Yuanbao Jiaozi - San Francisco

The dumpling are freshly made and boiled upon order. I agreed it should be boiled in order to keep freshly made food and served in a timely restaurant grade fashion. Yes, steaming them at home would be authentic but dining in a restaurant needs speedy service in order to please the demand for service.

The beef noodle soup was just okay. Noodle texture was excellent. The chewy texture is perfect. Noodle thickness was cut well. BUT, here is the area for improvement: each serving size has too much noodle. Beef portion is too small, broth was too watery and blend.

The extra noodle order I ordered was huge, usually 2/3 or 1/2 original amount is what I received.

They take credit card for orders over $20 but anything less is paid in cash or venmo. That is reasonable.

The deco is basic and isn't the modern edged look but a basic noodle house appearance I expect to see. It's very causal and cozy.

Waiters are very nice in a loud voice causal way. It gives the vibe of home. Anything overly quiet and sweet just isn't right in a noodle house.

Price is reasonable. Support local business.

Food: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Overall: One of my go to noodle places.

The extended review...

Food:

House Special Beef Noodle Soup - 5/5 - The dish a pretty plentiful and is delicious. There is a good amount of beef and the noodles are a good texture.

Service: 4/5 - Friendly and attentive service.

Ambiance: 4/5 - Seating is a little limited but if you have only 2 people it seems to be a quick wait.

Honestly got so excited to eat the dumplings that I forgot to take a picture of them. Whoops.

Love this place. I think this may be my favorite spot for dumplings in all of SF (and for better or for worse, I think the rest of the city is catching on). It's just clean, simple, GOOD traditional authentic delicious dumplings. Plus they've got the window into seeing the chefs hard at work crafting them into beautiful lil pouches of dumpling fun.

Staff are friendly and attentive. The appetizer dishes are also yum and generous. Can't say anything bad about this spot.

Not sure who thought fish would be a good dumpling filling but I'm absolutely for it. The dumplings don't taste fishy at all and have a super smooth texture. I'm old school and love just plain boiled dumplings over the popular fried variety. The beef noodles are tasty and lean more towards the clear broth spectrum rather than rich and oily. The spicy cold cut beef tendons are a must!! They usually run out if you go at the end of the day. Most importantly, their chili oil is the best I've had anywhere - over Din Tai Fung's and the og Lao Gao Ma!

Service is quick and the store isn't too big if you have a large party. I'd recommend their newer location in Burlingame if you want more of an ambiance.

This is a good place to grab lunch. Three of us shared the Beef Noodle Soup, which allowed us to have a rice bowl size. The soup was very flavorful and the noodles cooked just right. There was a fair amount of beef but not on the generous side; however the amount of dumplings in an order is generous. There are 14 in an order. The Napa Cabbage & Pork dumplings were good with the pork flavor coming through nicely. The Shrimp, Egg & Chive dumplings were bland. The Marinated Beef appetizer was tasty with the garlic sauce and the Pig Ears in Chili Oil was not too spicy. We ordered to go and only waited about 15 minutes. We went on a Monday around 12:30 pm and there were available tables in this small restaurant. They have a freezer case and you can purchase frozen dumplings.

For 2 people, definitely recommend sharing a noodle soup and dumplings! In our group, we also got cucumber salad and tofu skin to share which was amazing and high recommend. Tofu skin surprised me! Service was very fast.

This place made us wait for almost an hour for a table! At 11:15 am, it was crazy

Good:
- Really awesome dumplings with solid wrappers and the right level of salty and savory
- I liked the dumping soup version because the soup was filling too

Bad:
- Took forever to get our dishes and we also already waited an hour to get in
- Super small place
- Nothing fancy, casual diner vibes

Overall enjoyed my experience here but wouldn't wait again.

So so so so happy with my dining experience here! We ordered the cucumbers, beef tendon appetizer, zucchini dumplings, and the beef noodle soup. Everything was flavored SO perfectly (especially the cucumbers and beef tendon). Beef noodle soup was not too salty and was warm and comforting. Dumplings were yummy too! I would probably opt for a different filling next time though. The zucchini one was a little too texture less for my preference but still yummy! Everything was priced so reasonably too :)) Seating was a little limited but service was quick and polite. Would definitely come back!

Visiting this place for their freshly handmade dumplings was a delightful experience from start to finish. The dumplings were a testament to craftsmanship; their texture was perfectly delicate, and the flavor profile was spot-on, showcasing a harmonious blend of ingredients. The shop, albeit small, adds to its charm, but arriving early and getting your name on the waiting list ensures you snag a seat. Fortunately, the service is impressively fast, making the wait worthwhile.

In addition to the dumplings, the beef noodle soup impressed with its deep, rich flavor and tender beef that practically melted in your mouth. Each spoonful was a comforting delight. The spicy pig ears offered a delightful contrast with their bold flavors and fresh kick, adding a zesty dimension to the meal.

Overall, I feel that this place really excels in delivering authentic flavors and quality dishes, making it a must-visit for lovers of Chinese cuisine and dumpling aficionados alike.

I recently had lunch at Yuanbao Jiaozi with some friends, and we were pleasantly surprised by how tasty everything was. We tried two types of soup dumplings, and both were fantastic. We also each got a beef noodle soup, and I'd recommend the one with pickled vegetables for an extra flavor kick. The staff was friendly, and despite the shop being on the smaller side, we didn't have to wait at all. The appetizers were great too. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area!

Came out to the Sunset with intent of eating at Toast n Egg... but the line was crazy so I ended up coming here! And it worked out.

Boyf and I each ordered the Beef Noodle Soup and shared a cucumber plate. I think the cucumber plate is something we could have skipped out on, or gotten dumplings instead since it wasn't anything special.

The beef noodle soup was warm and filling! It's full of flavor, generous amounts of tender meat, and noodles for days.

Inside doesn't have much seating and is quite snug so we ended up waiting ~20 min to be seated on a Saturday lunch time.

Sometimes things don't work out so other things will!