Mow Lee Shing Kee & Co

Since 1856 … love their sausages .. great for everything .. fried rice, Claypot rice, sticky rice .. the place I take family & friends to buy LAP CHEONG. the oldest business in SF Chinatown. selling preserved duck, Chinese bacon, sausages & more for over 100 years,

Came here for the lapcheong (sausage)! Delicious and a great selection of other Chinatown delicacies! It’s easy to miss this small hole-in-the-wall establishment on the outskirts of Chinatown but if you’re in town, give them a visit!

There are very few shops that make them traditional Chinese sausage, dry duck leg, and dried pork belly. This is definitely a specialty shop in a favor of many elders. The shop is very tiny but there was a lot of people there when I went to pick up some Chinese sausages for my aunts. Aunts really really like the Chinese sausage and I found it delicious as well. I will be back to get more.

I have been buying from this wonderful place since I was just a little girl with her grandmother. I have passed this tradition onto my own children and grandchildren. This is the best tasting preserved meat selection anywhere. We have been to a couple of other places as we have moved throughout the US, and have always looked forward to coming here. I have even sent them to friends in Arizona and Texas. Plus, the lady is always happy to see us.

Got some meats goodies here for mom and father in law! July 2025

Just bought over 20 pounds of sausages, preserved meat, etc. Good thing we brought along a cooler bag on wheel as we were taking bart from the south bay. A must stop every time we go to Chinatown.

Visited over a year ago since we were tourists from Oregon and wanted to buy some authentic lap mei to bring home. Saw this place had some decent reviews and decided to check it out right before they closed. They stayed open for us and we were able to buy some delicious Chinese sausages (regular and duck liver ones) as well as Chinese bacon. They had great flavor, even better than the place we usually go to in Vancouver BC. We will be back for more if we are ever in the city again.

I learned about Mow Lee because My great grand parents who used to get the Chinese sausages as gift for our family.

My Family had one request for me and that was to bring some locally made lap cheong home ‍‍ Bought that and a cured duck leg!! I Went on a weekday so I didn't have to wait in line! The place was nicely organized and you can see all their options! The younger lady that helped up front was super nice and very helpful!! And They do take Zelle and Venmo! :)

Look, this place is a great family run business in a very niche market which is preserved goods such as lap cheong (chinese sausage), dried pork belly, pressed duck, pressed chicken legs, duck mouth, duck carcass, etc. These items are used for a variety of Hoisan foods. I use the sausage and pork belly when I make the filling for my stick rice. My parents used to serve the pieces of the sausage and duck as a side dish that is steamed. Remember, in the old days, there was no refrigerator so you had to learn to preserve meat. Please support this local business!!

Offering high quality charcuterie since 1853, Mow Lee Shing Kee is down a secondary side street and is one of those places as a westerner I hesitate to enter because I don't know what exactly they are selling and don't expect the proprietor to speak English. Not to worry! I was served by a very helpful young guy who said the four things everyone orders are the pork sausage, duck liver sausage, dried duck leg and pork belly. Cooking method is to steam them with rice and let the rich flavor saturate the rice. I spent $25 which is more than the packaged versions in my Asian market but I look forward to a taste comparison. The guy also steered me to a decent HK style lunch place and an excellent tea smoked duck at Duk Hing on Stockton. I'm a fan!

So excited to have found this store online!!! I used to live in the Bay Area. When my parents came to visit from NYC, we were taken here by a relative. We LOVED the preserved duck. That was over 20 years ago. I have since moved back to NYC and am going to visit this February. My 86 year old mom, who never asks for anything, asked if I remembered the duck place. She recalled a small side street. Later, "Commercial Street" just came to me. Moments ago, I googled "preserved duck San Francisco," and found this site! I had no idea this place was such an institution and generatonal gem. So excited to tell my mom and bring her back some duck!!!

