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    S & E Cafe

    3.3 (261 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

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    S & E CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - S & E Cafe

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    Spaghetti
    drew w.

    We had a birthday party and got the vip room. They had karaoke and the room was spacious and gave us the opportunity to be a bit loud. Food was delicious especially prime rib and the chicken wings. Paul the owner was nice

    Becky V.

    Big menu lots of items to pick from whether noodles, baked rice or spaghetti, or meats! Food- -Baked HK style pork chop over spaghetti wifh white sauce is pretty good! The cheese over the sauce is extra tasty -prime rib available on Saturdays, despite it being on the menu with no limitations written, you must call ahead to reserve. Not available when I went on Sunday and asked for it. Would come back to try -rib eye was ok, could have used more salt - tea is complimentary

    Steak
    Levi O.

    This place is uber San Franciscan. Awesome Cantonese and American staples. Owner is awesome and the price is fair. Also they have a really cool karaoke setup for all the uncles to jam out to their Hong Kong classics. I'd come for that alone!

    Onion ox tongue, ox tongue with tomato sauce, pork chop with meat sauce
    Elaine Y.

    Walked in at 5:40pm on a Saturday, should had been a tell tale sign. It's been at least a couple years since I've ate here so I wanted to reminisce. Big mistake on my part; the menu has been completely sparred down. Completely removed their soup options, and their drink menu is completely scaled down. Then I tried to order their prime rib special that they had posted on the wall. The waitress said it's actually not served until 6pm. Given it's only 15 mins away from this point, I told her I can wait. Then she replied saying they don't actually start preparing and cooking the prime ribs until 6 so it'll be awhile before it can be served, recommending me to order the filet minion instead. Sounded ridiculous to me as prime ribs can take awhile to cook up, if they don't fire it up now, they don't intend to actually serve until 8pm? Their flyers also dont show it's not served after 6pm. I end up ordering their onion ox tongue with spaghetti which also comes with a side of vegetables. The vegetables are the blend of frozen corn, peas and carrots, didn't even bother touching that. My husband tried all the dishes we ordered and he said everything is bland. I tend to eat things on the bland side so it tasted okay to me, just not great. Staff was friendly and courteous, just not the same from what it use to be. There's a few other HK style cafes nearby so the competition is too high for us to return. What a shame.

    Baked fish with spaghetti
    Sandra F.

    My friend and I had dinner there and I got the baked fish with spaghetti. There was a tv and few people there.

    Kenneth K.

    This place has great CantoHK cuisines; and exceptional prime rib and rib eye steaks. The steaks are super delicious & succulent. Amazing rack of lamb - cooked to perfection! Actually our family members liked the prime rib here at S&E Cafe more so than the House of.. something rather on Van Ness street!

    The tea is good
    Jacob C.

    Menu changed , not much Hk style food anymore ! No red bean icy drink 紅豆冰that made me feel disappointed! I ordered a seafood with scrambled eggs rice , some seafood on the plate was good cuz it had some shrimps and few scallops but sauce was bland ! Only 1 waitress works there for serval tables, sometime u have to wait for service! Service isn't good !

    Salted fish and chicken fried rice
    Tiffany W.

    Tasty Cantonese food spot on 19th and Taraval! We ordered the Hong Kong style rice rolls (delicious starter!), salt & pepper pork chops, dry beef chow fun, salted fish & chicken fried rice and chicken with butter melon for takeout. Everything was flavorful and everyone enjoyed the meal! Ordering was easy and server was friendly; the food was ready in good time. Additional tip--this restaurant can also make catering-type of orders for large groups of people.

    Rib eye steak with black pepper sauce. 10/10!
    Rosie W.

    4/5 for the rib eye steak. Don't come here for anything else. I'd much prefer cafe bakery for the rice and pasta dishes.

    Menu as of 10/31/20
    Amy T.

    Really want to love this place because the staff and owner are always so nice and food is pretty good but...just a couple things could be better. The Chinese borscht soup is my absolute favorite at HK cafes but they make it SO sweet here. Cut the sweetness down and it would've been perfect. It is a pity that meals here don't come as sets like in HK cafes that I'm used to. Soups and milk teas have to be ordered and charged separately. Their complimentary soup of the day is only available late in the afternoon "whenever it is ready." lol My go-to baked seafood rice has a GENEROUS amount and variety of seafood in it compared to other cafes: squid, shrimp, scallop, tilapia AND salmon. Two thumbs up. You can choose red or white sauce. Baked pork chop with red sauce and baked Portuguese chicken are both good as well. Comes with rice or spaghetti. I have to say the milk tea is only so-so, not as smooth as I would like despite that they use condensed milk as the sweetener. I was intrigued by the HK rice rolls as seen on TV. I like the sweet and peanut sauce but they're really just plain rice rolls. At least I can say I've tried it, right?

    menu 7/18/2022
    Jeff H.

    S & E Cafe recently reopened for indoor dining about one month ago. Hooray! I'm happy to see we've turned a corner as they were closed for indoor dining for over two years. Regulars will notice there are slight changes to the menu. I had the runny egg seafood crispy noodles $17 and a ice milk tea $3.50. With fish pieces, runny egg, scallops and shrimps, this was great. The crispy noodles stayed crispy because the chef didn't put too much gravy. Good job everyone at S & E Cafe.

    the outside of the restaurant

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    Page 2 of 7

    Ask the Community - S & E Cafe

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    Four Kings 四大天王

    Four Kings 四大天王

    4.2
    (446 reviews)
    5.2 mi
    $$$

    UGH I LOVE CANTONESE FOOD…read more we waited in line before opening at 5pm on a saturday and was able to sit within 90 minutes! wait this was my first time trying escargot and why did it taste so good...if i had to describe it it tasted like clams which i did not expect. the xo sauce was amazing with it. the milk bread that came with it was so fluffy and soft too lapmei bo zai fan was so good too i love the soy sauce they used. the lap yuk was a little fatty but the lap cheong was perfect. so much fan ziu too the fried squab lowkeyy tasted like hot dog tbh LOL i like siu ap a lot more. also just get the small squab (it's $10 cheaper and the waitress said she can't rly tell the size diff) there wasn't really that much meat tho... and then guys u cannot skip the red bean shaved ice oh my god. i didn't even know there was gonna be boba and ice cream inside but this was sooo good. i loveeee red bean the complimentary cucumber and peanuts were yum too a very nicely decorated interior and our waitress was so sweet!

