Bow Hon Seafood Restaurant

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Bow Hon Restaurant, and the experience was nothing short of perfect. From the moment I stepped into the restaurant, I was captivated by its elegant ambiance. The service was impeccable. The staff were always smiling, courteous, and responsive to our needs with great attention to detail. They were well-versed in the menu and provided excellent recommendations, making our ordering process both easy and enjoyable. As for the food, it was a true feast for the taste buds. Every dish was meticulously prepared with fresh ingredients, rich in flavor, and beautifully presented. From appetizers to desserts, each bite reflected the chef's dedication and creativity. The sweet and sour pork, in particular, stood out with its unique texture and complex flavors, leaving a lasting impression. Overall, Bow Hon Restaurant not only offered delicious food but also provided a delightful dining experience. Whether you're gathering with family and friends or enjoying a romantic dinner, this place is an excellent choice. I highly recommend giving it a try, and I believe you will be as impressed as I was.

Good atmosphere and service. Especially for us they wash all cooking instruments and made us “halal and vegan food”! Thanks guys!

The service was excellent. Was greeted with a friendly smile when we entered. The hostess was very helpful in describing the food selections. We had the combo vegetable fried rice, Mongolian beef, and the General Cho's chicken. Unbelievably delicious. Recommend this wonderful establishment. Can't wait to go back.

First time in Chinatown and SF. This place has better plates than I’ve had back home or anywhere else for that matter. The place is small and you could hear the work of cooking the food in the kitchen, and it was all evidently quite freshly cooked. The rice was perfectly cooked too. I’d def go back 👍

We flew in from Charleston and went straight to China Town. Went into the first restaurant and was so glad we did. We had the cucumbers, dumplings, Mongolian beef, lemon chicken and noodles (don’t recall the dish) and it was all amazing. There was a chili oil on the table that was out of this world. I have been craving it since and wish we didn’t live so far away. Looking for copycat recipes to try to make similar dishes here at home.

Food delicious, friendly waitress, decent portions, tender meat

We weren’t sure initially when walking by but man if this isn’t the best Chinese food we’ve had in forever. The meals were perfectly seasoned without overtly heavy sauces, and the shrimp fried rice was expertly done. Amazing experience

It was my mom who suggested we try this little place down the street from our hotel. And I am so glad that we did! Our server was lovely, attentive, and kind. We ordered the beef and green beans, the mapo tofu (but requested it be mild), a side of rice, and some hot tea. Let me tell you. The portions are generous. The food was DELICIOUS. The beef melted in your mouth. The beans were fresh with just the right crunch. And we inhaled the mapo tofu. My mom is usually critical of food when we go out, especially when it comes to saltiness. But this meal. This meal was Asian mom approved. Mom loved it so much we went back two days later and ordered the beef and green beans to go. Thank you Bow Hon for a memorable experience.

The menu outside is what caught my attention & then I seen pineapple sweet sour chicken & I had to get some with steamed rice and veggie chow mein! I have never been so quite while eating...like I was craving some delicious Chinese food & this place definitely fulfilled my hunger! It was perfect! 👌🔥

The best beef soy garlic noodles I've ever had! I will never find another spot that makes this dish as savory, and I've been all over for it. Don't miss out on this one. I'm glad to be close by because I get to go back twice a month. My husband eats the orange or general chicken, chicken EXTRA fried rice add broccoli, or seasoned green beans and a soup. Everything is so good and we've never been disappointed.

Bow Hon Restaurant is a true Chinatown classic—and proof that when something is done right, it doesn’t need reinventing. This is an old-school, well-established spot that has been around for decades, and I’ve personally been eating here for over 30 years. In all that time, I honestly cannot remember having a bad meal. Located right in the busy heart of Grant Street, Bow Hon is absolutely worth a stop whether you’re visiting San Francisco or you’re a local who knows Chinatown well. They specialize in seafood and clay pot dishes, and this is where they really shine. The clay pots are outstanding—the crunchy rice at the bottom, the sausage, and the chicken or pork are deeply satisfying, comforting, and full of flavor. The sauces are rich and delicious, the kind that make you keep eating long after you’re full. The fish dishes are also excellent—fresh, well prepared, and consistently done right. You can sit downstairs or upstairs when it’s open; either way, the service is warm and efficient. And when the place gets busy (which it often does), the waitstaff truly hustle and somehow keep everything moving with good humor. They also offer a nice selection of teas, including some you don’t often find at other Chinese restaurants—another small but thoughtful touch. In a world full of trendy new spots promising the “next big thing,” Bow Hon reminds us that traditional excellence never goes out of style. Reliable, delicious, and deeply comforting—this is a Chinatown institution and absolutely worth a visit.

