Eliza's new Hunan and Mandarin fusion is an affordable, healthy, quick stop for Pacific Heights residents. Upon entering its cordoned yet decorative aura, the mixture of old Chinese scripts, green plants, modern lamps welcomes me. The ~ $6 lunch menu is fantastic. Warm tea prepares the stomach for the meal. I had Vegetable Delight that had shitake mushroom, snow peas, carrots, asparagus, brocoli, etc. The kong-pao tofu came in a good size. The sauce for that dish is garlic-y, sweet and absolutely great with regular rice. I am a fan of a good deal place. For 2 people, our meal was $13. read more

Do you LOVE awesome lunch deals? Rice plates with soup and a fortune cookie? Then try out Eliza's. I love the scallop dish, and the sunflower beef. The presentation is very nice, and they even offer brown rice! The restaurant is clean and has VERY QUICK service. read more

This is a regular spot on my lunch rotation. Eliza's offers typical rice plates but above typical flavors. For the price, it's hard to beat this restaurant in this part of town. My favs are princess prawns and honey walnut prawns. The chow fun is also very good. The seafood seems to be the specialty here. Really tasty! There's no desert and no alcohol so it's pretty much eat and run. Eliza's is definitely a destination to consider when you're craving Chinese lunch rice plates. For the price, it's a good dinner spot for small groups too. Street parking can be tough sometimes. read more

Eliza's is that trendy modern-Chinese place that's somehow made it through the 90's and 00's and is still thriving today. Probably the best to-go option for anyone living nearby (or those willing to deal with the nightmarish parking in the area). The decor is an interesting hodge-podge that I can only guess is supplemented anytime the owner looks at a blank area and decides to put something random in said area. And yet it works. :) The food is overall quite good, and pretty well priced. But don't expect anything traditional/authentic here, the dishes have the same names, but Eliza's own unique preparations. My favorites: * Sizzling Rice soup - very light and delicate broth, I think I could make this into my entire meal * Mongolian beef - deliciously seasoned meat with bits of crispy puffed rice - might sound weird, but it works, excellently * Hunan salmon - again crispy puffed rice, combined with one of the few preparations of salmon in Chinese cuisine I've ever had that makes me want to come back for more. * Sunflower chicken - another unusual preparation, and another very memorable dish. nothing I can really compare it to, but it's a staple for our family * Garlic eggplant - this is a "binary" dish - if you hate eggplant, this won't turn you into a fan. but if you *like* eggplant, this is a must-have. a little crispy, with a great tangy sauce. * DRUMS OF HEAVEN - so the drums are drumsticks, and as far as I can tell, they literally come from heaven. SO GOOD. One last note - the place is definitely kid-friendly and a great option for the 6pm family rush hour, as it doesn't typically fill up until after 7. read more

Very Good Chinese Fusion Food LUNCH: A Great Value! I used to love the Hayes Valley location when it was there. (How long ago is that?) read more

I've probably been here/ordered out from Eliza's a dozen times. For better or for worse, we always get the same few dishes. Potstickers, chow mein, lemon chicken, and sweet & sour pork. It's all incredible and very consistent. Prices are fair. It's a great place to bring out of town guests on a budget, especially pickier eaters who don't want to go too exploratory with all of the unique SF places. The interior is neatly decorated and the owners/staff have been the same for years. In my opinion, it's the perfect family run local Chinese place to have in your neighborhood. This seems to be the only place of its kind in a couple mile radius, so props to you Eliza's! Looking forward to coming back again and again with family and friends. read more

Dine in or takeout, the service is pretty rushed for lunch and dinner. Good if you want quick, bad if you don't want to feel rushed out. They take plastic here, which is good, because the price is, well, a bit much for Chinese. Local Pac Heights professionals and their perfect looking high school kids seem to claim the place as theirs. Eating a lunch special there will get you alot of food with several sides or courses. I recommend the Lemon Shrimp or the Mango Ostrich. To be honest, though, I can't be sure this is genuine ostrich. This certainly isn't authentic Chinese, more like CA fusion that took the idea of Chinese and ran off with it. But it being essentially Chinese food, I think the elegant interior, the clientele, and the price seems like fancy dress to cover up the fact that it's much less. Like wearing the emperor's clothes, or being a poser, and hoping no one catches on to their ruse. If you want equally good Chinese without paying for the name or the restaurant's decor maintenance, go to Ben Wah, which is hidden in plain sight just across and down the street. read more

