Award-winning

The Empress by Boon

Name: The Empress by Boon
Address: 838 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA, United States, 94108-1738
Telephone: (415) 757-0728
Price range: $50 and over
Rating: 4.5

4.5

1379 Reviews

$50 and over

Chinese

Make a booking

2 people

26 Dec 2024

19:00

Booked 7 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 17:00–22:00
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

SIPS Master Cocktail Class
US$108.62 per person
Prepaid
24 Jan 2025 only
Spend the afternoon learning from the best! Simone Caporale, the visionary behind SIPS Barcelona, named the #1 bar by World’s 50 Best, will host an intimate 1-hour masterclass, beginning at 1:30 p.m., where he’ll delve into his cocktail-making techniques, sharing insights into what makes SIPS and his creations the world’s best.
Simone and Boon Dinner
US$225.00 per person
23 Jan 2025 - 24 Jan 2025
This limited-time collaboration joins Simone Caporale, the visionary behind SIPS Barcelona, named the #1 bar by the World's 50 Best, with Michelin-starred Chef Ho Chee Boon to create a one-of-a-kind dining and cocktail experience. Together, these two masters will craft a creative blend of impeccable flavors that promises to elevate the city’s culinary and mixology scene to new heights. For this special evening, we are offering a prix fixe menu that showcases Chef Boon's focus on using only the freshest ingredients available paired with Simone’s cocktail creations. This will truly be a unique experience not seen before.
Simone & Boon Cocktail Reception
US$162.94 per person
Prepaid
22 Jan 2025 only
A more relaxed, conversational experience to check out the collaboration between Simone Caporale, the visionary behind SIPS Barcelona, named the #1 bar by World’s 50 Best, with Michelin-starred Chef Ho Chee Boon, this casual reception will be a one-of-a-kind cocktail and lite canape event from 6-8pm. Together, these two masters will craft a creative blend of impeccable flavors that promises to elevate the city’s culinary and mixology scene to new heights. For this special evening, Simone will craft 4 delectable cocktails for your enjoyment, while Chef Ho entices your palate with small bites from the kitchen. This will truly be a unique experience not seen before.

Braised Dungeness Crab
Kaluga caviar
California Prawn
crispy seaweed, wasabi mustard
Vegetable Spring Roll
Perigord winter truffle, cloud ear mushrooms, bean sprouts
Dim Sum
Prawn and Pak Choi Dumpling, Kurobuta Pork Bun, Pumpkin Dumpling
Mapo Tofu
roasted chicken breast
Steamed Alaskan Halibut
rose wine, ginger sauce
Stir Fried Beef Tenderloin
shishito peppers, cashews
Wok Tossed Lotus Root, Yam Bean, Asparagus
shimeji mushrooms, chu hou sauce
Scallion Noodles
shiitake mushrooms, cauliflower

What 1,379 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

Loved For

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.

1,379 Reviews

S
Stacey
VIP
San Francisco
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food and the service are amazing! The only downside is the back room has bad acoustics and it’s difficult to hear.
Is this helpful?
X
Xin
San Francisco
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
The food is consistently excellent - we have been back multiple times. There are small bites also family style dishes - Chinese food needs to be shared!
Is this helpful?
R
Rhea
VIP
San Francisco
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on 18 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Beautiful space, impeccable food and attentive service.
Is this helpful?
I
Isaac
VIP
San Francisco
6 reviews
4.0
6 reviews
Dined on 18 December 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Although we were seated at a table with a lovely view, the ambiance lacked charm, and the chair covers felt inexpensive. While some dishes were exceptional, others fell short of expectations. Overall, it’s not a place I feel the need to revisit
Is this helpful?
E
Emily
San Francisco
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on 15 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Exceptional in every way - highly recommend and great value
Is this helpful?
L
Lana
VIP
Denver
18 reviews
4.0
18 reviews
Dined on 15 December 2024
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 on 14 December 2024
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.
Is this helpful?
W
Wellington
Washington DC
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on 14 December 2024
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
San Francisco
97 reviews
5.0
97 reviews
Dined on 14 December 2024
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
3 reviews
1.0
3 reviews
Dined on 14 December 2024
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.
2 people found this helpful

FAQs

The Empress by Boon is rated 4.5 stars by 1379 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a booking

2 people

26 Dec 2024

19:00

Booked 7 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 17:00–22:00
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

SIPS Master Cocktail Class

Simone and Boon Dinner

Simone & Boon Cocktail Reception

Menu

Prix Fixe Menu

Braised Dungeness Crab

California Prawn

Vegetable Spring Roll

Dim Sum

Mapo Tofu

Steamed Alaskan Halibut

Stir Fried Beef Tenderloin

Wok Tossed Lotus Root, Yam Bean, Asparagus

Scallion Noodles

What 1,379 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

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