Mahjiku › Where to play › San Francisco Bay Area
For the table game: four players, real tiles, Hong Kong style — not the solitaire puzzle.
We found 7 places to play mahjong in the Bay Area and checked each against its own page or a published listing: 5 run Hong Kong-style tables and 2 play it alongside other styles. For a first game, start with Mr. Mahjong's: Teaching Tuesdays, Play Mahjong SF and Mahjong with Kim — they teach or seat beginners. The Bay Area has the deepest Hong Kong-style beginner scene of the US cities, from the Chinatown venues to the Sunset, the Richmond and the East Bay, and tables set their own minimum faan.
Hong Kong-style places first, then the ones that mix styles or don't say. Each row links the place itself and the page we read it from, with the date we read it.
| Where | Their rules and what to expect | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mr. Mahjong's: Teaching Tuesdays260 Kearny St (Financial District / Chinatown edge)Hong KongBar or café | Nothing published onlineCocktail bar; Tuesday 5:30-8:30pm teaching nights, 'we mainly teach Hong Kong style', US$10, seniors free (weekly vs first-Tuesday cadence conflicts between listings). Also home base of the Secret Mahjong Society. | downtownsf.orgSeen 2026-10-08 |
| Play Mahjong SF19th Avenue Baptist Church, 1370 19th Ave (monthly free Meet & Learn); United Dumplings, 525 Cortland Ave, Bernal Heights (Tuesdays); United Dumplings, 6247 College Ave, Oakland (Fridays)Hong KongSocial night | Published rules (playmahjongsf.com) free beginner cheat sheet PDF + Scoring Rules page'Hong Kong Mahjong, all day every day'; beginner-friendly with a teacher; dates through Dec 2026. | playmahjongsf.comSeen 2026-10-08 |
| Mahjong with KimOn Waverly Clubhouse, 162 Waverly Pl, ChinatownHong KongLessons | payout chart + 'calculating your winning hand' guide on siteHK-style shared Mahjong 101 lessons US$100 (10 Oct, 18 Oct, 7 Nov 2026); also American; publishes a payout chart and a winning-hand guide. | sites.google.comSeen 2026-10-08 |
| Alameda Mahjong Social ClubMalaya Botanicals, AlamedaHong KongSocial night | Publishes: a minimum to winHK style; each table sets its own minimum fan (1-3); two Mondays a month; US$5; coaches at beginner tables (Sep 2025). | alamedapost.comSeen 2026-10-08 |
| Chinatown Night Market Mahjong PartyWaverly Place, ChinatownHong KongSocial night | Nothing published onlineFree drop-in HK and Filipino style, 12 Jun 2026 (one-off). | sf.funcheap.comSeen 2026-10-08 |
| Bay Area Mahjong MeetupRotating SF sites: Mamahuhu Noe Valley, St. Joseph's Art Society, Ferry Building, Union SquareHong Kong and othersSocial night | Nothing published online~1,400 members; American and Chinese style (May 2025). | sfseniorbeat.comSeen 2026-10-08 |
| The Mahjong ProjectPop-ups across SF and Oakland (Oakland Chinatown, SF Public Library, Golden Gate Park County Fair Building 3 Dec 2026)Hong Kong and othersSocial night | Nothing published onlineAuthor Nicole Wong's socials and book talks; Chinese and Filipino styles; How to Play and Scoring pages on site. | themahjongproject.comSeen 2026-10-08 |
Every table plays its own house rules, and these are the ones the places above publish themselves. Agree them before the first hand, not after the first win.
Learn how a Hong Kong hand is counted, keep the faan chart on your phone, and check any hand you are unsure of in the calculator.
Venue data: the places' own pages and the listings linked in each row, read on 2026-10-08. Something changed, or your club is missing? Tell us at support and we will re-check it.
Last updated: 2026-10-08.
Game points only. Mahjiku records the points of a friendly table — points, not money, and nothing to cash out.
Every club on this page plays its own house rules. Set yours once in Mahjiku — the minimum, the payouts, the hands you allow — and Sifu keeps the score live while you play. Points, not money. Free on iPhone and Android.
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