Top Pan Asian Restaurant in San Francisco
Citrus Club
1790 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117, United States
Edit! Actually Im Visiting here again! And I cant even express how incredibly Delicious this food is! The Teriyaki Chicken & Garlic Noodles ~ BLOWS MY FRIGGIN MIND! ~Sooooooo Good! Cost like 12~13 bucks, Portion is Perfect, flavor is Outta this World!This is possibly the BEST Noodle/Thai spot Ive Ever been to!!!!The Portions of Soup come in HUGE triple, Quadruple servings Sizes, like Im serious!The Hot & Sour soup is perfect! Both Vegetarian & not, the meated variety is Shrimp, w/ Chicken stock, its absolutely Incredible!This last time I went, I ventured out from my favorites (H&S.Soup!)And got the Teriyaki Chicken and Noodles, my Fkn Gawd.. Theres No Words!!! Scrumptiously Delicious!!To the last Noodle! Of Course the Portion was Way More than I could eat, so I had wonderful Left Overs!!!!Lols, I dont usually leave Reviews, but this place is way to Deserving of 5 stars!!!Oh yeah, and that is all not even Mentioning the Service!!Seriously, only One Single person was Serving, AMD he had great energy, very attentive, and sweet demeanor!I Highly recommend this place to Everyone! And Ill Definitely be going Back, Big Thank Yous The Citrus Club, and Bravo, Awesome Job creating the perfect vibes and Foods!!!100%!!! 100Stars!!!!
B Star
127 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118, United States
B Star gets high marks for its friendly and attentive staff. They were incredibly accommodating when we requested to move our reservation to an earlier time, which was a huge plus. The restaurant itself offers two seating areas – a standard indoor space and a patio area in the back. The patio looked charming, but we opted for the warmer indoor space on this particular visit.Their SF Restaurant Week menu was a delightful exploration of Pan-Asian flavors, with Burmese influences taking center stage. We tried a variety of dishes, with mixed results:Laksa (traditional Burmese soup): This coconut curry broth-based soup was a flavorful adventure. The combination of rice noodles, grilled shrimp, crispy tofu, and fresh herbs offered a delightful mix of textures and tastes.Burmese lamb curry platter: The lamb itself was beautifully tender, and the pickled mango added a nice tangy counterpoint. However, the overall curry flavor profile felt a bit muted. It could have benefited from a bolder, more complex spice blend.Tea leaf salad: This classic Burmese salad was a textural and flavor explosion. The fermented tea leaves provide a unique savory base, while the nuts, fried garlic, and fresh vegetables add delightful contrasting textures. This was a definite highlight of the meal.B Sprouts: The Brussels sprouts were delicious and cooked well but the crunchy bits (furikake) were too crunchy and after a few bites, we were just simply picking the brussel sprouts and getting rid of the furikake and the popped rice.Rice pudding: As we were one of the first tables seated after opening, the lychee panna cotta wasnt ready yet. We could only opt for the rice pudding instead. While the rice pudding itself was creamy, it lacked any real standout flavor. We were also full by then.Thai iced tea: The Thai iced tea was watered down and lacked the rich, bold flavors.Overall, B Star has a lot of potential. The staff is fantastic, and the menu offers intriguing Pan-Asian options. However, the execution of some dishes fell short.
