Yan Yan Seafood Restaurant

Reviews

• Tu Anh D.

  star star star star star 11 July 2026

  This restaurant is such a hidden gem in Outer Sunset of San Francisco. I used to live a block away from this restaurant but never tried this place until now. The restaurant is much bigger insider than it looks from the outside, and the first thing you'd see when walking into the restaurant is the tanks of seafood (crabs, lobsters, etc) - this is a great sign for getting fresh seafood dishes.
  
  We had a group of 5 and probably ordered more food than we needed: lobster with ginger and scallions, deep fried crab, Mabo tofu, spicy eggplants and minced pork, and some vegetables. Everything tasted so good and the seafood couldn't get any fresher. The sauce of Mabo tofu and eggplant dishes was also super delicious, perfect to pair with white rice. We had pretty much half of the food for to-go and were very happy with the experience.
  
  The one thing that stands out here is the service and the super nice owner of the restaurant. She could speak a bit of Vietnamese so we had a nice time chatting about what food we should get. She was so nice and also gave us a huge plate of deep fried pork chops and chickens - they're also super yummy. Even though we were stuffed with food and didn't order desserts, she gave us free mango puddings, red puddings before we left. It was such a pleasant experience and my father - who visiting from Vietnam and doesn't speak English, was very happy to have some comfort food.

• Stephanie N.

  star star star star star_border 3 July 2026

  Cash only! Be advised!
  
  When you see a flood of Chinese people in a Chinese restaurant, you know that things will be just fine in terms of food. Yan Yan's is a restaurant that has a decent price and decent food. I would totally go here again if I was craving Chinese.
  
  The boss lady is interesting. She is definitely nice and definitely a customer service focused person. But, I think that she is the only one that can take orders. The most frustrating part about this is when the restaurant is busy. When it's busy, it's so sad when you're ready to order and you see wait staff, but they can't take your order! Definitely be patient, and you'll have your order placed eventually.
  
  The food arrived eventually, and it's hard to blame them when you see a full house. But, they serve a chicken foot appetizer that's free. The chicken feet are firm and come as a cold dish. To me, they were perfectly tasty. And I actually preferred the flavor and texture of these compared with usual dim sum chicken feet.
  
  When our food came, I was pretty excited. I really like pea sprouts, and the pea sprouts here did not disappoint. I definitely enjoyed them. The veggies were fresh and tasty, with plenty of yummy garlic. And if you come here, one of their most popular dishes is the pork chops in sweet and sour sauce plus salt and pepper seasoned. I see that most people usually get a mix of the two. But, the sweet and sour pork chops were all of our favorites. When the restaurant is rushed, it seems like they might also rush the seasoning of the salt and pepper pork chops. So watch out! While this isn't a dish for everyone, the salted fish fried rice was so good and was so reminiscent of my childhood. If you like salted fish, this dish is for you.
  
  Desserts!! I love desserts. I tried most of the desserts on the dessert menu. Pretty standard Chinese desserts. The mango pudding is always a safe choice if you're picky. But, you can get multiple desserts if your heart desires. So, go nuts and eat your fill.
  
  All in all, I would definitely come back, but just be prepared for a long wait! To make up for that, just eat your fill in chicken feet and desserts at the end.

• Richard T.

  star star star star star 2 July 2026

  Quite simply put, "Yan Yan is YUM YUM"!!!
  
  This little hole in the wall restaurant is SOLID Chinese family style comfort food at its finest. My guess is that it used to be a different restaurant back in the day because , as you walk in, the room to the left has an exquisite wood paneled ceiling and, as you walk downstairs to the the main dining area, the paneling has been painted over to make the area look brighter.
  
  The owner, "Cat" (see my pic) is a total BRILLIANT bombshell, always impeccably dressed in heels and killer outfits, with perfect hair and makeup! More importantly she KNOWS her food and is always professional, friendly, funny, and willing to make suggestions on what to order!
  
  I LOVE their "Hung Tao Yee Won Ton" soup, along with their Seafood Won Ton Soup, which the owner will cook according to your liking. As far as appetizers go, their famous "Chicken Feet" does not disappoint, along with their Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings, Deep Fried Squid, Deep Fried Tofu, and Lettuce Wraps.
  
  Stand outs for entrees include their PORK CHOPS, cooked Yin Yang style, and are "get in my belly" DELICIOUS!!! We also always order their "Lamb With Leeks", "Steamed Chicken", and "Ox Tail Clay Pot"! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!
  
  If they have "Pea Shoots" available, then you definitely want to order them. If not, their "Mustard Greens in Broth" are a classic stand out, along with their "String Beans".
  
  As for Seafood and Noodle dishes, seriously, talk to the owner! She's willing to work with you to see what you like. She's cooked us amazing "Drunken Clams", yummy Prawns, "Fried or Stemed Flounder", Crab, and Lobster. Their Chow Mein is off the hook DELISH too!!!
  
  So, in the words of my Cantonese grandfather, "Fai Dee La, Fai Dee La" go get yourself to YUM YUM Yan Yan Seafood as soon as you can!!!

• James K.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 25 June 2026

  My mom and I went to this restaurant for dinner. Food and service is okay. For my    main complaint is the charges on my bill. First,additional  charge of $1.99  was added for using credit card , food  charges was over $40.00. secondly more than 15% tips also added (2 persons) on the bill. I won't have complaints if business posts these rules. Definitely I won't go back.

• Jennifer C.

  star star star star star_border 23 June 2026

  YING YANG PORK CHOPS!!! It's kind of a secret menu item, but judging by the yelp reviews it looks like the secret is out. The portions are ridiculously huge and 100% sharable! My family and I loved the ying yang pork chops because it's a combo of their salt and pepper/peking pork chops. It's basically the perfect balance between dry and wet. We also ordered the yangzhou fried rice and the seafood pan fried noodles. Everything was good, but nothing will beat the ying yang pork chops.
  
  Also kudos to the very nice lady at the front desk (pretty sure she was the owner). She was very friendly and offered us free desserts even when we ordered our food for take out. We opted for the turtle shell jello and the black sesame soup which were alright in my opinion, but I'm not a fan of these desserts to begin with.
  
  Overall, I think this is a great place to grab some takeout for the family or to dine in with a large group!