My family and I have always been a fan of this place. Unfortunately since the change in management, S&E Cafe isn't open for lunch anymore as it once was. Nonetheless, it's open super late and is a great (and delicious) option for those of you craving HK cuisine! Definitely have to say the place has definitely upgraded since it first opened some years ago. The restaurant itself is much cleaner than some of the other HK style restaurants that you might find in the city. The staff is very friendly and the menu features a variety of dishes that will surely satisfy most if not all of your cravings. I would definitely recommend any of the baked dishes! You can choose from a range of sauces including a cream-based white sauce, tomato sauce, or black pepper sauce. I would definitely recommend the Baked Pork Chop Over Rice, the Portuguese Style Chicken Over Rice, or the Hong Kong Style Chicken Steak Over Rice! The meat(s) are savory and, once you add in the sauce and the rice, you've got a delicious meal to enjoy. These are a staple in the HK cuisine and the portions here are more than enough - each dish comes with a soup and bread (both of which are delicious and a nice starter) and milk tea or coffee. The milk tea is quite good and has a nice hint of sweetness when you ask for the condensed milk. If baked dishes aren't your thing, there's also sandwiches, noodle soups, and other rice and noodle dishes to choose from. If you've got a Yelp account, check in and they'll give you a free soda or iced lemon tea (one of my favorite drinks at HK restaurants)! Word of caution: parking sometimes sucks in the area so be prepared to walk a block or two if necessary. read more

The new remodel looks great! I remember when it looked like crap but for some reason those were the better experience I had. The other night I came here and the worst experience ever. I ordered the Sweet and sour fish with rice. They should just change it to sweet and sour sauce with a hint of rice and fish. The sauce was so overwhelming. This was the only time I ever had to dig through the sauce soaked rice to find some plain white rice to eat, how sad was that. I ended up leaving the whole plate full of their red sauce mess. I give this place a 3 star because its open late, as long as you dont get the sweet and sour fish you'll be safe. read more

I only give this place a 3 because it is better and cleaner than ABC Cafe. I've been here maybe two or three times, but they were not as bad as ABC, like I stated before. They have the typical cafe food such as, ramen noodles, etc. Prices are decent, people are decent, but I think I remember them taking forever to make my ramen noodle. Pissed me off. read more

Last time I ate here was the old S&E. I tried a few months ago to eat at the new S&E at a busy time but left after waiting 15 min without having my existence acknowledged. I think the place is one of the best examples in SF of its type of cuisine (HK version of an American coffee shop--that's shop, not house, think Woolworth's lunch counter or Denny's/Lyons, not Starbucks), so this evening I decided to give it another try. Good thing I did. Yes, the decor is much nicer, with the bamboo at the entrance, dark grained linoleum floors, wood-grained Formica tables and the framed food porn photos on the wall above each table. And the service was better than the previous reviewer said, with one of the waiters coming by now and then so see if I (or other diners) needed a refill on my lai cha (HK condensed milk tea) or needed ice water. Tonight I got one of the two specials listed in Chinese at the door (the printed menu is completely translated, and the waitstaff will happily translate the door specials on request. Cheng tong hoisin saimin translates as soup with seafood and angle hair pasta. It was $13 and well worth it: a soup plate with broth containing salmon, prawns, some kind of white fish, with bits of asparagus and tomato. Yes, at this price the fish was probably farmed but it was all good and I finished it off. The price included my choice of hot coffee or tea, or for those in the know hot HK tea with sweetened condensed milk. True to its coffee shop origins, it also included a small cup of soup (chicken veggie with macaroni) and a dinner roll (nothing fancy, just like you'd get at a coffee shop). Jello or, again for those who know to ask, a cup of HK style barely sweetened red bean and tapioca soup for dessert. If you're feeling nostalgic for mid-western food, this is the place. Just be aware that you're seeing it through an HK lens, and that the prawns come in-shell with tails (they did take the heads off, but that's not a given in these types of places). Keeping that in mind, it's a good buy. (Just be warned, french toast at this kind of place generally comes without syrup.) read more

