Top Southeast Asian Restaurant in San Francisco
Thai Time Restaurant
315 8th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94118, United States
Thai Time is now our new favorite low-key Thai restaurant, replacing King of Thai Noodle/Kings Thai Cuisine #1 in the Inner Richmond. we opted to try something new on Saturday evening at 9pm and found this place open and packed. The restaurant is very small, best for groups of 2 or 4. Tables turned fast and the servers were very attentive to let us know approximately how soon our table would be ready. A large menu is available by the door for perusing while you wait outside, along with a park bench.The food here was amazing. We ordered the Green Curry Duck (Sliced boneless roasted duck in spicy green curry with bamboo shoots, Japanese eggplant, zucchini, and basil), which was delicious! The duck was roasted and then cooked in the green curry, adding so much flavor. We also got the Hor Mok Talay (Sautéed prawns, calamari, scallops, mussels, crab claw, and coconut meat with red thick curry sauce on steamed cabbage and basil). This dish was amazing simply because of the presentation. The curry was served in a coconut shell and they didnt skimp on the seafood! If you get this, dont forget to use the spoon to scoop the coconut flesh inside because it was HELLA GOOD. (Yes, I busted out hella because its really hella good.)We noticed a lot of tables had some kind of fried appetizer roll, but figured we had enough food for two, so we missed out. Hot Thai tea was $1.50, with unlimited refills.The bathroom is a bit hard to get to and very cramped. Youll have to go through their tiny alleyway kitchen to the very back where there is a door. Street parking was plentiful at 9pm on a Saturday as always.I cant say how much we loved this place. Just go try it because its HELLA GOOD.
Vanda Siam Restaurant
668 Sacramento St, San Francisco, CA 94111, United States
This isnt at all a bad Thai place, but it isnt exactly all that great either. Theres nothing that wows me about their food and it honestly isnt very memorable.However, being that this is at the edge of FiDi and a few minutes walk from my work, I tend to go here more than I would like.Theyre quick and relatively inexpensive.A word of caution for those who dont like their food spicy; their food can be hot hot hot! I asked for my Pad Thai to be spicy and all they did was cook it with chili flakes, which Im not a fan of.Overall, if youre craving some Thai food and want a quick bite, head over. Otherwise, Osha is tastier and they have a happy hour. :)Also, the servers can be a little rude. Dont expect a smile from them; ever.
Burma Superstar
309 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118, United States
There is nothing more upsetting than being disappointed from a super hyped rating from a restaurant. Yes, just like anyone else, we had to put our names down and wait for about an hour or less to get a table for 6 which we honestly didnt mind at all since we were prepared for the long wait. We in fact enjoyed having a drink and some snacks at Bitter End which is 1 min from Burma. When our table was ready we were able to be at the restaurant in less than 5 minutes - what a winner!We get there and the first thing I noticed was how hot the place was - its a fairly small space and super duper crowded but surprisingly not that loud. Reading all the reviews on yelp, we shared a veg curry which everyone said was nice but i didnt try it, the tea leaf salad which was really fresh and lovely, the garlic chilly prawns which were recommended by the waiter instead of the pumpkin prawns and honestly the prawns were perfectly cooked but there was really an overload of garlic which one could only realise after the meal when all the smells come back to your nose (not so pleasant the aftermath), the chilly beef - im a bit puzzled on this one as I think we ordered lamb but it tasted like beef so not sure which one we got but it was really nice and flavourful and lastly we shared the catfish curry. The catfish was the one I was looking forward to and it ended up being super duper fried and dry, so dry you couldnt scoop out the flesh from the skin :( - what a sad meal that was. Ive had catfish curry before At Champa Garden in Oakland Laotian style and was superb and in another thai restaurant on grand Ave and it didnt disappoint so i was looking forward to the next satisfying experience from Burma, but I was left sad...I didnt analyse the food and how it tasted then and there because honestly between the 6 of us and the great energy at the restaurant we were having such a nice time and despite the fact that there was still a long line outside no waiter pushed us to leave eventhough we were done with our meal, had paid the bill and was just sitting and chatting away - I thought this was nice of the staff. So when I was trying everything I really enjoyed all of it but after I went home my tummy started rumbling and had a bit of loosies so least to say i didnt feel well and didnt sleep well through the night and since got few shivers I got panicky that could have been food poisoning - but luckily I was fine so not sure what happened there but definitely was something from the food and perhaps too much of the garlic.Overall, Im glad I visited this highly rated place but honestly I was let down. I just cant get over that overly fried catfish :( and how hot it was inside the restaurant! Im still gonna give this place the benefit of the doubt and try it out one more time, If i ever have the time to wait that long.
