts. Dumpling Home could serve only these and be a hit.
Best lucky dumpling soup: Dragon Beaux (5700 Geary) has many standout dumplings to consider, including a perennial personal favorite, the crab and scallop-packed spicy seafood dumplings. But if you want to get lucky, make sure to reserve $8.88 for a cup of dried seafood dumpling soup to go with your other selections.
Best har gow: Palette Tea House (900 North Point St.) is Dragon Beaux’s sister restaurant in Ghirardelli Square and both sit at the high end of dim sum in the city along with Dumpling Home, but I find them to be worth the money for a special occasion such as getting out of the house. You can get competent shrimp har gow anywhere, but I enjoy being a fancy bitch and piping “lobster essence” into the lobster version here.
Best siu mai: Dumpling Time’s multiple locations are in direct competition with Dumpling Home, Palette and Dragon Beaux for high-end, Instagrammable dim sum, and they also have a luxury version of a common dumpling, siu mai. Instead of pork and shrimp, this one has lobster, butter and truffle oil. I’m not saying this is an everyday bite, but it’s one worth putting on the bucket list.
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Best fried wonton: If you’ve got a few bucks in cash, head over to TC Pastry (2222 Irving Street) in the Sunset District, where freshly made dumplings and buns start at just over 50 cents apiece. There’s so much to love about the menu at this quintessentially old-school takeout spot (which does have a few tables), where it’s hard to go wrong, but there’s something extra special about getting a bag of the fried hot spicy wonton that keeps me coming back.
Keep the eating party going at Tamara’s site California Eating.
