Great Eastern Restaurant Reviews

We lucked upon this place after asking a young man from Hong Kong where was best to eat, it didn't seem to be listed anywhere, perhaps it should be. The food, service, atmosphere and even the other patrons in the restaurant were beyond my expectations. You know you are in for a treat and authenticity when a large proportion of the clientele are Chinese (well in my experience). It seems when ex president ,Mr Obama, visits town even he comes here,. 'Nuff said.

Below average dim sum and overpriced. Though steamed BBQ buns were good. And tea was tasty, but lots of crushed tea leaves in it, not sure if that is normal. Staff very unfriendly! We paid cash and they were very adamant that tip was not included in price. We had left a tip on the table.

Our family had dinner here the night before our daughter's wedding, and there were 16 of us. The manager and waiters were very attentive and helpful and the food was excellent. It was a wonderful evening and I highly recommend Great Eastern!

This has been my “go to” place for lunch in Chinatown when people visit and when my friend and I go here. Today we waited quite a long time for our food, and it was barely warm. Seems the prices are up and the food isn’t what it used to be. When we finished, we asked for the check. We waited 10 minutes and asked again. Ten minutes later we got up to pay upstairs and the waiter insisted we needed to pay at the table. My guests were getting very impatient by this time. The bill seemed to be more than expected. Did they charge for water and tea, although two people didn’t drink either? The bill was about $10 more than I expected. I guess I’ll try to find a new place. We seemed to be ignored after our last dish was delivered, and getting a waiter became very difficult. With the prices having crept up over the past few years, and much poorer service, I can’t recommend it anymore.

Classic and original dim sum place, plus great lunch and dinner menu. The real thing. Ergo, expect queues in busy hours. In the heart of San Fransisco Chinatown. Must go.

We were recommended by our hotel and we have to say the staff were rude, the food poor and the ambience cold and almost empty - don't go!

Met extended family here for dim sum extravaganza! None of us are Chinese. Obama's photos of his visit here were plastered all over. The service was very good and fast. The food was excellent. Shrimp dumplings are the best ever! Sio pao also excellent. Lots and lots of selections. OMG Very very crowded and noisy, just like Chinatown always is. No problem....

We came in because of the photo of Obama- he is intelligent and he ate here-right? WRONG!! The vegetables were cooked properly- but lacked flavor. I was not able to get the fried noodles down. Efficient service but I will not be back- better food close by!

We have visited this busy place for the last 25 years whenever we visited SF . Located in the heart of Chinatown , you need to go at 5 pm for dinner to avoid a wait line The decor is not fancy (typical of this kind Chinese place ). , tight and noisy . The service is ok , you need to make yourself known that you need attention. . Tanks filled with seafood . The food is Cantonese style , typical family cooking to fresh seafood. . This time we had excellent steam fish. , roast duck ,pea leaves and ribs , all yummy and price is right . The only other place matching this is R and G lounge . Obama did take out here , not a bad idea for him , will be a security nightmare

Excellent chinese food- Obama ate here. Delicious peking duck with crispy skin and fresh buns. Large selection of dishes- large portions- wait staff so friendly and accommodating. I hosted a banquet for 60 people in their downstairs room and was thrilled with everything

What more can I saw about this restaurant, the food was simply awful and probably the worst Chinese I’ve ever had. If you want awful go here otherwise go elsewhere.

The hotel concierge is never a place to get a recommendation for a meal especially when there are so many great choices. We could have done way better than Great Eastern. Service seemed annoyed by us. As with many authentic restaurants the menus are HUGE and it takes some time to come up with a game plan . They kept coming back over and over "Are you ready? Are you ready?" We just caved and ended up with a disjointed meal. Dumplings were flavorless and other dishes were just so so. I can't even remember what we got it was so lackluster. Mostly American diners in there too which is an indication. For great Chinese, follow the Chinese people. You can skip this one.

Tried to get into City View for Dim Sum in SF but it was very busy with big line up so walked a couple of blocks to the Great Eastern Restaurant which did not disappoint. Not as nice looking as City View but the food was very good and lots of asian’s eating there so that is always a good sign. Service very good and fast!

If you appreciate authentic Chinese food Thai is the place. Clean, friendly service and outstanding. Must try the Chinese broccoli and roasted duck. It's always busy for a reason, it's great.

Visited this place with family and while the food was okay, the service was terrible. Like another reviewer mentioned the staff was disinterested in their guests, service was poor and added tip without giving the diner an option. Bad formula for success. Avoid the fried crab!! Overpriced and not tasty. Probably better to find another option. Just because Obama visited doesn’t mean the food and experience will be great.

From the Chinese waiter to the menu of varied dishes not found at many American Chinese restaurants this place captures authenticity. The food was great and portions ample. Must be the reason Obama chose this place to dine!

HORRIBLE SERVICE! Dined here September 2, 2018 around 9:00 pm. As a party of 2 we were seated at a table for 8. Server brings a pot of tea to our table and seems a bit agitated. We ask for water and it takes almost 15 minutes to get it. We finally place our food order. Server brings food to our table. Food was pretty good. We were actually planning to order more items and begin to look around the room for our server and noticed he was putting on his jacket as if he was leaving for the night. We figured if he was leaving for the night that he would tell one of the other servers about our table. Didn't happen! We continued to eat waiting for someone to check on us or refill our waters. No one ever stopped by our table. We sit there probably 30 minutes or more after we finished our meals; when I finally decided to walk up to the cash register to ask for our check. A few moments later a different server delivers a check to our table, with the tip already included! I really didn't think a tip was warranted but didn't want to make a fuss. Just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. We only went here because the restaurant we wanted to go to closed early. There was barely any people in here. Now I see why! We should have skipped this place! You can find better quality food and service somewhere else.

If you want to have dim sums for lunch you should consider the Great Eastern restaurant A wide choice is offered they are served quickly and very warm. Very tasty and quite affordable I’ve been there many times and I will certainly come again

Can't comment about the food, since I couldn't get past the terrible service. We waited 20 min at our table after having been seated and no one even came to ask for our drinks. After that we just stood up and left to find food somewhere else. Overall a pretty bad experience.

Excellent honey walnut shrimp, vegetable chow mein and barbequed spare ribs. Busy restaurant, but we were sat right away. We enjoyed our dinner but they were out of fortune cookies.

Great restaurant for Dim Sum. Even though they do not have the traditional roving carts, the food is still authentic and delicious. The regular dinner menu is just as delicious. Try any Seafood Dish with Chinese Vegetables. Start with Hot and Sour or Egg Drop soup, though the best is the Crab Meat and Fish Maw in Corn soup. The Shrimp Fried Rice is also delicious (ask for it extra brown, or fried a little longer).

Queue was long but food was great. I’m fine to tip if the service is good. But staff don’t even serve, have to bring menu and find the table by ourself. When paying, staff have already include the tip in final bill. Next time will not visit those restaurants that been patronized by famous delegate.

