R&G Lounge

Pretty clean place, good customer service, food pretty good. I recommend this place !

Coming to R&G, once in your life may be a great chance to try Chinese food that is expensive. haha
They have about three levels. Once you walk in their is a host standing their telling you where you will be eating and that would be either downstairs which is greatly small or upstairs which has a big layout. You are able to reserve these tables up stairs for a big birthday bash or any party as you wish.
The food overall was okay, but was flavorful. One bad thing was when we were seated. You see the servers holding an electric tennis racket to kill the flies flying around which is disturbing…

Fabulous Chinese! Go here if you want genuine Chinese food in the U.S. Only problem is that you will need to go in a party of at least 6 people to really enjoy the experience! It’s simply because the flavours are so good and so varied that you will want to order 5 or 6 dishes which if you are in your own or as a couple could be expensive!
Really would strongly recommend this place. If you are ever in London the equivalent is the Phoenix just by Baker Street station!

Who doesn’t love R&G Lounge? Crab for days!
On top of the crab, there has not been a dish I have ordered here that I do no like. The menu has pictures, so if it looks good — ORDER IT.
Tips:
The place is always busy, so try to go during weird hours (in between lunch and dinner, or right at opening).
They bring the crab out before the rest of your food so you can clean up and then enjoy the rest of your food with your choice utensils (chopsticks or fork/​spoon/​knife). I usually ask they bring it all out at the same time so I can stuff my face with crab and other things at the same time.
Not for neat freaks — get your hands all up in that crab. They bring your towelettes for afterwards.
The crab will be HOT when it arrives, for the love of all that is good and holy, be patient!
They only have 2 unisex bathroom stalls DOWNSTAIRS — If you need to go, go to the middle floor (the one you walk in on from the street).

Reservations are encouraged. Our party of 8 managed to secure a 6−8pm slot.
The hostess at the door was all business like. Definitely felt like a ‘thing’ that they have to process. My excitement and enthusiasm to explore the menu and enjoy the dining experience went out the door immediately. I know they are trying to turn tables, but the whole place and their staff was robotic. Efficient, fast, but lacked patience.
Let’s start with the best dishes first.
Soy chicken is good. Simple dish done very well. Cheap and fantastic
Steamed Egg Custard with Clams. Authentic. Soul food.
Baked Black Cod. 45 minutes wait. Very rich. I wished they served this first, rather than last. Kinda heavy and very rich.
Roast Duck. Par for the course. Good, but not memorable
Crabs. Overcooked. Dry. Dissapointed. Just waay overcooked.
Fried Rice, Veges, Spicy Pork, etc etc etc. typical fare.
If I were to visit again, I would try the less famous signature dishes.

Got to R & G at 4:30 PM on a Sunday afternoon figuring it would be empty. It was full but I lucked out and got seated at once. They obviously have a system here and it works as service was good and they sequenced my meal properly.
I started with barbecued pork as an appetizer. It was very well done with just a hint of crispiness around the edges of the meat.
A main of honey walnut prawns was also quite nicely done. The prawns were not overly breaded. The prawns were nicely offset by the sweet walnuts.
A very nice meal.

Good Chinese restaurant! Very pack, lines everywhere. A lot of businessman here. Our server was great but he talked Chinese to us. Cleans up every time our dishes were dirty. Ordered the snow pea leaves w/​garlic. It was the best I’ve ever had. All the
Food here is cooked nicely and the flavor is perfect. Not too salty or bland.
The snow pea leaves were very fresh ;-; too good to be true. The kg beef is very soft but there was a slight smell to it. You can taste the beef taste. The clam with stream egg was alright. Very interesting taste, but not my favorite. The egg was really good mixed with rice. The 3 treasure stuffed shrimp was fantastic!!! Soooo goooooood! Eggplant, tofu and pepper stuffed with shrimp black bean sauce. I love it. Best entrée of the night.
The dungeons crab was very good too. The meat was tasty~ didn’t really like how the whole thing was fried, even the shell, but the batter was good. They made indent on the shell so it’s very easy to get the crabmeat out. I recommend that dish too! The tea is different than most Chinese restaurant. It’s very strong, I think it’s black tea, but I’m not positive. It taste exactly like the tea they use for milk tea. I like it a lot. Overall it was good. I would go again for the 3 treasure dish. Wish I could give 4.5.

I will always remember the crab here. I am not even a crab lover, usually, I think it’s too much work and not enough meat or taste. But R&G gets it right. It’s their signature dish and for good reason. The salt and pepper crab comes out in a good portion and with a great fried batter.
The batter is light and crispy, so tasty that you want to lick your fingers. The fried garlic pieces are delicious and the crab it pretty meaty and easy to eat. I found myself really enjoying it and going for more. We ordered 2 crabs for 5 people along with some other dishes.
The crab was the highlight but I also thought that they did a good salted fish fried rice and mushrooms with mustard greens. I’ve heard they also do fish really well so I would try that next time.
Overall, I haven’t had fried Chinese crab as good as this. Definitely, a must try.

