Mission Chinese Food
| Address: | 2234 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA |
| Phone: | +1 415-863-2800 |
| Site: | missionchinesefood.com |
| Rating: | 4 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–3PM 5–10:30PM 5–10:30PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
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Nei Ng
Its really easy to find this place because theres always a sea of people waiting to get in. Add in its reputation, and I think my expectations were set a bit too high. My dinner here wasnt exactly the best. When I saw the Tea-Smoked Eel in the menu, my eyes immediately lit up because I love tea-smoked duck. I was really expecting the same kind of big smoky pow that you would get from the duck. The rolls themselves were alright - a bit sweet and salty. What really let me down was the eel. They didnt taste a bit smoky to me at all. I still think that theres potential in this dish. The smokiness wouldve complemented the sweet and salty flavors in addition to the pork. It wouldve also provided a nice contrast to the fresh flavor of the greens. Without the smoke, the dish didnt really tie together. I was also really excited to try the Ma Po Tofu. After hearing all the buzz, it seemed like this was MCFs signature dish. It definitely had a decent kick to it, and the bean sauce was thick and rich. However, the bright citrus notes and tingly numbing sensation youd get from Szechuan peppercorns were absent. Thats a big deal. When I eat Szechuan food, I dont even pay too much attention to the spiciness. The defining feature is the presence of the numb feeling in your mouth. In the end, the Ma Po Tofu wasnt really interesting without the citrus flavors and numbing peppercorns. The Salt Cod Fried Rice was another dish that looked good on paper. Im guessing its suppose to be a play on Chinese salted fish and chicken fried rice (ham yu gai lup chow fan). I thought the fried rice in general was pretty bland and lacked wok hei. The mackerel confit tasted fine, but it didnt hold up when paired with the rice. The fish wasnt flavorful enough to properly season another component. Theres not enough Chinese sausage to really help either. I think something more potent, like bacalhau, would work better in the fusion fried rice. The price isnt too high, but I think for the wait, Id rather go to Z&Y for Szechuan food.
ME
Melissa Watson
Im not sure what is more shocking: that it took me so long to eat here or that it actually lived up to expectations. Three friends and I got there a minute or two before they opened at 5pm on a weekend and joined a small group of people waiting. Another guest helpfully pointed out the clipboard hanging and I put my name down surprised to see how many names seemed to be in front of me, but many of them turned out to be leftovers from the night before and we easily made it into the first seating. There wasnt much on the menu that I would have refused to try but somehow we managed to select the perfect range of flavors from the spicy tofu to the smokey thrice-cooked bacon (with the most interesting little dumpling type noodles) to the sweet beef cheeks in orange sauce. The servers are concentrating on keeping this hotspot flowing so while they are not the most attentive they are working in your best interest. The hole in the wall decor is amusing. We were done by about 6:30 and most of the other first seating tables were turning over right around then as well so I almost thought that would be a good time to arrive if you couldnt be there at opening... but there was already a huge crowd outside! So if you want to avoid a long wait I highly recommend having a late breakfast or a light lunch and then being there right at 5:00. Note for Mission locals: I recently ordered delivery from them and while it didnt quite compare to the meal I had in the restaurant it certainly blows other Chinese takeout away. We ordered online at 6pm on a Friday and were promised our food by 7:15, oof! But we were in luck that night because our food actually arrived before 6:30!
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Jessica Gong
After coming here, I can now declare: I no longer listen to magazines and online foodie sites to tell me what is a "good" chinese restaurant! A HUGE tip to those foreign to foreign flavored restaurants: if you want "authentic," English absolutely cannot be the only language on the menu. I want to be able to look at a menu, go "wtf?" and laugh about what something is because it is either translated wrong or its so real it seems obscure to others. An additional tip to those who still wish to bang their heads against a brick wall and journey to the mission and try this place out: Their food is catered to the palates of those who hail from northern china which means the food is spicy, real spicy. They dont tell you on the menu and the wait staff doesnt mention it either. The long beans are sad and oily. They were not crisp despite being stir fried. Insane, right? The other dishes were just so forgettable, I literally forgot what I had because I wanted to block this experience from my memory. I only recall what I can to remind you fine folk who read this TO BEWARE. The only dish this place is sufficient in making is the Salt Cod Fried Rice. However, for Salt Cod being the main attraction to this dish, it was like trying to find Waldo. It was there but you just dont quite know where. For it being located in the mission, I dont really expect the surrounding area to be grand. This applies to the interior as well.
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Joe Folino
Mission Chinese was the second destination as my proper introduction to San Francisco food after La Taqueria, whose hype has inconceivably outgrown its brick walls and wooden benches. Mission Chinese is no different; theres a waitlisted crowd on the sidewalk almost every night. You like tables? Inside, they almost have tables on tables. My favorite part about Mission Chinese is the look. Theres no proper name on the outside, just the old signage in Chinese characters of what the previous restaurant used to be. The inside is plain, with classic Chinese wall decor - men on horseback prancing in a uniform line, faces painted flat and facing forward like cats detecting a thump. Hold on... dim the lights, play some throwback mid-2000s, add a strobe light, and hang a long dragon from the ceiling. Thats what the youth like. "Fried Rice with Cod" is my favorite, mostly because I love rice. Yes, they have standard dishes like "Beef with Broccoli" and some unique, like "Squid Ink Chow Mien." Its all decent/good. If it isnt sprinkle some of that MSG at your table. Its not salt. Its MSG. Try it.
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Agnes Z.
Fake Chinese food. Very dirty kitchen. Unfriendly owner. Food: Eeh, blehh. Oversalted, overspiced. Almost all of the dishes I ordered were swimming in chili oil and a dumping of pepper. And this is not to confused with good spiciness. I LOVE heat, but it doesnt qualify as Szechuan just because you overkilled it with la yu and Sichuan peppercorn. The pickles, which are already full of flavor in and of itself, only tasted like really salty pepper and oil. I mean, who does that?!? What I ordered: Ma Po Tofu - too much pepper and chili oil Islamic Lamb Hot Pot - too much chili oil Szechuan Pickles - too much pepper and chili oil Salt Cod Fried Rice - too much pepper Baby Choy Sum - the only decent dish I ate and no chili oil and pepper! Seared Turnip Cake - not available Service: I know they just got started, but its not like they havent done this before. And really, the hired help needs some major training. All of them were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, moving around, but not actually doing anything productive.
