Venus Cafe in San Francisco

Review №1

2023-11-05 03:26:12

We stumbled in here on Clement while wandering around because it was filled with older Asian people and thats usually a pretty good sign. Service was fine, not particularly efficient but not terrible either. They seated us right away but it got pretty busy as we were dining there.The menu is very extensive, there are a million things on there and even more written in Chinese on the wall. While it is a cha chaan teng, I didnt end up ordering the usual western influenced dishes but went with some classics. The food was lightly seasoned and that was perfect for me - some people might find it needs more.Dried scallop & egg white fried rice: this is my favorite kind of fried rice and shockingly hard to find in the city. This was a really good version - it had some wokhei and every grain was separated and not too hard. I was really glad I ordered this.Garlic sauteed water spinach: perfectly cooked and not too greasy.Salt pepper pork ribs: nicely seasoned and crispy! The vegetables with it were weirdly cold but the pork was served hot. Felt like they just added the vegetables at the end and they were precooked.This place delivers on Cantonese food that is decent and has enough dishes that you can come back frequently not get bored. Prices are on the higher side but the quality is decent.

Review №2

2023-06-03 05:55:37

Overall the food was good but the service was lacking. The menu prices were different then the online menu. There is a 3% service charge for credit card payments.We got Beef Brisket & Rice roll in clay pot (which was really good), Shanghai Style Stir-Fried Thick Noodles (I didnt like the thick noodles but the season was good), Seafood Combo with White Sauce (its a rice dish and I didnt like the imitation crab but the rice was good), and Lotus Roots & Pig Knuckles (I didnt like how soft the lotus roots were. There was no crunch at all.)Half the tables were taken when we entered so we thought it was a really good place.. but it might have been because there was only one staff member manning the place at the beginning. We ended up sitting ourselves down (group of four) after waiting a few minutes. We got a physical menu after a while and we had to stand up to find someone to take our order - it was about a 10-20 minute wait. We eventually got our tea. The service did speed up when more staff came in (we assumed they were went on break).

Review №3

2023-05-02 00:50:06

Food was decent; however, they do charge 3% convenience fee for using credit card (sign is posted, and this is something Ive noticed with more and more restaurants).Also note: 15% tip is enforced, and they will charge for to go containers, so bring your own tupperware and bag if youre not sure youll finish your meal.

Review №4

2022-03-31 04:05:11

Updated review 3/30/2022: Venus Cafe saves the day. A lot of the restaurants in the Sunset district were closed at 7pm (Smile House closes every other Wednesdays, S&E Cafe (no indoor dining) and Just Wonton closed.) I was in the mood for some HK style instant noodles w/spam and egg or wontons. I had the fried pork chop w/fried egg on a bed of instant noodles without soup $13. My appetizer was Hong Kong style fish balls with a heavy dark sauce $5. The food tasted fine. The Yelp hours are incorrect, they close at 8pm everyday. Well done Venus Cafe for satisfying my Hong Kong style instant noodles fix.Indoor dining 5/19/2021. Venus Cafe is a not a bad Hong Kong style cafe. The service is fast with fair tasting food. Tonight I had their house combo sizzling platter, chicken, pork chop, bacon, ham, hot dog, fried egg on top and french fries on the bottom. It came with a side of spaghetti and milk tea. The milk tea was served in a dirty cup with coffee stains from the previous customer. HK cafes are not known for their cleanliness and is as expected. The first bites of the various meats were awesome. Towards the end of my meal, it felt tedious and was too much. The bottom piece of the chicken had a lot of fat and I had to cut that off along with the skin. This wasnt a bad meal. I will come back to try their other dishes.

Review №5

2023-09-16 18:27:03

Place is clean and decent. Food is very good at a reasonable price. I like the big brother most. Guilin rice noodles is mediocre, the rice noodle doesn’t taste original. But they’re raising the price, I wish that won’t be a huge raise.

Review №6

2023-10-19 17:23:06

Stoners paradise; “kitchen sink” entrees. They simply throw anything they can find in a pan, stir fry it w/ butter, eggs, various sauces, cheese pastes, etc.A splurge item for sure but you’ll still need to go to confession after.

Review №7

2023-09-08 06:25:48

2 times in a row. 2 different days. 1st mistake was corrected and was taken care of by a nice lady. 2nd experience was horrible. Ordered from uber eats. Specifically picked rice. Gave me noodles the first time. Picked rice this time again on a different plate and they gave me French fries instead. Called in and they dont understand...and tried to turn it around like i was at fault, getting defensive and started talking smack. It clearly says choose either rice or fries. wonder if they even look at the options customers pick? Plenty of other restaurants to go to. On to the next one.

Review №8

2023-01-08 08:19:05

Customer service was great, not rushing you to order food. Periodically fill your cup with teas. The dishes were delicious, definitely recommended and will come again next time

Review №9

2018-08-04 05:05:32

Cash only and very busy place. Hong Kong style food. Opens late with friendly staff and service. Ordered wonton ho fun with beef brisket. Food is pretty good. Four stars because it’s a cash only cafe.

Review №10

2023-05-08 15:59:15

We went at a busy time but the service was decent. Our food took a little while but it was reasonable. The baked fish rice dish is quite good, we got it multiple times. Get a cup of milk tea and be sure to stir it up.