Heaven’s Dog

Great place to take a group. Good food and drinks. Love the pork belly sliders! We always get those. (Temporarily closed… hopefully not permanently… so sads.)

Been to Heaven’s Dog twice. Odd location. Easy for parking, though don’t park too far or you’ll find yourself face to face with some fun tenderloin junkies.
Drinks are okay — they blew it on my bubble bee gimlet. Made me another one. Still sucked. Great service for trying. Innovative cocktails that are along the lines of Beretta and a bad version of Rickhouse/​Bourbon and Branch.
Dinner was fine. Pork was overcooked, waiter offered to take it back (nice service). Terrible job timing the dishes, sat with my veggies for 15 minutes before they decided. oh yah. lets bring the main dishes, too.
I wouldn’t go again, and I wouldn’t recommend it, but I wouldn’t say its the worst place to go.

Part of the dining experience is the service. Not knowing that the restaurant’s kitchen closes at 9pm and arriving there shortly after 8pm was shocking to us — but, it was a Sunday night and who really eats that late on a Sunday night right? The wait staff was stellar.
Now for the food.
We had a whole fried flounder. Yup, bones and all! The waiter commented how pleased he was with our order and was pleasantly surprised that we ate the whole thing. He said that many people are turned off seeing a whole fish that is not deboned. With that comment alone, I knew we had a great waiter. The fish was perfectly fried and presented. It wasnt overcooked and we ate the whole damn thing. We were like piranhas finishing off a carcass.
Ribs. Yup, succulent, delicious. Thinking about them now as I type this.
Soy Braised Pork Belly — oh… my … gawd. Deeee-​lishous! They were like deconstructed cha-​shiu-​baos but with succulent pork belly and scallions. I coulda eaten like 20 of those.
Overall awesome experience. Cant go wrong with this place.
However, if you are looking for a hole-​in-​the-​wall, super sized platters of chinese food, then you are in the wrong place. Keep in mind you are coming to eat nouveu Chinese food. Quality food, expertly prepared… and outstanding waitstaff.
Thanks. I’ll be back.

What a peculiar Friday night scene: 10 PM and a guy is puking his guts out in the patio area. We walk in, and a family with two elementary school-​aged kids are enjoying dinner. The rest of the place is pretty packed; it’s almost so loud that I had to lean forward with my hand cupped around my ear to hear the person across from me.
Got a tip to come here from the Chronicle’s Top 100 SF Bars. Supposedly «this Chinese restaurant takes the cocktail to new heights.» After trying out three of their signature cocktails, that’s a bit of an exaggeration compared to what’s going on over at Wilsons & Wilson, among other places, but the bartenders here at Heaven’s Dog do work with some rarer ingredients, which are exciting to tease out.
1^st: CHANTILLY LACE:
Plymouth gin, lime juice, Small Hands pineapple gum, apricot brandy, Peychauds bitters, and mint. I imagined sipping while throwing delicate flower petals into the sky!
Unfortunately, a let down — it tasted like spiked mint water from start to finish. If you’re just looking to toss something down, feel a sizable buzz, and not feel a burn or taste any alcohol, this is it.
2^nd: NOTHING BUT THE BRAVE:
Delord Armagnac, lemon juice, allspice dram, and ginger. It was either this or the Shanghai Buck. Was drawn since it was 1) brandy-​based, and 2) who wouldn’t want some dram (allspice berries + rum + cinnamon + brown sugar)?
This may be the cocktail I was looking for. The allspice dram added deep dark spiciness, and the ginger kicked up the heat for the finish. Dramatic drink. Would order it again!
3^rd: WALL STREET:
Just took a sip of this Old Bardstown bourbon, Della Christina Nocino liqueur, Punt e Mes, Luxardo maraschino liqueur, and winter bitters creation since it was a friend’s drink. It had a lot going on for a bourbon cocktail and I didn’t recognize most of the ingredients until I came home and looked them up: Della Christina (walnuts+brandy), Punt e Mes (Italian vermouth), winter bitters (
).
It was very bourbon-​forward, smooth and smokey, with a subtle maraschino finish. I’d drink another to work my way up to Old Fashioned/​Manhattan/​Sazerac status. Notable touch was the «real» bing cherry at the bottom.
Now with such glowing memories from the last two cocktails, you might be wondering why not 4 or 5 stars?
— FOOD VALUE FOR MONEY: $ 12 plate of vermicelli stir-​fry noodles featured pork shoulder, shrimp, and yellow curry. My friend immediately asked me, «What was supposed to be special about this dish?» Ouch! For me, it was just a filler so I wouldn’t pass out from my drinks. The disappointment was that out of the entire plate of noodles, I got two thumb-​sized shrimp.
Service and closing time:
I read a review below that picked out Dominick for sub-​par service. Our experience with him was positive. He was attentive and not pushy for us to order more, or overeager to clear our dishes. What confused me me was when I asked him what time they closed, he said they had already closed at 12 (it was 12:15) but that we should take our time since he’d be there til one. We thought that was sweet, and we tipped him nicely for that kindness. However, this morning, I looked at the receipt again, it said the place was open until 1. Maybe he meant the kitchen closed at 12?
When we left at 12:30, everyone who wanted to get a cab was able to get one in fewer than five minutes. We had found free street parking across the street.
Best of all — the puddle of chunky brown puke had been cleaned up from the patio. Hooray! Thanks for keeping things clean, Heaven’s Dog!

