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Category: Vietnamese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Union SquareMon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
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I like Out the Door, although you have to be careful what you order...
Do try:
Beef Noodle Soup - tasty broth and high quality beef unlike what you find at a lot of other Vietnamese places. Be sure to ask for the "aromatics" (basil, bean sprouts, chili, etc.) if you take your order to go. Perfect when you're looking for a hot bowl of soup to sooth a cold.
Chicken sticky bun - delicious, 'nuff said.
Avoid:
Vegetarian Noodle Soup - totally bland and didn't have many vegetables to speak of.
Wildwood Lemongrass Tofu - sounds good, but wasn't, at least the last time I tried it.
People thought this was:
This is where we go for lunch whenever my MIL is in town before hitting the mall. She likes getting table service vs. the food court hassle. Otherwise, I usually go straight to Buckhorn Grill for their fabulous salads. Service has always been great here, food comes out of the kitchen quickly and makes my MIL happy so I go along every time.
Unfortunately on our last visit, the Vietnamese coffee was the only thing I liked. Something is just out of balance w/ their food. The vegetarian Imperial rolls had an odd chewy texture instead of being crispy. The filling squished out when I bit into it and lacked the usual fresh flavor.
The pork over vermicelli noodles was a big mistake. I usually enjoy this dish at just about any SF restaurant that serves it. Here it's more like sweet and sour pork...breaded, overcooked and too salty. It didn't help that they also put too much sauce w/ the noodles. Every bite was just too much. Our server noticed and agreed so he took it back. The new bowl that arrived in record time was exactly the same...after a couple of bites I just gave up. I could really smell and taste the very pungent fish sauce. This was never an issue before.
It's nice that we didn't even have to ask for it to be taken off the bill so bonus point for that. It's clear that there was an issue w/ the preparation that day. Maybe they should change this dish altogether and just grill the pork instead and serve the sauce on the side like everyone else in the city.
First time in this place; that is wonderful ! lunch time service was fast, waiters are sweet and there for you;
Green papaya salad is light and perfect, Lemon Grass Chicken were great;
The only minus for me, would be that it is underground :(
I'm going to go out on a limb. I don't know alot about Vietnamese food. I mean, I had a boyfriend for 6 years that was born in Saigon and his mother, who lived with us for about half that time, cooked for me (and rarely for her own son) and grew lemongrass and mint on the side of the house. I mean, she would have grown it in our backyard, but the lemon trees and three plum trees didn't leave her much room.
I didn't expect an authentic Vietnamese dining experience in the mall. However, my friends that live in SF said this restaurant had good food. And by the way, the food court isn't your typical mall food court. At least, they try to be different.
First of all, the staff is pretty helpful. Maybe, it had to do with my two charming SF hosts, but they seemed eager to help and offer suggestions. The chrysanthemum iced tea was delicious. I love the clean crisp taste.
Three things that stand out in my mind-the heirloom tomato salad and the grapefruit and jicama salads. Both were very bright tasting and I thought the textures of both salads were exciting.
Big ups to hearing New Order while I dined.
This is the place I go to have a casual business lunch ever since they've opened. They do their job well. They expose really well composed Vietnamese cuisine.
I'd call this place "Out for Tourists". Locals, don't go, you should know better.
Food is good, but WAY overpriced. Staff is borderline rude, and the vegetarian dishes are only "sides". I used to be a big fan, but I'd there are plenty of other places in SF that have good Vietnamese food at reasonable prices and there are so many better options even in that food court. I paid $30 for a lunch that wasn't very filling and mostly consisted of onions and half a dozen pieces of over-fried tofu.
People thought this was:
Another great place that is convenient to movies and theaters. Great selection of tea, including non-caffeinated varieties, such as chysanthemum, served in individual pots. The art tea, which flowers in a wine glass, is lovely and delicious. Love the vermicelli noodles with garlic and crab. Also love the duck.
Issues:
Stay away from the chocolate cake - it's nasty.
The staff is variable - and can be awful, which is not OK considering how expensive the food is.
Vietnamese sandwich - Failed. A vietnamese sandwich that borders on almost flavorless? Come on. With a measly portion of carrots, the lonesome cilantro, and without any jalapeno peppers or pickled goodness, what were they thinking? It left a lot to be desired, and I would not go back to order it again when there are better, more delicious options for less than 8 dollars. The only saving grace was the tender, juicy pork and the baguette. It has the potential to be something more, but for now, it's a distant memory.
However, on a happier note, the mango tapioca pudding was delicious. Creamy texture, fruity, light, and refreshing.
