San Tung

4/11/2016

The wait at this place is ridiculous. Make sure not to come when you're really hungry because you'll probably have to wait an hour before being seated.

The wings are apparently the "star" of the restaurant. For me, they were a tad bit overhyped. The wings are bomb, but the sauce gets kinda gummy and cloying overtime. But I will say that they always serve their wings hot and fresh which I appreciate.

The black bean sauce noodle is underrated! Order it and you won't be sorry.

• 

  String beans and black bean noodles

  String beans and black bean noodles
• 

  San Tung's famous chicken wings

  San Tung's famous chicken wings

4/10/2016

San Tung has the bigger menu and gives free kimchi and fortune cookie. San Tung # 2 doesn't give those, and has a smaller menu.

San Tung#2 has all the popular items and has a short short line and better service.

DRY FRIED CHICKEN - HOLY SMOKES ITS SO GOOD. GET IT GET IT GET IT !

Sautéed String Beans is the perfect paring for the chicken.

Dry fried Calamari is really really good , but only if you like calamari. It's a HUGE order as well so plan on sharing that with at least 2 others (or 1 if you're starving)

Hot and sour soup - you can't go wrong , it's just good soup.

Service at the OG San Tung is ass but San Tung #2 is totally better.

Total for all 4 dishes plus a side of rice was roughly $45. SUCH A DEAL. So much food. So worth how dirty it can be.

4/10/2016

Every time I visit SF, I hit up San Tungs for their chicken wings. They are the most delicious wings I've ever tasted! I've heard this place has wait lines out the door and the to-go's are just as bad. I called first to order to go, or at least tried to call. They had busy tone for 30 mins. When I finally got someone, they put me on hold. When they did answer, I finally ordered. Their customer service sucks, but the 4 stars are for the CHICKEN WINGS. Oh my lanta, I have never tasted anything more delicious than those wings. SO if you're in SF visiting, stop by!

BEWARE: Parking sucks. So many cars are double parked and blocking other cards with their hazard lights on. BUT, the wings are worth it.

4/6/2016

This restaurant is a MUST-GO-TO!

Once you enter, make sure to write your name on the whiteboard along with how many people are with you. The wait typically lasts about 15-20 minutes depending on how busy it is and they don't take reservations.

When seated, ORDER THE WINGS!

San Tung is known for their wings regardless of the poor food safety alert on Yelp! It's one of the best chicken wings I've ever had and I'm sure you will agree with me too.

I also suggest getting the calamari. You won't be disappointed.

The only reason why this isn't getting a five star for me is because sometimes it takes forever for the waiter to get you water or any other things you ask for and all my waiters had given me attitude...

This is one of the few restaurants I like to take my friends and family and I will definitely be back here!

• 

  Garlic chicken

  Garlic chicken
• 

  Deep fried calamari

  Deep fried calamari
• 
• See all photos from Aj C. for San Tung

4/5/2016

This review is for San Tung #2.

I used to live in the city and never tried San Tung until now ... 5 years late haha. On top of that, I lived in the sunset too!

So many people have hyped up this restaurant like crazy so I finally had the time to check it out. We came on a Sunday afternoon around 5:15pm. We saw a line outside and knew we had to wait... but then we saw San Tung #2 wide open with no wait. According to Yelp reviews, both restaurants are essentially the same. Both restaurants have the original dry fried chicken, which is what people hype the restaurant about.

We got seated at the bar
, the last table available for a party of two (there was another table that seated 6 that was available).

We ordered:
* Original dry fried chicken (diced)
* Spicy black bean noodles
* Combination fried rice

I can see why people are obsessed with the chicken! It's tasty. I like the crunchy texture. I like the sweet and spicy, garlicky flavor! It's YUM!!! But I think it was way too hyped up for me to feel mindblown by them haha. I'd def come back, don't get me wrong. My boyfriend wasn't blown away either but he liked it. He said he prefers Ka Yumi in Fremont.

Super super fast service!! We got our food within less than 15 minutes from ordering!

• 

  Spicy black bean noodles

  Spicy black bean noodles
• 

  Combination fried rice

  Combination fried rice
• 

  Original dry fried chicken, diced

  Original dry fried chicken, diced

4/4/2016

I debated whether to give them 3 or 4 stars because 3.5 would be most accurate. But at the end of the day, I've had better Chinese food for a shorter wait, so 3 stars it is.

