The Happy Crane

Lucky Crane is a lovely dinner spot serving elevated Chinese–Western fusion dishes. The chefs take classic Chinese cuisine and cleverly reimagine it into something unique, flavorful, and tasteful. Presentation is spot-on—like the shrimp, which was plated so well we didn’t even need to use our hands. The service is equally impressive, with friendly and attentive waiters who make you feel well taken care of. Definitely worth checking out!

A nice new (8/2025) modern Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. Really excellent flavors. They nailed a little bit of fusion, but making it taste like dishes in China. Great service. Cool somm. Amazing by the glass wines (Sylvain Pataille and Krug?!). Pretty fun Taiwanese beers, where they added plum powder to the glass as suggested on the bottle. Excellent dessert. Subtle and nice oolong tea and fig tart. The mango sago had real passion fruit and zested lime on it, so it was more sophisticated than what you might expect.

Must-try, delicious Canto- inspired food - not only creative twists on the classics, but also original dishes the chefs dreamed up themselves, each one full of surprises. Memorable drinks, attentive service, and a beautifully designed interior made the whole experience unforgettable. Already counting it as one of my favorite spots in the city after just one visit. "人間有味是清歡"— the simple joys in life are often the most flavorful

The most anticipated restaurant opening is worth all the hype and more. The service is fantastic and the ambiance was an inclusive mix of casual to well-heeled guests. Jackie guided us through the menu options and recommendations. He did explain how the Happy Crane chef’s choice menu are specific options from the menu. Given our group size we went on a food journey beyond that menu. The adventure was worth it! The four of us order majority of the a la carte dim sum, all of the medium and large plates. They were very intentional about timing the servings so we weren’t overwhelmed with more than a few plates at a time. We were blown away by each dish, which was very separate and apart from the other. In addition to the service was the ambiance. No pretentiousness and no ego sensed despite the positive reviews by the critics and the chef’s stellar background working at Michelin star-backed restaurants. Everyone is professional and works in cohesion not like some places where the servers can be territorial. You’ll notice Chef James is blending in with all the other chefs in the kitchen, which sets the tone the entire restaurant is one team. The attention to detail from the quality ingredients and flavors to these dishes is inescapable. The memorable flavors, especially the five spice and lime accompanying the whole Wolf Ranch quail are what make these dishes standout. Other must haves include the golden coin, firecracker shrimp, smacked cucumber and smoked figs, crab rice roll, oyster pancake, squash, pork jowl and biang biang. They served the XO little fry king last, which we found worked well because of all the dishes, this was most representative of a typical Chinese dish. Also, it’s necessary to highlight how Jackie poured the wine by the glass by showcasing the wine and provided me an opportunity to try it before continuing with the pour. Most establishments pour from the bar, which doesn’t provide the patron the knowledge you are receiving exactly what you ordered nor the opportunity to change your mind after the initial taste. They also remembered to help celebrate a friend’s milestone birthday with an amazing tart with fig varieties. I predict they will make every top restaurant list in 2025 - new and overall, and perhaps #1. Chef James and the crew are humble and I think that is perhaps the most impressive part of this whole entire experience and hope it remains that way.

