New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant

Chinese restaurant · Chinatown

New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant

Chinese restaurant · Chinatown

4

699 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Photos

New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by Andria Lo
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by Andria Lo
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null
New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant by null

Highlights

Downstairs in Chinatown, this no-frills joint dishes up hearty, authentic Cantonese classics and unbeatable prices, perfect for a comforting feast.  

Featured in The Infatuation
Featured in Eater

699 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133 Get directions

newwoeyloygoeyca.com

$10–20 · Menu

Information

Static Map

699 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133 Get directions

+1 415 399 0733
newwoeyloygoeyca.com

$10–20 · Menu

Features

payment credit card
Tap to pay
reservations
wifi

Last updated

Jul 30, 2025

Powered By

You might also like

Terms of Use • Privacy Policy • Cookie Policy
 © 2025 Postcard Technologies, Inc.
@eater

The Best Places to Eat and Drink in San Francisco’s Chinatown

"This Chinatown basement restaurant — whose history goes back some 90 years — serves some of the heartiest and most inexpensive Cantonese food in town. Customer favorites include old-school dishes like tomato-and-beef chow mein, salt-and-pepper fried pork chops, and steamed pork hash. The rice plates are an especially good deal, at just $9 or $10 a pop." - Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff

https://sf.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-chinatown-dim-sum
View Postcard for New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant
@infatuation

The 15 Best Restaurants In San Francisco’s Chinatown

"To get to this basement-level joint, you need to descend a short staircase from Jackson Street. The spot has changed owners throughout the years (and has been around for nearly a century), but it continues to serve homestyle Cantonese food at unbeatable prices—many dishes will run you around $10 each. You could go with anything on their massive menu and leave satisfied, but we stick to a few favorites: steamed pork hash with salted fish (probably the juiciest giant meat patty you’ll ever have), salt-and-pepper prawns-in-shell that leave a spicy tingle on your tongue, and roast chicken stuffed with glutinous rice. Be sure to try one of the clay pot dishes, too, like salted fish with chicken and eggplant, or chicken and roast pork—they’re always sizzling hot and packed with umami." - julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez, lani conway, megan zhang

https://www.theinfatuation.com/san-francisco/guides/the-best-restaurants-in-san-francisco-chinatown
View Postcard for New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant
@infatuation

New Woey Loy Goey Review - Chinatown - San Francisco - The Infatuation

"To get to this basement-level joint, you need to descend a short staircase from Jackson Street. The spot has changed owners throughout the years (and has been around for nearly a century), but it continues to serve homestyle Cantonese food at unbeatable prices – many dishes will run you less than $10 each. You could go with anything on their massive menu and leave satisfied, but we stick to a few favorites: steamed pork hash with salted fish (probably the juiciest giant meat patty you’ll ever have), salt-and-pepper prawns-in-shell that leave a spicy tingle on your tongue, and roast chicken stuffed with glutinous rice. Be sure to try one of the clay pot dishes, too, such as salted fish with chicken and eggplant, or chicken and roast pork – they’re always sizzling hot and packed with umami." - Megan Zhang

https://www.theinfatuation.com/san-francisco/reviews/new-woey-loy-goey
View Postcard for New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant
@brandon
Brandon Jew's SF Chinatown List
View Postcard for New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant

Super Superman

Google
Hot tea. Hot flavorful food. Cold Budweiser. Friendly customer service. Clean bathroom. Everything was great except my water cup wasn’t too clean. They need a new dishwasher

Antonio H

Google
Was recommended to point out that they mentioned it was one of the few chinese spots that had served food with a Hong Kong style flair. They had such great service that they catered to our every need. The lady who waited on us was attentive and kind. Her helpers were prompt and served us well. Our orders were... The chicken fried rice plate. From the lunch special menu. The roast duck over white rice. Roast pork with bean curds over white rice. Chicken cashew with vegeys over white rice. And Asian noodles with mushrooms. It was nice. I would recommend it.