After a complete remodeling of the restaurant and possible owner change, S&E Cafe has become the perfect late-night snackhouse in town. Their variety of Chinese and "Gong Sik Sai Chan" literally "Chinese know make western dishes." is amazing. This ain't your daddy's ABC garbage, this is for some true cuisine seekers. They know how to make their food delicious and not even remotely disgusting. Fried rice, flat noodles, linguine pasta with pork chops, sandwiches, and a multitude of special sweet drinks make this place a unique dining experience. After the remodel, this place is clean, the staff is efficient, and I feel comfortable sitting in the restaurant. Before the remodel, the place felt like it didn't want you inside of it. Hopefully they can upkeep the way it looks now. -1 point for parking is insane sometimes and completely impossible on 19th read more

this place is like a high end version of abc but the food taste about the same... possible same cooks... we order my bake seafood over rice and baked fish over rice... taste ok, the dish looks like when it come out... notting really special or taste good... one thing plus they still serve you choice of coffee and bread butter... so that's koo i guess.. haven't been here since summer time... read more

i come here when i don't feel like driving to lucky chances for a guaranteed late-night eating spot. i've been here twice, and the service and the food is spot-on. the drinks are refreshing and tasty. the grilled turnip cake is just as good at night as it is during dimsum at other establishments, and the entrees are satisfying when you're in the mood for something hong kong-esque. i've never tried the baked pork chop, but next time when i do, i'll have to see if it's as good as st. anna's in oakland. read more

A lot of stuff of mediocre to average quality but very inexpensive.

This place is amazing!! My favorite thing to get here is ALWAYS baked spaghetti pork chop!! Everything else is also wonderful and for the price that it is, You cant get any better than that!! This is also a great place to come after you drink! They now open till 5am every friday and saturday!! read more

The biggest perk about this place is that they are open late. I am a big fan of this because I am always hungry late at night. Another perk is this place is affordable. The food isn't the best, but they are good. And the last positive is they have a lot on their menu. It meets everyone's need. read more

Used to love this place! Haven't visited for awhile, today felt very disappointed! The chicken chop with onion sauce( even without cheese) is SUPER OILY!! :( read more

Love the Portuguese chicken steak with red sauce. It is a big portion, I can never finish it but still good the next day. The mushroom soup is also good. This place is our go to for delivery and late night dinner. read more

Bad customer service had to seat our self and que the server that we were here. The server doesn't speak English so if u speak Chinese that's the only way they will get your order correct if not will charge you extra on how u want your eggs cooked. Which they don't inform you before they charge your. Overall this place sucks unless you speak their language to be better understood read more

I don't really like this place. The food here is really bad and half-assed. The only reason why I frequently eat here is because it's open til really late and my friends like a sit down place to eat (which seniores across the street doesn't offer). Whenever I come here...i really don't see anything appealing that I would like to eat. On one of my latest visits here, I thought I was playing it safe by getting the grilled cheese. That was a mistake. Basically, they're version of the grilled cheese is to put two pieces of bread into the toaster and then putting cheese in between in hopes that the toast is hot enough to melt the cheese in the middle. Well, they were wrong. I could tell that they used two slices of american cheese because the cheese had not melted together! This was a disgrace to the All-American Grilled Cheese Sandwich...they neglected the grill part. My plate wasn't the only bad thing. My friend got the clam chowder and it took forever to come. When it finally did, it was the consistency of watery rice porridge and had gross canned clams in it. It was unappetizing. They could have done better by just opening a can of Progresso. And speaking of soups, my bf had a soup with his meal and it was this cheesy bacon thing. it wasn't even real cheese. Seriously, it tasted like they used the powdered cheese packet from the Kraft's mac n cheese box. Ughhh....just thinking about it right now makes me want to throw up. All in all, the reason why i didn't just give one star is because they are open late...catering for night-time owls who eat dinner late sometimes. This to me is the only reason why this place is even popular. read more

Okay this place isn't much to look from on the outside, but there is a very friendly mom & pop feel inside. The menu ranges from Americana to the Orient. My favorite dish is the Portuguese spaghetti. Trust me on this, give it a try and you will want it again. read more

Don't know why this place only got 3 stars. But the food is good, service was good, and the ambiance is good. We ordered the Ma's Special Minced w/ Egg, and the Baked Pork Chop over Rice w/ Portugese Sauce. Both were excellent. They are open late! Convenient! read more