    I've been wanting to come here for a minute! It's been a tough reservation for me but love that…read morethey're poppin after all this time. They're known for their squab. The rabbit was SO good. I normally don't love hainanese chicken (their cold chicken small bite) but there's is fire. DO NOT SLEEP ON THE JELLFYFISH WITH HOT MUSTARD. Or the escargot for that matter. Dip that milk bread in that buttery garlic chili oil goodness. I'm literally getting hungry writing this as we speak. Everyone was so friendly, Jane was super helpful and nice when we asked questions about menu items. Wish I caught everyone else's name too, very welcoming spot. Heads up; not a huge spot, so I wouldn't recommend for a group bigger than 4. Come here, it's a must! Definitely grab a Rez if you can.

    Photos
    View of kitchen
    View of kitchen
    Sichuan cabbage
    Sichuan cabbage
    Fish fragrant eggplant

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    Fish fragrant eggplant
    Chong Qing Xiao Mian

    Chong Qing Xiao Mian

    4.1
    (1.4k reviews)
    5.3 mi
    $$

    For the portion size, price, and flavor, this place is absolutely worth it. The meat was incredibly…read moretender and fell right off the bone. The Guilin noodle soup was packed with flavor and quickly became my favorite dish here. I especially loved the pickled vegetables, they complemented the broth so well. The first time I visited, I tried the spicy beef soup, which was just ok for me. I'm glad I came back and gave the Guilin noodle soup a try because it completely changed my impression. The meat portions are generous and offer great value for the price. On top of the great food, the service is fast, and the restaurant is clean and well-maintained. I'll definitely be coming back soon.

    This spot serves up authentic Chong Qing-style noodles. I got their spicy beef noodle soup, pro…read moretip, you can adjust the spice level and even get the chili oil on the side. Every bowl is loaded with depth, from the rich savory broth to the perfectly chewy noodles that soak up every drop of flavor. The beef was juicy and tender. The spice definitely cleared my sinuses and even had me sweating, that's how you know the food is good. I got their seasonal vegetable which is 'Choy Sum'. Throw back to my childhood veggies. The vibes were chill and it's very close to a parking structure 'Portsmouth Garage'. Food came out quick and staffs were friendly. Good food and good vibes, felt like home to me. -iG@BlackTigerEats

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Beanjello in red chili sauce
    Beanjello in red chili sauce
    Single Cooked Noodle Soup

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    Single Cooked Noodle Soup
    Palette Tea House

    Palette Tea House

    4.1
    (2k reviews)
    5.2 mi
    $$$
    Locally owned & operated
    Speaks Mandarin

    A beautiful Michelin-recognized tea house experience with amazing service, flavorful food, and a…read morereally unique atmosphere. Stopped by Palette Tea House with The Kid after FoodieLand thinking we were just coming for tea... and ended up having a full experience. We sat at the communal high-top table in the center of the restaurant, which has a small pond built into it with little goldfish and even a tiny rubber duck sitting on the rock formation -- such a cute detail and definitely adds to the ambiance. Our server Ken was fantastic and incredibly knowledgeable about the menu. He recommended the Iron Goddess tea, which ended up being excellent. The Kid ordered the Milk Aroma Oolong, which surprisingly tasted almost like milk tea even though it's just brewed tea. Each tea comes with its own kettle, and Ken even came back to refill the hot water for us. For food, we ordered the Wagyu Beef Fried Rice, which was a huge portion and easily shareable. Very flavorful and well prepared. We also tried the Sichuan Seafood Dumplings and the Iberico Pork Dumplings, both of which were delicious. One order is definitely enough to share. The dumplings come with several dipping sauces including soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, hot mustard, and a cilantro-based sauce that had a slightly sweet, horseradish-like flavor that really stood out. Service throughout the meal was amazing. Even without a reservation, we were seated immediately. As a Michelin-recognized restaurant for 2025, it definitely felt like a special treat and lived up to the experience.

    Out to a new place for dinner with family…read more Palette Tea House Server - Westley, was so good in helping us pick the best dishes and drinks. Jordan Chardonnay, 2022 Russian River CA Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon, 2023 Alexander Valley, CA Fort Point Villager IPA Dinner Chinese Olive Fried Rice Cumin Spicy Lamb "Longevity" Noodle Palette Soup Dumpling "XLB" Sampler (5 Pieces) Chicken Soup Dumpling "XLB" (3 Pieces) Black Swan Tara Puff (2 Pieces) Lotus Wrap Abaline Sticky Rice Wok Fried Gai LAN and Shitake Mushroom Desert Steamed Custard Dumpling Durian Custard Bao Wow, I could not say which one was my favorite dish. Every dish was great. In addition to the deserts. The deco was real nice and colorful. The had Peking Ducks all set for roasting on display. Must visit.

    Photos
    Palette Tea House
    Palette Tea House
    Palette Tea House

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    S & E Cafe - chinese - Updated June 2026

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