Scientists theorize you can go back in time by travelling faster than the speed of light.  Alternatively you can close your eyes and step foot in Mow Lee Shing Kee. Breathe deep and try to visualize each scent.  They have more preserved meats here than I have ever beheld. Open your eyes and see a vast array of treats you never knew existed.  The shop looks like it was 100 years ago.  I discovered Mow Lee Shing Kee & Co has been in business for 167 years. I have been coming here for decades to buy Chinese sausage.  I always get the dried pork one which is bursting with rose wine based flavor plus some hints of sweetness.  You can buy Chinese sausage at any Asian market or Costco but I prefer to come here for a more artisan experience of hand made sausage following a hundred's year old recipe. Lady running the shop was friendly and answered all my questions.  Outside it was bright and time flowed forward again.  I will return next time I'm in San Francisco. Cool video about Mow Lee here:  https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/chinatown-meat-shop-san-francisco/3238888/

My favorite shop to get cured meats in the Bay area for years. Multiple ways to pay which is quite convenient (Zelle, Venmo, Cash). Workers are super helpful and nice too. Small place but lots of different cured meats!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cu5Nbnis9gr/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng== I love her so much.

When in SF, you must buy some Chinese sausage or bacon home for your family. I'm not sure if this is what my parents were raving when we visited SF on a tour bus from LA and they bought air-dried sausages from a shop as a child. Mow Lee Shing Kee may be it since it's been around for a while. This cozy store feels like a shop you'd find in HK, complete with all the dried meat fragrance you could ever dream of. There is a wide selection of preserved meat and also dried bone for making soups or flavoring rice, as the "poh poh" or grandma tells me. The shop takes me back to simpler times when cell phones were not invented and stands as a juxtaposition amongst tradition and the evolution of technology and society. They smoke the meat in the back, rather than air-drying like how my parents remembered it in HK. My favorite is the "lap app cheong" or duck liver sausage. It is simply the best you can find anywhere. If you happen to find somewhere better, please let me know. Eat it simply steamed with soy sauce or in a clay pot and you cannot go wrong. The regular Chinese sausage is also a hit. While the bacon is also good, it is also very fatty, so I don't buy that too much for my parents. With the preserved meats, my mom makes the best "lo mai fan" or glutinous rice. Every bite is decadence with the meats from Mow Lee Shing Kee. Bonus points if you throw an entire "lap app bei" or duck leg/thigh in there! Highly recommend you visit this mom and pop shop. Every time I've gone, there is an auntie or grandma that is also there to restock their home supply!

I was curious after seeing this place on Yelp & decided to stop by. The gentleman was very nice and helpful! He recommended the dried pork belly which I haven't had before, offered to chop it up, and described how to best prepare it. I then got 1 pair of the duck and liver sausage and 1 pair of the pork one. In total everything was ~$13. It was all delicious! I definitely see the appeal of getting it here besides the fact that it's freshly made, but the taste and quality are noticeably better than the store bought ones. Parking can sometimes be filled up so I had to park right onto the curb next to the store.

This is the Chinatown historical icon Very well known for its lap Cheungs and other cured meats Located in the heart of SF Chinatown, where they made them in the back that looks like a home kitchen, nothing industrial with big machine for massive productions Place has been there as long as I can remember. If you ever visit SF I would say it's a tourist attractions Places looks historical and clean Meats are very fragrant with soy and they are the best when cooked with steamed rice or stir fried

Hidden gem alert! Mow Lee Shing Kee & Company is top-notch at making Chinese cured meats. Whether it be Chinese sausage, cured duck, or cured pork belly, they make it real good. Whether you cook it with rice or have it mixed with vegetables, the meat will add an absolutely irresistible burst of umami flavor that will delight the senses. I especially like adding the bony parts of their cured duck in making porridge which is an absolute game changer. You'll know immediately when walking in that you've arrived at the right place. The aroma of cured meats fills the entire store with a delightful aroma. Be warned though. The Chinese aunty behind the counter knows how to do business and though you may walk in to just grab one or two items, you may just find yourself somehow ending up with a giant bag filled to the brim.

