Lai Hong Lounge

Came for dinner rather than Dim Sum, which it is better known for. However, it was quite excellent nonetheless. Servers were very timely, atmosphere was relaxed, and the food was great.

We were in downtown SF last Friday morning for an appointment, and decided to have an early lunch at Lai Hong before heading home as they open at 10am. We ordered 6 dim sum dishes but were disappointed when the servers brought them to our table. First of all, every item shrank in size comparing to how they used to be when we visited last time. Secondly, two of the dishes were cold or lukewarm at best! I suspect that those 2 items were not freshly made but just reheated when we ordered them as they should not be cold or lukewarm when we were there shortly after the restaurant had just opened for that day. We had to take the pan fried turnip cakes and the old-fashioned Chinese tamale with sticky rice home as they were too cold. The remaining 4 dim sum dishes were ok but not great, and smaller in size. We will go elsewhere next time when we go to Chinatown again.

This place stays booked and busy, which is a good sign. The numbers for your space in line are called out in Cantonese, so pay attention. A lady at a nearby table was kind enough to let me know they called my number. The tea is served piping hot and the plates keep coming. The sticky shrimp rice makes me want to go back to San Francisco just to eat these again.

Ordered takeout with a specific time and gave them two hours notice. Arrived on time and they kept screwing around saying that one dish was waiting to finish. The pan fried chive dumplings. 30 minutes go by. Everything else is done and getting overcooked in their containers. Home was three minutes away. By the time they brought it to me, and I zipped home, six of the seven dishes were soggy, covered in cold, drippy steam water. And the pan fried dumplings were undercooked. When the restaurant is 80% empty and it's quiet night, you would think that they could get an order with seven items right. When they get it right the food is good. But they seem to not be able to get it right. The other problem is their sesame balls aren't sesame balls. They're covered in rice crispies with green food coloring. They taste OK but they really should be real sesame balls like their order menu shows.

Good not great. I haven’t been here years not since their remodel and before the pandemic was the last time I’ve eaten here. The quality hasn’t changed. The prices certainly have changed. Each dim sum dish averages about $6 each. I had the tofu shrimp roll, it was made mostly of shrimp. It was good not great. I had the shrimp roll, it was average, same as everyone else. I had a pork shrimp chive dumpling, tasty but nothing special. I had the beef meatballs, it was way too citrusy for my taste. They were a good size though. Now the plate that stood out was the pineapple bun stuff pork. This was different than the chashu bao. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This was definitely worth trying. All in all because I do visit this Chinatown when I come to the city and it’s my parents’ place to go, I will have to come back for convenience and have to.