I went there on Valentine's Day for a date. Being an SF native, I have to be honest and say their bread bowl clam chowder was better yet not so great in other ways.

First off, it was a brief wait and they took our orders while we were waiting so no time was wasted. The decor is semi-brutalist, mostly all concrete with some curtains painted with famous SF streets, etc. Dimly lit and enough privacy so that the neighboring tables were not affected.

In regards to the food, we ordered a salad, clam chowder, a few beers, and an entree which still came out to a little less 170 RMB, which was a steal for what I was prepared to pay (300-400 RMB).

All the food was well made, the sourdough bread bowl clam chowder was really the highlight. As Boudin's back in SF usually bakes enough bread bowls to last a few days, it's hard to get a nice, soft and fresh baked bread bowl like the one we had. I was particularly surprised the bowl could easily be torn off and eaten with the clam chowder.

The clam chowder itself wasn't bad but wasn't great either, in this regard I wonder if they picked a higher end canned clam chowder and used some other ingredients ie potatoes, etc. to turn it up.

The staff dropped the ball on service though. Although, it's customary to leave the check at the table, I thought it a bit rude for the staff to come for the bill every 5 minutes. On top of which, the staff hurried for us to finish our meals as it approached the closing time of 10 pm. Considering the wait to be seated and the fact we weren't allowed to order anymore after 9 pm, I figured it wouldn't hurt to let the customers sit and chat for a little bit longer (especially on Valentine's Day). But no, they promptly took our plates at about 9:45 and sent us on our merry way.

Overall, I would recommend the place if you're on a date and looking for some native SF food for novelty or nostalgia. Moderately priced, a little bit hard to find from the subway (I asked about 3 people along the way), and semi-cozy environment. Just call ahead to reserve seats though.