Yuet Lee Seafood Restaurant

In one word: delicious. At home we already planned to eat in Chinatown, SF. Our local guide from the bike tour advised us. And he did well. A hole-in-the-wall restaurant with fantastic good authentic food. We ate wonton soup with BBQ pork, beef stew from the clay pot and pork ribs sweet sour. Everything fresh direct from the kitchen to our table. The service was friendly and good. Highly recommended.

Came here with the family for dinner. This spot is somewhat of a hole-in-the-wall local shop. No frill Chinese spot beloved by locals. It has tables that accommodate anywhere from 4-8 people. We ordered dishes to share family style. My favorite was the salt and pepper pork chop as it wasn’t too fatty but had the salty kick snd crispy texture. Best eaten with white rice. The Mongolian beef was decent but more on the spicier and saucier side. My least favorite was the noodles it was very bland and without much curry flavor as it’s supposed to.

A neighbor restaurant recommended Yuet Lee and the food was good. I forgot to post a picture of the clay pot hom ha with tofu. That was super good. We all wanted veggies and that was super tasty. Staff super friendly and made sure we were taken care of. Thank you!

We wanted to grab some Chinese food while in Chinatown, but many of the places we stopped at had long lines. We found this restaurant and got a table right away. I had the chicken chow mein which was AMAZING. The rest of the family wanted wonton soup and beef stew with wonton. Everything was great. The steamed dumplings were also very good. We were so pleased that we chose this place!

Excellent perfectly cooked. Chinese food in Chinatown is worth the walk/drive!

First time here. Food was good. Nice cozy place. Service was good.

Legendary restaurant in the heart of SF Chinatown, been coming here for 10 years since 2015, all the dishes are amazing, 麻辣海鲜豆腐煲 is the best of all time

Restaurant was clean, staff were very friendly and attentive. Multiple seating arrangements from solo to larger sized groups. Quite an extensive menu with many good options for meat lovers and vegetarians alike. The food was freshly cooked and tasty. I had the Mongolian Beef, the serving size was huge and the spices were just right to give that extra kick, the beef was properly cooked and the veggies were crunchy. Another positive is that they were open later than a good proportion of other places in Chinatown. Good prices.

Came here with the family for dinner. This spot is somewhat of a hole-in-the-wall local shop. No frill Chinese spot beloved by locals. It has tables that accommodate anywhere from 4-8 people. We ordered dishes to share family style. My favorite was the salt and pepper pork chop as it wasn't too fatty but had the salty kick snd crispy texture. Best eaten with white rice. The Mongolian beef was decent but more on the spicier and saucier side. My least favorite was the noodles it was very bland and without much curry flavor as it's supposed to. Overall, this is a great spot for lunch and dinner.

Fried Intestines was good but small portions. Beef tenderloin and fried Sam see horfun was bland. The Peking spareribs was good. Fish and green beans was just okay. Best is the fried tofu filled with fish! Will try the BBQ pork fried rice, salt pepper squid, and clam in black bean sauce, egg gravy shrimp horfun next time

If you must, late night food after the bars. The food is ok and I would come back to try more seafood dishes. After 5 bars, we stumbled in and ordered the Beef Oyster Sauce, Sechuan Chicken wings & Prawns with Egg over rice. The staff is super friendly and service is fast, but I'd go here more for casual fast food.

My junior high classmate and her family visited my home town SF during the second week of June. After we finished walking down Lombard Street ( the crooked part), we were too late to eat at R&G Lounge ( for it's famous dungeon crab in 40+ styles), so we went into Yuet Lee 悅利 due to its late hours ( closed at 11pm). Yuet Lee ran out of crabs, so we ordered porridge twice( $11.50 each) , salt n pepper pork chops ( $17) Singaporean vermicelli ($17-20) and beef bok choy $18-20). Tastes were not bad but each dish's portion was small for the price we paid. We didn't want to complain about the restaurant but to blame it all to inflation!!! I felt like having 8 dishes instead of the 4 we had that night to satisfy my empty stomach... after I sent my friends back to their hotel and I headed home for a bowl of vermicelli , leftover rice, plus some leftover dishes.

