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The Empress by Boon, San Francisco, CA
Award-winning

The Empress by Boon

4.5
4.5
1377 Reviews
$50 and over
Chinese

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 22 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
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive chef
    Ho Chee Boon
  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
  • Neighborhood
    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

Experiences

  • Empress by Boon Prix Fixe Menu

    $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.
  • SIPS Master Cocktail Class

    $108.62 per person

    Prepaid

    Jan 24, 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

    $225.00 per person

    Jan 23, 2025 - Jan 24, 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.

What 1,377 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

NoiseModerate

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.

1,377 Reviews
  1. Rhea

    VIP

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Beautiful space, impeccable food and attentive service.

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  2. Isaac

    VIP

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    4.0

    6 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    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

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  3. Emily

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on December 15, 2024

    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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  4. Lana

    VIP

    Denver

    18 reviews

    4.0

    18 reviews

    Dined on December 15, 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

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  5. Lauren

    Dallas

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on December 14, 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.

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  6. Wellington

    Washington DC

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 14, 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.

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  7. Cliff

    San Francisco

    97 reviews

    5.0

    97 reviews

    Dined on December 14, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    This restaurant serves consistently fine foods and wine!

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  8. OpenTable Diner

    VIP

    Atlanta Metro

    3 reviews

    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 14, 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

  9. Lisa

    San Francisco

    28 reviews

    5.0

    28 reviews

    Dined on December 13, 2024

    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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  10. Jon

    VIP

    San Francisco

    70 reviews

    5.0

    70 reviews

    Dined on December 6, 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.

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FAQs

The Empress by Boon is rated 4.5 stars by 1377 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 22 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for The Empress by Boon

838 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94108-1738

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
  • Cross street
    Clay Street
  • Neighborhood
    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
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  • Terms of Use
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  • Cookie Preferences
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