We had a wonderful dinner at the Great Eastern Restaurant. The food was excellent, with very attentive service.

Everything was wonderful but the Cilantro Shrimp Dumplings stood out! Definitely recommend this spot!

What a tourist trap. We ordered duck - it was all fat and bones, and served lukewarm. Hot and sour soup was gloppy and made with frozen peas. Singapore rice noodles were made with tiny canned shrimp, flavorless and inedible. Spicy Szechuan chicken was better, but terribly salty. And to top off the meal we all felt the temple pressure of an MSG headache. Beyond disappointing- this was simply awful.

Not the most beautiful room in Chinatown, not the best known either, but who cares: it's delicious, very hearty, at a very affordable price! This is the second time we go, and we will come back to it: the dim sum are sublime, the pasta idem (and how much!). The welcome is a little cold but very professional, minimal waiting. In short, a great address!

In October, on my first trip to SF, my local SF took me to the restaurant and we had Ox Tail Clay-pot, Peking prawn and pea sprout. The dishes were cooked to perfection. The Ox tail was to the right tenderness, the prawn was fresh and not over or under cooked and the pea sprout was not too oily and totally appetising. Service was appropriately casual and the atmosphere relaxing. We had a great meal there. I think this is one if not the best Chinese Restaurant in SF and I recommend it to anyone, local or visitors interested to have quality food in SF.

Really really good Dim Sum! Btw I am Chinese. And these Dim Sum were better than in Hong Kong and Shanghai...Just the service/waiters could be more polite and friendly.

Visited this restaurant on the recommendation of the reception staff at our hotel whilst on a trip to SF. Whilst the food was great, the experience was spoilt by the piecemeal delivery of dishes we ordered for our main & the attitude of numerous members of staff. Recommended by our hotel receptionist, we walked to the Great Eastern. It became very clear as we approached that they trade very heavily on the patronage of the former president, since the window adjacent to the door was plastered with multiple photographs of various members of staff with President Obama. We were seated quickly & given menus. It was then quite a while before someone returned to take our drinks order, although, in the meantime we had received a pot of tea. Eventually a waiter came to take our food order. We asked for clarification on an appetiser item but could barely follow the explanation we were given (appreciate that we were in a Chinese restaurant but even so, the accent was so heavy that it made the explanation unintelligible. We ordered this anyway together with three dishes for our main. The starter arrived quite quickly & was very tasty. Before we had finished our starter, the main course dishes started to arrive, rice first, then after a couple of minutes one more meat dish & then finally, after about 5 minutes, the final one. Good job we had planned to share them! This has happened a few times at home but in my view, is an absolute no-no for an serious restauranteur. The dishes were lovely though. We were watching service levels generally & my wife noted that the French couple behind us were ignored for considerably longer that we were. Our experience elsewhere in American restaurants is that crockery is cleared as soon as finished with, even if others in the party haven’t finished but not here. The plates & serving dishes sat on the table for some minutes. Our waiter did collect my empty beer bottle (ignoring the plates completely) but treated it almost as if it were contaminated with a very deadly virus for which there was no cure! The plates were eventually cleared & we asked for the bill; to be presented a little later with the hand written page which the waiter had originally noted our order on, with the costs added. It was completely in-intelligible & again, we asked for it to be deciphered; this time with the guy who appeared to be in charge. At the bottom of the ordered items, the restaurant had presumed to add a tip at the level it felt appropriate. Whilst I’m totally comfortable with the principle of rewarding good service received, I do object most strongly to being told what I should tip. I put my card in the folder which was carted off to the till. Some considerable minutes later, I was asked to come up to the till to put in my PIN code (on the positive side, this was one of the very few times in which I had been asked either to use my pin or sign a slip). When I got to the device, the member of staff at the till had already entered the amount including the tip, which I advised I would not be paying. With much huffing & puffing, he cancelled the transaction & started again, presenting my with the screen to add my tip. Angle-Chinese American relations deteriorated yet further when I handed the machine back with nothing added! The guy then had the goal to ask me why I wasn’t adding a tip, so I gave him a fairly frank response! Whilst the food we received was delicious, the experience was Seriously let down by the piecemeal delivery of the main course and the, frankly, appalling staff attitudes. There are many restaurants in Chinatown, I’d strongly recommend choosing another one!

We were disappointed in the service at Great Eastern Restaurant in Chinatown. The food tasted good but the service was terrible.

So of course everyone knows that president obama visit this restaurant back in 2012, so with that being said, the food must be good, right? And yes, the food is hood; however, the menu is limited for being a dim sum restaurant.

We ordered the Vegetable soup, Peking duck, Egg fried rice and Broccoli beef. It was over greasy, bland, gluey ang didn’t taste like any other Chinese food we had before. No spice or love went in this food unfortunately! Maybe we seemed to them like random tourists happy to eat their tourist menu but too much was wrong with the food and maybe they think we are not regular customers so it doesn’t matter?

We were in San Francisco in May and made a point of going for lunch at the Great Eastern Restaurant again. We stumbled on it years ago and now we always go for a meal when we are in SF. This time, we were there on a Sunday at noon at the end of the Bay to Breakers race and although it was the noisiest restaurant we've ever been in, the food was delicious and the service was great. The Ginger Beef is the most tender we've had anywhere - I'd highly recommend it. I would suggest asking to be seated on the main floor as the basement is not as nice. The service doesn't vary depending on which level you are seated.

There’s no doubting the quality and authenticity of my dim sum orders: shrimp dumplings and sticky rice. It was outstanding but expect a long wait for everything! The place was packed but they had a line out the door next door, so I thought it to be a better bet. The people were nice, they were just overwhelmed. I was there for about an hour. So go there for the food but leave a lot of time available.

They are business oriented no service culture, you don't feel home, just eat and go. The pot stickers were doughy and lacking flavor. Not recommended at all.

Went for dim sum, which is served 10-4p, and was not impressed. Lackluster. Food lacked spices and flavor. Service was fast. Would not return.

The food is excellent you also get good portion. You are not rushed and left to enjoy your food st your own pace. All the dishes we selected tasted great. There are a lot of Chinese restaurants in China town if you want to select a good one come here.

We are here earlier this week. The restaurant is very busy, service ok, but the food was delicious. We had chicken dim sum, egg drop soup, and beef short ribs that were the best ever. If you are struggling to decide where to eat, I’d consider this place at top of list.

We were looking for an authentic restaurant in China town and saw the pictures of Barack Obama picking up food and there was a line so we chose to eat there. Food was ok. There were a lot of waiters but it seemed that none of them could speak English since they couldn’t answer our questions regarding the menu. When serving the food they also couldn’t tell us what it is. We got a hand scrambled bill which you almost couldn’t read. When leaving the restaurant one waiter ran after us and said we didn’t pay enough (we didn’t leave any tip). So we don’t recommend going there.

We enjoyed a family meal here. The portions were generous and service was efficient. The food tasted good and we all enjoyed our meal. Would definitely return.