You know a bar is too good when you actually want the bartender to stop providing you delicious drinks for fear you’ll be too drunk to remember how to get home.
Happy hour here is a success! The small bites are tasty (though they will leave you hungry for more) and the drinks are delightful (I massively enjoyed the gin daisy and margarita).
Here’s a little secret I’ll let you in on…
Manuel’s special drink. Manuel made me a drink that has no right being served in anything but one of the fun tiki mugs. I can’t even remember what’s in it, that’s how good it is.

The whole prohibition era cocktail bar leading to lack of signage on the outside of the building is a bit annoying. This is a restaurant, not only a bar. Nonethless, I will make this easier for you since you will most likely drive right by this place. Look for the contemporary SOMA Grand condo/​apt complex and Heaven’s Dog is inside the rightmost glass door when facing the building. A super chic vibe reminiscent of Charles Phan’s other establishments, namely Slanted Door and Out The Door, greets you indoors.
We ordered:
— Scallion pancakes: Tasty, but a bit overly salty. I’d lay off on the sea salt flecks grazing the top of the pancake.
— Braised pork belly in a clam shell bun: I’d go back here JUST for this! A-​MAY-​ZING. Never had this dish before, but it was a damn good intro to it. Glad I listened to Unilocalers.
— Cashew Chicken: SPICYYYY. Be sure you can handle the heat, or move the chillis aside like we did. Great flavor, but again, a tad salty.
— Brown/​Jasmine Rice: Big portions. Order 1 per two people.
The food was pretty damn fantastic. A great alternative to Slanted Door and Out The Door if you’re a fan of Charles Phan. However, be prepared to shell out the bucks — we paid $ 76 for 2 people, which included the above dishes and 2 drinks.

Came here last minute during NYE. It was close to the hotel my boyfriend and I were staying at, so we figured why not try this place out?
The ambiance was very romantic with the dim lighting and quiet noise level. However, I felt like it was just a tad bit too dark in there. Our server was friendly and welcoming, but I’d beg to differ about the hostess there. –_​–
Anyway, my boyfriend and weren’t looking for a super filling meal before heading out to party the night away. So I guess it was a good thing we came here. Think of the serving portions as Chinese tapas. But, I don’t think the quality of food was too worth the price we paid.
We had:
Crab cakes: These were made differently from what I’m used too. A light breaded dusting on the outside. I wish they served it with a type of sauce or something because that dusting made it a little dry.
Braised pork belly: These little guys were actually really good! Right amount of sweetness and saltiness to make any palate happy.
Scallion pancake: Yummy. I’ve had disastrous, super oily pancakes. These weren’t oily! But they were a bit bland. Not bad though for an Asian/​Chinese fusion type of place.
Salt and pepper squid: Nothing too miraculous. They weren’t overly chewy. But nothing was too memorable here.
Pu-​erh tea: This tea was disgusting. It was the most bitter tea I’ve ever had. And, refilling the pot with more water didn’t help either. I was so sad. How could they have such bad tea?! SMH
I doubt I’d come back here unless they have some super special deal or something. Or if I hear they’ve revamped some items on their menu. Also, this place is a little difficult to find. It’s front door isn’t the most conspicuous. It’s next to a noodle place so just peep through the window to make sure you’ve found the right restaurant.

