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Banana House
Category: Restaurants Thai Thai [Edit]
321 Kearny St(between Bush St & Pine St)
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 981-9090
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
J T. said: "We came here on NYE night.. This place was a great find -- totally fit the bill for what sort of restaurant I wanted for my friends and I. On NYE, most restaurants require a fix price for 3/4/5 course meals. We didn't really want to do…" read more »
252 reviews for Banana House
Review Highlights
"Pad See Ew was loaded with chicken and veggies."
(in 19 reviews)
"The pumpkin curry was made with butternut squash."
(in 19 reviews)
"I love their mango with sticky rice dessert."
(in 7 reviews)
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252 reviews in English
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Review from Geoff A.
Colorado Springs, CO
1/27/2012
A solid three stars but 4 stars for value.
Ambience: Not much to speak of. Basic settings and menus that could do with a clean.
Service: Very friendly waitress and fast response.
Food: A pleasant surprise. We stopped in here on a whim for dinner and weren't expecting much but found a the two mains we ordered to be tasty and interesting. The sizes are more than enough (with the extra side of rice) for all but the biggest eaters. I had a spicy calamari dish and my friend a chicken cashew dish. Both were well seasoned and not your run of the mill "just drop lemongrass and ginger in it and call it good" type dishes you can get at some Thai places.
Price: ~$11 for a main with rice.
I'd go back as it was a cut above any other Thai I've had in SF. -
Review from Tiffany L.
Saratoga, CA
1/23/2012
This place is okay if you absolutely must have Thai food in the midst of FiDi and nothing else is close by. Otherwise, it's a true "Meh. I've experienced better." in terms of take-out.
I stopped by to pick up an order of pad see ew and the employee was quick in taking my order. They have this weird counter covering where if you are anywhere between 5 ft. and 5 ft. 5 inches, you end up eye-level with the cover and have to either stand tippy toe or hunch down in order to make eye contact with the employees.
The food came out before the ten minute estimation. What irked me was that no utensils were provided, they included two very thin napkins that could withstand nothing, and to top it all off, the portion filled up maybe half the take-out box. For almost $9, can I at least get a fork? -
Review from Rachel E.
San Francisco, CA
11/8/2011
My coworkers and I ordered takeout from Banana House today for lunch. Since no one had cash and we didn't want to deal with splitting the bill onto 3 different cards, we each called to place our own order. I ordered the pad broccoli. "Chicken, beef or tofu?" "Can I have half chicken and half tofu?" "Sure. What kind of rice do you want? White, brown or sticky?" "Sticky" "Ok, see you soon"
The first guy was told 10 minutes, I was told 20-25 minutes, and someone else was told 15 minutes. So we weren't sure when to head over. Fortunately, when we arrived about 10-15 minutes later everything was ready.
I was surprised when the woman handed me my bill for $11.30 as I had ordered off the lunch special menu which was 7.95. She then explained they had charged me extra for both chicken and tofu, and extra for the sticky rice. "But you didn't tell me on the phone that those things cost extra". After several minutes of awkwardness they ended up charging me the right price. But the damage had been done.
We brought our food back to the office and it was bad. I thought my stirfry lacked flavor and the "sticky" rice wasn't even sticky. My coworkers gave their curries 2.5 stars.
Will not return. -
Review from sasha h.
10/25/2011
I've tried this place a few times in the hopes that the first 2-3 were flukes but i've now come to terms with the fact that it's just not good. Agreed that there is a lack of good thai food in the FD but this place is not helping. I've tried multiple things: Tom Kha, egg rolls, satay, pad thai, various curries etc and nothing was even mildly inspiring. A lot of the food lacks flavor which is saying alot because these dishes are normally filled with strong flavors. More grease than real spices which is unfortunate
Cheap and fast but won't please your taste buds. -
Review from Samantha G.
Thousand Oaks, CA
1/15/2012
My boyfriend and I were in downtown and trying to find a good place to eat. We searched Yelp and Banana House won our votes. I had the Pad Thai and it was pretty good. But what I really enjoyed about the place was its service. The waitresses were really nice and honest. I wanted to have mango sticky rice for dessert, but she said their mangos aren't very good so she suggested I don't order it.
