Pick Up Stix Fresh Asian Flavors
25960 The Old Rd, Valencia, CA 91355, United States
Now I remember why Ive only been to Pick up Stix once. It looks and feels like a Chinese fast food restaurant. But the menu and the price feels like a full service restaurant, even if you dine in.It was a little confusing to order. They didnt hand us a menu. We had to look all over the board. The combos arent available after 3 pm. I guess the entrees come with rice because he offered white or brown rice. If I wanted fried rice or chow mien I would be charged $2 more to replace the rice, not beside the rice.I ordered curry tofu. It had no curry. Maybe they sprayed a fine mist of curry flavor on it, possibly. The rice was super dry and chewy. I EXPECTED a juicy bowl filled with creamy curry sauce and veggies with a healthy serving of tofu. I GOT a takeout box with what looked exactly like the package of frozen veggies I get at the market. The tofu was breaded and dry. Why?I also ordered a small wonton soup made with the same veggies. It was actually the highlight of the meal. I had to mix the so called curry into my soup to give it flavor and soften it up.I paid the extra $2 for my boys kids meals. The chow mein was just spaghetti dripping in some brown stuff. The orange chicken was tough and had bird nerves in it. Poor kids!Ill probably be blindly tempted to try this place again in a decade or so. But until I forget again, Im staying away.
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Chic n Time
807 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
Listen up my gorgeous glamazons! This queen has some piping hot tea to spill about a casual little eatery called Chic n Time that is going to completely gag you with how fabulous it is.I sashayed in there just expecting a basic little counter situation to grab a quick bite, but they read me for filth with the quality of their food offerings. Who knew this unassuming spot was hiding such fierce culinary talents, am I right?We started with these peppercorn chicken wings that instantly vogued their way into my heart. That crispy exterior was construction realness, while the inside was dripping in juicy, well-seasoned flavor with just the right amount of peppery zing. These wings have all the fancy places shook, trust.Then came the popcorn chicken which was practically a religious experience, ladies. Each delicate little morsel was swaddled in the most delicate yet crunchy shell that opened up to tender, savory chicken goodness inside. I literally could not stop devouring them - they were that divalicious!To help extinguish the fire, we gulped down one of their signature bubble teas and it was absolutely everythiiiiing. The creaminess and refreshing notes were living in such harmonious unity without being too sweet and desperate for attention. The balance? Perfection!Even though Chic n Time is giving very casual vibes with the counter setup, the food quality is truly top tier and ready for the runway. Theyre elevating grab-and-go to a whole other level up in there.And can we take a moment for the vibe? I live for these laidback, fuss-free hangouts where you can just strut in and get what you need without the pageantry and drama. Its ideal for when those snack attack cravings hit hard.Long story short, the food had me so gagged that a re-wife is already on the calendar to keep exploring their delectable Asian-inspired snack and drink selections. If you want casual but utterly fierce eats, Chic n Time is a definite must-visit! Mama has spoken, so you better listen!
Lol
974 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
If youre in the mood for a truly authentic Mexican dining experience in San Francisco, look no further than Lolo. From the moment you walk through the door, youll be enchanted by the restaurants unique and eclectic decor, which adds a touch of whimsy and fun to the dining experience.One of the standout dishes at Lolo is the fried avocado tacos, which are small plates bursting with flavor. The avocado is cooked to perfection, with a crispy exterior that gives way to a soft, creamy center. The seasoning is expertly balanced, and the tangy lime sauce is the perfect complement to the richness of the avocado. If youre in the mood for something lighter, the fresh tortilla chips are a must-try. Theyre perfectly salted and served with a delicious rojo salsa thats bursting with fresh, bright flavors.The service at Lolo is prompt, professional, and friendly, making for a truly enjoyable dining experience. The staff is attentive and knowledgeable about the menu, and they go out of their way to make sure that every guest feels welcome and comfortable. The food is prepared quickly, but with care and attention to detail, ensuring that every dish is served at its peak freshness and flavor.In conclusion, Lolo is a must-visit destination for anyone who appreciates authentic Mexican cuisine served in a fun and lively atmosphere. With standout dishes like the fried avocado tacos and fresh tortilla chips, as well as impeccable service and unique decor, its no wonder that Lolo is one of San Franciscos most popular Mexican restaurants. So, whether youre in the mood for a quick bite or a full meal, be sure to add Lolo to your list of must-visit restaurants in the city.
