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    Orchids Cafe

    4.2 (250 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:30 pm
    Updated 2 weeks ago

    Order Orchids Cafe Takeout or Delivery

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    ORCHIDS CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Shrimp fried rice
    Claudia C.

    I was in the mood for shrimp fired rice and this place did not disappoint! It was SOOOOO GOOD! The peaky eater that I am makes me always spectacle to try new places, I decided to give it a try since I was in the area. I ordered take out and the person that took my order was so nice and gave me a complimentary drink, it was a flavored ice tea and it was so good and I don't even like ice tea lol. The restaurant look clean and organized. I will definitely come back to this place.

    inside
    Jeff H.

    Another good meal at Orchids Cafe. No wait on a Sunday at noon. Since the restaurant was slow, I chatted with Kevin, the owner. He is a nice guy and grew up in SF just like. He remembered me from my last visit and gave me another free lemon ice tea. I'm not used to receiving free drinks and therefore tipped accordingly. My curry pork chop spaghetti $18 tasted good. It was a lot of food. Good times.

    Thai basil pork
    Bubu N.

    Pork chops crispy and good portion. Thai basil pork perf amount of kick, not too spicy! Service was good. The owner is very helpful and making sure everyone is taken care of. Glad to stop by this hidden gem. Solid food and def hit the spot!

    Chicken noodle soup

    It's a great place for Hong Kong style dishes. Kevin, the owner, does everything except cooking. His HK milk tea and HK lemon tea hits the spot. Anything that's salt and pepper style are delicious such as tofu, chicken wings, and fish fillets. If you love salted egg yolk then try his salted egg yolk chicken wings. His restaurant is the only one that I know serves thai basil pork chow fun with some heat. His baked pork chop in tomato sauce over spaghetti is also our go to. It's on the same block as Beeps Burger.

    hot cup of ling cha (honey lemon tea) on a cold SF day - bliss.
    Michael Y.

    These are legit, giant pork chop steaks grilled to perfection in the classic, HK-style fashion on a bed of tomato sauce and egg fried rice. It was perfect with a warm cup of ling cha (honey lemon tea) on a chilly, foggy, and rainy SF day. The salted egg calamari was also a unique treat that I have never seen anywhere else and was good - large slabs of meat! This was a taste of the O.G. HK style cafe right here in the heart of SF! They were not skimping with the portions and were very generous! First thought was that I would spread the word to family and friends who would enjoy this authentic taste. They take credit card and Apple Pay! They even had the sports games on tv - basketball, football, you name it. There was plenty of room too in this spacious restaurant also with clean, spacious bathrooms - a godsend. It is also nicely situated right across from City College CCSF and right across from Whole Foods, so it is perfect for walking and checking out the local businesses. They do have a student discount on weekdays! Parking is a bit tight as you may need to just park a bit farther.

    Hand Shredded Chicken with Hainanese Rice
    Alisa B.

    Their Hand Shredded Chicken with Hainanese Rice is probably the most popular menu item! I can see why! Tender chilled chicken with very tasty rice, steamed cabbage, and ginger sauce. My only gripe was the saltiness... Shanghai Soup Dumplings were decent! Lots of soup. The pork filling was just average. The Pork Dumplings With Yellow Chives were better in my opinion! Juicy seasoned pork and the wrapper was a good texture. Definitely come here for a hearty meal and big portions! A hidden gem in the area. The owner was really kind and gave us complimentary Hong Kong Lemon Tea too!

    Winnie K.

    Amazing restaurant! Loved the vibe and service. The food was absolutely amazing. We ordered the Thai style minced pork with rice. The jasmine rice was cooked right on point and the minced pork was seasoned with right amount of spices and chilies. definitely recommend for people who love spicy and Thai style! The pork chop over spaghetti was also delicious with decent amount of cheese and yummy tomato sauce. The taste is decent and very HK style. Will recommend this place to anyone who wants great Hong Kong or Cantonese style food!

    Lynn V.

