The Best Dim Sum in San Francisco and the Bay Area (2026)

San Francisco's deep Chinese immigrant history makes it a formidable contestant as one of the best places to get dim sum in the United States (maybe even the world after Hong Kong). As San Franciscans moved out of Chinatown and into cities across the Bay Area, the number of really great dim sum places grew exponentially.

I eat dim sum nearly every weekend, so I'd consider myself a bit of an expert. I also seek it out when traveling and have enjoyed experiences in Hong Kong, London, Paris, Beijing, Vancouver, and Seattle, to name a few. Whenever I go on a long trip, there are two things I want when I get home: sushi and dim sum. There is something about those little baskets of deliciousness that makes me one happy woman!

I keep this guide current, so every spot below is one I have checked and confirmed is still open and serving in 2026. A few longtime favorites have sadly closed, and I have swapped in the places I would happily send you to instead.

Dimsum in San Francisco

Yank Sing – Financial District

This is MY go-to place in the city. I eat here at least once a month, sometimes more. This is seated dining in the Financial District. Yank Sing is a bit on the expensive side, but the location, service, and ingredient quality justify the price. They have a diverse menu and are the best dim sum spot for vegetarians, with a wide variety of vegetable dumplings and side dishes to choose from. They are known for their BBQ pork buns (a Chris Cosentino favorite) and Shanghai dumplings, but my favorite item is the scallop dumplings, and I can eat a couple of baskets all by myself!

Location: 101 Spear St (and a second location at 49 Stevenson St), San Francisco

Harborview Restaurant & Bar, Embarcadero

If you want dim sum with a view, this is your spot. Harborview sits right on the Embarcadero with sweeping views of the Bay, and it earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand for good reason. The Cantonese kitchen turns out beautifully made classics, and the shrimp dumplings stand out. It is a more polished, sit-down experience, perfect for when you want to linger over tea. Order the har gow, the siu mai, and whatever fresh seafood is calling to you.

Location: 4 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco

Palette Tea House & Dim Sum – Fisherman's Wharf

Frankly, I think it is an unusual place for a dim sum restaurant, but if it gets tourists to try dim sum, why not?! It is owned by the folks who run Koi Palace family (see below in the South Bay) so they probably know what they are doing! This is a relative newcomer that opened in 2019. Palette House has a modern take on dimsum and noodles, Cantonese-style, all with the intention of being Insta-worthy. That isn't as important as the taste, and thank goodness their dimsum is very, very good! I like the focus on seafood, as that is my preferred “meat” in my dimsum, so I appreciate the lobster ha gow (rather than the usual pork), and love the soft shell crab!

Location: 900 North Point (near The Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop!), San Francisco

Mister Jiu's and Moongate Lounge, Chinatown

For a modern, special occasion take on dim sum, Mister Jiu's is the buzziest table in Chinatown, set in a beautifully restored 1890s building and wearing a Michelin star. Upstairs at Moongate Lounge, you can order creative, reimagined dim sum alongside gorgeous cocktails. This is not a classic cart house; it is dim sum reinvented, and it is worth the splurge. Look for the smoked oyster youtiao and the pig trotter ham sui gok.

Location: 28 Waverly Place, San Francisco

Hang Ah Tea Room, Chinatown

Tucked down a tiny alley in Chinatown, Hang Ah opened in 1920 and is widely called the oldest dim sum house in America. It is casual, cash-friendly, and full of history. Come for the har gow, the pan-fried char siu bao, and the scallion pancakes, and do not skip the adorable piglet-shaped custard buns. The house-made chili oil is so good that regulars buy jars to take home.

Location: 1 Pagoda Place, San Francisco

Dragon Beaux, Richmond District

Dragon Beaux is the fancier, more modern option out in the Richmond, and it is a feast for the eyes as much as the stomach. The showstopper is the five-color xiao long bao sampler, each soup dumpling a different filling, from black truffle and crab roe to squid ink. Add the charcoal sponge cake rolls and the har gow. Come hungry, and know that they turn into an all-you-can-eat hot pot spot at dinner.

Location: 5700 Geary Blvd, San Francisco

Hong Kong Lounge, Richmond District

If you want traditional over modern, Hong Kong Lounge is the Richmond classic locals line up for. Everything is made to order, there are more than 80 varieties, and the Cantonese staples are exactly right. Go for the siu mai, baked pork buns, shrimp rice noodle rolls, and chicken bao.

Location: 5322 Geary Blvd, San Francisco

The Richmond District is well known for its dim sum in San Francisco, and the two spots above are the ones I would send you to first. Ton Kiang (5821 Geary Blvd) is another longtime Richmond name worth a look if you are exploring the neighborhood.

Dim Sum in the South Bay

Hong Kong Saigon Seafood Harbor Restaurant – Sunnyvale

This crowded spot has interesting dim sum like Snowy Mountain Buns and one of my favorites, chive dumplings. They do a great purple taro bao. These are hard to find; most places do fried taro dumplings, so try the bao if you go here. Just go early!

Location: 1135 Lawrence Expressway, Sunnyvale

Koi Palace Contempo, Cupertino

From the same family behind Koi Palace (below), Contempo brings a sleek, contemporary take on Cantonese classics to Cupertino. The dim sum is inventive and gorgeous. Order the pan-seared soup dumplings, the color soup dumplings, the lobster har gow, and the Peking duck.

