Skip to main content

SF's Chinatown: Tea & Dim Sum Food Tour - Includes full meal, 3hr

Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
San Francisco, USA
Great choice
5+ bookings last month.
  • 3 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.8
·
· Deborah_A ·
Aug 2025
Dale had many great anecdotes about this cultural area. How it evolved, its colorful characters, back alleys. It came alive. He made sure food portions were ample and we were comfortable. We were a large group but what do you expect in August. Highly recommend.
· Ashley_J ·
Nov 2025
We had such a wonderful experience. Robert was a fantastic guide. Delicious food and great history lesson. Highly recommend!

Overview

    What's Included

    • Beverages
    • Afternoon tea
    • Food tasting
    • Snacks
    • Local guide
    • All activities
    • Lunch
    • Drinks

    Meeting and Pickup

    Meeting point

    • House of Dim Sum
      735 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA

      Meet your guide outside and look for the Stretchy Pants logo.

    End point

    • Grant Avenue
      Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA, USA

      We end about 5 blocks from our starting location.

    Operating hours
    .11:30 am

    Itinerary

    1

    Chinatown

    20 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

    2

    Golden Gate Fortune Cookies Co

    20 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

    3

    Chinatown Taiwan Fruit Tea

    20 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

    4

    AA Bakery & Cafe

    20 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

    Old Saint Mary's Cathedral (Pass By)

    5

    Portsmouth Square

    20 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

    6

    Vital Tea Leaf

    30 minutesAdmission Ticket Included

    Additional Info

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Stroller accessible
    • Near public transportation
    • Most travelers can participate
    • Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
    • Not recommended for limited mobility
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

    Cancellation Policy

    You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

    Traveler Photos

    Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
    Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
    Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
    Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
    Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

    Reviews

    4.8
    based on 164 reviews
    Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

    Great way to experience...

    Alexandra_B, Mar 2026
    Great way to experience Chinatown, especially if a little overwhelmed with the choice of places to try! Had a great variety of food, Jacob was a great guide, food was incredible!

    Book it!

    Ashley_J, Nov 2025
    We had such a wonderful experience. Robert was a fantastic guide. Delicious food and great history lesson. Highly recommend!

    Dale+++

    Deborah_A, Aug 2025
    Dale had many great anecdotes about this cultural area. How it evolved, its colorful characters, back alleys. It came alive. He made sure food portions were ample and we were comfortable. We were a large group but what do you expect in August. Highly recommend.

    Fun Tour

    Anne_R, Jul 2025
    Marcy was great. Fun and informative. We enjoyed all the food and the tea tasting experience. We know so much more about Chinatown now.

    I got much more than I expected. It was great.

    Robin_A, Jul 2025
    The history was fascinating. The food was unbelievable. Though the terrain was challenging because it my mobility issues Robert did his best to minimize any problems. A truly relaxing tour.

    Good food but spotty history

    Robert_M, Jul 2025
    Tour was overall enjoyable and food was good, even our kids (10-14yo) found new things that they loved out of the Dim Sum, Peking duck, Szechuan green beans, and the Chinese tea store. Fortune cookie factory was fun, but very brief, since there's a line out the door. Boba tea was good, and egg tarts were novel but not universally loved. Our primary disappointment was that the tour guide had limited stories to share about the area & stores we visited. She tended to repeat information or defer questions until later and then not come back to them. Much of the info centered around the early gold rush period, which was interesting, but I would have loved more information about the Chinese Americans and their experiences over the last 150 years in San Francisco. Perhaps a lot of that information is negative, but as an outsider white American, I had hoped to understand more of their experience. I felt like that aspect was lacking, and our family really only took away the experience of the food.