- Dry fried chicken wings: GREAT texture and probably one of the crispiest wings I've ever had, but the sauce was a little too sweet for my liking. It would've been much better if there was more spice and less sweetness. I ended up adding a bunch of chili sauce to it.
- Black bean noodles: Important to note that this was Korean style jjajangmyeon, not Chinese. Anyway, the dish was good, but not one of the best I've had.
- Shrimp & leek dumplings: Mediocre. The filling was pretty flavorless overall.
- Fried potstickers: MUCH better than the shrimp & leek dumplings. Flavorful filling, and the outside was crispy but not too greasy.

The fried potstickers and the chicken wings ended up being my favorites and were good, but neither were amazing, though the chicken wings VERY easily could have been if they adjusted the sauce.

Overall, the quality of the food was okay but didn't quite justify the long wait. If I came back, it'd be to order the chicken wings for take out and then cover them in hot sauce.

3/22/2016

You can tell a restaurant is good, when they've only been opened for just under an hour and there is a wait to be seated. My excitement began to build...

We ended up sharing a table with a gentleman and his son, which I thought was cool and a smart way to be resourceful with the space.

I loved watching as more and more people came in wanting to put their name in for a table...

Customer service was pretty general, anyone and everyone that walked by was able to provide help.

My mom and I ordered from the lunch menu with dishes ranging from $6-$9, all which include rice and soup. I ordered the chicken Kung Pao and the moms ordered beef with black mushrooms, both great wth a yummy sauce.

If you're looking for authentic Chinese food on the Avenues, this place is somewhere I would recommend for you!

• 

  Shrimp and Leek potstickers

  Shrimp and Leek potstickers
• 

  Beef with Black mushrooms

  Beef with Black mushrooms
• 

  Kung Pao Chicken

  Kung Pao Chicken
• See all photos from Lene N. for San Tung

3/22/2016

I've been here plenty of times before, and absolutely loved it. However, my recent experience was rushed and subpar.

We arrived around 9pm and San Tung closes at 9:30, so I understand why we were being rushed. Just a couple minutes with the menu and we were told it was the last call for food. With a party of 10 it's difficult to decide what to order family-style, so we took a few minutes in figuring out what to order -- especially since they surprised us with a $75 minimum for our party. That's a lot of dishes!

We asked if we could get water first (we had walked from Golden Gate Park and were thirsty) and the waiter snapped, "You can get water after you order." We also asked if they had anything that was gluten-free since one of our party was allergic to gluten, and while I know that this is a no-frills restaurant that doesn't subscribe to the whole vegan/gluten-free/etc thing, they didn't have to snap at us and leave in a huff.

We ended up ordering the pork and cabbage dumplings, the beef noodle soup, the dry fried chicken (of course), jajangmyeon, and string beans for our party of 10. Yes, the chicken wings were crispy and juicy as usual with a great savory sauce. The beef noodle soup was excellent (chewy noodles but not too chewy), and the dumplings were juicy without being overly salty/flavorful. String bean dish was standard. All in all, pretty authentic Chinese food for the most part.

I'll be back because the food is so damn good, but it'll be at an earlier time, or maybe I'll get takeout. I'm hoping this review will shed light to the poor service at San Tung. I suggest perhaps closing the restaurant half an hour early if all the waiters are tired and cranky by 9:30.

• 

  Dry fried chicken

  Dry fried chicken

4/7/2016

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

Saturday night, the craving hits
And I try and I try and I try and I try
To get dem chicken wangggggzzzz
But no I can't get no, I can't get no
Line is 2 hours deep
Oh no no no

Tuesday night drive-by
Can I get some chicken wings tho?!
No no no the crowd is fierce like San Tung kimchee
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm driving around the town on a Thursday, is today the day?
Oh yes oh yes I'm getting the wings!!
And the five spice beef noodle soup.
And the string beans.
And maybe some eggplant too.
But for sure the wings. Those crack-a-lackin, stick to your teeth, gooey, sticky icky icky wings.

Really, though.. What else needs to be said with 5,000+ reviews?

