Wok Wiz Chinatown Tours/Cooking Co

our guide had thorough knowledge of the area and stories to share as well as the history of the chinese in SF. it was a good cultural exp for our family. we esp enjoyed the fortune cookie factory, the art framing store and the tea tasting. the lunch was exceptional ! was easy to ride the cable car back to our hotel afterwards.

Just walking around Chinatown yourself would be dull in comparrison to having some insight and background to the community, its' history and some of the rituals. We didn't walk that far, just a few blocks, but got lots of stories and met some of the locals.

If you are only going to do one planned tour....this has to be it. Our tour guide, Lola, was amazing. This tour gives you an insider's view to Chinatown. Without Lola, we would have just had a superficial glimpse of the "looks" of the community. We found out so much about the culture, the people, the history and best of all the food. Do not miss this tour...plan your trip around it!

GREAT TIME

I've found Chinatown a hard nut to crack in the past--too many tourist shops and kitsch. But Frank our tour guide really opened the neighborhood up to us. It was great to hear his stories of growing up in Chinatown and how it has changed in the past 40-50 years. This tour is well worth taking, and the dim sum lunch was very enjoyable. Be sure to schedule some time after the tour to return to all the shops your guide suggests--the bakery, the tea house, etc. (We brought along college-age kids who enjoyed the tour as well.)

The tour was fun and showed a lot more of china town than we would have seen walking through on our own. The host was friendly and really knowledgable. We went back to all the places we visited and especially liked the tea tasting. We would really recommend this tour and the food at the end was great too.

We liked Frank very much and his delivery. Unfortunetly, the restaurant and food was not at all good to us except the soup. The majority of the courses were deep fried.

The guide was outstanding - Lola was always smiling and happy to answer any questions we had for her. The tour was very informative and I learned a lot, which is always something I hope to have accomplished when I leave a new travel location. The tea shop and the restaurant were wonderful. I could not give the guide or this tour higher marks and, as I said above, I would take the tour again, and if I do go back, I will be looking at Wok Wiz's other available tours and definitely work at least one in. It was that kind of worth it and enjoyable. Sincerely, Kristen A. Hostmeyer

Dorothy was an amazing guide with a wealth of local knowledge that you won't get on other local walking tours! Can't imagine a better way to spend your time.

If you don't have a lot of time in the city, this is a great way to see the Chinatown neighborhood and get the insider perspective. Our guide was very knowledgeable and showed us places that a tourist on their own would not know about or think to go see. Although the lunch was not quite a full "Dim Sum" meal, it was a good sampling of various dishes. My husband is a picky eater, and he liked everything. The tea sampling was informative and fun, too.

Loved it, Chinatown and it's history and people and customs.

The Wok Wiz tour that I participated in was very educational. Our tour guide Dorothy was brilliant and one of the most gentle and beautiful people I have ever met. She gave us plenty of information on the background and history of the area. We toured a few specific businesses, but mostly stayed in the allies off the main streets. We did not go in the cookie factory, but we were shown where it was... I think I expected more, but it was still worth the money. The lunch was OK, nothing that I have not had previuosly... After the tour however, my friend and I felt VERY comfortable touring the areas mentioned in the tour and visiting the bakery that Dorothy recommended... AWESOME shrimp chips!!! The tour really helps you become familiar with the area and teaches you some courtesy information... We landed up spending two days walking around by ourselves because of Dorothy's infomation... The jade is incredibly priced!! Tons of deals!

My new husband and I really enjoyed the Wok Wiz tour and Frank, our 2nd generation Chinese guide. Lots of insight into Chinese culture and how they adapted resourcefully to opportunities and opposition in San Francisco. Wonderful lunch at the 4 Seas Restaurant too.

This area of San Francisco is looking dirty, old and tired. It no longer seems vibrant or interesting. I've been on this tour previously, so the difference was noticeable. The experience is influenced by the guide too; our leader was pleasant, but focused too much on property values and money; the history component of the overview was sadly lacking.

Our guide, Frank, was full of local lore. He certainly had more information to impart than he had time for. We really appreciated that he grew up in the area and could expound on some of the subtleties of life in Chinatown. He recommended other places for us to visit such as the Chinese Heritage (or was it History) Museum and another temple four stories up both of which we visited after our tour. By the time the day was over, we still had not visited all the places he suggested. There is just too much to see in one day's trip. We plan to return to visit more of the shops, to take photos, and explore more of the streets and alleys. The dim sum lunch was tasty except for the chow fun noodles which lacked flavor and were very greasy. Go light on those.