Hing Lung Restaurant

Best jook, no doubt. Unfortunately I stopped by 4÷30÷12 and they are still closed. Neighbour shop owner said rumour has it that they still need to work out remodel issues, probably related to the health dept violation.
So, in the mean time, I get my jook fix few doors down at New Hong Kong. Adequate but not the same. If Hing Lung is 100, I give New Hong Kong a 89.

Really sad that this place closed.
This place is right in SF, yet it had very reasonable prices and great authentic food. The congee was the BEST, and the chinese donuts were simply delicious. We would always order beef chow fun from here too, and look at what’s cooking in the little kitchen near the entrance.
If this place ever reopens, though, give it a try :)

You don’t know what you have till it’s gone…
I had driven past it with what felt rather recently and now find out its closed?! It was easily the best Chinese food place I’d ever eaten and reasonably cheap ESPECIALLY for being located in a prime location in the city. Since I moved out of SF I had not been there in well over a year but I’ve YET to find a place that’s had Chinese food as delicious as this place (believe me, I’ve tried). I’ve found triple the price, but never triple the quality. This is a DIRE shame that it closed down. The only thing you could fault it for is being dirty. The food itself was always awesome. I had eaten here over a dozen times and not once was my food mediocre or subpar. You will be missed Hing Lung…
RIP Hing Lung (may you somehow miraculously come back from the grave)

AVAILABLE … that’s the sign posted on their doors now, meaning that it is now for lease. I guess the rumors of a pending remodel prove to be just rumors. Unless they found another location, I’ll need to hunt for another place for my sturgeon two ways, jook, and jia leung! Sad news and makes Broadway a restaurant cemetary now after the closing of Gold Mountain. If I hear otherwise, I will update this post.

Best place to get congee and chinese donuts (yaotiu/​ngau lei soh)!
This is a place where you get your money’s worth and get some YUMMY food. You don’t go here for a clean, service-​friendly, and American style anything here. No, no, no. This place is family style, dirty, old, and very Chinese.
My favorite is always the pork with preserved egg congee and is always my default. With that, I always get an order of nau lei soh (sweet chinese donut) to go with that! I always take my friends here when they visit me :) They all love this place!
I was so sad to hear that they closed down! Granted, it’s not that surprising since it’s due to health reasons but really, a lot of the restaurants in Chinatown is probably in the same condition. Hopefully they’ll open back up and I’ll be able to get some congee! I haven’t been here since November and I miss it so!
Oh yeah, definitely get a Cantonese speaker to go with you. Makes it easier and faster ;)

Came by on Saturday and they were closed. No sign on the door for any reason. A quick research turned up the following:
…closed until further notice.

Hing Lung is officially closed. RIP Hing Lung, you will always be my favorite place for jook!
Apparently on the Chinese newspapers yesterday, Hing Lung did not pass the food inspections or whatever sanitary requirements so they got busted. I personally think this is BS! Hing Lung tastes so good, sanitary or not – but I’ve ate there since forever and I’ve never gotten sick because of hygienic issues. Boohoo. Hopefully they open up somewhere else and make everything cleaner this time!

My «We have to stop here and get an order of jook before leaving the city» place!
I’ve never actually sat down in the restaurant and eaten there. But then again, if I did, the unclean tables and walls would probably kill my appetite a bit. They really just need a good scrub down. Why have a see-​through clear window into the kitchen so patrons can see the cooking in action, if the window is fogged up with what seems like years of grease stains?
Anyways, we always get the meatball jook and pork/​preserved egg jook with an order of Chinese donuts to-​go. If you’re Vietnamese and you’re used to eating a more liquidy chao (rice porridge) this place will convert you! The jook is sooo creamy. It’s thick but just right. The flavorful is also on point, just a tad of pepper and you’re good! 2 orders of jook and 1 Chinese donut to-​go = $ 15. Huge portions too!
But like with most other Asian places… cash only!

Authentic Chinese food, in a place full of Chinese people. Yes, Hing Lung looks like every other Chinese joint in the area, but this is where you can get the finest tasting congee (porridge) in the city and the best chicken fried rice with salty fish. The beef chow fun is great too. Their dishes are fairly portioned with lots of meat. There are so many dishes here that you’re bound to like. Chinese donuts anyone? How about a glass of cold ovaltine?
You might have to wait a few minutes for a table. The place is usually crowded at lunch and dinner. Service can be slow at times. I believe there were two waiters for the entire restaurant.
Anyway, it really is about the food here. As tasty as everything is, I’ve been reassured by the waiter than nothing contains MSG. Also be prepared, it’s a cash only restaurant.
This is my absolute favorite Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. It’s probably better than most places in L.A. too. Definitely stop by if you ever get a chance.

