Green Island Restaurant

First timer and I can honestly say that this place is truly delicious authentic Chinese food. Some place tend to over salt the dishes, not here. Keep up the good work. I will come back for the delicious seafood chow mein and toffu hot pot. Great deal 3 plates for $ 23.00!!! You have to try it.

This place has cheap and decent Chinese food. I come with my mom sometimes before we do our grocery shopping. We’re in and out within 45 minutes. It does get a little busy during lunch time because they have a lot of regulars who seem to come in between work. But it’s still not too bad. There’s never really more than a 5 – 10 minute wait if there is any.
There’s an assortment of noodles, fried rice, and porridge here. I mean, you really can’t go wrong. They also have some lunch specials which has an entrée over rice.
Also, they give you soup, complimentary to your meal during lunch time.
In and out quick, cheap prices, clean, and good.

Very fresh Cantonese & Taishan food! A great variety of dishes and the chefs can customize your order (ie. One of our party of 20 does not eat garlic or onions, sad to say but the few dishes she special ordered still turned out well). We ordered a lot of different items. I recommend the any of the noodle dishes, whether in a soup or chow mein. The sautéed pea shoots, oxtail in clay pot, fillet of fish with baby bok choy, salt $ pepper chicken wings, salted fish & chicken fried rice, clams with black bean sauce are all good. There are innovative specials posted on the walls you should check out. They even have free range chicken. The prices are quite reasonable. The service is friendly. It’s good to keep track of what you order because you might need to remind the servers about what is still missing from the order. But it’s not a huge deal for them to quickly make what they need to, especially for a large group. And yes, they are good for groups and families. Conducive to sharing food. Be a little patient and you will enjoy the meal. We will be sure to try more dishes next time.

What a wonderful gem in the city! This is my second time to this place, and both times did not disappoint. Their main specialty is claypots, specifically the kind where rice is scooped into a hot pot, and while you’re enjoying the deliciousness of your chosen toppings, the rice cooks to a crispy ending treat.
This time, my bf & I ordered a tofu & fish claypot (w/​o the rice), and a chinese bacon & sausage rice claypot. As an appetizer & drink, we also ordered fried tofu & hot milk tea. All were deliciously savory (except my drink of course), and I’m currently super food coma-​ed.
As a plus, this is a family owned business. While eating, you can see the love between two women and a few kids running around, some trying to help. I’m still unsure of how everyone is related, but it definitely is nice to see, because I’ve had to live this life, and I know how hard it can be to run a family business.
Coming here, you will not be served in a fancy way, but if you want a homey place to eat, come here! It’s pretty rare to find a restaurant that serves this type of food. I will definitely be coming back!

Great $ 21.99 3 item menu! Soup & white rice is included. I always add $ 1 for brown rice. Always accommodates my food allergies.

Asked for ice water and was giving a jelly jar with tap water — no ice. Stay away from the salt and peppered squid or calamari, it is horribly way too salty, coming from someone who likes bold taste, it is a red warning. The beef chow fun is not bad tho, but tasteless beef. Unreasonable price for the horrible salted and peppered squid.

Cantonese home cooking prepared just like grandma. Portions are adequate and the price is reasonable. The 3 dishes for 21.99 does it! As mentioned in other reviews, get the ground pork and saltfish rice clay pot. It is a gift from my childhood!
The one minus was the fresh rock cod that we brought in for them to prepare was overcooked. They poured thin soy sauce over it which made the dish quite salty. This won’t prevent us from coming again. We think it’s a solid place for country cooking here in San Francisco. It won’t knock your socks off but it is satisfying. We were there 4 times in August.

Found a place i can take my family to for great rice in clay pot. The one my parents took my sisters and i when we were young has shut down and havent found a worthy replacement until i tried here.