My family love to make a stop here for the cured meats. My parents are from LA and make a stop to buy stuff to freeze (since I think they don't use nitrates). It's hard to find another place that does it the old way like this, so my parents buy a ton of stuff to give away to family and friends in LA who equally love their products. As we walk around, so many shops have closed. I really hope that Mow Lee Shing Kee and keep things going for years and years to come. The lady is also what we said is a "smart business woman". I only brought one grocery bag - which quickly got filled up. So my parents said they'll pay for a paper bag, and she proceeded to pack a Safeway paper bag. :0 If you haven't been and know how to cook the lap chueng etc, you must stop and at least buy one package to try!

Man. Been coming here since I was a little kid with my mom and it's always been good. Went there today with my 11 year old daughter and the kid that works there now, guessing is the grandson or son, sweat me for 71 cents. I spent 100 and he wouldn't let it go. I mean I get it everyone gotta make scratch but hella bad for business being greedy. I would have been back and paid it. Gonna try Wycen foods on Clay street moving forward. Hella sad but kids these days feel entitled. They don't know business, community or loyalty. Prices have gone up A LOT as well. Pains me to write this but it is what it is. When a small business doesn't give a sh.. about community, I'll spend my hard earned money elsewhere.

One of the historic place in SF Chinatown. Traditional made Chinese cured meat and sausage. Went down there after 10 years. Looks like the next generation is taking over the business. 774 Commercial, between Grand and Kearny.

This place is legendary for their cured meats, specifically the lap cheung. My friend from San Diego stocks up on lap cheung from LA, but those are the sweeter variety. So I stock up for my mom and grandma on lap cheung from Mow Lee. Sorry aunties, not enough room in my carry-on luggage. I've been coming to this place for years (traveling from LA) and when I brought a co-worker from China, even she was impressed by how traditional and legit this tiny shop was. There is nothing fancy about this place, but it captures the true essence of traditional Chinatown. I wish I could read Chinese, but since I can't... I snapped a photo of their "menu" to my mom and had her on speaker phone to order. Definitely recommend going with someone that speaks Cantonese, although you might get by with pointing at items. Just be aware the lap cheung isn't displayed, so it's like a secret item you have to ask for! P.S. cash only P.P.S. There's supposedly cheap parking with validation, but I just paid for meter parking in the city.

My place to go to for Chinese sausages. Every time I went there I buy a lot almost $40 - 60 but the lady there does not even give me free plastic bag she charges 25cents.

What a gem! Why didn't I know about this place sooner! The fact that they have been in business for 166 years is INSANE. Finally got a chance to swing by this tiny little hole in the wall and what a cool spot. They specialize in Chinese cured meats, so you can find your usual lap cherng (chinese sausage), yuen cherng (duck liver suasage), lap yuk (cured pork belly), lap aap (cured duck), and many many more! The friendly man spoke Cantonese. If you can't find something, all you have to do is ask and they might have it in the back! Got half a lb of the chinese sausage, half a lb of the liver sausage, one piece of lap yuk, and 2 pieces of cured duck meat, and came out to be $25 in total. Made a clay pot rice with cured meats at home with my little Korean stone pot and some Thai jasmine rice. They taste amazing and super fragrant and natural with no chemical or weird plastic flavor like the ones in the grocery markets. My favorites were the liver sausage and the cured pork belly, sooo amazingly flavored. This is the real deal. I will never buy cured meats at grocery markets again!!!

If you want to see old time Chinatown at it's finest, just take a stroll here. In my childhood days, all neighborhood locals knew that the freshest and most authentic food ingredients are found in stores like this. Mow Lee specializes in cured and dried meat products, mainly duck and pork based given the heavy Cantonese influence in Chinatown. When you walk in, you'll smell the smoked and cured meat fragrances and a variety of different offerings on trays towards the back and along the counter. My late father used to love cured duck and Chinese pork sausages (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Y4ZqzMgB2MFXB9vgAF5ZNQ&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) known as 'lop cheung' in Cantonese. We'd steamed these, toast these, or slice them up in crafting meals that paired well with steamed rice. Recently, I have been buying them as gifts since the mass produced products from Asia often have a heavy chemical flavor, likely from using preservatives to prolong its shelf life. I noticed a rash of Chinese sausages now coming from Canada which has a large Hong Kong background population. About a week ago, I prepared eight of these sausages to accompany our early Chinese New Year's family hot pot dinner. Come in if you are trying to find local based ingredients in preparing your Chinese meal. In fact, a family friend's relative makes this one of his main stops when driving down from Portland in buying raw materials for his restaurant. Doesn't get much more authentic than that!

