Top Vegetarian Restaurant South in San Francisco
Star India
3721 Geary Blvd #3208, San Francisco, CA 94118, United States
I should probably preface my review that I was having the lunch buffet, as I typically review full-service restaurants.The lunch buffet was gone for a while during the pandemic, and has returned, although with a much higher price: $21.95.Higher price, I can accept, but not poor service.I have been here a few times in the last two months, and while I cant claim that at $21.95, the buffet is a good value, given the small selection of foods they carry, they do have something I enjoy, which is lamb.Therefore, while I know I dont need to tip the typical 15%-20% at a buffet (typically I am told to tip $1-2 per person), I always tip as if I were in a regular restaurant, because I like to support smaller restaurants.However, todays experience really has me thinking if I would ever visit again.When I arrived at around 11:30AM (they open at 11AM), there was literally one single piece of lamb in the buffet. I took the piece and inquired if the owner could please get some more lamb.Reluctantly, she agreed. About 20 minutes later, she brought out some lamb, so I went there to get some more. And she has the nerve to tell me, Make sure you leave some for other customers.I said that, because the amount she prepared for a BUFFET is paltry to what it should be. I got like 3-4 pieces of lamb, and that was about 2/3 of the amount she brought out, LITERALLY. (see photos)I didnt want to argue with her, so I finished my food quickly (and also for the first time at this restaurant, only tipped a couple of dollars because I was just so upset with the way I have been treated.)I think its perfectly ok for my parents to tell me to leave some food for others, but at a buffet, this is unreasonable, especially given how little food there was to start with (and then the tinyu. amount of lamb with which the restaurant refilled the serving tray).I am sorry to say, this is a restaurant I will never visit again. Its not reasonable having to spend about $30 and then be told how to eat at a buffet. Yes, I didnt dress in my normal Pata***** and Coto****, but thats no excuse to treat someone, period.(By the way, I noticed immediately the difference in the way I was treated at the moment I walked in, because they didnt recognize me as they usually did, and I can only assume its the clothing I was wearing, which is the only difference).
Top other services in San Francisco:
Sandys
1457 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117, United States
This is one of the best sandwiches in SF. I wasnt a big muffaletta guy until I tasted the magic that Sandys is serving up. These sandwiches are the real deal - top shelf ingredients piled high between two slices of bread. Theyre also massive, which is great because you can save some bites for later.The fun doesnt end with the sandwiches- the coleslaw is so fresh and so clean itll make you want to dance. I always thought of coleslaw as mayo with a side of cabbage - not here. Sandys has reinvented the slaw into a perfect combination of herbs and pickled veggies. Its amazing.Last but not least, the chocolate cookie. This thing is a beast - its everything you look for in a cookie. Proper amounts of chocolate nestled safely in a chewy but not too chewy cookie base. A must have dessert after youve feasted on the muffaletta and slaw.I love coming here for the food but honestly the folks working the shop (Moni and Peterson) are also gems in their own respect. Keep doing the good work!
Cocina Mam Cholita
3471 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
A true hidden gem in San Francisco. Thought we would try a new place for dinner, and found one of the most authentic Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area. From the housemade Mole to the flavorful salsas and the delicate flan, not one note was missed. Freshly made chips are served as you are seated with three delicious salsa options. All three are great, but the blended Mango Habanero Salsa is both spicy and flavorful. We tried the Steak and Cheese empanadas which were tender with just the right cook on the dough. The Sopes were spot on, we tried Steak and Chorizo which really hit the spot. But the best part of the meal was the Enchiladas Divorciadas which came with one green and one mole enchilada. We also added a full Chile Relleno to the dish, which was complimented with refried beans and rice, which were not heavy or overflavored and complimented the whole dish very well. I cant believe I ate the entirety of this enormous dish, but the flavor was just so wonderful... I almost wanted to lick the plate. We finished off by trying the Chorizos and the Flan. The Flan was creamy and delicious. Even the housemade Horchata and Jamaica were stand up drinks that were refreshing compliments to the delicious meal. If you are looking for fantastic, and authentic Mexican cuisine, you cannot go wrong with this place. We will be back again, and again, and again I am certain.