People thought this was:
Four words - DO TAKE OUT ONLY!
While I love me some solid Vietnamese food, I have had horrible experiences with the sit down dining at this location. Please note this is not a diss on the food. Just the inconsistent service.
Now most of us working stiffs don't even take a full hour for lunch, we grab and go. However every now and then I like having more of a sit down experience - usually getting together with a friend for a quick catch up. Attempted this yesterday at this OTD location and ended up taking a much longer than expected lunch.
I ordered a salad and my friend had a noodle dish. My salad came quickly, but we waited about 15 minutes for his noodle dish to show. At little frustrating considering two parties that sat down and ordered after us got their noodle dishes within minutes of my salad arriving.
In OTD's defense the staff was nice and being the lunch rush they were slammed - but seriously, making a party wait 15 minutes for both dinners to get their entree is a little ridiculous. Luckily I was eating a cold dish so the waiting for my companion to get his dish didn't harm the food.
This is one of those restaurants where your cheating eyes can't help but wander over to surrounding tables. Everything around you looks so good and you think to yourself: "What are those lucky bastards grubbin' on?" There's so much on the menu, and I think this is where pictures would come in handy...
So, you've got three dining options at this location; there's the bar, to-go/take-out counter or a sit-down meal in the main dining area. Lots of seating, by the way, to cater to the lunchtime rush.
Jane K, the lovely NYC CM was my lunch date, and tried to sell me on the cellophane noodles with black trumpet mushrooms, local dungeness crab and asparagus ($14), but since she already had her heart set on it, I just couldn't. I like to keep variety at the table, so I ordered the tofu and shitake mushroom soup with egg noodles. Damn, I shoulda broken my rule just this once. Those cellophane noodles with crab were the shiz. I can see why she's been dreaming of this SF dish since her days in NYC. We also shared a few bites of the spicy broccoli with honshimeji mushrooms and pressed tofu. Not as spicy as I hoped for, but a few dabs of Sriracha helped out.
We only had an hour for lunch, and we spent most of that time waiting for our food. The folks on either sides of us, who both arrived after we did, got their food before us ... gah! So before we knew it, it was time to pack up and head out.
Will I come back? Meh, despite the slow service, and my user-error of picking a dish that I didn't really enjoy, I'm gonna say yes. Yes, I will come back. It was clean, service was friendly, room was a plenty and there were a lot of attractive items on the menu ... and I just can't get that taste of Jane's addiction out of my head. See ya next time, Out The Door.
People thought this was:
Went to dinner here with the hope that we could eat well and not too much.It delivered on both counts.The service was efficient and friendly.They serve beer and wine and and have a good selection.I thoroughly enjoyed the shrimp rolls with the uncooked rice wrapper.I've always loved these.If your staying in the area this is a sensible place to go.
Was not impress with this place at all. A group of my team from work went for lunch during the Oracle World show and went through the take out station. I ordered their boxed pork lunch special and found the servings too small for $15. The pork was dry. Apparently, they have a really good chicken sandwich and both of my colleagues enjoyed it.
Being a Vietnamese vegetarian isn't the worst thing in the world, but it can get a little boring.
But thank goodness for the Out the Door, which gives me plenty of veggie options to choose from.
I always order their vegetarian imperial rolls with glass noodles, carrots, and mushrooms served alongside vermicelli, greens, bean sprouts, and nuoc mam. I'm a fan of their $3 wild mushroom steamed buns, a perfect on-the-go bite.
My recent favorite was the grilled eggplant sandwich with avocado and the typical banh mi fillings of pickled carrots, daikon, cilantro along a yummy, but unidentifiable sauce. To my disappointment, they took it off the menu a few months ago because eggplant became too expensive. It's so good I'm considering harassing chef Charles Phan to put it on the menu again. Or at least give me the recipe.
People thought this was:
Some tips for ya:
- Skip the sit-down restaurant if you want to save some dough. They have some of the same items for cheaper if you eat it in the common dining room.
- The vegetarian noodle soup with noodles blows. Zero flavor. And that was even after I put hoisin and soy sauce in there.
- The buns are good--I had the pork and vegetable ones
- Milk tea: yes
People thought this was:
There's quite a few fancy V-food restaurants in town that are popular among young city dwellers.
I've never tried any of them for the same reason I avoid going to Chinese restaurants run by the people from Mainland China. I just can't seem to trust communists or pre-industrial suburbanites from Asia no matter how long they've lived in America or if they really are not hostile to our ideological beliefs (indivisualism, freedom, independency). I just can't appreciate the culture of those people from Mainland China and Vietnam. To me, they're like ethanol-fueled vehicles that are outdated and can't be driven in American freeways.
