Hong Kong Lounge II

Outstanding. The best bit was the dessert — durian puffs & a sesame dumpling in a sweet almond milk. Divine.

The baked pork buns and turnip cake. Only two I care about.
Compared to Hong Kong Lounge I, Hong Kong Lounge II is more expensive (whaaaaaaaaaaat!!!) and smaller. We came to II instead of I because the lunch wait was 90 mins at I and 30 mins at II. We ordered less than we did at I, but still ended up paying $ 10 more per person (~$ 30 total including tax and tip).

Went on a Sunday for lunch and didn’t have to wait long at all (compared to most). Food tasted pretty traditional for dim sum (they don’t bring it on a cart or anything, though) & was delish. Expensive, though… prob can find somewhere else a bit cheaper. I’ll check out other dim sums before coming back here.

Hands down the best dim sum I’ve had in SF. Sure you’ll wait an hour (or longer)… but at least they’re organized and their host does a good job to patiently answer your questions about wait times.
The wait is worth it. Since this is a small restaurant and doesn’t have the push carts, your food comes to you fresh and piping hot instead of cooling down during that cart travel. The portions of shrimps and other ingredients inside is generous, and everything is tasty.
The service is surprisingly good (which I gotta say, I’m always surprised by when I get good service at a Chinese restaurant), and they have English menus and English-​speaking staff, so even a non-​Cantonese-​speaker like myself had no trouble ordering.
It is a bit pricey for dim sum, though, so be warned. The two of us, after tax and tip, walked out of there at just under $ 100… though most people probably only eat about as half as much as me so it was probably about 3 peoples’ worth of food.

The quality of their dim sum doesn’t taste mass produced and the service is phenomenon!!! This place is treating their staff well and I can definitely feel the hospitality that comes with the food. If you plan on having a large group then definitely show up early.

came here for lunch with my grandma and mom. nothing special about the food here. Definately over priced. You could walk over 2 block to clement and find dimsum just as good for half the price. Quality of tea served is below average.
This place should have $$$ or $$$$

Came here for dim sum on a Wednesday, and there was a line! The place is very small, so I think there is always a line.
There is a pretty good selection of dim sum here. We ordered dim sum on a piece of paper (they might not push carts around since it’s so small here). Everything we ordered was pretty good. My favorite was the Shanghai bao! Most places make it very dry, but not Hong Kong Lounge II! The Shanghai bao contains delicious soup in it! Be careful though! It is very hot and you don’t want to burn your tongue! I would suggest letting it cool by biting a small hole in the dumpling.
For dessert, try their sweet tofu soup! One of the best I’ve had! It comes with a bowl sweet ginger syrup on the side. You can put as much or as little in your tofu to get the sweetness level you like! Yummy!
Parking is on the street. It can be difficult to find especially on the weekends!

I’m not accustomed (or willing) to always pay a premium on Chinese food, but if I have to, Hong Kong Lounge II is one of the places at the top of my list. While it can be crowded and a pain to get seated (we’ve had to wait even after having reservations), this place delivers. While it’s a little high priced, you certainly get what you pay for. The veggies and seafood taste very fresh and once you’ve started grubbing you’ll forget about the hassle it may have been.
Highly recommended for really good Chinese Food (but not on a budget).

I’m not quite sure why this place only has 3.5 stars! I came here with a group of 7 on a Saturday morning. We were happy that we arrived at 9:30 am, which was right when it opened, because it quickly filled up while we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. I compared this to a dim sum meal that I had in Hong Kong and, minus the carts, it was just as delicious. My favorites were the pork buns, the soup dumplings and the sticky rice. We ordered many other things as well (way too much), but loved every bite! I would definitely come back here for dim sum in the city and recommend it to anyone who is craving that deliciousness.

