Tucked away in an alley in San Francisco’s Chinatown, you’ll find the oldest dim sum restaurant in the country.
Hang Ah Tea Room has been going strong for over 100 years which is hard to imagine. I’ve seen countless videos on this local gem and it was time to finally try it.
It’s definitely a no frills type of place and they don’t have dim sum carts like you’d find at other dim sum establishments. We went for Saturday lunch and it slowly filled up and they seemed to have a steady amount of takeout orders too. Not going to lie, the menu was intimidating because there were so many options. We ended up ordering dishes within our comfort zone.
Shrimp Dumpling (8/10).
Har gow is easily one of the most recognizable dim sum dishes. It’s a simple shrimp dumpling with a wonderful bouncy texture.
Shanghai Bao (8-8.5/10).
This is another favorite dim sum item, the pan fried pork baos. These come out pipping hot and have a nice crispy bottom with a juicy interior. Be careful as you can easily burn your mouth if you’re impatient.
Fried Minced Pork Pillow (8-8.5/10)
This was my first time trying ham sui gok and it didn’t disappoint. Considering it’s relatively popular, I was shocked that I’ve never had this dish before. It’s a fried glutinous rice dumpling with a pork filling. While the exterior was crackly and crisp, the interior had a chewy soft texture similar to mochi.
Pork Potstickers (8-8.5/10).
I can’t go to dim sum and not get potstickers. These were heavily stuffed and the pork filling had a good amount of cabbage which was a pleasant flavor with the meat.
Honey Walnut Shrimp (8/10).
Of course Tommaso had to get his favorite dish, honey walnut shrimp. Pretty standard but tasty.
Salt and Pepper Calamari (6/10).
This was by far the weakest dish of the meal which saddened me because I love salt and pepper calamari. The biggest issues with the dish were that the calamari wasn’t crispy and there was barely any of the typical salt and pepper seasonings (usually it comes with lots of red and green peppers, garlic, and a generous sprinkling of salt and white pepper).
Sichuan Wontons (8/10).
At least we ended the meal with these tasty wontons in chili oil. It was the right amount of heat and the chili flavor wasn’t overpowering.
I’m so glad I finally tried the historic Hang Ah Tea Room. Prices were also relatively good and we both really enjoyed the food so my rating is an 8/10.