The pho was very tasteless Soup base wise…read more The beef tripe was cut relatively thickly The beef didn't really have much beef flavor I think the main thing was that the suitcase was very much like you just put water and a bit of beef bouillon seasoning. That's my main gripe with it. The service was very mild The ambience was a very plain, but practical

Despite how I've been well aware of Pho Ha Tien for a number of years (decades?), I'd be lying if I…read moresaid I ever felt very motivated to check them during that time. Sure, I had been curious if they were any good, but I never knew of anyone who had actually been here before. That is, until my buddy's wife mentioned how this has been her family's go-to spot for Vietnamese food. Not an overwhelming endorsement, but between that and how the beef satay pho here is her favorite dish (just like how it's mine at one of my family's go-to spots), it was enough! Compared to some of the Vietnamese restaurants I've been to before, Pho Ha Tien feels surprisingly spacious. Not only do they not pack the tables together (it doesn't feel cramped), but they haven't been all that busy either, so you never feel rushed to leave. However, the most impressive thing about them might be how extensive the menu is, as it certainly isn't lacking in options to choose from. From their collection of starters, beef pho, noodle soup, vermicelli bowls, rice plates, soups, garlic noodles, crab (!!), grilled dishes, banh mi, specialty entrees, and desserts, it'd be almost impossible not to find something to eat! -- (#47C) SHRIMP & BBQ PORK ROLLS My buddy recommended this to us and I'm glad he did - it's probably one of the best fresh rolls I've had in a while! Both the shrimp and the pork were terrific, the noodles and roll were soft and tender, and the veggies were crisp and fresh. Plus, there was no cilantro in this! -- (#1) HA TIEN SPECIAL EXTRA LARGE COMBO with Rare Beef, Beef Meatball, Beef Brisket, and Tripe Nothing amazing, but not bad either. The rare beef was kind of bland, but the brisket was great and the noodles had a nice bite. Also, I liked how dark and beefy the broth was, but I wish it had more body/richness to it to round it out. -- (#10) SATAY BEEF PHO with Coconut Milk and Peanuts This was just okay, but maybe I'm just too used to the one at PPQ on Irving. Although it made the broth super pale, the coconut milk added a lot of flavor and depth and I liked how the bowl was generously filled with goodies, even though the beef got tough towards the end. -- (#36) SHRIMP, EGG ROLL, SHREDDED PORK, CHARBROILED PORK, & EGG LOAF RICE PLATE Rather unremarkable, to be honest. On the plus side, the charbroiled pork was juicy and the shredded pork was solid. However, the shrimp was a little greasy, the egg loaf was cold, and the egg roll was dried out and overcooked, both inside and out (the roll broke open). Although I can't say I was blown away by anything outside of the Shrimp and BBQ Pork Roll, I can see why my buddy's wife and her family continue to come back to Pho Ha Tien. As a whole, everything feels very homely and I can see how coming here can have the same sense of nostalgia that going to my family's favorite haunts does for us. In the future, I can see myself coming back again to try more of the menu, especially when meeting up with my buddy and his wife to grab a bite, but I'll probably stick with my usual spots for the most part.

Enjoyed all their authentic sandwiches and other items they serve. Good choices of rice dishes,…read morenoodles, spring rolls. They have all the choices of sandwiches made from what you would expect: Bbq pork, chicken, pate, sardines, tofu...call ahead and pick it up. Fast, friendly, conveniently close to the L Taraval bus line and SF Library. Affordable and very tasty. Sorry no photos but food is solid!

Food: LOOOOOVED and I mean LOOOOVED their #2 bbq pork banh…read moremi. The highlight was the perfectly toasted bread for sure! Super soft with the perfect crunch. Good ratio of meat to veggie and there's options to add extra veggie/meat if you'd like at a cost. I will say the portion size runs slightly smaller but it was perfect for me! Meat was very tender #20 bbq pork with egg roll: huge portions, though a good amount of it was noodle, tender and flavorful meat. The highlight is definitely the fried egg roll! I'm usually not a fan of egg rolls because I don't love things that're super fried but somehow the egg rolls were perfectly fried without being too overwhelming, and the stuffing had some nice spice flavor. Paired well with meat and noodles! Coffee: I'm not much of a coffee drinker but I had a few sips of their Vietnamese coffee and it was yummy! Not too sweet, not too strong. Service: extremely efficient especially with everything made to order. Our banh mi was out in less than three minutes! #20 took a bit longer but that's because they make everything to order. Still less than 10 minutes for it to cook. Seems to be a small mom and pop shop. Person taking our order Joseph was super sweet! Offered for us to call and order next time to go and didn't rush for us to pay at all. Keep in mind it's cash preferred but they have Venmo and zelle too. No credit cards accepted here. Ambiance: more of a grab and go place. They did have one table and a few chairs and we sat down to eat but I'd recommend getting to go and going out for a picnic. Price: good price point! Our food was $28 total. Will absolutely be back!

The atmosphere is nice and quaint. We ordered three dishes: chicken noodle soup (pho-like), yellow…read morecurry, and Pad Thai, all with chicken. Unfortunately, the chicken in every dish was extremely dry. I'm not sure what cut they use, but switching to thigh meat would help with tenderness. The Pad Thai was solid, but the long green onions were a bit much. They seem to be there for presentation, but they're not really edible in that form. It would be better to cook them into the dish or add them chopped as a garnish. The side salad also felt unnecessary. The chicken noodle soup broth was bland and underwhelming. I usually stick to Pad Thai and pineapple fried rice here, but decided to try other dishes this time and was disappointed. Also, charging over $5 for shrimp feels excessive. Service was great.