My friends' relatives been shopping here for decades!!! I have been going here slightly more than 9 yrs. It is still my after trying slightly a dozen sources locally and packaged (usually more dense than local) The ones from NY, Canada, and non CA are denser ... not my taste picture salted preserve items made months to past a year are more harder and saltier

I visited the Bay Area twice in the same month, the first time with family. One of my aunts was searching feverishly in Oakland Chinatown for handmade Chinese sausage, made in SF. We knew there was a storefront in SF Chinatown, but hoped that it was sold elsewhere (it wasn't). She never found it in Oakland Chinatown but she planted the seeds for me to make sure I bought some on my second visit. Mow Lee Shing Kee is located on one of the quieter streets in Chinatown in a store with practically no signage. I actually thought it was closed down. Inside, an older man helped me and we spoke Cantonese. Or he did, and indulged my poor language skills. I ordered 5 lbs of the Chinese sausage, some in 1 lb bags, and some in .5 lb bags. He was very nice in accommodating my specific packaging requests because I wanted to give them as gifts. Looking around, you can see bins of the other cured meats that others rave about, the preserved duck legs, pork. The signature Chinese sausage isn't even in view. The man took them out from under the counter. Being inside really makes you feel very, very Chinese in a cool old-school way. I'm very glad I had a chance to stop by. P.S. I packed them in my carry-on luggage and flew back home on a domestic flight just fine. TSA definitely opened up my bag and took a good look at the sausage (I'm sure that a large bundle of 40 long, skinny things looked suspicious), but nothing got thrown away.

I come here every time I'm in town and this time, had a dedicated meat luggage as I knew I'd be hauling a few bags back! I got 10# lap cheong which was still soft to the touch! Fresh stuffed! Only 4# lap yook and 1# of the boneless duck leg meat. Within hours of arriving home, all of it was claimed. Should have bought more! We steamed some up the other night, it's just as delicious, if not better then it's ever been! Slightly sweet and very flavorful, just how it should be!

Mow Lee Shing Kee & Company is a well know Chinese cured meat (Lap Mei) store. They have the best Chinese sausage, cured duck, or the Chinese cured bacon in Northern California. The store was very busy every day before the pandemic. But they have only a few customers in the store at the time when I am there. The owner lady said they are not doing 1/3 of the business as before! The cured meats still the best. Excellent quality! Way-way-way better than the supermarket Chinese cured meats! Street parking only or you can park your car at the nearby parking lot within two blocks of walking only! I hope their business will pick up again soon! I hate to see this traditional Chinese get kill by the pandemic. We will not be going to have a replacement store like this one anymore!

This is an example of a long standing, old Chinatown business. This place is well known among the locals. My parents came here before me and now I come here too. This is a small shop located in small street off of Grant Ave (fka "Dopon Gai") and can get crowded certain times of the day or Saturday morning with shoppers. Depending on time and day, there can be a swarm of people in the narrow shop calling out their order in Cantonese. There is nothing like walking into a shop and see trays of cured meats (lop ngapp--cured duck, lop yuk--Chinese bacon) glistening on the counter or bundles of cured sausage (lop chong--different varieties: liver, lean pork) hanging from the back wall. Especially exciting is when you time it right and a fresh tray of cured meat is brought out. I buy my supply and promptly freeze it when I get home. I make the trek to Chinatown 2-3 times a year just for the purpose of buying their cured meats. There's nothing like steamed rice and cured meat in a claypot for dinner or dice the sausage to make fried rice or sticky rice. When your done, go across the street and stop at Eastern Bakery for a tasty treat!

