"I especially loved the pumpkin curry and curry puffs."
(in 45 reviews)
"…of all, pretty much everything on the menu can be made vegan/vegetarian…"
(in 4 reviews)
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Mekong Restaurant - CLOSED
Rating Details »
Categories: Vegetarian, Thai, Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin791 OFarrell St
(between Hyde St & Larkin St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 928-2772
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
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154 reviews for Mekong Restaurant
Review Highlights
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This review deserves a story. You can skip this part and go to the review or waste 2 min of your time. So, I go to San Francisco to see the smashing pumpkins play at the filmore. I originally planed to go with my bf but we broke up. I bought 2 tickets and he bought 2. My best friend (who had no ticket) and I, and my other friend were disillusioned about her not being able to go so we begin to drink some lagunita in the afternoon. We decide we can't let those tickets go to waste and we take action. I somehow ended up having my male friend convince the people at ticketmaster he was my bf and got them to transfer the ticket into "his cousins name" aka my best friend who was ticketless. I sold one ticket for $100 on craigslist. We get there, the guy gives me the money and she can't get in because Filmore didn't accept her id even though ticketmaster would. She starts crying and somehow they end up letting us in. score right? We are all pretty drunk by now and she uses her fake id to get a drink, security catches my friend and i taking a sip and BOOM we're outta there. We are left sadened and disappointed after all that effort. But with $100 dollars in my pocket, we head over to MEKONG!
REVIEW:
I'm pretty drunk when I come in here, and have no idea what to order and my two even drunker friends order the pumpkin curry and rice and some tofu sticks with peanut dipping sauce. I think this was the most delicious curry I've ever had. The tofu sticks were both crunchy and soft at the same time. SOO good. I'm sad to hear it closed, I would have LOVED to come back here, sober and hungrier!
I think Starbucks must have fucked some Thai restaurants back in the day, because that's the only legitimate reason for the dissemination of middling Thai restaurants in this city. One on almost every block! There are SO MANY Kings of Thai that I'm waiting for civil war to break out so we can anoint the victor.
This poses the following problem: it's hard for smug, self-satisfied shitheads like me to separate the wheat from the chaff. Or is it rice from the shell? Husk? Whatever. Anyway, yes, it's hard to know which Thai restaurants are worth visiting.
Well, I'm ALL ABOUT BEING USEFUL, so I will don my Sister Mary Ignatius habit and explain it all for you.
Mekong Thai OWNS my ass and it will own yours, too!
I've been here four times: three dine-ins and one take out. On all four occasions the service and the food were unimpeachable.
If you want to pull up one of their plush, capacious chairs and dine here, be prepared: there's a lot of gold. Gold platters, gold cutlery, gold walls, golden ass. Okay, no golden ass, but the appointments are still very regal.
And since I'm ALL ABOUT ROMANCE, you should ALSO do what I do when I act like Daddy Warbucks by wining and dining my male hookers before boning them: brown bag that bottle of Thunderbird and request a table behind one of the large folding paper fans. That way you can dine on the DL and -- if the mood hits you -- belt out "Vogliatemi bene" and giggle like a little schoolgirl.
The Chicken Satay, the Spring Rolls, the Red Curry with Beef, the Green Curry with Chicken, the Eggplant with Tofu, and the Thai Fried Rice: these dishes are ALL exemplary. In fact, I'm salivating right now just thinking about them -- and I assure you it has nothing to do with the 22-year old brunette mesomorph who works in my office. Here's the BEST part: my dishes were all -- wait for it -- VEGAN.
Yes, that's right. What's the world coming to -- you CHOSE to prepare your food with FAKE MEAT?!? Has the Vegan Mafia kidnapped and brainwashed you, Darin?
First, I can't answer the last question. Second, I may be a dirty fucking meat eater who vainly tries to seduce straight men, but I actually LIKE eating vegan and vegetarian food. After all, what's better than a healthier lifestyle? Exactly. NOT A DAMN THING. I try, you know? Coincidentally, this is why I smoke all-natural cigarettes from time to time -- it's like health food, really.
Now, I know the dissenters among you will point out that "authentic" Thai food isn't vegan. Well, LA-DE-FUCKING-DA! Thanks for your WORTHLESS contribution! Who said anything about authenticity, bitches? I'm a yelper and I KNOW WHAT I LIKE. See, this isn't the Academy Awards -- it's the motherfucking People's Choice!
Frankly, if you're going to ding a Thai restaurant for being inauthentic, then I recommend you red-eye the next flight to Phuket and revel in your gastronomic "authenticity" you pathetic snobs!
Ahh shit, sorry for the angry digression. I'm depressed this morning. Anyway. Mekong Thai: do it because I said so, not because it's outlandishly tasty and good for you to boot!
The fabulosity of Mekong's Kevin will blow your mind. If it has not already been blown by the fried "chicken" drummettes, faux satay ("fatay" ?) or the darling little place settings. Mekong is an oasis of charm and sass in a neighborhood where it really stands out.
Also, speaking of fatay, that is what you may call me from now on because I will be hooking up some of that delicious seitan/peanut sauce seduction on the regular.
Ever have one of those moments when you're eating and you suddenly have a revelation?