Really enjoyed eating here! The food tasted great and had that traditional Chinese flavor I was looking for. There were tons of options on the menu, it was fun trying different dishes. Definitely a good spot if you like to try out traditional Chinese food.

Definitely underrated and hidden gem! I would highly recommend anyone to try their clay pot rice(煲仔飯), which has soft and flavourful meat with the right amount of rice (serving around 2-3 people per pot) and after you finish the main food, don’t forget to scoop up that crispy rice at the bottom! Amazing waitress and customer service, who were great in accommodating us on having these dishes suitable for the elderly and if you do have allergy related issues, please let them know as well. They were so good the first time round that we had to come back with more people to try their other menu choices and different clay pot options! Notes: check online for when they’re open before you go, so come early if you want to try these yummy choices of clay pot rice and other dishes 😋 as it does get busy!! Here are the list of items we had and were super delicious, which I would recommend (no particular order, they were all yummy!!!) 北菇臘腸雞 煲飯 Chicken Mushroom with Sausage clay pot rice 臘鴨臘味 (+臘味)煲飯 Smoked Pork Duck with Sausage clay pot rice — we substituted sausage with smoked pork 鍋蛋滑蛋牛肉 煲飯 Poached eggs and beef clay pot rice 乾炒四季豆 Dry Sautéed String Beans 芥英献蛋湯 Mustard Green Soup with Pork & Salted Egg 爆炒鱿鱼 Deep fried Squid 甜酸茄子 Sweet and Sour Eggplant Will definitely be back to try their other options next time we come back to visit San Francisco!

With blocks upon blocks of restaurants in SF China Town we were happy with our choice of Bow Hon Restaurant. It’s authentic and conveniently located on the main drag of Grant Street. Service was excellent and the food was hot and delicious. Portion sizes were decent for the price point. We had the Hot and Sour Soup (enough for 4 small bowls), Beef with Green Beans, Kong Pao Chicken and a BBQ Pork dish. Definitely recommend!

Came here as a group of 11 on Sunday 1pm! We got 2 claypot rice's and 2 greens. So delicious, and they added hot broth to the crispy rice at the bottom of the claypot for extra flavor and deliciousness 😁

The food is very delicious. The waitress is really nice . If you travel from Asia and really miss taste of asian food, I highly recommend this restaurant!

Don’t understand why the rating is so low?! The food is so good and the service is top notch!! Ordered wonton soup, beef and green beans and BBQ clams. I also went back to order General tzo’s chicken for my friend. Loved them all. If you’re looking for authentic Chinese food, this is the place to go.

First, one bad review for this amazing spot says “we ordered fresh squid and were served calamari”. I hate to tell ya bud, you got exactly what you ordered. This is some legit cuisine here folks. Chef is talented, service spectacular. Best Mongolian beef we’ve ever had, easy.

Loved the clay pot rice! Once you’re at the bottom of the crunchy rice portion of the pot, you can also request them to stir in this rich, meat soup. It becomes a very aromatic delicious treat at the end!!

CLAY POT RICE. If you're looking for some comfort food in Chinatown on a budget, you should come here for the clay pot rice. You should definitely go with a group or be ready to take it togo because the portions are huge and you are gauranteed to be stuffed. You can also ask them to bring out some soup to get the crispy'ed brown rice bits. It will fill a hole in your soul

Nice small authentic restaurant. Definitely not a tourist trap like some of the other restaurants nearby. Great service from the time I was greeted at the door until I walked out. I had the lemon chicken which was phenomenal. Highly recommended.

