Award-winning

The Empress by Boon

4.5

1376 Reviews

$50 and over

Chinese

Make a booking

2 people

18 Dec 2024

19:00

Booked 29 times today

Experiences are available.

Great for scenic views
Fancy
Good for special occasions

Empress by Boon is San Francisco’s newest, must-visit epicurean destination, offering a seasonal menu in modern Cantonese gastronomy. Michelin-starred Chef Ho Chee Boon applies traditional techniques to fresh, local ingredients to produce distinctive contemporary dishes infused with Cantonese flavors.

The spacious restaurant occupies the former location of Chinatown’s celebrated Empress of China with striking city views. Reimagined by Chef Boon and team, the Empress was brought back to its former glory by embracing modern design elements while incorporating restored original features, creating a welcoming atmosphere that pays homage to the history of the beloved location.

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Fine Dining
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Chinese
Hours of Operation
Dinner Mon–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(415) 757-0728
Website
http://theempresssf.com/
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Business Casual
Executive Chef
Ho Chee Boon

Location
838 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94108-1738
Award-winning
1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
Area
Chinatown
Cross Street
Clay Street
Parking details
Public Parking available at Portsmouth Square Plaza Garage. Entrance at 733 Kearny Street.
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

The 12 most beautiful San Francisco restaurants to visit right now

Experiences

Empress by Boon Prix Fixe Menu
US$118.00 per person
Multiple dates available
We offer a prix fixe menu that showcases Chef Boon's focus on using only the freshest ingredients available, while offering unique taste combinations not seen in other Cantonese cooking. Our offerings change often to allow for a truly seasonal menu to be executed.
New Years Eve 2024
US$168.00 per person
31 Dec 2024 - 1 Jan 2025
Chef Boon is excited to create a celebratory menu to ring in the New Year! His international culinary expertise transforms any menu into a true epicurean experience. Chef Ho's traditional techniques combine fresh ingredients from local purveyors to produce dishes that are not only contemporary but have the essence of traditional Cantonese cuisine.
Lunar New Year Celebration
US$168.00 per person
28 Jan 2025 - 2 Feb 2025
Chef Boon is excited to create a celebratory menu to ring in the Year of the Snake! His international culinary expertise transforms any menu into a true epicurean experience. Chef Ho's traditional techniques combine fresh ingredients from local purveyors to produce dishes that are not only contemporary but have the essence of traditional Cantonese cuisine.

Popular dishes

Duck Soup
goji berry, ginkgo seed, peach gum, mountain yam, fish maw
California Prawn
crispy seaweed, wasabi mustard
Scallop and Caviar Roll
egg white
Prawn and Pak Choi Dumplings
XO sauce and crab roe
Wok Tossed Lobster
lemongrass, sweet chili
California Uni and Steamed Housemade Tofu
20yr Huadiao wine
Baked Alaskan Black Cod
sha cha sauce
Stir Fried Matsutake Mushrooms
asparagus, chicken breast
Scallion Noodles
shiitake mushrooms, cauliflower

What 1,376 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.5Service
4.6Ambience
4Value

Noise • Moderate

Diners' Choice Awards

San Francisco
Romantic
San Francisco
Great for scenic views

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

The Empress by Boon offers a modern take on Chinese cuisine in a beautifully renovated historic space. Diners praise the "amazing food," "great service," and "stunning views" of San Francisco. While some find it pricey, the "creative and delicious" dishes and "friendly staff" make it a memorable dining experience.