Fantastic meal. Look at the pictures and make your choice. The food names were in English also. Fried rice and sweet and sour chicken with Won Ton soup.

Came here after reading a travel website recommending the dim sum experience, citing Obama eating there. We were excited to try different dishes. Overall the food was lackluster. The best things we had were the spring rolls and the deep fried egg yolk and pumpkin. Would not come here again. Prices were also a little high considering. *Side note - we do not eat pork or shellfish which make up a significant portion of the menu, so others may have a different experience.

Wanted to try yum cha and I saw the reviews and recommendations so had to try it. Wasn't disappointed but wasn't overly impressed. There was a mix of locals and tourists and about a 15min wait. Enjoyed the flavors and the cold octopus and seaweed was refreshing to the placate. The toilet could have better serviced.

Oh, and so did we, first in 2011 and now in 2019. Chinatown in San Francisco is so real. I love a city that is not afraid to enjoy its ethnic groups. And we have enjoyed some authentic Chinese food, just like the locals do. The menu is extensive, fresh seafood is visible in tanks, roasted chickens hang waiting to be butchered. We ate here in 2011, Obama in 2012, and now 2019 we feast again.

I can honestly say I've never been to a restaurant and not know who my waiter was. After my family of four was seated, we waited at least 20 minutes before we even got our drink order taken and that's only because we finally got the attention of some guy running around. All of our meals came out at random times and the meal itself was nothing special. I honestly could get better service and meal at a Panda Express. Then, we get our bill with random numbers thrown on it with a total and they automatically added on the tip. Seriously? They didn't deserve a dime! Save yourself the time and aggravation and go somewhere else!

We went to this resturant a month or so ago because one of our friends mentioned that president Obama was there and obviously it must be good. Boy were we disappointed. The food was nasty, The restaurant was dirty and was very unhygienic and that was not the worst part. The worst part was the attitudes of the staff. They just did not care for their patrons, They do not give a flying F**k. This restaurant may have been a good one in its hay days but today it just plain sucks. I would NOT recommend this place tony one who is accustom to a great restaurant experience.

Went here with 8 girlfriends ready to spend and leave our usual minimum 20% tip. The wait staff ignored us, seemed to not understand our questions or orders. We noticed that Chinese speakers were being served promptly and their meals came in a beautiful bamboo serving casseroles while ours came on plain plates. 3 items were never served and we could not get anyone to provide the food or explain what happened. The bill was indecipherable and again no one would explain it to us. We paid it and vowed to never, ever go near this place again.

My family decided to come for dim sum while in town. We did have to wait about 30 minutes for a table but it was no problem. Once seated we were given menus with pictures to make it easier to order. My daughter did not want dim sum so she ordered shrimp fried rice which she enjoyed. I ordered a variety of dim sum and it was all good my wife that had never had dim sum before enjoyed it also. The restaurant was little chaotic and noisy but I think it added to the atmosphere. I would definitely come again if I ever make it back to San Francisco.

We were hungry for a good Chinese dinner. Food much better than at home. Service was fair we had to grab for anything we needed like napkins and water.

As photos in the window indicate President Obama opted to dine in this spectacular restaurant. That came as no surprise as perusing the vast menu our party of four was overwhelmed by the range of enticing dishes. Our selection of dishes included the familiar-lo mein and roasted duck- as well as adventuresome. We started with the house soup ($10) which was largen enough to share. The waiter served it evenly in small bowls. There was enough for seconds and it was a nice way to begin our feast. Looking around we noted other tables with exotic seafood from crab to losbster and giant prawns. There were two versions of greens from sauteed spinach, nothing out of the ordinary, and mustard greens with crab ($19) which was new to us and an enjoyable surpriose. For adventure she ordered a clay pot with oxtail and red wine reduction. It proved to be sweet and full of flavor. ($16) Our feast came to about $100 plus tip. Considering the quality and Presidential ambiance with uniformed waiters and stunning service, we were truly delighted.

The dim sum is over-priced, but I guess we're paying for Obama-appeal (sad to say we went in because of the Obama photos in the storefront, they also have photos of Hawking and Yao). The service was pretty good. Our wait time wasn't too bad (20 minutes during peak hours, weekday, party of 5). Overall, the dim sum was good, not spectacular. It helps to be Chinese here. The food is ordered off a menu (no pushcarts), and some of the dim sum are not accompanied by photographs (such as the cruller rice noodle). In a very un-Chinese way, there's no table sharing, and they included the tip in the bill. Our meal cost about twice as much as it would in New York City. Yikes.

When my husband and I arrived at the Great Eastern it was busy, the guy at the desk asked if we would mind sitting downstairs and never having been before, we agreed. The downstairs room (basement) was shabby and characterless, totally lacking in ambiance. The service was fairly prompt and the waiters were pleasant enough. The food was very good, although some items on the menu did seem a bit overpriced. We enjoyed the food but the evening was rather spoiled by the utilitarian surroundings. I’ve given an overall rating of ‘very good’ because ‘average’ wouldn’t be fair given the standard of food, but overall ‘good’ would be more accurate.

This wasnt my first choice but was close by when that wasnt available. Service was very quick. Dumpling choice was very limited for dinner time which was very dissapointing as that's what we wanted. Dumplings seem to only be available during lunch. Beef chowmein was very average with some chewy noodles. I wasnt a fan of the egg rolls either. The two dumplings that I could get were very tasty. Including tip for two people was $60, which is quite a bit more expensive than I'm used to in Melbourne's Chinatown. Overall it was ok but would try other places rather than going back.

The restaurant was recommended by out hotel. Very busy and had to wait for a table which we thought was a good sign. However the dumplings were very average. We ordered the chicken and salt fish fried rice but what came was seafood. Lucky neither of us is allergic to seafood. It was very bland and uninteresting. The beef we ordered did not arrive until we reminded them. It was tough, fatty and again very bland. When the bill arrived we paid the amount and refused to tip as the service was poor and the food terrible. The waiter became quite abusive about this and made quite a scene. This was our last night in San Francisco and we have loved all the other food we have had has been amazing but this (literally) left a bad taste in my mouth.

Old school Chinese restaurant serving visitors and Chinatown natives alike, which offers classic Cantonese dishes. We stuck to some childhood favorites including shrimp with lobster sauce and lomein. The fried pumpkin appetizer was interesting and not greasy. Generous portions. Food was good but mild so flavors were muted. It was fun to eat here and people watch but I don't know that I'd eat here again.

A group of 3 couples. Looking forward to nice Chinese Cuisine in China Town. Firstly we found our waiter argumentative and cheeky. We had a bottle of rose wine and had to ask for a wine cooler. Our food came out as 3 main dishes only and the plates sat for 5 minutes until rice appeared. The remaining 3 main meals came in fits and starts, so we were all eating and finished eating at different times. Our portion sizes were like appetisers, but cost 4 times the amount of the UK. We were all very dissatisfied with service and food and would not recommend.