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Review from S T.
San Francisco, CA
1/11/2012
I've been here maybe three times spaced out months at a time. Twice I got the mango chicken curry and the other time i got some noodle thing which obviously didn't leave much of an impression on me.
The mango curry was full of flavor. After an hour or two I did start to get really thirsty so my guess is the salt helped the flavor along. Anyway, the chicken in the curry was tender and there was a good amount. The mango pieces were good too. Overall I really like the mango curry - obviously since i remembered liking it enough to get it again. Anyhoo, for the financial district the pricing is about the same. The portion is a little smaller than I'd like it to be. I did run out of rice before I finished the curry but I am pretty heavy on the carbs so I guess that could just be me.
we got there a little before 12 and got seated right away. there were a few more tables open but i imagine they fill up quickly. the service was quick. our table was oriented sorta weird but it was alright. I'd come here again if I felt like thai curry. It wasnt spectacular but it did the trick. -
Review from Beverly T.
Emeryville, CA
10/31/2011
Yellow curry with chicken with brown rice ($6.95) Yeah I got brown rice! It's Halloween ok?! I gottah fit into my slutty costume tonight. Anyhoo....
Onions in it were completely RAW. WTF? Only veggie's were two sad ass potatoes, a few carrots and then the completely raw pieces of white onion. Chicken was dry. Curry flavor was pretty good but not spicy at all. The rice was well cooked though. The complimentary soup it came with tasted like celery and carrots in boiled water. At least it had tofu in it but it was bland and no bueno. The salad had a yummy peanut sauce on it but the salad itself consisted of nasty sad ass shredded iceberg lettuce and raw red onions. Again, no bueno.
Side note: Service is lightening fast. They gave us the check like 2 seconds after we got our food. Oh wait, I think that's they're way of saying "hurry the fuck up, eat and get out."Listed in: FiDi Lunch Stops
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Review from Jay N.
Lombard, IL
10/31/2011
The place is just average, especially consider other alternatives in the area for Thai or other Asian. The lunch specials seem like a good deal but the quantity is a little less than other places because they put your entire entree into a bowl which is on a plate of rice and small salad. I also decided to upgrade my meal with the Thai iced tea, spring rolls, and jasmine rice, but it's not worth it. All of it was just ok and there wasn't enough flavor.
I had the spicy eggplant with tofu and there was a good variety of vegetables and sauce but it was a little soggy and lost some of the natural flavor. A friend had the pad thai and didn't have any complaints while another person also had the spicy eggplant but had the chicken. The chicken was dry but passable due to the sauce. Overally, a place I'm not interested in returning back to. -
Review from Marco M.
San Francisco, CA
9/13/2011
The Mango Curry w/Chicken is phenomenal! You can have it in house or take out, either way it tastes the same. The dish is served with your choice of chicken or prawns, mango, white rice or brown rice and a small salad drizzled with peanut sauce.
What makes the dish is the mango curry sauce. The flavors I can make out are Red Bell Pepper, which adds a tangy taste with a hint of bitterness, Serrano Pepper that infuses the entire dish with enough heat to give flavor, but not burn your tongue, and the Mango Juice from the fruit itself that adds the sweetness to the curry. All of the flavors combine together to give you one satisfying mango curry infused with multiple levels of flavor in each bite.
Every time I order the dish the flavor comes out consistent to each order, which makes it a reliably lunch time dish. Ordering online is super easy or if you want to order take out your order is ready in about 20 minutes. I highly recommend the Mango Curry w/Chicken. -
Review from Nick L.
San Francisco, CA
10/13/2011
3.5 stars.
This is just above average.
Came here with work colleagues for lunch - arrived early so place was empty. It did fill up later on.
The others mostly ordered some seafood basil curry which looked ok and judging by the fact they ate it all was a good sign.
I had the mango curry which I was pleasantly surprised with. It's not the biggest portion but for an ok price and it being lunch time it was fine.
The pad see ewe was a bit dry and not flavorful enough - tasted like bland rice noodles...