Marlon Maus

Bow Hon Restaurant is a true Chinatown classic—and proof that when something is done right, it doesn’t need reinventing. This is an old-school, well-established spot that has been around for decades, and I’ve personally been eating here for over 30 years. In all that time, I honestly cannot remember having a bad meal. Located right in the busy heart of Grant Street, Bow Hon is absolutely worth a stop whether you’re visiting San Francisco or you’re a local who knows Chinatown well. They specialize in seafood and clay pot dishes, and this is where they really shine. The clay pots are outstanding—the crunchy rice at the bottom, the sausage, and the chicken or pork are deeply satisfying, comforting, and full of flavor. The sauces are rich and delicious, the kind that make you keep eating long after you’re full. The fish dishes are also excellent—fresh, well prepared, and consistently done right. You can sit downstairs or upstairs when it’s open; either way, the service is warm and efficient. And when the place gets busy (which it often does), the waitstaff truly hustle and somehow keep everything moving with good humor. They also offer a nice selection of teas, including some you don’t often find at other Chinese restaurants—another small but thoughtful touch. In a world full of trendy new spots promising the “next big thing,” Bow Hon reminds us that traditional excellence never goes out of style. Reliable, delicious, and deeply comforting—this is a Chinatown institution and absolutely worth a visit.

Zoe Huang

Really enjoyed eating here! The food tasted great and had that traditional Chinese flavor I was looking for. There were tons of options on the menu, it was fun trying different dishes. Definitely a good spot if you like to try out traditional Chinese food.

Yuan Wong

Definitely underrated and hidden gem! I would highly recommend anyone to try their clay pot rice(煲仔飯), which has soft and flavourful meat with the right amount of rice (serving around 2-3 people per pot) and after you finish the main food, don’t forget to scoop up that crispy rice at the bottom! Amazing waitress and customer service, who were great in accommodating us on having these dishes suitable for the elderly and if you do have allergy related issues, please let them know as well. They were so good the first time round that we had to come back with more people to try their other menu choices and different clay pot options! Notes: check online for when they’re open before you go, so come early if you want to try these yummy choices of clay pot rice and other dishes 😋 as it does get busy!! Here are the list of items we had and were super delicious, which I would recommend (no particular order, they were all yummy!!!) 北菇臘腸雞 煲飯 Chicken Mushroom with Sausage clay pot rice 臘鴨臘味 (+臘味)煲飯 Smoked Pork Duck with Sausage clay pot rice — we substituted sausage with smoked pork 鍋蛋滑蛋牛肉 煲飯 Poached eggs and beef clay pot rice 乾炒四季豆 Dry Sautéed String Beans 芥英献蛋湯 Mustard Green Soup with Pork & Salted Egg 爆炒鱿鱼 Deep fried Squid 甜酸茄子 Sweet and Sour Eggplant Will definitely be back to try their other options next time we come back to visit San Francisco!

Kenny Zhou

Came here as a group of 11 on Sunday 1pm! We got 2 claypot rice's and 2 greens. So delicious, and they added hot broth to the crispy rice at the bottom of the claypot for extra flavor and deliciousness 😁

C Marsh

With blocks upon blocks of restaurants in SF China Town we were happy with our choice of Bow Hon Restaurant. It’s authentic and conveniently located on the main drag of Grant Street. Service was excellent and the food was hot and delicious. Portion sizes were decent for the price point. We had the Hot and Sour Soup (enough for 4 small bowls), Beef with Green Beans, Kong Pao Chicken and a BBQ Pork dish. Definitely recommend!

Preeyanan Sae-lim

The food is very delicious. The waitress is really nice . If you travel from Asia and really miss taste of asian food, I highly recommend this restaurant!

Su Zhang

Don’t understand why the rating is so low?! The food is so good and the service is top notch!! Ordered wonton soup, beef and green beans and BBQ clams. I also went back to order General tzo’s chicken for my friend. Loved them all. If you’re looking for authentic Chinese food, this is the place to go.

Tyson Schroeder

First, one bad review for this amazing spot says “we ordered fresh squid and were served calamari”. I hate to tell ya bud, you got exactly what you ordered. This is some legit cuisine here folks. Chef is talented, service spectacular. Best Mongolian beef we’ve ever had, easy.

Truc Vu

Loved the clay pot rice! Once you’re at the bottom of the crunchy rice portion of the pot, you can also request them to stir in this rich, meat soup. It becomes a very aromatic delicious treat at the end!!