John Elmer

Google
If you like authentic Chinese food in a dive setting THIS is the place. I loved it! ( reminded me of our favorite NYC Chinatown place). When we entered it was all Chinese families eating there and our servers spoke very little English. Service was fast but not super helpful because of the language barrier. The hot and sour soup was delicious and quite spicy. My chow fun was awesome and the beef was very tender! And it was cheap!

Hillary Bittinger

Google
Incredible! The food and service was terrific. We got the two person combo for $46, it came with an app, a soup & 3 appetizers!

Kristine Dale

Google
Fun atmosphere...the food is wonderful. We had Orange Chicken and the Tomato Beef Chow Mein. Both dishes were very tasty!!! The Potstickers were really good too!!!

Alzila

Google
I been a customer here since my middle school days since I have connections with the owner. They have the best salt and pepper chicken wings that I have ever eaten. Cool little underground laid back spot that offers authentic Chinese food and service. They have a vast menu packed with many delicious options. It can be packed at times since it’s affordable and yummy. Definitely I will be back!

J J

Google
I was looking around for food after a long day with my family visiting Chinatown. We looked at the menu outside the restaurant and thought that the food was OK for the price. That was a huge mistake. Extreme bait and switch. We ordered the items and it took a while to come out even though there was no one else eating. The food was not that hot either. The bill came out a lot more than the advertised price outside... at least 5 over each item. We were also charged for TAP water, which was a first for me. They still had the audacity to ask for more tips... Maybe we should have checked out the many other restaurants down the street.

Jeremy Geiger

Google
Average. Average food in average Chinatown restaurant with average cleanliness. Not bad. The staff work really hard & fast running around. Value for money not bad. If this is the "New" restaurant, I'd hate to go to the 'Old' one! 😆. Please 👍 if accurate or helpful! 🙏
google avatar

Emily W.

Yelp
Went here for my mother's birthday dinner. We ordered 5 dish, we had sweet and sour pork, fried mussels with veggies. Stirfry Frog with Ginger'. Stirfry Beef and Green Beans. Pan fried noodles with everything on it ( squid meant, BBQ pork, fish meant, and mushroom, and veggies). We have a soup as complimentary. The service is pretty good and the workers are nice. The food came in pretty quickly.
google avatar

Maggie W.

Yelp
Don't come here. The quality of the food is not excellent enough to negate the poor level of service we were afforded. We had to ask four times for water cups and two/three times for the bill to be brought to us, and there were tables larger than ours that were seated after us that were being served prior to us (we ordered two dishes that took way too long to come out). They forced a tip on my party of three that wasn't disclosed anywhere on the menu or prior to ordering. When we tried to contest it, they tried saying every restaurant does this. $6 isn't even a clean cut 18% or 20%, it's 16.something. It's not even them having a principle in the restaurant, they manually add the amount that we tip to themselves on their own... If this was 1) disclosed to us and 2) came after sufficient service, we would've been fine with a mandatory surcharge. This left a bitter taste in our mouths. My friends and I were initially planning on having an impromptu dinner in Chinatown, and the menu here seemed promising enough with a moderately busy atmosphere (enough people where it seemed like we could trust the quality of the food while also being serviced appropriately). We ordered the Chinese garlic green beans and Mongolian beef, which were good. Pretty standard fare for an authentic Chinese restaurant, but this area is so competitive I'd rather take my business elsewhere.
google avatar

Ethan N.

Yelp
Initially came here on the night of Mayor Lurie's inauguration and tried their Special Cantonese Dinner for One, featuring wonton soup, an egg roll, pork fried rice, sweet and sour pork, and tea for just under $20. It was here where I met Mei 阿姨 and promised her I'd bring my mom for a meal, which I recently got around to doing. We stopped in for a bowl of wonton soup and enthusiastically greeted and seated. Their Hung Tao Yee wonton soup ($14) features fried pork wontons in a full-bodied and oniony broth, complete with pork and mushrooms. Like many restaurants in Chinatown, New Woey Loy Goey is a fixture of the community and comes with many of the quirks that are characteristic of the culture. 下次見!
google avatar

Brian H.

Yelp
Amazing food, beautiful decor and quant downstairs location. Very helpful staff and an amazing and delicious menu.
google avatar

Tom M.