The Great Eastern Restaurant is a traditional Chinese restaurant located in the heart of Chinatown, San Francisco, known for its authentic Cantonese cuisine, especially dim sum served daily. The Great Eastern Restaurant is a great choice for those who want to taste authentic Chinese food in a traditional Mood, within one of San Francisco’s most iconic neighborhoods.

I went to this restaurant with three other people. We ordered an assortment of dim sum and found them all to be freshly made. The vegetarian member of our party did not have any trouble finding enough choices to eat. The Chinese broccoli was particularly well-prepared, both tender and tasty. We thought the service was fine when it came to removal of our empty dishes, but getting a waiter's attention was tough since they all seemed to be rushing from one place to another. I recommend that you eat here and I'd go back.

been here already and remembered why I like and disliked this place. The 2 times we've been here, the upstairs seating has been full, we've always been seated downstairs. The service downstairs is horrible. It was later lunch time, downstairs was still fairly busy. We filled out our order sheet. Lots of servers walking around. We waited and waited for someone to acknowledge us to order drinks and Dim Sum. Trying to get their attention, as they all seem to look and then look away I finally had to get up and walk over to a server. We ordered the basic of Dim Sum, Steamed BBQ Buns, Shrimp Dumplings, Mushroom Pork and Shrimp Dumplings and Pan Fried Leek and Shrimp Dumplings. Then another wait, and wait, meanwhile the cooks were bringing out large amounts of food at empty tables so the workers at the restaurant could eat. Again I had to ask where our food was. It FINALLY came, all good hot and fresh. And yet again, we waited for the bill to the point again I had to get up to request and pay. At this point all the restaurant workers were eating. Honestly you can't live off off the fact that a President dined at your restaurant. You still need to maintain a quality of service. If you want your staff to eat lunch , then CLOSE the restaurant for a period of time and reopen for dinner. Honestly the food is not so outstanding that I can dismiss the service with so many Dim Sum places to choose from in "San Francisco's Chinatown" Atmosphere: typical Chinatown restaurant, Service: HORRIBLE, Food: very good.

Probably the best Chinese food I’ve had. The beef with Chinese broccoli was really good, and so was the fried rice.

This is the first time we've panned anything on Tripadvisor but this place earned it. It's famous for hosting President Obama a few years ago. Our visit was less than impressive. We get that there's a hustle in Chinatown and customer Service isn't at a premium but the dishes we ordered all disappointed. The pork Dumplings were worse than the takeout place in the strip mall by our house (CT not known as a bastion for strip mall dumplings), the duck was a sliced clump of pure fat, the shrimp dumplings were passable but then there is that charge for a glass of water. The staff, well they are on par with the food. The good news, there are about 50 other restaurant choices within a three block radius. No doubt this place has a buzz and people will still go but gotta believe there are dozens and dozens of better places.

Were looking for a sit down dim sum restaurant and stumbled across this one. Decided to try it because Obama had been here and my kids love Obama. Turned out to be really fresh dim sum. Only disappointment is it was not cart service but made to order.

Clearly this restaurant uses its picture of Barrack Obama outside the building to prove how good they are. They are not. Food very average. Service one of the worse I have ever had. Avoid. Eat elsewhere.

The only positive thing I can say is the portions are large; however, the quality is poor and service subpar.

Having been to Beijing I can say that the Great Eastern Restaurant successfully mimics the style of restaurants in China. Dinner is served at round tables with lazy susans in the middle, so you can spin your food around to share with the whole table. I think this is a fun, family, communal thing to do and I greatly appreciated sharing a meal here with my family. We didnt try anything especially exotic but we all agreed the sesame chicken and TsingTao beer was quite good!

We were looking for a good Chinese restaurant in China town , so many choices but this restaurant had a long line to get it so we thought the food must be good. We were not wrong the food was fantastic. Only issue is the waiters don’t speak English so we had a difficult time communicating. Will definitely recommend this restaurant.

Bland Chinese food with indifferent service. The secret to its popularity escaped me. On the plus side the prices are modest

Small Chinese restaurant in middle of Chinatown in Ssn Francisco. Food is ok but service is poor. Tou need to keep reminding them of your order. Prices are high for Chinese food.

The dim sum was very old school (not in a good way), most of our dishes was lukewarm and the meats wasn't marinated right. The owner must have the right political connection to get Obama to show up for the photo ops. Wish the food match the hype 😢.

We wanted to eat dimsum for lunch. Passed by this restaurant saw the photos of Obama took away food, so we decided to try. Was round noon time, very crowded and long queue waiting already. Dimsums and cold cut were ok but Wonton soup was very disappointed. Wontons were very small and the dark meat(don't know what it was certainly not pork and don't find any shrimp inside the wonton) has strange taste. Soup has no taste at all. As we walked out after 15 minutes later. We both got very very thirsty! MSG?

the food is the best Chinese I have had in America..and I have eaten at wo hop in New York city and east lake in New York city..I still think this was the best..they have all the dim sum you can imagine

We were guided there by a person who knows Chinatown very well. Her advice was right on! The frog dishes and all of the the dim sum were delicious.

It’s not very often I stumble across such a poor restaurant, especially given I often use TA to help me. But, this has to be one of the worst places I have eaten. The service is terrible, the food is average (possibly an overstatement), but more importantly, the place is beyond filthy dirty. Unless you are up to date with your tetanus vaccine, don’t visit the toilet! I haven’t a clue why this place is so popular, maybe its Barack Obama’s photo in the window?? Please, take my advice, don’t waste your money or risk your health, stay away!!

My Family and I really enjoyed the food here, it was authentic and culturally delightful. The quality of the food is very good. The dim sums and everthying we tried was really bar none. It can get crowded so you must be patient. But it is worth it. I didn’t give it higher ratings, because I do believe the service could be better.

We went to Chinatown when our parents were visiting from out of town. Reviews were good. It was very crowded. We waited 40 minutes for a table. Eventually we were seated in the basement. The waiter took 20 minutes to take our order and offered no suggestions. They had run out of 3 items we ordered. The food was ok, not great, as one would expect from the crowd. It was very loud. The bathroom was filthy. Overall, ok. I am unlikely to return.

Really good authentic food. Ordered several dishes to share. Wonton soup fried shrimp dumpling, fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, spring rolls, steamed pork dumpling.

Plenty of seating and large menu selection. They were easily able to accommodate thirty of us out on a business meeting. If you're a large group get there before 7 before things begin to fill up and get busy. Food is ok and quite plentiful.

This restaurant was recommended to me by one of the well known traveling book. I ordered the asparagus and chicken for $14.95. I could not believe how small my order was. It looked more like an appetizer. The food was tasty but what a small portion for the amount of money I was paying. However, I felt very pressured to finish my food since there were people waiting to be seated. Once the check was given to me, the waiter would not permit me to finish my tea and my 2 fortune cookies. Even though I could speak to them in their native tongue, Cantonese, they were, still, very rude to me. After paying my check, I asked the waiter where the restroom was, what a cold response he gave me. I do not recommend coming to this restaurant. The experience put a damper to my trip to San Francisco. Thank goodness there were other restaurants in the area that were very pleasant.

