Chinatown [1] is a district of San Francisco. More than just a tourist destination, it is a living, breathing Chinese community that can offer intriguing cultural experiences even to the most jaded old China hand.

Get in

Catch the BART train to Powell Street Station and then transfer to the 30 or 45 Muni bus or Chinatown cable car. The two cable car lines, California and Powell, cross in Chinatown.

Chinatown is also an easy walk from Union Square and North Beach.

See

Museums

The Pacific Heritage Museum (608 Commercial St.) offers interesting Chinese art exhibits. Admission is free.

The Chinese Culture Center (750 Kearny St., 3rd floor) is accessible from Portsmouth Square: just walk across the footbridge that crosses Kearny St. to the Hilton Hotel (formerly the Holiday Inn). They have a small gallery with changing Chinese art exhibitions. Admission is free.

The Chinese Historical Society of America Museum & Learning Center (965 Clay St.) is well worth a visit, with exhibits on the history and experience of Chinese immigrants to San Francisco over the past 150 years. Admission: $3.

The Cable Car Museum (1201 Mason St.) is on the periphery of Chinatown. Here you can see the mechanisms that drive San Francisco's famed cable cars. Admission is free.

Temples & Churches

Tin How Temple (天后古廟; 125 Waverly Place, 4th floor) is San Francisco's oldest Chinese temple. It is dedicated to Matsu, Goddess of the Sea. Open 10am to 4pm daily.

Matsu Temple (30 Beckett St.) is also dedicated to Matsu, but has only been around since 1986.

Old St. Marys Church is a Chinatown landmark. A beautiful brick building, it is the oldest Catholic church in San Francisco.

Parks

Portsmouth Square is a the largest area of open space in Chinatown. Here you can see local residents playing cards or Chinese chess. The square contains several memorials, including a bronze replica of the Goddess of Democracy statue and a marker commemorating Robert Louis Stevenson.

St. Mary's Square is on the south side of California Street, opposite Old St. Mary's Church. This park boasts an Art Deco statue of Sun Yat-Sen, created by sculptor Benny Bufano in the 1930s.

Do

Start at the entrance to Chinatown at Grant & Bush, where you will find the Chinatown Gate. Walk north. The first two blocks consist mainly of souvenir shops, but as you proceed northward, passing Old St. Mary's Church, the concentration of souvenir shops gradually diminishes. There are all the usual urban services, banks, bakeries, hairdressers, etc., but with a Chinese flair. This is a very real and working Chinese neighborhood, no Disneyland. It really does feel like you're in Hong Kong. On weekends, Chinese families that have moved up to the suburbs return for shopping on Stockton Street, one block up from Grant.

Though Grant Ave. has a lot to offer, it is quite touristy; you will find more authenticity on Stockton St. Explore the alleys, such as Waverly Place, Pagoda Place, Spofford Lane and Ross Alley, between Grant and Stockton. You will hear Cantonese conversations and the clicking sound of mahjong tiles being shuffled.

Buy

Fresh fruit from the stores and stalls on Stockton. Tangerines are important during Chinese New Years.

Eat

• Sam Wo (三和粥粉麵), 813 Washington St. (corner of Washington & Grant). Well-known among Bay Area residents, this is a place that people either love or hate - food is cheap, service is terrible, and the conditions are squalid, but for some there is no better restaurant in all of Chinatown. The barbecue pork rolls are a favorite, and the wonton soup is terrific.

• Dol Ho (多好茶室), 808 Pacific Ave (up from Stockton St). For excellent dim sum at a price that's a bargain compared to the touristy joints on Grant, this is a great place to eat. Most, if not all, of the clientele are Chinese, and this is a good thing. (Closed on Wednesdays.)

• Y Ben (會賓樓), 835 Pacific Ave (up from Stockton St). If Dol Ho is too much of a hole in the wall for your tastes, try Y Ben diagonally opposite just up the street for dim sum of similar excellent quality and low prices.

• Bow Hon (寶漢), 850 Grant Avenue. This restaurant serves traditional clay pot dishes.

Drink

• Li Po's, 916 Grant Ave. at Washington. This dive bar is great to pop into while in Chinatown. Although it has nothing on tap, bottled beer is available. Check out the seedy booths in the back lit by a single red bulb. Or catch a live act in the dimly-lit basement on the weekends.
• The Bow Bow, near the intersection of Kearney and Columbus. Little hole in the wall dive bar, run by the irrepressible hostess/owner, Candy Mama. A 50-something woman originally from Taiwan. She's a spitfire and a complete rock star. She'll end up doing shots with you, sneaking shots into your drinks, force-feeding you endless peanuts and making adorable, incessant conversation. The crowd's an eclectic mix, which makes for great people-watching. Especially when the karaoke is broken out.
• Buddha Bar, 901 Grant Ave. at Washington. Another favorite dive bar in Chinatown, this is a cramped yet lively place that's great for people watching.
• Red's Place, 672 Jackson St. at Beckett St., is the oldest operating bar in Chinatown. It's a quiet place, ideal for conversations.
• Uncles, At the corner of Clay and Waverly. Is authentic, and incredibly cheap. There are large portions, and the staff will warn you if you order too much food or an item that is too large for your party.

Sleep

Contact