There you are - chew, chew, chew and the only thing floating through your head is "Mmmmmmmmm - this chicken is goooooood!" and then WHAM-O! synapses fire and you suddenly realize that you left the oven on or you forgot your mom's birthday or you remember that you PROMISED your friends you'd write a review BEFORE you left for lunch and here you are, chomping away and your last review was posted NINE DAYS ago.
This happened to me at Mekong. There I was, thoroughly enjoying my chicken when I suddenly realized - I'M NOT EATING CHICKEN!!! WTF?! OMG! It's really, really good chicken, BUT IT'S NOT CHICKEN!
Ok, so I was drinking at the time and was there with a huge group of Yelpers. (BTW, as other have noted, this place is BYOB) Both of these things can cause me to maybe lose touch with reality a little tiny bit. I resolved at that moment to come back to Mekong and try the food again only next time I'd be SOBER. Also, I do not review places that I've only been to as part of a Yelp event.
Mekong Take 2:
There I am, chew, chew, chew and AGAIN - WHAM-the-F-O! THIS IS NOT CHICKEN!!! WTF?! OMG! OH MY HOLY-UNLIMITED-FUND-FOR-SHOES DIVINE BEING!!! I'M EATING FAKE MEAT!
My omnivore mind kind of went wonky at this point but my mouth and my stomach told it to shut the hell up and order some pumpkin curry with tofu because that's the best thing to order with chicken that is not chicken but sure as hell chews and tastes JUST LIKE CHICKEN.
I also had the pad thai, which was ok but not in my opinion the best I've ever had. I'm not saying it was bad or even mediocre. It was just pad thai, which is what I ordered.
The service is velvety smooth and by that I mean my water glass was magically full the whole time, the food came out in a reasonable amount of time and everyone was so pleasant I felt like I was at a spa. The interior is like a quiet religious retreat off a somewhat noisy & grungy stretch of Tenderloin madness.
This is a good thing, because your mind and heart rate need a moment to recover from that revelatory moment so you can have that second revelation: Your roommate will turn off the oven. Your mom loves you anyway. You can always post that review after lunch. It ok for an omnivore to love Not Chicken!
UPDATE: Mekong has reopened but under new ownership and a new name! I just called their number and I quote the voice mail:
"Hello you've reached Mekong Restaurant. We are now under new ownership and open again as Bang San Thai Cuisine. We still offer a 'vaigan' menu, pretty much the same selection with substitutions with the meat, with 'vaigan' meat and if you are into meat, all of our meat is al halal, um which means there are no hormones, nor steroids, nor any of that nasty stuff in the meat and we hope to see you. Thank you."
--
I used to intern at SOMA magazine which was less than a block away from Mekong. The internship blew but sneaking out to Mekong to use their free wireless internet definitely made the uneventful days worthwhile! Good food and peaceful atmosphere during the day despite those ridiculous fans and lousy Abba songs.
The cooks at Mekong can virtually make anything on the menu vegan, which is a huge huge plus. The vegan chicken satay is delicious and the pumpkin curry with vegan chicken is definitely the best I've ever had.
The location of Mekong is the only problem. Please don't ever go here alone at night. Ever. Go with friends, lots of them if possible. If you're walking from BART or Muni by yourself, walk up Larkin and turn right on O'Farrell. Try to avoid O'Farrell and Hyde. I nearly got pummeled by a gang there when I was heading to the BART Station from Mekong.
And apparently I was threatening to them? (See user picture.)
Loving you, Mekong! This is the type of place where you think about the food after you leave and eat it for so many days in a row that the owner seems a bit scared when he catches sight of you coming in to get more. I've done things while in a pumpkin curry blackout. Things I'm not proud of. At the very least I have a Mekong-dependence problem.
Actual convo*:
Me: Do you deliver?
Mekong man: Oh, I'm so sorry but not right now because the delivery guy took off with our car and we haven't seen him in awhile.
Me: Oh. Well, can I come pick it up? *smacks vein*
Mekong man: Look, you're a nice girl...don't you think you should ease up...maybe save it for the weekend? Last time you picked up you had peanut sauce on your shirt and I think I saw some lettuce in your hair.
Me: What? Oh, I'm fine. It's not even for me....I'm just doing a favor for a friend, honest.
* this conversation may not be verbatim
After reading fellow veggie yelpers marsha's and ben's reviews, I knew this place was my Destiny. Mekong did not disappoint. The faux chicken satay was SO DELICIOUS. like way better than it should have been...I don't know how they did it but it's just amazingly delicious yum. The pumpkin curry with tofu and potatoes was impeccable and the vegetable curry with fillet was magnificent. Almost every item on the menu can be made vegan...including the soups! The dining room is comfortable and kinda faux classy (which I like) and the service is excellent...nicest waiter in town! His name is Kevin and he is a doll! He's attentive but not all up in your business. Also, the dude knows his fake meat.
No alcohol served but you can bring your own beer or wine. Parking is not TERRIBLE in the TL but make sure all of your valuables aren't in sight...this is not the most savory area of the big city. The late hours are great, too...1 am on weekends??? I also love the fact that they have free wifi. i mean, do they want me to move in?! i could be writing this review from inside their sweet womb of deliciousness!!!
