Wo Hing General Store

Closed, eh?
Somehow not surprised.
While the food was amazing and the ingredients fresh and of the highest quality… I think in a city like SF where you can get about 20 dumplings on Clement or in China town for one dumpling here… it’s a tough dumpling to swallow.
Wonder what’s coming next?

What does «meh» mean, anyway? What language is that?
So its too bad Wo Hings is closing. I went there about a month ago and really enjoyed the dry chicken wings. But something was odd about the staff and service was really spotty for the prices. I wondered if they signed on because of Charles Phan’s success, only to be terribly disappointed that the crowds never came/didn’t last. Hmm.
Just read on «Curbed SF» that this place is closing. Good luck to the staff.

I’m surprised this place has an average of 3 stars. My husband and I were craving dumplings and decided to check it out in spite of the mixed reviews and I’m glad we did as it was delicious. We ordered all of the dumplings and enjoyed them all.
I’ve got high standards when it comes to food and especially when it comes to dumplings so do not let the negative reviewers deter you, this place is delicious!
The service was nice, but not amazing so hence the 4 stars.

Love this place. Basically the only Chinese place in SF that I can go on a hot date because:
1. not just tsingtao… they have drinks! they’re delicious and deadly.
2. the food is solid, homey, and, if you order the right things, exotic
3. the place is nice enough to impress but casual enough that I am NOT trying too hard haha
4. i can almost always walk in and get a nice table without a wait. you know, impromptu
and… drumroll please…
5. her vintage tweed blazer/​cardigan/​dress will not smell like fried wontons or mu-​shu pork when we leave! … or more importantly, MY vintage tweed blazer/​cardigan/​dress… HIS vintage tweed… THEIR cardigan… hey, it’s SF. Don’t judge me.
Food is good! Interesting menu — some items are inspired by Chinese street carts. When I lived in HK and Taiwan, these delicacies (oyster crêpe, lamb skewers, pork belly eggs and bittermelon duck egg specifically) were staples for me, and it’s really hard to find them here. I mean, names like those… tough sell, but you should try them. Shanghai dumplings were good, but you have to eat them hot, and without breaking the skin (the precious soup will drizzle out and it’ll taste doughy). Get some snacks and share — let’s be honest, you’re mostly drinking anyways.
Yeah, it’s more expensive than richmond spots, but then again, I don’t have to cab my ass out there, yell at the waiter to bring me a clean pair of chopsticks, and smell like the food I ate for the next three days — I’ll gladly trade a few bucks for that privilege.
Oh, and in case you were judging me anyways… I’m all for squatting in a bodega dripping taco juice all over my date… what do you think a first date’s for?

Standard fusion food at fusion prices, served in a somewhat sterile atmosphere. I think the real draw here is the cocktail menu, which everyone at our table raved about. Don’t get me wrong: the food is fine, but it’s hard to get excited about overpriced fusion food. The best bet seem to be the dry noodles; in fact the dry noodle with shrimp was the tastiest of what we sampled. The catfish was, surprisingly, the least exciting, as was the chicken hot pot (which was some boiled tasting chicken covered in an overwhelming, sinus-​opening amount of ginger). The dumplings were perfectly salty, but for $ 6 for 4, you will be nostalgic for reasonably priced dim sum dumplings served to you steaming hot from a woman pushing a cart. Dessert can, and should, be skipped.
Dinner for four with four drinks came to $ 140.

