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Category: Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow HollowMon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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My boyfriend and I came here as he was looking to expand his Union Street bars. We sat at the sushi bar and had a fabulous time.
The service was fantastic. He left us alone when we wanted to be, and came back over and gave attention when we wanted him to. I even think he fired our main late, and the kitchen was able to recover the mistake so seamlessly, that this is a sign of a cohesive team. The only alert I got to anything being a problem, was a very nice "thank you" our waiter gave to the soux chef when getting our sea bass. (which was slightly tasteless, thus the reason for minus one star, some food, kinda tasteless).
We would for sure go back, and honestly this was the best service I have had in a LONG time, and it was so refreshing.
Thanks for a great night, to the waiter, and the BF!
Said to be Bill Clinton's favorite restaurant, I have not been let down. Food is fantastic,… Read more »
This place looks really fancy when you first walk in, so it set the mood right.
didn't really have much to say about this place.. got a pretty horrible waiter that gave rushed/half-assed service. that alone can ruin a person's experience just like that. MY food was blah (maybe it's my fault that i ordered it), i got the lemon pepper noodles with beef or something. if you get this dish, DO NOT POUR ALL OF THE LEMON SAUCE ON YOUR FOOD. you will regret it. you will think you were biting into a disgusting rotten lemon. =/ my beef noodles would have been better if i hadn't made the mistake of eating it with the accompanying sauce~
they have a wide array of alcoholic beverages though..
but yeah back to the service.. i don't think we tipped as much as we usually do.. which means the service must have been that bad. sorry!
This totally isn't my type of spot, but I really enjoyed my meal here. My bud I was staying with in SF is one my oldest and dearest friends, but let's just say "opposites attract." He is into the scene, and every visit I end up spending more time in the Marina then I care for, but it's all about who you're with, not where you are, right?
Anyway, he raved about this spot and put together a night where I'd kick it with some of his SF friends and meet his new special lady friend. We arrived and luckily didn't need to wait too long for a table. The place was totally hopping at 7pm. We had a drink at the bar, I had the Bloody Mary which was incredible. I couldn't place what the difference was but there was something that set this above the standard Bloody.
For starters, as we waited for the rest of our table to arrive we had the short ribs which were pretty of the chain, spicy szechuan green beans, and calamari. We ended up ordering 2 more orders of the short ribs, they were that good. We also had some dumplings, that tasted like dumplings. Nothing special.
We ordered a bunch of entrees and went family style, although the waiter didn't seem thrilled with this. Not sure why he would care, everyone ordered something. I got the Malaysian curry "laksa" with prawns, chicken, mint and basil. It def had my nose running in a jiff. Someone got the iron plate rib-eye, which was good but in my humble opinion you don't soak a tasty cut of meat in all that nonsense. The sea bass dish was on the small side, but it was perfectly cooked and had nice texture. And the fire-cracker chicken came as advertised.
All in all the meal ran around $60 a head. Not bad considering we each had a few drinks too. I'd suggest this as more of a twwo-top date spot then for large parties. It was a lot of "dealing" to get the table and when I go out to eat, I don't want to deal.
Oh Betelnut (or Betelbutt as my gays like to call it), you old standby. I've been coming to this place since before I could legally drink (and drinking). I love the signature cocktails, I love the food, I love that I can slump over in a chair outside, sweaty and sticky from a long run, and a waiter will still pretend to overlook my stench and my strained breathing and treat me like the lady I'm not and never was.
The food is always super yummy. My favorites are the fried cauliflower, the chicken satay (extra peanut sauce please), the samosas, the chicken lime salad, the dumplings (any dumplings), and any of their signature drinks. All of the above is enough to feed three people with some left over (provided you're not three glutonous pigs) and will cost around $70 with one drink each.
Perfect for a lazy afternoon outside in the sun or a pre-drink and light dinner with friends at night. This place will always be a classic. And it sure beats the hell out of Perry's down the street. Plus, if you're really the get-wasted type, you can do so in style here and then go start a fight at Bar None. They're probably used to it.