Very good yet pricey dim sum. I was visiting my parents in SF and decided to try a different dim sum spot. We were there around 11:00 on a Saturday and was told that the wait would take 30 – 45 mins. It actually took slightly under 20 mins. We were of course super pleasantly surprised.
The experience and customer service was much better than most dim sum places. Once you get seated, they hand you a menu in which you mark down what you’d like to order. No dim sum carts here! I noticed that most of the staff here are relatively young and bilingual. I like the energy!
Anyhow, now the food, I’ve eating dim sum my whole life and I must say this place makes one of the best beef chern fun (rice paper wrapped beef)! I really like their sticky rice in lotus leaf too. Can you believe it, they actually put small pieces of abalone in it?! Yum their shu mais were certainly loaded with shrimp. They don’t skimp!

So delicious but expensive.
Reservations accepted. Otherwise the wait is long.
My favorites included:
Pork buns, baked and topped with a crunchy crust
Pork and chives fried dumplings
Egg tart, super flaky
Liver steamed noodle
Chive dumplings, skin is soft and thin
These all stood out, an elevated twist to traditional dishes.
A couple of dishes I would pass on:
Tripe was bland
Turnip cake was oily
Noodle with XO sauce was also oily
Good dim sum in the city.

Service: Quick. Not overly friendly but they were considerate and working hard.
Ambiance: This place gets busy fast. We arrived before they opened and were seated right away, but it quickly filled up. The atmosphere and restrooms were clean.
Food: Really yummy. Luckily I came with a couple of others who knew what to order. We ordered 8 items between the 3 of us, but that was too much. Next time I’d recommend 6 items (2 per person) and then ordering more if needed. They bring the food very quickly so ordering more later wouldn’t be a big deal.
1. P/​F noodle roll in XO sauce: A LOT of food comes in this order. Really, really good. The sauce that came with it was similary to hoisin.
2. Fish w/​chives in noodle roll: I really enjoyed this. The white fish inside was tender and flaky without a fishy taste.
3. Chinese donut & dried shrimp noodle: I’d probably pass on this. The donut part loses its crispiness quickly and the shrimp were really tiny.
4. Pork & shrimp siu mai: A good go-​to fave.
5. Beef Meat Ball: I’d probably pass on this. It was okay, but not stellar in terms of flavor.
6. Tofu skin meat roll: I didn’t care for this but my tablemates enjoyed it. It had a lot of fungus in it and the tofu on the outside was thin, but leathery. Just not my thing.
7. Baked Pork Buns: These were AMAZING. Not stingy with the meat filling and the breading was crispy, like pineapple bread.
8. P/​F shrimp & chives dumpling: Another one I’d order again for sure. I’m not big into shrimp but the clear outside was slightly crispy where it was pan-​fried and everything really went well together.

2^nd time here with family and I have to say the dishes have been pretty flavorful both times. Both times came for dinner so can’t comment on the dim sum, but dishes were fantastic.
I would say my faves of the night were the Peking duck and crispy chicken. Both had very thin crispy skin and really good juicy meat. I would come back again if in the area and craving Cantonese.

Dim sum here was incredibly expensive. Didn’t realize it’s the norm for people to pay $ 20 – 25 per person, in Boston we probably pay half that and New York a few dollars less too.
Nevertheless, the quality of the ingredients, shrimp, pork etc were superb. $ 1.50 for tea per person and a checklist to pick what dishes you want.
The shrimp were large and clean in the shrimp dumplings ($ 6.75) and rice noodle wrapped shrimp ($ 7.95), but the shrimp dumpling skins were way too soft.
The tripe ($ 6.50) was too soft with absolutely no chew and it was the sauce that made it. The Shanghai dumplings were great ($ 10) but not worth $ 10. The siu mai ($ 5.75) were meaty instead of fatty.
The egg tarts ($ 4.50) were good but super oily and buttery that there was a nice layer on top and also seeping into the parchment paper. The zha lerng, or crispy donut noodle roll wasn’t great because the crispy donut wasn’t fresh and for $ 6.95, overpriced for three small rolls. And the turnip cakes ($ 3.95) were good but I guess my friends and I are used to crispier turnip cakes.
Food came out as it was ready since it’s paper instead of carts. I’ve typically had dim sum that’s priced by the size of dish in the push carts ($ 3.50−4.75 per dish with a specialty dishes checklist) but this was great experience that made me realize I need to come back with all the dolla dolla bills to fuel my dim sum needs.

