New King Tin Restaurant

If I stop by Chinatown for lunch and do not want dimsum, I head to this place. It’s been around since 1991 at least and they make AWESOME barbecue pork. I simply order the riceplate (making sure to ask for some veggies) and polish it off. They add the sauce which is probably made from some fatty parts because it tastes so good.
The price is hard to beat.
As for duck wonton noodle soup, I wasn’t impressed with it. The noodles were stringy and the wonton were a tad small. But that’s my companion’s problem. I ALWAYS get the bbq riceplate.
They also have fried pork and when I went in they have the whole freaking pig hanging there. This place is FRESH.
Service wise, it is okay… this IS an old school Chinese place so I don’t expect service like you would get at Western places. As such, my expectations were fine.

The place is legit. When we walked in, everybody turned and looked at us. We were the only white people in the place. That’s when I knew I was in for some good food. The waiter talked us out of ordering some things that we originally wanted and we trusted his opinion… Thank God. Everything that came out was really good!
Hands down the best curry chicken I’ve ever had. The Kung Pow chicken was just the right about of really spicy.
Beers…well, beers were kinda warm.
I wanna go back.

Like other reviewers, a mixed bag.
Pros: prompt friendly service.
Cons: some meals under seasoned, bathrooms were SCARY.
We ordered four dinners. two were great, other two were so-​so.
if you are coming here, ask someone for a recommendation on what to order.
Winner from our meal: honey walnut prawns, loser: mixed vegetables Chinese style.

Came here because hubby prefers places with no lines, high order on a Sunday during peak lunch hour… of course, you can count on New King Tin for that… today I learn why.
I don’t expect service here but we had decent food… today hubby wanted congee so we ordered the mix pork giblets congee ($ 4.95). We were asked if we wanted the rice crêpe — hubby asked for beef and was told the beef is no good. Our choice became shrimp, bbq pork or spareribs. With the spareribs, it’s not inside the crêpe but over plain crêpe. We ordered that at $ 4.50. While waiting, the one and only dim sum cart came over and we had the siu mai and chicken feet — both were consider small item at $ 2.10 each — both ok.
The congee came and everything went downhill… it was tasteless, not only the porridge but all the ingredients — like they boiled every single flavor out of everything. The spareribs rice crêpe came out and it looked pathetic — the spareribs were old, you can tell the sides were dark and dry — it was just warm as was the noodle. I flagged down the waitress and told her it was not hot — she insists it was and asked me to touch the bottom of the dish. I put my hand there without flinching and she still insists it was hot but will bring it back in. While doing so, she started making sly comments to her coworkers as if we are deaf and can’t hear her. When it came out again, it was still not piping hot as it should… the spareribs were not good and barely edible.
No need to waste my stomach space on shitty food. When we got our check, we were charged $ 2 for tea like in a dim sum house — what BS. They are not a dim sum house and had we ordered only noodles, we still would have offered the same one tea bag weak pot of tea with no charge.
Let’s see when they’ll shut down or change owners again, it’s just a matter of time with bad service and terrible food.

FYI this place has some of the best roast duck I have ever had in my life. It is cheap too. $ 7.50 for half, $ 15 for whole, but those are the take-​out prices. It is more expensive if you stay. The duck though is so flavorful and delicious, that they price is somewhat inconsequential. At times, you can find me devouring half of one of these beasts on the cement bench across the street while tour buses full of visitors drive by and take pictures of me and laugh. Doesn’t phase me. I devour on. It is pretty out of the way for me, which is very unfortunate because I would definitely get a whole duck to go at least weekly otherwise.
The duck itself is very fatty in comparison to some that I have had at other places, which tend to be more boney. They have always been perfectly cooked, juicy and had very crispy skin. None of the meat has ever been dry and there is actually a ton of juices running out of each bite, unlike some places that have to add juice back to it before you take it to keep it moist. Best duck in the US for sure (so far).

While in Chinatown one day, we passed this little place and were lured in by the hanging roasted ducks in the window.
Once inside, the restaurant didn’t look very promising. A little run down and stuffy inside, I assumed the food would disappoint. But I was wrong…
The menu has a great selection of items! My faves were the BBQ pork, chow mein and shrimp dumplings. Portions are large and very filling, so be prepared to unfasten your buttons and belts after the meal!
Service is fast, prices not too bad, considering the fact that you are in SF and everything tends to be on the pricey side.

just walked in hungry for dim sum.
walked out with plenty of leftovers and full bellies. the portions were larger than expected, and everything was pretty good.

So I went here during a field trip to Chinatown with the Asian Cuisine class from the Art Institute in Sunnyvale. I don’t go to that campus anymore, so it was really nice.
If you get there early enough, like around 8 or so in the morning, you might be lucky enough to see the roasted pig come out of the kitchen and enjoy it fresh.