Location: 19369 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino

Koi Palace – Daly City

Often argued as the best dimsum in the Bay Area, it certainly is huge. It is a large tea house fashioned after those found in Southern China and opens at 9, but you need to start lining up at 8:30 to get a spot. The waits are long! They have a lot of the standard dimsum offerings, but my favorite item there is unique to this spot: Dungeness crab congee. During crab season, it is the thing to get. Just make sure you save room; the bowl can easily serve a family of four!

Location: 365 Gellert Blvd, Daly City

Dim Sum in the East Bay

Peony Seafood Restaurant, Oakland Chinatown

Peony is the classic Oakland Chinatown banquet hall, serving dim sum and Cantonese seafood for more than 20 years, with chefs from Hong Kong. It is big, bustling, and great for a group. Come for the handmade dim sum and the whole Peking duck carved tableside, and try the cheesy shrimp balls and the pandan mochi. It is easy to reach right by 12th Street BART with parking below.

Location: 388 9th Street, Oakland

Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood Restaurant – Emeryville

This is where I mainly go. Some months you can find me here every weekend! They have a great location on the Emeryville Marina that offers a great view of San Francisco. Best service (if you don't count Yank Sing) of any other dimsum restaurant, and the food is really great. My only complaint is that I wish they had more seafood dumplings besides dumplings.

They have every shrimp combo you can think of: shrimp and chive, shrimp and cilantro, etc., but I'd love a crab or scallop dumpling (my overall favorite). Barring that, the food is super fresh and fast. I think they have the best fried turnip cake, and when I want to get fancy, I have the clay pot XO version.

Location: 3199 Powell Street, Emeryville

How Dim Sum Works: A First Timer's Guide

If you have never done dim sum before, don't let the carts and checklists intimidate you. It is one of the most fun, low-pressure meals out there once you know the rhythm. Here is how I do it.

At a cart restaurant.

This is the old school, theatrical way, and it is my favorite. Servers wheel carts of little dishes around the room, and you flag them down as they pass. Lift the lids, peek inside, and take whatever looks good. Each time you grab something, the server stamps or marks a card on your table, and that card is your running bill. My advice is to pace yourself.

Do not load up on the first three carts, because some of the best dishes come around later and you want to leave room. If you are hunting for a specific favorite, just ask, and they will point you to the right cart or bring it from the kitchen.

At an order sheet restaurant

Most modern spots skip the carts and hand you a paper checklist with a tiny pencil. You write the quantity next to each item you want, then hand the sheet to your server. My tip is to order in rounds rather than all at once. Start with a few things, see how hungry you still are, then mark a second sheet. Everything arrives fresh from the kitchen, and you avoid a table buried in food that has gone cold.

The tea part

Dim sum goes hand in hand with yum cha, which literally means to drink tea, so the tea is half the point. You usually get to choose, and jasmine, oolong, chrysanthemum, and pu erh are all common. Two things are worth knowing. When someone pours your tea, tap two fingers on the table to say thank you without breaking the conversation. And when your pot runs low, leave the lid propped open or set it ajar on the rim. That is the quiet signal for staff to come refill it.

When to go

Dim sum is traditionally a late-morning to early-afternoon meal, so think weekend brunch rather than dinner, although a handful of places now serve it all day. Weekends are the busiest and the liveliest, but the lines at popular spots can be long. Go right when they open or after the main rush, and bring a group if you can, because more people means more dishes to share.

Paying, cash and tipping

When you are done, your server tallies the stamped card or counts your empty plates, and you pay at the table or up front. Many old-school Chinatown places are cash only, so bring some just in case. Tipping works the same as any sit-down meal, and a little extra goes a long way at the busy spots that keep your tea flowing.

How much to order

A good rule of thumb is three or four dishes per person to start, and each basket usually holds three or four pieces. Order a mix so everyone gets a bite of everything, and remember you can always flag down one more round. Half the joy of dim sum is grazing slowly over tea, so take your time and enjoy it.

Afraid to do it on your own? Take a tour.

When I first moved to San Francisco, I did a Chinatown food tour with Wok Wiz, and it was the best! I met great people, learned all the ins and outs, and tried some seriously good food. It is the perfect place to ask every dim sum question you have without a shred of embarrassment.

The classic is Wok Wiz, a longtime Chinatown walking tour led by neighborhood natives that ends with a dim sum lunch. If you would rather book online, several highly rated tea and dim sum food tours walk you through Chinatown's best spots. [Here's one I recommend] Either way, you will come out the other side ready to order like a regular.

Dim Sum FAQs

A Few Final Bites

The Bay Area gives us some of the best dim sum outside of Hong Kong, and half the fun is finding your own favorite basket. Whether you go for the soup dumplings at Dragon Beaux, the history at Hang Ah, or a lazy weekend feast with a Bay view at Harborview, I hope this guide points you somewhere delicious. If you try one of these spots, come back and tell me how it went in the comments, and if a friend is heading to San Francisco, share this guide so they eat well too. Now go get yourself some dumplings; you have earned them.

How about you? Do you have a San Francisco Bay Area dim sum spot to add? How's the dimsum in your town?

For a visual summary of this post, check out my San Francisco Bay Area Dimsum web story!

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