Decor and the atmosphere is hip and a great place to hang out in a group to sample different types of Asian entrees. Everything on the menu was delicious! I'm not a meat person so I can't really tell you much except there's no flavor and the chicken is dry.
It's best to try their noodles and the curry!!!! The aroma of the basils bring out the taste of the food!
Most of all... try their drinks! :)
-Good quality food
-Noisy
-Good if you like tapas
-A bit pricey
-Lounge-like type place
-Good ambiance
I went here with my family for my mom's birthday, expecting to have a filling meal. Nope! I left still hungry. There were 6 of us and we ordered almost everything on the menu because the dishes were sooo small that it wasn't enough to fill us.
It was nice that they brought a dessert for my mom for her birthday.
Wouldn't go back but it was cool to try.
Betelnut does a variety of Pan-Asian fusion dishes... I generally don't stray from the ones that keep me coming back:
firecracker shrimp - I'm certain these were part of "The Last Supper" and MUST be a dish in heaven
spicy green beans - even if you HATE veggies.. these are delish.
"little dragon dumplings" - Put it in my mouth. Now.
And to wash it all down: Mai-Tai! (not sure if the Italian bar tender is still there- but he did them best!).
I also tried the coconut lemongrass chicken tofu soup last night... I'm hoping I can get it in an I.V. drip set up to continuously drip into my mouth while working... tasted soooo good.
Sit outside or in front if possible. It gets a little stuffy in back.
xoxo Betelnut. I'll be back...
Asian Fusion Food in an Exotic Setting
I like the concept of this restaurant, pan-Asian cuisine inside an exotic movie set with bamboo fans, red accents, and chefs cooking in an open kitchen. It was my birthday so I requested a booth in the back of the restaurant away from the noisy front room. We were led to a plush dimly-lit booth with a low-hanging lamp. We ordered the following dishes and ate family style.
Hoisin Pulled Pork
I am a sucker for anything labeled pulled pork and this dish did not disappoint. It reminded me of mu shu pork gone upscale. I painted hoisin sauce on the grilled pancakes and filled it with shredded pork, garlic, and scallions. We were off to a good start.
Shrimp Dumplings
Shrimp dumplings arrived in a flavorful broth. The portion was small but tasty; I could have easily eaten another order by myself.
Javanese Shrimp
Large shrimp with their shells on were placed on a fragrant and flavorful red Thai curry. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the curry was spiced perfectly and filled the air with the scent of Kaffir lime leaves.
Penang Noodles
We really should have sent this dish back because it was too salty. It was my birthday and I did not want to make a scene so we just left most of it untouched. The noodles were bathing in a dark brown sauce and the crab and shrimp were overcooked; a hot mess.
Coconut Pudding
The coconut pudding was made with large tapioca pearls and red adzuki beans were hiding on the bottom; a delicious way to end the meal.
The service was impeccable and we never had to ask for a new plates or silverware. I thought the portions were on the small side for the price.
A good place to have drinks and a couple of appetizers but not all dishes are successful.
Hands down my favorite restaurant on Union street! The atmosphere is amazing, the food is delicious! I seriously have cravings for Betelnut! I like trying all the new dishes, but I do have the staple favorites: green papaya salad, little dragon dumplings, sashimi, & seared halibut. yum yum & yum. They have a new special every Tuesday with roasted pig, Pig Out Tuesday, clever right? It's delish! & cheap too! I like going on Mondays and Tuesdays its not as hectic and they have the specials those days. Very neighborhood-SF-hip restaurant.
This place is good, but for pan-asian/Asian fusion cuisine, this can't compare to E&O.
Betelnut reminds me of an asian fusion version of the Cheesecake factory. It's just the kind of vibe I get. On top of that, it's similar in that everything is pretty good, but nothing amazes you.
The green beans are very good.
The salad we had was pretty tiny.
I was a fan of the mee goreng (noodles) but it was something I feel like I could've made out of a package. Tasty, but not special.
Things are definitely overpriced, too. But maybe that's expected of a restaurant on Union...?
I would go back, but if I had the option of driving (or taking the bus, taxi, etc.) to E&O, I would.
I've been recommending this place for a while now, but oddly have not been here yet, until recently. It was crowded, and we sat at the small counter right by the kitchen where we could see everything they were making.