I love this place in case it wasn’t obvious from my five stars. Yes, there is always a wait and it’s always crowded. You may be seated on the lower level next to the fish tank whose residents don’t realize they have an extremely limited life span. Yes, you may be subject to the Chinese restaurant customer service syndrome, but the food is delicious! We come here every time we’re in San Francisco which is at least once a year. Their salt and pepper crab dish, which Anthony Bourdain liked, is a dish everyone orders, but it is overpriced for the amount of crab that is on the plate.

Maybe not deserving of 5 stars, but this is definitely my favorite Chinese restaurant in the city.
Unfortunately, there is always a long line (and even longer line now with tourists since it has ranked as among the top 3 restaurants in SF on China’s popular Unilocal like app). The good news is that you can make reservations!
What we always order:
Steamed egg with clam
Other favorites:
Westlake soup
R&G Beef
Pea sprouts
Crab (really delicious, but not the best value for money)
Roast duck
Peking duck
Roast chicken
Also a tip, if you sit upstairs, they have free dessert soups (but unfortunately none downstairs!!!)

This bi-​level restaurant is super busy at dinner time. Dine here for the Peking Duck and Salt and Pepper Dungeness Crab.
A must try if you visit Chinatown — for an authentic taste of the Northern Chinese Peking Duck, originating from Beijing. The origin of the Peking Duck dates back to the Ming Dynasty, about 600 years ago.
Ingredients: duck, sliced cucumbers, sauces and light oriental pancakes
Taste: an enticing blend of sweet, crispy skin and roasted meat
Yumm…

I’ve been going to R&G my entire life. It’s as big a part of my Chinatown schema as any, and all because of two dishes in particular. I needn’t elaborate on the crab because duh, crab. If you don’t understand its religious qualities then you need have your come-​to-​Jesus moment ASAP. Nothing else needs to be said.
What I do want to express my undying love for is the pan fried salted fish pork patty (haam jyu zing juk beng) (forgive my probably incorrect jyutping/​Cantonese). Once upon a time, the kitchen at R&G had no problem with devoting its woks to the relatively labor-​intensive dish, and I could stuff myself with the crispy salty goodness without a second thought. Unfortunately, good times don’t always last, and now if you ask your friendly server (lol kidding, waiters here dgaf about service) for the patty, you’ll get something along the lines of «It takes too long to make. Only on weekdays!» As someone who has moved out of SF and therefore only makes it out to R&G on weekends, I have been without my juk beng for what seems like years. It’s but a distant, heavenly memory of years past, but it doesn’t have to be that way for you. If you are smart and courageous, you will make your journey to R&G on a weekday, you will stand up to the perilous service, you will boldly announce your right to this patty, and you will bask in its crunchy glory. This is your destiny.
Also, Angel is actually an angel disguised as a head waiter and she’s made the craziness of a weekend night at R&G doable for the past couple of decades. 5 stars for her alone.

Definitely diggin the vibe here. The underground dining room, the hustle and bustle in the kitchen, the waiters rushing back and forth to replace your lava hot ceramic pot of tea with a fresh one. I came with a friend for an early lunch about 11:30 am on Monday, so we got great service but witnessed how fast the place fills up with diners.
I let her pick her since she is Chinese and I’m the white friend and while she didn’t go for the salt and pepper crab, we did split the crispy duck, some noodles and a cup of winter melon soup. I really liked the subtle flavors of the soup, the texture of duck skin and noodles. I would really love to go back some day to try other items on their extensive menu.

R&G Lounge is probably the best Cantonese restaurant in San Francisco. I mean, c’mon, the president ate here. It’s not going to be the cheapest Cantonese meal you can find in the city but every time I’ve come, I’ve had a good meal. If it means anything, it has my parents’ stamp of approval. They want to eat here whenever they come visit me. This is the opinion of two Hong Kong natives with 50+ collective years of legitimate authentic HK-​style cooking I’m talking about. On top of that, this place is ALWAYS busy. Call ahead to put your name down if you can. Don’t worry about circling around Chinatown for parking either. R&G Lounge validates parking at the nearby garage.
The star item on the menu here is the Salt and Pepper Live Crab and while you eat, you’ll likely see a lot of them getting brought out from the kitchen. It’s pretty dang good. The crab cooking rival in SF is PPQ. Which one does Dungeness crab better? Honestly, they’re different and both are good.
Other traditional Cantonese dishes they do well here would be the lobster (either cooked with ginger and scallions or with garlic and e fu noodles) and crispy chicken.
If you’re looking for an authentic Cantonese meal, R&G Lounge in the heart of Chinatown is the place to go. (Hong Kong Lounge 2 over on the west side is pretty good too.)