    Response from Host, Jul 2025

    Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback—we’re glad to hear your family enjoyed the food and discovered some new favorites, especially across such a wide range of flavors! We also appreciate your honest notes about the storytelling portion of the experience. Each of our guides brings their own personality and style to the tour, but all are fully trained in the rich and layered history of Chinatown, including the experiences of Chinese Americans over the past 150+ years. That said, we completely understand your desire for a deeper exploration of those stories, and we’re always striving to strike the right balance between culinary fun and meaningful cultural context. Your feedback is incredibly helpful and will be shared with our team to ensure we’re offering a well-rounded experience that resonates with all guests. We’d love the chance to welcome you back again in the future and show you another side of the neighborhood. Warm regards, Kara & The Stretchy Pants Team

    Come hungry, leave happy!

    Rachel_L, Jun 2025
    Come hungry and willing to try new things! Lots of different flavors and interesting facts about Chinatown.

    Fabulous Food and Tour!

    maryann_D, Jun 2025
    There was so much I didn’t know about Chinatown and I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 50+years! And the food was fabulous and plentiful. Stretch Pants Tours was fantastic and so accommodating for my GF/pescatarian diet. I highly recommend taking this tour. Be sure to wear your stretchy pants!

    Well worth it!

    Sahana_S, Jun 2025
    Really great history and yummy food I loved the mix of food history tea and dessert I am a local and enjoyed.

    The perfect tour!

    Marie_R, Jan 2025
    We did this tour on our last day in San Francisco, what a fantastic way to end our trip. Our tour guide Jacob was so friendly and knowledgeable. We ate some of the best dim sum and the tour ended with a fascinating tea tasting experience. I don’t want to give any spoilers away but the tea tasting was so entertaining! Along the tour we learned so much about China Town, it’s an area of San Francisco steeped in history. I personally love dim sum so this was the perfect tour. Special shout out to Jacob who made the day extra special, we didn’t have to worry about a thing, just eat, drink and enjoy!

    Best Food Tour Ever!

    Pam_C, Dec 2024
    We had the most amazing experience. Robert shared his passion for Chinatown, the culture, the history and of course the food. I have taken several food tours, this was by far the best!

    Lots of Food and Great History

    Amy_P, Dec 2024
    This dim sum food tour was fantastic! Jacob was an excellent guide and shared many interesting facts about the area. I don't think I've ever had so much food on any other food tour - you will not leave hungry!

    Trying new things

    smhimm, Oct 2024
    This was a great chance to try food I had never eaten before. Jacob was a great guide with historical tidbits and funny jokes. My favorite part was the “Uncle” at the tea house. Such a wonderful man and a memorable experience

    San Fran Foodies

    Sherry_G, Sep 2024
    The tea tasting and Robert’s knowledge of the area. Fun that the harvest moon festival was the same day as tour.

    Fantastic tour!

    Cynthia_R, Aug 2024
    The dim sum luncheon was excellent! Robin, our guide, was early a d rounded us all up. Our tour group was 9 people. We saw hand folded fortune cookies, which were tasty, got some Bobo tea, and visited a tea shop. Had some Peking duck and finished with a pastry. Along the way, we learned the history of the area an got a serenade from a Chinese lady.

    Nice experience. Worth the time and money

    Samuel_Y, Jun 2024
    Nice experience. Definitely recommend. Tea tasting was excellent. The optional free aerial view of San Francisco at the end was special.

    Enjoyable trip!

    Jennifer_M, Jun 2024
    We really enjoyed the tour, hearing about Chinatown’s history, and sampling the food and drink! There was a nice variety of high quality food and our guide was excellent.

    Dim Sum Rocks!!!!

    George_K, Mar 2024
    Robert was a great tour guide and provided a nice perspective on the historical significance of Chinatown. The food was excellent and we tried a few things we have not tasted before. It was interesting to learn about some of the Chinese culture that came to America during the Gold Rush. I really enjoyed the tea shop and presentation given on the varieties and brewing of tea for our drinking pleasure. Who would know we’ve been doing it all wrong! Good job Stretchy Pants tours!!!