We started with the Hoisin Pork with Grilled Pancakes and they were very tasty. Then we chow on the Shui Jiao Dumplings, which were spicy and very good. After that, we had the Springrolls which were also very good. But we thought the best thing was the Roti, served with some yogurt sauce and something else. It does not compare to the Balada at Mandalay, but it's an acceptable substitute.
For our entrees we had the Bein Pow Firecracker Chicken, and it lacked a bit of the POW, but it was good, but I don't think I'll order it again because it's Americanized ... battered and fried. My friend had the Lemongrass Beef, and that was the better of the two.
For dessert, we shared the Tempura Banana, and that was also good. Everything we ordered was the servers favorite, oddly. Course he was just saying that. For the two of us, it was about $120 with tax and tip.
To quote Spartacus U, who said it best and since it's right there ... white people serving fancy Chinese food, cooked by Mexicans.
I really love coming here. It's become the place to mention to friends to get them to come to lunch when they're reluctant. Betelnut has their own beers, which are very good (recommend the blonde). They also have dangerous mixed cocktails that will knock you on your ass. You've been warned.
Highly recommend ordering the firecracker shrimp. Three of us each ordered this once and they were going to bring the three orders in one big bowl. We had to tell them we each need a separate order or there would be a fork stabbing at our table. The sauce that comes with the shrimp is key - it is AMAZING. The lettuce wraps are also a solid choice.
As another note, the service is always consistently good and the waitstaff is the perfect amount of chatty, but not to an annoying degree. They're chill enough that I never feel uncomfortable going there alone.
This place does sort of have that P.F. Chang's vibe too it. It isn't a fancy fine dining establishment with a high-end Asian fusion meal, so don't expect that. If this food is fusion then it is Asian-American. I definitely wouldn't be taking a first date here, but it is a good place for a group of people who want to drink, have fun, and can't all agree on one type of Asian food.
My experience with the food was pretty much just very average, and I think most of it was just poorly executed the night we were there, or so I hope. Everything just seemed heavy and oily.
To start we had the Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Chicken was a little too oily for me, but the crisp cool lettuce really cut the fat and made it quite tasty.
We also ordered a special which was a savory and sweet cold salad of diced asian pear and various spices. It was pretty good.
The five-spiced edamame soon followed the rest, and it was very delicious at first -- great flavor, warm, tasty. But again, it was just too oily.
Dinner was the seabass, thai chili, and noodles dish presented table side. Both my girlfriend and I agreed that it was a little pointless, as they were just heating up what was already cooked in a pot. The dish was pretty good, but again it was sort of heavy because of the oil.
Overall, the food was just OK, but I think some people may have different experiences with how the food is executed based off who is in the kitchen that night. For what its worth, whoever is saying they don't give you enough food must be insane -- every dish we ordered came out with more than enough food.
Now, maybe I am being nice giving 3 stars after all that about the food, but I had an overall decent experience. The waiter was fun and service was good. The sake flight was awesome, I would have gotten both for myself, but I wanted a beer for the spicy dishs coming up. Actually the drink menu was all together very good and they had some unique cocktails.
When will yelp allow half stars. This would be a 3.5 for me.
I heard a lot about beetle nut, seemed like everyone in sf had eaten there at least once.
Four of us went, on the recommendation of someone else and it was pretty good but probably not quite worth all the hype. Im sorry beetle nut lovers. However, I will say that those green beans were almost worth going just for them.
Alot of yelpers suggested the mojitos. They were ok but really sweet.
I will put a disclaimer, apparently beetle nut is considered family style. You are expected to share! Yippee, I love sharing. However, one of the people in my party was allergice to shell fish. Doesn't seem like that would be too big of a limitation but it was. Did you know this place puts oyster sauce in everything!!! Their chicken and get this, their green beans!
What we did get was pretty good, but I may have to go back to give a full, unlimited try of the menu. But my consensus, pretty good, sort of overpriced for what you get...but i'll most likely be back. hmm, wonder if you can get their green beans to go...