SA Expeditions
95 3rd St 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103, United States
We booked a 16-day trip to Peru and Ecuador through SA—great experience.In Peru, highlights included a day trip to Palccoyo; a day hiking Choquechaca & Pumamarka; and (of course) Machu Picchu. Palccoyo was a hidden gem, far surpassing our expectations. While the day trip to these rainbow mountains is long, the scenery en route is beautiful and it's worth the drive. Visiting Choquechaca and spending time with the community (Valentine and fam) was such a fun day and they were such lovely people; would definitely recommend working this into any itinerary. Machu Picchu also surpassed expectations, and we added on a hike of Huayna Picchu because WHY NOT.In Ecuador/the Galapagos, we decided to do a land-based stay instead of a cruise. SA partnered with the Galapagos Safari Camp to make our stay amazing and memorable. We were in the Galapagos for about five full days, and went scuba diving for two days, did day trips to other islands for two days, and explored the main island (Santa Cruz) for one day. Galapagos Safari Camp was a great location with five-star service, incredible food and hospitality. Can't go wrong in the Galapagos except to not stay long enough (we agreed we could have easily spent another day or two there).Planning-wise, Sarah with SA made our lives so easy and tolerated our requests every step of the way, and more importantly, she made them happen! She was always ready to provide us with options, information and an updated itinerary. A process so suspiciously easy we thought it was too good to be true, but it wasn't! She checked in with us up until our trip departure, kept tabs on us throughout the trip (even when we didn't know it), and followed up with us after. We covered a large area on our trip that included lots and lots of transfers, hotels, flights, etc., and we didn't have one hiccup.Our SA guides in each city were great. Whether we were with them for one day or nearly a week, I was always sad to say goodbye! They are incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and helpful, and they each tolerated my terrible sense of humor for the duration of the trip. Celestine in Lima, Juan in Cusco (and our driver, Romulo!!), and our guides in Choquechaca (Valentine and Teofila) – all quality folks.Accommodation-wise, our hotels were really nice and always located in areas with easy access to city life.Highly rec SA Expeditions.
Phat Thai
2380 Lombard St, San Francisco, CA 94123, United States
If you are visiting San Francisco to see the beauty that can be seen in the Bay Area - this here is a MUST SEE and stop for spicy food, Thai food, and Asian cuisine enjoyers altogether.The owner Bobby (Jahanvir) has made Thai food really well and he rocked my socks off. The papaya salad has a perfect blend of herbal, acid, and fish sauce flavor with the kafir lime. I test any Thai restaurants traditional sense through whether or not their papaya salad is any good, and this place felt truly Thai to me as if the flavors from Bangkok were teleported to SF.The pineapple fried rice felt like a killer fusion - raisins with an Iranian twist, the turmeric from Jahanvirs Bengali side, and the chicken marination in lime and South Asians spices with the overall cooking execution in the Thai fashion was tasty. I didnt find myself a fan of pad thai much, because I didnt order it, but as a family we enjoyed all the dishes. I would recommend pad thai with tofuu if youre vegetarian TBH.But all in all, I was especially in love with the pad ke mao at the Thai spicy level as well as the panang curry. Everything here is made with love, and this place keeps food execution on par. You must come here and have the mango with sticky rice as well!!!! Cheers Jahanvir thank you brother !