Overall good food. but compared to your perfectly good hole-​in-​the-​wall Chinese restaurant, Wo Hing’s dishes are about 75% more expensive and taste only 20% better. Sure, they package it all nicely in a restaurant with modern décor, placed in the heart of the Mission with a full staff of hipster servers. Add a full bar and some creative cocktails and you’ve got your next big raved-​about restaurant in the city. But is it all really worth the significantly higher pricepoint?
Undoubtedly the food is tasty. And I’m glad I went and tried it. I would recommend it to friends looking for the experience and willing to pay a little more for Chinese food. But I don’t think I’ll be going again — I’d rather reserve that wallet space and my limited time for more worthy restaurants.
~~COCKTAILS~~
* Broken flower — 3.5 stars
(resposado tequila, italian amaro, grapefruit, blah, blah, blah, delicious. $ 10)
A sweet, refreshing drink. On the strong side (for a lightweight here). My boyfriend got this on the server’s rec. I took a sip and told her, «I want this but with more of a kick.» So she told me to get the Southern Pacific.
* Southern Pacific — 4 stars
(tequila blanco, pineapple gum, apricot brandy, lime, chili tincture. $ 10)
Just what I needed! Subtle flavors, a nice spicy kick to it. And all our drinks came in a different glass/​goblet, so each of our drinks felt extra special =).
* Shanghai dumpling — 3.5 stars
(black vinegar, baby ginger. $ 11)
Next to Joe’s Shanghai (at which I was a regular) in NYC? Sorry, not as good. The dumpling was too thin, and for the sake of the white man, they don’t explain how to eat them so half of them were wasted by my ignorant friends losing all the soup in the bamboo steamer because they weren’t careful enough picking it up. Speaking of the soup, there just wasn’t a lot of it. I thought this was fine, but nothing to rave about (as everyone else seems to be doing).
* Point Reyes miyagi oysters — 4 stars
(egg & rice flour crêpe, green garlic chives. $ 15)
Once again, this was good. A little oilier than I would’ve preferred for such a high quality restaurant. But it had a good outer crisp. Looking back at the price now, I can’t believe we paid this much for four little slices. And each slice only had one or two pieces of oyster. When you got a bite of that oyster, it was a nice novelty, but that was a rare thing.
* Fried mary’s chicken wings — 4 stars
(sichuan peppercorn & dried chili salt. $ 9)
This was a dry chicken wing. The skin was thin and crispy. The meat tender and moist. And you get 8 wings! Probably the best value on the menu.
* Milk chocolate terrine
(valhrona carameila glaze, fresh banana compote)

Came here for dinner on Saturday dinner. The service was good, though I really wasn’t thrilled with the food. It was good, but nothing to be shouting out for. The stand out dish of the evening was the chicken hearts and gizzards appetizer. It was very tasty and none of my friends who don’t care for offal, did not enjoy it.
The remaining dishes were just OK. I was not impressed with the Chinese food. We had the glass noodles, braised mushrooms, shui kou bean sauce, niman ranch beef bavette claypot, sugar snap peas, braised mushrooms, pan-​fried rice noodle rolls, and local rock cod, fried tofu, snow peas, oyster mushrooms, oyster sauce. Good, but again, nothing to really be excited for.
Overall, it was an enjoyable evening, though I was not impressed with the food. I have never really been a fan of the Slanted Door. So I am am not surprised that this place didn’t really excite me as well.

I came to San Francisco for about 10 days and ate out each day I was there. Why is that important? Because my experience at Wo Hing was one of the best of the entire trip!
I’ve read some of the reviews and was admittedly doubtful before deciding to eat here. But knowing the reputation of the owner and hearing about their cocktail program I thought, «What the heck…» So off I went and boy am I glad I ate here.
The menu featured a number of appetizers, small plates and entrees. It was near impossible to pick just one thing so my boyfriend and I decided it was best to split a few of the small plates and apps and try a lot of items on the menu. Our server was quick to tell us she thought our order was solid and even offered a few other suggestions. Love it!
Drinks arrived and food came out shortly thereafter. Everything was cooked to order so plates rolled out as they were finished. This was perfect because it didn’t take up too much table space and it allowed us time to share a dish and finish it before other plates arrived.
Everything was absolutely delicious and the prices were very reasonable. I loved the casual vibe and even noticed small attentions to detail like the VERY expensive (and comfortable) dining chairs and barstools. It might look like it’s just a casual spot but it’s clear there was a ton of thought put into this place. I will definitely be paying another visit when I’m back in SF in a few months.

Service: 4 Stars
Atmosphere: 4 Stars
Food: 3 Stars
We came here for lunch and ordered the Wheat Noodles, Fried Chicken, and Spare Ribs. Noodles were stir fried with onions and beef. It looked great but needed some more spice to it. Fried Chicken was crispy, peppery, and garnished with green onion. Again a bit bland. «Pass the siracha please!» Spare ribs looked great but were super smokey and raw. It was a really thick cut and the meat didn’t cook in the center. We had to send it back and our server was kind enough to remove the order and give us a complimentary dessert. Our service was great throughout the meal and the décor is really casual but hip at the same time.
All the dishes looked great but were kinda bland. This would easily be resolved if they added MSG to their food, and if they do… they need to add more. LIke it or not… all good chinese food has MSG in it. This place has everything else going for it except when it comes down to the taste of the food. Want better reviews Charles? Just add MSG!