Good food and large portions. In the heart of Chinatown. Short walk from our hotel. Nice atmosphere.

Good service, reasonable prices, with a nice selection of good and tasty cuisines! Nicely decorated, well-lit restaurant with a lot of souvenir shops and many restaurants near by.

We were really looking forward to on authentic meal at China town after a long day of touristing. And this restaurant delivered. Everything we ate was satisfying, - the various dim sums, the chicken sweet corn soup, the duck roast, the fried rice, and perhaps most of all the bokchoy with mushrooms and tofu. Nice large restaurant, good decor. Would recommend without reservations.

Had dinner here on recommendation. The portions are large, the service is prompt but impersonal and inattentive. The food is bland and nothing to remember. Very disappointing

First off the entry way is packages. We had a 7:00 reservation and had trouble just getting to the desk. Once at our table wait staff rushed by no one stopping. Finally some one came by we ordered. Someone else brought the food half of which was not what we ordered. Items came out randomly. Some of the food items we ordered was good others just average. Some of what we ordered was replaced with other items. No one came by to ask if we liked our dinner or we would have mentioned the order was wrong. Our water was never refilled. A very immpersonal experience. Would not go back.

Had lunch here for the second time in a year. Casual dining with table cloth covered table. You order from a printed menu, dim sum, noodles, etc. We order several items and chow fun. Wide Chinese noodles with vegetables. The wait staff was not very talkative but ok. Not your usual Chinese dim sum place as this is middle of the road place.

Nice bust restaurant so we wanted to go in. The food came out very very quickly, maybe I'm just not use to service been that quick. But lovely chicken curry, nice rice and spicy chicken Szechwan is beautiful.

Being in San Francisco for the first time we had to eat Chinese in Chinatown! Our guide on the Big Bus tour recommended “Great Eastern Restaurant “ After our night tour on the Big Bus we were so Happy to finally get our Chinese! We shared Kung Pao Chicken and Sesame Chicken with fried rice. The food was good! We were happy they were open a little late since it was close to 9 pm. I recommend this restaurant. Good food! Good service!

It’s in Chinatown. The waiting line is not very long. Average Chinese food. Who’s the best Chinese restaurant in San Francisco? I wonder if Chinese food in Toronto is better.

The food was really good. We did a family meal which was delicious. The service was a little slow. We had to ask for someone to come take our order.

We had a big group for dinner and thank goodness they took reservations. Food was delicious. Service was good considering they were busy. Reasonable prices too. I highly recommend this restaurant!

We visited this restaurant this evening. There is much promise with pictures of Barack Obama dropping by on the walls and a menu that suggests great choice and authentic favours. But no, the waiting staff were just completely disinterested. You got the impression they felt they were doing you a favour by being there. The table was beset with tiny flies which guess came from the water tanks with live fish, crabs, etc. We ordered a range of plates most of which arrived by being thrown or slapped into the table. The food was passable. Some dishes poor, the majority OK. The tip was added automatically at 15%. I guess they have to do this or they’d never get any. Overall, beat advice I can give that this place is best avoided. There seems plenty of better options within a few doors (X&Y, etc.)

With many of the restaurants closed down or boarded up in China town this seemed like the best of a bad bunch of what was left. Asked for a table for 5 and was sat at a table for 10 so huge spaces around the table which made it difficult for conversation, Ordered a variety of food all of which was very average or awful, service was just about ok until we asked for the bill and the waiter had already written in the tip he wanted, needless to say he didn’t get that amount which he wasn’t happy about, Tips ( amount ) are optional.

We had been advised to come here to try the dim sum. The waiter sat us downstairs where there was a funny smell (Best I can describe it as is 'wee'), and brought us a pot of tea. We didn't ask for it, but he gave it to us anyway, which cost us 2bucks. The dim sum was meh 😔. I was really hoping for better. Won't go back and I suggest you guys find somewhere better to eat than here.

Great food which was quick to arrive and the staff were great. The portions were generous. The sesame chicken was delicious!

Was quite busy on Sunday morning but definitely worth the 10 minute wait!!! All the items we ordered were fantastic with the exception of the beef dumplings with bitter melon, that one was not for us but everything else was great! I’ll be back with guests.. this must be the best DIM SUM in China Town!

We picked this place for its pôpularity since Obama had dim sum there, but it was a late lunch, to avoid waiting list. The food was good for a price may be higher than other places around but reasonnable.

The decor is not very fancy, the wait staff is brusque, and the hot and sour soup is so-so. But the Moo She Pork was the best I ever had. I will go back again for that!

This is a great place to sit down and be served with friends and family. They have a dim sum menu and traditional menu. They also have take out. There are lots of dim sum restaurants in China Town, but President Obama chose this one for his take out order.

I hosted a large banquet in their bottom floor, with about 60 people. The food was fresh, delicious and prompt in service. Authentic Chinese food. The peeking duck was absolutely delicious.

The last time I ate here was when I was a very young. Interior has been updated. Beautiful panoramic wall tapestry – too wide for a picture. Roast duck hanging behind a window towards the back. There is extra seating in the basement – no elevators to this level. Many people come here during the lunch hour – friends / family. The dim sum menu contained lots of fried items and the wait staff was very attentive. We will return in the future.

Last time we were in the city we "tried" to navigate the breakfast hour in a busy Chinatown restaurant & it was too busy & confusing so we left rather than make a scene of confusion. This place was SUPER easy, had a picture menu to help fill out the order slip; the food was amazing, service was fine; definitely seemed like a place the locals ate

Can’t believe this was recommended to us by the concierge at Fairmont . All I can say is the concierge must be getting paid by them or have a relative there. It was shabby with poor fatty food , spongy meat cooked with mono sodium glutamate. No section of drinks, 3 beers by bottle and a wine that tasted of vinegar. And very overpriced.

We stayed in San Francisco 5 day we want to try a real China place, come from Arizona and Italy so a friend suggested us this place he get us when he said that Obama ate there, so we thought, it must be clean. We whrn there Obama actually ate the for real. Place was clean service was ok... Just be careful they add the tip to your check. The food was amazing a wonderful taste the we never tried before... We all love our wonton soup with prawns I had prawns and scallops with vegetables my husband the mongolian beef and the other tried the shrimp fried rice every thing was perfect we loved 5 stars

Went as a group of 3 in the later afternoon. We had the Family Special A for two and I had the pork sweet and sour. Both meals were good and if you put the price in perspective it is a fair deal. Obama and Steven Hawking have eaten here as well apparently.