Yelp really needs to allow for a 3.5 star rating. I feel there's a real disparirty between the 3 star (I'm not going to bother myself going there) and the 4 star (I make an effort to eat there) restaurant. At least that's what I read into reviews when I'm looking for a new place to try. Anyway, I would give Eliza's a 3.5. The food is pseudo-authentic Chinese with your standard Chinese fare, but other than that the restaurant doesn't feel all that ethnic. If you're not overly concerned with it being authentic, I think the food is pretty darn good, and reasonably priced as well. I find it a really comfortable place to go grab a bite, and the food consistently leaves me satisfied and happy. The service is lack luster and never friendly, but I like that they always provide complimentary tea. The best part, of course, is the giant vase of Hershey's chocolate kisses that you can't miss on the way out. read more

Dear Yelp, Easily one of the best lunch specials I've ever had in SF. For about six bucks (plus tip, if you believe in tipping), you get a bowl of soup, an entree with your choice of rice, a pot of tea, all the water you can drink, and a fortune cookie. Now that's what I call a good deal. Are people really rating this place based on the decor? If anything, the biggest eyesore is the uniform that the wait staff wears. You'll feel like you're walking into the Gap, circa '95. So much denim. None of that even matters though, because you won't have time to form an opinion on the aesthetics. You're literally in and out in ten minutes, which is far less time than I've waited at any In N Out during the lunch rush. The food is your typical Americanized Chinese. Clean, no MSG, stupid metal chopsticks. With Eliza's, it's the price and the service that keeps me coming back. Also, they serve this really good soup on Wednesday. I recommend it. I give Eliza's a fantastic score of 4 out of 5 stars. Love, James read more

If I was rating Eliza's strictly on their food, they'd get 5 shiny stars for sure. The Eliza's spicy chicken and the walnut prawns are the best around...for reals. However, I have two major bones to pick with E's - 1. no delivery. Huge bummer. 2. They close so freaking early - especially on Sundays. A group of five of us went there last night at 8:25 and they weren't going to seat us because apparently their last seating on Sundays is at 8:15. 8:15?! are you kidding me? We got totally denied at first by one of the waitresses who was more than happy to tell us to get lost, but then with a whole lot of begging and pleading, another waiter decided to seat us...as long as we agreed that we would order in the next 3 minutes and that appetizers and entrees could come at the same time. Fine by us! No joke...all 6 dishes were on the table in 4 minutes. So I'd give E's 5 stars for food, 5 stars for speed of service, but unfortunately, 1 star for friendly service. OK maybe two because the guy was pretty nice. read more

Second day on our vacation and wanted to try some good chinese. Lots of mixed reviews but we were in the area, so we decided to go in. Nice place, great food, and inexpensive. Amanda had the eggplant and tofu, which I really liked. I ordered the spicy scallop dish and really loved it. This place is very simple but well executed. We were in and out in 30 minutes and under 15 dollars. We walked out very happy. read more

I don't know what's up with the Eliza hater reviews, but I just ate here last night with a friend and had a wonderfully yummy meal. Crab meat rangoons were tasty (and fattening of course). I dug Eliza's spicey chicken and she dug the Mongolian beef. If you're in the neighborhood and looking for some Chinese, definitely try it out. read more

I hate to agree to have to agree with the other reviewers, but the waitstaff knock down what would be a 4 star review. I've lived in the neighborhood for 5 years and they're consistant in impersonal if not occasionally rude service. The take out is great, you don't have to deal with them. The food is amazing, and is some of the best that I've had. It's fairly cheap, especially considering how good it is. The hunan salmon and mango beef are two of my favorite dishes, but all the specials I've tried there are amazing. The ingredients are fresh and not over cooked. Nothing seems frozen or overly sauced. I've noticed a little decline in quality in the last two years. I hope they're able to change that. I should really be a 5 star place. read more

Five stars: food---fresh, piping hot and delish every time! The staff are friendly and efficient. The place is lovely, outback you can see their garden. And, you just can not beat the price! I love their kung pao tofu, their spicy eggplant, and their chicken dishes look amazing. Every time I have gone in, the vegetables are fresh, crisp and plentiful. I also love that they serve green tea and egg drop soup. Pleasing and delightful! read more

