Oldest Dimsum in the USA: Hang Ah Tea Room

San Francisco's Chinatown contains a number of firsts. I've previously mentioned the first Taoist Temple, the Tin How Temple on Waverly St. Here is another one: the first dimsum restaurant in the US... Hang Ah Tea House (1 Pagoda Pl, SF, CA 94108), circa 1920.

Hidden in an alley called Pagoda Place next to the Willy Woo-Woo Playground, Hang Ah is away from the normal bustle and hustle of Chinatown centered on Grant Avenue. It is near the Stockton Tunnel leading out of Chinatown to Union Square, between Clay and Sacramento. Most tourists only stumble upon this place by accident, unless they sought it out.

The first sign you see is actually written in chalk:

Hang Ah's chalk sign

The restaurant itself is a bit larger on the inside than the entrance suggested. Go in, make a left turn, down a slight slope (probably for ADA) and enter into the dining area, where you will see about a dozen or so tables. You can order entrees or dimsum.

Entrees are nicely prepared, and dimsum is hot and moist. You do have to order from the menu, and prices are a bit on the high side. But being able to claim you ate at the 1st ever dimsum restaurant in the US? Priceless.

Keep in mind that Far East Cafe on Grant opened the same year (1920), and Sam Wo claimed to be open as early as 1907 (right after the 1906 Earthquake). "Nom Wah Tea Parlor" of New York also claims to be open since 1920.

Stay tuned for more adventures in Hidden Chinatown of San Francisco.

Comments

Dragon Gate and its Surprising History

You can't come to SF Chinatown and leave out Dragon Gate, aka the Chinatown Gate, at the corner of Bush and Grant. But do you know its history? Chinatown Gate, aka Dragon Gate, San Francisco Dragon Gate (aka Chinatown Gate, aka Dragon's Gate) was designed by Clayton Lee and others in 1967 in response to a mayoral competition, and his was the winning entry. Originally two gates were proposed, but the other gate leading to Barbary Coast was dropped due to lack of funds, and cost overrun. The gate itself was designed after a Chinese "pailou 牌樓" or "paifang 牌坊", which were the "gates" that marked separate fang 坊, or "ward" within a city. However, later it evolved into a purely decorative element. As with tradition, the gate faces South, and is composed of a large gate with two smaller side gates. The gate has a lot of its materials donated by Taiwan (Republic of China) including artisanal tiles, roofing, and the two guardian lions. Despite...

Chop Suey Still Available: New Woey Loy Goey Restaurant

Chop suey is reputed to have been invented in Chinatown. The story goes that in the 1850's, Chinatown is barely established, but word was already out that Chinese food is cheap and delicious. So, late at night, 2 miners fresh off the gold fields, wandered into this Chinese restaurant, even as the owner and cook is about to close up. Already half drunk, they want food, and they want it now! To avoid confrontation, the cook went into the kitchen, found whatever scraps of vegetables left, tossed them all into the wok, whipped up some sauce, added whatever scraps of meat he had, added an egg, and served it on a plate and gave it to the miners. The miners loved it, to the surprise of the owner, as they wanted the name of the dish as they want to order it again when they come back. The owner, flabbergasted, simply told them 雜碎 tzap-suey which literally means "mixed scraps". The miners heard that as "chop suey", and a legend was born. Keep in mind this is a story, a...

Waverly Place: more than just a Chinatown Alley with a Sordid History

Waverly Pl was far more than just an alley in San Francisco. During the earliest days of San Francisco, it was apparently known as "Pike Street", at least until the 1906 Earthquake. I cannot find any historical references on when the name was changed. Many references imply state "Waverly Pl, (formerly Pike St.) while other references imply stated Pike St. Even from the earliest days in Chinatown, it was known as a place of brothels, and allegedly both Bella Cora and Ah Toy, the two most famous madams of Chinatown, have brothels at or very close to Pike St. (later Waverly Pl). For a while, the brothels co-existed with barbers on the same street, where sailors and miners can get a haircut and a shave for 5 cents, and later, 10 cents. So the area was also known as Five Cent Street or Ten Cent Street for a while. But the street remained mired with vices. A "crime map" prepared for SF City Supervisors in 1885, note the blue and red vices mapped. courtesy Cornell U...

The Hidden Chinatown of San Francisco

Search This Blog