Yoma Cafe - Japanese Bento and Drinks
1518 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122, United States
CUSTOMER BEWARE:The owner of this cafe/restaurant, Yoyo, may act friendly on the surface, but do not be tricked into becoming friends with her.She will take advantage of you by asking you to help out with things her employees are supposed to be doing (bussing, wiping down tables with a towel, dishwashing, refilling the water tank, washing rice and putting it into the rice cooker, pouring out freshly-brewed milk tea and tea leaves from a pitcher into a sieve and into a new pitcher, sweeping the floor with a broom, taking out the garbage, etc.).Ive known Yoyo for over a month and used to hang out here at least two times a week (and NEVER expected to receive food for free, as I usually brought my own food that I would buy elsewhere), and this past Saturday night, 6/23/24, Yoyo offered to pay me to work at the cafe, and that she would pay me in cash so that I wouldnt have to report any income tax. She told me that I would start at 4pm the next day, Sunday, 6/25/24.I showed up at 4pm the next day, and Yoyo gave me an apron to wear, and instructed me to clear a table of leftover food/restaurantware and to bring it to the back of the cafe, where a bunch of dirty dishes/leftover food were piling up and occupying the dishwashing station area. Yoyo then had me wash 8 bowlfuls of rice and put it into the rice cooker. After this, I asked her if there was anything else she wanted me to do, and she told me to help her with the dishwashing. Between 5:00 - 6:15pm, I stood at the dishwashing station for at least an hour to an hour and ten minutes (I listened to the entire Nevermind album by the rock band Nirvana (length is 42:30), and did the dishwashing for at least 15 more minutes without music after the album ended), scrubbing and rinsing off bento box trays, bowls, sushi plates, chopsticks. I even had to clear out the food trap because of how much food scraps was at the bottom of the sink compartment that was available for use. Before I had finished the dishwashing, Yoyo asked me if I wanted to eat some popcorn chicken she had just fried, and I said I would like French fries instead, but I changed my mind and said both would be fine. After I felt my legs starting to get sore, I sat down at a table to take a 15-minute break and ate the French fries and popcorn chicken Yoyo gave me (see photo #2 for evidence). She also offered me something to drink, so I told her I would like a Peach-flavored black milk tea (see photo #2 for evidence).After my break, at around 6:40pm, I proceeded to continue bussing and went back to do another round of dishwashing. This time, I mostly washed re-purposed containers and lids that used to store seasoned seaweed salad. I was again at the dishwashing station, scrubbing and rinsing off bowls, chopsticks, the aforementioned containers and lids, and clearing out the food trap again at the bottom of the sink compartment for at least another hour.At 9:00pm, I wiped down the tables with a towel, and sat down at a table, and asked Yoyo if there was anything else she wanted me to do, but she said there was nothing. Between 9:30-10:30pm after the cafe closed for the night, Yoyo asked me to sweep the dining area floor, including underneath the tables and chairs with a broom, asked me to sweep the kitchen area floor and take out the garbage that was in the bins in the kitchen. Before Yoyo, an employee named Diego, and I left the cafe, I told Yoyo that I would like to be paid, and she claimed that the work I did was just pre-hire screening, and that she did not have to pay me for the first two hours. Instead, she offered to treat me to sushi. I claimed she just didnt want to pay me for the work I did, and told her I stayed at the cafe the entire time because I was expecting to be paid after I had finished the work she assigned me. Yoyo then drove me and Diego back to my apartment, and re-affirmed her decision to compensate my work by treating me out to eat sushi. Yoyo and Diego then left after they saw me enter the apartment building through the front gate.(review continued in photo #1)
Dumpling Zone
408 Dewey Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94116, United States
We decided to come here after seeing the high ratings, and we're stunned by how untrue the reviews are.We ordered beef noodle soup, XLB, potstickers, and chocolate banana XLB. The beef in the noodle soup didn't taste fresh and was under seasoned. I love beef but it was so bad that I couldn't finish.When the potstickers were served, we are just shocked. I've never seen potstickers look like this! Was it dumplings pretending to be potstickers?Their signature dish, xiao long bao, in Chinese means little basket bun. Tell me why these are humongous basket buns? To its credit, the dough was thin and soft. However, the pork had a flavor that's not reminiscent of the classic pork filling.For dessert, we had chocolate banana xiao long bao. Again, they were not small. The chocolate filling was so sweet that it overpowered any chocolate flavor it had. We were so unhappy with the meal that we forgot to take pictures of the dessert.Just for the record, we've been to MANY Chinese and XLB restaurants. This is probably the worst and the weirdest food we have ever had.Would not recommend if you want authentic and delicious dumplings.