Came here with my foodie sister and family to celebrate a bunch of birthdays. We’re fans of Slanted Door, so of course need to check out Heaven’s Dog.
It’s not easy to find. No real signage so we drove right past it. From the street, looks like part of the condo building its attached to.
On a Sunday night, both bar are restaurant weren’t crowded. We had reservations, were seated right away in a private room. Décor is contemporary. Our private room was nice and quiet so we could enjoy the dinner and converse in a normal voice.
Service was great. Attentive but not intrusive.
We ordered a ton on dishes:
— Shumai — fantastic. Flavorful, not greasy
— Crispy Duck — OK, kind of bland
— Crispy Chicken Wings — very well done. Not too spicy
— Pork Belly in Clamshell Buns — didnt try it, but my daughter loved it
— Mushroom Trio Stir Fry — a little too spicy for me, just OK
— Shisake Beef — the best of the night. Reminds us of Shaking Beef at Slanted Door
— Brussel Sprouts — interesting lemon flavor, but I dont brussel sprouts
— Ma Po Tofu — just OK
So, kind of a mixed bag. Some dishes were great, some just so-​so. For the money expected better. Not sure we’ll be back, probably will stick with Slanted Door if we want to eat Charles Phan.

YUMMM! Despite being in a super sketch neighborhood and feeling like I was going to die walking from Civic Center Bart to this place, it was AWESOME!!!
No joke about the pork belly buns. they were DELISH! I really liked them. i would come here and just get 4 orders of the belly buns and forego all the rest!
Shanghai dumplings weren’t the best i’ve had. but they were okay.
The Duck Main entrée is not too shabby, though ours was on the dry side as was the jasmine rice.
Great service… especially liked the bartender because he was really nice and personable. 5 stars for the service and Pork Belly buns… and a great big «meh» on the rest of the food and super shady neighborhood.

Four glorious stars for the cocktails and rum-​based menu, which will have you seeing stars if you’re not careful.
Heaven’s Dog is an odd little place in a condo building with a misleading door-​quite literally. MM and I tried to walk in through the kitchen, and they nonchalantly pointed in the direction of the real door to the right. Looks like that’s happened more than once before. What lies behind that eventual door is a serious cocktail menu with a focus on Caribbean spirits, and ginger and citrus based drinks. You wouldn’t guess this by the interior, which isn’t terribly remarkable, save the paintings of man’s best friends that adorn the room. Definitely not a shanty, though, with its moody lighting and dark walls.
I tried a seasonal favorite-​the hot buttered rum, and MM had a Pimm’s Cup, both of which were one of the best I’ve had, very thoughtfully prepared, leaving me feeling pampered by the bartender. The rest of the menu looks fabulous, with concoctions like the Haitian Rum and Honey, and Hotel Nacional (rum, apricot brandy, pineapple gum), wanting me to make way for more. I loved how low-​key this place was on a Thursday night-​populated enough to have a dynamic energy but not too crowded or loud. And since these drinks take some devotion and time to make, thankfully we weren’t taking numbers for our drinks.
The menu I found peculiar; it’s as if Mission Chinese Food (which I love) had the flu and produced similar dishes, but bland, small-​scale, and more expensive. While the ma po tofu and shanghai dumplings I had weren’t awful, they don’t warrant a retaste. Sometimes a cocktail bar should just be a cocktail bar.
Because there can never be too many cocktail bars or pre-​prohibition era cocktails.