Burmese Kitchen
between 2nd & 3rd Ave, 3815 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118, United States
Delicious, fresh, authentic, flavorful, bright, creative, unique, diverse, amazing. Suggestion for 4 course meal with varying flavor profiles, textures, formats. Price is very reasonable. We take visitors from out of town here all of the time, including business visitors, and they always love it. Most want to return the next day.1. SOUP- Samosa Soup: Delicious. 1 bowl will feed 4 to 5, maybe 6 persons2. SALAD and BREAD- Ginger Salad. Menu highlight.- Roti with Potato Curry. Cut the Roti into quarters. Top with curry. Order extra Roti: 1 Roti per 2 or 3 persons. Crowd pleaser. Children will love these.- Crispy Pea Salad. If more than 4 persons this can add in an additional item.- Tea Leaf Salad. Great if early in day or people dont mind caffeine.3. MAIN COURSE- Pork with Young Pickled Mango. Menu Highlight. Note it has mango pieces with seeds.- Chicken Biriani.- Pumpkin StewIf more then 4 or 5 persons or spcial interests try these...- Shrimp with Sour Leaf. This dish is made with locally custom sourced Burmese green leaf vegetable Roselle with a taste similar to sorrel. Very unique.- Beef with Lemon Grass.- Okra.Add White Rice if Biriani not enough.4. DESSERTAsk what they have, but they often have home made traditional Semolina Cake which is light and delicious.
Sweet Lime Thai Cuisine
2100 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94115, United States
Ive eaten at this place several times especially because its near UCSF Mt. Zion where I used to get my radiation and St. Dominics Church. Food is very good thats why I keep on coming back. However last June 1, my infusion at UCSF Mission Bay ended past 2 pm and there werent a lot of restaurants open, so I just decided to go home. The Uber driver drove near St. Dominics church so I changed my mind and went to Church and go to Sweet Lime at 430 for my very, very late.brunch. I walk from the Church to Sweet Lime, hungry and exhausted from the infusion, only to find out they open at 5 which is different from what was indicated on Google maps. I requested if I could just go inside so I could sit and rest as I was in pain. The only female, English-speaking server came out and said theyre closed and they open at 5. I explained to her that I just needed to sit because I was feeling very tired and in pain. I even told her I will not be ordering, to which she replied that she is still on her break. I just wish that she could have been more compassionate. I couldnt believe that this was the same server who was so pleasant every time I eat there ( I always order for dine in and take out). Such a shame....
Vanida Thai Kitchen
3050 Taraval St, San Francisco, CA 94116, United States
Oh geez..firrs off..just beware of the food you get when you ordered take out. I hate to be giving bad review. But they made me to. I ordered 4 items for take outs; fish cake, green bean tofu, crispy basil tofu and rice for pickup. When I got home; first thing I opened was rice. Sorry, but being Asian myself and eat and cook rice my whole life; I know when rice isn't fresh. It was rotten rice. I opened the box of rice and first thing I smelled was the smell of old rice that's been in rice cooker for a week! Yikes! Not just that, the rice was watery. That explained why I can tell right away the rice was bad. I called and told them that they gave me old rice. They offered replacement (thanks), so I had to drive over to get a replacement. When I got there, the nice guy who took the order told the lady in the kitchen about the rice, and I could hear her laughing!! Seriously?!? She's laughing!? Seems like they deliberately gave me rotten soggy, rotten, smelly rice! Wow! I was speechless! So much for trying to be kind and gave $5 tips for take out food I picked up myself. Never again!! Wow..just wow! Now, not sure if I want to eat them at all and report them to the health department. Lost appetite for having to go through the whole ordeal. Just sad; this would be my last giving them business. I work at the hospital, and being given rotten rice for my take out lunch was just horrible. Sadly I had to file a report about this incident to CDPH to help prevent the same thing happening to future paying customers. I've been living in the neighborhood for 19 years; this restaurant used to be good. Not anymore with the new owner.