Jason Wang

CLAY POT RICE. If you're looking for some comfort food in Chinatown on a budget, you should come here for the clay pot rice. You should definitely go with a group or be ready to take it togo because the portions are huge and you are gauranteed to be stuffed. You can also ask them to bring out some soup to get the crispy'ed brown rice bits. It will fill a hole in your soul

William Burgess

Nice small authentic restaurant. Definitely not a tourist trap like some of the other restaurants nearby. Great service from the time I was greeted at the door until I walked out. I had the lemon chicken which was phenomenal. Highly recommended.

Love the food there! The cook is very experienced and gifted!! The food is really nice & authentic! Love the clay pot rice, the sweet and sour pork & the fried squid with a hint of spicy!! Highly recommended.

I lived in SF from 1979 to 1988 and often ate at Bow Hon. The clay pot dishes were always a favorite. I returned there last night with my husband and Fong greeted us warmly. We ordered the seaweed tofu soup and the chicken, mushroom, sausage clay pot and it was as wonderful as I remembered. Fong was very charming and attentive without hovering. We look forward to returning, hopefully soon.

Karla Levine

I lived in SF from 1979 to 1988 and often ate at Bow Hon. The clay pot dishes were always a favorite. I returned there last night with my husband and Fong greeted us warmly. We ordered the seaweed tofu soup and the chicken, mushroom, sausage clay pot and it was as wonderful as I remembered. Fong was very charming and attentive without hovering. We look forward to returning, hopefully soon.

Jingle Lee

Love the food there! The cook is very experienced and gifted!! The food is really nice & authentic! Love the clay pot rice, the sweet and sour pork & the fried squid with a hint of spicy!! Highly recommended.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. We found this place while hungry and wandering through Chinatown. It’s not fancy. It’s simple. You won’t get the fanciest chinaware, but what matters is the food and service! The culinary experience is in a sweet spot between Chinese-Chinese and American-Chinese. Chinese-American-Chinese. It’s spicy enough. And mighty tasty. May I add its small and intimate. Maybe they need some better art and decor. And food photography for the menus. We really enjoyed the hot and sour soup! Affordable, family friendly, and the servers were all warm and hospitable. A real restaurant run by real people. Puts the “town” in Chinatown!

I have came here twice while visiting San Francisco. First day, I bump into this restaurant because many people eating and very well illuminated. The food was great and the lady servicing the tables very pleasant and attentive. The Second time was a special that I didn’t catch the first time for 1 price you get Soup, Eggroll, Beef and broccoli plus Chicken noodles stir fry it was the perfect combination. I enjoyed so much. Last thing I got was a Fortune cookie. The whole meal was 19.95. Good price for delicious food choices .

Authentic Chinese cuisine staff is very friendly and takes care of their customers. Location is at the heart of the china town.

The food here is decent, the prices are fair for what you get, and the service isn't bad. I had been walking around Chinatown for a bit and hadn't had lunch. This restaurant had more people than I expected for a Wednesday afternoon, so I decided to check it out. I ordered the dinner set menu, which is available all day apparently. I don't remember the exact price, but my total was just under $20 before tip. The menu had a pretty big selection. The wonton soup came with a single shrimp wonton. The vegetables were cooked but still had a crunch. The beef was tender and topped with the same slightly sour gravy-like sauce that topped the noodles. The noodles were perfectly cooked. The spring roll was kind of tough. The server topped up my water every now and then. This is a great place to visit if you're nearby and hungry. There wasn't that much seating available and some people were dining outside. I saw a second dining room on my way to use the restroom, but I guess they could be short-staffed or might not want to go up and down the stairs over and over.

Decent Chinese food at a fair price. We had a meal set and roast duck, and it wasn't the best I've had, but certainly not bad

Had a quick dinner here on a Friday night. The 1st floor was full, so they seated us on the 2nd floor. Portions of food is small but tasty. Very friendly staff makes our dinner enjoyable.

Michaelangelo Villa

I have came here twice while visiting San Francisco. First day, I bump into this restaurant because many people eating and very well illuminated. The food was great and the lady servicing the tables very pleasant and attentive. The Second time was a special that I didn’t catch the first time for 1 price you get Soup, Eggroll, Beef and broccoli plus Chicken noodles stir fry it was the perfect combination. I enjoyed so much. Last thing I got was a Fortune cookie. The whole meal was 19.95. Good price for delicious food choices .