Yelp
Not sure if it's truly the oldest restaurant in Chinatown but there's certainly a large variety on the menu. I'm always skeptical that any restaurant can do all things well when there's too many options. We came for the rare birds nest soup only to find that it was unavailable! How disappointing. But they did have the crab and maw soup which was food but obviously contained imitation crab meat. Good portion but not what we expected. The restaurant was old school with lots of room and the ambience of what you'd expect from a local Chinese restaurant, not much frills, tv programmed with Chinese speaking dramas, waitresses that speak broken English, and menus with numbers for each dish. The capelin was good with big portions. My son enjoyed his squab but it tasted slightly gamey to me. The jeillyfish was really good but too many sliced radish diluted the taste.
google avatar

Emily D.

Yelp
It has been many years that we've eaten at Woey Loey Goey. It's still a basement restaurant in Chinatown. We were invited to a Chinese New Year dinner. Reservations for 2 tables but we were very late since it was after watching the Superbowl game. Restaurant stayed open late for us even though we were still eating after closing. We use to eat at Woey Loey Goey quite often before the pandemic. Not much change in my review over 7 years ago. The portions were large, not upscale but tasty food. Service was good since we were the only ones there at such a late hour. Typical cantonese food, not to expect much ambiance; doesn't look very neat or clean. Don't know how prices are these days since we were invited to dine there. The special order of "Nu Mai Guy" (chicken with stuffed rice) was special order and a good treat.
google avatar

Debbie W.

Yelp
This restaurant is in the basement - there's a stairway that leads down to the restaurant. A copy of the menu is displayed on the street level covered by plastic so you can check it out and decide if you want to eat there. Warning: the actual price of each menu item has gone up a few bucks. The menu displayed basically shows old pricing that they didn't update so it's misleading, You must spend $20 in order to use a charge card and that's easy as most items are $9.95+. We ordered 2 dishes - take out. I picked this restaurant because it's one of the few restaurants that makes hung tao yee won ton soup. What is it? It's fried won ton in soup. Each restaurant makes soup differently. There were 10 (which is standard) won tons in a thick clear chicken flavored soup filled with egg white, peas, cilantra, green onions and mushrooms. I would give it a 4. Nice flavor and hit the spot for me. I've been craving this for months. The hubby picked singapore noodles which is basically curry chow mein with some mini shrimp and afew veggies. Hubby was disappointed so we're not ordering this again - he gave it a score of 3. He said there was not much flavor.
google avatar

Sam B.

Yelp
Great service and food! We came in just for an appetizer and I wish we ended up getting a whole meal here. The wings we ordered were perfect. The flavor was great and they had the perfect amount of crispiness. Definitely would come back to try more!!
google avatar

Simone O.

Yelp
We came here because my friend was really interested in eating the snails. It was seasoned with a black bean paste so you are mostly tasting that and a little bit of texture from the snail as long as you bite off the bad stuff. They do require a little bit of maintenance to remove from the shell, but they were pretty good and they gave a lot. This place could be easily missed because you have to go down some stairs to reach the seating area. There weren't a ton of people and we came on a weekday during lunch hour. It would be helpful to have a Chinese speaking person when ordering, but we were able to ask in English about the snails and they answered back about it in broken English, but enough to get the point across. Good for a quick Chinatown bite! Snails (4/5): We had to ask specifically for the snails, as I don't think I saw it on the inside menu, but saw it on the outside menu. They were the first to come out and the waitress told us that she would bring out food as they were done cooking. They were what you would expect, a little chewy and small, but black bean flavored. There were also toothpicks to help you pull them out of the shell. Special Chinese Chicken (Half) (4/5): I think this is supposed to be that poached chicken, that sometimes comes with scallion and ginger oil on the side. It came on its own Chicken Fried Rice (3/5): A pretty typical fried rice, wish the chicken pieces were a bit bigger, but we chose this because the half chicken above doesn't come with any rice.
google avatar

Annie L.