✨FINALLY✨I have been to numerous pop-ups for The Happy Crane and Chef James and… oh my goodness I have waited for this moment!! ❤️OVERALL: 5/5!! Cannot wait to go back and see if there are seasonal menu changes and take my family and friends. 🤵🏻SERVICE: 5/5 My husband, friend and I were seated right away. We ordered mostly everything except the raw dishes. I warned the waitress that I just had an IVF embryo transfer and to be safe I wanted to follow pregnancy dietary restrictions. The waitress was kind and answers all our questions and asked for food allergies/restrictions. If she didn’t know, she would ask the chef and come back with an answer. All the staff were attentive. Took our plates away as we finished them but didn’t rush us to finish. Since we ordered a lot, I was worried about timing of the dishes coming out. Someone must have been monitoring us because the dishes came out fresh every time! They also boxed our leftovers for us, which is a small thing that I really love haha. 🍽️FOOD: 4/5 -Small plates: Most of my favorite dishes for the night. Yes you need a 🌟Firecracker Shrimp and golden coin per person. You’ll want the whole thing to yourself, it’s so good! 🌟Golden coin was a bit messy but I liked it because it was different. The mousse was delicious and the flavor was A+. The 🌟Smacked Cucumber and Smoked Fig dish was kept on ice which I believe was different from his pop ups. It was delicious, crisp, and flavorful. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the 🌟Beef Shin and Artichoke, but the flavors just worked. The crispy lotus root was a good change in texture. This had some spice but it was tolerable (and I think a bag of flaming hot Cheetos are hot lol). -Medium plates: My 2 favorites the 🌟Oyster Pancake and the 🌟Salted Egg Yolk Squash. This wasn’t your typical presentation of a Chinese pancake and it was thicker. I was conserned it would be mushy but it wasn’t. The sauce with the oyster pancake was delicious! The textures and the flavors were all excellent together. Before tonight I always thought it wasn’t a fan of salted egg but maybe I am now lol. You could definitely taste it but it wasn’t overwhelming. I loved that it was fried and I ate it like finger food. The bottom was a bit soggy though. -Large plates: 🌟Chasui Iberico Pork Jowl and 🌟Maitake Biang Biang were my faves but the fish was also delicious. The pork was cooked to perfection. It has that slight char but also the carmelized crunch. The hand-pulled noodles, always my favorite at the pop ups and I’m so happy it’s on the menu. -DESSERT: The 🌟Mochi Rocher is always a good choice but warning it is served very hot. Being served hot you get the gooey chocolate and mochi together! 🤤 🍹DRINKS: 4/5 We had a NA drink called 🌟Flying Nimbus. It was refreshing and citrusy. It was so good that I ordered another one. I definitely want to come back when I am allowed to have alcohol haha. I saw a lot of people drinking wine and I saw one gentleman drinking a beer at the bar. 🌿AMBIANCE: What a beautiful restaurant! The woodwork is stunning and creates a modern and open environment. 👜There are even purse hooks for the bar seats! The table we were sitting in, you could also see Chef James and his team working in the kitchen. The bathroom is gender neutral and the soap smelled amazing! Also they had the thick and folded paper towels, which always makes me feel fancy. 🅿️PARKING: street parking can be difficult but there is the Performing Arts Parking Garage a block away which made it easy. 📍AREA: Love all the small shops around Hayes Valley. We did some shopping before dinner and contemplated getting salt and straw after but we were too full.

I might have set my expectations too high. After securing a hard-to-get reservation, the overall experience was just average. I started with the Rosy Dawn cocktail, but it tasted like watered-down scallion kimchi—so unpleasant that I had to send it back after just one sip. The Gimlet I ordered instead was cleaner and more drinkable, though nothing particularly memorable. From the small plates, the Firecracker Shrimp stood out with the thoughtful touch of gamtae—it felt carefully made and was delicious. The Golden Coin, which I ordered based on reviews, was underwhelming: the three pieces were noticeably uneven in portion size, and the flavor itself was just okay. Moving on to the middle plates, the Little Fry King was far too salty for my taste, though it paired decently with beer. The Quail, especially when eaten with the accompanying turnip, was enjoyable. The biggest letdown was the large plate, the pork jowl. Some pieces came out burnt, so I sent the dish back. When the replacement arrived, there were still charred pieces. The waitress seemed indifferent to my second comment, so I simply set the burnt parts aside and ate the rest. While the unburnt pork was chewy and tasty, having this issue twice with the main dish was both shocking and disappointing. We came to celebrate my mother’s birthday, but none of us felt impressed enough to stay for dessert. The music selection also felt out of place—more like a burger joint or casual American diner than a fine Cantonese restaurant. Since Monsieur Benjamin was one of my personal top 10 restaurants, I had been excited about the new opening. Unfortunately, this felt lacking. I’m not sure I would go out of my way to return, but if I do, I sincerely hope to see many improvements.

1: We booked a 9:45p reservation and they ran out of half the menu. The dishes you see on here were either out or didn’t exist (e.g. the pecking duck). After we placed our order, our waitress came back to us 3 times to progressively tell us each item we had ordered was out of stock. 2: They clearly cared way more about the tables next to us more than us, the manager seemingly hung out with them, asked about their day, etc then hover around us but no interaction with our table. Super weird experience, I’d expect to go around and converse with all patrons at the restaurant but clearly they had pals. 3: We ordered the fish. We had a 18 minute gap between everything else and the fish. Feels way too long. Normally I don’t care but the fish was like $50. 4: Girlfriend wanted to surprise me by prepaying for the meal for our anniversary. They forgot to run the card, realized they lost card and then we helped them find it because they dropped it under our table. Just a consistent string of let downs for a new restaurant.