    Stumbled across this hidden gem randomly and it was a hit! We had a large party of 10 and they accommodated us wonderfully on a walk in basis. This family owned business really strives for excellent customer service and treated us so well. The owner was very attentive to our kids table and went above and beyond to make sure their needs were met. He even brought us extra beverages on the house. Food portions were huge and generous. I had their shredded hainan chicken, scallion pancake, and HK milk tea. All were delicious! My father in law had the beef tomato dish and that looked really good too! Highly recommend for some solid HK eats

    Millie K.

    This is a perfect spot for HK Milk Tea and HK style cafe food. We dropped by often on weekend for lunch. The interior was comfortable and service was fast and attentive. Milk Tea 5/5 Beef and Runny Egg Chow Fun 4/5 (slightly too salty) Baked meat spaghetti 5/5 Chicken wings and fries 4/5 Mapo tofu over rice 5/5 (nice and spicy) This is becoming our weekend go to lunch spot when we crave some HK style cafe food.

    Honey Lemon Tea
    Christina L.

    Awesome Hong Kong restaurant (Cha Chan Teng), the food has some much flavor! The menu has a lot of variety, from baked dishes, rice plates, and noodles. The baked dish($17/$18 for meat, $21 for fish/seafood) takes about 15 minutes which is pretty quick for baked dish, the pork pieces were large and tender. The tomato sauce is not too acidic, tastes great and cheesy flavor. My favorite dish was the XO sauce stir fry spaghetti with seafood ($21), great peppery flavor, and quality seafood items. The restaurant can get busy, but the restaurant is really clean. Overall, great variety of items that taste super fresh and like a home cook meal.

    Baked Fish in Cream Sauce Over Rice Salted Egg Yolk with Fried Calamari
    Lynne E.

    I'm glad to see this spot has not changed over the years. I came here once with my cousin and I decided to come back as I was craving this particular dish. It definitely did not disappoint. The server was very nice and gave me this yummy spicy sauce when I asked for chili. A nice cozy spot for a solo lunch or break from studying as it's right by City College. Definitely try this place out. It will not disappoint you!

    Salted Egg Yolk with Chicken Soft Bones
    C. Z.

    We came by for a lunch to try their baked rice. One of my favorite items was the salted egg yolk fried chicken cartilage, a dish I haven't seen elsewhere. The HK milk tea was very tasty. The baked rice with fish came in a pretty generous portion and was very garlicky and tasty. The owner(?) was super nice and attentive. He noticed my son watching the tv and changed it from basketball to a kids movie. Would definitely come back here again and try more things!

    Salt and Pepper Pork Chop with Rice
    Crystal N.

    Stopped in around 5pm on a Saturday and found a nice quiet and clean spot to rest. Since it was warm out, the server/owner gifted us some delicious lemon iced tea! I got the salt and pepper pork chops and they were delicious. The batter and crisp on it is perfect. It's a tiny bit spicier than you'd expect but that's iced tea helps soothe you. The only reason I didn't finish my plate was because I was tired and ready to go home- otherwise I would have licked the plate clean. Before we left, we were also gifted two cups of the HK milk tea, which is also incredible. Highly recommend everything I ate, and very interested in trying the rest of their menu!

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    12 days ago

    Just to be honest this place is super good ok orchids but the chicken wing is big and it has a lot of blood but it s good

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    Page 1 of 7

    Orchids Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

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    Wok Up

    Wok Up

    4.2
    (78 reviews)
    1.2 mi

    Food 4.5/5 Ordered three dishes for two people and there…read morewere plenty to share. The beef wonton noodle soup was delicious and 10/10! The wontons are made with lots of shrimps and the beef was tender. We also ordered garlic string beans and caramelized spareribs with ube. The spareribs are a little hard to chew and the meat doesn't fall right off the bone. Overall, the dishes are on the lighter side and not as heavy flavored. Service 5/5 The staff are very friendly and attentive. Everything is made fresh to order and you can definitely taste the quality and effort the chef put in. Ambiance 5/5 The restaurant itself is bright and spacious and is versatile to be split into different party sizes.