Disregard whatever health scare you are concerned about. What Unilocal is doing with these health score scares is straight wrong. If you’re going to highlight a restaurant for its health score you should do it to across all restaurants and show what their score actually was.
I’ve eaten and HKL2 a dozen times and also had my wedding banquet here. It was the best Chinese/​Asian food I have ever had in San Francisco. The staff and service is extremely attentive and professional. There is a reason this restaurant makes the top 100 every year. If you do go here, do not forget to order the Peking duck, soft shell crab, and tomago tofu. These dishes are exceptional and stand out. For the record me and anybody I know that have eaten here have never got sick, or complained about their experience. This place is a gem, for all who appreciate fine Chinese/​Asian cuisine.

There’s nothing better than getting together with friends and family for dim sum. We got to Hong Kong Lounge II on a Sunday morning around 10 am. We heard the wait could be long but luckily, the wait was only 20 minutes for us. I recommend getting there as early as possible because when we finished around noon (we were sitting and eating for a hour and a half, yikes!), the line wrapped around the block.
When we checked-​in, we were handed a ticket with a number, a printed menu and a pencil, and we tallied the dishes we wanted to get. HKL2 doesn’t serve dim sum from wheeled carts so if you’re looking for that experience, you might want to go elsewhere. However, the upside of ordering off the menu is you know exactly what you’re going to get.
Things we got:
+ Baked pork buns [must get]
+ Fish and chive noodle roll [must get]
+ Shrimp noodle roll [get]
+ Shrimp dumpling [get]
+ Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai [get]
+ Water spinach
+ Honey glazed BBQ pork
+ Steamed custard buns
Even the dishes that I didn’t label [must get] or [get] were delicious. However, out of all the dishes we got, I would say that the baked pork buns and the fish and chive noodle rolls were my absolute favorite. The baked pork buns had this sugary crust on top and the mixture of the soft and crunchy texture with the sweet and savory bbq pork inside was mind-​blowing. I never had fish and chive noodle rolls before so that was a pleasant surprise. The white fish meat and chive was light and refreshing. What surprised me about all of the shrimp dishes were that the shrimp are HUGE. They really don’t skimp on size!
Overall, we had a great experience here. Knocking off a star for the priciness but the quality made me understand why this place is so popular. We had 8 dishes and shared it with 4 people, and it ended up being around $ 20 each without tip.

#239. There will always be a wait for dim sum, especially if you have a large party because many places do not allow you to RSVP. Walk around the block to pass the time because 1) good exercise and 2) offset the fatty dim sum. Seriously, that’s what we did. Apparently, other people have said that the wait at the original HKL is more ridiculous, but I haven’t been so I can’t verify that.
Dishes here might be on the pricier side for dim sum, but this is SF, the land of the crazy rise in rents. Can’t expect the other things to go down. Food wasn’t on par with the value though. Just your average dim sum.
Not sure if this is a thing, but the day we went, the waiters were really tall. Is that part of the criteria here? Just an interesting observation.
For real though, they probably could open up a HKL III.
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My 2¢:
— Get here early to avoid a long wait.