When comparing to other chef tasting menus in the city, it’s a skip. Food was very bland, each of the three mains were overcooked and sauces lacking flavor. The dessert was a huge miss, overcooked chocolate in the mochi balls, store bought tasting mango sorbet, and a lack of originality. We enjoyed the drinks but everything on the cocktail menu was way too sweet and missing ‘something’. The lights should have been turned down 10% and ambient music up 10%. The service was the biggest miss, however. We sat at the bar and had a very inorganic experience. The servers were nice but not hospitable… threw the bill down and said “thanks” and walked away. With a new ‘up and coming’ restaurant trying to be this caliber, we just expected more, especially in the city. Decent time but no need to return or recommend.

FINALLY!! I have been to numerous pop-ups for The Happy Crane and Chef James and... oh my goodness I have waited for this moment!! OVERALL: 5/5!! Cannot wait to go back and see if there are seasonal menu changes and take my family and friends. SERVICE: 5/5 My husband, friend and I were seated right away. We ordered mostly everything except the raw dishes. I warned the waitress that I just had an IVF embryo transfer and to be safe I wanted to follow pregnancy dietary restrictions. The waitress was kind and answers all our questions and asked for food allergies/restrictions. If she didn't know, she would ask the chef and come back with an answer. All the staff were attentive. Took our plates away as we finished them but didn't rush us to finish. Since we ordered a lot, I was worried about timing of the dishes coming out. Someone must have been monitoring us because the dishes came out fresh every time! They also boxed our leftovers for us, which is a small thing that I really love haha. FOOD: 4/5 -Small plates: Most of my favorite dishes for the night. Yes you need a Firecracker Shrimp and golden coin per person. You'll want the whole thing to yourself, it's so good! Golden coin was a bit messy but I liked it because it was different. The mousse was delicious and the flavor was A+. The Smacked Cucumber and Smoked Fig dish was kept on ice which I believe was different from his pop ups. It was delicious, crisp, and flavorful. I wasn't sure what to expect with the Beef Shin and Artichoke, but the flavors just worked. The crispy lotus root was a good change in texture. This had some spice but it was tolerable (and I think a bag of flaming hot Cheetos are hot lol). -Medium plates: My 2 favorites the Oyster Pancake and the Salted Egg Yolk Squash. This wasn't your typical presentation of a Chinese pancake and it was thicker. I was conserned it would be mushy but it wasn't. The sauce with the oyster pancake was delicious! The textures and the flavors were all excellent together. Before tonight I always thought it wasn't a fan of salted egg but maybe I am now lol. You could definitely taste it but it wasn't overwhelming. I loved that it was fried and I ate it like finger food. The bottom was a bit soggy though. -Large plates: Chasui Iberico Pork Jowl and Maitake Biang Biang were my faves but the fish was also delicious. The pork was cooked to perfection. It has that slight char but also the carmelized crunch. The hand-pulled noodles, always my favorite at the pop ups and I'm so happy it's on the menu. -DESSERT: The Mochi Rocher is always a good choice but warning it is served very hot. Being served hot you get the gooey chocolate and mochi together! DRINKS: 4/5 We had a NA drink called Flying Nimbus. It was refreshing and citrusy. It was so good that I ordered another one. I definitely want to come back when I am allowed to have alcohol haha. I saw a lot of people drinking wine and I saw one gentleman drinking a beer at the bar. AMBIANCE: What a beautiful restaurant! The woodwork is stunning and creates a modern and open environment. There are even purse hooks for the bar seats! The table we were sitting in, you could also see Chef James and his team working in the kitchen. The bathroom is gender neutral and the soap smelled amazing! Also they had the thick and folded paper towels, which always makes me feel fancy. PARKING: street parking can be difficult but there is the Performing Arts Parking Garage a block away which made it easy. AREA: Love all the small shops around Hayes Valley. We did some shopping before dinner and contemplated getting salt and straw after but we were too full.