I honestly don’t know what you call soup that is made with rice since there are so many names for it. So whatever you call it, porridge, congee, rice soup or jook, they make it here best. Great prices especially during happy hour ($ 2.99, Mon-​Fri 3pm-​6pm, Sat-​Sun 4pm-​6pm). Or you can go in the morning during weekdays between 8am-​11am and get the congee with chow mein, chinese donut (savory) and coffee or milk tea combo for $ 4.75.
Don’t expect any service and don’t expect the cleanest restaurant. Just go for great food at great prices.

service is rude. Cant expect much because it’s an Asian place and Asians dont believe in customer service!
Got the thousand egg porridge because my cousin said it was so good and she ate it all the time when she lived in san fran. Whatever, it was bleh to me. Porridge is porridge anyway you cook it because there is no secret recipe or seasoning to make it better. ITS JUST RICE AND WATER!!! as for the thousand year old egg, weird texture. dont eat it if you cant eat sushi because it’s an acquire taste and it will leave your breathe stinky.

My friend, she was ill. Sick. Dehydrated and delirious. I took matters into my own hands. Dragged her later in the evening to Hing Lung for porridge. Yes. Plain and bland porridge. I ordered some Turnip cakes and Chinese donuts too.
As she sat there, rather lifeless trying to sip on tea, the plate of donuts showed up. Crisp. Just fried and fresh. Wonderful. The simple porridge arrived and it was wonderful. Crispy bread, soggy porridge. Nicely done and perfect.
The Turnip cake arrived a little later and really wasn’t anything to sing about, but it didn’t matter. She was feeling much better and the tab was under $ 15 bucks.

Moving up here from LA, I grew up on jook/​congee with the you tiao (deep fried dough) and black preserved eggs. I’ve yet to perfect the recipe myself, but why make it on your own if you can just get to this place where they give you massive amounts of this simple dish at a cheap price!!!
My friend from since we were diapers have lived here in SF for the past decade ask me what I was craving on rainy day here in SF. So she decided on this joint because she knew I was on the hunt for «decent» Chinese food up here in the bay (no offense, the «best» Chinese food is back in LA in the San Gabriel Valley folks, hands down!). This place, however, did not disappoint, more surprised me.
Came here on a Thursday right before noon and the place is packed (apparantly everyday, esp. on the weekends) with the elder Chinese folks, either conversing with friends or taking their grandkids here to eat some jook. We both ordered the basic jook with preserved black eggs right when we sat down. Less than 5 mins later, a huge bowl of jook came and so did my childhood of my grandmother feeding me this stuff on a cold day. Yummy, hearty and a huge amount fit the stomach just fine.
This place is a typical Chinese restaurant: basic chairs and tables (might have to share at busy times), non-​smiling Asian waiters, dinged restaurant cups, plates, bowls and utensils and prices are for pretty big portions. Bring cash only.
Will definitely return since the people sharing the table next to us got some ridiculously good smelling fish and pork dish. Yummy-​oh!!!

I’ve been loving this place since I was probably in first grade. This place is a simple no frills place with hands down the best porridge in the Bay Area. Since I was little I have been ordering the liver porridge while my brother has been ordering the beef porridge. Don’t expect huge chunks of whatever you order thrown in your perfectly piping hot semi-​creamy porridge. Everything they include in your bowl of porridge will be tender and though a little long, it will be sliced an appropriate size to eat. A few visits ago I ordered the abalone and clam porridge which was really delicious too. It was much lighter than the other porridges I have tried but it was filling and hit the spot.
Another thing I always order is the X.O. sauce e-​mien. Perfectly chewy noodles sauteed with canned mushrooms. So my description isn’t exactly appealing but trust me, it’s delicious! I remember I tried to get my boyfriend to try some the first time we went together and he didn’t want any until he saw me stuffing my face with the noodles. He’s now hooked! This is also his must order now too :).
A few years ago they added the sweet fried donuts. They are best when they are still warm but today they gave us cold ones *wahh*. Not as good but still satisfied.
When you walk in you can see the chefs making the porridge and frying the chinese donuts. The other items on the menu are cooked in the kitchen towards the back. This place is comforting on so many levels. The first time I suggested this place to my bf he told me he used to come here as a kid too! Love! Food is consistently good, affordable and always hits the spot. I think they have a menu during specific hours that are like happy hour but you must get the porridge if you come here! I am pretty good at making porridge at home but it has never compared to Hing Lung’s!
Mmm yum.