Yelp
I remember coming to Woey Loy Goey as a kid with my family. We would call it the "basement" restaurant because you go down some stairs to reach the bottom level. It's a full service restaurant underneath and they always served good old fashioned Chinese food that everyone can enjoy and not have complaints about. I came to order take out of chicken fried rice and shrimp chow mein recently. The order online was quick & easy and when I arrived to pick up, the lady asked me "Take out?". She handed me my bag and thank me and I was on my way. The food was good and even though I hadn't ate here in probably over 20 years, it's still the comfort Chinese food I remembered. I would come back more frequently to order. Please stay Woey Goey!
google avatar

Maria E.

Yelp
It's an easy restaurant to miss while exploring SF Chinatown. But we found it because I read an article list of the most affordable places to eat in San Francisco. Since I'm very much a cheap eats person, I was excited to try it out. I don't need fancy. I just want good food at reasonable prices. The Duck Wonton Soup is a good choice to have for lunch on a balmy day. It truly hit the spot for me--my kind of comfort food. There were a good number of duck pieces and they were tender and flavorful. The broth is light and seasoned right. The soup also had some meaty wontons and fresh bok choy. They have other soup options with different protein choices too. They have variations of their lunch chow mein with beef, chicken and seafood protein options. The portions are large and delicious. The service is friendly and I felt like they were happy to have us. If you're looking for an easy-going lunch/dinner in SF Chinatown without breaking the bank, I highly recommend this place.
google avatar

Lauren C.

Yelp
The restaurant is located in one of those underground places in Chinatown. We ordered the Family Combo for 3, and it was plenty for my table of 5. The combo comes with a nice assortment of carbs, meats, and vegetables. I left feeling full and satisfied, but it wasn't a place I would go back to for Cantonese food. Still, since we split a combo for 3 among 5, it was super cheap. I recommend bringing a Mandarin/Canto speaker with you to communicate with the servers. Place was also relatively clean.
google avatar

Kris B.

Yelp
Don't judge by appearance their food is very good almost 60-year customer they are consistent in how the food tastes of time hello they were closed for a short period of time every time I go to San Francisco I eat there as much as possible they have a very wide selection
google avatar

Ewa U.

Yelp
Ordered some take out following a half marathon - and boy the food was good ..! & It wasn't just the hunger talking! Noodles: little barren on the veggies, but the noodles themselves were juicy and flavorful. Got some beef chow fun and shrimp chow mein. Fish/tofu : steamed cod was delicate and not too salty - a win in my book, the fried tofu was a nice complement in both texture and flavor Duck: the duck/rice dish was just okay, as the duck was on the drier side. Greens: try the mustard sautéd greens! Their bitterness and crunch will add a nice dimension to the otherwise decadent textures. Duck soup: Excellent, as it wasn't super salty nor too barren; broth was nice and light w that duck flavor, with little pieces of duck inside, seasoned with some greens , yum! I'd like to explore the noodles dishes more.
google avatar

Anahi G.

Yelp
Horrible service. The food itself isnt anything spectacular, could save your time and money by going somewhere else. They forced a tip on my boyfriend when he had already tipped cash and when we didn't want to pay for the extra tip they got really aggressive. Do not come here. Rude workers and they charge you extra without knowing
google avatar

Jeff W.

Yelp
Good food Downstairs. Be careful Order anything from the menu and enjoy! Okay ? Love this spot. It has been here for decades ! Legit. True Cantonese cuisine. Cheap prices JYW recommends

M C.

Yelp
Traditional Chinese restaurant that has been operating for more than 90 years. Ordered stir-fried mustard greens which can be bitter when not cooked well, but they pulled it off quite well! Asked for salt and pepper frog legs which is not on the menu and they immediately said they could cook the dish, no problem! It was delicious - crispy, hot, flavorful! (It came up to be almost $30 though... which was a bit surprising as their other meat dishes were priced lower). Also had a whole fried fish - yum! Service was fast and good (for Chinatown haha). Solid restaurant overall.
google avatar

Christina F.

Yelp
BEWARE the outside menu is a lot cheaper than the menu inside. My fiancé and I were very happy to get the couples meal for 2 $31 and then when we went to order they have changed the prices to $41. We really liked the fried rice.
google avatar

Chris N.