I would give them 0 stars based on tonights experience. In the past I've gone with friends (up to 8 people) on busy nights and have never had any problems with orders, so tonight when we stopped in at 11:30pm with 6 people, I didn't expect any issues. Our food all arrived at different times, with the last meal taking at least 50minutes from the first meal. We asked for a discount or refund for the last meal, because we had all finished eating, and it's ridiculous to think it's okay to deliver a meal so late compared to everyone else's. They claimed that it was really busy, and that they "didn't forget the meal, it just took forever to cook," which was very obviously not the case. It was very clear that they had forgotten the order. They then tried to give us the two drinks we had gotten for free, and we said that we wanted the late meal free, not two random drinks that we had ordered. Finally I had to ask to speak to the employees manager, and he took the meal off of the menu for us. I know this place isn't a fine dining restaurant, and had they been busy, and had I not had better experiences in the past, it probably wouldn't have seemed like as big of a deal. But tonight was ridiculous, and I don't have any plans to go back to S & E Cafe. Eat at your own risk, as it's a different experience each time. read more

Exactly what I expected! In a good way! Open late, free wifi, decent portions on food; what else can I ask for? I got the pork and 100 yr egg congee and my bf got the ma po tofu. Both were huge in portion and stayed true to culture. And ended off with free jello! Overall, everything was pretty good and I will definitely come back! read more

Service is not the fastest but decent. Love their spaghetti and Hong Kong style dishes. They feed my cravings and I will definitely come back! read more

Average food quality and average favor. The only place open until midnight. You get a large portion for the dish

Used cheap ingredients, way different than we usually order in the past, the party next to us has complain too, will not come again. read more

S & E Cafe - That what it brings out from kitchen! - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Oh my gosh Becky, the noodles weren't even cooked all the way. Still crunchy hard... Good thing I ordered another entrée. I would not recommend this place to anyone... read more

This is a decent place in the Sunset for Hong Kong-style chow. In the past year or so they've updated both their menu and decor, both for the better, in my opinion. Yes, the prices are a higher than before, and they no longer do free substitutions with drinks (soda instead of coffee, for example), but this is quibbling. Before they offered a significantly wider range of choices (such as baked pasta), but they were very hit-and-miss. The accompanying vegetables in particular used to be served almost raw, without any seasoning whatsoever. Now they still offer both Chinese and Western dishes, but less of them, and everything on the plate is tastier. My partner and I went there this past weekend. We ordered two of the dinner specials: pork chop with onion sauce over rice and the chicken with cream sauce and spaghetti. The entrees came with coffee or milk tea, a hot roll, soup of the day (ours was cream of spinach), and a red bean dessert. Both of us thought the soup was delicious, and it appeared they actually make it themselves rather than from a can. The entrees were both cooked well, the meat still tender and juicy. They came with a small amount of mixed veggies (zucchini, broccoli, and carrots) which were sauteed in garlic and butter -- quite good! I wish they had included twice as many veggies as they did. The pasta was also very good, with a hint of garlic and olive oil seasoning. For about $10 a person, this was a satisfying meal and a good value. I'd stick to the mainstream dishes and you probably won't go wrong here. read more

If you really want to get the true S & E experience, healthy won't be in your vocabulary :) I give this place a HEALTHY RATING of 2.0/5.0. I don't claim to be an expert of HK-style food, but my Cantonese friends who came with me said the food was good, so that has to count for something, right? As many of the Yelp reviews suggest, we got the fried chicken wings. They served us the wet wings by accident, but they were so good that I really couldn't complain. They were crispy, flavorful, and fresh! This alone made my trip to S & E Cafe worth it. If I'm going to splurge, this is definitely worth it. The other dishes that we got were just so so, including the Almond Chicken, Black Bean Sauce Noodles, and Dried Sautéed String Beans. The sauce used for the chicken and noodles tasted very similar (even though I don't think it was supposed to). In fact, when we brought our leftovers home, we ended up just mixing the two and heating them up together. The string beans were okay, but a bit salty. I will say that their portions are huge. You will definitely leave this place with leftovers unless you are a skilled eater :) The only other comment I have is about the wait. Instead of using a host/hostess to take down names, they hang a whiteboard next to the front door and have people sign up themselves. As there are a lot of people who want to eat here, it gets confusing whose name goes where and who was here first. As a result, I had to hover over the board in the crowded entrance to make sure no one was stepping in front of me. read more

I love this place! I've been eating here for years. My all time favorite dish is the baked chicken steak with rice and cream sauce. It's under $10 and comes with soup, bread, hot milk tea, and the entree. It is absolutely delicious and I find myself craving it!! Also, their portions are huge!! This restaurant is nothing fancy, but is a good place to go to if you're just looking for a quick place to eat. Affordable, delicious, & convenient! read more