Visitors to San Francisco, and our first choice for dim sum was closed for vacation, so our local Chinese friends sent us here. We went for a late weekday lunch, and the restaurant was still quite full, though 3 of us were seated right away; always encouraging when we are one of the few non-Asian folks there. Easy to order, with helpful photo menu and checklist (not carts, at least not during the week), and food was quick and continually delivered to our table. We were able to easily add a couple of items later on as well. Service was definitely brisk and no-nonsense, but it got the job done, though we had to work a bit to get additional drinks. Price in the end was pretty good, particularly for this expensive food city. Happy to return in the future.

We visited this restaurant due to our choice next door having a 30 minute wait to be seated. We were not disappointed with this as we got a seat straight away without a booking. Food was beautiful and tasty. Meals came out very quickly. Service was good.

Great place to get wonderful food. Priced just right with lots of choices. Fresh fish! Many choices on the Dim-Sum menu. Dim- Sum only served from 11-2 pm so plan accordingly.

We visited San Francisco with friends in late September. We stayed downtown within walking distance of Chinatown. Our concierge recommended this restaurant. Very authentic Chinese, lovely decor. We were greeted with a large pot of very hot tea which was welcomed after a chilly evening walk! We all shared our orders Chinese style. I particularly enjoyed the egg rolls and vegetable fried rice. Everything was reasonably priced. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

This Chinese restaurant located at San Francisco’s Chinatown is a great option to have traditional Cantonese dishes. It has the best roasted duck in the city. The squab is also very nice there.

I was looking for a typical Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown. Not modern, fusion or hip. I wanted a warm, cozy, Chinese restaurant that you think of when you think Chinese food in a Chinatown. My tour guide recommended this restaurant as a good one that locals eat at. He was right. We loved the atmosphere here. It was exactly what I envisioned including tables with tablecloths and waiters in nice suits. There were a lot of locals eating here when we went for dinner. Most of the customers were locals. This restaurant is next door to Z & Y and Great Eastern was more busy. The food quality was very good. My only suggestion is to use less salt. Our beef and Chinese broccoli dish was very salty. But our other dishes were great. Prices were competitive and fair.

Our first time here with family of 6. Mix crowd of tourist and local Chinese awaiting in line. At least 30mins wait time when we were there about 11plus morning. Although no traditional push cart & not full dim sum menu, food is authentic with some waiting time for all our orders. Need to get waiters’ attention if you want to make orders; Getting bill, etc. Staff are overwhelmed with the orders and Don’t expect much service when being served.

Came here with my husband when we visited Chinatown. We did a quick scan on tripadvisor and decided to give Great Eastern a try. Apparently Ex-President Obama visited this restaurant back in 2012. Location-wise, it is easy to get to when you are exploring Chinatown. We actually experience very good service and the dishes were very tasty (but not overly salty) and portions were good (not skimpy but also not over the top). We ordered: 1) sauteed fillets of beef and snap peas with XO sauce, 2) seafood combination with bean curd in clay pot and 3) bowl of rice Dishes were authentic -- I'm Chinese so I know! :) Recommend a visit if you are in the area!

We had dinner here on New Years Eve. The service and food was amazing. We order way to much but enjoyed it so much. Highly recommend.

The food was okay, but not served really hot. One serving of steamed rice costs 2 Dollars extra - quite expensive! The service was really bad. The waiters always reached across the table. The last person at the table hadn't finished and they already brought the check. And then they put 14,90$ tip on the check for 91$ including tax - I didn't not accept this and the waiter, we asked how this could be, just walked away!

the waiter did not understand our order. We were missing 2items. The wait was long for these & only one was presented. We declined the other & left. Not worth the trouble

Everything was wonderful, but you must must must try the steamed chicken buns and the pan fried pork buns! We were served a pot of tea right as we sat so we had something to drink immediately. You can order other drinks when you order, just in case you are not a tea lover. When ordering, you are given an ordering menu with prices. Just mark everything you want and then give the paper to one of the many servers. Your food comes out as it is cooked, and brought by different servers. We did not know exactly what they were bringing, but they marked off the items on your sheet as they place it on the table and they will tell you. The array of flavors was incredible. It's almost like comfort food for travelers. You must try it. Oh, also, try the steamed buns with custard inside. Delicious!!!

The food and services were average, so I did not understand why Obama would visit it. Maybe for the roast duck too?! Anyway, we visited twice because of its roasted duck. Moist, taste was excellent with the meat was full of flavour. Try take away as other dishes were just okay.

This was the worst chinese meal I have ever had in all the places I have been in the world. There was a blob of something dark and alien in my chicken, when I asked what it was, I was told it was chicken blood. My husband had duck and it was so tough it was unedible. The whole experience was not good and I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

The dim sum is 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. We were referred by a Chinese lady that ran a variety store nearby. She mentioned that President Obama had eaten there. We really enjoyed the dim sum meal. We wanted to share the experience with our son who had never had dim sum before. All the food was wonderful. The service was not so good, but probably because they were so busy.

Best chinese food since i left New York I will recommend good service and very polite servers.clean place

If you’re looking for a place to have a quick meal with fairly good staff then you’re in the right place. Food was okay but the portions were massive so it’s best not to go overboard. Nothing overly special and nothing too bad. Would recommend if you want a quick meal.

We went here just because the president went here. When we first arrived, it was packed with tourists. It took us about 45 minutes to get a table. When we got a table, we ordered our food. We got everything we wanted but one thing. When we complained to the server, he said " You didn't order this?" We said "yes" He looked at our order sheet, grunted, and removed it from the bill. The food was good but not as good as they say but good. The restaurant looks outdated on the inside but is reasonably clean. While the food is good ok, the service needs a lot of work.

If it's bust you get a ticket, then get called (shouted at) to go to your table where a scruffy waiter in a green jacket will take your order. The food was just about okay, I was looking for a higher-end restaurant in China Town, but they do not seem to exist? Anyhow, I certainly would not be returning here.

This place gets top marks from us! We go year after year ... and we are never dissatisfied! Something for everyone to enjoy. Very popular with local Chinese as well as tourists. They have an awesome menu for authentic Chinese food as well as for outstanding Dim Sum. During more active tourist season, you may be faced with a wait to get a table. But don't be discouraged ... hang in there, because the food and experience are worth it. Many of the servers don't speak much English, are not chatty and may seem abrupt, but they are all about business and getting your food to you as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you need something, don't hesitate to ask any of the servers. Requests are handled promptly. With Dim Sum menu on a laminated card, pictures are most helpful. You will receive a order sheet ... simply mark how many of each dish you want and they take care of the rest. Plates or steamer containers will be delivered one or more at a time. Sit back, relax, and let the servers bring them to you as they are prepared. Hot tea, napkins, chopsticks and serving spoons are provided immediately ... you can request knives and forks if you need them. Tables have fresh tablecloths, restaurant is clean. Bathrooms are well equipped with supplies and pretty clean considering the high traffic. Dining rooms can get noisy and hectic, yet part of the fun. Good learning and cultural experience for children, but not really great for babies and toddlers since seating is close and noise level is high. If must bring the very young, try to come during off-peak times. Upstairs dining room is wheel-chair accessible, but note that bathrooms are in the basement and I don't think there is an elevator of any kind.