    We "woked up" thinking we would be ordering baked pork chops over rice, HK milk tea, and other HK…read morecafe food finds. However, to our surprise upon entering, we were told that there's been a change in their menu. Now a 2 pager that you can find online that offers more lo mein, wonton noodles soup, and chicken wings. We were told they have a new chef and still adjusting the menu. We decided to give them a try anyways and the food wasn't bad! Portions were a good size. Service was nice and attentive which is always a plus for a neighborhood spot. It's nice to have another Asian option in this part of Ocean Avenue for whenever we have cravings of noodle dishes but hopefully, they will bring back some items from their menu.

    Photos
    Wok Up
    Wok Up
    Tomato sauce baked fish filet

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    Tomato sauce baked fish filet
    Noriega Cafe

    Noriega Cafe

    3.9
    (190 reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $$

    Noriega Cafe, a HK-style cafe, at 1245 Noriega is very much open, crowded with people and hopping!…read moreJust had lunch here! BAKED PORK CHOPS in a tomato sauce over rice, a crowd pleaser, was tasty. Would wish for more sauce. SPICY WON TONS - Chicken won tons garnished with chile sauce, plenty of Dow see, was spicy but good as well. NORIEGA CAFE has a robust drink menu full of boba, Matcha and fruit drinks. Had their house tea with lunch and it was nice and fragrant. Nice when something like a house tea pops. Their dessert menu will draw me back for sure. MANGO AND TOFU PUDDINGS AND SOUPS. See you there!

    The menu is different from what you see on their yelp. Not sure if it's the same name but different…read moreowners. The restaurant is quite small has a total of 9 tables. The tables are lined up like the letter "L" there are 4 tables then two tables are along the window. There are a couple of chairs by the door while you wait. They were really busy and not enough staff. You wait to order, wait to get seated, and the food come at all different time. My dad wanted wonton noodle but they just took of the braised beef and then gave wonton. But they didn't have enough wonton. So then gave what they had and said wait for more wonton. And by the time the wonton was done my dad was done with his meal. I ordered the baked tomatoes pork chop. It was ok. The problem that I noticed with and what other tables customers had mentioned is that not enough surface space. So they offer serving spoons as you meal spoon. So when you put the spoon in the plate it spills the rice. There is not enough space for you to dig for a bite of rice and protein. I felt there was not enough sauce and the fried rice was lacking flavor. The next table had the same complaints about the plate. Being so small that when you put your spoon in for a bite, the food spills out. My brother black pepper beef was good. It had flavor. Wished they offered more sauce.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Baked pork chop , duck teppan , beef wonton dry noodles
    Baked pork chop , duck teppan , beef wonton dry noodles
    Pistachio matcha $7

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    Pistachio matcha $7
    S & E Cafe

    S & E Cafe

    3.3
    (261 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    S & E used to be a Hong Kong style restaurant, and since it was my first time visiting, you can…read moreimagine my surprise when I found out that it was now all clay pot dishes! Their menu was completely overhauled in late May, and they now only have some Hong Kong style breakfast options. I asked the waitress, and she explained that the owner wanted to try something new. I did enjoy the clay pot rice, but I think that there was a bit too much rice compared to the toppings.

    Came for lunch on Friday around 11 am and was able to find street parking. However, we discovered…read morethis place actually opens for breakfast too, at 9 am instead of 11 am as shown on Yelp. We ordered the following: Hainan Chicken Rice which came with a lemon tea drink $15.98 - Chicken was silky and soft, the rice was so flavorful and tasty. The 2 sauces, sweet chili and ginger scallions complemented the chicken very well. Salt & Pepper Chicken wings (6) $11.95 - Came freshly fried and was crispy and juicy with a light toss of chili and garlic bits. Curry Beef rice stew $19.95 + $5 to make it a main dish instead of a rice plate. Came with Chinese broccoli and chopped green and red peppers. Beef Chow Fun $16.95 - This was for take out and came piping hot. (good wok hei) A good ratio of beans sprouts, beef and chow fun. It was delicious. We were also served hot complimentary tea, which is a must have for Chinese food. Kerry was so welcoming and greeted everyone with a smile. We wanted extra sauce for the Hainan chicken, tea and a take out order and nothing was too much trouble. She was efficient and more than helpful. I can see the customers there regulars from the neighborhood and all felt at home. NOTE: - She told us they will have a Grand Opening this Sunday, May 17th. Seems this place must be under new management and keeping the original name. Overall, a great little HK style cafe with all the classics. I will definitely return to try their breakfast menu and the house made Cheung fun and claypot rice which seems to be popular with the locals.