This place is TERRIBLE! Horribly overpriced, cheezy decor... if you're Asian please walk away from this place if someone tries to bring you in. We went for a late dinner on Friday night mainly because we were wandering and were just happy to see a place open that was still serving food - wish we had gone across the street to Osha instead!!
COMPLETELY overpriced, $2.10 for a bowl of jasmine rice? Are you kidding me? We had one of the specials - the miso ramen... YUCK! I would have preferred boiling a pot of hot water and making myself a bowl of ramen in a cup - WTF. The "miso flavored" ramen tasted like grass!!
The boys got the lemon grass beef noodles and the curry - neither looked very appetizing either. The appetizer we got, the shrimp was probably the only decent thing about this place.
It's a wannabe "NYC chic" place that caters to what I'd imagine to be the white folk, bc it's (a) horrific food (b) overpriced and (c) cheesy decor that I imagine the only people who would appreciate would be someone looking for "asian" cuisine in a "trendy" restaurant. YUCK!!
The two stars are almost all earned by the pear kimchi. Although I'm not sure it can be called kimchi as there was no actual pickeling involved in the creation of the dish, the combination of the sweet and the spice, the cold and the hot was inspired. This balance of flavor and texture is quintessential south-east Asian cooking. Bonus points for having nice, crisp pears, which have a tendency to be the consistency of mushy baby food.
Sadly, the rest of the menu is disappointing and characterized by small portions with high price tags and a quality of flavor that does not quite match the aforementioned high price tags. I get it. It's supposed to be fusion. The end-result, however, is less "fusion" and more successful packaging of Asian qualities for a timid American palette. With a mostly non-Asian wait staff dashing around with Mandarin collars in a highly exoticized interior setting, I feel like the whole experience was this extreme form of Orientalism; almost to the point of fetishism. Sadly, the hyper-realized interiors were only backed-up by watered down versions of Asian favorites. Very disappointing.
An example would be their green papaya salad. Although usually very spicy, green papaya salads are crisp and refreshing even in the most sultry and humid of summer afternoons along the Mekong River. The papaya salad here tasted like it might have once been that refreshing dish of unripened fruit, until they decided to rinse it in the sink.
With very few exceptions, Betelnut's menu tends to work with fare that would be considered stock dishes in their respective countries. Betelnut then presents these dishes to seem like they will be these extreme dishes, but when you take a bite, all those promises of briny sea breezes of faraway beaches kind of just crumble into brackish disappointments of flavors "tamed" to the point of obscurity.
Might as well go to PF Chang's or Elephant Bar. Same flavors with bigger portions and smaller bills.
Checked it out on Friday nite.
It's Asian Food for the nonAsian folk.
Food is okay if you like American food cooked with Asian twist. It's not real Asian food.
Food was either too salty or too sweet.
LeeChee Martini was tasty though. That saved my night.
Pricey for what you get. I think, I won't be back.
An eclectic collection of Asian dishes delivered American style.
That about sums up this place. Definitely an asian fusion type of restaurant. There's Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, etc. The dishes are full of flavor and served a la carte style. They have an interesting drink menu. I had the Tiger Lily and that was good. It's white wine and tonic basically. The white wine they used was very good.
For two people we ordered:
-calamari (very good! has a spicy kick to it. it's a sweet and sour type dip instead of marina)
-asian pear salad (delicious!)
- beef noodle dish (careful the sauce/dip is very salty!! I thought you were suppose to pour it over the noodles, but apparently just suppose to dip your beef in it. They were very nice and made another plate for me.)
- seabass (excellent!)
- fried banana (this is my absolute favorite dessert. I grew up with this and brings back fond memories. I asked for no caramel and peanuts on it.)
The waitress, Katherine was extremely nice and accommodating to my food changes.
We didn't make reservations prior to coming, so they had us wait for 30 minutes. However, it didn't take that long. They sat us down in 15 minutes. We were put in the back corner with 4 other large parties. So I recommend making reservations here!!
This place has fallen off lately as its become more popular. The food seems lazily designed and prepared, although the dumplings (pretty much all the different varieties) are still worth a visit.
But book ahead and prepare for snooty hostesses who play God with the Marina crowds trying to pack into this boring "fusion" restaurant.
