Forkelo ranking · Updated September 2026

Best Orange Chicken in San Francisco.

25 orange chicken across San Francisco, ranked on what people say about the dish itself — never the restaurant's overall rating.

#1
$19.75
8.9 Forkelo score Medium confidence

20 dish-specific mentions · 90% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • broccoli
  • tangy

Diners call it crispy, well sauced and a table favorite, even orange-chicken skeptics. No dish-specific complaints found yet, so this top score rests on praise alone.

#2
8.8 Forkelo score Medium confidence

44 dish-specific mentions · 82% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • dried orange peel
  • crispy

Broad praise on Google and Yelp for a crispy, sweet peel-glazed plate, often called the best they've had. A few found it small for the price or no better than Panda.

#3
8.5 Forkelo score Medium confidence

14 dish-specific mentions · 79% positive · 4 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • white meat
  • crispy

Written reviews and a local Reddit pick call it fresh, fragrant and crispy with real orange peel. Delivery raters are cooler on it than the written reviews.

#4
$22.99
8.4 Forkelo score Medium confidence

17 dish-specific mentions · 82% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • mild spicy
  • chicken or beef

Reddit and Yelp diners single it out as the city's best, crispy with orange peel left in and not over-sauced. One plate came out cold and rubbery.

#5

15. Orange Chicken

Crazy Pepper · Outer Mission

$17.50
8.1 Forkelo score Medium confidence

24 dish-specific mentions · 75% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • tangy
  • sweet

Yelp regulars praise moist chicken with real orange rind that holds up reheated. Rare but serious complaints: one plate raw, one diner says it made them sick.

#6
$19.95
8.1 Forkelo score Medium confidence

33 dish-specific mentions · 73% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • sweet and sour
  • meatless option

Praised for juicy, crunchy chicken and great flavor, including on delivery. Critics find the sweet-and-sour sauce thick and goopy, or the chicken tough and dry.

#7
8.0 Forkelo score Medium confidence

17 dish-specific mentions · 88% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • broccoli
  • sweet and tangy

Families call it comfort food and one diner the best in SF; crispy with a sweet-tangy sauce. One Yelper found the meat itself flavorless under the batter.

#8
7.6 Forkelo score Medium confidence

30 dish-specific mentions · 70% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • orange peel
  • white meat

A reliable go-to for regulars who call it delicious and consistent. Knocks: small portions for the price, and one diner found the sauce cloyingly sweet.

#9
7.6 Forkelo score Limited data

12 dish-specific mentions · 83% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • broccoli
  • tangy

Richmond regulars call it consistent, tender and flavorful with real orange peel. One family hated theirs and threw it out.

#10
7.4 Forkelo score Medium confidence

29 dish-specific mentions · 62% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • spicy
  • good value

Many call it the best orange chicken they've had, crispy and saucy with a kick. Critics describe dry, stringy or overcooked chicken on some visits.

#11
7.3 Forkelo score Limited data

15 dish-specific mentions · 80% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • spicy
  • lunch plate

Tenderloin fans praise a spicy, peel-studded orange chicken in huge portions. One diner found plastic in theirs.

#12

F7. Orange Chicken

Wok Shop Cafe · Cathedral Hill

$15.10
7.2 Forkelo score Medium confidence

28 dish-specific mentions · 64% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • spicy
  • takeout

Fans love the texture and flavor and rank it a favorite. Detractors call it chewy, generic or stringy with a weak sauce, especially on pickup and delivery.

#13
7.0 Forkelo score Medium confidence

29 dish-specific mentions · 52% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • house favorite

Admirers call it crispy with strong orange flavor; the premade lunch version has fans too. Others found it rock-hard, burnt or far too sweet.

#14
$16.50
7.0 Forkelo score Medium confidence

27 dish-specific mentions · 70% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • meatless option

Praised for big pieces of quality meat and a tangy sauce that isn't too sweet. Critics found it tough and doughy, especially on delivery.

#16
6.9 Forkelo score Medium confidence

34 dish-specific mentions · 68% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • good value
  • family style

Chinatown family diners call it a favorite, some the best they've tasted. A steady minority finds it syrupy, too sweet or lacking any orange flavor.

#17
$16.95
6.8 Forkelo score Medium confidence

15 dish-specific mentions · 67% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • hunan style
  • orange peel
  • spicy

Made fresh to order and finger-licking good to fans. Others got dough balls fried hard enough to be inedible.

#18
$19.14
6.5 Forkelo score Medium confidence

24 dish-specific mentions · 62% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • hunan style
  • red peppers

The Hunan orange-sauce build earns must-try praise from some diners. Others found it tough and overcooked, small for the price, or artificially orange.

#19
$17.50
6.5 Forkelo score Medium confidence

12 dish-specific mentions · 67% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • orange slices
  • tangy

Some call it perfectly crunchy with good heat. Recent critics say under new owners it seems frozen, with soft breading and bits of cartilage.

#20
6.5 Forkelo score Medium confidence

14 dish-specific mentions · 71% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • broccoli
  • tangy

Fans like the real orange in the sauce and meaty pieces. Critics call it greasy or loaded with sugar.

#21
$14.50
6.4 Forkelo score Limited data

12 dish-specific mentions · 58% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • good value

One diner's best so far, but others call it just okay, with a maple-syrup sweetness and little citrus.

#22

Orange Chicken

Lazy Susan · West Portal

$18.00
6.2 Forkelo score Medium confidence

21 dish-specific mentions · 62% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • gluten free
  • orange zest

Fans love the fresh, bright orange flavor and the gluten-free prep. Several former regulars say it has slipped: chewy, dry, or like the General Tso's.

#23
$18.50
5.9 Forkelo score Limited data

13 dish-specific mentions · 62% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • orange peel
  • lightly battered

Some find it fresh and tasty. More recent diners call it heavily breaded, hard or stale, with no recent praise for the dish.

#24
$15.00
5.7 Forkelo score Medium confidence

31 dish-specific mentions · 52% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • takeout
  • good value

Some diners crave it. More say it's too sweet, mostly breading, tough or burnt, and hard to tell from the General Tso's.

#25
5.4 Forkelo score Medium confidence

37 dish-specific mentions · 62% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • white meat
  • takeout

Fans call it crispy with a good glaze and worth a return trip. Many others got dry, reheated-tasting chicken compared to jerky.

How this ranking works.

Every score is built from evidence about the specific dish: how often locals recommend it, how strongly, how recently, and whether independent sources agree. A restaurant's overall star rating is never converted into a dish score.

Quality and confidence are reported separately. A dish two people loved can score high, but it is marked limited data until more evidence backs it up. The whole calculation — every constant, and three dishes worked through line by line — is written out on the methodology page.

Think we got it wrong? Tell us what’s better.

Orange Chicken · San Francisco

Tell us what’s better.

Name the place and we will go and look. Suggestions are research leads — they do not change a score by themselves, and they are never published.

Goes to the research queue, not onto the page.

More rankings in San Francisco