Henry’s Hunan

Henry and Diana Chung started this local chain of Chinese restaurants in 1974, introducing the spicy, smoky dishes of their native Hunan province to San Francisco. It's been a love affair ever since, with locals flocking to their downtown and neighborhood locations for the Marty's Special (hot and spicy smoked ham and chicken with vegetables in black bean sauce), cold noodle salad (shredded chicken, cucumbers and peanut sauce), deep-fried onion cakes, hot and sour soup, and Diana's legendary meat pie -- ground pork in garlicky chili sauce topped with shredded lettuce sandwiched between circles of flaky fried bread. In recent years, grandsons Jeff and Eddie have opened branches in the Excelsior and Noe Valley that cater to a more health-conscious crowd, with lighter sauces, less oil, lean meats, and options such as brown rice. If you're averse to spicy food, make sure you specify “mild” when ordering.