Yelp
Got the sweet and sour chicken and some drinks from this restaurant while visiting San Francisco, on a busy pride weekend they were able to quickly help us get take out food and were very kind throughout the whole transaction. We waited maybe 5 minutes for our food in a busy restaurant so I greatly appreciated their professionalism and the speed of the staff. The interior of the restaurant was serviceable, some soft lighting, simple decor and tables, they also had a projector projecting some sort of entertainment on a wall that seemed a little out of place. I think they could easily raise their prices if they invested in some nicer decor and furnishings. The food was great and given their location they could easily be a very attractive spot for the city.
google avatar

Lila F.

Yelp
Walnut prawns and their combinational deluxe dinners to go sounds very and pretty interesting.. . .. .
google avatar

Julio M.

Yelp
I just ate from that place. It used to be good but I think they have a new cook. It was TERRIBLE. SALTY, I mean I had to eat my food my rinsing the meat to the napkins. Last time I will eat to the place.
google avatar

Jason H.

Yelp
Service is okay, everything seemed clean. The food was pretty good, well priced, large portions and came out quick. Reason for 1* is because immediately after leaving i felt sick and am continuing to get sicker as the day progresses. Pretty bad food poisoning. Definitely avoid the sweet and sour pork. Also, they failed a health inspection resulting in closure in march of 2023, avoid this place all together
google avatar

Elena R.

Yelp
I was disappointed they order the wrong plates for us. I had to re-order some of the plates. The waitress english was not that good, i had to show her the menu. They never came back to our table to re-fill our water cups.
google avatar

Glenn L.

Yelp
I had not been to this location since I was a kid, but it was still as I remembered. We were looking for simple rice plates for lunch and this place met the goal. After doing down the steel stairs (memories!), we were seated and ordered some beef with bean sprouts chow fun and roast duck over rice. The beef chow fun was pretty solid - noodles slightly thinner than usual but a solid lunch dish. The roast duck was really meaty, and the duck had a clear old-school roasted flavor, with very little five spice, if any. Mostly regulars here, but we saw three European tourists order a bunch of items without much hesitation (good for them). This is a true hole in the wall (maybe more like a hole in the ground) but well worth a visit.

cindy T.

Yelp
Thursday, 8/31/23. Late night and wanted soup in Frisco. Came upon this restaurant . Got seated immediately since it was 8:30 pm. There were few customers. I was craving for duck noodle soup. What I ordered: Duck noodle soup with wonton- delicious but a bit salty Beef chow fun- was good So we finished and paid. As I was leaving, the waitress stopped me and said I didn't pay her tip. I said we did ! The total was $35 and I tip her $5. She insisted that I didn't . Her coworker told her that I did , but she still insisted that I tip. Finally , her coworker said she did pay and apologized to me. WTH was that all about?! Like I have the right to tip you or not. I'm a very generous person and won't leave you dry. Owner- please advise your worker to be glad that you have customers coming to your restaurant!! If not, she wouldn't have a job or let's just say . Other customers were looking at me and my husband weird like we dine and dash.
google avatar

Cynthia C.

Yelp
My friend and I had an early dinner yesterday. We went for a hike in sf and thought we would go and have some peking duck in china town. we thought the food would be great because it is china town.. it should be authentic and delicious but it turned out to be the worst Peking duck we have had. The duck tasted old and it seems like they served us an old duck that was from a a few days ago. skin was soggy and meat was not fresh. We all tried a piece and decided not to eat it because of safety concern. I brought it up to the servers but they insisted the duck was fresh. We didn't want to argue , so we paid and left. They may think we are tourist and don't know what a proper peking duck should taste like... I was born in Hong Kong and my friends and I have had so many peking duck and even in the east bay. Our favorite is the peking duck from Koi Palace btw. Anyway, the food quality is poor and they charged a high price. We paid a 100$ for 3 ppl, and we only ate stir fry green beans , pork chop and a fried rice. ( Didn't touch the whole duck)... Be careful, this is a tourist trap. If you want good quality and authentic chinese food, don't go to this restaurant. The bathroom is also very filthy.
google avatar

David K.

