House of Nanking

10/17/09

Some of the best food I've ever eaten

by erw77 at Citysearch

The onion cakes. A woman waiting for a table must have seen the look on my face when I put it into my mouth, because when she passed by she stopped and asked what that dish was. Our other dishes were good too, but the service could barely be called service. If you go in with that expectation though, you should be okay.

The one thing that really, really pissed me off, however, is that the owner came to take our check and credit card and said "no credit cards" then walked away. So my husband ran down the street to an ATM to get cash. While he was gone, I looked over to the table next to us and saw them pay WITH A CREDIT CARD. Since we had to pay a needless $6 for ATM fees for no reason, we didn't leave a tip. Still, I would go back again. That's how much we liked it.

• Pros: the food
• Cons: lack of service, the wait, smushed seating, price, lies

08/31/09

Really Awful

by esea50 at Citysearch

This place was on our list to try for several years before we got around to going, it was a complete waste of time and money. I can't imagine why people wait in line for this stuff. We ordered the shrimp pancake and sesame chicken with sweet potato which we'd read were really good, and were disappointed in both. The owner came to our table and trained a new waitress how to fold the pancake, without even acknowledging us. No idea how clean his hands were. He had recommended the beef for the pancake and it was excrutiatingly salty and greasy. the sesame chicken was very sweet and greasy, and the sweet potatoes were fried hard AND coated with the same greasy sauce. The place looks okay until you sit down and feel the sticky table and menu, and the warm water in dirty looking glass mugs is gross. The couple next to us (basically at the same table, they don't even break them apart an inch or two for separate parties) had to ask for new plates, the ones they were given had hair and food on them. Even for Americanized Chinese food this sets a really low standard and it's also ridiculously expensive. My advice - save yourself the long wait and keep looking. Or ask a Chinese local where they go.

• Pros: Made for a good laugh afterwards
• Cons: Nasty, salty, greasy food. Dirty and sticky.

07/30/09

Best Chinese Food

by COR3YZ at Citysearch

This is hands down the best place to stuff your face =]

(I could be a slogan writer)

Any chain Chinese restaurant can make chicken chow mien or beef broccoli, but none of them order for you like the House of Nanking, I went there and shoveled the food like I was in the military and didn't have another second. After eating so much and leaving I thought I couldn't eat at another Chinese restaurant again and I didn't not for almost 4 months.

Yes its a little dirty with the mass of people in and out you dont have time to clean everything when people are hungry, yes they order for you its part of the excitement and shock if you have never been, and if there is a line out the door it means the food is damn good and if you leave your missing out on something special.. people need to understand this is a gold mine in the middle of San Francisco...

the truth is you either love it or hate it but it is a food place and thats what I go there to do is eat. So i could careless if there is a little dirt on the ground or crowded at least I'm not eating out of a garbage can.

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: the idiots who don't appreciate a mom-and-pop restaurant !