Seafood soup with wonton added was amazing! So good I forgot to take a picture! Gotta try! Looks as good as it taste!

I been coming to this place since I was a baby. Place still looks the same with the same pictures on the walls. Food is way more expensive now but just as good I think. Staff are still pretty nice. And you can always count on the food to be cooked up with consistent "wok hay" I always order the clams in black bean sauce and beef chow fun. This place is so nostalgic for me.

If you're looking for a great place to have some yummy Chinese food. This is the place. We ordered hot and sour soup which was amazing. It was nice and hot though out our whole meal. We then ordered my absolute favorite, chicken black bean sauce with green beans. And let me tell you it was the best I've ever had. We also got the duck. It was good. I just wish the skin was a little crispier. I will definitely come back again.

Loved this hidden gem of very authentic Chinese food. Stumbled across this place with a friend on Saturday evening. It's definitely has a hole in the wall interior, but like most Chinese spots, this added to its authenticity. The food was delicious, and the roast duck was especially solid. Interestingly, it got quite packed late into the night. I would definitely come back.

This was not cooked properly and it tasted weird. It was beef with salted egg but this came looking raw quite expensive for something not edible. The rest of the soup was great. I didn't like the fact that rice was extra with the food. The service was okay. The ambiance was not really ideal. The bathroom was not clean.

The food here is outstanding. It is a must stop for us whenever we are in San Francisco. We often eat here but this time we had just had lunch somewhere else so we picked up so beef chow fun to go. It's the best chow fun of anywhere we've ever been. The Smokey flavor is so delicious. We all devoured it later that night!

Good Chinese food, and decent service. Portions are large and best for sharing with others. The interior is full of photos of celebrities who have eaten here - a testament to the fact that this is a Chinatown staple.

My family has been going here since the 1980s and the food never disappoints! Skip the overhyped San Tung and come here instead for some quality Chinese food.

Food 3.5/5.0 Service 3.0/5.0 Value 3.5/5.0 Decor 2.0/5.0 Overall 3.5/5.0 I used to love Yuet Lee. But having finally been back after over a decade-long hiatus, I have to admit that this time I found the food just okay. The place hasn't aged that well. The food is just ok. Best part is that it's open late for a spot in the Chinatown borders. Still decent, but just not its former self.

Yuet Lee has always been my favorite go to in San Francisco for homestyle chinese favorite dishes like my Puah Puah made growing up. Through Pandemic I have not been back to chinatown Long over due and we will be coming back for my favorite Yuet Lee Homestyle Dishes!

An excellent place to stop and eat while in Chinatown. I had the jalapeños in soy sauce during the very short wait for my flounder in black bean sauce. It is so tender and delicious. Highly recommend.

The flounder with black bean sauce and asparagus is excellent. Try any of their clay pots. I just wish that they were still open until 2:00 a.m.

I've been wanting to try this place out ever since I saw it on "parts unknown" and I finally got the chance too. We ordered the beef with tender greens, wonton soup, chicken chow mein, and bbq pork fried rice. Service and food were great!

Recently took a trip to San Francisco and had dinner at this restaurant in China Town. Someone I know recommended this place & I'm so glad I tried it. This place is a very humble restaurant, so if you're looking for something fancy this would not be the place for you. However, if you're looking for authentic tasting Chinese cuisine, this place is definitely for you. We ordered a few items and shared plates. Everything we ordered was delicious! The owners are not the friendliest people and communication was a tad bit challenging but overall we got everything we ordered in a timely fashion & I definitely would go back next time I visit the area. I would of given 5 stars but I think they need to be a little more friendly.