We live far from California, bit used to ADORE this restaurant (to which we were introduced by a local Chinese friend, who viewed it as the best in town) beginning in the mid eighties. It is so sad to see it now — a shadow of its former self. Fish tanks previously full of fish are now almost empty, food is served in irrational order and luke warm, and formerly astute and attentive service is now lax and thick headed. We had four dishes for dinner earlier this week, and found the food averaged worse than mediocre, including the worst Peking Duck we’ve ever had. It would be interesting to hear the story of what caused a fine institution as The Great Eastern to fall into such decline, while neighboring restaurants thrive.

I was hesitant when I looked at the dark wood dividers between entry hall and dining hall...they had a layer of grime and dust on them nearly half an inch thick! Made me think about the state of the kitchen... We ate downstairs, extremely noisy because of the low ceilings I guess. Food came quickly, but was just average. There are way better places for dim sum in SF, I will not go back.

Local Chinese restaurant in the middle of Chinatown. The food was very good, we shared a seafood soup that was delicious. The waiter was a bit impatient and we didn’t like the fact that he added 20% tip without asking ( we were only 3 at the table and the menu didn’t state anything about obligatory service charge). Upon our request ( and some discussion )it was removed. The service made our experience less enjoyable!

Friendly restaurant with nice service. Plates too small but helpings large. Quality not up to its hyped-up reputation.

My girlfriend and I just ordered from here and it was amazing. The chow mein. And the BBQ fried rice was amazing. So good. Reasonable price too.

This restaurant was highly rated and recommended, but the service is poor, borderline rude, and the food is not thing too brag about. I ordered the beef spare ribs dish and sent it back. The meat was fatty and undercooked. We also ordered orange chicken and though cooked well, it had too much orange flavor. Our appetizer was good — the seafood platter sampler. Unfortunately, I do not recommend restaurant. The wait staff is awful.

We have been eating here for 20 years. Every time this place doesn’t disappoint. Good Dim Sum. However, the dinner menu is always good.

What can I say other than keep well away service nothing short of a complete disgrace. After walking around spotted a restaurant that President Obama had being in. However we had the most rude waiter I have ever had order soups and mains the soups arrived nice and quick waiter came over and spilled them into bowls just left on table . The rice was then delivered to table for main course then after asking where mains course was 20 minutes later 3 arrived so rice now stone cold then asked again where 4 th main was only to be growled at and told cooking another 14 minutes so whole meal was wasted to paid for the soup a fight just about erupted as we ain't going to pay for the meal so left got to say worst restaurant I have ever been so folks stay well away as I would rather stick pins in my eyes than go back to this disgraceful dump

Excellent experience dumplins were to die for. Highly recommend very reasonable priced and the service was superb. Xxx

I expected better. Some things were undercooked and the waiter never came back to check. Seemed like a slow night only 3 other tables.

We went pretty much because of the Obama publicity. The food was acceptable, on the more expensive range you’d expect. The service was ok, with a kind maître d'hôtel, uniformed waiters with bow ties, busboys etc. The place is filthy- carpet visibly unclean, old food on the floor at the wall edges, chipped china... the oolong tea they serve is good as well, but I don’t think I would either recommend it, not visit again.

We make a point of going to this restaurant whenever we are in San Francisco (every couple of years). We were there October 3 and our food was delicious, as we have always found it to be. We were there around 5:00 for an early dinner so there were very few people there and we had no complaints about the service. We will go again next time we visit the city.

Greatest chinese restaurant visited so far in EU and US. Excellent service. Tasty food. Great variety. Exquisite tea.

Extraordinarily friendly service! Very accommodating & friendly. The food we liked very much & also the map was very clear for “amateurs”

We came here on a quite 4pm afternoon for a bite to eat with the kids. We were seated and our order was promptly taken. The dim sum and fried rice and ho fun noodles arrived and they didn’t disappoint. The kids and adults really enjoyed the food and the service was great. I would definitely recommend

This restaurant was a dining hall kind of a place. It was comparable to a place in NY’s China town. The food was good but not great and the service was adequate. The duck was nice and crispy but had a few too many bones left in it for my liking. The buns that came with is were great. Nice fluffy, warm and fresh. The pork fried rice was good as well

The dim sum here was average but the prices were extraordinarily high. I've had better back home in Hawaii for less $. We were seated in the lower dining area in it looked generally clean. The ladies restroom was not. It was filthy with toilet paper that had feces in an overflowing trash bin in the stall I was in. Try looking for another restaurant that offers similar for less money and is cleaner.

We were recommended this restaurant by a local Asian acquaintance. As we entered, we saw photos of President Obama and noticed a number of Asian families eating - both positive signs, by my estimation. How wrong I was. I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled extensively across Asia so I’m aware that “real” Chinese food differs significantly from American Chinese food - but this food was bad, irrespective of the designation it claimed. The vegetable fried rice was under-seasoned and flavorless. The duck was cold and soggy and the spare ribs were boney, gristly and one-dimensionally sweet. The only thing worse than the food was the service, which was rude and contemptuous. The servers were an array of charmless, surly individuals who seemed put out that you’d chosen their restaurant to dine in. In such a large Chinatown, I’m sure you can find plenty of better restaurants.

Vibrant, busy place. Loud, and lots of people. Waiters were efficient, but not helpful. Servings were good, but we ordered too much of the pork buns because we couldn’t read Chinese. Very popular place, we would go again, but maybe get a waiter or waitress that could give us some info about the menu.

Had dim sum lunch with friends here. Well, the siu mai was a bit hard but the har gaw was pretty good! Also had noodles and rice. Overall pretty average so really I cannot understand all the fuss.

Couldn’t fault it, service was quick and portions were huge and of great quality! Barack Obama apparently ate as the pics show, so great story for them also!

Full restaurant made us choose… couldn’t see the menu until we sat down. One starter for veggie…. Meals were warm but edible. Surroundings/ambience was not what we were expecting. The 2waiters were blunt and rude. I refused to pay full tip and the waiter became very offended. I explained why.

After walking around China town all day we ran into this restaurant where it looked like Obama may have eaten. Not that that was any guarantee but enough to get us in the door. The fancy dressed Head waiter pointed toward a table for us to seat ourselves, which we did. We then sat there among other people getting their food for 15-20 minutes being ignored. Finally after starting to put my own number of meal on the ordering ticket myself, the main waiter saw we were not being helped. We finally ordered getting our food but no utensils or drinks for another 15 minutes! Further we waited longer to pay so went to the front desk and were ignored again by the penguin in the fancy suit. We went to the bathroom after asking for our bill Hoping to return to pay. Not until we threatened to walk out did the head waiter go back to the kitchen and finally locate our bill so we could leave that place! The waiters were like robots with no personality. That was fine but they didn’t do their job while they were rude! No Eastern restaurant again for us. Don’t get sucked in by the Obama pic! MarkE

We had great dim sum! My co-diner was a fish-itarian and we found plenty of dumplings on the menu that worked for both of us. We were brought a picute menu and the staff answered questions about dumpling contents. The restaurant was busy. Downside - a bit pricey. Saw the other reviews about other dishes/dinner and I have no recommendations about that - we stuck to dim sum.

