Mister Jiu's - Reviews

My experience at this restaurant was truly one of the best finds in SF. The wait staff provided excellent service, accommodating us even when their moongate lounge was closed. They were also super friendly. Each dish we were served was unique, flavorful, and had an excellent presentation.

My experience at the restaurant was made amazing by the waiter Esteban. Even though the kitchen ran out of my first choice, his recommendations and enthusiasm helped make the experience better. The atmosphere was rated 5, and the service was also rated 5. The food was rated 5, and there was no wait time.

My experience at what is supposed to be the only primarily Chinese Michelin-starred restaurant in the USA was truly disappointing. Before arriving, I made seven calls and sent two emails to reschedule our reservation, but received no response. Upon arrival, our attempts to communicate were not acknowledged. While the ambience was pleasant and the portion sizes were surprisingly generous, I couldn't help but notice the lack of other Chinese diners, which felt unusual. The service was erratic; our waiter was often absent when needed, yet rushed to clear plates prematurely. We struggled to get their attention to order drinks. A significant issue was being charged for a dessert that was presented as complimentary for a birthday. The food was inconsistent. The snack course (shrimp chips, mala peanut, carrots with tofu sauce) was amazing and creatively executed (8/10). The dessert trio was also fantastic (9/10). The Peking duck was solid (7/10), but the sea urchin dish was mediocre (4/10). The 36-month jinhua ham was notably poor, tasting like frozen deli meat with nonsensical peach slices (1/10), and the fried rice was over-salted (2. 5/10). For a restaurant of this caliber, the lack of communication, inconsistent service, and uneven food quality did not meet expectations. A few great dishes couldn't compensate for the overall shortcomings.

My experience at this restaurant was quite good. While the Peking duck menu wasn't my absolute favorite in San Francisco, it was still enjoyable. The dishes served before the duck truly stole the show, offering bigger portions than expected, which was a pleasant surprise. They also had some interesting drinks on offer. The service was amazing, and I will definitely return. However, next time, I plan to try the a la carte menu.

I was really excited to try this spot, as it had been on my list for a long time. However, my experience was pretty underwhelming. While I anticipated the food to be expensive, I expected the dishes to match the price tag, which they didn't. The food took a very long time to come out. The noodles were fine, but the green beans were drenched in sauce. The dumplings were pretty good, though only three were served. The small dessert was just okay. Given that SF has so many phenomenal Asian restaurants, you're better off going to one of those for a more satisfying and less expensive meal.

My experience at Mister Jiu's began with a reservation made via email for 8 PM. Upon arrival, the hostess initially stated there was no reservation in their system. After presenting proof, she located the email and promised to see what could be done. We waited 30 minutes, past our reservation time, before returning to check in. We were offered seating at the bar and a begrudging offer to pay for our first round of drinks, which we declined, preferring to wait for a table. We were eventually seated at 9 PM, a full hour after our reservation. The sommelier presented three wine glasses as a 'gift, ' which was unclear if it was for our late seating or just kindness. The glasses were comically small, and the bottle and cork were taken away. Shortly after, we were informed they were out of their signature roast duck, the primary reason for our visit, leading to significant disappointment. We ordered fried rice, green beans, wonton soup, chow fun, rolls, and silken tofu. The rolls and shrimp chips with smoked salmon dip arrived first; we hadn't ordered these but assumed they were a complimentary gesture, which they were not. The rolls and dip were excellent, a highlight of the meal. The wonton soup was unsatisfactory, consisting of only three dumplings with about an inch of room-temperature broth. The meal's pacing was erratic, with dishes arriving in an unorganized manner. The chow fun, served with shaved horseradish, had an off-putting odor and was not good. We realized the silken tofu was never served, but we declined it as we were full, ensuring it wasn't on the bill. The shrimp chips were mistakenly brought to the wrong table, not a gift. The waitress was lovely, but these errors compounded the issues. An awkward scene unfolded at a neighboring table celebrating a birthday, where the GM left the server alone to sing 'Happy Birthday. ' The bill was correct, but there was no compensation or apology for the hour-long wait and the missing roast duck. The overall mediocrity, from cold food to inappropriate serving ware and front-of-house issues, was shocking for a Michelin-starred restaurant. We will not return due to the complacency we experienced.

We had a Wednesday reservation and when we arrived, we waited on the street for 5 minutes before the door was unlocked to let us in. We ordered the menu with the duck and chose to find wines to pair with it. Unfortunately, the skin on the duck was so hard we could barely eat it. It felt like it was cooked long before and was sitting under a warmer prior to serving, which was odd given our 6 pm reservation. Overall, we were underwhelmed with food and service.

My experience at the restaurant was disappointing due to the preparation of the roasted duck. Whoever taught them to cut the cucumber in a round shape with the roasted duck needs to go back to chef class. The food quality, specifically the preparation of the roasted duck, was not up to par.

This is a cool restaurant to visit while in Chinatown. We booked our reservation 2-3 weeks in advance, though we did see some walk-ins later. There's a required $60 per person deposit to confirm an online reservation. We visited on a Friday night and arrived 20 minutes early. We were asked to wait in the bar area on the second floor, which had a very cool vibe and served excellent drinks like the Limit of Heat and Summer Solstice. Despite arriving on time for our reservation, our table wasn't ready, and we had to wait an additional 15-20 minutes. For a Michelin-star establishment, this is not ideal. However, we were given a nice table overlooking the street, which helped compensate for the wait. We opted for the summer banquet menu and found the overall food to be excellent. We particularly enjoyed the Yusheng (Halibut) and Cheong fun (Sea urchin), with the Halibut and Sea Urchin being favorites. The Peking Duck was also superb, with a crispy skin and a super good pluot sauce. We were surprised by the generous portion sizes; the first courses alone almost filled us up. For dessert, the Nian Gao was our favorite, noted as very fresh and balanced. I'd definitely recommend visiting if you're looking for a deluxe experience in Chinatown.

My experience at this restaurant was marked by exceptional hospitality and incredibly attentive wait staff throughout our visit. While I appreciate their commitment to sourcing from local farms, I was somewhat disappointed with the flavours in the dishes we ordered. The daikon came with a creative and interesting dipping sauce, but both the turnip cake and chow fun were salty and lacked balanced flavours. We've had more flavorful and well-seasoned versions of these dishes at Chinese restaurants back home for a lower price point. The excellent service definitely elevated the experience, but the seasoning and flavor development could use some refinement.