A visit to San Francisco is not complete without having a meal at R&G! For years now, I come for lunch right before my flight, eating all the seafood dishes there and carrying the rest onto the flight for a late dinner once settled at home!
This time I ordered: 1) Black Beaned Clams: after the clams are eaten, the remaining sauce of fermented black beans with peppers and onions goes perfectly with white rice, a meal by itself, yum; 2) Walnut Shrimp: the shrimp is absolutely deliciously perfectly fried with the right amount of mayonnaise coating, delicious 3) Honey Spareribs: heavenly sticky sweet and sour taste to meaty ribs, my oh my; 4) Crispy Chicken: crispy skin and moist chicken meat, dip into the seasoned salt, the dish heightens as it reaches your tongue, fantastic; 5) Pea-​pods Leafs: wonderfully sautéed with garlic, and, 6) Fried Noodles: the texture of the noodles shined on through — loved it all!
Cantonese food at its best here at R&G Lounge! Can hardly wait for my next visit! Cheers!

Been here many times for lunch and dinner. Dinner requires reservations. For last minute reservations if they can squeeze you in, you are limited to 90 minutes of dining. Their signature dish is the deep fried salt and pepper crab. It is absolutely finger licking good.
For their lunches, one of the dish you must try is their special house beef. Since it comes with the fried rice, sometimes I like to order a togo for dinner. It is superb.
Today the 4 of us ordered the Beef Chow Fun w/​Black Bean Sauce, Golden Supreme Fried Rice, and Pan Fried Hong Kong Style Egg Noodles with chicken. First the golden supreme fried rice is a must. It’s cooked with XO sauce and egg white. Always delicious and never disappoint. It’s on the pricey side, but worth a try. You’ll be hooked. For the other two dishes, they were flavorful on the salty side.
In general, food is good and solid here. Lunch is inconsistent for me. Sometimes you’ll get perfectly cooked dishes, but sometimes you’ll scream you just ate some overly priced and below average food. I guess the chefs do need to take breaks. Service has always been professional and attentive.

Wow! This place is legit!
Came here for dinner with two buddies after work. Arrived around 5:30 — 6:00 and there was no wait.
Between the 3 of us we ate like kings! We ordered the fried salt & pepper crab, ginger & scallion lobster, barbecue pork, special beef, Geoduck Sashimi, and Yang Chow fried rice.
Not one dish was bad. Geoduck Sashimi! Forgettaboutit!!! Salt & pepper crab?! Don’t think twice about ordering it!
I guarantee that if you order any of the above mentioned dishes you will not be disappointed!
Can’t wait to go back!

Après avoir lu tout un ensemble d’avis sur le lieu nous avons décidé d’y aller. Je confirme le fait que les serveurs né sont pas très agréables sauf le barman. Par contre nous avons délicieusement bien mangé.
Je recommande vraiment le Peking Duck !!

A little pricey for a Chinese restaurant, but still good!
Come early… we came at 6:30 on a weeknight, and didn’t have to wait. However, when we left around 8:00 the place was PACKED.
The dishes all were $ 20 or more, which is expensive in my books for a Chinese restaurant, but the décor was definitely nicer than some of the other restaurants in Chinatown.
The seafood lettuce cups was probably my favorite dish of the night. The seafood goodies in the mix were delicious, and the lettuce was fresh. I wish they gave more than 6 lettuce cups though!
Ordered the special beef per Unilocal’s recommendations, and thought it was OK. Nothing too special (hah), but my friend really enjoyed it.

Had an interesting experience during my one and only visit to this restaurant. Ended up coming here as part of a group of six, several of whom seemed eager to eat here. Two of us, myself included, happen to be vegetarians who eschew eggs, hence the reason for our experience being interesting. We ended up awkwardly watching our other friends relish the salt and pepper crab, which seems to be a great specialty at this restaurant per the other reviews I’ve read. I didn’t care to notice or remember anything else they ordered.
As for us vegetarians, we ended up ordering the mixed vegetables w/​rice, as that seemed to be the safest option and one of the very few we could choose from. (We may be food snobs but we are not comfortable with the fake meat options… though I have read in other reviews that the vegetarian «goose» is good). The food was all right but nothing to write home about; considering the item and the portion size, it was overpriced at $ 17.95. On a more positive note, their tea was quite good.
Service was decent and the place was clean enough (can’t speak for the bathrooms though, since I didn’t go). This merits two stars from me. I guess the high prices are understandable when considering this is a Michelin-​star restaurant. Sadly, I can’t find myself giving more stars as I found it not a very vegetarian-​friendly place (would have been nice to also see an eggplant dish), and this is coming from someone who likes Chinese food and has found several choices to select from at other Chinese establishments. I also found the overall meat smells to be quite strong while I was at this restaurant, and my appetite was partially reduced as a result.

Delicious AF! It also can be expensive AF! :)
It can get very loud in here on busy nights (Lunar New Year in my case). Looking around they will utilize any space available in the restaurant (hallways, stairwells, etc.). Noticed while going upstairs to our table there was a portrait of a man (i’m assuming the owner or owner’s son?) and Michelle Obama. After seeing that I had a feeling I was in for a good meal here and it sure was.