Benihana meets Marina chic. The sine-wave paddles are swank and the wait staff crisp and demure in sharing the menu options of the day. Prepare for a stiff tab by ordering a stiff drink, and bring friends to order up the plates (and a few more bar rounds).
The table-side prepared fish was a kick but star points go for the pear kim chee, by far the stand out dish of the lunch.
A fun time.
You can't fault a good restaurant for the neighborhood it's in, and Betelnut is in the Marina- so bitching about the ambiance of the crowd would be asinine. If it ain't your thing, it ain't your thing. That said...
I am a carnivore that went with a veggie for a delicious dinner. Had some cocktails and samosas at the bar while during our short wait for a table (we neglected to make reservations, doh!) The dipping sauce was a nice cilantro sesame oil mixture (and do I detect ginger?) scrumptious!
Our next appie was the Buddha Dumplings- you don't even notice that it's tofu because it's so well seasoned. They are light and flavorful. My date got the edamame- not that much bang for your buck...very standard I got the spare ribs for myself (gotta have a little meat) they were really saucy and delicious but I really only needs of few of these bite size morsels- I took the rest to go.
Finally, the star dish- Emerald Fire Noodles!!! It was the rockstar of our dining experience, hands down! Noodles, sprouts, mint (ah how refreshing), basil and Thai chilies don't even feel the heat until a few seconds after you eat it. It's not unbearable at all, it's more like a heated surprise for your taste buds. You can split this as a side dish or order it as your main course and be happy....this dish gets five stars.
Dessert (why not?) my date got the chocolate lava cake with homemade strawberry ice cream and I got the tapioca. The chocolate cake had him making yummy noises- I liked the ice cream because it wasn't packed with tons of sugar...the tapioca- I will pass on next time.
I wish our server was as friendly and attentive as the bartender- I felt like we were a little on our own. Everything arrived in a timely fashion, so not a huge deal.
This place serves a solid Malaysian Laksa in SF! This is a bowl of curry noodles with tofu, chicken and shrimp/prawns.
Their version, great as it is, is a fairly basic version of the dish, and at $12 a little pricy. I wish they would do it Singaporean-style (like at Shiok Singapore Kitchen). If they did that, this would be a five star review!
If I ever want to go on a diet, all I need to do is invite a bunch of my seafood eating friends out for dinner and meet them here.
My friends are not sensitive to my seafood "allergy". They could care less that I haven't eaten all day and am starving! Go ahead and order your grilled bass and calamari I'll just have some of this fried rice! umm wait, the fried rice has shrimp in it??? DAMN!!!
I agree with Alexandra and her what she said about the uniforms, they are rather silly but then again that may be part of the tradition right? Doesn't mean I have to like them though.
My wife and I arrived early for a birthday dinner and had enough time to sit at the bar and chat up the bartenders. They were super friendly and totally knew how to make a good drink. My wife ordered a Bulleit Bourbon martini and I went with a Caprihina. My Caprihina was perfect with not too much simple syrup and loads of lime. My wife throughly enjoyed her martini and even got a lesson on Bourbons by our super cool bartender. Give the guy a raise cause he was awesome!
Our friends finally arrived and we were seated near the back. There were six of us and I figured with that many people there would be plenty for me to eat. Who would have thought that everyone (but me) would be in the mood for seafood??
The first four courses were all fishy! So there I sat, with nothing on my plate. But finally after what seemed like hours a pork dish appeared! I was so excited to finally be able to taste something. I was quite impressed as the pork ribs were super yummy. I would definitely make a return visit just for this dish.
Then came the green beans! They might have been the hit of the night! Not overcooked and still a little crunchy and the sauce was sooo good. I wish I had a little extra to pour over my white rice.
The two steak dishes were good with the rib eye being the better of the two. Cooked to a perfect medium rare, but I will say for some at the table it may have been too pink. But this night was about me and I LOVED it.
All in all, the restaurant exceeded my expectations and would not hesitate to make a return visit.