Lucy

Authentic Chinese cuisine staff is very friendly and takes care of their customers. Location is at the heart of the china town.

Neal

The food here is decent, the prices are fair for what you get, and the service isn't bad. I had been walking around Chinatown for a bit and hadn't had lunch. This restaurant had more people than I expected for a Wednesday afternoon, so I decided to check it out. I ordered the dinner set menu, which is available all day apparently. I don't remember the exact price, but my total was just under $20 before tip. The menu had a pretty big selection. The wonton soup came with a single shrimp wonton. The vegetables were cooked but still had a crunch. The beef was tender and topped with the same slightly sour gravy-like sauce that topped the noodles. The noodles were perfectly cooked. The spring roll was kind of tough. The server topped up my water every now and then. This is a great place to visit if you're nearby and hungry. There wasn't that much seating available and some people were dining outside. I saw a second dining room on my way to use the restroom, but I guess they could be short-staffed or might not want to go up and down the stairs over and over.

Dylan Li

Decent Chinese food at a fair price. We had a meal set and roast duck, and it wasn't the best I've had, but certainly not bad

Wayne Cheng

Had a quick dinner here on a Friday night. The 1st floor was full, so they seated us on the 2nd floor. Portions of food is small but tasty. Very friendly staff makes our dinner enjoyable.

Food is decent but the staff act suspicious of you.

The food is good but the service is slow and they serve the food like 30 min latter

The food and ambient was fantastic! Hot food and fast service. We did experience a paranormal activity though out plate moved on out table! Had anyone experienced that before?

We watched the chef microwave the char siu and cut open a bag of sweet and sour sauce for the sweet and sour pork ribs. Half the menu was out of stock. We ordered 5 dishes and nothing was worth eating.

The food was extremely salty. While we were at the restaurant, the door was kept open and let in cold air and odors from the street (we received marijuana smell during dinner). The tea was good, although a bit on the sweet side.

Dont order the walnut shrimp unless you're only with paying almost $30 for a hand full of shrimp. Service is very much lacking, not to mention fried rice is the last item to come out. I would prefer to have my food to all come out at once idc the amount of time but there should be no reason for my entrées to get cold waiting for my rice to come out

Food very good but service no comments, The waitress acted as if she was rushing us - eat quickly and go home. She also asked us to pay $10 for service charge on top of the bill, which included tax. I asked her about it, never again, we will never go there again. The price on the menu was also different than on the bill, shocking

Wojciech Konarzewski

Food very good but service no comments, The waitress acted as if she was rushing us - eat quickly and go home. She also asked us to pay $10 for service charge on top of the bill, which included tax. I asked her about it, never again, we will never go there again. The price on the menu was also different than on the bill, shocking

We were here for lunch on August 15. The food was ok so far but not exceptional, but all three plates on which the food came were chipped and pieces of ceramic were missing. We also had to wait longer for the food and it didn't come at the same time but one after the other. The waitress or manager was already very unfriendly to another table with guests when they wanted to place an order and spoke poor English. When paying, we were then told in a very unfriendly manner that a 10% tip is not enough here and that it should be at least over 15%. Unfortunately, we reacted incorrectly and agreed to this. Afterwards, I am still annoyed by this impertinence for this service and the unfriendliness. We will certainly not be visiting this restaurant again.

I ordered walnut shrimp chicken fried rice and general Tso chicken. The taste of main entree was good but the portions were so small. We had to go to the bakery to get pastry to fill us up. For two people food was little. The friend was not fried the chicken was boiled and shredded plus fried egg mix with rice. The waitress was crazy and to concern about tip. She reminded that tip should be 15%. Who doesn’t know that. We spend $82. Prices too high portion toooooooo small

The images they have on the menu is very, very misleading. We ordered the "fresh squid" but when we got it, it ended up being calamari. Also it shows bigger portions but when you get it, its actually quite small. So you pay 15-20 dollars for something that you don't get. The waitress was friendly for the most part.

Really bad taste food. The cucumber are likely canned. Chicken in the sesame chicken is too soft. Service is bad as they urge you to order and checkout.

Yang Ming

Really bad taste food. The cucumber are likely canned. Chicken in the sesame chicken is too soft. Service is bad as they urge you to order and checkout.