Really great Chinese in a chic setting. The menu is short, but there is plenty to enjoy.
I remember when this was the original location of The Slanted Door and it was fun to revisit it.
The cocktail program is awesome, pretty much everything was interesting and delicious. A Brooklyn had a funny after taste and while I’m sure that was deliberate I didn’t love it.
We had the shanghai dumplings, ha gau x 2, won tons, pork noodles, shrimp vermicelli, beef with asparagus, and finally the tapioca with aloe and mango.
High quality and fun, this was winner. I thought it was especially nice for a group (6).
Rice never came for some reason, but whatever we were full and satisfied.

I had some mixed feelings about this place. It was packed on Saturday night. BF and I craved spare ribs so looked on Unilocal.We were led to this place. When we arrived we waited a bit for a table and grabbed a drink at the bar. The drinks were pretty good. Their cocktail menu was creative and definitely made you feel as if you were at an upscale lounge. We were seated upstairs and ordered a few dishes to share. If you are looking for normal Chinese delivery food, don’t expect it here. This place won’t have it.
We ordered the spare ribs which came out burnt and really really small portions. I was looking for the huge boney red spare ribs. Def did not get that. We ordered a chicken dish and a green bean dish. Both were pretty simple. I wanted some fried rice but they didn’t have any. They did have jook. Which I found to be confusing. I’m not sure I’d ever come back. I was also confused about the hype and why its so busy. But I guess people like their upscale Chinese food.

3 ½ STARS
Many of the other reviews for this place are accurate. It is a lovely place, a bit pricey, and the food simply does not measure up.
The five of us started with the Shanghai dumplings and they were the highlight of the meal. Quite excellent.
The gan lai vegetable was good as well, but all of the other dishes we ordered were plain & ho-​hum.
Sorry…
Atmosphere — 4 STARS
Service — 4 STARS
Location — 4 STARS
Food — 3 STARS

Damn, Gina! So many haters on here…
Ok, so we got an epic last minute resv through a friend in «the industry» so maybe that tainted my experience, however… I wanted to impress some friends in from Chicago who love Slanted Door so, Wo Hing General Store we were to go.
Apps were both perfection: the pork spare ribs and Szechuan dumplings (filled with pork + chicken stock).
Entrees: Whole wheat noodles with pork was my favorite dish of the night — a «must order» for pork lovers. The even balance of salty but not overbearing so you couldn’t taste the natural flavors and light sauce. Ginger chicken — good — not great — a little too «healthy» tasting for what we wanted (sinful.) Beef brisket — interesting — different — I’m a Jew so I always appreciate the «other» brisket versions — great shot — not for everyone, though.
Cocktails: Impressive menu, so many to choose from, what’s your mood? I went for a piña colada as I’m just back from Mexico and this puppy had its own artisan unique touch that gave me a delicious, friendly buzz. Great wine selection — short but sweet.
Service: Un-​intrusive, professional, friendly, helpful. He did what he was supposed to in an efficient manner, service-​with-​a-​smile.
Good times.

You are either a lover or a hater of this trendy, art-​gallery feel Chinese (fusion) restaurant…
It’s trendy. Love the art work and the spacious feel. It’s definitely not your hole-​in-​the-​wall greasy $ 5 Chinese restaurant. I got the beef brisket wheat noodle soup ($ 13), long beans ($ 8), and ma poh tofu ($ 13). All were delicious, but I can see why people give it low stars due to the high prices.
I give 4 stars for the ambiance and concept as well as the good food.

OMG I was expecting great things but anything you may have heard/​read is true. They need a lot of work and they’re definitely trying too hard… to compete with Mission Chinese.
4 of us shared the Crêpe-​not worth remembering, Shanghai dumplings-​barely cooked all the way through-​no soup, spareribs-​dry, preserved egg jook-​whatevs, cauliflower-​ok, 5 spice squid-​the best dish probably because it was fried and involved 5 spice, ma po tofu-​good flavor but tofu was the extra firm kind — gross. Libations were ok. Perhaps we ordered the wrong things but not really having it.

