This SF restaurant used to be home to the ‘world’s rudest waiter’

Back in the day, a meal at Sam Wo was served with a side of verbal abuse. 

The century-old San Francisco Chinatown institution was known for having “the world’s rudest waiter.” Edsel Ford Fung, who customers “came to see and be verbally abused by,” was infamous for “flirting with girls, rudely criticizing customers and reminding people about tipping him,” chef and writer Shirley Fong-Torres wrote in her 2008 book, “The Woman Who Ate Chinatown: A San Francisco Odyssey,” per the LA Times.

Edsel Ford Fung passed away in 1984, but he’s been immortalized in the writings of both San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen and author Armistead Maupin, who made him a character in “Tales of the City.” 

These days, service at Sam Wo Restaurant is far from rude. On a recent Thursday evening, some friends and I were seeking sustenance after a few rounds of happy hour drinks. I’d worried our group was too large, but we were politely welcomed into the small restaurant on Clay Street. 

In case you’re new here, the Clay Street spot is not the original location of Sam Wo’s — from shortly after the 1906 earthquake up until 2012, it was located nearby at 813 Washington Street. It closed due to health and safety violations, reopening in its current space in 2015. 

At the new location, customers no longer enter the restaurant through the street-level kitchen and servers no longer scribble down orders on pieces of paper, but the important elements remain: Sam Wo is still a reliable, no-frills spot to get a cheap and delicious Cantonese meal in the city.

It also manages to look historic despite being only 8 years old. The space is decorated with dozens of framed news articles, photos of celebrities who have eaten at the restaurant (from celebrity chef Martin Yan to comedian Ken Jeong) and other artifacts from Sam Wo’s long run. There’s a framed apron and bowtie labeled as belonging to Fung, old signs and menus, and an article about Conan O’Brien’s 2007 skit filmed at the restaurant. It’s not difficult to imagine this place being a hangout for Beat poets like Allen Ginsberg in the 1950s.

Sam Wo seats smaller parties on its street level, but the real fun is to be found at the big tables upstairs. My group of seven settled into our seats and began ordering with abandon. 

While the legendary Fung’s house rules were “No Booze, No B.S., No Jive, No Coffee, Milk, Soft Drinks, Fortune Cookies,” these days, you can order beer, wine, sake, milk tea and soda. We opted for Tsingtaos to keep the happy hour buzz going. 

Sam Wo is most famous for its BBQ pork rice noodle roll — thick noodles wrapped around smoky, sweet slices of pork and served with a side of hot mustard. The hot mustard, which Sam Wo sells by the jar, set off a domino effect of chaos at my table. As each person spooned a dollop of mustard on their roll and took a bite, they inhaled sharply, tears coming to their eyes. 

“It cleared my sinuses,” declared one friend. 

The jook, of which we ordered both the fish and beef variations, was far less abrasive an experience. I especially enjoyed the fish jook, tender pieces of white fish submerged in a pillowy bowl of mild, gingery rice porridge, and topped with fresh scallions and cilantro. 

The savory Chinese doughnuts (youtiao), which we ordered alongside the jook, however, were not my favorite — my friends and I found them dry and flavorless. 

Everything else, though, was a hit. One friend declared the sesame chicken — crispy pieces of chicken coated in a sweet honey sauce — the “star of the show.” 

The shrimp chow fun and BBQ pork chow mein were highly slurpable post-drinking dishes, a heavy dose of bean sprouts and onions providing welcome crunch. I also loved the shrimp fried rice, a more flavorful version than I’ve had elsewhere that was generous with the ratio of juicy shrimp. 

The shrimp chow fun, Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, and mapo tofu were also all solid versions of the classics. Honestly, we barely put a dent in the menu: There’s so much more to try, from beef stew noodle soup to salt and pepper chicken wings.

The lighting may have been fluorescent and the decor a little stark, but the vibes at Sam Wo were immaculate. The service was speedy and, strangely enough, completely devoid of insults. We ordered more food than we could even finish, and it was still quite cheap. Our bill was $148 before tip, which came out to about $21 per person. 

Nothing about this meal particularly blew my mind — I’ve had similarly great versions of most of these dishes at other Chinatown restaurants — but for the cheap price coupled with the history, it was more than worth the visit. 

You may no longer have the opportunity of being disparaged by the world’s rudest waiter, but whether you’re a tourist or a local, Sam Wo is a must.

Sam Wo, 713 Clay St, San Francisco. Open Sunday and Monday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., closed Tuesdays.