I have given thought about writing this post and decided: I need to voice my experience Yesterday I went and bought 3 types of meat and kept them safely at bottom of my bag I found out later that there's a missing item yesterday that I promised my colleague that this is the best sausage they ever tasted that I have to wait in line (I am very impatient) Since yesterday was Saturday so I still have time before Monday Then I decided I need to go back today (losing 1 hour of sleep without compromising my schedule ) Option 1 - I can try if she believes she will give me or Option 2 - the worst is I pay again to keep my promise to my colleagues Result: I paid again but I get to keep my promises to my colleagues :-) Will I go back- yes Will I check before I leave the counter- yes It was $7.xx for the item I never got and $5 for the parking - lesson learned I was mad at myself

This Cantonese Charcuterie has been in operations for over 100 years. I make an effort to get into SF Chinatown to purchase Op Gon Chong (Duck Liver Sausage) which is a Hawaii Auntie favorite. Only gripe is that I was limited to one pound with the rest of the stash hidden behind the counter. You could see all of the other available options but this one Sausage was hidden from view. Sad. Go here for Dried Press Duck, Dried Pork Belly, Sausages, etc.... Cook any of these with your rice in a rice cooker and you have a nicely cooked piece of... along with meat scented and flavored rice. Dice up the Sausage for your Fried Rice or the Pork Belly for your Sticky Rice. Shop is in the alley around the corner from Eastern Bakery. Woman clerk is nicer than the man clerk.

Small storefront in San Francisco's Chinatown selling Chinese meat products and a small selection of groceries. I came here to pick up some Chinese sausage though they have other meat products like duck that I am not as familiar with. Since it is a small store, it may take a while to get in and out which was the case for me even though there was just one person in front. I picked up a package of Chinese sausage and a piece of lap yuk (Chinese cured pork belly). The Chinese sausage was okay. If you like lean types of sausage, you will like the version here. Though I wish there was a version closer to the ones Kam Yen Jan makes which have a little bit more pork fat in them. If that is the case, I would say to just get the lap yuk here which is really good. In hindsight, I should have skipped the sausage and just bought the lap yuk only. If you are looking for local Chinese charcuterie, Mow Lee is a good option. Though expect to wait a bit to order since the space is small.

The best place for locally made, preservative-free Chinese sausage. I came just before the Lunar New Year to pick some up for my family and learned that the "lap cheong" are kept hidden behind the counter for those in the know. The older auntie behind the counter was very nice to me, especially given my lack of Cantonese skills and inability to communicate with her. Somehow I ended up with 2 pounds of Chinese sausage and my mom was very happy with the taste- not super fatty or salty like the pre-packaged kind. Now is the time to get out and support Chinatown and all of the gems in this neighborhood.

This is the place I often hit up whenever I'm in Chinatown to pick up some salted duck, duck bacon, Chinese bacon etc... It looks like they been here for a long time and it shows, it's a tiny hole in the wall place, so if you blink you'll miss it. Duck legs are $7/each, whole ducks are $28 as of this review.

We are long time fans of their chinese sausage. BUT we ordered and paid for 2 pounds of sausage (in cash) yesterday and the clerk double checked that we wanted 2 pounds. The package felt light so I weighed it at home and it was 1.3 pounds. Sad and hope it was a mistake.

If you are in Chinatown, you have to stop by Mow Lee and buy their cured meat. I actually found out about Mow Lee on a documentary about Chinatown's most famous and popular food destinations. Apparently, this place has been in Chinatown for over 100 years specializing in cured meats. They have many different items ranging from the different parts of a duck, chicken, and pig. The owner is a super friendly and knowledgeable lady and is always in the store. She was the one who taught me to cook my rice with a piece of cured meat, so that it would slowly release its fat and juices, flavoring the rice with a hint of sweet and savory. It is so convenient and simple, and gets my appetite going. Cured meat is also a very good gift for friends and families, because it is easy to transport and super yummy to cook with rice or vegetables!

Still my favorite Asian meat shop to date. Amazing Chinese sausages, duck, and more! Looks a bit creepy cause all you see are carcasses, but it's fine. Old lady here runs the shop and she's super funny. I drive all the way from SoCal to get this for my family and I. Worth every penny. Also, really nice to support Chinatown and an Asian owned business.