8/8 Opening night at The Happy Crane. IYKYK Same goes for Chinese restos that have a "grand opening" sign up for years until it's crusty and dusty. "8" = prosperity so "88" = double prosperity No grand opening sign here but keeping a grand opening sign up = continuous state of prosperity. Starting as a pop-up in 2023, The Happy Crane's first brick and mortar is one of the most highly anticipated openings this year. The chef-owner is a fine dining alum that's worked at numerous Michelin star restos in HK, Tokyo, and SF. Dinner only. Indoor dining only. Rezzies on OpenTable are completely booked for the month and they're not accepting walk-ins for now. Sign up for notifications in case there's a cancellation. M E N U Modern Cantonese Cuisine - a la carte or $120 pp tasting menu. For the $110 Peking Duck experience, you have to reserve ahead on OpenTable. Full bar with cocktail program inspired by Chinese folklore. 5% SF mandate. F O O D * Golden Coin: Coppa, rose wine chicken liver-mousse, house bao ($11 each): https://tinyurl.com/535x3sef Crispy soft open faced bao with a savory porky richness. * Firecracker Shrimp w/ nori, shiso, mala glaze ($9 each): https://tinyurl.com/yazy89ap Their take on a shrimp egg roll - airy crunch, tender shrimp with a roasty tingling umami and spice. Love that they included the heads. * Uni Scallop Pancake w/ eggplant, worcestershire glaze ($11 each): https://tinyurl.com/48a36hyx Savory layered croquette with a nice tang and briny sweetness. * Ginger Scallion Scallop w/ scolded chives, jicama, salted radish ($18): https://tinyurl.com/3jhn2p4a Crudo style, the raw Hokkaido scallops were fresh, delicate, and fragrant. Similar flavors to Hainan chicken. * Crab Rice Roll: Fresh milled rice roll w/ shaoxing crab butter, trout roe ($32): https://tinyurl.com/bdyv2a9y Bougie take on a dim sum classic, the cheung fun was gelatinous with a bouncy QQ chew. Umami rich gravy from the tomalley and briny notes from the roe. * Wolfe Ranch quail w/ Sichuan salt, lime, salted turnip ($41): https://tinyurl.com/3s6zen3p A labor of love, the dry-aged, the marinated quail is like a mini version of Canto roast duck with a crispy, laquered skin and juicy meat...even the breast. Nice málà numbing spice from the salt. * Chasiu Iberico Pork Jowl w/ lime ginger compressed-apple, scallion rice ($43): https://tinyurl.com/kw2vk27f Deliciously rich and tender with a smoky charred flavor and savory sweetness. The crisp tart apple helped reset the palate. Served with aromatic scallion rice with a drizzle of sweet soy. IMO, the protein portion needs to be beefed up for a "large" plate. * Mochi Rocher w/ cinnamon chocolate, hazelnut (2 pc-$13): https://tinyurl.com/yw3xrs3r A mashup of ferrero rocher chocolate and jian dui (fried sesame balls) - crispy and chewy with a warm, gooey bittersweet ganache and hazelnut filling. Not too sweet but wish the mochi was chewier. S E R V I C E For night one, the service was on point by our server, Melody and staff. Friendly, polished, and attentive, they made sure water glasses were always filled, empty plates whisked away, and napkins were folded when leaving our seat. There were some lags with food service but it's night one. A M B I A N C E Casual sophistication with earth tones and splash of color from the jade green banquettes. Open kitchen with view of the wok action. About 18 tables and bar seating. P A R K I N G Difficult street parking. Nearest garage is at The Performing Arts Garage a block up on Grove. Overall, I usually find "modern" ethnic restos miss the mark on flavor so I didn't have high expectations. This wasn't the case with The Happy Crane. Growing up eating Canto food, I enjoyed their traditional flavors with playful, creative twists on the classics. IMO, they're the one to watch out for.

The best restaurant in SF! The food was inventive but not fussy. The service was attentive but not stuffy. My favorite dishes were the abalone, tofu salad, beef shin, pea dumplings and iberico pork jowl. You must come here.

I enjoyed the food very well like the atmosphere was good, the waitress was very nice like the way how politely they were, I enjoyed every moments there it was very cool and like how they make the place nice and cool