Long time fav in SF! Never disappointed! Always learning something new. They’re famous for «Live Crab» which is a huge Dungeness breaded and fried. It’s amazing! They have a half portion that’s perfect for one.

First time here. Was invited by a friend who had made a reservation we were seated within a few minutes. Our table was in a corner and it was a little hard to have conversations as it was hard to hear it’s a little noisy in here especially as it was Chinese New Year. To start we a had a consommé type soup which was made with the meat of a black chicken apparently also had pork according to one of our dinner party — very flavorful
We had a whole Peking duck — I don’t care for duck but everyone said it was delicious. Next a whole carp was brought out it seemed like it had a soy sauce flavour but the fish was cooked to perfection now my favourites — salt and pepper crab absolutely amazing so tasty the the «special beef» this was really good it tasted like a soft beef jerky. We were getting full so they brought out red bean cake I think this is an acquired taste I wasn’t too excited about it and would skip it if I went again

It’s definitely on the pricier side for Chinese food but I honestly think it’s worth it. My advice is to book a reservation as soon as you think you are going there especially on the weekends. It’s always busy.
My must orders everytime I come are crab (personally I like it with the fried egg yolk but their salt and pepper is the most popular), the buttery fish, and the squab. Those 3 are always on my family’s list.
Their service is quick and they are relatively attentive. Like I said, it is always busy but they do try. Definitely one of the my family favorite special occasion restaurants.

Simply ah-​mazing! We were five hungry peeps after coming from happy hour and shared the following which made it come out to ~$ 25 pp so not bad at all:
* assorted stir fried vegetables
* short ribs
* fried rice
* salt and pepper crab
I wish I was still eating and licking my fingers from that meal. So delicious! Also our waiter was really funny. I’ll be back!

This place popped up in an article about 50 places to eat at during Super Bowl 50 if you happen to be in SF. I had been here a few years ago but realized I never reviewed it nor posted a photo. Guess that means I have to go back =P
Anyways, it was a brief and quick stop here with a friend as we were semi barhopping/​snackhopping. Luckily the place wasn’t crowded when we got here. No bartender though… so we grabbed a table in the dining room which is actually downstairs in like a basement feeling room, just brighter. After ordering drinks, we couldn’t resist, we had to try something to munch on. We ordered some Chef’s Special Cold Platter that had like 3 different types of meat and jellyfish. We wanted to get the Crab since everyone raved about it on here, but it would’ve been way too much at that point in time.
Service was great, constantly changing our plates and making sure our waters were filled. Definitely one of those «need to come back» places!
Oh! In case you were curious about that article…
;

Food is ok. I think way to much $$$ for what it’s worth. My mom is a huge fan of their garlic crab, which is the only reason I come.
The hainan chicken they have here and tofu clay pots are pretty good too. Again, my biggest gripe about eating here is how much they charge. You could definitely get the same food for much cheaper elsewhere.
Service was okay and portions are also just okay. You can get parking validated at the nearby underground garage though, so that’s always nice.

I throughly enjoyed the food here, but my stomach don’t agree as much, and my friend got sick the night after dinner, we have reasons to believe the salt and pepper fried crab (however delicious it is), was way too greasy to digest.
We got the crab dish first without our order of rice, which didn’t help neither. We were lured in by the crabs and dogged in shared it between three girls, it was good portion and tasty (when was fried food not?! Anything unhealthy probably taste heavenly haha). Pretty much all the tables in the restaurant has the crab dish on table, it’s definitely a stable there.
We also had the herbal free range chicken soup, mushroom and bokoy, and special crispy beef with secret recipe – this is good. It must be a slow cooked dish over hours, because the meat is so tender although it’s a beef jerky texture.

We have been here twice this year and have had a great experience each time. Usually there is a long line, but for some reason, we have managed to get in right away both times.
We were a little hesitant about ordering crab, as that has been an issue in California this year, but we surveyed the other tables and saw a few with their famous salt and pepper crab so we decided to order one. Only this time we changed it up to the garlic and chili roasted crab. And then to finish it off, we ordered a ½ Peking Duck.
The crab came out first and it was magnificent. The crab legs were served baked in a very flavorful garlic and chili sauce. As usual, it took teamwork to eat the crab with one of us doing the work, and the other eating. Guess who had to do the cracking! Very good portion of crab, but lot of work, and to really get all of the meat, you have to work at it, so be prepared.
Our next and last item was the Peking Duck. This was probably the best Peking Duck we have had in the last few years. The skin, was cooked perfectly, and the meat very flavorful without a lot of the excess bones that you usually find in cheaper versions. A nice house made sauce, which was slightly different from the basic Hoisin sauce and onions were included.
I would give the food 5 stars, but the prices were very expensive (as compared to my Sacramento budget). $ 54 for the Crab and $ 38 for the Duck, that I have to knock it down one star.