Sidewalk Food Tours of San Francisco
186 Gough St, San Francisco, CA 94102, United States
GREAT JOB by Dean from Sidewalk Food Tours of San Francisco! I took the Chinatown tour and had a fabulous time. Our tour guide Dean was knowledgeable, engaging and funny. It was clear to see he enjoys his job and takes pride in knowing and learning about Chinatown. Group sizes are limited to 12, perfect for navigating busy Chinatown and keeping the experience intimate.The food selections were all delicious. Dean gave us a 30 minute introduction presentation to Chinatown, and then we made our first stop for a delicious pork bun. It was freshly baked and still warm. We walked and talked to the next stop for Tan Tan Noodles. Homemade noodles with a spicy (but not too spicy) peanut sauce. The sauce is served on the side so you choose your level of heat. No visit to Chinatown is complete without Dim Sum, which we had at our third stop. We enjoyed Shrimp Dim Sum and a Mincemeat Turnover. It was so delicious I actually forgot to take a picture to share on Facebook before devouring it. The restaurant owner really likes Dean and showed her appreciation by giving us some freebies that included a Chinese doughnut. Made-to-order Chicken Pot stickers were enjoyed at the fourth stop. Then we moved into the dessert part of the tour. First we stopped by a longstanding fortune cookie shop to see how they are made and try a few samples. My favorite part of the tour was the next to last stop for Egg Custard Tart. The crust was flakey and delicious. The last stop was a tea tasting. The owner shared her knowledge of the different kinds of teas and herbal drinks and their benefits. Dean stopped and discussed points of interests in between the food stops, but I really enjoyed the food and choose to share that aspect of the tour. By the way, there were two vegetarians on our tour and Dean made sure they had unique Chinatown food to enjoy as well.Book your tour today!
Himalayan Cuisine SF
1412 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109, United States
We loved this place. LOTS of vegetarian options. Affordable. Perhaps best of all, owner is very nice.Here are the things we got:Dahi puri- decent, a little sweet, but definitely better than at a lot of placesChana masala- authentic taste, not too much oil, loved itMalai kofta- i am an expert in this haha because I order it everywhere. It was actually delicious. Well made. We got it spicy and it was PERFECTTandoori paneer kebab- My favorite dish. Very good. My friends got the chicken version and said that was dry- i dont know and i cant comment on it. But the paneer version was ON POINT.Veggie steamed momo- oK. Not my favorite. Definitely have had better momos before. Here i could recommend they work on some improvement. The chutney was also very similar in flavor to the momo, which might be why the combo wasnt good. A fresh flavorful spicy chutney might work better with these momos.Veggie chow mein- we got SPICY. my husband loved this, he said it was his fave. i couldnt eat it because it was too spicy for me, but what little i did eat was deliciousRice, naan, papadam were standard and good.Overall very good restaurant, friendly people, and deserving of the 4.9 stars it has currently
Cantina Los Mayas
431 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94118, United States
I normally dont leave reviews, but the food and experience at Cantina Los Mayas absolutely blew me and my girlfriend away, so we had to sing their praises to everyone. This is one of the best restaurants weve ever been to.We walked in on a Saturday night without reservation and were promptly seated at the bar. We ordered the passionfruit margarita, panuchos with cochinita pibil, cevice crudo Maya, and the molcajete mixto, which was more than enough for the both of us. My girlfriend enjoyed her margarita and also liked the sample of strawberry margarita she was graciously given.The panuchos had good flavor and a nice crunchy tortilla. The ceviche was unlike any other ceviche we had tried before thanks to the passionfruit puree used. The sweetness of the passionfruit really complemented the flavors of the shrimp, scallops, and red onions.The star of the meal was the molcajete mixto, which is easily large enough for two people to share as an entree. Aside from the beautiful presentation of this dish (and all the other dishes), every single ingredient in the molcajete was cooked to perfection. All the distinct flavor profiles and textures worked so well together, from the soft scallops to the crispy chicharron.The restaurant has a classy ambiance, service was quick, and all the staff were extremely friendly. We cannot wait to come back, especially since we live in the neighborhood ? Thank you Cantina Los Mayas!