The lady had been by this place many times, noticing it's almost always full. So we decided to give it a try for some lunchtime deals. We were promptly seated, given some tea and given a couple moments to peruse the menus. The lunch specials are pretty sweet, soup, rice & entree for under $6. I had the sweet & sour pork, and she had fried rice, and we had some eggrolls as an app. They took our order and almost immediately came back out with some hotnsour soup. It's probably the best I've had a a restaurant, so I was very pleased. Then the eggrolls came out. They're packed REALLY full with the good stuff, and they were delicious, so that's another star for them! The pork was pretty good, but the pineapple wasn't very sweet and the grilled tomatoes they mixed in didn't help the dish any as they were pretty flavorless. The fried rice was good as well, BUT, be aware that it's not just your plane ol' fried rice. They throw in quite a lot of chicken, beef & pork. So even though it was really good, if you're a vegetarian, just ask first if there's a veg version. So, overall, the service is excellent and fast, the food is great, the decor is simple and it isn't too loud inside. You can actually have a pretty good conversation, even when it gets a little crowded. Also, the place is impeccable. As we were leaving, just after the lunchtime rush, they were frantically cleaning up on top of and underneath all the tables, almost as if they all had OCD. So I'm impressed with their cleanliness. The only thing that robs it of a star is, although the service is fast, it's not very warm. Basically, the moment they get you in, they're trying to get you out for the next customer. But they're not rude about it, and do it with a kind smile, so it's no big deal. read more

I used to enjoy going to Eliza's 18th Street Potrero Hill location because it was a fairly short drive from work and I was disappointed when it closed. I generally dislike Americanized Chinese food restaurants but somehow had gotten to like this place (along with its spinoff, Eric's on Church Street in Noe Valley). However, I knew this location was still open and I had a chance to visit it earlier this week because it was on the way to a job site. As usual, I went for my favorite: the House Special duck (for some reason it became my favorite over the years along with a portabello mushroom dish, don't know why). The service here was okay that day, but my past experience with the other location was that it could be unfriendly at times. Therefore, I can understand those who, for that reason, gave this place a low rating. The inside decor is nice. They use tables with glass tops. The legs are metal shaped to resemble a tree (at least that was my assessment). read more

I loved the sweet and sour chicken here! Has a perfect tangy taste and I definitely recommend! Will definitely be going here again in the future. Service was amazing. read more

Good food but lousy customer services. And it is getting worse and use to be my favorite place. Poor customer service will trump over good food anytime in my book read more

I would not bother to come here again. I have been here a few times in the past, and the food has been acceptable--perhaps even better than some Chinese restaurants. However, the chicken in my dish tonight was almost imperceptible, and the pieces were small and gristly. For the price, I expect much better quality. Even Panda Express has better chicken--and this is a bit of a sad statement. Do yourself a favor and forego this dinner stop. read more

Absolutely the BEST Chinese restaurant in all of SF!!! Especially yummy is the Shanghai Chicken, Lemon Shrimp and Mu Shu Pork. But pretty much everything is delicious. It's not at all like the average Chinese food you're used to. Way way better. read more

Ordered the crab Rangoon, green beans, cashew chicken and chicken chow main! One of the better crab rangoons I have had while in SF! I had been looking for a great Chinese food spot while in the city and I am so happy I found one! read more

Great place to come with a group of friends but definitely make a reservation. Family style is the way to go and it ends up being under $20 a person. I love their Mongolian Beef - there must be something in there to keep me coming back. Much like my chap stick addiction - what do they put in it??? read more

I love the ambiance of this place and the lunch specials are very cheap and filling. Way better than Yum Yum and it's probably the only restaurant that has made a Hot & Sour soup that I actually want a second helping of. The mango beef I ordered had the beef perfectly and evenly cooked which has never happened to me at any restaurant and the portion was enough for lunch the following day and was even more delicious then. I know good Chinese food when I have it and considering the options available in Pacific Heights this is one of the better restaurants. Just because it's not a cash only place on Clement doesn't mean it can't be good. I have always believed the mantra that if you have good food you can't have good service, and the staff here just simply supported my hypothesis. I do give a thumbs up for quickly made without being undercooked food. Great place if you need cheap food to last you a few days at the office. read more

This is one of those Americanized Chinese places. Being an ABC, myself, and my wife, a mainlander, we could easily tell by how clean the place was. The clientèle was mostly non-Asian and the seating was comfortable. Anyhow, on to the food. We tried the walnut shrimp, Buddha's delight, some chow mien, and salt n pepper seafood. Overall, the food is good enough, but nothing really stood out. I wouldn't say the prices are low, as other reviewers have stated. Try some more authentic Chinese joints, and you'll see more value for your dollar. The service was satisfactory and we got ample attention. I would recommend Eliza's to anyone looking for decent and clean Chinese place. read more

