Chef Charles Phan opened Wo Hing General Store at the original location of his Slanted Door restaurant in the Mission about a year ago. The slanted door is still there, but the interior has been significantly updated from the original. Their bar offers great cocktails and Chef Michelle Mah makes upscale Chinese food, different from that offered at Heaven’s Dog (another spot with excellent cocktails and a great Happy Hour).

They recently introduced a Happy Hour served from 5:30 to 7:00 pm every day of the week, featuring artisanal cocktails and full size dishes at bargain prices (all drinks are $6 and food items range from $5-$8). Apart from grilled chicken skewers, the Happy Hour menu is pretty much comprised of larger portions of typical dim sum dishes such as dumplings and salt and pepper fried items.

The beer and a shot (Trumer Pils with choice of Herrencia Tequila, Makers Mark Bourbon, El Dorado 5 year Rum, Tobermor’s 10 year Scotch, or Jelinek Fernet) is an excellent deal. We opted for Trumers with a shot of Scotch and Bourbon to pair with the Fried Mixed Mushroom Eggrolls served with sweet and sour sauce (click on drinks in the back of the piture to refocus the Lytro living picture):

Mary’s (the brand, not a person) Fried Chicken Wings with sichuan peppercorn was definitely an upscale version of salt and pepper chicken wings. The chicken was perfectly fried and not greasy tasting at all:

We moved to the Martini (Beefeater Gin, Dolin Dry Vermouth, Orange bitters) and a Whiskey Cocktail (Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Gum Syrup, Bitters) for the next round of drinks:

The steamed Pork and Shrimp Wontons with chili bean sauce were delicious:

Fried 5 Spiced Local Squid with fried jalapeño and lemon slices was another elevated version of salt and pepper calamari offered at most dim sum places:

For some reason, Wo Hing General Store hasn’t attracted the crowds that Charles Phan’s other Vietnamese restaurants have. The new Happy Hour is a great way to try it out if you haven’t already been there – it may just turn you into a regular. All of the Happy Hour menu items are available on the full dinner menu, but prices revert to normal after 7 pm.

Update: After 1.5 years, they never got the consistent crowds and decided to serve their last drink and meal on March 31, 2013.

http://www.wohinggeneralstore.com/