If you’re a foodie moving to San Francisco, then you probably know that the city has a thriving culinary scene, but you might not know about the city’s impressive dim sum restaurants. Those who haven’t tried dim sum will find that this brunch-style meal doesn’t come with the eggs, potatoes, and coffee that’s commonly consumed in American restaurants. With dim sum, instead of ordering all your dishes at once, you sit and wait for carts to arrive at your table and from there you select what you want to eat. Shrimp dumplings, pan-fried turnip cakes, egg tarts, eggplant-wrapped shrimp, and so much more. We’ve rounded up the best dim sum restaurants in San Francisco that will make your mouth water.

Shanghai Dumpling King - Outer Richmond

Courtesy of Vittle Monster

Xiao long bao, often referred to as soup dumplings by English speakers, are delicious dumplings filled with meat that can definitely burn your tongue with savory soup if you’re not careful. Shanghai Dumpling King in Outer Richmond has some of the best xiao long bao in San Francisco. You can definitely make a meal out of sampling all different varieties of these soup dumplings. The trick to enjoying one without hurting your tongue? Carefully bite off the tip, let it cool for a few seconds, then slurp all that delicious soup out. Then you can eat the rest without fear of burning your mouth. 

Dumpling Time - SoMa

Photo by Michael Ogata / Courtesy of Dumpling Time

From the food experts that brought you Omakase and Okane comes Dumpling Time, a SoMa restaurant that loves Instagram and knows how to use social media to its advantage. Just looking at pictures of the restaurant’s Shanghai noodles topped with fresh vegetables or the tom yum goong (a version of soup dumplings that includes pork and shrimp and is wrapped in a magenta-colored skin) will make you want to order your food ASAP. 

Mama Ji’s - Castro

Courtesy of Mama Ji's

The Castro neighborhood isn’t exactly known for dim sum, yet this restaurant that hides at the westernmost edge of the Castro’s commercial section serves up delicious dim sum during the day (and Sichuan food in the evening). The pan-fried turnip cakes are a must-order dish, and the spicy cold noodles are a crowd-pleaser that make the perfect complement to a table full of hot dishes. Also check out Mama Ji’s old favorites such as the shrimp dumplings and mustard greens. 

Dim Sum Club - Russian Hill

Courtesy of The Bold Italic

Nestled in the Russian Hill neighborhood sits this unassuming Cantonese restaurant that serves up some mean dumplings and delicious siu mai. It’s also one of the lesser known dim sum restaurants, so you won’t have to suffer long lines or wait too long for the dim sum cart to arrive at your table. If you can’t find Dim Sum Club, just look for a hotel called Da Vinci Villa. The restaurant is located inside. 

Yank Sing - Financial District

Courtesy of Yank Sing

There are two Yank Sings in the Financial District, so if the line is too long at one, you can always check out the other. The Michelin-starred restaurant is more expensive than the other restaurants on this list, but it’s also a bit more elegant. In addition to traditional dim sum dishes, you also have dishes such as Peking duck, which is sliced in front of you at the table, and taro root dumpling, so Yank Sing is a good option to consider if you’re looking to expand your dim sum horizons.