Looking for a quick bite to eat before our night of relative debauchery. Theres a bar up front with the dining area in the back. We didn't have a reservation but there was room for our party of 5 at the counter. It was neat to cozy up to the counter and have front row seats of all the action. You hear the chef yelling orders; you see line cooks nodding, taking their orders and preparing their dishes; you hear the servers in their broken spanish tell the cooks how great of a job theyre doing as if cheering them on like a trainer would to his prize fighter. I missed out on the heirloom tomato salad with reduced balsamic vinegar dressing, garlic chips, thai basil, and this indian cheese made in house (their take on bruschetta), but it was cool to watch the cook make it in front of me.
We ordered pork belly, roasted whole suckling pig (lechon), lamb curry skewers, vegetable dumplings and something else. The lamb was spiced with a heavy hand but was cut nicely with the pickled vegetables. I could eat roasted pork all night. Perfect lechon. nuff said. Other than that, Asian Fusion doesn't mean better Asian food. It means Asian Food for non-asians.
Someone also ordered the scorpion drink to share. It came with fruity umbrellas, plastic leis, and meter long straws you could use to build scaffolding. Kinda embarrassing but we were in a celebratory mood anyway.
A nice amosphere, fun, busy place for our party of four last night. The drink menu is very good if you're into sake and mixed drinks with guava and pineapple etc. The food is not bad. We had the chicken lup chuong lettuce cups and the glazed pork ribs followed by the roti. All of which were very good, particularly the lettuce cups. The entrees we had were the
Little Dragon dumplings (aka Shanghai style dumplings) = okay had better
iron sizzeling ribeye steak = not bad either, tender flavorful meat (reminds me of kalbi in Korean restaurants) with a light sauce
Penang rice noodles = basically shrimp and chive chow fun
Lemon grass chicken with those almonds = very good.
Desserts were the chocolate lava cake and sweet banana with ice cream = familiar selections for many places and these were very good as well
Overall, a nice fun place with Americanized asian food with some twists. Safe and very good = you'll never have a bad meal here, but very pricey for the entrees. A step up from your usual chain of asian fusion places. Great wait staff too.
Minus 1 star for being SO pricey. $$$$$$
But so good.
The waiter claimed they had the best calamari in the city.
I am not arguing.
I also love the firecracker shrimp. AAHHH MAZING.
Sake samplers? I loved them both.
However.... I can pretty much only go here on payday (or the day I get my tax returns in the mail!)
Chef Alex Ong knows how to keep his regular customers (of which I'd like to consider myself sort of one!) salivating. While certain classic dishes always remain on the menu - like their oven-smoked seabass and Sri Lankan claypot fish - Ong and his team literally takes trips to East Asia to discover new items and flavors to test out in his kitchen. For example, we sampled a grilled Hawaiian kaku with Japanese eggplant that was a delicious fish. A watermelon salad with citrus-mint dressing was perfect for these summer days. We also tried some fiery fried salt and pepper gulf prawns, which came wok tossed with chilies, jalapeños, garlic and ginger, which could become my new favorite in the spice department.
Yesterday was Dash's (just turned two) first experience at Betelnut, and he just ate it up. Quite literally, from the garlic green beans to the roti prata to the veggie dumplings. He even tried a special, the braised tumeric goat belly, and demanded seconds! This stuff is more addictive than bacon, so I hope it makes it on the regular menu rotation.
Since we had a party of about eight people, the food just kept arriving in waves. Our last two items, interestingly, were both the most crowd-pleasing: the Hanoi "Cha Ca La Vong" is a preparation (done tableside) of seabass served over rice noodles. Mix in fish sauce, scallion, dill, cilantro, Thai chilies, and it's positively scintillating on the tongue. To overindulge wholeheartedly, we closed out with the Beggars Chicken (not on the menu unless you ask!), a whole chicken brined and marinated overnight. It comes to your table wrapped in a lotus leaf, inside a clay shell, which you get to crack open. It's a thrill to watch and of course eat, and many in our party wondered if they'd ever had a chicken so tender.
Everything is meant for sharing in true banquet style, which just adds to the hustle and excitement of all the flavors and their sensory interplay. The restaurant is loud and social, and I suppose you could come on a date, but it's really a place to gather and socialize while enjoying good food. I've been coming to Betelnut for almost 10 years now, and here's to another 10 more.
