Ma’s Dimsum & Cafe

Reviews

• Sylvia H.

  star star star star star 8 July 2026

  I was craving clay pot rice since I used to eat it pretty often as a kid. So I decided to come here with a friend after work since it's walking distance to the bart station.
  
  We get to the restaurant at 6:15PM on a Monday night and the restaurant is empty. I guess since the restaurant is advertised as dim sum & cafe, people don't think to come here for dinner. But we wanted to try the clay pot rice here since there doesn't seem to be many clay pot rice in Chinatown.
  
  I ordered a small chinese bacon, sausage, and chicken clay pot rice while my friend ordered a small chinese bacon and spare ribs clay pot rice. We waited at least 10 minutes for our order to come out. I was super excited to dig into it! We poured some of the sweet soy sauce into our clay pot rice for extra flavor. I really enjoyed my clay pot rice. I started to feel very nostalgic, reminiscing the times when my grandma used to make this for me and my brother when we were really young. The best part about this dish is eating the crunchy, burnt rice chunks. Yummm.
  
  Our small dishes were $7.35 each before tax and $8 after tax, which is a steal! I was super satisfied with my meal. They accept cash only, so make sure to have some on hand. I would recommend coming here for cheap and delicious clay pot rice if you're looking for a place to eat in Chinatown. The downside is that this restaurant closes at 8PM, which is why we had an early dinner. I will definitely come back here more often.

• Sharon S.

  star star star star star_border 25 June 2026

  Very basic Cantonese dishes in a no nonsense ambiance. The food is hearty and you get what you pay for you fill up a hungry stomach. It is totally Toi Shan cooking with Toi Shan people here eating!
  
  Dim Dum selection is good! The best GAI Loong in Chinatown do take home and stick into toaster oven.

• Virginia L.

  star star star star star_border 18 June 2026

  Hole in a wall CLAY POT RICE extraordaire!!!
  
  This place is so confusing. On the outside, they advertise dim sum. On the glass, they talk about their noodles. If you look at the diners and listen to their take out orders, they are all about their clay pot rice.
  
  This place was recommended by out friends for clay pot rice... a legit SF raised ABC. We know the guy knows his Chinese food but we just seriously questioned Ma's because of their super confusing signs. We were outside the restaurant and continued to question whether this was the right place since the words "clay pot rice" or "bow jai faan" were nowhere to be found in either Chinese or English. Nonetheless, we walked in, sat down, and found clay pot rice towards the end of the menu.
  
  Life has changed forever.  Perfectly cooked grains with the preserved meat and sweet soy sauce. Hands down the best we've had I'm SF..

• Dennis Y.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 17 June 2026

  I bought a dozen dai bows for my homie and we each ate one for lunch.  He got sick soon after.  Not knowing, he gave a dai bow to another friend and he too had the runs.  
  
  Convinced that the bows were good, he ate a second one.  He was proven shitty wrong and he had to sit on the throng once again.  He called me for the purchase details so he could get a refund.  Chinatown is not known for their return policies like a Costco.
  
  I was pleasantly surprised that he received a full refund from this place.  We may never return, but do applaud their customer service.

• Randy L.

  star star star star star_border 16 June 2026

  Stumbled into this place because all the other dim sum places were closed.  This is a very small restaurant that seats about 20 MAX.  The dim sum display is small, but you know the saying, "Great things come in small packages."
  
  The dim sum is both good and reasonably priced, almost cheap.  The only drawback, nothing is hot or even warm when you buy it.  There are no steam tables or steamers turned on as this place is SMALL.
  
  Great place to buy Bao and Gin Dui (like mochi filled with a red sweet paste).  Visited 3 times over the holiday while in SF visiting my daughter.
  
  For me, I will be returning because it's comfort.  If you're interested, then go visit.