Gung Hay Fat Choy! I'm a RAT! With the recent cold snap, we gravitate to comfort foods to keep our tummies warm. Bears are smarter ...... they hibernate! We all have our own preferred comfort foods, as does every ethnicity or household. So this is a review of a Chinese comfort food frequently enjoyed in the Lunar New Year season and the best store to buy them as recommended by an avid yelper Mike C. Mike C in his review reminded me of a Chinese delicacy that I have never tried and is available in Chinatown. The Chinese preserved duck leg is one of wifey's favorites. How does that sound? This is not roasted duck or Peking duck but something like prosciutto in term of texture and even taste. The other favorite of hers is the all too familiar Chinese sausage (lup cheong), which is a popular ingredient in Chinese tamales (joong), sticky rice, fried rice and clay pot rice. Other items they carry include dried pork belly, duck wings and gizzards, which believe it or not, are excellent for Chinese classical soups that are touted to be nutritious and healthful. The most foodgasmic way to get a taste of all these dried meats is Lap Mei Fan (Preserved Clay Pot Rice) where rice is piled with all these preserved meats and cooked in a clay pot to tender crusty perfection. The oils from the meats get infused in the rice for a heart warming, soul satisfying meal. The storekeeper explained to us that the raw duck leg is first salted with spices and Chinese rice wine and then hung to dry. As part of his sales pitch, preserved duck leg may be available elsewhere but theirs had the best dense texture with a fragrant duck meat flavor. We brought some home and steamed the duck leg and sausage over rice in a clay pot. We concur this was seriously good stuff although you need to be forewarned it is a little salty and fatty, so you don't want to eat this on a regular basis. The Chinese believe that it's OK to let your hair hang down during the festive New Year season. MLSK is an old dingy Chinatown store that specializes in making and selling cured/preserved meats and sausages for over 6 generations. The store is hard to find, buried deep in the heart of historic Chinatown, a block from the infamous Grant Ave on a narrow one-way alley, Commercial Street. MLSK is a very old school closet size store that you can almost imagine seeing the legendary Charlie Chan popping his face out behind a smoke screen! (when smoking was OK). You can capture the sights and smells of Chinatown, if nothing else. This store is stuck in time and can bring you back memories of SF Chinatown of yesteryear.

Cured Duck breast and pork belly. Excellent quality and taste great. Small line and quick service.

I heard of this store from a friend returning from San Francisco. She gave me two Chinese sausages to try. So, during our recent visit of SF, I wanted to check out this place. It is not easy to find this store which is nested in the middle of a one-way street. Street parking is very limited and challenging. I had to double park on the sidewalk and ran into the store. Inside the store, there was one employee sitting in the front and seemed not able to understand my questions. While I was busy looking at trays and trays of meat products - preserved quails, dried press duck legs, cured pork belly, duck liver sausages, and preserved kidneys, an older lady in an apron emerged from the back room. I asked if she had Chinese sausages. She disappeared behind the counter and pointed to the window. She had plenty! I bought two pounds of Chinese sausages and two dried press duck legs. When I was about to leave, the older lady gave me the sale pitch of preserved quails and cured pork belly. I like her friendliness and enthusiasm. So, I bought two preserved quails and a pound of cured pork belly. During the 350 mile trip home, I was dreaming of making the hot pot rice with the sausage, quail, duck leg, and pork belly! It was well worth the drive to get the traditionally made preserved meat which is far more tasty with quality than the commercial ones. The hot pot rice was so yummy with aroma of the sausage and fatty juice of the pork belly dripping into the rice! The quail and duck leg were like bonuses sitting on top of the rice! I highly recommend this place if you are in the area. I definitely will get more "pounds" of the preserved meat home at our next trip to SF! Just be sure to know the store is cash only.

Chinese deli meat. Lap Cheung, Liver lap cheung, duck wings, duck beak, duck thighs. I bought some to mail out and this place was busy. The old store front, the old interior. I love being a visitor to Chinatown.