Came here with a friend today for lunch, and was a little apprehensive how authentic it would be considering, I ate plenty of Hunan food when I was in China. All in all, it's decent Chinese food for lunch. $6.20 for some good chinese eggplant, soup, and rice? Yummy. Eggplant was properly cooked. My only complaint was that it wasn't spicy enough to be authentic, but I'll forgive them for that. Service was so-so, as the waiters seemed inattentive and a little standoffish, but I will take that for the decent quality of the meal. And am I the only one who marvels at how much liquid they give you for lunch (soup, water, and tea)? My bladder was bursting at the end of the meal. read more

You gotta try the crab ragoons here !!! Crab and cream cheese yummy !! and their potstickers are a good size and not too bad too All the food is served family style. We ordered the chicken fried rice.... it was pretty good a little salty for my own taste but good Also got the mushroom chicken now this had really great flavor And the bf got broccoli beef also really good nice crunchy broccoli and a good portion of meat But the was only server and he was running all over the place but still managed to get our last minute order of potstickers out before our entrée and working in the kitchen I know that can be hard to do so I gave it a 5 star I'm always around the area so I'll Definitely be coming back soon read more

I love this place. Solid, consistent family establishment. My favorite apps are the drums of heaven and the crab rangoon (shocking! I usually hate these from other Chinese spots). For entrees, I love the Mongolian beef and Eliza's spicy chicken (which is actually pretty mild, so go extra spicy if you want any heat.) The decor in the restaurant is super interesting and I'm still noticing new things after ~10 visits. read more

I keep hearing about Eliza's and how good it is, so I finally tried it tonight. I'm a self professed order out/delivery junkie, so if I have to venture out from the warm confines of my house, the food better be amazing...Sadly, Eliza's is not what I consider amazing Chinese take out. Damn! My yardstick for Chinese is Kung Pao Chicken, since it's what I order 95% of the time. Eliza's Kung Pao is okay, but I thought it had a bit too much zucchini. Also, I prefer the peppers to be roasted to give that smokey flavor, these peppers were just tossed in with all the other ingredients. Thumbs up on the pork fried rice. The serving was large and the rice was quite tasty. Overall, I've had better Chinese take out in San Francisco (although none compare to my favorite spots in Chicago), especially given that many others deliver. The search for better trudges on... read more

Eliza's is the bomb. I went here with my dad and stepfamily, and the food is so fresh, well prepared, and satisfying. It's so rare to find Chinese food in the city that doesn't leave me feeling hungry an hour later, and over-greased. Eliza's is the exception to this general rule. We started with delish, gingery spring rolls, and spicy hot n' sour soup (so good and loaded with tofu and veggies). For our main courses, we got a lot of chicken; chicken chow fun (substituted chicken for the crab cakes), kung pa tofu, spicy eggplant with veggies, sesame chicken, and a special chicken dish that came with dried strips of chinese broccoli, all with brown rice. Delish. The noodles were kind of greasy, in a good way. Yes, it is all white people in the restaurant (hello, Laurel Village stroller-pushers giving the cook a night off), but I don't care. All in all; stupidly good food. read more

My guardians and I enjoy this place every time we go here. Its just good food, can't go wrong with it. The sweet and sour pork seems to be my favorite at the moment as well as the... steak, I think. I tried the Chow Mein once and it was just a large bowl, more than i could handle. I've had dinner here eight times and in all those times, I have always been satisfied with the food given to me. Sometimes sticking to one food is good but there's a whole bunch to chose from, so open up or eat a lot! The lunch specials are just spectacular as well; perfect for me. Lucky for the Drew students, they get to have Elizas close by when they need it. read more

My husband and I go here just for the hot and sour soup. We always get to go because the inside has kind of a weird vibe, hence the 4 stars.