A restaurant that looks like a fast food place more than a Cantonese cuisine restaurant made me and my family feel skeptical. But as soon as we saw the 2 menus, that all changed. The first menu shows any 3 choices of their 50+ selcections for $ 21.99 while the second menu shows 3 Prefix Items and we simply chose the $ 59 for 6 items option, including:
Egg & Beef Soup
Ong Choy (Stir Fried)
Hainan Chicken (Boiled)
Bitter Melon & Beef (Stir Fried)
Fish and Vegetables (Stir Fried)
Salt & Pepper Pork chops (Deep Fried)
Clams & Peppers (Stir Fried)
Let me start by saying the service of all the Cantonese restaurants in San Francisco have certainly been better to that of New York to me with the exception of the restaurants that I’m a regular at and this has been by far the best in SF. When the pork chop came out raw, we showed them and they not only refried it but nearly doubled the portion, the rice is free with out prefix order and when they saw the rice bucket was empty, they refilled it right away. The same is true with tea and hot water. They didn’t bother us during the meal and let us have a ball. We ended up eating after closing and they didn’t rush us out.
For taste and preparation, everything was excellent except that the Hainan Chicken was a little overcooked and looked a lot more like Boiled Salted Chicken with Ginger and Scallion and the rice was a little old looking (kind of looks like it may have been reheated from the day before) though it tasted fine. They finished off the meal with oranges.
At this point as the waitress was about to leave saw that my brother just came from a graduation she made small talk and even congratulated him and wished everyone well. All in all this place is great and the prices are truly the best I’ve ever seen for dinner service of any Cantonese family style restaurant.

This used to be my favorite spot… Untill I noticed they overcharged me on my credit card. After tipping in cash they decided to write in their own tip on my receipt after I signed it… Dishonesty gets 0 stars no matter how cheap their food is.
So watch your credit card statement after eating at this place.

3.5 stars
mom wanted to come check it out cuz auntie recently ate here w/​her friend & told her about it… clay pot rice, decent food, & «good deal» is key to them, lol… so, we came for a quick bite last nite after running errands & b4 rushing back to fam, who we got togo for…
THE FEEL | i think it was a phở place when i came decades ago (which they still serve)…still kinda the same vibe now… cheap chinese resto… green awning, specials on the walls & under the glass table tops… i spotted a water pitcher w/​mason jars when walking in… that’s diff for this type of resto… tryna be modern… ok, i could respect that… mom also later pointed out the racks of wine bottles around…
THE VIBE CONTINUES & THE FOOD | typical chinese resto w/​extensive 8pg plastic-​sleeved picture book, i mean menu… good & bad… good w/​lots of choices, sumthin’ for every1… but bad cuz u dunno where to begin/look…know what i mean… well, im kinda used to this extreme opposite frm modern dining concepts… but still get overwhelmed…
on the cover page, u’ll find «$ 21.99 Choice of 3»…seems like a special deal, but it’s only $ 7.50 ea anywaz…& most other menu items are cheap…(oh, did i mention this is a cheap chinese resto? haha)…
the owner & waitress are hella serious about getting their menu back! (not cuz they had hella customers they needed it for)…kept tryna take it when i told them multiple times im gonna order more/​togo later…
see my pix of:
— Comped House Soup (broth w/​veggies & pork bone)
— Salted Fish w/​Ground Pork w/​Rice in Clay Pot #110 ($ 8.25 large or $ 6.25 sm)…nice big piece of saltiness, mmm… some ppl called this pork style «hash», but it’s more like a meatloaf to me… i alwaz likey cuz it reminds me of home cooking growing up… not a lot of restos have this & i usually order it when ic it…
— Combo Tofu Clay Pot ($ 7.50 or 1 of 3 from $ 21.99 deal)…w/ chix, calamari & shrimps…
ToGo:
— S&P Wings (10pcs! $ 7.50 or 1 of 3 from $ 21.99 deal)…seemed like a hot item since ppl on Unilocal posted pix & i saw every table ordering it…
— Bacon & Sausage w/​Sparerib & Rice in Clay Pot #117 ($ 7.95 large or $ 5.95 sm)
u also get a Comp Dessert Soup… green bean, yest… other notes: 1) too bad they use «yellow-​feathered» lean chix for their non-​fried whole chix dishes… i was gonna order Chix w/​Ginger & Onion togo, but me no likey cuz im used to reg chix… 2) they have a lot of iced drinks, which i didnt try… 3) no AMEX…
overall, i agree, decent chinese food at reasonable prices…(im sure we’re gonna do 1 of our future big fam dins here)… jus wish mom wasn’t in her usual scarf mode… i don’t feel at peace when im rushed, esp thru meals, which are important to this foodie…

