China Live is located at the junction of San Francisco's Chinatown and North Beach communities. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
Executive chef George Chen created China Live in San Francisco, often referred to as the Eataly of Chinese food, to make complex dishes, teas, ingredients and cooking methods more approachable. (China live broadcast)
The dining area in the China Live food hall has a large table made of recycled white elk from China. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
The dining area in China Live is surrounded by a bar and four specialty kitchen areas, serving barbecues, pastries, dumplings and barbecues. (Provided by Patricia Chang)
Diners at China Live sit near the barbecue kitchen, where the signature Peking duck is grilled. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
China Live’s Oolong Café uses hand-painted blue and white tiles inspired by Ming porcelain, depicting local scenes such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Coit Tower. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
Bay Area News Group File
China Live’s Oolong Teahouse uses hand-painted blue and white tiles inspired by Ming Dynasty porcelain, depicting local scenes such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Coit Tower. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
China Live’s frozen Dingfeng Dongding Oolong Tea is paired with a dessert cookie plate. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
At lunch, diners share plates at the China Live Market restaurant. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
Working Hand Pork Dumplings are the favorite of China Live's Market restaurant. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
The dumpling kitchen is the background of this table in the China Live food hall market restaurant. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
The garlic displayed in the China Live Grill Kitchen is one of the many ingredients used in the Market restaurant menu. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
Peking duck waiting to be stuffed into sesame pockets, this is a popular menu live in China. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group
A chef prepares a Peking duck in China Live’s barbecue kitchen. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
A traditional clay slow cooker, called Waguantang, is part of the China Live barbecue station equipment. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
The kumquat-glazed Peking duck is packed in sesame pockets and is a signature dish of China Live. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group
17 At China Live, a large cast iron pan or pin di da jiang guo, holding a frying pan stick. (China live broadcast)
Pan Fried Bao (or SJB) Pork Pot Stickers is one of the signature dishes on the menu of China Live Market restaurants. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
China Live’s Market Restaurant menu includes (clockwise from the left) organic yuba, Working Hands dumplings, Shengjianwan pork pot stickers and sesame pocket Peking duck. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
China Live’s Market Restaurant and Bar serves Singaporean Sling. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
In China Live, Durian Soft Serve turns the smelly tropical fruits into silky and delicious ice cream. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
The Cold Drinks Bar on the second floor of China Live is a lounge centered on Scotch whisky. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
The back shelves of China Live's Cold Drinks Bar are filled with impressive Scotch whiskies. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
The cold drink lounge centered on Scotch whisky serves a variety of impressive Scottish and Scottish cocktails. (Provided by Patricia Chang)
China Live's cold drink lounge centered on Scotch whisky offers three Scottish cocktails, from left to right are the iconic "sometimes old", "atheistic" and Al's Cut. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
The tea, cooking tools and ingredients used in the kitchen and bar of this Chinese restaurant are sold in Marketplace retail stores. (Provided by Patricia Chang)
China Live’s Marketplace retail store also sells gifts. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
China Live’s Marketplace retail store offers unique Chinese food ingredients, tea, cookware, woks, gifts and more. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
The glass bamboo tea cup (on the shelf) was developed by George Chen, the founder and executive chef of China Live, to provide a simple personal tea service. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
The antique Chinese cabinets are filled with various loose tea purchased by China Live executive chef George Chen and served in Oolong Café and Market Restaurant. They are also available for purchase. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
China Live’s own artisan Chinese condiments series include homemade soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, XO sauce and chili sauce. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
You can taste and buy homemade Chinese food at China Live Food Mall, including spices, seasonings, chili sauce, etc. (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
George Chen One of the eight tables in the New Eight Tables restaurant in the Chinese On-Site Food Mall in San Francisco (Mary Olin/Bay Area News Group)
Some people compare China Live, a four-story culinary complex at the junction of San Francisco's Chinatown and North Beach, with Mario Batali's super popular Eataly, which started in New York City. This makes sense. Behind both food halls is the power of culinary stars — in the case of San Francisco, George Chen, owner and executive chef of betel nut restaurant — celebrating a single, spectacular meal.
Chen launched the first phase of its 30,000 square foot modern food hall in March, which includes Market Restaurant and Bar Central, Oolong Café, and a retail market selling spices, condiments, tableware and cooking utensils. This week, he opened eight tables, an ode to the cuisine or paella in a private Chinese castle. Next up: Chen's rooftop bar and lounge, which will open next year. This is a dazzling series of delicacies.
This is our best insider tip for exploring it all.
1 Make a reservation or dine in advance: Yes, China Live's Market restaurant accepts reservations. Feeling more spontaneous than that? The restaurant opens at 11 am every day. Come early to catch the lunch peak, or come here for lunch or breakfast and dinner. Bonus: The market restaurant menu is now also available in quieter oolong tea cafes. The Market Restaurant serves Chinese tea biscuits and pastries. No matter where you sit, you can enjoy tea service.
2 Come early for a pre-dinner drink: If you booked a 7pm dinner at the Market restaurant, please come here early and go upstairs to the unmarked cold drink bar. Looking for a pure white door surrounded by black bats, this not only represents good luck, but also a tribute to Chen's childhood nickname, Batman. This peaceful cocktail oasis offers creative drinks, including Scotch whiskey infused with Chinese herbs and spices. Try the sometimes old-fashioned ($16) or rule-breaker ($18), made with Scotch whiskey, tequila and cognac. The staff at Cold Drinks Bar will deliver your unfinished drinks downstairs when your table is ready.
3 Worry-free home tea: Do you want to enjoy China Live tea at home, but don't want to filter out the wet tea leaves? Purchase one of Chen's Chinese living bamboo tea cups ($14) at the Marketplace retail market. You put loose tea in a strainer, add hot water, close the lid, and let it steep. When your tea is ready, put the lid on the table and put the strainer on it. The lid is like a saucer and can catch any dripping water.
4 Taste the best soy sauce ever: Chen's China Live kitchen ingredients series can also be tasted in retail stores. You will truly understand the umami taste when you try the complex, rich and earthy homemade soy sauce ($7.95). We also like the rich and mild homemade vinegar ($8.95), the hot homemade chili sauce ($6.95) and Sichuan pepper ($6.99).
Related articles sip! Popular SF noodle expert Udon Mugizo branched to San Jose Historic Paseo to reopen in Mill Valley, offering a farm-to-table menu and an intimate European atmosphere. Walnut Creek: A new sushi restaurant and lounge has now opened in Broadway Plaza. Back to Mao Ishima: Coconut Fish Cafe closed at Cupertino Sweet Maple. Bring brunch and Millionaire's Bacon to Palo Alto, Walnut Creek, Cupertino 5 Watch a free cooking demonstration: I don’t know what extra virgin tea oil is and how to use it? Don't know what to do with that wok? China Live provides cooking demonstrations on Saturday afternoons.
6 Discount: Keep a copy of the dining label; it will give you a 20% discount on any Marketplace retail purchases.
7 Don't belittle durians: tropical durian fruits can be daunting in the market. It looks like a spiky football, but it smells like regular socks (or worse). But Luis Villavelazquez, Chen's pastry chef, is not afraid of this stinky fruit-after you taste his Durian Soft Serve ($10), you will wipe the bowl clean. Somehow, durian has become a silky, silky, irresistible delicacy topped with roasted pineapple and crunchy caramelized sunflower seeds.
Details: China Live is open every day at 644 Broadway in San Francisco; China Life.com.
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