Yelp
Not only does New Woey Loey Goey have an awesome tongue twister of a name, it's one of the few places in Chinatown that still offers Chop Suey, a dish that took the country by storm in the 1900s. It's nothing but a stir-fried combination of bean sprouts, sliced vegetables including carrots, scallions, and peppers, and sliced meat including chicken, pork, beef, and shrimp, all in a salty brown gravy. Even the staff here will admit that this is a dish created for Americans, but they also offered a huge menu of authentic Cantonese dishes. One that our server recommended was the Clay Pot Lamb Stew, which came with sinewy chunks of lamb along with Napa cabbage and tofu skin in a savory brown stew, which paired nicely with rice. At the beginning of the meal, we were also served a complimentary soup, made with pork ribs, carrots, and winter melon. Everything about this restaurant was old school from the decor to the service to the cooking style. You have to descend a flight of stairs to get to the dining room, and it's like stepping into the past!

Vickie H.

Yelp
It's been years since I been to this place but best food ever. Still dream of the good food. Must try the fried pork intestines!! You won't regret!!
google avatar

Doreen L.

Yelp
Food is delicious. Prices are reasonable. Service is quick. When I come to San Francisco Chinatown to eat, this is normally the place I want to go to. Only ordered 2 dishes this time as we were just getting a quick bite to eat before going to an event. Need to walk down maybe 8 to 10 steps to the entrance (from sidewalk). No elevator.
google avatar

Chiemeka K.

Yelp
The new woey loy goey restaurant had a nice atmosphere but the food and service left more to be desired x
google avatar

Jeff H.

Yelp
Woey Loy Goey is a neat Chinatown basement style restaurant. Staff speaks English. Tonight I ordered off the menu, a crispy tomato beef noodles $13. It came with a complementary house soup. The chef did a great job with my crispy noodles. It was crispy with a perfect mix of gravy. Some other places make this dish soggy ruining the crispiness. Staff was friendly and makes you feel like you are at home. The bonus for me was, sitting on the counter allowed me to watch TVB on their little 19" LCD TV. Good job my friends at Woey Loy Goey.
google avatar

Brad F.

Yelp
Love the ambience and that it was primarily Chinese locals who come here. Good pricing albeit not cheap but is anywhere cheap nowadays in this city. Had the tomato beef chowmein, spicy salt and pepper pork chops and kung Pao chicken. It was all very yummy but I would next time get a different chow mean such as beef and tender greens, definitely get those pork chops again as that was the star of the meal. So many dishes on menu and they have lunch specials which all looked good. This is Cantonese style food that has those American Chinese dishes we all love.

Pat C.

Yelp
Had the tomato beef chow mein. It was spaghetti noodles. Meat was decent. Price was pretty reasonable. A good variety of food.
google avatar

Tien N.

Yelp
I went here for a work event. The food is alright. The fried fish and chicken are good (but these are hard to go wrong). All the other dishes are ok. I probably try out other places instead of coming back
google avatar

Thuan T.

Yelp
Legends say that this quaint little restaurant has been around for over 80 years... And there's no doubt why. They know what they're doing down to a T. My dad had this interesting observation to share about the restaurant's entrance: according to Feng Shui, an entrance that leads downward into a room is a prized possession due to its waterfall-like appearance. In business, this automates cashflow! Because water is money, and money is water. My family actually visited this restaurant twice. We went for dumpling soup the first time and chow fun the second. My dad is a hardliner when it comes to authentic Asian food, so the fact that he returned here for lunch tells you everything you need to know. My stomach is growling now just thinking of that deliciously decadent seafood chow fun! And the fact that it wasn't even on the menu! The waitress and kitchen staff were extremely accommodating and everything was served hot and prompt. Don't miss this spot while strolling through Chinatown!
google avatar

Ed U.