— Lunch Review Only —
Absolutely my FAVORITE lunch place for porridge (congee or jook) in the entire SF Chinatown.
Their Pork Liver congee was so good it’s even better than what I can get in Asia, no kidding! They have an open kitchen but how they make the pork liver so flavorful and tender (and still taste like pork liver) is still a mystery to me. I wonder what’s their secret ingredient!
They also have the best «cow tongue» pastry (Fried donut) and Fried Bread to go with the congee. TOTALLY DELISH!
Fried noodles and such are pretty decent too.
NOTE:
— Had DINNER here one time and definitely NOT RECOMMENDED.
— Less one star, well, the place is, ah, not so very clean, but what can one expect? it’s Chinatown, duh?! Well, at least, I have never gotten sick once from eating here so it’s still my favorite lunch place to go.

This restaurant is great!
This is located away from tourist-​laden Grant Ave and has many older Chinese patrons (always a good sign). This place has an extensive array of great dishes to choose from. They didn’t rush us to order which was nice because we browsed the menus for awhile.
We ordered:
— Spicy Eggplant and Pork E-​mein (HUGE portion + tasty)
— Pan-​fried Pumpkin Cake with Salted Egg Yolk (Amazing!)
— Kung Pao Shrimp with Walnuts (#11 in the picture, but listed as #12 on menu).
They gave us #11 on the menu, Shrimp and Walnuts in Special Sauce (aka Mayo) which was kinda of bland. We let them know about the misunderstanding, and they were cool about it. They took back the wrong dish and promptly brought us the correct one which was much better!
Pros:
— The food is great!
— The portions are huge, especially the noodles! We had enough noodles left over to satisfy both of us for lunch the next day.
— Great authentic items
Cons:
— Lots of menu items posted on the walls, but they’re not written in English
— You have to make sure you get all the menus
Tip: There are 4 menus at this restaurant and there are additional items listed on the walls too.
Menus:
1 — Traditional Americanized Chinese food (No thank you!)
2 — Congee menu and appetizers
3 — Much more interesting, authentic Chinese menu featuring frog, rice dishes, noodles, etc
4 — Combo menu: $ 19.95 special includes soup and dessert and choose an Appetizer and 2 main dishes. (They neglected to give us this menu but I noticed the table next to us browsing it only after we had already ordered)

Hing Lung and I go way back. This place has been with me through the years of my elementary school days, my HS days, my college days… two breaks-ups…4 funerals…1 super bowl victory and 2 World Series (1 win). It’s pretty funny that there are times I end up coming here when I’m out celebrating, went to the gym, or just came back from a long trip… of course I must include the times we just walk up the block from the strip clubs of Broadway.
Don’t get me wrong… there are always hit and misses when you’re in the restaurant industry, especially a Chinese restaurant… but thankfully… this place have more hits… than misses.
My happy experiences?
I guess I’ll start with Mr. Ironhead aka «the waiter» (if you all watched Shaolin Soccer… he looks exactly like that character). You can say he’s rude and he just wants to take your order, drop off your dishes, and get your check. But in a chinese type of way… he’s not rude at all. I’ll say he’s more like the typical chinaman server that takes care of his customers with the less words possible. And yes, over the years… he has grown to know who I am and can be sarcastic in a humorous way that only I can laugh at. Apparently, he also keeps tab on who I’m dating and if I show up with my other friends that happens to be a girl… he’ll ask…“where’s your gf?” I can’t say any other server that will do that to me.
Gambling momma aka «the hostess». Miss «SUPERBOWL» herself. Funny story behind this… I think it was game 2 of the NLCS after the Giants lost to the Phillies. We rolled up to grab a bite to drown our sorrows. So the three of us… all dressed up in Giants attire walked in and she got up and asked us, «OHHHH DID THEY WIN SUPERBOWL???» Now i’m thinking to myself… what!!! Oh wait… asian «parents» know and gamble only one sport in America. FOOTBALL!!! In their minds… SUPERBOWL = CHAMPIONSHIP in all major sports. NBA Finals? SUPERBOWL! Stanley Cup? SUPERBOWL!
Yah…i didnt even try to correct her. I just smiled and said they lost that day. My buddies were laughing their ass off as well… they didnt try to correct her as well… cuz…what’s the point… really.
The food itself? It is surprisingly consistently good over the years. Porridge with pork and preserved egg is still the homerun hitter here. I always liked their BBQ pork over rice, their Cha Lerng (chinese donut wrapped in rice noodle), minced beef with egg over rice, roast duck, fried rice, chow fun, etc. There’s a LOT on this menu that tastes good and cheap. I honestly have no complaints for this place over the past 10+ years. Their butchers are still the same old «lo see foo» that I use to watch throw the window… chopping up the pork, ducks and chicken for people buying the dishes to go. Argh… i’m drooling already…
One negative thing to say about here? I guess… hmmm. You get what you pay for. =)
Oh…minus 1 star because they no longer open late till 1am like they did back in the day. =(

Best congee in town. They have a specific chef in the open kitchen in the front that makes the congee. It is very tasty.
Reason for the three stars? It is freaking dirty here and the service sucks.
After 3pm they have 3 dollar dishes. My mom and I went today and shared a congee and a milk tea for a total of $ 5.50 including tip.

