Wok Wiz Chinatown Tours/Cooking Co

We had a wonderful tour of Chinatown with Hank, a retired professional chef and restaurateur. He showed us the restaurant his family used to own and run, and described the many tasks he performed as a young man while working in the family business. We toured many food establishments and learned from Hank the ingredients and techniques used to prepare many of the dishes. He provided insights into Chinatown as it exists today and as it was in the 1960s. It was fascinating to visit what used to be the Chinese Opera and see how it must have looked when it was in its prime. All in all, a very good tour!

Our guide was a very personable, fountain of facts and stories. We enjoyed the tour and the lunch was delicious.

An excellent and informative tour conducted by the effervescent Shirley Fong-Torres. A great introduction to Chinatown for the out of town visitor, and a treat for long time residents. Tour includes humor, variety, and some great food. Thanks, Shirley!

Overall was interesting, and a great introduction for people who never eat non-American food etc. It was amusing watching my tablemates struggle with chopsticks. I am a local, caucasian but very used to and really like Asian food and culture - I would have liked something geared more towards people like me - more fast-paced, more history, smaller group. I'll probably take some cooking classes next though to try to get this kind of experience.

Our tour guide, Dorothy Quong was a very kind and nice woman however she was just too slow moving for the tour. Hence we were an hour and an half late for lunch, which some people then had to miss. She didn't allow us to go into the fortune cookie factory which literally took 5 minutes and she didn't let us shop. I had been on the same tour 3 months prior and the guy was a fast moving funny guy who allowed both of those things and kept us on schedule too. Dorothy although kind and knowledgable, allowed too much time on her birth place, wedding banquet etc. She probably wanted to share her cultural with us but it seemed like our group had other places to see too like fisherman's Warf. She made a real effort to include everyone in the tour, especailly the children but I think she would e a better guide for an indepth all day tour for slow moving people. Our recnt tour highlighted the fact that the man that did our previous tour was fantastic. I would only bring other visitors back if he was doing the tour.

Wonderful overview of Chinatown, its history and place in San Francisco's culture. Terrific lunch.

Fun, quick and informative tour.

I went with my mom on the Wok Wiz tour. The tour and our guide were both wonderful, not to mention the food. Thank you Dorothy -- Meg Collins Mountain View, CA

My wife and I enjoyed the tour very much. We live near Sacramento and come to San Francisco quite often we hadn't visited Chinatown recently. We liked Shirley's humor very much. This is a trip that can be enjoyed by seniors or almost anyone. I would certainly be open to do this again or one Wok Wiz's other tours. By the way my wife and I travel to S. F. by Amtrac and play cards on the way..

The Wok Wiz tour is outstanding. I live in San Francisco but now have a new appreciation for my city.....the tour revealed Chinatown in fascinating and fun ways that activated so many senses -- the sights of people carrying on age-old traditions, the smells of the street markets, fish stores, and dim sum lunch, and the sounds of people communicating in a variety of languages and dialects. Our guide was freindly, knowledgable and enthusiastic. Overall, a wonderful experience.

I am so glad I went on this tour. It was a last minute thing, but I would definitely do it again. Our guide, Dorothy was so knowledgeable and friendly. She made history come alive as we were walking through the alleys of Chinatown. This is a must to understand not just Chinatown, but San Francisco as a whole.

fun and educational

This tour was a lot of fun. I learned a lot of things that I had never imagined. Chinatown is really a beautiful part of San Francisco. Our tour guide, Dorothy, was so knowledgable and had so many interesting stories. She was so enthusiastic and it was so much fun listening to her.

This tour was wonderful. Chuck was fantastic!! I recommend this tour to anyone who would like to know more about Chinatown. Chuck took us to historical sites, interesting places, explained why people were doing what they were doing, took us to shops, taught us about food and culture, and reminisced about his childhood in Chinatown, giving us first hand insight on what it is like for the residents there. I was so blessed to be a part of this tour. I can't wait to take my kids back to Chinatown and show them all of the great things I learned. It really makes me see Chinatown differently. I went on the tour because I had to. I was writing a paper on Chinatown for my anthropology class. But I am so glad I did. I would go again in a minute. The paper was so easy to write because of all the great information I was given and the knowledge that I took away with me. Thank you Thank you Thank you for the wonderful opportunity and tour.

I found the tour interesting even though I'd been to Chinatown many times before and previously had seen many of the sites on the tour. Still, the guide explained details about the sites that I didn't know. The guide was full of fun and information. The tour would be even more interesting to anyone who had never been to Chinatown. I would recommend it, although I thought it was a little pricey.