Yelp
** The following review reflects my takeout experience DURING the COVID-19 pandemic. ** I presume there was an Old Woey Loy Goey before the New Woey Loy Goey since it's been around since 1934. It's one of the classic basement Chinatown restaurants where you walk down the stairs wondering what kind of operation lies beneath. In this case, it was a modest diner set-up, no frills, so I was expecting basic Cantonese dishes to order. That's exactly what I got. I ordered rather predictably the $12.50 Steamed Chicken with Sausage and Black Mushrooms. It was not what I quite expected as there was definitely a sauce that marinated the poultry with green onion. The pieces of sausage and black mushrooms were present and accounted for (photo: https://bit.ly/3jFHn2E). The overall flavor was diner-level satisfying but certainly not that healthy. To accompany the chicken, I ordered the $9.25 Steamed Stuffed Bean Cake (yes, tofu), but imagine my disappointment when I got home that I discovered they made me... ...the Braised Bean Cake by mistake. It wasn't stuffed but mixed with more black mushrooms (photo: https://bit.ly/3745uDb). It was actually pretty good but still. And or course, as if my caloric intake was not high enough, they gave me complimentary deep-fried egg rolls like I needed a hole in the head (photo: https://bit.ly/3jFelQX). No matter as my trips to the basement will likely be few and far between even though I have nothing but respect for an 87-year-old restaurant. FOOD - 3 stars...a true grubhub AMBIANCE - n/a...looks old-timey inside but they have outdoor space SERVICE - 4 stars...they move quickly here TOTAL - 3 stars...a Chinatown greasy spoon RELATED - Exploring Chinatown? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2WoF1Z2
google avatar

Stevie C.

Yelp
This old school spot I've been going to for 40+ yrs., like generational. Nothing fancy but good old fashion Chinese food. Order ur food w/a complimentary soup if it's still not sold out. Ambiance from a restaurant in a basement is not this place if this is what ur after but simple stir fried dishes coming out w/in 15 minutes. It's not a Panda Express but you feel that how Chinatown used to be being one of the last surviving restaurant in the neighborhood.

George C.

Yelp
Fantastic! Friendly and happy service and was generous with the portions. Will be back again to this quaint little spot.
google avatar

Maxwell M.

Yelp
Poor mans Hong Kong Clay Pot Restaurant, maybe avoid these stairs. The Hawk still lingers
google avatar

Donny P.

Yelp
I used to always drive my grandma down to Chinatown atleast once a month. She wanted to get her $5 dollar haircut! I never told her I spent more money paying for parking down there than the cost of her haircut! However, she did treat me to dim sum or lunch here @ New Woey Loy Goey afterwards. My grandma helped me developed a weird taste for bitter melon and beef! Salt and Pepper pork chops are always good here. The oysters with ginger and scallion sauce is amazing! Called by phone and very fast and convenient service. I've made a conscious effort to come down to Chinatown more often since the pandemic to support the hurting local businesses. I think grandma would be proud that I'm still ordering bittermelon w/ beef
google avatar

Shine C.

Yelp
This is one of our favorite restaurants in SF. We love the ambiance of the restaurant and the authentic food. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for excellent service, great food and great company. Our son recently had his bday dinner there and they accommodated our big group of 20 people. The food came out fast, hot and delicious. Everyone raved about how great it was.
google avatar

Lizzie S.

Yelp
I have a sweet spot for New Woey Loy Goey because my grandmother used to love coming here (although my mom says it's just because it's cheap.) We stopped coming here after a while because my grandparents had trouble with the stairs, but now I'm the time of COVID they have nice outdoor seating that does not require going down the stairs! Props to their staff for taking dishes up and down those so much! I'd recommend most of their noodles and rice plates. I recently came here for a late lunch with my mom (who knew Mr. Jiu's requires reservations even during not-busy times!) and we ate outside. Their 3 meat shredded noodle was good but the sleeper hit was the Oysters and pork belly with tofu rice plate! Service was quiet as they mainly spoke English but they were good at refilling our free hot tea (always a nice-to-have.) If you want a table and no one comes outside after a while, go down the stairs and ask!
google avatar

Liam D.

