Good Luck Dim Sum — Restaurant in San Francisco

There they are--four ladies, cramped in a kitchen, hands working at lightning speed over trays filled with steamed pork buns and delicious snacks, each piled so high they nearly roll out from the baskets. They continue without rest, shaping 100s of dumplings and rice cakes, and folding intricate parcels of perfectly cooked meat and sticky rice. I ask them to slow down so I can learn a trick or two, but they giggle, then fold, tuck, knot and tie even faster, masters of a craft that takes years and years to perfect. There are dozens in line behind me and there is no time for school.

Richmond has over 40 streets and countless narrow lanes, and and you can miss real gems if you are careless. From the moment you walk in your appetite will be awakened, and you can eat till your hearts content, even till discontent, and never spend more than a twenty.

There's a menu, but you really end up ordering using your eyes only. I watch rice tossed in with garlic, spices, pork in a peppery sauce, and know what I want. Two people people, two different languages, authentic and simple traditional cooking methods—a wonderful snack that no money can buy in most places. Not here....

Alright, so if you're around Clement Street and craving some legit dim sum without breaking the bank, you have to hit up Good Luck Dim Sum. This is the most popular place to grab dim sum in this district and all the locals know it.

First off, heads up: it's cash only! Don't be that person holding up the line. And there will be a line, especially on weekends, but honestly, it moves super fast. These folks are pros.

It's a no-frills, grab-and-go spot, though they do have a few seats if you're lucky enough. But the real magic is just getting a bag full of warm, delicious goodness. The BBQ pork buns are straight-up cloud perfection, seriously fluffy. And their shrimp dumplings are always plump and juicy. Don't sleep on the siu mai or the potstickers either.

What stands out is the bang for your buck. In this city, finding good food for these prices is practically a miracle. You can walk out with a seriously satisfying haul for way less than you'd expect. It's consistent, it's quick, and it's just damn good. If you...

It’s a long queue during the weekend. Since it’s mostly a take out system, the customer turn over rate is pretty high. So, the wait wasn’t that long. Note that this place is CASH ONLY. There’s a Walgreens with an ATM across the street if you need cash last minute. I brought my own container for the take out, as I didn’t want to use the single-use plastic container.

Some of the food is not visible because is covered by the dim sum basket. There’s a pink menu and pencils on the right side of the entrance. I strongly recommend to circle the food you want beforehand, in order to avoid the pressure for ordering quickly. Or just think about what you want ahead from the menu I uploaded.

Love their fried sesame ball, shrimp dumpling, beef siu mai, steamed bbq pork bun, and custard. Their sweet rice chicken wrapped with lotus leaves were okay. It was mostly rice instead of 1/3 meat and vegetables. Most of their food taste authentic. Definitely...