Seor Sisig
990 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
Senor Sisig is a good place to go to If you're looking for an interesting take on mexican food with a little more attention to flavor detail. There is something for everyone, carnivores, vegetarians, and vegans alike. The garlic rice was a great upgrade to the standard Spanish rice. And the burrito was wrapped expertly. Highly recommend adding an egg and getting guacamole.Great ambience and comfortable seating in the back. Nice place to grab dinner with friends after work or before going to a bar.I do not recommend the Ube Horchata shake. Not only does the over exaggerated spice potency not warrant it, the ube is hard to taste and the price of 5 dollars for a small bottle is excessive.Additionally I wish the flavor upgrades applied to all aspects of the burrito and d it just the rice. Even though the choice of firm tofu was wise, the seasoning and cut on the tofu could have been more complex and smaller respectively.The other unfortunate aspects are the spice level and price. The only way Senor Sisg knows to increase spiciness is to add more jalapeño pepper. The team needs to have different peppers or seasonings associated with each level of soice. not just pile on more and more jalapeños.Given how Senor Sisig is located in SF the price range is expected, but nonetheless on the higher range of one would expect for the quality and volume of food provided.
Lahore di Khushboo
701 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
In August, Lahore di Khushboo Food Truck officially announced its opening day. Since we live close to SF so for us, this was a piece of big news because mainly Pakistani or Indian authentic food places are in the east bay or the South bay. This is a woman-owned business which means you can expect womens touch family recipes and their constant efforts to bring food quality better and better.Also I loved when I saw her kids are helping her out. Everyone was so nice.Besides the food going to the city is always fun, and the city ambiance helped out of towner to enjoy the food with the city touch.Since it was the first day so I saw long lines, and that was understandable. We ordered their chicken biryani, chicken chargha, chapli kabobs, and their signature Falooda.I started with Biryani, and the first bite says it all. The taste and the aroma of homemade food put a smile on my face. Its a women-owned business and Shumaila was so gracious and kind when we were ordering. She wanted to make sure if we I needed anything else.Its like we are sitting in her home dining room area and she is traditionally serving her guests.Meanwhile, in the background live jazz blues music on the street was creating unforgettable happiness. Like I said the owner Shumaila was very kind and down-to-earth person.Now Lahore Di Khushboo Food Truck has two locations, Friday and Saturday, on Valencia street in SF. Thursday and Sunday at the Chrissy field with the view of GG bridge. The timing is 11 am to 6 pm on both locations. Please follow them on Instagram to check the menu for different places. I highly recommend please you must try it with your family and friends.
Burma Love
211 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103, United States
Shan noodles with chicken, and deep fried whole fish were delicious. Would order again. The deep fried battered chicken chunks and tofu not so much.We appreciate that each dish came with separate serving utensils, that isnt always the case at Asian eateries. So if you are sharing with friends and dread the accidental double dip, fear not.Shan noodles were mixed for us table side, and lemon squeezed for us. It was a great punchy mix of bright bold flavors.The pickled greens were funky and pungent, when mixed up with the fresh greens, lemon juice, etc. It all comes together.The whole fish was fried beautifully. Squeezing the giant whole lemon chunk left our fingers sticky from the sauce it had been drizzled with. Would have liked it to be wedged for easier squeezing. We liked that the fish wasnt drowning in the sweet sauce and only the lower half near the tail had sauce. The upper part near the head was mostly dry. This suited us fine but if you like more saucy, then you can always use the serving spoon to scoop extra sauce from bottom of plate and drizzle.The tofu was interesting, well fried so it was crisp, not greasy, like fried tofu can be. The inside was indeed soft like the menu described. It is different from regular (your average firm Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, taiwanese, Chinese etc. tofu) tofu, has a sour smell and taste kind of like slightly spoiled regular tofu, but with a mashed potato texture.The chicken chunks had a warmed over odor and flavor that I could not stomach, but if you arent sensitive to that you may like the sticky sweet General Tso type sauce. Batter was too thick for my liking but if you like hush puppies and bready items, you may like this.Note for people with food allergies: The older male server was very communicative and proactive regarding possibility of cross contamination. Other young female server looked like she didnt want to be there, made a face when asked for the menu, and was the opposite of the male server in every way.If you have a mango allergy, they do store mango together with other produce, and use the same cutting board and wok. We took a chance knowing I may get probably a slight case of hives (in the Mission and really wanted some Burmese) because we were some of the first customers of the day, and they checked that no one had cut/cooked mangoes yet.