    Photos
    S & E Cafe
    S & E Cafe
    5/12 5/13 2024 母親節兩人和四人套餐

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    5/12 5/13 2024 母親節兩人和四人套餐
    Noodle Stop

    Noodle Stop

    4.0
    (225 reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Grab-and-go

    This mom and pop restaurant was great, you know it's good when their kids are also there…read more Everything in this place was super delicious. We had the rice noodle, won ton noodle soup, hk milk tea, pig feet and braised beef noodle soup, & soybean milk. Will come back again!

    Came here to warm up with some hot soup after a cold round of golf. Everyone wanted something hot…read moreto eat. This is in our neighborhood Sunset District but have never tried Noodle Stop. It is a nice casual restaurant. Menu is very extensive and took us awhile to go through all the choices. They have a Monday-Friday before 2:30 pm special combo which includes 1 hot drink. Many noodle options to choose from too. The ambiance is typical no thrills but clean. Customer service was good and they put tables together for the 7 of us. They kept refilling our hot tea too. It was not crowded as it was a little late for lunch and they never rushed us out either. I only took pictures of my order of Combo C4 Minced Pork with Rice Noodle and A1 Hong Kong Style Won Ton Noodle Soup. I took a picture of the dish next to me, but not sure exactly what it was on the menu, but she said it was good. Everyone ordered the small portions since it was so late for lunch but everything came out piping hot and it was enough to fill you up. They sell their homemade hot sauce and we got to try some served with our order. It's is definitely very HOT! Overall food was good, service was good, prices are decent. We all enjoyed the food and just might be back again since the menu is so extensive.

    Photos
    Noodle Stop
    B4 Stewed Beef Brisket with rice noodles
    B4 Stewed Beef Brisket with rice noodles
    Salt and Pepper Fried Tofu

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    Salt and Pepper Fried Tofu
    Ming Kee Restaurant

    Ming Kee Restaurant

    4.0
    (265 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    Ming Kee Restaurant was on my bookmark after seeing a Instagram post on cheap eats, although I was…read moreexpecting Ming Kee to be at San Fran's Chinatown. It wasn't, after circling around for parking, we finally found a spot in residential and walked to MK. The line were line, busy out the door, but staff tends to get it moving, once I got to the front, the lady takes your order and gives you a ticket. The menu is not posted on the board, it only has roasted meat prices. The menu is really simple, a no frill place just for simple roasted meats and rice plate lunch. I got the combo of shoyu chicken & roast duck ($15.) I remember the video I saw was for $10. cheap eats for lunch specials, but I think that prices is no more. Everything moved pretty quick after I got my ticket. & the verdict, Love how the color of the chicken and duck, the combo plate was great portion, more than enough for the 2, the shoyu chicken and roast duck was pretty tasty, meaty, tender served on rice and veggies, which was Chinese Cabbage ( Won Bok) which I love, they went great together. I LOVED the ginger garlic sauce, luckily I got 2 extra ( @.50) on side. This sauce is bomb, way better than what I had back on Oahu. I need more of this sauce & They take credit cards here! No dine in, simply just take out!