I always go here when my parents are visiting, nice convenient location on Union Street, surrounded… Read more »
I don't care if this place isnt authentic. It was delicious! We were just walking down the street looking for dinner and came upon this place. We were immediately seated on what seemed like a fairly crowded Thursday night.
The green beans and firecracker (i think?) shrimp were amazing. I forget the name of my main dish but it was so good. Our server was incredibly friendly and wonderful (even though I had to ask a few times for water) They make a very interesting bloody mary too (in a good way!)
I used to love this place. But, the last few times I have been here, the food just tasted sweet all the way around. It didn't matter what we ordered - and we ordered a lot - the food simply tasted too sweet. The satay, the shrimp sauce, the ribs, the string beans - they just had that sweet ponzu sauce like taste to them. Even the miso soup, which was a little too dense for my taste. I really like the atmosphere here and the drinks are good, especially bloody mary (ask for extra spicy with olive juice and olives). And, of course, the tapioca pudding - back by popular demand. But, the rest of the food, I am just kind of tired of it by now. And wish there was a little more variation in taste.
I always really enjoy dining here when I visit SF. Can't say I'm an expert about its menu, but the quality of the food and service and the pleasantness of the experience will keep me coming back.
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Went with the cousins during the summer and totally forgot to yelp it! First of all, it had a really nice atmosphere; decorated with bamboo, china silk and dim lighting. Also, had friendly waiters who knew what to suggest. Food choices of the day: Little dragon dumplings and fire cracker chicken. Delicious! (But it would've been nice if the portions were a little bigger to accommodate the actual prices.) Some of the drinks were tasty too! I forgot what they were called but feel free to check my photos! By the end of the meal, I was content and a bit tipsy!
Kind of disappointed by this hopping Marina hotspot.
I don't venture Marina-side often, and when I do, it's typically for a good reason: friend's birthday party, entertaining city visitors with a college throwback experience, getting the world's most expensive cupcakes and pedicures. Or, a trip to a neighborhood food gem with good friends and parents (theirs, not mine.)
While a glance at the menu had me excited, the food that arrived at our table reminded me of a glorified PF Chang's meal. The flavors were not particularly original and, judging by the headache and significant bloat I endured the following morning, I'm suspecting the food was laced with salt and MSG. We had a few passable dishes (okay, the calamari was more than passable) and a pretty tasty dessert, and polished it off with a pretty reasonably-priced Sauvignon Blanc, but overall I was pretty whelmed by my dining experience, and felt that it wasn't worth the Marina trek.
It's not as pricey as I thought it would be, though.
This was one of the last places I ate in SF before taking a brief hiatus to the east coast. I have to say, I kind of wish my friends would have picked a different restaurant. I was a bit disappointed, especially after hearing all the hype surrounding this place.
Our table ordered the chicken lettuce cups, fire noodles, and Korean pork. The dishes are served family style, so they come as moderate-sized portions meant to be shared. The chicken lettuce cups were amazing.. but the noodles and pork were a bit too salty for my liking. You could probably find something of similar quality at Osha or Hunan Homes for a way lesser price.
Otherwise, the ambiance is great, service is consistent (with wait staff dressed in fun Asian outfits), and they have nice outdoor seating for people watching. Worth a try if you're down on Union Street.
I had some friends in town at the weekend, so I made a Saturday evening reservation at Betelnut. I hadn't been there for many years (and I rarely go to Cow Hollow) so I was not sure what to expect. But, upon arrival, we were immediately impressed by the welcoming bar area that opened on to Union St. There was buzz of activity but the place wasn't too crowded. The restaurant has a sort of Colonial-era Asian theme that verges on kitchy, but is fun & matches the pan-Asian dishes they serve.
We ordered several appetizers, and they were all excellent, and very tasty. We all shared the dishes "family style" and got a variety of different starters. The spicy, flash-fried cauliflower dish, in particular, was very interesting (and fresh!) The different dumplings, samosas and spring rolls were a bit more conventional, but also very good. We also shared several entrees. The Lemongrass Beef dish was outstanding - and it's worth a return trip just for that. We also got the special stir-fried fish dish, prepared in a sizzling wok at table-side. Good fun!