Never bothered even considering coming here, because the prices are borderline delusional, but we had crab for my girl’s birthday several months earlier so she wanted to get crab for my birthday as well. Seeing that I don’t care about anything, much less my birthday, off we went up to the city for some overpriced Chinese food. I was wrong! It’s definitely pricier than your normal hole in the wall Chinese establishment, but I think it’s worth the cost (well, okay, maybe almost).
The salt and pepper crab was amazing like everyone says. Lives up to the hype and comes out insanely fast as well, so no need to wait too long. Was expecting to be let down, but left in love with this dish. At $ 45-​$ 50 per crab, it essentially is a joke, but I’m used to people laughing at me, so I don’t care as long as it’s delicious. And, believe me, it’s god damn yummy!
We also got the combination seafood garlic noodles and I was left impressed by it, as the flavors were strong yet it wasn’t very greasy at all. Was a big fan of the beancurd & seafood soup as well. Light, but potent broth with ample amount of seafood and small cubed up pieces of beancurd.
They’ll comp your parking in the lot right down the street for two hours at the hostess stand. Mind you, this might be the foulest smelling and nastiest parking lot in the city, so while it’s good to save money, I’d park elsewhere if possible.
Service is vintage Chinese; they’ll try to be as fast as possible and they don’t really give two shits about what’s going on at your table. Even better, no need to waste time with bogus small talk and chit chat. Leave me alone with my orgasmic crab. That’s the best service possible here.

Literally just basing this on their bar which we stopped in for a drink (or two) and the Asian guy bartender behind the bar was insanely INSANELY cool. He was testing out new drinks and ended up comping us several drinks throughout our stay after we had ordered a few ourselves and he was doing some awesome tricks making the drinks as well.
Vibe in here is semi-​fancy/​casual but hustling and bustling. The food smelled amazing. I will definitely be back for a taste.
The drinks were otherworldy, the lychee martini was light and tasty and not overly alcoholic but still packing a punch. The moscow mule was straight out of Russia and carried my friend out the door. My piña colada brought me to a beach in Cabo and I was bathed in tropical bliss. Would come here just for the bar again, wish it was a nightclub up in there. I would be there every night.

3.5÷5 stars. My boyfriend used to live in Chinatown and every time we walked by R&G Lounge, there would be a line or crowd of people waiting outside the restaurant. I finally decided to try this place with a friend who raved about the fried crab. We ordered the diced Chinese winter melon soup, Peking duck, and of course, the salt and pepper fried crab. The soup and Peking duck were fine, but the crab was very delicious. There’s a reason why every other photo on the R&G Lounge Unilocal page is of the salt and pepper crab. It’s perfectly crispy and not overly salted/​seasoned. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it right now…

OMG this is amazing. So service is good and super efficient. They’re trying to do everything possible to get you your food, but also turn tables.
But the food. My goodness the food. The salt & pepper crab is everything it’s cracked up to be. I still think about it and it’s been 2 weeks. But the other dishes are equally kick ass. If you want a combination of authentic cuisine and typical Chinese-​American dishes, this spot is perfect. Plus they’ve got a bar!

Voted my best Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. Period. Five Stars.
Go here for the crab. They lightly flour the crab with salt and pepper. It taste amazing. Also good to order the sea bass, scallops, and house noodles.
Make sure you make reservations because this place isn’t that big and it has only limited seating.
Food Grade: A
Service Grade: B+
Worth the Money Grade: B+
Overall Impression Grade: A–

The 1^st time I tried to eat here was on Christmas day, when we arrived around 6pm, we were told they are totally booked, and there were lots of people waiting outside already, so that they cannot take any more that night. I guess the fact that most places closed on Christmas day contribute to this too. The second time we came a bit early than regular dinner time and had no trouble to find a 2-​people table. But the restaurant was full even that time. If you want to come, I’d suggest to make reservation or come super early!
The floor of the restaurant was a bit sticky.
We ordered the Special Beef (with scallop) and the roasted pigeon. Both dishes are pretty good. The beef was very tender and tasty, the black paper works perfect with the beef and scallop. The green beans in it was good too. The pigeon tastes like a tender and less oil version of Peking Duck. The roasted skin of pigeon tastes very similar to Peking Duck. But the pigeon has a different flavor and since it’s a small pigeon, it’s tender meat. Both dishes are pretty authentic.
Overall I’d recommended this place, just plan accordingly if you don’t want to wait in the ridiculous line.