Not the healthiest food, but totally a crowd-pleaser. Awesome decor, reasonable prices and plain delicious food. You could take your Midwestern parents here and they would rave to their jealous friends back home (and while you may not brag to your friends about it, you will secretly crave to go back there again ASAP). read more

When I have friends visiting me, Eliza's is my first recommendation. To me, it's got almost the perfect balance of value and entertainment. First thing first, food is fresh and yummy. It's not the most authentic Chinese food. But hey, it's California. We call that "fusion." Then there's the unique decor. It has an "ocean" theme. And the front part of the restaurant is made to look like the deck of a ship. The service is still pretty Chinese style -- which could be perceived as less than courteous by some Americans. So when I bring my friends over there, I try to prep them for that. To me, a restaurant has got to make money somehow. A more "efficient" serving style will allow them to offer the food at such great value, and still be in a clean and stylish setting. I have no complaint for the efficient services. As I said, I think this is "fusion" style. So personally, pretty much all fusion food means it is overly salty and it uses a lot of sauce. Well, this is just a neighborhood restaurant. I'm glad to have it right near where I work. And if 5 star means top 20%, Eliza's would be one of them! read more

After living in SF for 14 years, this was the best Chinese food (non-dim sum) that I ever found. Even better for pick-up. It's really affordable, generous portions in a family style, and maintains a clean restaurant. Dishes I recommend: -Pot Stickers, best pot stickers I have ever had, amazing. -Eliza's Spicy Chicken, my favorite dish, soooo good! -Sweet and Sour Pork, almost always cooked perfectly, great sauce. -Green Beans are also really good. The only two problems I have with this place are: 1. The parking is horrible... street parking in that area is near impossible to find after 5pm.. 2. Why don't they deliver!!! If this place delivered, I would be such a happier person (probably overweight too)! It would also alleviate the parking/double parking issues that are a major problem. read more

I've always been a fan of Eliza's in Portero Hill but after visiting the Pac Heights location tonight, I felt so offended and upset by their service. We ordered the Sizzling Rice soup which the server did not equally distribute the soup and its contents. My friend got mostly broth and another just vegetables and barely any soup. So when the main entrees arrived, one was decent (shrimp and portobello mushrooms) and another COLD (Mongolian Lamb). I felt the plate, the plate was ice cold so no wonder the food was cold. This part made me furious: I asked our server to please warm up the dish. He displeasingly looked at me and stared until I explained to him the plate was cold, making the food cold. And he said, "We don't heat up the plates" I said it was fine but can he just heat it up. And he looked around, then said, "You are the only..." just stopped because he was going to say I was the only one who complains about the food being cold. But then he said he'll warm it up but it will "SHRIVEL". HE USED THOSE EXACT WORDS to describe what the reheated food will look like and I was INSTANTLY GROSSED OUT. SHRIVEL? Really? of all the words in the written English language, he had to use the most unappetizing word: SHRIVEL which makes me think of old vegetables or prunes. Thanks alot Eliza for making my night at your restaurant an experience i will always be horrified by. TIP: $2 because the food portion was small, SHRIVELED, and SERVICE WAS HORRRRRIIIBBBLLLLLLEEEE!!!!! read more

Reall great food, fresh and consistent! We go here for lunch all the time. I highly recommend it.

Favorite Chinese (period)! Fresh ingredients you can taste. Recommend: Eliza's Spicy Chicken with an order of rice, Hot n Sour Soup (FYI: small to go size feeds 2-3). Lastly, one can't go wrong with Pot- stickers so throw those in too. Been going here for 14 years! read more

The real thrill is how incredibly unfriendly and grumpy everyone is who works there. The faster they serve you the faster they think they can go home! And if you have any interest in savoring a meal, be prepared for a deluge of all that you ordered as fast as it can be produced. The check will come just as fast and you will wonder what just happened! Under no circumstance, ask for anything like water, rice, or chili oil after the meal is served. Food is pretty good but classic westernized style of hong kong food. read more

It's true, the Mango Beef was F-ing legit!!! (3 "!"s) It had raspberries and pomgranate seeds in there too. The menu looks like the menu from Dragon Palace or something. Chinese food in general can be sketchy so this place would be well served to write discriptions for the dishes, instead of "#6 Mango Beef" they might say "savoy slices of sirloin sauteed with Mangos chunks, Raspberries and Pomegranate seed in a delicious home made sauce" or something.. that way you'd know what you're going to get. i look around at what other people got and it all looked good. we spent maybe $60 for two of us (one drink each). the service wasn't great but they didn't bother us while we eat, the food was bomb and they got the order right so - good enough for me. i'll deffinitly go back. read more

I go to high school right nearby; great place, cheap, delicious lunch. A must-order is the beef broccoli. Like no other. AMAZING Great service; good at taking big groups read more