I probably would’ve given this place a 3 or maybe even a close 4 but the server was arrogant! It takes a lot to upset me but she pretty much made us frustrated.
So this place looks as classic as it can be for a hole-​in-​a-​wall type Chinese restaurant. I actually wanted to go to another place which was a bit nicer but my one friend insisted we go here…
So I look at the lunch menu and ask the server about the combo plate. I even pointed to it and she starts listing out all the meat dishes. I ask her how many combination’s can we have and she just said «Whatever you like.» So I order the Soy Chicken, BBQ Pork, and BBQ Ribs. So being a lunch menu/​special, I assume it has rice. WRONG!
She brings our food and I ask her that it’s supposed to come with rice. Hell, the damn meal is called Lunch Special Rice Plates — Meat Combination. So she’s already brought our food at this point and answers my question with «You ordered combination meat… that $ 12.» But the lunch special was $ 8. Im not cheap, but I do hate being cheated or hussled on. She was lucky we were hungy. So I just said forget it and to bring us some rice. Then she has the nerve to grab the meat combo plates wanting to take them back to the kitchen. HELL NO! Who knows what she plans on doing to our food if we decide to re-​order! So we left it as is.
Now onto the food. I thought it was pretty damn good! I like every part of it. The Soy Chicken was heavily soyed but not to the point where it was salty. The BBQ Ribs barely had any bones in them and the BBQ Pork was very flavorful!
She didn’t even come back to ask us for more water or anything!!! The bus boy did it since he was the only help I can find around our table. So we left him the tip and told him it was for him. The look on the bus boy’s face was priceless… as if he was caught stealing or something… But we told him that it was for him only. He was happy!

Overall, pretty good!
I came here with my family for dinner. We hardly go to Chinatown for dinner (no parking), but this was a surprising deal. When I was younger, we used to come for joc (congee), and its arguably the best joc around. But there was some drama with the owner and the bills, and some kind of co-​op with the workers and there were big changes… but I digress. The food is good. =)
We ordered the $ 38 meal for dinner, that was 6 total dishes. 1 beef soup, soy sauce chicken, sweet and sour pork, tofu with bok choy, lobster with garlic sauce, and black bean clams.
The portions weren’t huge, but I have to say for variety and food, this would have been a satisfying meal for 5 people. The beef soup was very yummy, and the cilantro in it wasn’t overpowering at all. The chicken was good, not too dry (but I only had a breast meat, so its naturally a little drier). Sweet n sour pork had tons of flavor, and was pretty crispy. Tofu was good… though the mushrooms were a little overly sour from the sauce. Lobster was also pretty darn good — wasn’t overcooked or chewy. Black Bean Clams was also cooked well and didn’t become chewy or raw-​ish. =)
I’d normally give it a 3.5 stars, but the service was great (the guy changed our plates twice!). The cheap food also makes me lean toward the higher stars. Yay for cheap good food!

The duck soup was the best part of the meal and very tasty, however the rest of the dishes were either under seasoned or over-​salted.
Ordered black pepper beef (need way more black pepper)
Almond chicken (didn’t really taste like anything)
seafood noodles (can’t remember the exact name, but was ridiculously salty) Total bill came to about 20 bucks /​person for 3 ppl, kinda expensive for a hole in the wall asian place.
Oh almost forgot, THEY ADD TONS OF MSG, I was so freaking thirsty after I ate there!

Of all the chinese restaurants that, I have been to in the San Francisco Chinatown area until when there was one chinese restaurant that I have never been to… That would be New King Tin Restaurant I have passed by this restaurant too many times and never ate inside until today… I came in here on a very misty day to eat here for lunch… This is what, I have ordred for lunch which was the Seafood Combination Chow Mein I also had some Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) and both of the items that…
I have ordered tasted really good and it wasnt that bad at all… For me this is a good place to have lunch and also the restaurant staff were very friendly with me… I also see alot of tourist people who come to eat here as well… Except for one thing the bathroom wasnt that clean anyways if you have to use it then use it… You have no choice to use the restroom if its dirty or not dirty not every restaurant you will find the bathrooms clean… All I have to say is you gotta go you gotta go!!!

With not too many options to choose from on the night of Christmas, my friend and I decided to stop by Chinatown to find a quick bite to eat. This place had the festive crowd to match the bright colorful lighting. By the time we arrived, most of their deli items had already been sold out while the open kitchen was still steaming with large pots of congee. As a pure hole in the wall, the old sticky tables were comfy and spaciously arranged with tanks of live seafood stacked in the back corner.
We weren’t hungry enough to order the items written on the walls, but decided to share a wonton noodle soup ($ 4.50) and abalone with liver congee ($ 6). We both thought the wontons were subpar when compared with San Sun and Hai Ky Mi Gia, but the fillings were still solid with a mouthful of shrimp and ground pork. The egg noodles however, were some of the best we’ve tasted with the broth fairly consistent with the one at Sun Hong Kong. Our abalone and liver congee was bland and not as flavorful as Gum Kuo. The abalone slices were fresh but the cuts could be thicker while large pieces of pork liver were firm, chewy, and fulfilling. The texture of the congee was solid.
It was overall a decent size meal that came with a good price tag. I hope to return at another time to try their claypots and deli items. Service was largely absent but friendly once we were able to get their attention. Even though they were already out of roast duck by the time we got there, it was still good to know that this place opens late and is relatively close to Union Square. 3 stars for the overall experience. I will definitely consider this place again if I ever need a place to stop by during the holidays or simply for late night dining.