The husband and I took some visitors from out of town here last night. They had requested «Gringo style Chinese food that’s not too spicy.» The husband and I was confused as to what this meant. In any case, we came to Green Island because we thought their menu selection would accommodate the various tastes of our group.
What we ordered: Salt & Pepper Cod, Eggplant with Tofu Claypot, Scallop Fried Rice, Sauteed Beef, along with a few beers. The food was more than enough for the 4 of us. Everything tasted fresh, and did not leave us feeling sleepy or gross from MSG. If we were in the area, we would definitely come back.

Came in on a Friday during lent which mean NO RED MEAT. Girlfriend just came outta her first Pilates class, arms weak and feelin like noodles, so naturally we sprung for Chinese food.
Took advantage of the 3 item combo special — $ 21.99 and even a free soup that had meat in it!
Got the tofu and chicken clay pot: chicken was tender and fresh. This dish far exceeded my expectations. Made me proud to be an inhabitant of Green Island.
Rock cod + bitter melon. Melon was fresh and the fish was perfectly cooked. Soft and saucy and a lil crispy! Perfect with the tofu to neutralize some of the bitterness.
Lastly, we got mustard greens in garlic sauce. Greens and garlic were surprisingly fresh! This meal was already a great value but would’ve had an even greater bang for our buck if we had ordered a red meat dish!
We paid $ 1 extra for the brown rice option. It was great that they offered this, most Chinese places don’t even bother!
To top it off, they brought out a red bean dessert at the end of the meal. Not sure if that was always included or if it’s cuz my girlfriend talked to them in Cantonese. Either way, this is our new go to place for Chinese comfort food. Portions are huge and prices can’t be beat!!!

Greatest place ever for chicken wings period. Add it to some curry or saucy dish snd you’ll be in heaven.

As much as I enjoy exploring (and eating) all that SF’s restaurant scene has to offer, few things are quite as satisfying as discovering a Chinese restaurant that’s both delicious and cheap. Sure, I love me a good burrata and a plate of bone marrow, but feeding a table of four for less than $ 40 in the City? That’s just as big of a win!
In areas like the Richmond and Sunset though, the challenge is finding the champs amongst the chu-…non-champs. Spots like Oriental Seafood, House of Pancakes, Dumpling Kitchen, and China First (before they recently raised their prices) have long been my personal favorites, but we decided to check out Green Island on the recommendation of a friend. Can’t say no to trying a potential addition to the rotation, especially when they offer three dishes for $ 20.99 (prices below are the listed individual prices).
– SALT & PEPPER ROCK COD…$ 7.50
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The batter was nice and crunchy, but the rest of the dish fell short. Although the fish was cooked okay, there could have been more salt and/​or pepper since the dish as a whole was rather bland.
– CHICKEN WITH SALTED FISH AND TOFU CLAY POT…$ 7.50
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Decent, but not the best I’ve had. The tofu was was soft and silky and I thought the portion was solid for the money. However, I would have loved more of the salted fish since the flavors could have packed more of a punch.
– CHICKEN WITH GINGER AND GREEN ONION…$ 7.50 (half)
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A pretty classic dish that was spot on. The chicken wasn’t super meaty, but it was really tender with a natural sweetness. There was a good amount of ginger and green onions that made the dish pretty tasty as well.
– CHINESE BROCCOLI & BEEF…$ 7.50
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It’s pretty comparable to other Chinese restaurants in the Sunset/​Richmond, but the taste was a-​okay. At the same time though, some of the beef was a little tough and a few of the pieces of broccoli were awkwardly cut (just thick stalks).
Although I wasn’t particularly overwhelmed with what we had, I will say Green Island’s menu still manages to set them apart from other Chinese restaurants in the area. Offering a slate of both Chinese and Vietnamese dishes, they certainly offer a bit more to choose from, though I can’t say just how good any of it is.
In any case, I’d come back, but I wouldn’t make a point of it. Green Island seems to be a decent option if you happen to be in the area, but despite my curiosity about their Vietnamese dishes, I’ll stick to my regular rotation of cheap Chinese eats.