Ha Gow, Siu Mai, Lo Bak Go! …Some timeless dim sum classics that no longer need introduction. Dim sum may be considered an edible art form loved nowadays not only by the Chinese. It is so embedded in Chinese tradition and culture that a Sunday family gathering for dim sum should not be missed. HKL affords a bright, clean and festive atmosphere clinging steadfastly to tradition with one notable omission… the iconic dim sum carts. Kinda miss seeing the ladies (never guys) gingerly navigating the carts around the narrow aisles hawking their goodies. In HKL, all varieties are clearly labeled in a paper menu and you check off your selections. In this way, you know all dim sum were made-​to-​order instead of letting them sit on a cart. This really was no biggie for me although pickier diehards would rather have their food served piping hot. HKL probably had to do away with carts due to space limitation in the small dining room.
HKL is not for el cheapos but it is not high end either. Their dishes are classified according to steamed, fried & baked, noodles & congee, chef’s specials and desserts. The prices vary within each category although in general they’re a tad higher across the board compared to most dim sum places.
Some of the dishes I am highlighting are not meant for the dim sum novice. Brag to your friends you have moved on up. If you are too chicken to try Steamed Chicken Feet ($ 4.95) or sucking on the toes is not your thing, then skip it and regret later for not gnawing and chewing on the savory skin and tendons. Steamed Beef Tripe ($ 6.50) looked bland and unappetizing. Never judge a book by its cover for HKL’s version was great. It did look bland from the boring white color but the tripe was so tender without being mushy. The crack dipping sauce further enhanced the flavor. The trio of Stuffed Eggplant, Stuffed Mushroom and Stuffed Tamago Tofu ($ 13.00) were perfectly steamed in a thickened black bean sauce and stuffed with fish mousse. The tofu was the best of the 3 using soft tofu with a thin layer of crispy outer crust. Most people like throwing in some orange peel with the mousse mix but I was not one of them. I didn’t care for the citrusy taste. In any case, this dish remains a must try! Another highly recommended dish was the Pan Fried Sticky Rice ($ 7.95) with tons of goodies like dried shrimps, dried scallops, char siu, lap cheong (sausage), shredded eggs and peanuts. With all these ingredients, how can you not expect an explosion of flavors with each ingredient complementing the other? My least favorite was the Salty Pork Bone Porridge ($ 9.95). The flavor was good with a good amount of pork baby back ribs and bok choy. The porridge was however too watered down and it tasted more «soupy» than «porridge-​y». This was an unfortunate let down.
Never order coffee in a dim sum restaurant! Dim sum is typically served with tea as another way of saying dim sum is to drink tea (yum cha). The server asked for our tea preference before even taking the food order. Tea is believed to help in digestion and help break down fatty and greasy foods. In HKL, a popular tea is Bo Lay touted for its strong fermented flavor. We opted for Kuk Fa (chrysanthemum) that had a lovely aroma. Jasmine tea (heong peen) is very popular too known also for its fragrance and subtle sweetness.
Service was amazing considering most dim sum restaurant is pretty lackadaisical. All the help spoke reasonably good English and were unbelievably helpful and friendly. This is no hole-​in-​the-​wall and the prices at $ 30 per person reflected it.

I came here after the SF marathon with some friends and luckily we were early enough to be seated right away. From what I heard this place his hot and popping!
We sat and ordered away and I’m not going to try to pronounce the names of everything, but I’ll start by saying supposedly their know for the coffee bbq ribs; which I didn’t care for. Crunchy and covered in a coffee bbq sauce; I just didn’t like the hint of burnt coffee taste. The soupy dumplings however were probably the best I had at any Dim Sum place by far. The baked pork buns were definitely a must; usually in a steamed bun, this was new and different to me and I wondered why it took so long to create! The hard crust shell gave this traditional dish and extra crunch and welcoming sweet bite of the Chinese bbq pork within! Another dish I recommend is the fried green beans, spicy and salty at the same time you’d find the entire table coming back for more.
In the end, HK Lounge II delivered with service and to my belly and nothing I can complain about. However, the line was growing as time past so I would definitely recommend and early visit or be prepared to wait. — Enjoy!

I had an overall pleasant experience with the exception of some of the dim sum dishes that they had. I thought the beef rice roll dish was no good. It was way too mushy and bland. I had to douse it in my favorite hot sauce/​chinese mustard sauce just to pass it through. Dumpling soup is one of my favorite things to order but the soup inside wasn’t hot at all! The dough was also way too thick.
If you are looking for a quick dim sum fix. This place will do the job. But I definitely want to explore other dim sum places and see what else sf has to offer!