I’m usually wary of *fancy* Chinese places. I usually enjoy the food, but my expectations are set low because it’s usually not authentic. Both fancy and authentic, Heaven’s Dog proved me wrong. The xiao long bao were spot on with thin skin and little pocket of soupy broth and meat inside. We later found out from our waiter that elder Chinese ladies make them, which explains their perfection.
The edamame salad with pickled mustard greens, bean curd ribbons and chili oil was much like my mother in law’s version.
The vegetarian pork belly mocked the real thing quite well in texture and taste, with shiitake and crispy tofu skin.
The lotus leaf wrap with sticky rice, duck, pork and quail egg was also impressively authentic.
Where the authenticity ends is the price. With dumplings and buns ranging from $ 7 – 9 and appetizers between $ 7 – 13, this isn’t your typical Chinese fare.

The food was good. We had the pork spare ribs which were coated in a delicious sauce and the pork belly and vegetarian pork belly appetizers were also definitely worth trying. The siu mai was good — not necessarily any better than some of the better dim sum houses in SF — and the tofu and veg dishes were decent. Overall, it was a good meal but again, not necessarily any better than other good Chinese restaurants. You pay for the atmosphere which is something you normally can’t get in good Chinese restaurants.
The most lackluster part of the experience was the service. The wait staff was slow, hurried and not very friendly. We had to keep calling someone over to order food and drink. We were there on a Tuesday night so the restaurant was not full but the staff appeared to be overstretched. It was disappointing.

The cocktails are what draw me in to Heaven’s Dog. Well, the cocktails and the artwork.
COCKTAILS:
The cocktail list is revolving, but Freedom from Choice has never let me down.
Some that I remember enjoying include: Cap Haitian Rum & Honey, The Fourth Regiment Cocktail, & Hot Buttered Rum.
FOOD:
They have some delicious food also, but I wouldn’t come here if I was starving — the menu is on the smaller side.
The shanghai dumplings are great! Be careful not to burn your mouth or pop the dumpling! I am guilty of one or the other every time I order them.
The braised pork-​belly is also tasty. the clam shell bun will stick to your teeth, but it’s worth it.

Nice space, a lot of dog paintings, none playing poker however or at least that I saw.
The only real heavenly item I would return for would be the braised pork belly in the clam shell bun — tender and very flavorful. The xiao long bao were a pretty disappointing, you can get better ones at many other Chinese restaurants and at a fraction of the price.
Of the main entrees, I sampled from the tea marinated crispy duck, the pork chop, and the flat iron steak stir fry. Of the three the duck was by far the best tasting dish with perfectly seasoned and crispy skin and moist and tender meat.
7×7 listed the Shanghai Buck on their Big Eat SF list so I tried one. It was a pretty good cocktail, but not one that will get you buzzed if that’s what you are looking for.

Found this little gem thanks to my roommate but I’m not sure I can locate it again without her help even though it is walkable from our place. Inside, the atmosphere and décor were very classy and beautiful — perfect for a date night — but no one will look at you weird if you show up in jeans and a t-​shirt either.
I ordered the pork spare ribs and she got the crispy duck. We also got 1 order of jasmine rice on the side, because everything here is a la carte, and that was plenty for the both of us.
I’m THAT person who hates too much sauce on anything because I think sauce is an effort to mask whatever flavor or quality the food itself may be lacking. (Yes, I do realize there are people who dedicate their whole lives to creating and perfecting sauces and I think that is an amazing skill, but I’m just not a sauce person in general.) Anyway, when my spare ribs showed up covered in a glistening puddle of sauce, I was less than excited. After a few bites though, I was addicted. I HAD to have more sauce! I was literally trying to scrape up every last bit of sauce from my plate with a couple kernels of rice.
My experience with the crispy duck wasn’t quite as dramatic. It was definitely crispy (very!) and tasty but a bit on the dry side for me.
Both dishes were beautifully presented and looked small for the price but they were surprisingly filling. I’m docking a star for our less-​than-​impressive service but that can be easily remedied if I go the take-​out route next time.