I love this place it’s close to my house. The people are really nice and the food comes out quick and hot. I try to stop by once a week

Can’t give half stars — but 3.5 STARS.
If you want CHEAP and GOOD chinese food, work this place into your dinner rotation. They have this great deal where you get to choose 3 dishes from a HUGE selection for $ 20.99!
I’ll reiterate it again, it’s decent food, the portions are great, and the price is reasonable, but DO NOT expect great service. As others have mentioned, service is spotty, there are maybe 2 – 3 waitresses that work the entire room.
Some of the items from the 3 for $ 20.99 deal we’ve tried:
— Spinach with garlic: Tasty, however it left a oily slick feeling in our mouths afterwards. (I’ve noticed this with sauteed spinach in general from all chinese restaurants)
— Half Chicken with Ginger & Green Onion: Really good. Tasty.
— Beef with Pepper Sauce: Really tender pieces of beef.
Chef Specials:
— Claypot with Cod Fish Fillet and Braised Tofu ($ 7.50): SOO GOOD! Generous fish fillets that were not overcooked! The gravy was addictive on rice! and who doesn’t love braised tofu?
Honorable Mentions:
$ 1.00 Lemon Ice Tea = HELL YES
They also served house soup and ended with watermelon for dessert.

My mom loves this place and since it’s around the corner we always end up here for dinner when she is too lazy to cook. The food is great, but somehow they always end up getting one of our dishes wrong, but it’s okay, most of the dishes are pretty good. Ordered 6 dishes and the Mongolian beef was switched to some fried fish. We ended up trying something new and it was pretty good! So it all worked out for the best. The portion size is really good and 3 dishes for $ 20.99 is a great deal, comes with soup, rice, and red bean soup.

I had come here before to dine in and had a pretty good experience. This time I needed to get some take-​out to bring to Mama’s house. Ordered a chicken won ton, beef chow funa nd the house special chow mein. The house special chow mein was supposed to have a little of everything — seafood, chicken, beef, etc.
Here’s the problems: no chicken meat in the chicken won ton. Maybe it was chicken broth won ton? Or they got my order wrong?
Not much of anything in the house special chow mein. Counted no chicken, 3 pieces of seafood, no beef, no veggies, lots of noodles.
I was very disappointed. With so many other Chinese restaurant options in the area, I won’t be back for take-​out. I think when you order specific dishes (like chicken, seafood, etc) its better, but for the won ton, chow mein and chow fun they sucked.

Heard their clay rice pots were pretty good… and I was not disappointed. We got the Chinese sausage and chicken rice pot which had a pretty good amount of meat to go with the rice. The pot has definitely seen better days, but it still did its job cooking the food. It also had just the right amount of crispy rice on the bottom — not burnt either, its my favorite part!
We also ordered their 3 entrée with rice and soup for $ 20.99…it’s a pretty good deal. The portions were about average, but had good flavor. It also wasn’t too oily either. Definitely an option for a lazy, I don’t want to cook dinner, night.