After catching a movie with my family on a Sunday morning, we decided to eat lunch here. I’ve always wanted to go R&G Lounge, known for its notoriously expensive prices and celebrity status, so my childhood dreams were finally coming true.
We order four dishes for the four of us. We had the R&G Special Beef, Salted Fish Chicken Fried Rice, Shredded Chicken with Noodles (all $ 18), and Three Treasures with Black Bean Sauce ($ 15).
Let’s start with the R&G Special Beef. This special beef is touted as «stir-​fried top choice sliced beef marinated with chef’s special sauce». I don’t know about you, but the blackened mess that we were served tasted like it looked: a mess. It was the most unsatisfying Chinese stir fry that I’ve had in recent memory. The meat was soft, but the way it was cut was uneven and thus didn’t give you a satisfying bite. The marinade had the oddest sweet taste to it. I didn’t know if the chef was going for an orange chicken kind of taste or sweet and sour kind of taste. By the time I finished my last piece of beef, I came to realize that this «special sauce» was really special because even now, I still don’t know how to describe its taste – talk about life’s mysteries huh?
Moving on, the Salted Fish Chicken and Shredded Chicken with Noodle were up to Chinese food standards and were nothing special; it just had an outrageous price. Just pick any nearby Chinatown restaurant a block above or below and you’ll get the exact same thing for half the price.
But the most surprising dish of all, the one with a name so outrageous, I couldn’t hold myself from chucking, was the dish that saved my lunch: the Three Treasures with Black Bean Sauce. This beautiful dish is described by the menu as «Bean curd, eggplant & hot peppers stuffed with shrimp meat in black bean sauce». Each heavenly piece of bean curd, eggplant, and hot pepper was filled with delicious shrimp meat and drenched in a scrumptious black bean sauce. Each piece was exploding with flavor. I was so sad when I finally got the last piece of delicious hot pepper. My mouth waters while I recall one of the most delicious dishes I’ve had in all my life eating Chinese food – and mind you, I eat tons of Chinese food. All of the previously described dishes paled in comparison to this dish sent from the Gods. HALLELUJAH!
Bottom Line: Chinese restaurants are known for giving you good food at a very low price. R&G Lounge gives you good food at an outrageous price. But I’d still come back for the Three Treasures with Black Bean sauce. The dish really is a treasure.

Tourist review alert!
The salt and pepper crab had me crying its soooo good! I can’t find anything similar in New York. Also had the mushroom and bok choy dish. Another perfection. Fried rice was a bit blah but not oily at all. New York needs to step it up. Service was fast but the wait time was about 1hr for lunch on the weekend.

One of my favorite Chinese restaurants to go to. Although this restaurant is located in Chinatown, the price and the types of dishes served tends to attract many other people as well. Definitely a popular place for Caucasians to try Chinese food. It is not your typical «classic» Chinese restaurant but serves more gourmet Chinese dishes. The place has a nice ambiance and its decorations definitely reflect the price of each dish. However, the dishes are indeed very yummy.
Some of my favorite dishes include:
1. Fried crab: definitely must try! The crab is fried with a light crispy batter with peppers and garlic. Amazing! It is delicious and it never disappoints in flavor. The crab meat is nice and moist and the batter isn’t too thick and is uniform across all pieces.
2. XO Lamb with Celery: often times lamb can taste gamey depending on how it was prepared. This dish however, does not have any gamey taste at all. The lamb is nice and moist and is very flavorful with the XO sauce. The celery provides a nice contrast to the lamb and the XO sauce is just the right amount to not be overwhelming or salty.
3. Salmon rolls: a very yummy appetizer! a nice twist on chinese egg rolls but instead of the typical vegetable filling, it has salmon and avocados inside, super yummy! Never would have expected salmon or avocados to go inside an egg roll but it will definitely surprise you.
It is ALWAYS busy regardless of what day it is for dinner. Definitely recommend making reservations although I believe they only take reservations for parties greater than 5, but I might be mistaken. If you cannot make reservations, I would recommend getting there by 5 to ensure you do not have to wait that long. Sometimes there can be a wait as long as 2 hours. On the plus side, you can park in the parking lot that is one block down from the restaurant and the restaurant will validate parking for 2 hours. On busy nights, the restaurant will usually only allot parties 1.5 hours to eat in order to turn tables over effectively. Regardless, remember to ask the employee by the front door on your way out to validate your parking pass!

R&G Lounge is arguably one of the most famous/​classic Cantonese dining establishments in Chinatown. They’re famously known for their salt and pepper crab, though this is not a review about the crab. Anyways, I’ve ordered from R&G on Caviar multiple times, but finally got the chance to come into the restaurant on a Tuesday night. Seems like the place is split in multiple levels, so when the SO and I got there, we got sent downstairs where they have quite a bit of seating.
Extensive menu with nice pictures, so not speaking Chinese is definitely not a problem. We got the salt and pepper scallop (my fave), seasonal vegetables, and the scallop fried rice. The salt and pepper scallops is fantastic. It’s literally the only reason I come to R&G. Scallops are perfectly tender and juicy, and the seasoning is really well done. Portion is about ten or so scallops fairly sized scallops. The SO tends to find it a little too salty for his taste buds, but I still love it. The seasonal vegetables when we went were pea shoots sauteed with garlic which is pretty hard to say no to. Really tender and good. The fried rice was a little underwhelming — found the flavors a little too subtle for my liking. It wasn’t bad fried rice but any means, but I think I would have just preferred white rice.
Overall, R&G definitely commands a higher than average price to get your Chinese fix on. The three dishes came out to be around $ 50 (mostly cause the scallops were $ 18) which is definitely not sustainable as a constant place to go back to, but almost worth trying just because R&G is such a staple in the SF Chinese food dining scene. Service is what you would expect from a Chinese restaurant, though they are amazingly good at getting dishes out very quickly.
tldr; decent HK style food, definitely on the high end for price