Well coming from Los Angeles... while many stores in LA sell preserved meat they don't quite go up in par to this place... service is run by a older lady she's I think one time I heard she's like the 3rd generation owner but anyways this is a fully historical family owned store. Every time I fly from la to sf I always will buy a package of them.. from liver to the traditional preserve meats this place never disappointed me. I recommend this place to anyone that loves preserve meats that go over rice..

Thanks Yelp! Apparently this had been in another location when we went 5-7 years ago, and we thought it was in one place in Chinatown but it wasn't. It was in a smaller alley side street and we would have never found it :P Plus thank you for the Search "Chinese Sausage" near "SF, CA" as well, so that helped us out with the name. had to get some for our cousins because they usually get it for us, etc. They also sell the Oh gosh I can say it in canto but not in English. But if you make Chinese sausage on top of rice, you can soak some of its flavor in the rice if you put it in the rice cooker :P It tastes amazinggggg. You can get some of their dried stuff/other things and figure out ...ooh I remember the name. Preserved meat! Add that to some fried rice and you got yourself a meal. It's really good. If you know what to add it to what dish, you'll totally know the really insane flavors that the meat here gives off. The flavor is unreal.

If you need that "lap churn" or that "lap yuk" or that "lap app" fix, this is the spot. You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you? Neither do I... You can throw this stuff into your rice cooker and cook it along with your rice. No fuss. What comes out is some deliciously sweet, salty, greasy, savory meat and rice flavored with drippings that make for a quick and simple meal, or add a fried egg to expedite your trip to meet Elvis. Do not eat this stuff without cooking it first. It's not meant to be eaten that way. This place is the French Laundry of Chinese cured meats.

My grandma was like, "Judy! When you go to San Francisco, you better get me some Chinese sausages! I heard they are the best!" I made sure that was the first place I went to when I arrived in SF. My hostel was not too far away from here. This place is easy to miss. It is a small one door entrance to get in, but you wouldn't think it is anything. I literally missed it and was walking back an forth on that street because the entrance was so small. The prices are about like $9.25 per pound and the cured pork belly was about $8 per pound. I have never spent that much on cured meat before, but my grandma was happy when I brought it back. When she made it for dinner, I thought it tasted similar to a lot of the massed produced but she said it was "sooooo goood".

Authentic Chinese preserved sausage and meats! The very best flavor, same as we remembered from more than 60 years ago. The prepackaged stuff doesn't compare!

Whenever I'm in San Francisco, my family and friends ask for Chinese Sausages to bring home, especially duck liver sausage. Growing up, I had fond memories eating them for dinner. My mother would let the sausage cook on top of the rice while it was steaming. I think it was a default dish for when she ran out of ideas/things to cook. My mother would also crumble potato chips on top of my rice for my dinner :O I did love it though. Today I stay away from these sausages because they are vaccuum sealed and full of msg, preservatives and food coloring. The traditional way is made with sugar, shaoxing wine or sherry, soy sauce, and curing salt. It needs to be sun dried where you hang the meat in a cool, dry place with lots of air circulation but is impractical in most places with the exception of San Francisco. I made sure I had cash ready and my family dropped me off in the little alley where this meat shop is located. It's around the corner from Eastern bakery and is a little space that's not noticeable unless you knew what you were looking for. The meats were in plastic bins or hanging and a lot of items were sold out when I arrived shortly before closing. I purchased 1.5 - 2 pounds of pork belly (4 pieces), 2 pounds of duck liver sausage (10-11 pairs), and 1 pounds of pork sausage (5 pairs) to be distributed between my mom, a friend, and uncle/grandpa. The lady that works here is very nice and helpful and speaks very good English. She recommended the duck breast that was $16.50 a lb. There were only 2 pieces left but I had already spent over $40 and wanted to try everything first. There was nothing to eat for dinner at my house tonight so I steamed one piece of the pork belly and 4 pork sausages over white rice. Before cooking it, the black, shriveled meat scared me but when it was done, it really plumped up. The pork belly was my favorite and it really colored and flavored the rice. It was extremely delicious and succulent and would be great with a fried egg with a runny yolk. The lady said it can last 3 days in my car or a year in the freezer but I highly doubt that will be necessary :p