Always passed by this place on the way to Andytown, and I was finally able to try it…read more Pros: pricing for the lunch special for two items at under $20 is reasonable with a choice of soup or salad. Thai tea for $5 was a good balance of sweet and flavorful from the Thai tea. Now for the cons....the food was just okay at best. Rice was dry, curry was very spicy, even though I asked for it not to be. I can tell things are pre-made like a cafeteria and they just warm it up and slap it on. The curry was very skimpy in terms of food portion. The pad Thai was very very very salty and almost tasted like it was a Chinese noodle dish with too much soy. Not a fan of this. Empty restaurant at lunch time. For 2 hours we were the only ones there and if you needed something you had to flag down the waiter because he was eating his lunch. I know this place has been here awhile, but I'm really not sure how they'll survive with meh food and no customers.

Nice dim sum bakery in the Sunset. Walking around this area, happened upon a snack place like this…read moreis always a happy happenstance. The peanut and sugar mochi as well as the red bean mochi cakes are some of the items to note. Delicious. One side sells dim sum while the other sells lunch items. Friendly and casual spot. Located on Irving and 24th Ave.

I came back for cheap eats! I tried their fried meat dumpling 3 for $3.75 and they're different --…read morecrispy not as chewy. Also got the special combination plate $11: one carb base and 2 scoops of your choice of premade items so I had chow mein + curry chicken + steam white fish fillet -- this is a steal in this economy (cash only for the special deal and dim sum)

the food is in good portions and average quality, but do not justify the price point…read more i only decided to try this spot once when i lived nearby, but did not think it were as great as some of the reviews suggest. the sauce in the banh mi was the best part of the meal, and the broth was otherwise lacking. the restaurant itself feels stuffy, is on a very busy road, and has flies buzzing around. the staff also definitely plays favorites, even when not busy.

Food: Beef Pho was decent and not overly salty. They use thicker noodles here, which was a nice…read morechange of pace. Service: Fast and accurate. Language barrier isn't an issue since you can just point to the menu. However, they really should let customers know upfront that it's cash-only. Ambiance: Clean and good vibes.

Wasn't feeling too well so decided to get takeout from a Hong Kong cafe. I tried Venus Cafe at…read moreother locations but it was my first time at this location. There's a daily special on the whiteboard inside the restaurant that comes with a drink if you pay a few extra dollars. I wish it came with more options but can't complain. The stir fried beef was super flavorful and the beef was tender! The onion was also sweet. I would definitely get this again! The baked tomato pork chop was alright. The tomato flavor wasn't too strong, which was disappointing but the pork chop was tender and not too dry, so that was good.

Upon sitting down and ordering, you get a complimentary seaweed soup which is common at some HK…read morecafes. The soft canto ballads playing in the background really adds to the ambiance lol. Baked seafood combo with white sauce (2/5 stars): You have the choice to pick this over rice or spaghetti and I chose rice. This is my go-to item at a HK cafe so I know what I like and it is not this! The flavor was bland and needed heavy seasoning. The cream had a strange slight sweetness to it. I did appreciate the corn and the rice being egg fried rice but those were the only saving graces of the dish. If I'm craving this dish, I'd definitely go elsewhere. Beef chow fun with gravy (5/5 stars): Ok NOW we're talking! Another one of my staples, this was actually so flavorful. You can taste the "wok hei", the smoky charred flavor made by the wok on a gas stove. And to still be able to taste this under wet gravy? Just perfect. I'd get the chow fun again and try the hot desserts next time I'm here!

The Beginning of Autumn has arrived, making it the perfect time to enjoy claypot rice!…read moreThe autumn atmosphere is growing stronger. A steaming bowl of Hong Kong-style claypot rice, accompanied by crispy fried rice crusts, followed by a bowl of Western Vegetable Fish Floss Soup, warms the stomach and heart. Welcome to Bo Kee Claypot Restaurant, where we'll welcome the first bowl of autumn together! Prime time is 11:30am - 1:30pm so careful when ordering a clay pot. It's quieter at around 10:00am til 11:30am and 1:30pm til 3:00pm. 立秋到，食煲仔飯最啱時！ 秋意漸濃，一煲熱騰騰的港式煲仔飯，配上香脆鍋巴，再來一碗西洋菜魚滑湯，暖胃又暖心。歡迎到波記煲味館，一起迎接秋天的第一煲！ 高峰时段是上午 11:30 到下午 1:30，所以点砂锅的时候要注意一下。大约上午 10:00 到 11:30，以及下午 1:30 到 3:00 这两个时间段会比较安静，人比较少。

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 here to pick up lunch to Go. Ordered two items and even…read morebrought my own take out boxes. I ordered the woo qwok and shrimp long fun. She gave me 4 woo Qwoks. Total price was $9.50. The taro wasn't fried as dark as I like. The shrimp long fun was good.

Avoid this place if you value honest service…read more The customer service was absolutely awful. Instead of taking "no" for an answer, the staff repeatedly pressured me to buy more food. Even after I clearly declined multiple times, they went ahead and stuffed extra pieces into my box anyway and charges me for them without my consent. That isn't upselling; it's a completely unacceptable way to treat customers. On top of that, I was shorted $2 in my change. It's not about the amount, it's about the principle. If a business can't be trusted to charge customers correctly or return the right change, that's a serious problem. Between the aggressive sales tactics, being charged for food I repeatedly said I didn't want, and being shortchanged, this was one of the worst customer service experiences I've had. There are plenty of other places that actually respect their customers. I won't be back, and I wouldn't recommend anyone else waste their time or money here