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Reviewer: Foodnut.com Four Kings 710 Commercial St San Francisco, CA 94108 415-688-1500 |
Why did we dine here? – Four Kings is a Cantonese Chinese restaurant in San Francisco Chinatown. It is started by alumni Franky and Mike from nearby Michelin starred Mister Jius. Considering that this is one of our native cuisines, we just had to give it a try. The spot has also garnered extremely high reviews on Yelp.
Hard to get reservations! We could not get reservations, so we decided to line up. Warning, The restaurant is not big, so bookings are hard. Most of the tables are for parties of 2, only 2 tables for bigger parties. Using Opentable notify when available is crucial. Reservations are released 3 weeks ahead. On the weekends, lines form 45 minutes before they open. The lines are for their counter seating. The small counter makes meals bearable/shareable for only parties of two or three.
Stylish interior with lots of little knickknacks, Canto Vinyl, avante garde knick knacks, Cantopop blasting.
If you’re a fan of Cantonese food, definitely give this place a try. Kudos for them for helping to revive Chinatown! We’ve been here 2 times already.
Insider Tip – Line up 30-45 minutes before opening
Cuisine – Cantonese Chinese
Location – Chinatown San Francisco
Opened – March 2024
Service – Four Kings service was better than expected, lots of water, refills, menu explanation, and lots of attention. On our second visit, there was a big lag to order.
Verdict – Four Kings had food that was better than expected. They definitely take classic Chinese dishes (Many Cantonese), spin, and elevate them. Great ingredients and lots of care is taken. Prices are high, and not cheap. The word is out, so it will be harder to walk in.
The key when dining here is to balance larger dishes like steak, pork chop with smaller expensive ones like the squab.
Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Yes. 1 Hour? Maybe
Four Kings Signature Dishes – Pepper Steak, Pork Chop, Fried Squid
Four Kings’s Menu is fairly concise compared to other Chinese restaurants.
Four Kings Food Picks:
Three Colored Steam Egg ($8) came out super hot from the steamer, just like grandma made them. Great with rice. 8/10
Salt & Pepper Squid Skewer ($9 for 2) was one of the weaker dishes of the night. 7/10
Sichuan Cabbage ($6) is really really spicy. 7/10
Sichuan Potatoes ($11) are not as spicy as the cabbage and possess a vinegar flavor. 8/10
Chiu Chow green beans ($14) are nice long beans but a little over spiced. 7.5/10
Cold Cut chicken ($12) is a boneless chicken wrapped in skin, topped with green onions, garilc, etc. Nice but not great. 7.5/10
Mapo Spaghetti ($21) is a twist on noodles with some mapo sauce meat. Nicely done, slightly spicy but not a big dish. 9/10
Chinese Sausage + Bacon Claypot ($26) takes a while to make but is well worth it. Lots of Chinese meats on top of soy sauced rice. Be sure to scrape up all the crunchy bits. 9/10
Pork Chop Rice with Tomato Egg ($29) surprised us. Breaded pork chop topped with cheese on a bed of rice and more. Wow. A hearty dish. 10/10
Fried Squab ($45) uses one week aged squab that you can see in the kitchen. It is fried just right. A nice version of the classic with some aged meat flavors. Twice as expensive as most. Limited to 15 a night. 10/10
HK Black Pepper Steak ($48) really hit the spot. High quality steak on a bed of onions and greens with a huge wade of butter.. It is sort of pre-cut into big chunks.. 10/10
Scallop Vermicelli ($18) reminds us of Sai Kung Hong Kong. Tender scallop on a bed of vermicelli noodles. Too much butter in the noodles. 8.5/10
Fish Fragrant Eggplant ($15) had bonito flakes on top and anchovies blended in. Those 2 touches were not necessary. 7/10
Mango Pudding ($10) was a stellar dessert. Not too sweet and very balanced. A mix of flavors and textures of strawberry sorbet and the mango pudding. 10/10
Shaved Red Bean Ice ($10) is a play on the classic Red Bean Ice Float. Lots of fun with beans, boba, and some premium ice cream.
Do you agree with our review? Have you found other similar restaurants that are better?
Restaurant Map:Four Kings Overall Rating: 
(Excellent
Come Back? 
| Food Rating: | (Excellent) |
| Service Rating: |  (Very Good) |
| Atmosphere Rating: | (Very Good) |
| Value Rating: | (Good) |
Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary
| Alcohol: | Beer, Wine |
| Attire: | Casual |
| Parking: | Street |
| Reservations: | Yes |
