Recently, we were entertaining friends who were visiting from New Jersey and decided to try out a new Dim Sum restaurant in Chinatown (well… not exactly new, but one that we hadn’t eaten at yet). We decided on Great Eastern after reading reviews – it’s touted as one of Chinatown’s top seafood and Dim Sum restaurants with fresh tanks of crab, prawns and rock cod. The restaurant is conveniently located on Jackson Street in the heart of Chinatown, just off Grant Avenue. President Obama ate here in 2012 during one of his visits.
We arrived for an early lunch at 11:40am and couldn’t believe the crowds waiting to be seated inside. The host gave us a numbered ticket and we were told to wait til we were called. About 15 minutes later, we were seated in their main dining area. There’s another room downstairs and that was equally full. The restaurant is clean and has a good atmosphere. There’s no doubt that Great Eastern is popular with the locals – we felt like we were back in China!
Don’t expect Dim Sum carts and you won’t be disappointed. Ordering is off a “picture” menu – why don’t ALL Chinese restaurants have this option – it would make ordering so much easier… and faster! We just marked off our Dim Sum choices and the waiter picked it up. Each dish was served promptly at our table hot and fresh. We were all very impressed with the quality of the food.
Here’s a sample of what we ordered – it was more than ample for the four of us:
- BBQ Pork Puff Pastries (OMG! sooo good!)
- Shrimp Noodle (fresh and tasty)
- Steamed Shrimp (two baskets; excellent)
- Sticky Rice (the best we’ve tasted)
- Duck (good flavor, but a little fatty)
- Stir-fried Green Beans (cooked to perfection)
- Chinese Broccoli (delicious)
The restaurant is reasonably priced. It was a GREAT first experience and we can’t wait to go back again! Maybe we’ll see you there 🙂
Have any of you eaten Dim Sum at Great Eastern? Any other good Dim Sum restaurant recommendations in San Francisco’s Chinatown?