Dancing Yak Restaurant & Bar
280 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103, United States
3rd or 4th or was it 5th time here?With all the new restaurants always popping out it speaks volume how often I come here. Consistent (an ephemeral quality in the city) top notch friendly service accompanied but beautiful well prepared food have always guaranteed me coming back. I have been bringing friends from overseas and nothing beats this place if you are seeking comfort good food in a relaxing environement..Atmosphere: Colourful without being tacky decorations with oil paintings on the wall artistic with vintage faux leather booths provide a cozy and inviting space, whether you are on a date or having a friendly get together. Divided in 4 areas: one small lounge area for people who might be waiting for a table, a bar area, dining area as well as a private dining area at the back.Food: starting with the momos to all the curries as well as the plates, so many good options for vegans as well as meat lovers. I have tried momos in other spots in the city, including east bay but the thin wrapping and juiciness of the momos of Dancing Yak, the perfect cooking time that dont make either flop or undercooked are, at least for me, #1.From the first start that I ate the Bhindi Tarkari which was a blast of flavors to the eggplant (sorry if the picture is half plate... was too hungry and delicious to wait for picture taking moments), all the staples are fantastic.Service: excellent, sometimes you might find the owner roaming around the tables and giving advice but all greet you with a sincere smile. Attentive to your needs without being pushy or invasive.
Alnico
1050 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
I came here for brunch a couple weeks ago with my wife and a few friends as our very first dine-in restaurant since the pandemic started and it did NOT disappoint!Ive always enjoyed asian fusion restaurants (if its done right), but most of these restaurants primarily focused on dinner, this may be the first asian fusion brunch restaurant Ive been to. Not gonna lie, I was a bit skeptical at first, but this place really hits it out of the park. Their menu selection has just the perfect balance of go-to brunch dishes with an asian twist to them.Even though our entire party were all vaccinated, were all still a little bit covid paranoid and it was very reassuring seeing how spread out the tables were inside the restaurant. At the end of the day, its a restaurant looking to turn a profit, so we didnt tables to me yards apart, but it was enough for our entire party to be extremely comfortable.Our waitress also stayed masked up the entire time and was super friendly throughout our time there.Now, on to the part that were REALLY here for...the food!We ordered family style so that we could try as many things as possible. We ultimately ordered 6 dishes split between 5 people.Crab Omelette - my favorite here. The eggs were on point, the avocado & chilis added a nice kick to it, and most importantly, they do NOT skimp on the crab whatsoever. Mamas in North Beach has always been my favorite crab omelette in the city but this one gives Mamas a run for its money.Steak & Eggs with Chimichurri - Ive always loved steak & eggs, whether its making it at home or whenever I ate at a diner so its always been an all time favorite for me and I must say, I never thought of adding chimichuri to this dish and theirs really took this dish to another level.Korean Chicken & Waffles - waffles? good. korean chicken wings? really good. Together in a single dish made both even better! I was always used to regular fried chicken with waffles, but the korean chicken wings made this even better. The bit of spiciness in the korean chicken wings really put a kick with the waffles that Ive never experienced.Poached Chicken Porridge - this was ordered by someone in our party and I wouldnt have ordered it myself. Growing up in a Chinese household, jook was a staple dish...and I ALWAYS hated it. It was always just so bland. No flavor and just bits and pieces of meat (if there even was any). Alnicos may have been the first porridge dish Ive ever enjoyed in my life. The depth of flavors was something I never associated with jook and just like the crab omelette, they did NOT skimp on the meat here.Pork Belly & Beans - this was probably the most questionable dish on the menu when we were ordering. The description didnt really stand out much and we were pretty close to not ordering it, but Im glad we decided last minute to add it as well because it turned out to be one of my favorite dishes of the day. The pork belly was perfectly cooked, just the perfect amount of crunch and incredible depths of flavors.Ube Pancakes - I was never a fan of pancakes, I always preferred the crunchiness of waffles (see above), but Ive always LOVED ube. Ive only ever had this dish at a restaurant in Honolulu and taking a bite into these brought me back to the beaches of Oahu. The ube pancakes combined with the coconut flakes was just on point. It was so good, it was half gone by the time any of us realized we forgot to take a photo of it!Our waitress also mentioned they may be offering dinner in the future and if their dinner menu is as good as their brunch menu, I look forward to making a return for dinner!All in all, it was a wonderful experience and the food was great!Alnico was every bit worthy of our first dine-in meal after getting fully vaccinated.Hell, Id go even if I didnt get the vaccine yet!Might even be worth it if a vaccine didnt exist!Just kidding...not really...