The service was fast and water filled up regularly. No complaints there but nothing had that wow or stand out factor.
An above average place for lunch. -
Review from Mike M.
11/20/2011
Tried BH this week with a co-worker for lunch. The food was average, the prices were reasonable ($8 for beef, broccoli, rice, soup, and salad), the service was really good, and all the staff were really friendly. Overall, a decent place if you want to grab a quick bite.
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Review from Stephanie T.
San Francisco, CA
I came here with coworkers for lunch this week, they were really busy so we ended up sitting down stairs in the basement.
To start we ordered the vegetable egg rolls. They were pretty good, a little too greasy for my taste, but the filling was yummy.
I ordered the green curry lunch special but we all ended up sharing our food. We had the house fried rice and the sinta green noodles, both with chicken.
The green curry came with eggplant, bell pepper, chicken, and some green beans. It was served with jasmine rice and some salad with a creamy peanut dressing.
The fried rice was probably my favorite dish. It was different than any other fried rice I've ever had, the seasonings on it made it unique. It also had raisins, pineapple, and cashews mixed in, also things I've never come across in fried rice. Overall it was a really great dish everything came together really well.
The green sinta noodles were also very good. They came with chicken, chopped tomatoes, and broccoli.
I like the food at Banana House but the service was pretty slow we were there almost 2 hours! I will be sure not to dine in for lunch again. I will try taking it to-go next time.Listed in: Lunch Spots
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Review from Sarah C.
4/28/2011
I had did my yelping and was actually bringing my friend to the curry place right next door. I guess I didn't yelp hard enough because that place didn't have seating so we came here.
The outer decor is very modern and every time I walk by there is a lot of people inside. We arrived around 12PM and the place was at half capacity. It did get full after 5 minutes after our arrival. Watching my weight I ordered the seafood salad with silver noodles. My friend ordered the silver noodle entree dish with beef. Our waitress was a bit hard of hearing.
Waitress: "What kind of meat?"
Friend: "Beef"
Waitress: "What kind of meat?"
I eye my friend while thinking, "Is beef not a meat?"
Friend: "Beef"
My salad came out a good 5 minutes before my friend's noodle dish came. It was a bit awkward. I was also a little disappointed on how small my meal looked BUT the dish is very deep so I was actually pleasantly satisfied after finishing.
My friend's dish looks good too but it is more of your general noodle dish.
They refilled our water and was attentive enough. They did give us our check after 15 minutes of our arrival so it was a bit unsettling. It felt like they wanted us to leave. We just started eating our food. I suppose it is understandable since there was a line of fidi people on their lunch break waiting in line.
Not sure if I would come back. -
Review from Lost S.
Oakland, CA
4/26/2011
This place probably doesn't need another person calling them average, but *damn* this is average. I'm giving them an extra star for having brown rice available, except they charge an extra dollar. For an extra dollar I could buy 10X as much rice, so no extra star.
The layout really sucks -- if you order to-go, then you are shoved around by every child of the corn that walks in. How does this place attract so many people? Zombie style. Sorry, so the food lacks flavor, the portions don't justify the cost, and they used squash instead of pumpkin. I know, pumpkin is a squash. But this squash was not a pumpkin.
I do like the paint color, but enough to reward some points. -
Review from Sharon Y.
Fremont, CA
5/9/2011
Came for a late lunch with my friends the other day so it wasn't really that packed. This is a pretty mom and pop shop I think.
The food came out pretty fast which was good because I was STARVING!
The thai ice tea didn't do much to quench my thirst since it was too sweet but eh most are aren't they?
What I really liked was the fruit curry that they had. It's a vegetarian option and the fruits are lathered in a spicy red curry. I really like how the fruit gave the curry a tangy flavor. I've never had avocado or grapes or mango in a curry before but it was quite a surprise and is a DELICIOUS combination. If y'all want to try having fruit served in a different way I do recommend this!
The Portion size was just right though I can be a little more greedy to say I would have liked more rice to soak up the curry goodness.