Yelp
I'll start by saying the food was exceptionally good and at reasonable prices, with the exception of the vegetable rolls which were not fried at a high enough temperature and thus were overly greasy. I wanted a traditional Cantonese restaurant with a certain authenticity that matched the overall feel of Chinatown to take my Mom to, who was visiting from out of town, and in that sense the restaurant fit the bill- it looks a bit rough around the edges, but with a certain charm. The low rating is entirely due to the service, which started out poor then proceeded to descend into such spectacularly awful depths that we had to wonder if there was a hidden camera somewhere & we were being pranked. First we waited and waited for someone to take our drink order, then eventually in desperation motioned to our waitress, who promptly ignored us. We then called to her politely; our calls fell on deaf ears. After about twenty minutes she mercifully took our order, but didn't bring our drinks for another fifteen minutes when the food finally arrived. That was just our tea, though; Mom had to get up and walk to the counter to ask for her beer. Then, I reminded our server we had asked for waters; her demeanor indicated clearly that there would be nothing other than toilet water for us for the duration of our visit. I was impressed with the won ton soup, & again with the Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce. However, then they screwed up our order & brought chicken kung pao instead of prawns. I corrected the guy serving our food, then he came back again trying to serve it to us anyways. After I insisted we ordered prawns he came back a few minutes later with the same dish, only with prawns added & some of the chicken scraped out but much of it still there. We're pescatarian. We stared at each other. Unbelievable. I did appreciate that they brought one dish out at a time, so everything arrived hot. However, they forgot to bring our last dish & I had to remind them to make it. Then they gave themselves a 20% tip when running our card without our permission. I could have been outraged, but at that point it was par for the course. I can't say I didn't enjoy the food, but it definitely was not worth the disrespectful treatment we endured. So far the year of the rabbit is not off to such a hoppy new year.
google avatar

June R.

Yelp
What better way to spend the actual Lunar New Year day in Chinatown. Had a colleague visiting and staying with us and arrived the same day. We decided to eat dinner at New Woey Loy Goey in Chinatown! Found the name funny and interesting and had a feeling it was a local favorite as well by the reviews. Didn't need anything fancy or upscale like China Live - just good authentic Chinese food that locals enjoy and we hit the jackpot here! The ambiance was what you would expect in a local joint nothing fancy, tables crammed in a small space, your typical hole in the wall venue in this case the basement. The place was good noisy with groups and families celebrating Lunar New Year. Fireworks was blasting Jon stop outside so it was quite exciting. It took awhile to get our order in but we had time and just absorbed the festive energy while waiting! We ordered the family meal for three and it was so much food ( had leftovers to take home) and actually added their clams in black bean sauce. Every table was ordering so we went along as well. It was delicious and plenty of clams. Pretty salty but that's why you get rice. Our family meal came with fried rice, wonton soup, sliced pork and veggies, sweet sour pork, egg rolls and chicken chow mein. Meats were soft and moist, noodles perfect, soup was delicious and great wontons, egg rolls crispy. We had a blast and had such a memorable Lunar New Year! 2023 is goi f to be a great year!!
google avatar

Al W.

Yelp
Like most on here said, service was non-existent, but their sweet and sour pork was the best I've had in years. I'll be returning every time I visit Chinatown.
google avatar

Nichole G.

Yelp
Took a chance on this place while walking to North Beach. Everyone at the table thought their food was super tasty (chicken fried rice, kung pao chicken, dried orange peel chicken and beef lo mein). Service was very friendly and super fast. Food came out fast and steaming! The ladies here that helped us speak SUPER fast so if you're not used to accents you may need them to slow down. All in all, great meal and would totally come back.
google avatar

David V.

Yelp
This place is very good! Enjoyed the very hospitable service and the food was very delicious. The crew had lunch while we were there and gave us a couple of shrimp from their family lunch! That was so thoughtful of them. Best Chinese food we've had in years! We will definitely be back since the service and food was so good. We just happened to try this place and so glad we walked in!
google avatar

Kevin B.

Yelp
If you like Chinese food, this place is definitely satisfying. There are a lot of dishes that you don't see at every Chinese restaurant, so it is worth a try. The staff is also really nice which gives it a homey feel. I can imagine someone being a regular here. But it isn't a must-try among all the restaurants in Chinatown.

Graham D.

Yelp
Absolutely hit the spot for me and the family. Garlic green beans, fried prawns, orange chicken weed all great, and all for a fair price (which is refreshing compared to most of the places we have eaten at in SF). The wait staff were super friendly which really sealed the deal. Love this spot!