With some exceptions, I usually like Taiwan/HK/S.Korea-ish food (often more than Japanese cuisine.) They are westernized Asian countries where free-competition constantly improves the quality of commodities and products. Whereas, in China and Vietnam, people buy a thing because that's their only choice. Considering the current modernization process, they might have changed a bit, but not to the point where you can compare them to Taiwan/HK/S.Korea/Japan. I guess It might take them a few more decades to fully catch up and understand the depth of our commercially shapened culture.
So my general attitude for V-food beside cheap ghetto Pho and cheap stinky roast beef sandwich is not a progressive one. I've always had respect pho their history and tradition, but I still did not believe in their definition of "gourmet" until I tried Out the Door by the accident.
Food is surprisingly good and worth the pricey prices. Although I had the impression that their business could be run by Americans of Chinese-Vietnamese origin, the food is difinitely something unique and not exactly an extention of Cantonese (chinese) cuisine. This is my first approved V restaurant ever.
I will recommend this place to anybody who is ready to be introduced to the new standard of V-establishment.
Yellowtail tartar is amazing, almost as good as you would find at Aqua.
Overall, food is a good value and the staff friendly. I would gladly give another star if the kitchen could get orders prepared so that everyone at my table could be served within minutes of each other. Soup shouldn't take 20 minutes to prepare.
People thought this was:
Bottles of sparkling sake, side of yam fritters, grilled shrimp with flat egg noodles, crab with cellophane noodles and good friends.
Done!
Minus two stars for being a bit pricey and being located in the mall. Otherwise, I like the ambiance and the grub.
Best imperial rolls I have ever had.
I remember having some of their noodle soups before and was not a bit impressed. The soups are pretty tasteless. Not even close to what you would expect from a lower end Vietnamese restaurant.
Yesterday I bought one of their pork buns and was pleasantly surprised. The bun came out steaming hot and moisted. The bbq pork fillings are flavorful and juicy. I will come here again for a quick bite next time!
I don't think I get mad very easily, but I was truly annoyed when I ate dinner here. I ordered a simple vegetable curry and the man working behind the to-go desk said it didn't come with rice and asked if I would like a side. I said yes. But noooo it came out with rice. So I ordered two bowls of rice. I was so freaking annoyed when I went to go eat. And then, when I went to go back to tell the same guy who took my order that it comes with rice all he said was "sorry". So sorry Out the Door, I don't think I will be back.
People thought this was:
After hours of wandering around Westfield mall, my stomach started growling.
Who knew (window) shopping is such a strenuous activity?
We went to the food court and I automatically gravitated towards Coriander Thai. But then I saw Out The Door beckoning me to sit down in its restaurant.
Recessed lighting, high ceiling, booth seating available and a cool striped glass wall on one side. Airy. Spacious.
Better than food court seating.
Started our lunch with the fresh spring rolls ($8.50) which are made with shrimp, pork, vermicelli and mint. It's pricey, with two rolls cut up into three pieces. The shrimp has a bite to it and the thick peanut sauce is a good match.
Next came the Green Papaya salad ($8) with sliced fried tofu, pickled carrots, chili and roasted peanuts. Yum. It's an ample filler but still very light.
The Lemongrass chicken ($12) with red chili peppers, sliced jalapenos and red onions, it lacked the zing that I was hoping for plus it was a bit too salty for my taste. I had to eat a lot of brown rice ($3 as part of a side order) to absorb some of that saltiness.
Not a bad choice for mall food. Do expect prices to be about $3-$4 higher than what you'd find at the food stalls outside.
People thought this was:
Pretty tasty.
I finally got to go shopping on Monday and I tore the mall up. So by the time I was done, I was starving. My friend suggested Out the Door so we went there. When we were being seated, I was surprised by how chic the place was. It was really nice inside. And the food is also surprisingly expensive for mall food. When I looked at the menu, I was seriously debating getting up out my seat and going to Panda Express but I bit my lip and ordered the Lemongrass Chicken.
Out the Door is supposed to be a Vietnamese fusion restaurant and their vermicelli noodle dishes are supposedly really good but for $10? I'd rather go with authentic Vietnamese food.
My Lemongrass Chicken tasted like Kung Pao Chicken and was not as spicy as the waitress had made it seem. Yup, I should've settled for Panda Express since I would've gotten the same thing for half the price. Oh well. Since the dish didn't come with rice, and I gotta have my rice, I ordered a side of Jasmine Rice which I was happy to know they didn't charge me for. Probably an oversight. The Jasmine Rice was the short grain rice that is common in Vietnamese dishes. I never thought I'd like it by itself but surprise surprise.