I do have to say that the side salad that came along with the curry and the rice was not good though. I dunno the veggies looked pretty limp once covered in this peanut derived sauce that they ladled overtop. I wasn't too fond of it and barely touched it. Too much sauce over the salad gave it kinda of a soggy texture.
If I do come back it would be for the fruit curry! -
Review from James T.
San Francisco, CA
12/28/2011
No Food, no stars. We were seated promptly and then no one came over to take our order or give us some water and utensils. Nothing for 10 minutes! So we left went over to a great middle eastern food place a few doors down called Balade Cafe. We ordered and we were eating in about 5 minutes. True.
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Review from Jamie A.
San Francisco, CA
11/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Decent service and moderate prices keep me coming back to this place. Banana House is one of my go-to lunch spots in the Financial District. It has swift service so you can easily get in and out in less than an hour. The food here is warm and comforting though certainly not the best Thai that SF has to offer.
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Review from Zain D.
San Francisco, CA
10/11/2011
One of the best thai places I've ever been too. It's cheap, delicious and quickly made. In and out with take-out within 10 minutes.
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Review from Dru P.
7/19/2011
Oh hell yes. I have always been slow to steer away from my usual choice of pumpkin curry but the Banana house has two options that are now going to be in my permanent rotation. Mango curry and Fruit curry. I had the mango and killed the whole thing in about four minutes. The fruit curry sounds even better so I am gonna attack that next time around.
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Review from Natalie H.
San Francisco, CA
6/30/2011
I ordered the sweet & sour dish with chicken. I can't speak for its authenticity, but I thought it was very good! The food in general was good, and the portions were the perfect size for me (as in, they aren't super-large).
The only thing that got me was the prices. Everything was just a dollar or two more than I preferred, and you had to pay extra to get rice. -
Review from Randy G.
1/22/2011 2 photos
Walking back from China town, we happen to stumble upon this inconspicuous Thai restaurant. You're not going to ever stop me from going into a Thai place. It was decent inside, standard decor, but I'm ready for the fare.
We started with their spring rolls, which were very different from any other place. The texture was similar to an a Filipino Lumpia, very crepe like. It was surprising, to get that instead of the traditional fried or fresh rice noodle wrap. I had a bite of the pad thai, which was good, rich in flavor and having it's own unique touch from this place.
However, I concentrated on the dish Traffic Jam. It's a dish that has all three curry styles; regular, red, and green. What's wonderful about this dish is that you can literally go from one curry flavor to another and each time refresh your pallet with an amazing new flavor. It's genius! One minute, I thought green was my favorite, then it was red. Amazingly confusing to have them side by side like that. For several bites, I was loving the green, it's a little sweeter and tart compared to the other two, but when I switched back to red, I'm sold, throw in the towel, I'm a red curry kind of guy. This was so much fun to eat. The regular curry flavor was my least favorite, that's not to say it wasn't good, just not my favorite compared to red. I would certainly get this if you want to have fun eating and playing around with flavors. -
Review from Ken L.
3/18/2011
This place is pretty much par for the course. Cheap thai food that's decent. I had the pad see ew, and it was no better/no worse that other ones that I've had. This all is pretty mush 3 star material.
However, I used to work long hours in the financial district, and the 4th star is for how fast the service is. We used to have food delivered in, and these guys are extremely fast getting food there. Most other places required a wait of 45 minutes to an hour. We were able to get things as fast as 15 minutes. Granted, it's not very far from Banana House to the Transamerica Building (where I worked) but I still think it's commendable. -
Review from Buckeye W.
San Francisco, CA
12/11/2011
I was feeling pretty generous with my reviews tonight, but this place I just can't find a way to go beyond 2 stars and only because they were nice. This place is dirty, unless you are into rice and food leftovers on the wall, and the food is not good, I'm not even sure it is edible. Sorry guys, you are so nice, but you gotta step it up. The hood is changing....
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Review from Amir B.
San Francisco, CA
4/28/2011
I hate to do this...if you know of another thai place then go there. I only go here when it's really empty. They're already really aloof, and not so nice, God forbid they put you in the moldy downstairs room during rush hour. Get ready for cold chicken if that happens. I'm sorry, I appreciate the businessman's venture and all and I'm a strict capitalist, but damn get it together. And I love thai food. I'd drink curry sauce if it would hydrate me.
thumbs down -
Review from Jason W.