Their menu doesn't lie, they do have more vegan thai selections than anywhere else in town. I will be returning several million times. And that's just this week!
In conclusion, Mekong Restaurant is Best Quality and you should eat there immediately.
I don't know if I could ever be completely vegan. (though I really like vegan food. Especially quality vegan desserts)
I imagine that I would probaby mess up along the way and eat non- vegan chocolate mousse or something.
I'm not really vegetarian....
I used to be.
But after a traumatizing summer in Potenza Italy, during which my sister's pen-pal family could not grasp what being a vegetarian was, and kept on putting huge piles of meat on my plate and shouting all sorts of Italian expletives, each time I would refuse; I began to reconsider my solid vegetarianism.
It was only when the mother of the family, looked on the verge of tears, that I agreed to try some of her meat lasagna. I didn't talk to anyone for the rest of the night. When I finally recovered the next morning, I decided it was an appropriate time to retire from my vegetarian vow.
No more crying Italian families. A little easier Thanksgivings.
Plus, I like chicken and fish. (It's hard to beat fresh tilapia, garlic marinated shrimp, turkey dinner, chicken stove-top stuffing...)
Despite my appreciation of fish and chicken, I usually order vegetarian dishes at restaurants. I find that vegetarian food tastes better than most meat dishes, it is healthier and I like the idea that I'm not about to crunch down on some unknown bone, or have to deal with week old tasting fish.
Going veggie is always a safe bet.
And this where Mekong prevails.
If every vegetarian/vegan offering restaurant was like Mekong, more people would reconsider their loyalty to meat and going veggie would be a universally safe bet.
Honestly.
Mekong excels at being charming, serving serving delicious thai food, and being affordable. More so - it is progressive and exceptional about catering to people's food preferences.
They carry an extensive menu of thai meat dishes, which can all also be made vegan or vegetarian. It's amazing really, how versatile their kitchen is.
Mekong is the type of restaurant that if you lived right by it, you could easily rationalize the late night bar crowd raucous, if you knew that the next evening, you could stop into Mekong, grab some takeout and watch some reality TV on full blast (to drown out the raucous) with a big plate of rich pumpkin curry
Cause...there's no question, if you go to Mekong you must try the pumpkin tofu curry, the faux chicken satay, the tofu papaya salad...and...well.....actually I just looked at their menu and I hope your wallet has a couple of bills in it, because everything at Mekong is probably worth trying.
Tutto!
Just remember to bring a bottle of wine, since it's BYOB, and tip the waiters well. They're excellent and exude nothing but pure goodness.
(Oh and a huge THANK YOU to Dawn M, Sammy P, and Laura B to introducing me to this place!)
There's a good listing of vegetarian dishes, and just about everything can be made with meat substitutes to make it vegan. I can't stress how extremely helpful the waiter was, a vegetarian himself, in giving suggestions--he's very personable. From the "chicken" satay, to the vegetable curry with filet, everything was excellent, not to mention, all vegan.
The dining area is of decent size--not too small. Tables are separated by large foldable fans to ensure privacy between tables. It's just as well, as it can block your view of the street, though, outdoor noise is still audible. Located in the TL, don't be surprised if phrases like, "Hey, go fuck yourself, asshole!" are interjected between bites.
Mekong is open until 1 a.m. everyday for you late diners; they also offer free delivery with a $15 minimum. And free wifi!
After going to the Asian Museum on Thursday evening our group started to feel the hunger pangs, and used our collective hive mind to seek out grubbage. One vegan, one lacto-ovo vegetarian, and two aspiring veggies came together and formed like Voltron to shout "MEKONG!" Ten minutes later we are pushing our way past guys with '13' tattooed on their necks, and shivering skeleton like night crawlers into the oasis that is Mekong. Kevin, the one man band, recognizes us, and pulls us to a nice sequestered table in the back. The room is full of color, life, and the other tables all seem to be having a blast. A bottle opener later, and we are toasting good friends and good times.
The chicken satay skewers must be laced with crack. They are that addictive. The two orders might have lasted 90 seconds before the plates were wiped clean. Next comes the 1/2-1/2 (1/2 white 1/2 brown) rice, and veggie basil duck, followed by spicy green curry with veggie chicken, pad thai, and roasted eggplant. Everything was slamming! Every bite was heaven. This restaurant has never, ever let me down. Solid performer in every aspect. Almost every dish here can be made regular, vegetarian, or vegan. Nobody is left out, and everybody leaves happy. The tables are 'hidden' behind large fans, so you almost forget about the shameless drug dealers outside. Let your inner veggie run wild in the flavors of Mekong!
Tip: BYOB with no corkage fee.
Hungry? Turn off your computer and go to Mekong. Now.
I ate at Mekong last night before and was very impressed. The food was fantastic (especially the pumpkin currry-thanks Yelpers for the head's up!) and our waiter was one of the friendliest people that I've ever met. When we asked if they had beer he leaned over and whispered that I could get some across the street and bring it in.
It was really empty at 8pm on a Saturday night...I hope the word gets out because I would be crushed if Mekong didn't succeed. Next time you're in the mood for some tasty, inexpensive food served with a smile, give Mekong a shot.