Came here to start the day in Chinatown. Recommended by the bellhop at our hotel and so glad he did as there is too many to choose from. We came within an hour of its opening and it was nice to see a lot of locals dining inside- that definitely says something- good food! We've had dim sum before but wanted to try as many new plates as we could. My favorite was BBQ pork puff and fried taro with minced meat. We were 4 adults, 3 who were very hungry and ordered 12 plates! (Yes we can eat!). But probably 10 would have been just enough. Each plate has about 3-4 appetizer size pieces. for 12 plates bill cam out to $65 before tip. Why I didn't give it 5 stars- there were no carts being rolled around to pick and choose from which is half the fun. Only a laminated picture menu. Also some of the menu items we wanted to try were only served after 11am and we were there too early. Still, I would recommend it.

This restaurant was highly recommended by a friend and I was eager to try. I came up highly disappointed. The food itself was nothing exceptional with respect to other Chinese restaurants, the lamb portions tasted like if they had been stored for ages. Service when you do not speak Chinese was miserable and the noise was so overwhelming that chatting with my friends was close to impossible

Food is pretty good. Portions could be bigger. The waiters are ok, but some will put tips on handwritten receipt prior to charging. Beware of it!

I have traveled extensively to China and this is not what I have tasted in China. Way too salty, too far, low quality Add : filthy, living up to its reputation that it has sold sold some dim sum to Obama on take away basis (I presume he threw them away)

We really enjoyed our dinner at Great Eastern. We had crispy whole flounder, amazing vegetable fried rice, vegetable chow mein, and they adapted one of their mixed vegetable dinners for my dietary needs. Very fast service and the whole family was happy.

We always make this our first stop for lunch, dim sum, we have always had very good service even though we had to wait 30 minuets for a table. The staff helped pick different item and even told us we were ordering too much. Our choice for the best dim sum in SF.

Classic Chinese service here. Surly, efficient, you get what you want, without smiles or eye contact. Good to see how many Chinese families with their children at the restaurant. We sat outside and had no problems getting service. Food is outstanding, fresh and delicious and, from experience of eating in Hong Kong and China - pretty authentic! Only negative aspect was the $35 charge for “tea” we received in the bill. We assumed that was the service charge many others mention.

I had looked online and had seen good past reviews for this place. It has zero atmosphere and the servers paid almost no attention to its guests. I had the 1/2 Peking duck with bao buns, it was quite tasty but I probably could have got it from any other restaurant in Chinatown.

Local Chinese seemed to be in the majority here. We took that as a positive endorsement of the authenticity and quality of the food. Great Eastern met both with ease. Menu has photos and names to help those who aren't familiar with dim sum possibilities, and those who want to try new things. We were fortunate to have a Chinese San Franciscan with us to help with ordering. Items are brought directly to your table from the kitchen ... there are no cruising carts allowing the food to get cold. Tea pot was quickly refilled as soon as we flipped up the lid. Best with a small group (4-6) so you can try more things from their 83-item menu!

As our first experience in Chinatown, perhaps our expectations were too high. We were seated immediately but the food was pretty disappointing. The service was wonderful and the atmosphere was authentic. I imagine there are plenty of better options within walking distance

Pretty good. The service was incredibly slow. We waited 45 mins to place any orders at all. The restaurant serves both Dim Sum and regular meals. My very picky fiancé has texture issues so he wasn’t going for Dim Sum but I’ve been dying for Dim Sum so we waited. Once the order was placed, the food came lightening fast. The food was actually quite good. Very large portions so the prices were quite reasonable. We took home lots of leftovers. Again, a VERY long wait to get the check. They were quite busy but they seemed to move in some kind of order. They would not make eye contact until it was our table’s turn (or so it seemed). On a side note, the bathrooms were filthy and the rugs could use a good cleaning. The tables were very clean. I might go back but only if I can’t find someplace else that serves both.

The food is normal. Nothing exceptional either bad or good. Overpriced for what you get. I would like to point out the terrible service. Bad attitude, disposition and interest from the waiters in general. After paying, the waiter did a little gesture to me from far as if I wanted to round my money as a tip; I didn't even understand what was happening. He went directly to the kitchen without bringing my change back. When I noticed, I asked him for my change back. With bad manners, he brought my money back and told me tip was not included in the check. He stared at me and the money at the table implying I had to give tip as mandatory. As I didn't tell him anything, he started taking the order from another table. At that moment me and my girlfriend were angry ( you earn the tip, you don't demand it). We stepped up without giving him a tip. When he saw us walking out he asked us for the tip in front of the other customers. I told him "is it obligatory?". He finally did a hand gesture like "no tip, then go out". Inredible, tip is earned with good manners and interest. It is not mandatory at all!!

We went and even though there were at least 20 people waiting ahead of us we were seated within 35 minutes. The food was delicious. Har gow, siu mai, steamed pork buns. Would highly recommend you go? Just be prepared to wait but there are stores you can browse in.

This Chinese restaurant in Chinatown is really good. We ordered Kong Pao chicken, fried rice, spring rolls, dumplings and string beans. Everything was delicious.

The place looked good, but was average food. We saw the dim sum on the menu outside only to be disappointed that it was not done at night. So we had some prawn in a batter, which were terrible as the batter was so thick, the prawn could not be tasted. The pork and veggie steamed dumplings were very tasty and can be recommended. The Hong Kong fried noodles were flavourable, but not authentic.

When I explained my feelings to family and friends about this restaurant, they said nobody is that friendly in Chinatown. My experience was different at some of the shops so I don't think that is accurate. The food was excellent and we received our food quickly and it was hot. I especially loved the Sesame Chicken and Beef Chow Mein. The service was horrible. I felt that we were an inconvenience. We were served by multiple waiters but when done with our meal we waited 20 plus minutes to receive our check. Some basic level of customer service would have been appreciated.

They don’t tell you anything so you sort of have to guess for yourself how things work. We weren’t asked once whether we’d like to order any drinks. They had amazing steamed pork buns and other dumplings but their pot stickers were doughy and bland. The roast duck was more fat and bone than meat.

We've had great Dim Sum in New York and LA and this one is right up there with the best. There are no carts here - everything is by checking of menu items which is very efficient especially because it eliminates the uncertainty of picking xyz from a cart. The sticky rice was superb. The pork buns were perfect. No disappointments. We were only here once ( with a party of six) so we can't speak for dinner items. For the Dim Sum, we would come back next time we are in the city.