Limn
524 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
Really bad service. Rude waitress. Brought me food with allergens after I told her I had a severe wheat/gluten allergy. Awful timing bringing dishes out. Very expensive and small portions.Before I ordered I told our server I was allergic to gluten and she arrogantly told me gluten could not be in a sauce, that gluten is a food. After I politely insisted she check with the chef anyway whether or not the soy sauce was gluten free, she begrudgingly talked to him, only to come back and tell me what I already knew- that gluten can in fact be in sauces and the thing she just told me was gluten free actually did have gluten in it. I could not believe how rude she was about it. Gluten free soy sauce is indeed a thing. And I shouldnt have to beg a server to check on a common allergen like that.After all of that she let me order a food item that said crispy in the description. Im not sure how it is my fault that crispy did not translate to battered and deep fried. And after having a very uncomfortable back/forth with her about my allergies she let me order it without mentioning it had wheat in it and was deep fried. Ive never had a waiter fail to connect the dots and warn me about something with allergens in it after bringing it up.She acted like it was my fault for ordering it after I specifically told her I was allergic to wheat and gluten and rudely shoved a menu in my face to prove her point. At no point was I rude to her so I have no idea where she got off acting like that.Service was bad, all of this aside. They brought our appetizers out quickly, then almost immediately brought my partners entree out, which was beef. I ordered ceviche. It was almost comical watching the staff try to cram so many dishes on our small table when we hadnt even finished our salad. They did not give us enough time to make space at the table and it was nearly impossible to eat without bumping something.My *first* ceviche came out about 15 minutes after my partners beef entree so my partner sat there letting her food get cold because she didnt want to be rude and eat without me. Ive never eaten anywhere that served entrées so far apart. She had time to completely finish hers before mine came out. I insisted she do because I didnt want it to get cold.After sending the first ceviche back it took another 15-20 minutes to get the next one. So before I had a single bite of my entree, my partner had been done eating for 30~ minutes.Not to mention our server ignored us the entire night except when my partner had to flag her down as she raced past our table. She came to replace our cocktails once but made very little effort otherwise. She left the empty glasses on our table and a few minutes later a random busboy came and took them.She didnt even bring us the dessert menu and this was on my partners birthday. We wanted to get cake but at that point we were both feeling like the server was either being homophobic or just otherwise rude to us so we paid and left.I only tipped because I didnt want to make a scene but for a $190 dinner they could do a LOT better. I would not go back after this experience. Its a shame because the food tasted good and I love the Walnut Creek location which is a completely different experience.
Aslams Rasoi
1037 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
Have been to many great Indian restaurants in the bay area, and I wouldnt go back to this one or recommend this place to anyone. My first experience at this restaurant was really poor, so my review is based on the same.What made the experience horrible was the interaction with one of their staff members, Ernesto. While placing the order, my friend had asked if we will get some onions, (which is normally the case in Indian restaurants where they provide onions and mint sauce already on table). The server said yes and later returned with food, mint sauce and smallest portion of onions. When we got the bill, we realized the onions were charged as Onion salad, and we called Ernesto to clarify, but he was outright rude. Honestly we didnt even mind paying for it, if only he had spoken to us properly. He just insisted that its a part of the menu, so its a charged item and we asked him to show that, because we were sure its not on the menu. After checking, he couldnt find it to be in the menu either. Only for the sake of arguing, he also commented the restaurant also has a minimum 15 dollar per person but we are not asking you for that. Firstly, that rule doesnt even make sense, and secondly we told him its then their responsibility to set that expectation while seating the customer. Even after all this, he continued to be rude which was honestly the first time any of us experienced this kind of curt behaviour by restaurant staff with their customers.As for the food, we had asked it to be spicy, which we normally do (as restaurants here tend to be more conservative when it comes to spicy food). The food was so full of cut green chillies that made it really hard on the stomach for all of us and made all of us sick that night. It wouldve been nice if server clarified or asked for level of spiciness, or even for the chefs to know how much level of spice is beyond normal in food.