Miss Jessica V...where are you taking me? You know I grew up in the 'burbs right?
*Maniacal laughter* Trrrust me Amy! Trust me! They have food where we're going.
So...yeah, you wouldn't guess it from the street outside but this place is lovely. I have a thing for wall fans (in fact I have one in my house) and this place is full of them. I like the clever way they've used them as dividers so you can gossip comfortably and in peace.
The yellow curry (my favorite) was great...but the pad thai wasn't nearly as good. My thai iced tea was good, but I wish they served alcohol. As others have mentioned, the owner has a pleasant personality.
I'd go again, but I probably wouldn't order the pad thai.
Guantanamera, guajira Guantanamera. . .I glance across the table at my favorite vegetarian (Sean S.), one eye-brow raised, and wonder aloud if what I am hearing truly is the lyric-less, smooth jazz version of the much-loved Cuban song, Guantanamera . A few more bars and I am certain it is. As I think back upon my first dinner at Mekong I am struck by how this song (as well as the lyric-less, smooth jazz version of Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You") provided a fitting soundtrack for a wonderfully memorable meal.
As we entered, Kevin ("Yo soy un hombre sincero") gave us the "wai" (a traditional Thai greeting done by pressing your palms together near your chest and bowing slightly) and ushered us to a table for two secluded from the front of the restaurant by a large painted fan. We ordered spring rolls, spicy tofu, pumpkin curry, steamed rice (white for me, brown for Sean) and two Thai iced teas (mine with condensed milk, Sean's with soy milk). My tea was a bit too sweet - my only complaint of the meal. The spring rolls arrived perfectly crispy with a flavorful dipping sauce. The harmonic convergence of flavor in both the pumpkin curry and the spicy tofu is difficult to capture in words. But I will say this; never before have I considered heading down the hill to the Tenderloin with my laptop to work over lunch, but knowing that Mekong has free wifi I think now it's become a real possibility.
On a side note, I was most curious about the shape into which the tofu was cut. The serrated edges seemed to enmesh more flavor than one usually finds in firm tofu. I asked Kevin which implement was used to create this shape. He explained it was "Asian". As I am also "Asian" I tried to get him to expand on this mystery instrument and asked if I might see it. I'm not sure he understood my question or if he was too polite to tell me no. Either way, I remain intrigued and hope someday soon to glean the secret, acquire the utensil for myself, and turn the firm tofu block in my fridge into something my friends will adore eating when they come for dinner. That or I'll grab take-out from Mekong before they arrive. . .
Throughout the evening Kevin attended to us with supreme graciousness. Toward the end of the meal he even gave us some gratis vegan banana cake (all I'll say about this is: It's the thought that counts). As we were settling up he said to me, "You've been here before a few times." I explained that this was my first visit and he asked how I had heard about the restaurant. "Yelp!" (I think this goes without saying) From there I found quite a bit about laura b.'s eating habits as well as suggestions on what I should order next time (wings, satay. . .)
I can't wait to go back to Mekong ("And I mean it from the bottom of my heart")!
If you're a vegetarian or vegan and not an idiot, then you've already been to and loved hard one of my faves, Mekong. '
Or, perhaps you're totally square or love meat and therefore a waste of my time -- anyway, in that case, you obviously have not been to Mekong.
Cheap and delicious with the most charming, softly flamboyant gay man at your service. Seriously, his charm is almost a little too much to take, evidenced by the time I ran to the store to purchase tall boys of PBR (Mekong is also BYO, which rules my cheap, drunk life so hard) and mister mister presented Bill and I with two pretty glasses in which to pour. Had I not reached faster than he, dude would poured our crappy beers into the glasses for us, which really would've made me embarrassed.
Anyway, the food is terrific; however, the spice factor seriously lacks, so don't forget to really emphasize pouring on the heat. Unless you're a pussy. In that case, I don't care about you or your sensitive palate. The pumpkin curry rules and honestly I can't really talk shit on any of the non-meat dishes, except for the lack of heat. So just go here and eateateat and tip the very nice man a ton of dollars cuz yer meal is so effing cheap and then buy me a beer. All because I told you to.
PS - I'm from Milwaukee, so I can totally call PBR shit beer and not lose street cred, brothers.
Wow, I went here for a 30+ person engagement dinner and it was great. Tonnes of great dishes from fake duck, fake chicken, real fish, and real beef, fried tofu, and delish pad thai. It's BYOB and the wine flowed like beer. One thing I will say is be careful if your leaving this place too late, the area is a little sketchy to say the least :-) We ended up heading across the street to a dive bar that makes other dive bars look like yuppie wine bars circa 1980. I've got to remember the name of that bar so I can review that as well.
UPDATE: Turns out the dive bar across the street is Club Kristy: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
It has been 8 months since I have moved out of San Fran.
Not a day goes by that I do not think of mekong.
Yeah, yeah...we know its not in the "best" neighborhood. But...sometimes you just gotta get out of your comfort zone to get some fan-tab-ulous thai food.