I can't get no satisfaction... Without my San Tung chicken wings.

3/16/2016

DRY FRIED CHICKEN WINGS.
DRY FRIED SHRIMP.
DRY FRIED STRING BEANS.

THAT IS ALL.

I'm sure if you're living in SF or from the area, you've heard of San Tung, and it's not just hype, they actually have veryyyyy good chicken wings here. Every bite is so flavorful and it's honestly ADDICTING. San Tung is just like any ordinary Chinese restaurant, nothing modern to it, but the food makes up for everything. Sometimes waiting in line is a bit of a hassle especially during dinner time, and on weekends, so opting for take out is what I do best! When I order for takeout, sometimes i'll just order the dry fried chicken, diced(not wings), and they'll give you a really big portion of chicken dices in their dry fried sauce, and it's just as good!!! Seeeeee u reaaaaal soon!

4/5/2016 Updated review

I finally ended up here again after a few years. A friend and I ended up here after hanging out. We arrived pretty close to opening on a Sunday and waited for about 45 minutes. Stay around if you want to eat at the restaurant because sometimes people leave. They don't wait for people to stick around. If you're not there when your name is called, they wipe your name off of the whiteboard.

Wings are still good. Definitely a must order. We also ended up getting a lot more dishes (dumplings, green beans, sweet and sour chicken, combination fried rice). Most of it is pretty good, but it wasn't anything amazing.

Protip: Wings.

3/7/2016 Updated review

Everyone raves about the chicken wings and yes, they are definitely something special, but my favorite dish from here is actually the mu shu pork. Their sautee is spot on and without excessive sauce/liquid - as it should be! And the combination of tender pork slices, chopped cabbage, eggs, and black fungus is delicious! Add to the fact that they make their own mushu wrappers and it's just bite after bite of heaven in my opinion.

There are also various other dishes that my family considers "go-to's" but we tend to mix it up every time we come. This time, we opted for the three spice noodles. The noodles were chewy, yet soft, but I didn't really care for the sauce - I thought it was much too sweet and definitely not spicy enough. The addition of sauteed squash was very nice though. The potstickers we ordered were HUGE. While I wish it was pan-fried and not deep fried, it was still very delicious. The filling was juicy and tender and the exterior was crispy.

We came at 11:25 just before the rush and didn't have to wait, perfection on a Sunday.

2/15/2016

BEST CHICKEN WINGS. Hands down. Wow.

I've always heard about this place from my friends that live in the Bay but I never thought anything of it...chicken wings from a Chinese place? Give me a break...

Then I met San Tung and the dry fried chicken... I think I might've fell in love right then and there. They're cooked to perfection. Crispy, savory, tangy and delicious. There's no need for extra sauce or anything. I wish this place existed in LA; I would be a frequent customer. There is always a line for this place and it's justified. Even when they open right at 5 PM for dinner, there's already people lining up...craziness!!

Open a location in LA please!!!

• 

  Dry fried chicken. BEST CHICKEN WINGS EVER.

  Dry fried chicken. BEST CHICKEN WINGS EVER.
• 

  Outside

  Outside

4/4/2016

I might get ostracized for saying this but what's the big deal?

I expected pretty authentic Chinese food from San Tung because of its name and its location in Inner Sunset but what I got was overly sweetened Chinese fusion that caters to the stereotypical American palette. The chicken wings were fried just long enough to be crispy yet juicy (mad props to that), but the sweetness was overwhelming and masked the other subtleties of the dish. The cold sesame noodles were the same story, too sweet and lacked depth--although the noodles themselves were cooked perfectly to have that al dente quality.

What I was a fan of were the shrimp and leek dumplings. If I were to go back again, I would only order this and other dishes that can't possibly have any business being sweet. Then I'd know I'm safe and my teeth will thank me.

4/2/2016

Just another review to add to the already thousands... DRIED CHICKEN WINGS HERE ARE SO GOOD. Come early or you'll be waiting awhile. There's San Tung #2 next door but that'll be a wait too. Anyone ever thought about just to go-ing the wings and eating at home?? I wouldn't recommend getting anything else but their wings tbh. Service is slow and they can be rude, but what wouldn't I do for delicious wings when visiting sf

2/15/2016

Dinged this place by 1 point due to their service (asked for water 3 times with 2 different people and still never got it). Kind of a jerk attitude throughout the restaurant but hell they serve bomb food.