Everyone who's worked or lived in Chinatown knows this old school "I don't feel like cooking tonight" standby with late-night weekend hours offering typical Cantonese meals in a snug, bright space. Not gourmet, but good enough, filling and affordable. All of the noodle soups are generally always a good choice in my experience. Noted as Best to order for takeout

The salt and pepper squid was just ok. But the steam rice was terrible. Steam rice is supposed to be fluffy with individual grains being tender. Instead they served rice that after two bites I wanted to leave and pay my bill. When steam rice is cooked you can tell by looking if it is good or not. The waitress offered to do the rice over again but you can't redo rice if it was cooked wrong. All you would be doing is stirring from the same pot. If I can cook steam rice better at home, that shows how far the gap is between my cooking and theirs. Now I still gave a $10 tip on top of the $21 bill but that was because I felt sorry for them running the business down into the ground. If a restaurant can't cook steam rice properly, it is going to close up from lack of customers. The waitress can tell by scooping the rice that it does not look right.

Solid late night food - don't come expecting anything fancy. It's good food, quick service, and affordable. Everything tasted great and hit the spot.

Such a Chinatown staple since forever! Service and food are always great and affordable. They even have the GSW game on TV

This used to be my SO's go-to late night joint and he hadn't been back since pre-pandemic times so we stopped in one weekend for a late lunch. It seems they changed ownership in the time between but the food is great and the staff is very friendly. BF said the biggest difference is that they used to have a tank of fresh seafood and that is no more. At least not when we went. We had beef with black bean sauce and bbq pork chow mein and both were tasty. Just the right amount of oily goodness, crunchy vegetables and sweet-ish bbq pork in my chow mein. Would totally go back...

5-stars because it's open late and the food is solidly good. It's not Michelin but.... the staff is nice the food is good (porridge, pepper salt pork) open late. relatively inexpensive my late night (for SF) destination

I stumbled onto this gem completely by accident. My family and I were walking around Chinatown when we needed to use the restroom. We walked into this restaurant and asked if they had available restrooms. The owner said they do, but it's for customers only, (which I had expected). Some places in Chinatown would not even allow you to use their restrooms regardless if you're a customer or not. After seeing all the pictures of the celebrities on the wall that had eaten here, and they fact they had available restrooms for customers, we decided to give this place a try. It surely did not disappoint. The waitress we had was super friendly, and she recommended their most popular dishes. We ordered Yung Chow Fried Rice, Sweet and Sour Pork, Pan Fried Noodles and Garlic Fried Shrimp. Each dish was so flavorful and delicious. The only disappointment was when I asked them if they had a location in LA, sadly, they said no. SF's Chinatown was their only location :( Oh well, that just means I will definitely be coming back to visit.

Great food and extremely nice people. It's so rare to see a very nice staff in a Chinese place. I was blown away

This used to be my favorite restaurant in the city, reasonably priced, fresh and delicious seafood. That is no longer true, the clams in black bean sauce which was wonderful is now a tired brown gravy with a few black beans and some jalapeño. The full order of salt and pepper calamari was a small plate of salty no pepper calamari. Good bye Yuet Lee your best days are clearly in the past. I will remember you for what you were and never return.

Classic SF fare that hit the spot. Beef chow fun, Hong Kong style chow mein were both delicious!

If you don't know what to get, just order anything from the first page (famous chef specials) LOL you can't go wrong. True story! The food was so good. Nothing fancy. No gimmick. Just plain yummy good food.

As a Chinese, I think the food is average and a bit overpriced, but the problem is they've a rude restaurant owner

They have the best Hainan chicken in Chinatown! Perfectly cooked if you're ever craving this. Food's fast as well.

THE FOODS STILL GREAT AT YUET LEE !!! I haven't been here since the pandemic till now but the foods still excellent as I remember. I ordered the clams in black bean sauce and the beef with ginger and green onions. I used to order these in the past and I thought both were as good as the past. Service was friendly and efficient.

This place has always a good place after having a good night of drinking or just a late night meal. This place still the same decor and the same consistency of good food. The wonton soup was refreshing on a San Francisco night. My favorite was the shrimp and scrambled egg over rice and creamy. I also enjoyed the fish in bean sauce dish. A great food experience on Broadway.