1,376 Reviews

R
Rhea
VIP
San Francisco
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined today
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Beautiful space, impeccable food and attentive service.
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E
Emily
VIP
San Francisco
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Exceptional in every way - highly recommend and great value
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L
Lana
VIP
Denver
18 reviews
4.0
18 reviews
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 4
Fantastic food and our server was great, but overall service was slow
Is this helpful?
L
Lauren
Dallas
10 reviews
5.0
10 reviews
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The chef’s tasting was the best I’ve had of the three visits. The dishes were full of high-quality seafood, poultry, and vegetables, very clean and delicate taste.
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W
Wellington
Washington DC
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
As a standard restaurant I give it 4 stars but at the level Empress by the Boon is at, I’d say we were very underwhelmed and only felt like 2-3 out of the 9 dishes lived up to exquisite standard. 3.5 Stars. Service was wonderful and waiter recommended the best drinks. All I have to say is that we were expecting more for $450 meal.
Is this helpful?
C
Cliff
VIP
San Francisco
97 reviews
5.0
97 reviews
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
This restaurant serves consistently fine foods and wine!
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
VIP
Atlanta Metro
2 reviews
1.0
2 reviews
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
Locals don’t recommend this place for a reason. Arrived at 5:15pm and was walked past a moderately empty restaurant to a dimly lit back room with no guests facing the register. When asked to be moved to the main restaurant, we were informed that only guests who had made reservations 4-6 weeks in advance were allowed to sit there. Empress by Boon promotes the main restaurant everywhere, Instagram, TikTok and even here on OpenTable. And the only options for tables on OpenTable are standard and lounge. Nowhere on OpenTable does it say that only reservations booked at least a month in advance have access to the restaurant promoted online. The host for the evening claimed to have found us open seating in the main room after we expressed our disappointment in our seating and prepared to leave. We should have taken this opportunity to leave!! The food was subpar and the uni turned our stomachs. If you can’t sit in the main area in the DAYTIME to enjoy the aesthetics, LEAVE! That is what you’re paying for. Don’t go for the food experience and the ambience because one of them is sure to be lacking. Definitely not worth $120+ per person.
1 person found this helpful
L
Lisa
San Francisco
28 reviews
5.0
28 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had an outstanding dinner at The Empress! Starting in the lovely bar with creative cocktails a delicious rosemary infused gin with black current, so refreshing! The menu had 9 items included in the 5 course dinner. It started with a rich duck soup, followed by a prawn roll and scallop caviar roll that were light and delicious. We loved the dumplings, lobster and tofu. Last course was black cod, stir fried veggies with chicken and scallion noodles. More than enough food! All with impeccable service and a view of Coit tower, light up red for the holidays. Dessert was extra but worth it. Chef Boon stopped by our table to say hello and see if we enjoyed everything. We highly recommended it.
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J
Jon
VIP
San Francisco
70 reviews
5.0
70 reviews
Dined on 6 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Every dish was exceptional. We were so pleased we went with the wine pairing option, which enhanced the experience. Our server, Natalie was outstanding. We look forward to returning.
Is this helpful?
C
Carlos
Tahoe
7 reviews
5.0
7 reviews
Dined on 3 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Great value for the experience: what a hidden hem in San Francisco. Just go have a drink and you’ll fall in love with the views high on top of Chinatown! Very classy
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FAQs

The Empress by Boon is rated 4.5 stars by 1376 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people

18 Dec 2024

19:00

Booked 29 times today

Experiences are available.

838 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94108-1738

Dining areas

Additional information

Award-winning
1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
Cross Street
Clay Street
Area
Chinatown
Hours of Operation
Dinner Mon–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Chinese
Dining style
Fine Dining
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Public Parking available at Portsmouth Square Plaza Garage. Entrance at 733 Kearny Street.
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive Chef
Ho Chee Boon
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://theempresssf.com/
Phone number
(415) 757-0728

Featured in

The 12 most beautiful San Francisco restaurants to visit right now

The Empress by Boon

Make a booking

Dining areas

Additional information

Featured in

The 12 most beautiful San Francisco restaurants to visit right now

Experiences

Empress by Boon Prix Fixe Menu

New Years Eve 2024

Lunar New Year Celebration

Popular dishes

Duck Soup

Baked Alaskan Black Cod

Crispy Truffle Puff

Menu

Prix Fixe Menu

Duck Soup

California Prawn

Scallop and Caviar Roll

Prawn and Pak Choi Dumplings

Wok Tossed Lobster

California Uni and Steamed Housemade Tofu

Baked Alaskan Black Cod

Stir Fried Matsutake Mushrooms

Scallion Noodles

What 1,376 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Diners' Choice Awards

Review summary

FAQs

How is The Empress by Boon restaurant rated?

Is The Empress by Boon currently accepting bookings?

Make a booking

Dining areas

Additional information

Featured in

The 12 most beautiful San Francisco restaurants to visit right now