All I have to say is PUMPKIN CURRY. This dish is the bomb (wow...I cannot believe I just said the phrase "the bomb"). Everytime I would go here this is my dish of choice. Usually my fellow diners would get something else (against my suggestions) and then by the end of the meal they were ordering another plate of pumpkin curry. Its just that good
Every dish here is really outstanding thai. Plus...they are super friendly.
I am kinda glad my place was just outside of their delivery zone...or else I would have gotten pretty fat eating pumpkin curry every day.
Dawn M. and Sammy P. are the hippest couple on yelp, so when they suggested Mekong for a casual double dinner date, I trusted their excellent judgment and agreed to go along, even though one Ted H. might have been dubious because of its apparent vegetarian affiliations. I blame Ted's skepticism of all things non-meat and artsy/fartsy and progressive and left-leaning and liberal on his Montana upbringing; however Sammy P. hails from a state where he admitted to having gone shoeless for parts of his childhood, and Sammy P. is a long time vegan. I don't know how to explain this discrepancy.
I do know, however, that Mekong has some of the best fake meat I've ever tasted, including some bomb ass "chicken" satay skewers which rocked my world because of all the animal foods out there, chicken satay has always looked dangerously GOOD, and these fake skewers did not disappoint. The duck basil and pumpkin curry were some other scrumptious highlights, and Kevin (I think that was his name) was oh so very gracious about supplying wine glasses for our BYOB aspect of the evening, which may or may not have involved a hip flask for the boys and a classy bottle of screw cap wine for the girls.
Holy moly, I am the first person to ever rate Mekong less than 4 stars. I feel like this is sacrilege. While, I am tempted to bump it up because of the wonderful service or perhaps the extensive menu selections, I must give proper weight to my impression of the food. Not to mention that my fellow diners agreed that the food was lackluster.
We started off with the deep-fried mushrooms which are normally stuffed w/ marinated beef, but we got them vegan style. Which really just means that they were fried white mushrooms. Nicely fried, not too greasy with a light crunchy coating. This could have been improved with a more interesting sauce. Or beef. But that's just me, an omnivore talking. For the entrees, we ordered:
- Som Yum: a green papaya salad with peanut, green beans, and lime dressing. This was really watery and could have used a little bit more kick, perhaps from chilis or cilantro. Or meat. Sigh.
- Chai See Eiw: with fake chicken mixed with the large flat rice noodles, egg, and vegetables.Fake chicken was rubbery! Noodles are too thick and the sweet soy sauce tasted like watery soy sauce with sugar. I have had cafeteria Thai better than this.
- Pad broccoli with vegan beef: BLAH! Their fake beef is like chewing thin, textured slices of rubber. The sauce was very similar to the chicken dish.Salty while bland. Abhorrent? Almost. Faffy almost didn't want to take this home as leftovers, but since we are good Asians, we did not let it go to waste.
- Sauteed Eggplant with Tofu, bell peper, basil, in a soy bean paste: Gonna rip off Ed M.'s line here, but is this a spinoff from the House of Same Sauce? Sadly, this was the highlight of the entrees, with the eggplant itself cooked to a nice slightly fim texture and the basil adding some much needed flavor.
Mekong should get credit for having some kickass tropical milk shakes with flavors like pineapple and avocado. I shared a vegan-friendly avocado milk shake, and it was actually...very good! It seems that they substitute with soy product, which you can definitely taste, but luckily I like the taste of soy. I was especially impressed with the authentic tasting "whipped cream."
Unfortunately, the milk shakes are not enough to tip the scales for Mekong either. Perhaps we didn't order the best dishes that they have to order, but the fake meat we had here was enough to make me lose faith in the concept all together. I don't care if you have the largest vegan selection in the city. There are plenty of places that offer fewer, but more tasty vegan friendly options. At least Mekong has Free Wi-Fi...does this not strike anyone else as very, very strange? Yeah, I think I'll hang out in the Tenderloin for some Thai, check my email, and work on research for my dissertation. I don't think so.
CLOSED......... ; (
Lucky me! I got to have lunch with Marian G! This is the first time I met my "twin." Both of us are stumpy Asian-American moms just slightly "older than Springtime" (cough cough) with birthdays a day apart (next month) and both of us like lugging around a backpack/cotton shoulder bags and largish purses. The kind owner let us sit down at 11 am to relax and gab....they actually don't open till noon.
This is my first and not last visit to Mekong. I knew I was going to like it as soon as I read the menu posted on the windows. The decor was cozy and welcoming. As described previously, pretty ornamental fans divide most of the tables.
I knew that Marian and I will be friends forever as soon as we looked at the menu and agreed immediately that we NEEDED appetizers!
We settled on the vegetarian (gluten?) satay with peanut sauces and the curry puffs! I could have easily ordered 2 or 3 more appetizers but I refrained from doing so--I didn't want Marian to know that I was a pig (at least not until our next lunch).
We also got the cashew tofu curry and the yellow vegetable curry with brown and white rice. Both were very satisfying and tasty.
We had a nice leisurely lunch and talked about kids, siblings, potatoes, Yelpers, our various illnesses, movies, our love of goodie bag giving and the profound and the silly.
So it was the perfect lunch...great food,great service, great company and great ambiance! The waiter/owner was very sweet and kept telling us we could take our time.
