Utopia Cafe
| Address: | 139 Waverly Pl, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA |
| Phone: | +1 415-956-2902 |
| Site: | utopiacafeca.com |
| Rating: | 4 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 25
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rachel salvay
The food: LOVE IT. Quite possibly the best Chinese food Ive ever eaten. FIVE STARS. The service: uh... weird. Maybe its a cultural difference thing. Dunno. In any event, what lacks in warm-fuzzies doesnt transfer over to ignored requests or rudeness or anything. I get water refills and extra napkins and a box for leftovers. Theyre patient when I ask questions about the menu (full disclosure: Im not Chinese. Surprising, I know). So its a draw: keeping it at five stars. I wish I didnt know that when I order soup they *microwave* it for service. Minus 3 stars. But then add one lost star back for the sexiest, greenest greens I have ever seen on a plate at a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant. And add another star back for *not* dousing those greens in MSG or in an obscene amount of oil during preparation. And another for your accommodation of my request for SO much oyster sauce to go with my mu shu order (and the mu shu is diiiiiviiiiiiinnnnnne). Five stars. Its always a good sign when the restaurant is packed. And it is. Every time I come in. Oh! And theyre open on Christmas (or at least, have been in the past), so you can go get your culturally-insensitive cliche on should you also fall into one of the faith categories that means you dont really do Christmas. ...dizzam: is it time for a meal yet? I dun gone made myself hungry for summa Utopias menu!!
TW
TwentyThreeCats AndCounting
The reviews for this location are padded. It was frankly one of our worst dining experiences in memory. The toppers were the fish tank holding the tilapia in the back (thank god we didnt order fresh fish) which was filled with white filth a few inches deep and 2 barely breathing, belly up fish, that and the kitchen/bathroom... both of which are virtually connected and amaze you that we didnt leave with Hepatitis. The food was fair to poor at best and wound up being standard fare, nothing special. After reading the reviews, we though wed find some little gem or get cuisine that was knock your socks off. We wound up with the same meal we could get at any main street USA Chinese joint, and a narrow miss for getting sick as the cooking/back of the place is horribly unkept. Buyer beware, and stay away. We chose it based on Google reviews but everything from food to service was lame, we were treated like the hong mao guizi travelers were. Unequivocally, one of the poorest dining experiences weve had!
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A Private User
We had seen the good reviews and thought wed try it. Chinatown is a little "busy" and finding places is exciting but we did. Walked into a dining area and we were the only non-Asians there. Immediately liked that. If the locals eat here it must be good is what we thought and we were not disappointed. We werent familiar with the claypot style of cooking but said "what the heck" why not try something different and we are glad we did. I had a duck/sausage dish that was good. Not great, but good. My wife had beans and brocolli and hers was wonderul. I think the best part was feeling like we got "real" Chinese food, not the Americanized stuff. I got to watch some locals eat their food and learn some "how tos". That was helpful for the next trip. Very good and we would go back.
A
A Private User
A hidden gem in Chinatown, and the most delicious food with very reasonable prices. We have the salt & pepper chicken wings and calamari to start, following by crab with ginger and scallion, steam fish, steam eggwhite with diced seafood on top, and 2 claypot dishes with rice. Everyone is full and enjoyed the delicious food very much. The check comes to less than $12 including tips per person. A very good deal! They even have validated parking with $30 minimum. The clientele is a mix of neighborhood Chinese and some tourists. We even some of the business people that we know during lunch. We will come back more often.
A
A Private User
The waitress is very mean. She offer me a pink menu the order and use a green one to check bill, which is same entree, but much more expensive than the pink menu!!! Nesty restroom. And, it is sooooooooo sick to see the cook came back from restroom without washing his hand. Just after that, he chopped meat without any gloves! uwww!!Disgusting!!BTW: She charge me $6 for the tea that is usually free at other restaurant.
KE
Keira K
This restaurant was very good! The food tasted very fresh! Dont let the place intimidate you. It is a hole-in-the-wall place, but most good restaurants are like that! The lady was nice and they served a very large portion of food for a great price! We got the beef fried rice with vegetables, which I recommend! Very good, go try it out!
SH
Shigeki Miyake-Stoner
Reasonably priced food; a bit on the greasy and salty side. They offered tea and a delicious soup on the house (probably the tastiest thing I had). Staff were friendly and courteous when we arrived, but as the place got busier they became a bit short. Would recommend checking it out.
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Stephen Rosenthal
Chose this restaurant because it was filled with Chinese diners, families and older folks; no tourist. Had an exceptional meal. Ordered the lobster in ginger and onion, Clams in black beans, and snow pea shoots. All wonderful. Service was very friendly.
MA
Maria Bernasconi
This is my favorite Chinese restaurant. The food is always fresh an delicious and the portions are generous. The prices are absolutely reasonable and the servers are very courteous and nice. I highly recommend it .
AL
Allison Mickel
im unconvinced that it stands out in any way from the other chinese restaurants teeming around it. mostly, we just appreciated that they validated our parking since we spent over $30!
ES
Essaia White
An authentic Chinese dining experience with decent food. Atmosphere was very plain and service very direct...no smiles, which is to be expected. Dont be offended.
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Lina Li
Beef Chow Fun never disappoints. Rice clay pots are really authentic. The few sweet choices are all must have. After all this is a homemade Cantonese food place.
SE
Sergio Gonzalez
Great dim sum compared to a lot of other places. Very fast service and nice chef and waitress. Some food is bland and needs a bit of soy sauce though!
HA
Hal Raymond
Best fried rice was the best, not cooked in oil and food was very nice. Spicy hot oil on the side got the fire going. Worth the trip.
AR
Armando Galeana
Great service! Place is very clean, food is tasty and prices reasonable. Highly recommended for a typical meal in Chinatown.
AL
Aly Victoria Anne Lenhardt
Me and boyfriend were hungry and stumbled upon this place. Good food and good beer! Nice staff. Clean restaurant. FREE WIFI.
JO
Jon Woo
Always a good meal! My favorites are the Dry Scallop Clay Pot Rice and Mustard Green Soup w/ Pork and Salted Egg!!!
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osvaldo lopez
excellent generals chicken. Very friendly, fed family of 6 for $47. The atmosphere was very authentic
PA
Patrick Varin
Great scallops and squid! One of my dishes was underwhelming but the seafood clay pot was great!
BA
Barry Lefsky
Very good Chinese food, many locals eating there. Good service, decent prices.
MS
ms tt
War sehr schön dort!
AL
Alex Guibord
The clay pot rice dishes are among Utopias specialties and wont disappoint.
BE
Benjamin Chung
Decent tasting Chinese food. Although, some of the portions are small.
J
J Lee
If Capital is closed or too crowded, I come here... good food overall.
A
A Private User
Cheap and good. You see the elder chinese eating here, a good sign