Average food but slow service. It took them over 15 mins to serve one item. Yes, the kitchen served one item from 12:50pm to 1:05pm!!! The kitchen staff was napping??? So if you are hungry, definitely go somewhere else. read more

I used to come here more often but recently I noticed the price change but depending on what time you come, service can be good or bad. I had times where it took an hour to get the bill or the food or just to order while others it very quick and the servers were on it. I only had one bad experience which was with a lady who could not understand english so well and got us the wrong order because of that. Other than that! they sometimes give you complimentary soup and dessert and are generally very kind :). And although the prices went but I am still appreciative that for most of their entree order can feed two people and still allow the two of us to leave feeling full and happy. read more

Typical Cantonese cafe. My fav here is the creamy mushroom soup. Very casual and cozy place with family or friends.

Despite the tacky purple awning, this place is solid. The Portuguese sauce kind of tastes like candy though.

I went here with my family for dinner. We ordered dinner combinations: steak and fish, which both also came with drinks. Although the food was okay, the service was okay. Although some of the waiters and waitresses had great attitudes, some were completely rude. When my friend got her milk tea, she actually got iced coffee, so she told the waiter that she got iced coffee instead of milk tea. He didn't believe us, so he DRANK the iced coffee. He brought us iced milk tea after, but it was completely rude and offensive. Unless further action is taken, I won't come here again. read more

Was outside checking out the menu at night and decided to go in, then saw a mouse went inside at the same time. Of course, went to the closest similar place immediately instead. read more

Last time I was there ordered a Ma Po Tofu and it didn't taste spicy enough. Or maybe because I love spicy food so much lol. The rest were just fine with a fair price in my opinion. My family loves to go there often for meals and the only thing that bothers us every time is finding a parking spot due to the location. read more

This place has alright food and is super clean. My go to order is the Portuguese baked chicken rice.

I asked for water and they said they don't serve ice water at this restaurant. I also asked for a watermelon juice and they hand me orange juice instead. They should have people who speak both English and Chinese so they understand what people are ordering. Not everyone speaks the same language as them. My past visits were much better but today wasn't as good as before. read more

Very very friendly! I got a pina colada and my boyfriend got a banana smoothie

Grilled pork chop with black pepper sauce for the WIN! I think I've eaten that at least ten times now. Never really tried the other stuff, but I'm sure it's good or at least the pictures look good enough to eat. The only problem I have with this place is. That it seems if you're not Chinese or HK people tend to stare at you like you're some kind of leper. I just grab take out and eliminate that whole situation. read more

The food are really good. I always order the seafood rice with Portuguese sauce. Even my friend like it. However, they should hire more people, it took 5 mins for them to notice I was standing by the door and wait to be seat. The girl tends to mess up the order there, lucky it was not in our table. Overall the food are delicious, I will come back again. Just to keep in mind they close on Tue. read more

From the vey first time I tried this place i already love the place... Me, my husband and my mom dine in this eatery most of the time, it's not just the place that we loved bec. of its relaxing, warm, and clean ambience, but also bec. Of the delicious food they have in here and the friendly servers too that are eng ethic and smiley even though they had a long and tiring day. For the price it's all worth it,from free soup and desert in a choosen menu , plus the bottomless naicha they have in here, wow it's really worth it... I always wanna eat here whenever we have time :) ... Try it you won't regret it... read more

Food is good. Open until 1am. Compare to ABC cafe here is more comfortable and quite.

I was pretty excited for this place because I was really craving some Asian food. However, I can't say I was super satisfied with what I got. I ordered the minced pork rice with a raw egg because in the photo there was a pretty raw egg in the middle (and I LOVE eggs). When I received the dish, I didn't see any egg. Only after mixing it all up did I realize the egg was stuffed at the bottom but now I lost it because I already mixed up my dish. Also, the dish was incredibly salty. I will have to say they give big portions so its worth the money especially since everything in the city is so darn expensive. We also ordered the fish balls, which were pretty decent. I got a shrimp and egg fried rice to go. It was pretty good except there was way more rice than actual shrimp, egg, and seafood. They give you honey lemon tea for starters and taro soup for dessert. Overall, the food was mediocre, but if you're in the mood for cheap large portions of Asain food then I would say come here. read more

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