Come here after work on Friday and the restaurant was 3/4th full of people and sufficient staffing. I see other people buying different variety of foods but there is one item is on every single table - their fried chicken wings.

I ordered the black bean noodles with the chicken wings. I have to say it was the best black noodles and chicken wings I ever had. The food tasted very fresh and the quality was on point. Pretty thick sticky glaze on the chicken wings but it's that finger licking glaze.

For these 2 items, $23.

• 

  Black bean noodles

  Black bean noodles
• 

  Chicken wings!

  Chicken wings!
• 

  Spicy Kim chi

  Spicy Kim chi

2/27/2016

Ahhh chicken wings galore!!!
Make sure you get here early, we got here before it opened and there was a huuuuuge line.  Once we got seated they served us complimentary kimchi, which was super hot .  The waiters were very attentive and quick.

We ended up ordering the pork dumplings, classic wings, and peanut sauce noodles.  Ok we all know the wings are out of this world here, and if you don't think so you need to reevaluate life.  Note that if you don't like sweet and sour food, you may not like the wings.  The dumplings were quite delicious, however, as for the noodles I have to say it was a big disappointment.  If you ever had terracotta warrior you know that these noodles are nowhere near those.

I will definitely be back for the wing and dumplings!

• 
• 

  Peanut sauce noodles

  Peanut sauce noodles
• 

  Wings

  Wings
• See all photos from Josh Giosue D. for San Tung

1/22/2016

Basically the same as San Tung but with slightly more modern decor. All that matters is that the dry fried chicken wings are the same- and they are and at slightly less of a wait.

The chicken wings come fresh out of the fryer and are covered in a glorious concoction of honey, garlic, pepper, and other Asian spices. A plate of 10 of these can easily be devoured in minutes- but let them cool down or else you'll burn your tongue! I also got some string beans to try the balance out the unhealthiness of deep fried goodness- but they are also oily and fried but nonetheless delicious and I guess a bit of fiber. Can't go wrong with some of the sweetest and savory chicken wings!

1/26/2016 Updated review

I LOVE SAN TUNG DRY FRIED CHICKEN! this is probably the best chicken I've ever had in my life! The chicken is super glazed with a garlic and sweet flavor. I definitely wish there was a close location to Vallejo because I seriously would come every week.

We came in on a Tuesday, around 2:25. They close from 3-5pm so I'm surprised they took us in. Luckily there was no line and we were seated right away. Before 3pm, they have a lunch special available for smaller and more affordable portions.

For a party of 4 and a toddler, we ordered 2 orders of shrimp fried rice, 3 orders of the amazing crispy and glazed fried chicken, 1 order of honey walnut prawns, and 1 order of the string bean. They serve you kimchee and tea with your meal. We ended up having extra chicken and string beans for leftovers.

The service was great. Food came out super fast and they continues to come around to refill our water glasses.

If you haven't tried dry fried chicken from san tung, you have NEVER tried chicken. =)

• 

  DRY FRIED CHICKEN!!

  DRY FRIED CHICKEN!!
• 

  Honey walnut shrimp

  Honey walnut shrimp
• 

  Shrimp fried rice

  Shrimp fried rice

1/21/2016

Heard a lot about this place but came away pretty disappointed overall in food. Maybe it just got over hyped for me. Despite seeing their poor safety score alert we decided to try it anyway.

We of course had to order the fried chicken wings because everyone and their brother had it on their tables at the restaurant. The wings were crispy but I'm not a fan of the overall sweetness. To me, it was way too sweet, almost like they dipped it in honey before bringing it out.

We also ordered the pig ear which had nice flavor. I love pig ear and it was the highlight of the meal for me. It was slightly overcooked but i didn't mind it. It still had the cartilage-y texture that I like.

The last few things we got were the green beans, chow mein, and shrimp and leek dumplings. They were just ok for me. Nothing really blew me away as I've had better at other establishments.

If you're looking for authentic Chinese, I would suggest looking somewhere else since it seems this place is a bit more Americanized in their dishes.

• 

  Chicken wing

  Chicken wing