Our waitress was friendly and very knowledgeable, and the environment was very comfortable. Surprisingly un-crowded for a Saturday night (though the restaurant is large, and seems to stretch back into the bowels of the building.) Enjoyable and delicious, the best meal I've had for some time. Highly recommended...
I just don't think I get this place. I went with a large group of friends and the food was okay, not fantastic. The service was okay, not fantastic. I guess the upside is that you can go with a large or small group...but honestly I thought that the food and drinks were overpriced and not all that good. I'm willing to pay for good food, this just wasn't it for me.
We went specifically for the Pig Out Tuesdays. The pork was ... "a-ok" it wasnt bad but it wasnt great. Texturally, the meat was perfection, tender and juicy, although underseasoned. The skin should have been magic, but it fell short. It was not so much crispy as..chewey. Like a hard candy that gets jammed in the grooves of your teeth. Flavorwise, it wasnt the pinnacle of flavor like pork cracklins should be. More like pork skin candy, which sounds better than it tastes.
The broth provided with the pork was interesting, def. helped to season the pork some, but in my opinion, still lacking salt.
It was accompanied by green beans which were delicious and jasmine rice. We also had the crispy calamari - good, would order again, and lemongrass beef noodles. The gals loved it, our one fussy guy wouldn't touch it. the lemongrass flavor was indeed a bit strong, but not offputting for me.
We skipped dessert, too full.
Hostesses were pleasant and polite, and no nagging when we called to say we were running late. Our server was slow to greet us, but other than that, service was good.
I would go back for the pork, the meat was pretty good, just not crazy about the texture of skin.
Parking was a bit of a bear, but its the marina, so ya, what'd you expect?
eight excited girls coming together for a renion dinner at Betelnut...ooooohhh yeah!
EVERYTHING we ordered was insanely good. LOVED the rib eye steak dish and the sea bass noodles. I have a new fav drink now...it's called the Pink Lotus...how can you go wrong with guava juice? mmmmmm
Not sure why people like this place. Had dinner last night with a girlfriend of mine. We started our dinner with fried calamari. Not too bad.. huge portion for just appetizer.. but I had better. For dinner we ordered the Penang Noodles. Pretty much sea food chow fun. It was a bit salty for my taste.. Then we had the rib-eye steak. I think they mixed a bit of Korean BBQ sauce and Teriyaki sauce... lastly the steamed rice...hm was exctra dry....
Overall this place is overrated and... don't think I will go back...
Heard great things about the place and finally tried I last week and had a fairly good experience. Food was tasty, ambience was cute, my only issue would be that it's a bit overpriced. Considering it's in the marina, prices are actually typical, but you can def get the same asian food at Chinatown for 1/3 the price...esp their signature green bean side dish!! In fact, make it yourself with the recipe here, LOL: http://www.grouprecipe...
I ordered:
Oven Smoked Sea Bass ($21): Divine!! Just one piece which I thought looked small, but it's missleading and definitely filling! Super moist and fish has a great creamy flavor, seared to perfection!
Chicken Tiki Masala with Tomatoes ($17, Daily Special): Not amazing to me, but my date thought it was good.
Green Bean ($10): Delicious as promised! Overpriced for a plate of veggies, but sauce is just so damn good!!
Green Tea Vodka ($9): Light and refreshing cocktail, would def recommend
Had fun here, if in the Marina area would def return, but if not, I prefer the authenticity of Chinatown :)
ok....but i wouldnt come back and here's why. Its pretty pricey and the portions are itsy bitsy. Our waitress said it's sereved family style meant for you to shre. There were 4 of us- we asked how many dishes we should order- she said 2-3 would be good. UH.....i left there still hungry and i'm not even a big eater. I suppose i could have ordered more but the food just didn't wow me. The tikka masala was was tooo smokey and spicy to take more than a few bites.
The ribeye was good- a nd we got a noodle bowl w/ crab and shrimp- decent but like i said..nothing i would come running back for.
cute little place though...
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