I’m Chinese and I love crab, however the famed salt & pepper crab and other dishes were just okay to me. Good food (around $ 20/​dish) but not amazing.
Went for dinner last night and had:
–salt & pepper crab: ³⁄₅ ($ 48 that day; I recommend trying it at least once)
–special beef: ³⁄₅ (around $ 17, tastes good but nothing super special)
–honey spare ribs: 3.5÷5 (around $ 17, and I liked this dish slightly better than the special beef)
–mushroom over bokchoy: ³⁄₅ (around $ 17)
Again, overall, good food, but not a must try. Service was great, and I would come back with family again.

A lot of reviews call this place a tourist trap and food for non Asians. I AM a tourist in sf but also ASIAN So I guess my review can be viewed as a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ toss up, so please make what you will!
Came with the fam and in laws and this was the highlight of my trip. Been wanting to come forever and made sure to make a reservation weeks in advance. Curbed my expectations greatly based on the mixed reviews, especially about poor service. Being from NYC where there aren’t many places for dungeoness crab (and when there is the market price is like $ 60 — $ 70 bucks for one and sure don’t taste half as good) I was over the top to learn our amazing salt and pepper crab was $ 42… And it was amazing! Only other place I’ve been for crab in sf is crustacean and thought the crab was just okay.
We also ordered the cod which was buttery and flavorful (and huge for half a portion) the house special beef which was delicious (reminded me a little of a Chinese dried beef), mixed spring greens and a corn/​chicken soup (my sons favorite) and everything was excellent.
I was nervous about the service but our waiter was nothing short of professional and very nice.
Maybe I got lucky that all the stars were aligned the night I went. Maybe the prices for me weren’t too big of a deal (bc everything was so damn good and worth it for me)…maybe also cause my in laws who are old school Chinese from Hong Kong who are picky as all hell, really enjoyed their meal. But I am a fan and will be coming back the next time I’m in town!

While I’ll continue to eat here, the meal we had and the service was spotty last night. The fiancé’s mom is in town and after our great trip with Pink Ladies Tour Co, we decided to stroll through Chinatown and then take her for Cantonese style seafood. I wanted to try something else, but the fiancé was playing it safe so we went to R&G again.
This time we ordered steamed garlic crab, snow pea leaves, and (the most disappointing dish) XO Chicken. Oh, and steamed rice. I only took a pic of the XO chicken since it was something new. My fiancé’s mom described it as «Americanized garbage» or something to that effect. Since I picked it b/​c I wanted to get a chicken dish, I defended it. One bite and I immediately concluded that the statement/​assessment was indefensible! It was advertised as spicy. Taco Bell spicy taco sauce is spicier. Not to mention, the dish was pretty bland and the portion size was pretty small for the price.
Most disappointing though was the steamed crab. Not only was the crab anemic, the sauce was barely perceptible. We’ve had this before and loved it the last time. Their game was off that night.
The snow pea leaves was good like last time.
Despite asking three different waiters, the rice was not delivered to our table in a timely manner. One waiter who walked barely two feet away from me clearly blew me off. And that reflected in the tip that night. As a former waiter, fawwwwwwk I hate that when I saw my fellow waiters do the same, so yes I know what it feels like as a customer.
Pic attached of said bland, Americanized-​tasting XO Chicken. This Chinito says no bueno, don’t order.

What a place! If you’re into fresh Dungeness Crab and Peking Duck. R&G Lounge is the place. You know this place is good when you have a bunch of people waiting to be seated. Lucky for us made reservation 4 days before arriving into San Francisco, and yes reservations is definitely a must.
ATMOSPHERE:
Don’t expect to be WOW by the restaurant interior cause you won’t. It’s not the cleanest restaurant but you’ll get by.
SERVICE:
The service was fantastic.
FOOD:
Salt and Pepper Dungeness Crab! This had to be one of the best that I ever had. The crab was so flavorful and fresh and the meat was super sweet. I just couldn’t stop eating it. This was the star of the show. I highly recommend it. ⁵⁄₅ stars
Peking Duck: If you like duck. You will love this dish. The duck was perfectly roasted. The meat was very moist and most importantly the duck skin was nice and cripsy. ⁵⁄₅ stars
Chowmein Hong Kong Style: I thought this was pretty solid. Something to get for the kids. 3.5÷5 star
Chinese Broccoli w/​Oyster Sauce: The simplest can turn out to be one of the best dish. We had to at least have a vegetable dish. ⁵⁄₅ stars
Definitely the place to come if your visiting San Francisco.