Good news, in walking by here in early June. The doors were open, the lights were on, and the interior looked like a working business! I asked the gentleman at the door and confirmed that they reopened on May 29, 2022 after the property owner finished required earthquake renovations that took the better part of six months. I made a point to come here for a midweek lunch. There were plenty of tables as there was only one gentleman eating towards the back of the restaurant. I chose a window table about halfway in. After studying the menu, I ordered two items, avoiding having a one note meal. My main meal was the beef w/ chow fun (rice noodle) (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=huNrpQYBbyYPEZ5AnjTOVQ&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q), aka dry stir fried beef chow fun, a classic Cantonese staple; there was a good balance of ingredients and the execution was spot on. The fun was fresh and a good quality as it was consistent in size and shape and nicely soft; I also noticed a nice glistening on the noodles. The best part was the flavor had that essential 'wok's breath' (wok hei), a smoky deep flavor in all of the ingredients. Besides, as I reached the bottom of my plate, there was no pool of oil sitting on the plate, always a good thing. The other dish was the beef w/ spicy satay sauce (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=haLKY6Q3LNrPOm7B7t9MRg&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q); this was another stir fry which included onions, green onions, bamboo shoots, carrots, and red bell peppers. That smoky flavor was there again, a good thing and the satay sauce is prominent but, unlike as described, not very if at all spicy. I generously added the table provided chili sauce () which paired well with both dishes. I actually took 2/3rd of the satay beef home for a future meal later in the week. It pairs well with white rice or a bowl of ramen. I had my own teapot so the waitress was nearby but not needed through my meal. I enjoyed the food here and will happily return.

grabbed a quick take out order from this place and couldn't be more pleased. i definitely recommend the bbq pork fried rice. service was great and quick. i'll be back for sure!

If you look at my reviews record, I'm a stingy 5-Star ratings guy and there was a time when I would have gladly given this place five stars because it's always been one of my favorites, stemming back from the early 80's. In fact, it was always on my restaurant recommendation list, top three! I loved them for their seafood, their originality, the stable of regular waiters who were friendly, but brutally efficient, and their drunk-friendly hours during my younger heydays. If this place was in a smaller town, I'd say they'd qualify as one of the better Chinese places, but not when you're talking about a city like San Francisco. The food is still good, but it's lost a step or two. Maybe the management or ownership has changed, but the place is definitely feeling rundown and looking dingy. It feels dated, like its better days are in the rearview mirror. Maybe the pandemic affected them in a severe way, but the Yuet Lee I know isn't this place anymore. It's no wonder that when I recommended it to some folks from out of town, their review was fairly unenthusiastic. Now I understand. I hope they get their Mojo back. I have had far too many good memories, great lunches and dinners, and fun celebrations at that place to have such an unfitting, uninspired end. Good luck Yuet Lee, I'm rooting for a comeback.

There's not many places in the area that are open for late-night munchies or meals, let alone good, reliable food places. Yuet Lee is old-school and slightly old-fashioned, but the food is consistently-delicious (some friends who live in the FiDi are huge fans, and they've been serving up the area at the corner of Broadway and Stockton since 1977!) To quote the late Anthony Bourdain--"Yuet Lee... has remained one of San Francisco's most popular after-hours options for 30 years. Salt & pepper prawns are to be recommended." Other fans have included Guy Fieri, Emeril, Jacques Pepin, Jackie Chan, Saveur Magazine and the New York Times--I love how the interior is decorated with pictures of these people with owner Sam Yu. They are not on delivery apps, so get your hungry self down to Chinatown and call them on the phone to order! (415) 982-6020! I tried the roast duck wonton soup and Sun See Chow Mein--I needed that comfort food! Everything was delicious and very reasonably-priced. It's no-frills, traditional Cantonese food. Service was quick and friendly and they had hand sanitizer and signs for social distancing (both not always a given!) I'll be back to try more seafood--they offer a wide variety of dishes. There's a reason Yuet Lee has endured over the years. Support local businesses and save Chinese restaurants!