Dumpling Kitchen
1935 Taraval St, San Francisco, CA 94116, United States
We had a pretty large group here last night for a couple of friends birthdays. For the value, Dumpling Kitchen was pretty good. Its no Michelin star restaurant but a satisfying combination of price, portion, and flavor.XLB - The skins were way better than I expected at this price point. Their texture was smooth with the right amount of firm chewiness. Just from looking at them, the fine folds at the top was a good sign that the skins would be thin and delicate. They also didnt break open when picked up with chopstick. Not much to complain about there. The stuffing was not the best but still decent for a low end restaurant. The texture of the pork was on the grittier side, and I thought it couldve had more ginger and green onions mixed in for more brightness. The broth was similar to the pork stuffing in that it could be brighter and bolder, but it still had good body and was seasoned with enough salt . The broth was also on the fattier side, which doesnt bother me, but I know some people out there prefer cleaner XLB broths.Braised Pork Belly with Pickled Vegetables - You can tell this restaurant probably isnt run by Shanghainese people because of kitchen staff yelling at each other in Cantonese, and this is reflected in some of the menu items. This braised pork belly dish is a traditional Hakka classic from southern China, far from Shanghai. Dumpling Kitchens rendition is actually pretty good. The pork belly was tender, and the sauce was a good balance of sweetness and pickled earthiness. My favorite place to order this is at Hakka Restaurant in the Outer Richmond. If I had to compare the two, Hakkas sauce is thicker and richer with a more complex spice mixture. Theres a slight orange peel flavor in Hakkas that separates it from the rest. Despite not being as good as Hakkas, I would have no qualms with getting the pork belly here.Green Onion Pancakes - Not really my cup of tea. They have the lighter and fluffier version of green onion pancakes, and I didnt think it had much green onion flavor. It kinda just tasted doughy. The crispy and layered green onion pancakes are way better.Vegetarian Potstickers - There was a vegetarian in our group so we had an order of vegetarian potstickers. I was kinda surprised because they turned out to be pretty tasty. I probably liked them more than the pork and chive dumplings. Theres a good amount of shiitake mushrooms to give it a lot of umami and earthy flavors. They also put in dried tofu (doufu gon), and its firmer texture and five spice flavor paired well with the other ingredients in the stuffing.Noodles with Black Bean Sauce - Not good. Sauce was not very savory and didnt taste black bean-y. Noodles were mushy and gross. Skip this.Egg Puffs (Sah Yong) - Freshly fried and really delicious. They were light, airy, and full of eggy goodness. If I had to complain about something, its that instead of surrounding the donuts in sugar, its just poured all on top of the donuts. I just rolled the donut around to get the sugar everywhere.
Bonchon South San Francisco
2278 Westborough Blvd Suite 208, South San Francisco, CA 94080, United States
Updated review 8/8/2023: My friend told me about the new Korean BBQ flavor at Bonchon and I came over to try it. It was delicious. Since it was just me this time, I only ordered the small combo (6 wings, 3 drumsticks) $16.55. It was sweet with a hint of BBQ flavor. Theres something special about that signature Bonchon crunch, made from overly thick batter. Surprisingly, there werent any weird oil aftertaste that linger after eating a meal accustomed with oily fried foods. I did drink a lot of water though. Well done staff at Bonchon. Again. I do love their fried chicken.Original review: 8:45pm on a Friday night. The chicken crispiness varies by Bonchon locations. This one ranks in the middle. My friends say the downtown SF location is the crispiest. We ate at the restaurant so, it is not due to to-go lead time. I never knew Bonchon had table service. We usually ordered to-go or eat outside at their San Mateo location. We started with a large soju $20 and a blue moon beer $5.50. Most of the soju favors were out so we resorted to mango. The soju was not strong and contained mostly juice. The wait time goes by faster because there are TVs and alcohol. For the starters, we got the popcorn shrimp $12.75 and zucchini fries $8.55. These were OK. They werent flavorful. I would have preferred some popcorn chicken from Quicklys but they were not taking orders after 8:30pm. For the main dish, we ordered medium combo half and half $30. We asked for extra spicy and Bonchon did not disappoint. The fried chicken was great. So crispy! Some of the soy garlic chicken was too salty though. Service was alright. This meal put big smiles across our faces :)
Top other services in San Francisco:
Miyako Old Fashion Ice Cream
1470 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115, United States
We came across this little ice cream store, tucked into a storefront on Fillmore street, after taking a walking tour in the neighborhood. But talking to some of the other customers in line, it sounds like this store has been an institution in the neighborhood for decades. Its exactly what it sounds like, an old fashioned ice cream store. We LOVED it. The tiny store shelves are lined with every candy you can think of in glass jars. You can choose from tons of ice cream flavors, buy a sandwich or a soda, or have an ice cream shake, ice cream soda or ice cream sundae made for you. Our family tried all three and they were delicious. The owner served us personally and he was so nice and patient as my daughters took forever to decide what they would like. He was happy to give us large samples of the more unusual ice cream flavors (I tried avocado) and took his time to prepare our order with great care. It was so fun to watch. We really felt like we had stepped back in time! If I lived in this neighborhood, I would get ice cream here all the time. Payment is in cash only. There is no room to sit inside, but there are a few tables on the sidewalk in front of the store.