It was $12 for my dish, not including tip. The portions were pretty big but if you're really hungry and you're with some friends, I'd recommend ordering appetizers too. Next time I'm in this mall though, I won't be coming to this restaurant unless I'm with some guy who insists on throwing money away on me.
People thought this was:
There's no half star rating? Why the hell not?!
I'm not gonna lie -- I tend to be jaded about mall food, but this was in Green Zebra so we figured it was worth a try.
Before walking to their takeout counter, Elena C. kept reminding me that this place served "Asian" food, regardless of the Yelp label. That should have alleviated the pain I felt from spending 20 bucks on two tasteless dishes. But no. Even for "Asian" food, it was lousy. Do yourself a favour and
a) Walk the few blocks to Chinatown and spend a quarter of how much we WOULD have spent on a veggie (they gave us chicken by accident) bao.
b) Walk (or take MUNI) to the Civic Center/TL and buy three bowls of Pho/Vermicelli (with the money you would have spent at Out the Door). It will make you full and much, much happier.
c) Cook.
People thought this was:
This place is amazing!! A lot of yummy drink options & vegetarian options. I love that they have brown rice and accommodate to make certain dishes vegetarian :)
I've eaten here a few times and the bartender (don't remember his name :( ) & my server Justine have given me excellent service!! The fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce is tasty as well as the noodle dishes.
I want to come back next time to try the curry & the boba!!! love this gem in the westfield center
Located in the basement level food court of the Westfield Mall just steps away from the entrance to the Powell MUNI/BART station the magic of Out the Door is it makes you forget both these unappetizing issues. The slick, modern subterranean setting is host to pricey, gourmet Vietnamese food. I had their five spice chicken and a salad special consisting of heirloom tomatoes and yellow watermelon. The salad was rather salty but I still enjoyed the majority of it while my chicken was nothing to write home about. I guess I'm one of those people who don't get this place; people rave about this joint like it's created a new cuisine and it's just put a nice suit on it.
I think I'd rather do to a place in the Tenderloin to get my Pho and spring rolls.
Out The Door does have better service than a typical Vietnamese place I will give it that.
I feel bad I usually try not to write negative things . . .
People thought this was:
Too bad....about the lighting, about the strange smell (ammonia?) that hit me when I walked in last night for dinner and most of all too bad about the food. The spring rolls and the crispy imperial roll were ok - just ok. The chicken clay pot was dull and the pork with corn and peas was completely tasteless - really - the meat (there was very little of it) was diced, tired dry pork, the peas and corn were starchy and not fresh. Rice for three people came in a teeny, tiny, cute little bowl that was maybe enough for one person.
If your happen to find yourself in the consumer purgatory known as the Westfield Mall -- think 1979's Dawn of the Dead -- by all means leave behind the zombies and head over to Out the Door, located in the bowels of the complex and serving up an appetizing array of Vietnamese dishes mixed with the usual helpings of Californica. The Vietnamese coffee is pretty good, too.
Not every reviewer has given this place a thumbs up but remember that Out the Door is essentially part of Westfield's food court, by definition a universal bastion of greasy, high-fat grub to satiate American shoppers taking a break from bargain hunting & shoplifting.
Out the Door is really a step or two above, and is even accessible via the Powell Street BART station, allowing you to bypass Westfield -- and the zombies -- entirely.
Tried the Pho Ga here with thin noodles at a pricey 10.50 bowl. I was expecting a revelation, but deemed it mediocre.
Thin chicken strips were tender but a skimpy portion. Noodles were plentiful but on the soft side and nothing special. The broth had a heavy dosing of fish sauce, so much that it overpowered what chicken flavor was in the broth. It was also garnished with fried shallots which didn't help much in the balance.
I tried a bite of the catfish vermicelli which was pretty good and the lamb stir fry tasted more Chinese than anything.
Vietnamese coffee came in a drip filter, featuring a nice coffee sans the condensed milk.
People thought this was:
Not as good as The Slanted Door, but a good place to eat if you happen to be shopping at the Westfield mall (or just came down from a massage at Burke Williams!).
I tried their advocado salad and loved it - light and refreshing. We also tried a salad with rock shrimp, which was less memorable but still pretty good.
I tried the special which was a spinach noodle salad with spicy Thai peanut sauce for $5.50.