Our local friend decided to treat us slash meet the parents at R&G Lounge, a Chinese Seafood restaurant in the financial district of San Francisco.
Even with reservation and our entourage complete, we still waited a while in order to be seated.
Once seated the service was undeniably efficient and smooth. Our orders from shared BBQ appetizer to the ginormous Dungeness Crab, Roasted Duck, vegetables all came freshly cooked and in timely fashion.
Although it was very crowded when we dined there, the noise level was acceptable. We were able to hold a pleasant conversation on our round table. It was well worth the wait and will definitely consider dining here again!

La soupe au maïs et poulet y est très bonne, le canard laqué est excellent .
Service rapide et efficace .prévoir une réservation afin d’éviter d’attendre.

Trappe à touriste. C’est gras. Fade. Le service est minimal. Éclairage 10 000 lumens. Je pouvais compter les pores sur le visage de ma compagne. Dois je ajouter que j’ai été déçu?

I was very disappointed by this restaurant that is highly rated in Unilocal,trip advisor and google. The food was ok… But definitely not as good as the reviews suggest it. The ingredients are not premium: the duck had a very thick layer of fat under the skin which ruined every bite. The sauces and the vegetable rolls were better. Why one star? The service was awful. They speeded us through each dish, taking the plates before we said we were done without asking. And when we did say we are done, within one minute, we had fortune cookies thrown on our table, the bill put on our table and the bill holder checked for our credit card before I could even reach for my wallet.
I do not get why this place is so highly rated. I will not come back and will not advise anyone to do so unless they are in a rush and do not expect quality food.

Je mets 3 étoiles car le plat était vraiment délicieux, mais le cadre !!! Mon dieu le cadre… à l’entrée, l’endroit semble sympa, différent de ce que l’on s’attend à voir dans restau chinois ! Pas de chinoiserie, de musique asiatique, et un bar même un peu classe…
Et puis on nous installe dans la salle de restaurant et la, déception… On est plongé dans une salle où les fenêtres sont occulté par de vilains store à lamelles, où une lumière artificielle diffuse une lumière trop vive et où le charme et la classe on totalement disparue… Quel dommage.
Le service est rapide, efficace mais sans chaleur. Notre passage sera donc purement pratique: manger et partir. Pas vraiment envie de s’attarder dans ce lieu.
Les avis enthousiasmes que j’ai pu lire sont vraiment exagéré, ou alors est-​ce une question de culture? Peut être bien.

Un des bons restaurants de Chinatown par la qualité de ses mets. Pas toujours très propre, on y fait dans la quantité aussi et les habitants de la ville semblent raffoler du lieu.

Ce restaurant méritait bien un avis en français d’autant qu’il cumule les reconnaissance du fameux guide rouge. Guidé par un collègue de SFO qui le qualifiait de meilleur chinois de la ville, nous n’avons pas été déçus. Tout y était le crabe les légumes le canard laque. Vraiment très bon. Évidement cette cuisine chinoise est légèrement accommodé pour plaire plus facilement, ce n’en est pas plus mal sans tombé dans lal cuisine de traiteur industriel, car quand on connaît la vraie cuisine chinoise c’est pas toujours très facile en terme de goût et de texture.

Restaurant chic de fruits de mer, le cadre est très joli et le service excellent. Les mets sont très bons bien qu’un peu chers. Le dessert au chocolat était excellent. C’est un vrai régal pour une belle soirée.
Fancy restaurant seafood, the setting is very nice and the service excellent. The food is very good although a bit expensive. The chocolate dessert was excellent. It’s a real treat for a beautiful evening.

Ein Restaurant in Chinatown mit einem etwas unscheinbaren Eingang. Die Tische sind alle im Untergeschoss. Es waren viele Chinesen da, aber auch mehrere Nicht-​Chinesen, was eigentlich dafür sprechen sollte, dass das Essen gut ist.
Ich hatte das R&G Special Beef, da mein Reiseführer das gelobt hat. Das war allerdings ein Fehler. Das Fleisch schwamm noch im Fett und es war außer ein paar Salatblättchen kein Gemüse dabei. Dafür war es mit 17 $ recht teuer. Schade. Vom Service war ich auch nicht begeistert, während mein chinesischer Nachbartisch fürsorglich betreut wurde.

Das Essen ist echt super ;)
Das gute daran ist, dass es auch kein Restaurant ist wo Touristen hingehen.
Es ist ein Insider unter den chinesischen Restaurants.
Wenn man die Gelegenheit hat sollte man da unbedingt hingehen.

Nom Nom Nom Nom

Super gutes chinesisches Essen, das so schmeckt wie es in Asien üblich ist. Es gibt auch Haifischflossensuppe, sonst die Klassiker Ente, Rind und viel Seafood. Auch Salate. Habe keine DimSum gesehen. (Ich könnte da jeden Tag hingehen).
Achtung: machen schon um 21.30 Uhr zu, also nicht zu spät hingehen