Really Really Really Good Food
Written: Aug 29 '00 (Updated Feb 09 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: AWESOME food, Really Cheap
Cons: Can be crowded, Hole-in-the-Wall Feel
The Bottom Line: Definitely go - even for take out. No high chairs are available, so kids can be problematic. Best fast service is at lunch - weekday or weekend.
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| suzanimal's Full Review: House of Nanking |
2/8/03 - I thought I would update this review as the restaurant is still going strong and still offering great food. However the prices have risen slightly (in typical House of Nanking fashion, the old prices were simply crossed out and the new prices were written in over them - most entrees are about $1 more).
House of Nanking is no longer a secret. It never was, as far as I know, it just acts like it is.
The food is the most notable thing about this establishment. It recently took over the ailing restaurant next door to expand it's dining room, which before the take-over held about 20 people comfortably, and about 35 regularly.
The food on the menu is great (especially the chow mein)but the best food is often suggested by the waiter. Tell him you want something with chicken and he brings some amazingly spicy and tasty dish to your table. The garlic eggplant is indescribable. I would also recommend the crispy sesame beef.
This is a place where you have to be pleasantly aggressive, but let things go. They won't refill your water, and you feel like you're in a cafeteria--but what a cafeteria. The service is indifferent, but the food more than makes up for it.
I hear there is often a line, and I've seen one once or twice, but then it's time to order take out. I wouldn't go here for dinner--it's much better as a take out on your way home. If you haven't tried this place at least once, you simply have to. Even my friends who claim not to like Chinese food LOVE this place. Very few items are deep fried or drowned in gooey, sticky, less than delicious sauce. The general flavor is spicy with an amazing flavor. The flavor is not hidden by the spices, it is enhanced by it.
2/8/03 - I recently waited in their line on a Sunday night. There were approximately 1o people in front of us, but we still got in in about 10 minutes. I should have taken my own advice below and gotten take out and I would have been spared tipping the same waitrons who constantly bumped into my chair as they were passing by with big plates of steaming, delicious food. Yes, the food is still worth it.
This is another of my "must haves" when I am in San Francisco. There is no other place like it anywhere I have been. Some guide books that I've read say this is arguably the best chinese food in the US. I think you could argue that legitimately.
Oh yeah, and did I mention that it is very inexpensive? Most entrees now range in the $6-$8 range. A small increase so it's not as great of a deal as it once was, but still a deal. Don't dress up--AT ALL. Just bring your tastebuds and be prepared to give them a HUGE treat.
The ambiance is hole-in-the-wall cafeteria - except for the multiple awards that Peter Fang, the owner has won in the last couple of years. "Best of the Bay" "Best Chinese Food in SF" etc. It doesn't seem horrendously dirty, but it's not sparkly clean, either. It's a low cost place to get some great food. It's worth it.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
suzanimal
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Location: San Francisco, CA
Reviews written: 44
Trusted by: 21 members
About Me:
Me: Female, traveler, fun-seeker, cheap eater. You: like to read about stuff I write.
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