This particular Sunday on my USA trip in June had started bizarrely. I exited Montgomery St BART station to find a completely naked man roller blade past me! Even for San Francisco, this was a little strange. Then, I noticed the Pride Parade signs.
I was most honoured to be taken on an insider’s tour of Chinatown by local legend Fro-​Yo Girl Lolia S and her faithful teddy bear, Tuttimelon Bear. Of course, I took my travelling teddy bear Teddy on this tour too.
Places like Hing Lung demonstrate exactly why you need locals to show you round. I suppose this would be the Chinese equivalent of a greasy spoon in the UK — a little dirty, no airs or graces, slightly chaotic ordering and service but fantastic food.
Lolia S brought us here for the congee. Westerners may make porridge with oats but the Chinese version with rice is definitely more versatile and flavoursome. I have never seen such a long list of congees in my life — it comes with practically anything you could care to name or want. To be honest, I’m not even sure now what additions I had in mine but I wolfed the whole bowl down. We also had a ‘must have’ side order of long fried dough sticks, which were crispy yet light, as they should be.
I’ve made a mental note to return to try more varieies of congee here on future trips.

Hing Lung (phrase connoting success to a business), where have you been all my life!!! How can I, when a little girl, obedient, non trouble-​making «coolie» to my parents, carrying those pink plastic bags that twist up on you (and the perfusion to the digits) up and down those hilly Chinatown streets, all those many decades, driving in from the Central Valley for a full day of «Chinese shopping» (deflated «Yaaay»), never know about the greatest Juk place on Earth?!
Flummoxed when it’s the case that I’ve skirted it, gone around it, walked past it, and everything else, save enter it, alleged hygienic issues n all!!!
Watched PBS one evening and caught a feature whereby their famous juk was featured. Videographer did a great job with the close-​ups and angles, because within a week of watching that segment, I drove across the BB in Am traffic and all, to arrive before 0900 to gitmesumadat home gruel grub.
So I think I’m still the same obedient daughter, driving the folks when they got into town into the City, as they have deathly fear of driving in SF. I had waited for them to come in, knowing they’d have their socks knocked off with the latest surprise I had up my sleeve for their pleasure (and mine!)
Known for making creamy rice porridge at the right viscosity and chock full of flavor, their menu boasts full tureens of this stuff! Whoa baby; that’s taking it up one serious notch.
Authentic is the most appropriate adjective for this place. Ken K, the ever-​astute Chinese reviewer has great insight, and he beat me to the narrative on the NGEOW LAY SOH, or «cow-​tongue pastry» (moniker because of the shape. no relation to the heavenly taste!!) which is truly just a buttermilk bar-​shaped slightly sweetened version of the Chinese fried donut –YEOW TIEW… I like both actually; they’re similar, and yet distinct.
Great stuff here; that sweet version thingy was actually better than their fluffy, *almost* Hong Kong-​like fried sticks. The GM had a long conversation with us, and she gave us much info. about the hx of the place (inquiring minds truly do wanna know!)
Dad ordered some wonderful fresh geoduck clam lookalike porridge
Mom got a really delectable pork liver and meatball (sounds gross, but don’t knock it till you taste it… I was floored, having sworn off liver for decades)
Myself, the preserved egg and pork juk. if I were more adventurous, I would have tried that frog leg one…
NOTE! Their pork is the ‘real deal’, the lean, shredded kind that was such a surprise, I bent my head close to the bowl and kept on examining it with my spoon… Such large delights in such small wonders… and the egg… sooo fluffy and flavorful, huge quarters cut up for your pleasure!
I could rename them JUK PALACE or THE CONGEE KINGDOM or THE REAL DEAL: THIS IS NO JUK (yeah, lame)
I’m going to be coming again and again and again… esp. since no meter tickin’ until after 0900, and this place opens from 08 – 22
They have these super amazing deals all throughout the day… at 1100, something starts… at 1500, another tier of savings… gotta luv it.
Could eat all day long here, and get different styles of food.
For me, it’s all about the juk. and *that*, ladies and gentlemen, is no juk!
PS Our bowls of heavenly comfort ran $ 6−9…next up, the sturgeon special!
PPS They also make Chiu Chow-​style juk, aka Paofan
PPPS For you Toishan lovers out there, they steam that delicious peasant-​style food, the pork patty with all those yummy condiments inside… my Dad’s eyeballs bugged out!