But Sneaky Marian excused her self to use the bathroom and paid for the bill,.....and she left the tip.....and she gave me a goodie bag...and she brought me a chilled fizzy water out of her bag...and she gave me a cab ride to BART ...and she showered all of her fellow Yelpers with lovely compliments (though I did learn some friendly gossip!
The place was set up for three large parties, luckily we were one of them. We rolled in with 5 bottles of wine, a 12 pack of Stella and a 6 pack of Blue Moon. Makes for cheap drinking when you can bring what you want. And for eight of us it was plenty. Wine glasses and cork screw were at our disposal.
The tables were all separated by huge Asian fans, and when the cute spazzy owner wasn't trying to get everything in order, it actually felt like a somewhat private room.
The food was absolutely outstanding. Vegan/vegetarian/fish options for our pescatarians at the table, and plenty of meat options for the rest of us. The eggplant with tofu was out of this world, and the pumpkin curry, which i had been told to get from fellow yelpers earlier that evening was just as good as they said. Cute spazzy owner even brought us a free entree. I think it was a vegan skewer of what was supposed to be a chicken equivalent. Ill be honest, i didn't like it, but i actually eat real chicken, so maybe its a vegan thing. I definitely could have gone with out 10 of the bites i took that night. I rolled off my seat and towards our next destination, but leaving $15 lighter in my wallet definitely made that walk easier. $15 !!! For a full Thai meal that made me wanting to go back for more! $15!!! We even had left over beers that we snuck into our next location.
Make a reservation! I heard the cute lil owner say to people "OH! You so lucky! We had 7:45 reservation cancel! You never gotten in otherwise.!" Its quaint and small..... and sooo good.
Does anyone NOT know Kevin? Seriously, every person that walked in was all, "Hi Kevin!" and he knew whether or not they drank tea, as well as what they usually order. I had the Tom Kha Gai, and it wasn't the best ever, but damn folks, I'm a happy little carnivore so kudos to you for making meat free so tasty. I don't care if my satay is chicken or preformed soy patties if it can still taste that good. I highly recommend the curry puffs (we had ours meat free, or with fake chicken, or something). YUM.
And they have free wi-fi, for whatever reason. Neat.
I'd come back again for sure, especially with veggie friends.
Laura B turned me on to this sensational restuarant - thanks Laura!!!
So cute inside it you can't believe you are on O'Farrell at Larkin. Amazing sauce for the pumpkin and some actual heat to the spices!
Mekong serves meat but every dish can be made vegan. That is what I said "every dish" can be made vegan. What a joy for veggies and vegans.
Laura and I are going again tonight adnd I can't wait!!!!
I just saw that Mekong has a myspace. Sweet! http://myspace.com/mek...
Mekong is amazing on many different levels. It's nice being vegan and not having to piss off your friends by always dragging them to vegetarian restaurants. Mekong caters to both vegans and meat eaters, and they do both very well. That and Kevin is one of the friendliest people in the world. He goes out of his way to make every customer to feel welcome.
If you're vegan make sure you get the vegan satay
Oh and don't forget, it's byob. There is something most excellent about eating gourmet vegan food and sipping Sparks out of crystal.
Edit: Kevin just told me "Health inspector very asshole!" HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
DO IT!
I am cheating on my girlfriend and its so naughty. It's actually almost scandalous how naughty it is. You see there is a restaurant in the Tenderloin I go to for secret meetings with my lover. My little Thai dumpling, my Tom Kha Gai Prince, the beautiful little man who brings me my food at Mekong and he is mine, all mine, and I'm not sharing him.
Some people believe relationships about trust and honesty and openness and I think they are about secrets and lies and Chao Kee Mao (Stir fried flat noodles with garlic, bell pepper, vegetable, and sweet basil). During those intimate times when the lady friend and I have Barry Manilow on, are drinking a nice cold Chablis with our country cottage scented candles burning - I look over at her and envision a flat rice noodle or I guess its a flat rice noodle with large breasts but that is kind of antithetical to a flat rice noodle but I don't think they make a large breasted rice noodle. Oh yeah baby I write the songs that make the whole world sing. What is this review even about.......Rawr.
My lovely girlfriend made us a reservation here because we were suposed to be eating dinner with a friend of mine that is a vegan. He and I have been friends for a long time and I try to cater to him as much as I can because really vegan treats are not that bad at all. This seems espcialy true with Asian food for whatever reason. He ended up canceling but we went here anyway... thank god.
When making the reservation the woman asked it we would be bringing our own booze. Quick on the trigger that she is my GF said 'of course!' On the way to the resturant we got 12 tall cans... While I don't think that is what they were expecting, the folks at Mekong didn't mind one bit. We also enjoyed our bud in VERY CHIC glassware that was set out for us.
We ate a bunch of real meat dishes that were all really tasty... except the calimari thing that we had... it was down right gross. I think that we had 7 plates of food though so none of us went hungry and I think that we walked out of there round.
It was also cheap.
So to sum this place up:
Veggie/Vegan
Friendly
BYOB
Fancy glasses for the BYOB
Delishious
Cheap
*Also, there is free wi-fi here... why there is free wi-fi I might never know.