I wasn't expecting a ton of vegetables but seriously, just noodles and sauce? In a little togo plastic container?
If I ever come back I'll just get the spring rolls or pork buns like my friend recommended.
People thought this was:
Vietnamese with no spicy menu options? That's like a Jack in the Box without a resident homeless person.
People thought this was:
This is the surprisingly unattractive little sibling to Slanted Door.
It's not that much cheaper, but the food is not nearly as good. The place feels stale, and was shut down for the majority of last year after it flooded.
The food makes me think, "Meh. I've experienced better". And just like the reject step-sibling, It's hidden and tucked into the basement of the mall.
People thought this was:
#87 on the 7x7 List: Fresh Spring Rolls
-Tasty? Yes - you can't go wrong with shrimp, pork, vermicelli all rolled up like a salad wrap
-Service: We ordered at the counter since it was near closing time. Service at the counter was without incident.
-Ambiance: This store at the Westfield mall is trendy and clean. Nice to have lunch on a day of shopping There's also an Out the Door take-out kiosk at the Ferry Building
-Worth the trip/try? Yes - though not cheap like traditional vietnamese food, they are pretty good at keeping a modern chic and clean place. If our stomachs allowed, we would have ordered more food to try. We got the coconut-ginger ice cream sandwich out of curiosity, which was a nice punctuation to this food binge on this particular night
People thought this was:
Really disappointed by the crispy duck 10.50 for a really crispy duck. So crispy I think they charred the little meat that the poor duck had.
I don't know why I'm giving it two stars. I think because I ate through it. If I didn't eat it at all it would have been 1 star.
I ate at the outside food court portion and I gave them a $1 dollar tip because those credit card receipts guilt you into tipping with their 15% 20% and 25% suggestions. I hate that. But I tipped them anyway for to go expecting something tasty.
I probably should have looked at what people like. I'll probably try it again one day, after trying everything else in the food court.
This place makes me want to start a Tumblr called, "Hitachino Nest in the Mall Food Court, F*** Yeah!"
My spring roll cravings can be intense, and I popped into this Out the Door for an order a couple of… Read more »
Snagged some pork, chicken, and veggie buns here along with some veggie spring rolls, and snuck it all up to the movies. Have to say: awesome idea. Not only was the food fantastic, but we managed to feed for people $25, which is an awesome value as well.
The reviews here seem to be littered with people thinking the food is either "too expensive", or "not as good as the Slanted Door". Okay, seriously? The food here is the best in the food court, and only a buck or two more. As for Slanted Door, you're going to spend $40-50 there, so yes, obviously the food is going to be different.
Don't be silly - this is the best option in the (well stocked) Westfield food court.
I would have given "Out the Door" a 3.5 if half star ratings were possible and here's why:
Negatives:
My water tasted like nasty B.O.sweat water...whatever that tastes like my water made it happen. It was disgusting. Ruined the whole taste of my meal.
The appetizer we got was the "special" heirloom tomatos with yellow watermelon and peanuts. Not too bad but was nothing spectacular. Tasted like I was just eating diced up fruit and veggies.
Positives:
Service was great, very attentive waiter.
-Many vegetarian options, and so tasty!
We go the Lemongrass Tofu, Japanese Eggplant, and Brown Rice simply AMAZING. The type of food you crave. Its hard to find good vegetarian options that are Flavorful. I would definitely go back however probably not drink the water this time LOL.
-Desert was the strawberry bread pudding. Definitly handled it....was fabulous.
Overall prices are not so bad, portions kind of on the smaller size but two plates a la carte and a appetizer filled two of us up.
I asked the guy at the counter to recommend me something unique and he says the spring rolls. 9 dollars for two chewy over cooked shrimp "spring rolls". I wanted a good quality snack, not rubber.
Taste wise this place is solid, but service wise this place was not great. Our waiter was really trying, but I think he was the only one working at the time. All the other employees were just kind of milling around so despite his sarcastic jokes to kind of smoke screen what was really going on we saw right through him.
Like I said, the food was okay, but despite ordering things that were a little bit different from what we'd usually get at a Vietnamese restaurant most things tasted the same just looked better. I've also been to Slanted Door and felt the same way. My friends rave about it, but to me it's just Vietnamese food with a slight twist on nicer plates in a nicer atmosphere.
It was nice to treat ourselves to something other than food court food, but for the price we paid and what we got I'm just not sure it was worth it to me. Guess that's what happens when you work in the South Bay where you can get good Vietnamese food for cheap.
People thought this was:
San Francisco, CA
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Neighborhood: Union Square
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Union Square
Category: American (New)
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