    Food is affordable and delicious…read more However, staff is rude and service is absolutely terrible. Do not order for a party here - they charge you $3 each for the physical trays which should come with the order... (otherwise, how do you take the food with you?) The place is very busy, and definitely feels like they want you in and out. The restaurant is pretty dingy as well and you definitely don't feel welcomed.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Duck over rice
    Duck over rice
    Duck over rice

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    Duck over rice
    Fung Wong

    Fung Wong

    3.3
    (236 reviews)
    2.9 mi
    $$

    I forgot to get pictures. Just like a lot of the other restaurants in SF, they tried to put as many…read moretables as they could inside, so they are close together. But the seating didn't matter. What mattered is that their food is delicious. Holy cow. My family likes to go out for Chinese food and Dim Sum and this is our new place. They don't really have Dim Sum here, primarily Chinese food, but it is phenomenal. Everything we got was so tasty. They only reason that I can think for lower reviews is how crowded it gets inside as well as it can be hard to find a server when you need one. That doesn't bother me so much though purely because the food was just that good.

    After a lovely visit to the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, we found ourselves hungry on the…read moredrive home and craving some comforting Hong Kong style Chinese food. We happened upon a small restaurant on Noriega Street with only a 3.3 star rating and about 233 reviews. To be honest, we were hesitant at first, but decided to give it a try. What a pleasant surprise! We ordered a bowl of roasted duck wonton noodle soup and a half Hainan chicken. Both dishes were absolutely delicious, the broth was flavorful, the wontons were satisfying, and the Hainan chicken was tender and well-seasoned. The service was friendly, attentive, and remarkably quick. As an added bonus, we received two complimentary glasses of lemon tea during their happy hour (3 PM-5 PM), which was a thoughtful touch. The restaurant was bustling with customers, a good sign that the locals know something the ratings don't seem to reflect. The portions were generous, the prices were very reasonable, and we left happy and impressed. We're still wondering how this place has only a 3.3-star rating, because our experience was far better than expected. We will definitely be back.

    Photos
    Fung Wong
    Pork wonton noodle soup breakfast
    Pork wonton noodle soup breakfast
    XO sauce string beans

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    XO sauce string beans
    Hon’s Wun-Tun House

    Hon’s Wun-Tun House

    3.5
    (149 reviews)
    3.1 mi
    $$

    Come for: wontons and green scallion pancake…read more Know that: parking can be tough on weekends. I'm so happy Hon's made it out to the sunset. No longer have to brave Chinatown traffic for their wontons and green scallion pancake! It's definitely one of the most comforting bowls of soup in the city with tons of flavor. Get the one with char siu (bbq pork). Overall, this is a wonderful almost hole in the wall like spot. Service is fast and direct. Cleaner than most comparable places would be. Definitely check them out if you're craving a bowl of homey wonton soup.

    Here's the updated version with that stronger "please get ahead of this" message added:…read more I really like the food at Hon's Wun-Tun House, which makes this review especially disappointing to write. As a parent of children with serious nut allergies, it was heartbreaking to realize that we could not safely eat here. After waiting a long time for a table and then waiting again because they were busy, we asked about nut allergy safety before placing our order. Unfortunately, the staff did not seem trained or confident about allergy handling. They mentioned the possibility of peanut oil and ultimately suggested that we should not eat there because they could not be sure. I do appreciate the honesty, because with allergies, uncertainty is not safe. But it was still very disappointing to have to leave after all that waiting, especially from a place whose food we actually enjoy. I really hope Hon's sees this review and puts in the work to clearly identify what is safe and not safe to eat on their menu for people with food allergies. This is not their first location, and I am sure they get allergy questions multiple times a day. The staff should be properly trained to answer these questions with confidence, instead of leaving customers and families guessing. Allergies are becoming more common, especially among children, and restaurants that can clearly answer allergy questions, train staff, and identify ingredients will make families feel safer and more welcome. I hope they get ahead of this sooner rather than later, because it would allow more customers--not fewer--to enjoy their food.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Beef tendon won tun noodle soup.
    Beef tendon won tun noodle soup.
    Shrimp with Pork and Chives Dumplings

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    Shrimp with Pork and Chives Dumplings

    Orchids Cafe - chinese - Updated July 2026

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