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China Live, San Francisco, CA

China Live

4.6
4.6
3298 Reviews
$30 and under
Chinese

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2 people
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
7:00 PM
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At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 83 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Lively
  • Good for groups
  • Hot spot
China Live, Eater's "Restaurant of the Year," features fresh, seasonal Chinese cuisine cooked from specialized stations that merge traditional Chinese and Western culinary equipment. Our main dining area, with views of our exhibition kitchens, plays centerpiece, appointed with chairs and tables all handcrafted in China from reclaimed Chinese elm. We also offer outside dining.

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Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Chinese, Asian, Sichuan
  • Hours of operation
    Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 12:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri 12:00 pm–9:30 pm Sat 4:00 pm–9:30 pm
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    In addition to Street Parking, there are also several public parking options: North Beach Public Parking @ 735 Vallejo St. and Vallejo Parking Garage @ 766 Vallejo St.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    George Chen
  • Delivery & takeout

Experiences

  • Upstairs @China Live

    Multiple dates available
    Enjoy the China Live menu in our elegant upstairs dining room with featured cocktails from Cold Drinks Bar.
    Upstairs @China Live Photo

What 3,298 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.1Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • San Francisco Bay Area

    Chinese

  • San Francisco

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
China Live is a vibrant dining destination offering an eclectic atmosphere where Chinese culinary delights are expertly crafted. Patrons rave about its "amazing food and service," and the ambiance is lively and inviting. The "dim sum and chow mein" are highly recommended, and the venue offers a unique opportunity to observe chefs in action.
3,299 Reviews
  1. OpenTable Diner

    Las Vegas

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Such a wonderful find!!! We made a reservation the same day… easy to find…greeted with a smile. And “ we can seat you right away’ which we loved! (There were a few waiting before us!) food was out of this world!! Pork dumplings… ( house speciality) didn’t disappoint! Next was garlic noodles and a sweet and sour ribs! Amazing flavors..good vibe and our waiter Michael was unbelievable.. gave suggestions… and didn’t steer us wrong! We will be back!!!

    Is this helpful?

  2. Brenda

    VIP

    Los Angeles

    40 reviews

    1.0

    40 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    We were so looking forward to great food and drinks based on the reviews posted. We ordered the dim sum, duck and ribs. We had asked for hot mustard to accompany our dim sum. Our service was heading to us to give us the mustard. I overheard another table call her over asked what she had in her hands and ask her to give it to them which she did. We saw her turn around going back to kitchen. We asked another server for the mustard and they went to get our server who then brought out mustard to go with the dim sum. The dim sum came out warm not hot and burnt on top and seemed not completely cooked in center. It was mushy, watery on the inside of the dim sum. The duck breast slices also were not hot and were very fatty which duck can be but this seemed excessive . The buns served with the duck were hard not soft and broke apart when trying to eat. The ribs were ok they were served warm not hot and not very good. We really were looking forward to a great meal and went away disappointed. We should have send it all back but kept hoping the dishes would improve but did not. We are not ones to complain but this was not good. We spent a lot for mediocre food which is not acceptable.

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  3. Joey

    San Francisco

    28 reviews

    4.0

    28 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A lively ambiance restaurant with a marketplace inside, which is super cool! It has a lot of Californian-based ingredients to apply on their food menu, highlighters are “pecking-duck-flavor old fashioned (in cocktail menu), “pecking-duck-flavor popcorn” and “kumquat-flavor” dark chocolate brownie (in dessert menu). It’s a busy restaurant so it’ll be loud noise by talking. Table for four is small, but they provide some side bench chair for assisting.

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  4. AngusC

    NT

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Went to China Live for the first time. Food was generous and delicious. The venue had a great vibe. Definitely go again when in San Francisco.

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  5. Jim

    VIP

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    It was fine, but I think over rated. The Peking duck is ok, not great. The papaya salad was very sub par.

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  6. Paul

    Naples

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 22, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food and service. Our server Michael was great

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  7. Judy

    VIP

    San Diego

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on February 21, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our waiter, Ian, was knowledgeable about the dishes and helped us select the appropriate amount of food. Our dishes exceeded our expectations- the flavors were beyond anything we’ve had in a very long time.

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  8. Kristen

    Seattle

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on February 20, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The best Chinese cuisine I have experienced. Lively atmosphere where you can observe the chefs cooking. Our waiter was friendly, attentive and provided great suggestions. We ordered pork dumplings, chow main and Peking duck. All were excellent. Expensive but the experience justified the cost. Will happily return!

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  9. Shashank

    San Francisco

    30 reviews

    5.0

    30 reviews

    Dined on February 19, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    China Live is our favorite go to place in the city. The bar / lounge on the second floor is a nice touch to enjoy some libations and snacks in case you have to wait. The food is absolutely delicious and the ambience eclectic. A must visit place for sure

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  10. Jody

    San Francisco

    35 reviews

    5.0

    35 reviews

    Dined on February 19, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    As always the food was delicious. The service was excellent. Not sure what our waiters name was but he was great. My only complaint is it’s VERY loud. That said I keep coming back.

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FAQs

China Live offers delivery in partnership with Postmates and Uber Eats. China Live also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (415) 788-8188.

China Live is rated 4.6 stars by 3298 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation


Find next available

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 83 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for China Live

644 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Chinese, Asian, Sichuan
  • Hours of operation
    Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 12:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri 12:00 pm–9:30 pm Sat 4:00 pm–9:30 pm
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    In addition to Street Parking, there are also several public parking options: North Beach Public Parking @ 735 Vallejo St. and Vallejo Parking Garage @ 766 Vallejo St.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    George Chen
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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