China live is a San Francisco staple for me. They are an absolute institution when it comes to Chinese food, from their noodle-competition-winning pan fried noods to their duck fat popcorn for sale in their market that weaves into the restaurant. The restaurant is loud and boisterous, with a massive seating area and chefs cooking up different dishes in see through workspaces in the middle of the restaurant. Needless to say, China Live is an exciting place to be.

Their food is exceptional. It’s definitely more ‘Americanized Chinese,’ which is important to distinguish in a place like San Francisco, which has a large amount of both traditional and Americanized. Both times I went I was only accompanied by one other person, but due to large portion size and an extensive menu, I really feel like this spot is best positioned for group dining. China Live has a lot of ‘noteworthy’ dishes, but I would definitely order their scallion bread and famous dumplings (don’t worry, you’ll hear it from the waiter too). A word to the wise- my waiter told me that it’s a better bang for your buck and better setup to get the duck already made into the sesame bread sandwiches, so keep an eye out for those if you’re a duck fan.