Every so often, it's time to make a trip to Chinatown for some cured meats. The place that's been in existence since 1856 is Mow Lee & Co. It's tucked away on Commercial Alley off Grant Ave. Walking in, it brings you back in time. A simple looking store with trays of cured meats and sausages hanging on the wall display behind the counter. I usually come here for the cured sausages (laap cheung) and cured pork belly (laap yuuk). On occasions, I would get some cured duck (laap gnaap), which come in breast or leg quarters and even as whole. But on this day, I picked up 3 lbs of duck liver sausages, which I asked the gentleman to pack in two one pound bags for gifts and a pound for myself. A pound consisted of eight sausages, which he packed and sealed. The goods here are so tasty. I called them craft cured meats. Much tastier than the commercial brands that are sold at Asian stores or even at some Costcos. If you're a fan of cured meats, Mow Lee won't disappoint. There's a reason why they've been around since 1856.

My family has been coming here for decades and love their preserved meats. I think the best Chinese sausages outside of Asia. Different than your typical Taiwanese sausages as this one is fattier and not as sweet. They offer not only Chinese sausages but also preserved duck and chicken meats (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/aNLcidL3QVAkPC84siTA0g?select=AvZmSwfnbZDMAPmd0nMOTg). Definitely a place I visit each time I'm in Norcal.

= CHINESE PRESERVED SAUSAGES = This is definitely my spot to purchase the perfect souvenir for my mom because I have heard her whine about how great MOW LEE's preserved sausages for years. Everytime she hears that I have a friend going to SF or something traveling to LA from that area, she always ask if my friends can go get her some sausages. Well, parking in SF Chinatown is just a nightmare, but I guess I am one of those daughters that would go out of my way to put a smile on my mom's face. The store is located a few blocks from the hustling Chinatown. There are different types of preserved meat available. I bought my mom's favorite - LAP CHEONG - and they run roughly $4/lb. If you ask the guy nicely, he will also seal the bags for you too. Guess this store is very well known, because my friends were stocking up their preserved meat when we were there too.

Love love the sausages from here. I just wish there is a location closer in LA. There is nothing like this place in Southern Cali. I always ask for favors from friends whenever I hear they are going anywhere close to SF. "Please pick up a duffle bag of sausages for me". Hey...I just have to ask.

My sisters and I have made numerous trips to this business in the past to purchase the lop yuk (pork belly) for my mom. If one is looking for lop yuk in SF Chinatown, this is the place. The store is small and the aisle is somewhat narrow. At most the store can hold about 5 people at a time. It may not look all clean and spiffy in there, but it is hard to resist the aromatic seasonings of the preserved meats. In my younger days, I ate lop yuk and lop cheung cooked along with steamed rice...very tasty. Even though I don't buy these items for consumption because my husband is not too much a fan of preserved meats, except for beef jerky, it is still a nice place to visit with the owner and engage in conversation with her in Cantonese.

once a year I would drive out to bay area and stop here for Lup Cheong chinese sausage this is the only place I go to pick them up. never had a change to check out the other items they offer. So if you are in China Town and looking for something to try out make sure to book mark this specialty store.

The shop you gotta hit up for your popo's, ama's, and parents. It's a little rough around the edges interior and people wise but it feels a little like home/family. It's a long time family business and it doesn't hurt to support small businesses

Mow Lee Shing Kee is known for making preserved chinese meats the old fashioned way, not by machines but by hand. Mow Kee is located in an alley (commercial) a few doors away from Eastern Bakery. the manufactured duck liver sausage, chinese sausage, and preserved ("wax") duck are either strung up by strings from racks or they are laid neatly in wooden boxes. (flies seem to like the flavor). In my youth, i loved eating fatty chinese preserved products but no more. it's no longer healthy food for me. even while taking lipitor, i still mostly avoid lop cheong (chinese sausage), preserved kindneys, and duck liver sausage.. the sausage is a must ingredient when making "chinese tamales" during that special time of year. ( i forget when since i don't make them, i just eat them).