Why did CP have to steal Brooke from Prospect? That’s just mean.
The drinks here are amazing, clean, neat, and individually crafted by different juices, fruits, and the base alcohol of gin, whiskey, vodka, etc. The bar gets 5 stars!
The food… well, it’s a bit over priced for basic Chinese/​Vietnamese cuisine. I don’t know how you can get away for charging over $ 10 for congee! Fine, its organic. there’s no MSG, and it’s sprinkled with fairy dust… but $ 10 bucks? Sheesh… I’ll stick to Irving, Clement or C-​town for my authentic bowl of «juk»
Hence, the average of 3 stars… great drinks… overpriced food.

Coming from Houston, it seems appalling to pay high prices for Asian food. But alas, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Can’t live in a cave forever!

FOOD:
Sweet & Sour Eggplant — yummy! Not overly greasy like Chinese veggies can often be. And not too «sweet & sour.» Nice spicy kick and green onions to complement the flavors. Is this an old people food?
BBQ Pork Spare Ribs — delicious flavor. Slightly dry. Guy next to me said they were the best ribs he’s ever had! Bold.
Steamed Catfish — amazing texture. Melted in my mouth. Slightly salty. Delicious on white rice.
COCKTAILS:
Laughing Water (rye whiseky, dry vermouth, pineapple juice, lemon, cinnamon) — delish!
Mescal por mi Amante (strawberry infused mescal, lemon, egg whites, agave nectar, angostura) — delish!
PS the bartender is not only beautiful, but talented. The drinks were well-​crafted (we sat at the bar), gorgeous presentation, and tasty. Watch out Locanda.
ATMOSPHERE:
So hip.
Yes, pricey (but it’s all relative!).

Im waffling here. I might say this is actually a 3.75. I like the locale and the ambiance. The place is so not an Asian restaurant in ambiance but it is in food. The paintings, the furniture, and the crazy slow morph vertical color bar display, echo something of a drinking lounge. The food is familiar to me as it’s stuff I grew up eating but Im not sure it’s distinguished enough to justify the hip prices. Oxtail, pork knuckle, house made noodles, soup dumplings, and lamb skewers were decent but again the price performance value might not be there. The desserts are quite nice though
The drinks are also not Asian in nature but they are still tasty. I recognized the bar manager from Prospect, Brooke Arthur, and as the night ended she sat near us after most of the tickets were done with. I may have a little crush on her. Service was pretty solid and on opening night it only took them a little extra time to get us seated for our reservations. Perhaps Ill try a handful of other things next time but I think the place is more suited to drinking and noshing than as a dinner destination.

Date & Time: Friday October 28, 2011 @ 6pm
Dining Companion: The Husband
Scene: Liberty Heights Couples & Groups + Hipsters in Self-​Edge Jeans w/​Ladies in Candystore Collective Flowy Tops
Music: Excellent PlayList w/​The Black Keys
Vibe: Energetic
Décor: Contemporary Loft Space. Vivid Art Work & Dim Lighting. Sleek Bar, Bench Seating in Dining Rooms
Service: Professional
Imbibe: Brooklyn, Trumer, Wild Cherry
Devour: Complimentary Spicy, Boiled Peanuts, BBQ Pork SpareRibs, Rice Vermicelli w/​Shrimp, Red Braised Pork Trotter, Sweet & Sour Eggplant & Black & White Sesame Mochi for Dessert
Skip: Shanghai Dumplings
Total: $ 100.68
Note: Brought to You by Charles Phan of Slanted Door, Out The Door & Heaven’s Dog

What’s not to love here? Great cool space, delicious chinese food, nice staff and skilled bartenders! I came here for the private opening and got to try the menu.
Food: the shu mai, yuba with mushrooms, and xiao long bao are fabulous
Dessert: the mini homemade sesame mochi and vanilla cream roulades were worth dying and going to heaven for
Drinks: the piña coladas with fresh coconut shavings and cucumber sherry punch made the night sparkle
Excellent job Charles. Your father and uncle would be proud.