Forest Restaurant Supply
2010 Cesar Chavez St, San Francisco, CA 94124, United States
Decent sized restaurant supply store. Some okay prep cookware as well as pots and pans. They have a large selection of east asian specific supplies: woks, sushi mats, bamboo steamers, etc. They have some nicer dishware and you can custom order/design your own. Prices are very good. People are very pleasant.
Cantoo Latin Asian Rotisserie
572 O'Farrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102, United States
I really, really enjoy the food and service at Cantoo Latin Asian Rotisserie!After reading and hearing reviews, I got the chance to go with my mom. We ordered the Combo Valenciano, Singapore noodles, and a cheese empanada. All were delicious! The Combo Valenciano comes with rotisserie chicken, fried rice, two sauces, and coleslaw. Im not a fan of coleslaw, but this one rocks! I usually dont like coleslaw because theres usually too much dressing that makes the slaw soggy. Not this one. Its light on the dressing so the veggies stayed crunchy. The rotisserie chicken was moist and had good seasoning. It paired well with the fried rice.The Singapore noodles had good texture and seasoning. My mom was afraid it would be spicy, but its more peppery. I thought it also paired well with the chicken. Im not familiar with Venezuelan empanadas, but I will say I thought it was good. The dough is fried, so it can be a little greasy. But I liked the texture and honestly you cant go wrong with cheese wrapped in a fried dough. The dessert is not on their menu, so it may be a limited option. We ordered the flan, which had a slightly airier texture than Mexican flan. It had a light caramel sauce that wasnt too sweet. The strawberries and limes balanced the caramel with their acidity.We dined in and its a casual vibe. Its the basement level of the building. No frills with the decor, so all focus is on providing delicious food and excellent service. Seriously, service is top notch! The women who work there were super welcoming and were always available if we had any questions. We had leftovers and each takeout bag comes with a handwritten thank you note in 3 languages. How thoughtful is that!!?!?My family and I ordered recently for take out. We got the Combo Valenciano again so my dad can try it. We also got the croquetas de camarones, stir fry soy sauce noodles, fried calamari, and the pollo agridulce. They hit it out of the ballpark again. Everything was sooo good! The shrimp croquettes were like shrimp lumpia that came with a sweet and sour sauce. The pollo agridulce is their sweet and sour chicken. The chicken was fried lightly and the sauce tasted homemade (like, it didnt taste artificial). It made for good leftovers. The calamari also had a different spice to it, which was yummy. The stir fry soy sauce noodles was packed with savory flavor.This is one of the best restaurants in the Tenderloin. Not only the food is spectacular but it's at a great price! The combo is currently $9. And I cant think of any other place on the city like this. Asian-Latin fusion is common (mostly Filipino-Mexican or Korean-Mexican in my experience). But Cantoo offers something different. Its a je ne sais quoi. You have to experience it for yourself.