Got the beef chow mein and the fried rice. Everything was super fresh and very well seasoned. The lady that served us was very nice and quick. The place is clean and has some nice pictures on the wall. Definitely want to come back. :)

** The following review reflects my takeout experience DURING the COVID-19 pandemic. ** It doesn't get more old-school Chinatown than this spot which has a prominent corner location on Broadway and Stockton. That's probably why they highlight a quote from the late Anthony Bourdain on their website just like Sam's down the block. As a matter of fact, it's so old-school that they're not on the familiar food delivery apps, and frankly given my spotty experiences with DoorDash, I didn't think that was such a bad thing. I actually had to (*gasp*) talk to the staff over my iPhone to make my order, and there weren't any communication issues even though I don't speak Cantonese. So there. I ordered the $14.25 Boiled Chicken with Ginger & Green Onion, and they certainly weren't stingy with the accoutrements (photo: https://bit.ly/3969WDn). They also don't debone the poultry and that was a lot of grated ginger in soy sauce, so eat slowly. I also went for the $9 Steamed Stuffed Tofu with Fish Meat. The dish probably could be more appetizingly named, but it was a huge portion of tofu with a lot of fish meat, presumably cod since it was indeed meaty. There was a lot of soy sauce poured into my tray to add to the flavor, and I have to admit I had no problem devouring it since the tofu was so easy to digest (photo: https://bit.ly/2J65vOj). I thought the staff was very friendly when I arrived for my order, and I guess it's a popular late-night stop for local pub crawls. At least that's what Tony said. FOOD - 4 stars...traditional Cantonese grub that satisfies AMBIANCE - 4 stars...clean and pure Chinatown style SERVICE - 4 stars...friendly and orderly TOTAL - 4 stars...listen to Tony, may he rest in peace RELATED - Exploring Chinatown? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2WoF1Z2

We were looking for dim sum and ended up trying this place instead since we saw a photo of Guy Fieri at the entrance (apparently he and Anthony Bourdain recommended this place). The place is certainly a dive, which counts as being authentic Chinese in my book. Our waiter is very nice and doesn't make fun of my terrible Chinese. We ordered yang chow fried rice and chef special chow mein. The food came out quickly and they were delicious, which is great since we were hungry. I'm going to come back to try the duck next time.

The food here was very disgusting. Ive been to other Chinese restaurants that are infested and gross but this restaurant tops them all. I dont see why they are still in business. I went here last week with my wife we ordered beef w/ Chinese broccoli, roasted duck, and braised beef. The Chinese broccoli was overly boiled where it became mushy and turned the sauce to green soup. They took these beef broccoli from an order that wasn't picked up. How dare Yuet did this on my food. I complained and they just looked at me like il crazy. That night i got really sick vomiting and diarrhea. I will file a Health complaint with the city. Folks these Chinese people play these games with customers and im sure theyve been doing this a long time so why should we support this kind of brazen and disgusting act. I want to say Phuck you Yuet Lee. This is a real review Stay away from this restaurant, you can get killed from what you eat lucky I survived.

Just had dinner there. I always saw excellent reviews so I decided to try it. Let's start with the Chinese broccoli aka gai lan. The taste is very standard. They did not peel off the outer layer of the stalk making it very stringy. If the gai lan was much thinner and younger ( gai lan mui) then it would be better. These gai lan was a bit more older and the unpeeled stem is a bit too chewy The clam In garlic and black bean sauce was okay nothing to write home about pretty standard fare. I feel that it can be better by balancing the garlic and black bean sauce better The last dish the Peking spareribs. The sauce was a bit too heavy with too much of a cornstarch slurry. We wanted to have a steamed fish they had it on the menu but was not available. When leaving we noticed that their fish holding tank was dry.

