Z & Y Restaurant

First, above all, the food was fantastic. Had reservations for Christmas, got there and they didn't have us. Luckily I had my confirmation and we were Sat fairly quickly. They were of course very busy. If you want duck, you do need to order in advance. We didn't. Everything was good except the hot and sour soup which was fine but not great. They did put cilantro in a bunch of the food which Chinese restaurants usually don't so if you are adverse like me, make sure you remember to tell them not to. Luckily I could pick it out. Stand outs were the spicy beef with pancakes and the Dan Dan noodles

Was recommended this place by my niece who lives in SFO. I realized later that it is a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant... And the other claim to Fame is that Pres. Obama ate here! The food loved up to the Michelin expectations. Coming from Singapore, I am very familiar with Sichuan chilli / mala flavours. But this restaurant manages to do the balance of flavors amazingly well. The chili spice is not overwhelming, the other flavors come through too. Unlike in many Sichuan places where the chili is overpowering as also the chili oil. Z & Y manages to do the perfect balance. But do note that if you cannot handle spice then give the spicy dishes a miss! The pricing is a bit on the expensive side! It was super crowded on a Friday evening, but the tables turn pretty quickly, so wait times won't be too long. Overall well worth the visit... And would like to definitely come back again!

Wanted to try this place because it was recommended on Michelin. Ratings were not so high so we were cautiously optimistic. We got there at 10:45 and Google said they open at 11:30. We asked the guy said sternly that they open at 11:30. We felt a little put off since they had the door open and they have this sign that says they “reserve the right to refuse service to anyone” which also was a little off putting. We walked around and came back at 11:15 and there were others waiting for the restaurant to open. A little surprised. We waited for them to open and they didn’t open a single minute before 11:30 which was really annoying. They could have let us sit down at least and let us browse the menu. We ordered the sour fish with numbing spice. The fish was cut thicker than we normally have it but the flavoring was amazing. The fish even though it was too thick was silky. Amazing. The soup is amazing. Not as spicy as our go to restaurant for this dish. Only place we drank the soup, it was that good. We also got the chef special clams in wine. Cooked just right. Very good as well. The cauliflower with preserved meat was served in a dish they put over some jelly flame. The flavoring is the best I’ve ever had of this dish. While we were waiting for our food, some other people got their dish and it smelled amazing. Even though we had ordered too much food we order that fried chicken dish also. Not as authentic since they breaded it and the authentic style is with no breading. The breading definitely made the dish not as good as it could be. All in all everything was above our expectation. We also ordered the pur er tea, was very good as well. Warning, the folks in front of us ordered two dishes and was shocked by the bill. Our criticism is that they should have looked at the prices before ordering. This place is expensive, but very good. Highly recommend trying at least once. Attitude could have been a little more friendly.

Be prepared to wait on line ! Food: Looking at the menu literally, made me want to order everything but since I was with family, it was hard to order many spicy options and certain dishes due to food allergies. Beef Pancake was amazing!! Aromatic, fresh with a perfect balance of flakey and crunch with a savory beef , that was my first bite. Now the second bite, was the same awesomeness but I got an amazing sauce that was in there as well; the surprise made me smile and I absolutely loved this app and looking to find in NY. Spicy Dumplings, ordered twice! It was a perfect balance of lusciousness of spicy and savory ! Fried Noodle w/ Pork- mouth watering, just thinking of this and all the food! Took an order to go, perfect balance of savory, crisp yumminess topped with a marinated luscious pork. Explosive Chilli- SPICY zestful perfection, the fried chicken in it was juicy and crunchy, I really like this dish just wish that it had less red flakes ! Be careful with them unless you want to turn red! Fried Rice- fresh and tasteful, great compliment to the explosive chili. Service: quick and to the point Atmosphere: Fine, doesn't really matter , the food it worth it all. Summary, I would stop by again when in San Fran but I'll be honest , I only found this gem because I googled top favorites restaurants of Anthony Bourdain.

Heard great things about Z&Y so stopped in with friends while visiting SF! Waited about 30 minutes for dinner on a busy Saturday night. Staff is friendly and helpful with the menu, food comes out quickly once ordered. The best soup dumplings I’ve had in a long time, very rich and great texture. The mala fish was fantastic as well as the Mongolian beef and green beans. You really can’t go wrong with the menu! Filling and a good price per person when shared. Definitely recommend.

the stir fried cabbage with chili peppers is truly amazing. everything here is great, but this cabbage is really exceptional. you’re probably thinking, “it’s just cabbage,” but you’re wrong. it’s phenomenal. every time i come here i try different things, but i always get the cabbage, and you should too.

The food here is really good! Go here for lunch (as we did) as the queues for dinner are huge (we tried to get in the night before hand and ended at a nearby restaurant…..as I was so hungry and the wait was huge). The spicy Sichuan dumplings are delish! Hot, spicy, mouth numbing goodness. Best I’ve had (better than my travels to Asia). The Kung Pao chicken was great, the duck rolls are great and the pork/cabbage dumplings were good. I highly recommend….especially for lunch as you will get a table immediately.