Peace Dale, RI
2/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Perfectly serviceable Thai. They were busy the evening we went, but our server was attentive and kept our water glasses full. This is good, because the curry I got was pretty darn spicy! I do like spicy food, so this was a good thing. A surprise was that my curry came with brown rice, which was a nice, healthy, nutty option that went well with my dish.
We got the spring roll appetizer which was pretty good, though a bit pricey for what you got (but it's an app - isn't that always the way?). Overall, a tasty Thai joint, but not necessarily something to go out of your way for. -
Review from Lisa W.
San Francisco, CA
12/20/2010
Nothing really special about this place. The dishes are run of the mill - I got the pad thai, which was pretty good, and my friend got the pad see ew, which was way too salty. Average overall, but they are one of the few places open for dinner (until 9 pm) in the fidi.
I will say that my vegetarian roommate is not a fan of this place at all. I personally have not tried the vegetarian dishes, but would probably steer clear of them. -
Review from Cynthia P.
San Bruno, CA
4/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is really close to work an I was craving Thai food so I figure why not give it a try. The place is quite small and seating is very limited and there can be a wait time to be seated but they offer a to-go menu and are quite quick with getting you with your order out the door.
I got the yellow curry with tofu and made it a combo which includes soup, salad, spring rolls, and your choice of Thai Coffee or tea.
The soup is served in a very small bowl and tastes like vegetable broth. The Thai Coffee was pretty good, not too sweet. For the salad they used some type of curry/peanut dressing and it was delicious. The Spring Rolls (2) were accompanied by a dipping sauce and were also very good. Finally, the yellow curry tofu was just ok. The curry was a bit oily/watery and the tofu was kind of dry.
This place does not compare to Osha Thai but for the price, the food is pretty decent. I'd probably go again and order the Pumpkin curry instead. -
Review from Noah P.
San Francisco, CA
4/19/2011 2 Check-ins Here
The usual thai fare.
+1 star for some dishes that I don't see regularly - try the the spaghetti kee mao, like pad kee mao but with spaghetti noodles, its great, takes more thai-eem (time).
The fried chicken on fried rice is pretty damn good too -
Review from Deb M.
San Bruno, CA
4/20/2011
I ate here for the first time the other day. While not a fancy place, the staff was friendly and the food came quickly. I had ordered the Pad Thai which is my favorite Thai dish. The version they served had a really funky underlying flavor that I couldn't place, but also couldn't stand. My dinner companions tried it too and agreed that it tasted really weird so I ended up sending it back. I got the Pumpkin Curry instead which was really good.
To their credit, when I left the kitchen staff asked for feedback on the Pad Thai and seemed to honestly want to improve their menu which really impressed me. Would definitely eat here again. -
Review from Tammy C.
1/29/2011 2 photos
(See pics)
More of 3.5 stars.
Have been here quite a few times, either after work or lunch. Always solid food and good service.
The food can get quite spicy if you ask for it. It's with good sauce and juicy meat. While the meat is more of pre-frozen taste it's inexpensive and the seasoning makes up for it.
They have a basement as the upstairs can get packed quite frequently. It was spacious but I really don't like the smell. Upstairs was nice with open windows even it's more crowded. -
Review from John G.
San Diego, CA
4/19/2011
The place (tables, chairs, walls, plates, lights above the counter and tables) all need a very good cleaning.
Food was fine. Service was fast. Lots of choices. Good location -- but need to clean the place up. Make it look better. -
Review from Christy Y.
San Francisco, CA
9/20/2011
DO NOT GO!!!
I was really tired and hungry the other day, so I randomly picked this restaurant on the street. My sister tried to stop me, but I was too tired to listen, so I just went in without looking at the menu outside.
we both ordered ice thai tea, and my sister tried to tell them to put less sugar, but the waitress said "they are already made.". SO here they come the sweetest ice thai tea I have ever tasted...
well I thought the food may not be that bad, so I ordered my favorite thai dish, which is roast duck fried rice. But I was really really disappointed!!!the rice was a mess..and the egg was not combined with the rice, as well as the duck...LOL
Man, how is that considered Fried Rice???