My partner and I stumbled upon this place while looking for food around 10 pm in Chinatown one Thursday evening. There were only a couple tables occupied, but all Chinese, which we took to be a good sign.
We had potstickers, mixed vegetables with mushrooms, beef chow fun, and walnut chicken (I prefer walnut prawns, but my partner is a Midwesterner who dislikes most seafood). All were delicious, particularly the mushrooms and vegetables. I normally like my chow fun with more vegetables, as I used to have it at Vietnamese places in San Diego, but it was quite good nonetheless, and the noodles were delightfully chewy.
Service was fast and polite. It’s now on our list of late-​night places in SF. We’ll definitely be back.

I heard somewhere that there are no «good» Chinese restaurants left in Chinatown, since, when they get popular, the owners get the hell outta there and relocate in the suburbs.
That said, I never really experimented much in terms of restaurants in Chinatown. On a Saturday night I was left looking all over the place for food in hopes of proving this mentioned theory wrong. I stumbled upon this restaurant and was greeted by a KIND and not in-​your-​face lady in the front who was promoting the store. She complimented my Chinese and was courteous, not rude like other greeters in C-​town often are (see Kan’s Restaurant). The menu looked fair so we went in.
I read here that people say this place had several recent renovations. I agree that you couldn’t tell, as the place looked a bit tired and was not aesthetically pleasing in the least! We were served hot black tea in a dirty tea kettle, and I made sure I drank from the less-​dirty side of my cup.
When I try a new Chinese place I usually see if they can master what I think is a staple Chinese vegetarian dish — deep fried tofu with broccoli. Thankfully they were happy to make it, even though it wasn’t on the menu. I also ordered white rice since they didn’t serve brown rice :(It was served promptly after and was DELICIOUS! My friend ordered the beef and broccoli, in addition to a fried rice dish, and all our food totaled to less than $ 25. Not bad for a dinner in the city, especially considering how we could eat for a week from its leftovers!
So in terms of the theory that there are no good Chinese restaurants in Chinatown — this place proved that wrong. I am sure there are other places out there than can do the same, too!
(note: they do not accept Amex)

There is nothing «new» about this New King Tin. Despite having gone through a renovation a few months ago, which seemingly consisted of just replacing their old sticky floors with nicer tiles that have since been dirtied up pretty bad, this place is still the same ol’ King Tin I used to know.
I haven’t been here for dinner, but I know there is a large dining room on the second floor, where I suspect Chinatown gangsters convene during their late night meetings regarding the happenings in C-​town. Oh wait, I think my dad comes here every weekend with his «benevolent association»…
Nonetheless, I can vouch for their breakfast. Let me rephrase that: I can vouch for their supercalifragilisticexpialidocious CHEAP breakfast. Every morning from 8 – 11 am, they have a variety of congee and dim sum (yeah, these things are considered breakfast for us Chinese folk) for only $ 1.60! Shredded pork and thousand year old egg congee, black bean steamed spareribs, steamed rice noodles, beef congee, black bean steamed chicken feet (to name a few), all just for $ 1.60 each. One would think that maybe the portions would be smaller than what they would be at regular price, but that’s not the case here. Shareable portions and tasty dim sum at very recession-​friendly prices!
The downside is that, unless you read Chinese or refer to my review, you won’t know about these specials because they’re written in Chinese on a couple posters that are on their walls or on the outer window display.

New King Tin is still a great joint… stopped in last night and had my usual Rock Cod in Black Bean Sauce. It’s not on the menu but they’ll make it for you if you ask. Really, I think it’s the best black bean sauce ever! My friends all think their honey walnut shrimp is the best example they’ve had too…
Last night, we also tried and enjoyed the Peking Spare Rib. It was lightly crisp and flavored well.
Can’t beat that from an expensive restaurant that’s open late-​night!
See ya there!

On our way back from chinatown, we were looking for a quick place to grab a bite to eat. This fit the bill, it was relatively quick, and we got descent food at a reasonable price (16 bucks for two large dinners). Nothing big to write about here, and no real lasting impressions.

1. Please invest in air-​conditioning. It was probably 80 degrees inside.
2. Mediocre Chinese food.
3. Uncomfortable seating arrangements.
4. I turned over my tea cup to find a browning slice of onion inside. GROSS.
5. Friendly wait staff couldn’t and will not save the whatevs food.

Pretty good for SF Chinatown. Service perfect. Called in my order. When I got there 5 minutes later, it was ready to pick up.
I had the wonton barbequeue pork noodle soup. Not completely authentic but good enough on a Friday night when it’s raining and there’s no time to be picky.