Sri Thai Cuisine
4621 Lincoln Way, San Francisco, CA 94122, United States
Me and my husband have been ordering from Sri Thai for 6 years already at least once a month. The food was always delicious.But now it changed. I dont know where to start.We were in a process of eating it and it is so bad I had to stop, throw it away and write a review. Thats how mad I am.I never do that.Always always have been ordering almost the same thing .Beef Pad See Sew, Peanut sauce with sticky rice,Fried chicken over Fried rice.Ive always told everyone they have the best Peanut sauce. Not anymore.Looks like theyve made it in the same pan where they were making curry!it smells like curry.It is disgusting.I am trying not to throw up.And the container they give you used to be full.now its half full.2.Chicken over Fried and falling apart and tastes weird.We got extra sweet and sour sauce because they always give you a little bit of it with chicken anyways.Now they give you so little of the sauce (even the one you pay extra)like they stole it.Unfortunately now going to order from there anymore. Its extremely sad but the food is not as it used to be.If you reading this.If you fired your old cook and hired a new one it was a horrible decision. Get that person back and pay him/her more .The person who is making food in your restaurant now on the other hand should never be allowed anywhere close to food.So so so sad.It used to be an amazing restaurant
Rangoon Ruby Burmese Cuisine
590 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102, United States
It was good, nothing amazing, nothing extraordinary, but a solid good.Came here on a Sunday evening around 6pm with my parents. The place was absolutely empty, aside from one other table, we were the only customers. We perused the menu and chose some dishes to share:Samosas: 4-stars. The filling was not dissimilar from your standard mimosa, a mix of potatoes, peas, and spices. The outside, though, was quite thin and crispy, more similar to phyllo dough than the usual mimosa. There were four to the serving and they were accompanied by a sweet chili sauce.Tea leaf salad: 3-stars. The presentation was on point, with each ingredient in the salad segregated on the plate. The server asked if we had eaten tea leaf salad before, and because my parents hadnt, she explained each ingredient before mixing it up for us. My parents really enjoyed the salad, but I found it to be too basic. It seemed to be lacking a few of the normal ingredients that truly create that depth of flavor thats so unique. Nowhere close to the majestic glory of Burma Superstars tea leaf salad, or even other Burmese places Ive tried.Pork pumpkin stew: 2-stars. Incredibly bland and completely lacking flavor, very one dimensional. The pork was quite nice, thick chunks of tender meat that were not a bit over cooked, and there was no shortage of squash, but those seemed to be the only two ingredients. A little garlic, pepper, or literally anything else would have gone a long way towards enhancing this dish.Chicken & shrimp biryani: 4-stars. Virtually the same as your standard Indian biryani, well spiced and flavorful with a spotlight on the curry flavors. The chicken was served bone-in, which I LOVE, and the shrimp were lightly fried, which was unexpected but gave them a really nice texture and tenderness. The biryani was rounded out with peas, cashews, and cilantro, and my biggest complain was that there wasnt more stuff to go with the rice... more chicken, more shrimp, more everything.Overall, its nice to know this place is here, but I wont be running back.
S & E Cafe
2406 19th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94116, United States
Love the fact that this place is open late, if not mistaken 1:00AM. Whenever Im going to be out late in the city, I know that aside from places like Mels, I can come and eat here. The food here is decent, and the service is friendly. They are typically busy, even late at night, and Im patient enough to wait for the food. Just be warned, that sometimes there are long wait times. Im not just taking about a table either. Sometimes, the food takes forever. Just be aware that they are on it and that you may just have to wait a spell for it to come out. The flavor of the food is enough to make the wait worth it. S&E is not a world class restaurant, it is the corner cafe that you can go chill with your friends over a decent cuppa. If it is late, and youre near the area, then check them out. Oh, side note, if you speak Cantonese, then you will have an easier time. If you were wondering, I dont speak Cantonese. :)
Zabb Thai Cuisine
4440 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94112, United States
I ordered for two pad see ew but only got one. I called the restaurant and told them about it. I was put on speaker phone and the owners said that they put two orders of pad see ew and if I want I could come to watch their camera. I said I don't want to waste my time to go back there and watch their camera. All I was telling them was I only got one order of pad see ew instead of two. I didn't get any apologies from them and they didn't even offered to give me a refund. The only answer I got was they don't know what to do. How could you become business owners when you don't know what to do in cases like these?!?' They are the kind of business owners who are greedy and for profit only. Business owners who don't know how to to take care of their customers.