Best Casual Restaurants in Chinatown

Great service, location, and ambience. A little loud. Food was delicious with good portions but the Valentine’s Day limited menu was a bit pricey. Can’t speak to the regular menu prices/value

We went for valentines, great experience! We’re seated immediately, food came out quickly & was very good. Plus one of the best espresso martinis in SF!

This restaurant was amazing! My boyfriend and I went for Valentine’s Day, and it was the perfect date night spot. The service was incredible, and the food was amazing. I would totally recommend this place for a fun little date night spot or a place to celebrate something special.

I wanted to bring my cousin here to try the food, and I was very lucky to land a reservation when I was notified of an opening two days before the date that I requested. Also, the staff was very accommodating and allowed me to add one more person to my party just two hours before my reservation…👌🏻! The food was great!😋!

Those who complain on the thread about spicy food perplex me—why did they go to a Sichuan restaurant? I have a lower craving/tolerance for spice than a typical Chinese person with Sichuan roots—I like the flavor but don’t seek the heat necessarily. To me, the food at Z&Y was the appropriate level of spicy and flavorful. Actually, there’s a variety of regional specialties, and our party just ordered what we felt like without regard to trying to get a typical Sichuan meal. I had meant to book a table at Z&Y Peking Duck across the street, but I didn’t mind the mistake! I don’t live in SF, and am willing to shell it out for a Michelin fine dining experience. I found Z&Y was relatively expensive and in slightly more modest proportion to what one might expect for a typical Chinatown restaurant, but worth it due to the extremely high quality and authentic food. Decor and service style are also typical Chinatown vibe. We had to get egg rolls for the youngest adult with us, and they were crisp and tasty. Tan tan noodles had spice and subtle flavor at the same time. We ordered Peking duck and I wondered if we got the tea smoked duck, but we didn’t even complain because there was a LOT of duck and the smoky flavor was unique and delicious—and there were enough thin pancakes, sauce, cucumber, and spring onions. Pea shoots and cumin beef were very tasty. We added on Dong Po Ro (Pork Shoulder) as our last dish came to the table because we needed more food. It came to the table quickly and was melt in your mouth tender. Yes, it is very fatty, but that’s the point of this cut—if you don’t like fat, don’t get Dong Po Ro! Lots of happy accidents with this meal, wouldn’t change a thing.