7×7 magazine list’s this restaurant’s Shanghai Buck cocktail as one of the 100 things you need to try in SF before you die. And I won’t argue that the cocktails at this place are outstanding. However, it’s a travesty that the editors forgot to list the braised pork belly buns — they simply are one of the tastiest things I’ve ever eaten ANYWHERE! The pork belly has that perfect balance of rough outer bark and creamy, melty inner fat. Its blend of savory and caramelized flavors add the perfect bite to the soft, milky, chewy bun. There’s nothing like it.
The chicken noodle salad, served room temp, is also out of this world and is a fantastic light plate meant to be shared, like most things on the menu.
HD also serves a mean gin fizz with traditional egg foam.

Since they had a good selection of dim sum items and apps we decided to order a bunch and share.
What we got:
shanghai dumplings — good but I’ve had better
salt & pepper local squid — delish… favorite of the night
stuffed sweet peppers w/​crab, shrimp, shallots — nothing special
braised pork belly in clam shell bun — yum… we had to get a 2^nd order
black pepper flat iron steak, red onions, bell pepper — tasty but not as good as the Slanted door shaking beef
shumai pork, shrimp and shiitake dumplings — a little dry
wild mushrooms w/​noodles — oh so good
lemon tart — nice… I was hoping for a more Asian inspired dessert but this is all they had
As for the drinks I thought my 2 rum cocktails (Savannah Planters Punch/​Bumble Bee) tasted too similar. I actually preferred the wine.
Note: park at the SOMA grand parking garage next door. They validate!

Heaven’s Dog does a good job of false advertising. Chinese food isn’t meant to be this expensive, especially since it isn’t all that good.
The highlight of the dinner was the vegetarian pork belly (
), though it taste nothing like pork belly. It was more of a crispy dough than anything else, but I thought the dish was very well done.
We also had the Shanghai dumplings (
). The skin stuck to the bottom of the tray, so all the soup fell out before I could get it onto my spoon. But fine, I can blame that on my own clumsiness.
The shrimp claypot (
) looked good, but definitely did not taste good. And for $ 16, you can do a whole lot better.
Good thing there was the dan dan mein (
) to the rescue!
+/​-​one star for the company. Haven’t decided yet.

So I came back to have lunch in the noodle shop counter section (separate entrance). I was told that currently you can have lunch or dinner at either the noodle shop section or the main dining room. The main dining room is hidden from view, located to the left after passing thru the bar area. There’s also a private room at the end of the beautiful long bar. The restrooms are located in a passage way that separates the noodle shop from the main bar/​dining area.
On that day service was almost non-​existent in the noodle shop area. Not that I was expecting the type of service you’d get in a formal dining room. There was literally nobody (other than the kitchen staff cooking the food) for very long periods of time. I was lucky to get a waitress to take my order, but another person that came after me had to wait a long time before anybody came to take his order (although his food order came out faster than mine, he ordered a noodle soup). My guess is that the wait staff was probably busy taking care of the people in the main dining room. In general, lunch prices are high ($ 7 – 15), while dinner prices ($ 7 – 19) are moderate. The space is very nice and clean, but the food is just okay. I have not tried their cocktails yet.
The food items I’ve tried so far:
«Beef curry puffs» (similar to Samosas) with mint sauce ($ 7) — fried food is always good.
The Shanghai dumplings or XLB ($ 8) comes in a traditional bamboo steamer basket, and 2 cups with dipping sauce (vinegar + soy sauce) and julienned ginger are served alongside. You get 6 XLBs, while most other Chinese restaurants give you 8. Flavorwise they were just okay, not great. The soup was present inside the dumpling, but the dough was a little different in consistency and taste.
Timmy’s egg noodles with beef ($ 8) was good overall — stir-​fried wide egg noodles are topped with tender beef and scallions. The noodles were well seasoned and flavorful, but the dish was too simple for my taste.

meh.