I think this restaurant has no heart, no passion for food!!! -
Review from Mark D.
1/24/2011 1 photo
This is a decent spot for lunch. We ended up seated downstairs. This was a bit like eating in a dingy basement.
The service was friendly and fast.
The food was fresh and good. I had Pad Krao Prao which is a chicken dish. It came with rice and a nice lil salad. -
Review from Carol K.
11/13/2010
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting something to change.
Sadly, that's what the repeat visits here feel like...
With it being close to work and having a pretty decent set-up (limited but available outdoor seating and plenty of seating with the usual FiDi basement area), perhaps I keep hoping it'll be better next time.
But as said by many other reviewers before me, the flavor is bland and the dishes are not prepared well.
My Pad Kee Mow was all lumpy and soggy and not spicy at all.
The spring rolls were wrapped in tortilla-like wraps and really bland.
Would appreciate a good Thai option on Kearny... -
Review from Liza T.
San Francisco, CA
3/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
The place was OK. Decent and quick lunch but nothing special.
The duck curry that we ordered was a little bit oily to me. The Pad Thai was ok. Good portion. Fast service.
Banana House is an OK place for lunch. -
Review from Alvin D.
Oakland, CA
9/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
2/5 skip it.
it was whatevs. i got the beef ginger lunch special, and the beef came out in that odd state where it's been overcooked, but could have been cooked longer for slight salvation. it was pretty bleh, and the roll that came with you could squeeze the oil out if it between your fingers. combined with the long wait for food when the lunch rush was over...meh. -
Review from Sandy L.
Oakland, CA
4/1/2011
My office ordered dinner here while working on a late night project. Due to said project, we absolutely could not leave our desks, even for dinner. This is where Banana House comes in, because pretty much all restaurants in the FiDi are closed at that hour, except for here and CPK. Thai food was majority's vote, and thai food is what we had for dinner.
Banana House gets +1 star for free delivery before 9:30PM and + 1 star for quick delivery service. However, they got my order wrong (I ordered Pad Kee Mao with chicken; they gave me tofu...okay) and while they were thoughtful enough to tape the straw opening of my thai iced tea to prevent spills, they forgot to include my straw. Food was decent enough, about expected, and thai iced tea was delicious - still sweet even when water diluted. Compared to my lunch at Bangkok Best, I'd say they're both about the same, food wise. -
Review from Ixchel M.
San Francisco, CA
3/2/2011
The food was fine. Not great, but good for lunch. The atmosphere is more divey than I'd expect, but that was fine too. What really got me was the service. We had to stare (Intently) towards the kitchen to get a server to come over and take our order.
After waiting quite a while, one order came out and mine was no where to be found. After about five minutes I tried to flag someone down - which was quite a chore. By the time we got our food I had to eat quickly and get back to work, but not before the obstacles of getting a to go box, our check and our receipts.
Thanks Banana House, but there are a lot of other (better) places to go spend my lunch money. -
Review from Jan J.
Roseville, CA
8/25/2011
I tried the green curry and manga curry combo plates while here. Green curry (it's called something weird on the menu) had cucumbers in it, while the mango had big slices of fresh mango cut in.
It's good, but everything tastes rather heavy and dunked in grease (especially the egg rolls). Was also not a fan of the oily peanut butter dressing on the salads. I'd say that for the price, there's better places to be eating on this block of restaurants.
Service was also very slow and the dining area really loud. It does clear up significantly after 1pm though. -
Review from Anna H.
San Francisco, CA
8/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a great place to get Thai food to go and their prices aren't too high compared to other Thai places downtown. I always order the basics..pad see ew, pad thai, fresh rolls, etc. They never ever disappoint and I haven't had a single bad experience. Looks like its family-owned and everyone works really hard, which I appreciate. My next visits, I'll be a little more adventurous and try something different.