Great chinatown spot where we used to go out after a late night of clubbing or hanging out on Broadway. It's good to see some of these spaces still up. The restaurant industry is in need of our support and we should go out and eat at these places and enjoy their great food. Being limited to capacity restrictions and additional covid costs is not easy. In addition, the food here is great! We had salt and pepper squid which was amazing and was not overly breaded or seasoned. Also had the crunch and delicious Hong Kong pan fried crispy noodle with char siu (bbq pork). Finally we had really meaty duck and wonton soup, with bok choy (vegetable). Definitely take your friends here and enjoy this gem on the corner of Broadway and Powell.

Amazing!! Very delicious good and fast service. Would highly recommend if in the Chinatown area and need something tasty and fast.

First of all, this place is HELLA expensive. I don't think I'll be coming here anytime soon. Too bad the chinese restaurant I go to on Broadway closed. I've been to Yuet Lee a long time ago, and I mean YEARS ago and now I remembered why. I guess just because they had celebrities decades ago coming here, they can charged high for their dishes. The food was good but with all the other available Chinese restaurants around, I suggest visiting other locations.

Overall small location very friendly staff. Very attentive and Fried Rice cooked perfectly as well as the pork dumplings. I have had better orange chicken. Overall satisfaction 80% would visit again

Authentic Cantonese food... only in San Francisco! From Pier 43-1/2 we walked a mile towards Chinatown but before actually arriving in Chinatown we stopped here to have an early dinner. Located on the corner of Broadway and Stockton Streets inside isn't very big. Mostly two seater tables along the aisle but there was one big round table deep inside that was able to accommodate all 12 of us. Don't expect fancy dining here. The building is older and space is small... but the food is delicious and service was excellent. Owner, Sam Yu, even suggested a few authentic dishes that I haven't tried before including the Prawns with Scrambled Eggs. We stuck to the more traditional classics like Beef With Chinese Broccoli, Prawns Chow Mein, Salt & Pepper Crispy Spareribs, Beef With Mongolia Sauce, and all types of fried rice: Beef, Shrimp, and BBQ Pork Fried Rice (we had a lot of kids with us). Food was pricy but very good and tummies were happy. Outside window boasts of pictures of the owner himself with food celebrities -- Emeril, Anthony Bourdain, Sam Choy (American chef), Guy Fieri (American restaurateur), Samantha Brown (Travel Channel Host), Jacques Pépin (French chef), Saveur Magazine and the New York Times... and Jackie Chan! LoL Curious about the restaurant name? Owner, Sam, combined his parent's last names in order to name his new restaurant: Yuet after his father and Lee after his mother. Review #1635

Just found my favorite late night spot to enjoy delicious authentic Chinese food! Yuet Lee in the Chinatown District of San Francisco opens at 11am to 11pm everyday! They have been around since 1977. Also, Jackie Chan ate here before !! I saw a picture of him and the owner on the wall. Oooh, I learned that Anthony Bourdain ate here before as well. It's a recommend spot - amazing! We ordered the following: - Roasted Duck (half) - delicious - Salt & Pepper Crispy Spareribs (Pork Chops) - best pork chops I've ever had in my life. The right amount of crispy and softness! - Pan Fried Crispy Noodles w/ Shrimp, Mushroom, and Bok Choy! - Tsingtao beers Also, I want to give y'all a heads up that many of the items are in the pricy side like $15 and up but the quality of the dishes is worth it. I will definitely be back to try more dishes here! Check them out when you're around the area! Reviewed by IG eatswithkatheerinna

Okay, YUET LEE never, never disappoints!!! My wife and I spent some time today in The City. Went to the SF Zoo, GGP, and then were craving Chinese. Yuet Lee immediately popped into my head. We had the prawns chow mein, sweet and sour pork, and BBQ pork fried rice. Yes I know this sounds pedestrian to some of you, but when we're craving comfort food these are our go to menu items. And these were PERFECT! I first ate here back in the 80's when Broadway used to be the strip to cruise on Fri/Sat nights. It was EXCELLENT then and it's EXCELLENT now. That's 35+ years of consistency! Try it for yourself, you will not be disappointed!