    Delightful jaunt into history and food

    Jenny_B, Mar 2024
    This was such a great experience! Robert has deep knowledge of the area and the history, which he was happy to share. I feel like he was really able to give a lot of context about Chinatown that brought the area to life and made it feel very real. He selected fantastic food that took into account my food, allergies, and preferences. I feel like every place we went I exclaimed “this is the bite of the night!” in particular, I really loved hearing about different types of cuisines in the area and the different pieces of history. I highly recommend this tour! You’ll get lots of great food, great company, incredible history, and you might even get your fortune read.

    A day in Chinatown

    Cindy_J, Dec 2023
    Wonderful Day! Jacob was very informative. Highly recommend! We learned so many thing that we would never have known about.

    Great way to see Chinatown

    Sinead_M, Nov 2023
    This was a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a few hours hearing about SF's vibrant Chinatown and sampling some good Chinese food. Jacob was a great guide and really enhanced the experience. Recommended!

    Fun in Chinatown

    Vincent_B, Oct 2023
    We enjoyed the food a lot. Our guide was fun and knowledgeable. The tea tasting was the highlight of the entire tour.

    Love tours, just not this one with Casey

    Amy_E, May 2023
    Casey was our tour guide. While being I’m sure a very nice person was not meant to be a tour guide. He was awkward, uninteresting, and not engaging. He was just boring and left us sitting there staring at each other. It was a small group and thankfully we were all able to entertain each other. We almost left in the middle of the tour :(

    Response from Host, May 2023

    Kara, the owner of Stretchy Pants here. I have issued you a full refund for your group. I am sorry you did not enjoy the tour; we never want that for our guests. Kasey only gives a tour for us every 6-8 weeks, and this seems to be a personality clash. Kasey is a local Chinese person who lives in Chinatown filled with a wealth of knowledge. However, he can be more soft-spoken. It seems he wasn't the right match for your group. I will make a note of it in the future.

    China Town Fun!

    Virginia_M, Apr 2023
    Fun tour. Great food. Fun historical facts. The tea experience was the best! Our guide Robin was easy going, smart, and fun.

    Do this tour!

    Lesli_F, Apr 2023
    Great your.perfect experience. Even our 20 year old autistic kid was engaged and interested. Definitely recommend

    Jacob was great. Dim sum...

    Scott_J, Mar 2023
    Jacob was great. Dim sum and egg tart were amazing. Uncle G is the best at the tea place. Bought some teas.

    A wonderful shared experience in San Francisco

    Kai_G, Feb 2023
    What a wonderful experience we had with Jacob as our guide. We enjoyed the dim sum, the pastry, the sights and sounds of San Francisco’s Chinatown and learned about its rich history. We spent a few hours on our tour and ended it with a tea tasting experience unlike any other. We learned about tea and the culture from Ming who was knowledgeable and experienced in sharing the Chinese passion for tea. I don’t know what I expected on this tour but I feel like we got more than we expected. I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting SF. Thank you Jacob.

    Great time

    Greg_K, Dec 2022
    Jacob was great. Really enjoyed learning about Chinatown and experiencing its food like a local. Highly recommend.

    Even in the rain….A great food trip

    tomkathy1, Dec 2022
    I enjoyed All the delicious dumplings we ate at the meeting place. Also the leader did a great job. A lot of variety ending with a fun tea experience.

    Don’t pass this up!

    Jay_L, Sep 2022
    Robin was great and very knowledgeable. Lots to eat! ! Fun tour, especially at the tea house! Our new Chinese Uncle had everyone in stitches!

    From $115.00

    per person

    up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

    Book ahead!
    On average, this is booked 28 days in advance.

    Compare Similar Experiences

    1 / 3
    Current
    SF's Chinatown: Tea & Dim Sum Food Tour - Includes full meal, 3hr


    3 hours
    Free Cancellation
    From
    $115.00
    Chinatown Walking Tour: Food, History & Flavor


    3 hours
    Free Cancellation
    From
    $86.00