Cozymeal Cooking Classes
95 3rd St 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103, United States
What a great experience to learn how to cook with Chef Parsati for both my husband and I. The class was a Fathers Day gift from our 3 kids and what a wonderful thought that was. There were so many things I enjoyed and was excited about this experience and it still remains on my mind from last week but I am sure I will always remember our cooking experience. Ill try to cover as much as I can.Chef Parsati is very well organized, experienced and knowledgeable in so many types of cooking and we learned she has lived in so many parts of the world as well.Entering the premises, I immediately noticed her kitchen and dining areas were nicely set and as we entered, we were greeted with a warm hospitality which made us feel very welcomed and comfortable.As we started getting ready for the lesson, Chef Parsati was very conscientious about cleanliness as well, offering masks to wear if we wanted and when the cooking started, she herself wore a mask through the entire cooking.We were introduced to a platter of several individual containers of powdered indian herbs and spices to cook with. They were all so beautiful and aromatic and Chef Parsati taught of the health benefits of each one and how not to over season using them.We cooked 3 main dishes and a dessert and yes, they were delicious and very easy to cook or learn. I was so delighted and especially they didnt take terribly long to cook them either !We cooked an entree of dal, a vegetarian curry, a dish of fried salmon cubes and a dessert of roasted almond flour and dates. I think I can still taste all of them :)) !!!! Yum !I do think we accomplished quite a bit which includes the many questions we had as we were cooking and then sitting down to eat and enjoy, and also time get to know each other a little better yet, we didnt feel like we were rushed in those 2 hours.Chef Parsati is very conscientious about choosing ingredients that are fresh and taught us ways to wash them such as the beans, rice, lentils, etc. which was interesting to me because they were different than how Ive been doing it and I really appreciated that. She went further to explain all the spices in the tray and what they do in the cooking and how healthy they are as well.If you were to ask me if I were to come back, I would say a bigYES. What a wonderful introduction to Indian cooking and I feel confident I can be successful in my own home cooking from what I learned. Thanks so much Chef Parsati. And you are amazing !
San Francisco Botanical Garden
1199 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122, United States
This place is huge. So glad the passes you buy are more 3 days. One thing to note, is that the Japanese-inspired Moon-viewing terrace looks very natural, in that its been left alone. We need to be careful of this though, because there were lakes that were left like this in Japan, and it took major efforts to eventually clean them up, because they had become biological cesspools that smelled and would be quite dangerous for people to be near. They solved that by regularly cleaning up the bodies of water, and most importantly, adding an oxygen system that would pump air into the lakes from the bottom, which helped make the body of water habitable for life like fish and other things. Some may complain that its fake and not natural, but honestly at the end of the day, these gardens are to provide a healthy portion of nature for humans, and I think all it takes is a bit of human ingenuity to make it more hospitable for aqua-life and other forms of flora, not just something pleasing to the eye.Other than that, it was nice to visit, but sort of scary, when we tried to exit from where we entered, because this place is big enough that you can easily get lost. Trying to find an exit we were familiar with to get out of was hard enough, but to find that it was closed was kinda scary, and my friend had a condition that caused walking difficulties, so to make him walk further to another gate was kinda cruel. We did manage to get out of the Hotel California eventually, but it would help to have exit-only turn-styles along the other gates. If youre there past 4pm, make sure to KNOW where the main gate is that you can exit, and it might not be the same gate you entered through!
Papas kitchen
1705 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117, United States
This restaurant has become my favorite Asian restaurant!! The quality of the food is excellent and the flavors are amazing!I am vegan and also allergic to seafood, and they are able to accommodate my dietary needs and still offer quite a variety of dishes. I recently took a friend there for lunch, who is gluten intolerant, and they were able to offer her many gluten-free options.The main Chef is Vietnamese, so some of the dishes have a Vietnamese slant, which adds a nice touch. The vegetable spring rolls, the string beans, and the eggplant dishes are some of my favorite. I eat here regularly, and the food is consistently fresh, well prepared, and delicious!! The service has also been consistently good. I have observed families with children who also appear to really enjoy their food. I definitely recommend this restaurant!!