Enable JavaScript to run this app.
Skip to main content
OpenTable logo
  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco Bay Area
  4. San Francisco
  5. Chinatown
China Live, San Francisco, CA

China Live

4.7
4.7
3216 Reviews
$30 and under
Chinese

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 113 times today
  • Good for groups
  • Lively
  • Hot spot
China Live, Eater's "Restaurant of the Year," features fresh, seasonal Chinese cuisine cooked from specialized stations that merge traditional Chinese and Western culinary equipment. Our main dining area, with views of our exhibition kitchens, plays centerpiece, appointed with chairs and tables all handcrafted in China from reclaimed Chinese elm. We also offer outside dining.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Chinese, Asian, Sichuan
  • Hours of Operation
    Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 12:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri 12:00 pm–9:30 pm Sat 4:00 pm–9:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (415) 788-8188
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    George Chen
  • Catering
    We offer delivery via multiple Delivery Services (i.e. DoorDash, Caviar, GrubHub, etc), plus Zesty & Moby Dish. If interested in learning more please email events@chinalivesf.com
  • Private party facilities
    China Live can host everything from intimate parties of 10 people to large reception-style events for up to 825 with multiple sensory experiences.
  • Neighbourhood
    Chinatown
  • Cross Street
    Stockton & Grant
  • Parking details
    In addition to Street Parking, there are also several public parking options: North Beach Public Parking @ 735 Vallejo St. and Vallejo Parking Garage @ 766 Vallejo St.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, High Tea, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 3,216 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • San Francisco

    Good for groups

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
China Live offers an "amazing" dining experience in San Francisco's Chinatown with a vibrant atmosphere and delicious food. Guests rave about the "unique and delicious" menu, highlighting dishes like Peking duck and dumplings. The service is "excellent," making it a "must visit" for anyone in the area, despite some noise concerns.

3,217 Reviews
  1. Adam

    VIP

    Denver

    14 reviews

    4.0

    14 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Great food. Cool vibe and the cocktails were solid

    Is this helpful?

  2. Mary

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    The experience was good. Nothing was great. Service was mediocre particularly since they charge a mandatory 20% gratuity to every bill regardless of party size. Food was good. The curry chicken with crispy brussel sprouts was very tasty. The Peking duck on sesame rolls was too sweet and the sauce was unnecessary and could have been on the side. Overall, I am not in a rush to go back and think the service could be MUCH better for 20% tip. Tips are for exceptional service, they were never intended to supplement hourly work.

    Is this helpful?

  3. Garth

    VIP

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Typically, we have a great time here. But today was an exception. Made a reservation here, which they didn’t recognize. Seated us at the communal table. When proved that we did have a reservation, the hostess told us to sit where we were seated. That was all fine and we just went with it, because hey, we were already here and didn’t want to cause any waves. But the potstickers came and they were not cooked…flour wrapper was raw. The waiter, who was excellent, apologized, and took it away, saying that was not right. But when the bill came, they still kept the charge on our bill (with a notation of “dissatisfied guest” - lol). When we told him we were not a “dissatisfied guest”, and reminded him the potstickers were not cooked all the way, he apologized again and then took it off the bill. Note: Service fee of 20% was automatically included on our bill of four people…plus the obligatory 4% San Francisco mandate. We usually tip that (often more) but seemed presumptuous given the situation. Then sales tax was added on top of the service fee, which seemed weird. Then the waiter spent a minute (literally) explaining that the service fee doesn’t come to him directly…implying we were expected to tip more. All in all, while we’ve been repeat customers of China Live (more than a dozen times), we’d think twice before coming back.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Mike

    VIP

    San Francisco

    53 reviews

    4.0

    53 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Decent Chinese food with a good selection and a fair amount of vegetarian options. Vegetarian pot stickers could be really good if they made them to order. They are at least double the size of conventional potstickers but they let them sit for up to 30 minutes so they lose a lot of flavor and texture. Good drinks also. Would definitely go back if you want a nicer atmosphere than your typical Chinese restaurant with good food.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Michael

    VIP

    San Francisco

    8 reviews

    3.0

    8 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Way too expensive due to adding 25% to the bill! I prefer to decide how much to tip.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Anne

    VIP

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great for, fun environment, wonderful night out! Will definitely go again.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Caroline

    San Francisco

    19 reviews

    5.0

    19 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It’s a fun spot with tasty food at a moderately premium price. There is better Chinese food to be had in San Francisco, but the vibe here makes it worth the occasional trip. We had the chrysanthemum salad, which was very tasty and fresh though I didn’t much care for the dressing. It seemed a little bland to me. We had the xiao long bao, which I usually love. These were very tasty, but nothing special. The fat noodles were great. The sauce was a little sweet to my taste. The winner for me was the tofu clay pot with minced pork. Wonderfully spicy and full of interesting flavors, offset by the creamy creamy tofu. Really beautifully prepared.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Daniela

    Mexico City

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Everything amazing! Great service and food recommendations from the waiter.

    Is this helpful?

  9. Arun

    San Francisco

    16 reviews

    5.0

    16 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This was our second time there and the food was outstanding like last time! The exotic tea, the vegetarian options and the sesame soft serve were superb. The restaurant was full and we were seated right at our reservation time. The service was great too. And we also ended up buying at their shop too. They have many good things there.

    Is this helpful?

  10. Lori

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always a treat that I go out of my way for. Scrumptious 👍

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

China Live does offer delivery in partnership with Postmates and Uber Eats.

China Live is rated 4.7 stars by 3216 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 113 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for China Live

644 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Stockton & Grant
  • Neighbourhood
    Chinatown
  • Hours of Operation
    Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 12:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri 12:00 pm–9:30 pm Sat 4:00 pm–9:30 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Chinese, Asian, Sichuan
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    In addition to Street Parking, there are also several public parking options: North Beach Public Parking @ 735 Vallejo St. and Vallejo Parking Garage @ 766 Vallejo St.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    George Chen
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, High Tea, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (415) 788-8188
  • Catering
    We offer delivery via multiple Delivery Services (i.e. DoorDash, Caviar, GrubHub, etc), plus Zesty & Moby Dish. If interested in learning more please email events@chinalivesf.com
  • Private party facilities
    China Live can host everything from intimate parties of 10 people to large reception-style events for up to 825 with multiple sensory experiences.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2024 OpenTable, Inc. 1 Montgomery St Ste 500, San Francisco CA 94104 - All rights reserved.
OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the world leader in online travel and related services.
Booking Logo
Priceline Logo
KAYAK Logo
Agoda Logo
OpenTable Logo