For my birthday, I gathered my 6 best friends for a BYOB dining experience in the TL. So of course, we showed up with a few bottles of champers and a few x2 bottles of vino. Laura F's friends bring the party.
ANYWAY. So first of all, this place is great. I made a reservation just to be sure we'd have a table big enough. The guy was so funny on the phone, and was almost EXCITED that i had called.
Our table was ready and we were welcomed the second we showed up. We ordered everything vegetarian, and our dishes included:
Veg Spring rolls x2
Tofu skewers x2
Pumpkin curry x2
Pad Thai x2
Spicy Tofu x2
AHHH!!! It was so amazing! The tofu was moist and delicious, the pumpkin was cooked so soft it melted on my newly 23 year old palate, and that spicy tofu? Hellloo! So good.
On top of everything, our waiter brought us a special concoction and treated our group SO well... fussing over us, making sure the "birthday girl" had everything she needed. They didn't seem to mind that we were there for two full hours... we were loving it!!
(To the people that were seated next to us, if you're reading: sorry about the graphic nature of the majority of our stories... but you didn't seem too grossed out!)
Fastest Yelper EVAR! :)
I am a meat eater. In fact, I will eat anything that moves, or doesn't move, as long as it tastes good. I'm not really all up on my vegan terminology, food types etc....but I do know that this stuff is good. Favorites - fried "chicken" and "chicken" satay. SOOO yum.
AND OF COURSE the company was stellar, after all it was the Yelp veggie dinner. Laura B. is going to kill everyone who flaked, so sorry suckas. Anyway, it was lovely meeting everyone and lovely talking about the finest of primetime with y'all.
Finally, Kevin (owner?) at Mekong mastered the situation with style and grace - a truly hospitable man. Thanks!!
too bad 4.5 stars isn't an option...Its just that the decor is SOOOO bad, and the walk to mekong can be...shall we say, sketchy.
But the food is spectacular. So many types of Faux meat, and I think (though I haven't figured this out for sure) that your meat-lovin' friends can eat real meat here too.
The service is really friendly. They'll ask you in a non-snotty way if you've ever been to a faux-meat restaurant. They'll ask you if it's okay to use eggs in your dish, or they will omit them if you're vegan.
Personally, I like Golden Era just a tad more- that place feels cleaner, the apps aren't quite as greasy, and I like that it's really a Buddhist restaurant (there is no meat or dairy of any kind there).
But this place has a better selection of Thai veggie food, and the portions are great, the prices fair.
Again, the waiters are sooo kind. If you want to try faux meat for the first time, go here, its just so friendly!
This is a more-delicious-than-expected highlight of the motley tenderloin scene.
Mekong hits several strong notes in the mysterious arts of meat-fakery (although fake beef never sits well with me), and the curries are both unique and addictive.
I would recommend the pumpkin curry as a cheap, sumptuous introduction to Mekong. Well worth a visit, with kitsch decor to boot.
Tiring of Golden Era can be a sad prospect... until you discover that the finest vegan-optional thai food can be had mere blocks away. Almost everything on the menu can be made vegan, just ask the one waiter about it. He will be more than happy to ramble endlessly (in the most endearing way) of the groups of vegans amazed at the selections. The vegan "chicken" satay appetizer will fool the meat eaters, and the yellow pumpkin curry is deadly delicious. The decor is bizzare, part of the enjoyment that dining out is people watching, yet huge folding fans divide tables. And that huge bottle of Cooks champagne in the window is a nice touch.
Did I mention you can bring in a bottle of wine or a six-pack? I don't know if they charge a corkage fee, because by the time I leave, I'm usually food drunk. Or is it beer drunk? Both? Oh, who cares.
the yellow pumpkin curry with chicken is divine! the chicken and eggplant dish was decent, but the chicken was too dry/overcooked. I had a bite of my friend's vegan chao kee mao and was not impressed -- the noodles were overcooked and had a bad overly-garlicy flavor, in the way that things are overly-garlicy when they're trying to make up for something (maybe the lack of fish sauce?)
I could see how you'd be very into this place if you were vegan or otherwise into the fake meat thing (there are a ton of vegan options) -- but if you're not, there's definitely better Thai to be had in San Francisco. I'd definitely come back here for the pumpkin curry, though.
What I love even more than Mekong itself is the old owner. He is the most lovely person, always gave my husband and I free deserts and tea. The food is excellent, it really doesn't get any better than is.
Deep Fried Stuffed Mushrooms oh how I love you.
If you don't like this place then you are lame and should just go walk in front of a bus because really, you're taking up to much space for those of us with TASTE....and Mekong is all about taste.
My favorite part besides the delicious tea and oodles, (yes I said oodles) of vegan/veggie dishes is that THEY HAVE PRIVACY FANS. This means relaxing dinner with the boyfriend where I don't have to listen or even look at the the people next to me!
((Greens needs to take some notes from Mekong on that one.))
Their fried Banana with Ice Cream is EASILY the best in the city. And the main server is so insanely adorable and excited about the food and making sure that you like everything.
Don't expect this to be Golden Era fast service with dishes flying to your table every 30seconds..... That doesn't mean it's slow, but it's a mom & pop place and so each dish should be savored especially if you are coming in a large group.
