I love touring around San Francisco and have always been fascinated by China town. Walling up and down the streets filled with Chinese architecture and listening to people speaking Chinese, as well as every other language being spoken by visiting tourists to the amazing City of San Francisco is so exhilarating. Looking through the little shops, especially jewelers with their amazing collections of pearls and jade, and photographing historic buildings is a joyful way to spend an afternoon perusing “the city by the bay.”

Z & Y Restaurant

Z & Y Restaurant

 

A main attraction in Chinatown, which is a special and historic section of San Francisco, are the countless family owned and operated restaurants that line the streets. It’s nearly impossible to know which one to choose, but during our afternoon jaunt we opted to skip the place Barack Obama ate in, and just wandered into a place that looked authentic and inviting called Z & Y Restaurant. It was not until I was leaving that I saw the many Zagat ratings on the front door, and this was a good thing because despite the fact that I love food with heat, and had spent time in Thailand last year eating more green curry than anyone could believe possible, I was amazed by the super heat in the food served at Z & Y Restaurant.

 Salt & Pepper Crab

Salt & Pepper Crab

 

The dining room is inviting in “Chinatown” film way, with tempting aromas floating from the kitchen, and hungry diners savoring their selected plates. Their reputation for serving Szechuan style HOT dishes is renowned with just cause. The dinner we shared consisted of an outstanding Basil Eggplant $8.95, a magical combination of perfectly cooked eggplant, garlic, hot Szechuan sauce, onions and sesame seeds. The salt & pepper crab $27.00 was also a surprise of crispy crab topped with salt, pepper and greens that I found a bit dry, however the hot salty and spicy seemed to work very well together for a very interesting finish. Tsing Tao Beer at $4.00 or hot green tea are delicious with this menu. Their signature dish is Chicken with explosive chili peppers, which looked outstanding, and has received raves from Zagat Guide and others.

Eggplant with Garlic

Eggplant with Garlic

Z & Y spicy hot Szechuan-style eatery is a family owned restaurant with deliciously honest plates; a place where people who love peppers stand in line for and hour to enjoy their spicy-hot favorites. Lot’s of locals eat here, as well as tourists who are in the know about experiencing the best of hot and spicy. The popular Chinatown restaurant was awarded a 2015 Michelin Bib Gourmand for good cuisine at a reasonable price. Bib Gourmand restaurants offer two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less (tax and gratuity not included), and are often of most value to city residents, who regularly dine in neighborhood restaurants.

Intuition can be a wonderful thing, and this visit to Z & Y is proof of the pudding that listening to your hunches can pay off in a “duo chi dian” (eat more) way!

 

by Bonnie Carroll
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Z & Y RESTAURANT

655 Jackson St
San Francisco, CA 94133

Between Cooper Aly & Beckett St in Chinatown

www.zandyrestaurant.com