At her San Francisco restaurant, chef Kathy Fang transforms familiar Chinese dishes into something worth rediscovering.
There is something particularly satisfying about discovering a restaurant that makes you reconsider food you thought you already knew. At Fang, in San Francisco’s SoMa district, just steps from the Financial District, chef Kathy Fang has mastered that art. Her cooking is rooted in tradition, but it is her curiosity, imagination, and remarkable attention to detail that make the experience memorable.
Kathy’s relationship with food began long before she became a chef. Her parents, Peter and Lily Fang, opened the now-legendary House of Nanking in 1988, establishing what would become one of San Francisco’s most recognizable Chinese restaurants. Kathy practically grew up in its dining room and kitchen, watching her father cook, interacting with customers, and developing an appreciation for the connection between food and the people enjoying it.
Her path to becoming a chef, however, was not entirely straightforward. After studying business at the University of Southern California and working in the corporate world, she followed her passion to Le Cordon Bleu in Los Angeles. In 2009, she returned to San Francisco to open Fang with her father, creating a restaurant that would respect the family’s culinary legacy while giving her the freedom to explore her own vision.
More than 17 years later, Fang has established an identity of its own, with a menu that embraces Chinese culinary traditions while incorporating influences from Kathy’s travels, international flavors, and creative instincts.
What becomes immediately apparent when speaking with Kathy is how much thought goes into every dish. During our visit, she spoke enthusiastically about her love of cooking and the constant process of refining her craft. Nothing seems too insignificant to reconsider, whether it is the development of a broth, the balance of seasonings, or the precise combination of textures needed to make a familiar recipe exceptional.
And that philosophy translates beautifully onto the plate.
The fried rice! A Chinese restaurant staple, certainly, but at Fang, even something as familiar as fried rice becomes an experience. Served on a sizzling skillet and finished tableside, it arrives with a sense of anticipation. Kathy introduces unexpected layers of seasoning, including cumin, bringing a subtle warmth that recalls the flavors of Mexican rice. It is an inspired combination, not an attempt to disguise the dish’s Chinese identity, but rather to expand its possibilities. The result is the kind of surprise that makes you stop mid-conversation. You know the dish, you love the dish, and suddenly you are discovering it all over again.
The crispy honey chili short rib is another standout. Beautifully crisp on the outside, the beef reveals a remarkably tender, juicy interior, with an explosion of sweet, savory, and gently spicy flavors. The contrast between that delicate crust and the richness of the meat is extraordinary. Every bite delivers something intensely satisfying without losing its balance.
Interestingly, the dish also tells the story of the Fang family itself. Originally inspired by Kathy’s mother, who began frying short ribs for herself, the recipe evolved through Kathy’s addition of sauce and Peter’s suggestion to accompany it with garlic bok choy. Three members of the family, three contributions, and one exceptional dish.
The poached whitefish offers a completely different experience. Delicate, buttery, and almost impossibly tender, it practically melts in the mouth. It demonstrates another side of Kathy’s cooking. There is an elegance to the dish that comes from allowing the fish’s texture and subtle flavors to shine.
And then there is the broccoli. It may seem unusual to single out a vegetable side dish in a restaurant filled with such exciting creations, but Fang’s garlic-charred broccoli absolutely deserves the attention. Deeply flavorful, beautifully cooked, and elevated by its preparation, it turns one of the most ordinary vegetables into something genuinely remarkable. The char adds depth and complexity, while the garlic brings a richness that makes each bite irresistible. Perhaps that is the most revealing example of Kathy’s talent. Anyone can make an expensive ingredient feel special. Making broccoli unforgettable requires a different kind of skill.
Beyond the individual dishes, what makes Fang particularly appealing is the sense of personality behind the cooking. Kathy is not interested in creating something different simply for the sake of originality. Her approach comes from a genuine fascination with flavors, an understanding of technique, and a desire to continually improve what she serves.
Her years growing up alongside her father are still very much present in the restaurant, but so is her own identity, shaped by travel, curiosity, and a willingness to look beyond the expected boundaries of Chinese cuisine.
That interplay between heritage and experimentation is what makes Fang so enjoyable. You arrive expecting excellent Chinese food, and you leave thinking about dishes you have eaten a hundred times before, wondering how they managed to surprise you so completely.
In a city celebrated for its extraordinary dining scene, Fang reminds us that memorable cooking does not always require an unfamiliar ingredient or an elaborate presentation. Sometimes, it is simply about understanding a dish so well that you know exactly how to make it better.
And Kathy Fang clearly does.
FANG Restaurant
660 Howard Street, San Francisco, California
www.fangrestaurant.com
Kathy and her father have also brought their culinary legacy beyond the restaurant with House of Nanking: Family Recipes from San Francisco’s Favorite Chinese Restaurant, published in 2025. A finalist for the prestigious 2026 James Beard Foundation Book Awards, the cookbook brings together more than 100 recipes spanning three generations of family cooking, from beloved restaurant classics to dishes once reserved for the Fang family table. But beyond the recipes, it is also a personal account of Peter’s journey, the family’s history, and the traditions that continue to inspire Kathy’s cooking today. For anyone who leaves Fang wishing they could take a little of that experience home, the book offers exactly that, along with a deeper appreciation of the family behind it.
Photography and text by Stéphane Marquet