After many wonderful storied from my coworker about Mekong, I finally got to try it out for myself. The BYOB attitude is awesome, and the fake meat rocks.
The Chao Kee Mao, however, still has me tasting garlic 24 hours later, yikes! Be careful when they say garlic- they mean it!
We'll definitely be back to eat some of that fake chicken.
I have never had Thai food that I liked, until this place. Maybe the fish sauce that is in almost everything throws me off, blech. But, this place, yummy! I had the garlic "chicken" very garlicky, very salty (my favorite) and very delicious. My bf loved his curry sauce so much he wanted to drink it straight. And the peanut sauce that came with our appetizers was divine. Never have I had a peanut sauce I truly enjoyed as much as this one. I had a thai iced coffee vegan style with soymilk, very good but I could have done without the whipped topping (I almost never like whipped topping though). And the boy had a pinapple-coconut milkshake that was just like a virgin pina colada (the good kind, not the kind made with crappy pina colada mix). Our waiter, Kevin, very wisely waited until we had started eating our entrees to bring out the drinks, they were more like desserts.
All in all, I think this place may become a habit for the both of us.
We were headed to the Great American to see a show and wanted to eat nearby, so we found this gem on YELP.
After parking in a pee stained alley and seeing that the car parked in front of us was fully tagged, we had pause to walk over to Mekong. But we had a rezzie for gods sake! Turns out the 5:30 rez on a Thursday night was not needed. but our gracious host/waiter walked us through the empty restaurant to our table- reservation sign fully in place. got a great chuckle outa that.
this thai food is superb, the service impecible and the ambiance is great. all the reviews on YELP helped us with ordering and every dish satisfied. fully loaded and with 2 desserts down the hatch, we left satisfied and are longing for our next visit.
Love that we could BYOB, can't wait to eat at Mekong again
This restaurant reminds me of Pagolac in terms of interior decoration and ambiance. While both are located in the tenderloin, both use nice plates, glassware, silverware, and tablecloth. I appreciate that immensely.
I had little to add about the delicious chicken satay and pumpkin curry....so.....the silvernoodle soup was delcious - clear broth with chicken (fake or real), tofu, spinach, silver noodles and napa cabbage. this is my favorite type of broth...clear, not oily, but tasty, flavorfu, white pepperish taste and satisfying.
Corkage fees are waived if the conscientious perfect waiter feels that he messed up in any way.
I've always wondered when dining at these "fake meat" places, how far they take it. I mean, does the fake duck actually come from a large piece of gluten that looks like a duck? Did they carve the "turkey" from a "bird?" Is the "seafood" really fresh......from the sea? Oh, what the world would be like if I were Queen. Or Goddess. Or Leader..or at least in charge of the fake meat industry. I could be called the "Prime Meatister" or something like that. Yea, you should all watch out.
I don't have to ponder the philosophies and what-ifs of fake meat much because I'm really not the biggest fan of it in the first place. But luckily, Mekong has taken the usual Southeast Asian vegetarian options to a whole new level of tasty.
I don't think that Yelp has enough stars to do justice to this esoteric level of tasty....especially of their papaya salad and their spicy tofu. I'm at a loss for words. (luckily for everyone else)
My vote for best Thai food in the city. Unlike Osha around the corner, this place is somewhat low-profile, and the hosts are nice to you instead of trying to get you out of there as soon as possible.
I'm not a vegetarian (read: I'm straight), but I've heard that you can turn any dish into a meatless, glutten-full feast, allowing you to still be buried in a Jewish cemetery.
How does a restaurant gain the reputation of BYOB? It seems like ALL restaurants should either let you, or not let you. Maybe that's something Mr. Newsom should take care of, instead of getting his friends' wives to do yayo off his pickled kiwi. Dude KILLS IT.
Each and every star is for the warm doting and quality service provided by Kevin, our gracious and friendly server from last night.
From Miriam W.'s review you'll see we were there together and so there's no use rehashing every thing she wrote.
However, a few notes about the food but first the place.
The lighting is awful. They need to install a dimmer and use it, add some candles, you know, fag it up a bit (calm down Jeremy S!)
The neighborhood is atrocious but the fan they hid you behind blinds you from the neighborhood and makes you feel like no one else is around so feel free to dish about whatever and whoever because no one can hear you, you think, as you are in your own little world.
The serrated, ridgelike cutting of the tofu allows the flavor of whatever seasoning or soaking they are using to get trapped into the tofu yielding perhaps the best taste in tofu that I have had for quite some time. I didn't mean to order two dishes with tofu but we did and they were both incredibly different in terms of flavor and consistency. The pumpkin curry was thick unlike other curries where the sauce is either too watery or oily. Just like goldilocks, I found it "just riiight".
With soy milk, my thai ice tea was also spot on and not too sweet or heavy. I was also superly impressed by the crisp yet greaseless vegetarian spring rolls served cut open.
I missed having chop sticks as an option and nonplussed by the music selection that wafted in the air like some strange breeze.
All told, now that I know there is a quality Thai place open to midnight with Wifi, I will definitely be back on those late nights when work is keeping me past 8. Where I'll park without concern for my car while I eat, well that'll be its own issue but it won't stop me.
