On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Asian Fusion, Lounges
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPACheap eats and treats from $3-$6 everyday from 530pm-7:00pm. Featuring rotating street food specialties from all across Asia!
Tue-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
"BEST IRISH BAR I HAVE BEEN TO IN SAN FRANCISCO!! I found out about this place on yelp and was pleased to see this awesome Irish band…" read more »
Loading...
My work colleagues have organized several happy hour get togethers here at the Poleng Lounge. As you will see advertized on the website and also on the business page here on yelp, they offer happy hour deals on apps and drinks. From 4-7PM (I believe) we took advantage of the $3.00 happy hour drink special (my preference is VODKA) and the $3.00 Happy Hour app special. The food is ASIAN FUSION. My favorite is the Kalbi short ribs (which I think have been removed from the menu???) and the Shaken Beef...oh and you can't forget the sweet potato fries, right???
The lounge itself is intimate and I'd have to say that it isn't really suited for large parties unless reserved well in advance.
Meh. More overpriced small plates and a place with multiple personalities: night club, tea house, asian small plates....
We got there and the place was nearly empty. The server made a big production of finding us a table and I assumed a lot of reservations would come in while we were there but when we left, it was still pretty mellow.
Parking here sucks. If you live in the city, seriously, take a cab and save yourself 30 minutes of looking for parking. Honestly, I was scouting out a six block radius, and I STILL only got a parking space because someone happened to leave - finally (mind you this is around 11:00PM on a Thursday night).
Anyhow, the girl at the door charged me $5, even though it was my friend's birthday and it was supposed to be free. I wasn't going to argue over $5, but really now - wtf?
And then - the bartender said he couldn't make a Stoplight, or a 3 Wise Men. What kind of bar is this? The strongest thing he could make was an LC - and that's what got them the 1 star. My LC (liquid cocaine) was delicious and strong, and this almost NEVER happens. It's usually either delicious, OR strong.
The venue itself sucks, the ventilation sucks, the music wasn't that great, and I ONLY had fun because I was drunk with great company. I probably won't come back unless I'm obligated to go to someone else's birthday, and if I ever do return I will definitely call a cab.
P.S. - There is no coat check.
It just keeps getting better!
While half the neighborhood was crowding into the New Mexican place a few blocks away, Poleng was still doing a booming business on Friday night. With the whole dining area jumping, Desi was pitching in, greeting guests at the front door, assigning tables, and making sure service was fast and smooth.
We were seated by the fireplace immediately, and we were given a set of tea samplers to choose from. A menu cannot compare to actually smelling the luscious teas and choosing the one that stands out in the moment.
We chose an small plate and two entrees, and it was more than enough for us. Scallops katsu led off, with a glorious sake touch to them. Then a chicken lettuce cup for My Lady, and a bowl of long life noodles topped with crab for me. We were subsequently surprised by a bread pudding dessert, compliments of Desi!
This great evening feast was presented to us for the low, low price of $30.36 + tip. Entertaining, tasty, and economical. You can't beat that!
Oh, maybe you can. You can drink and dance here, too. A dance floor in the back, and a DJ station and full bar in the dining area, promised fun for everyone who would arrive later that evening.
What a day!
Poleng announced, through every channel it could find, that it would be open…
Read more »
Expensive Asian (Thai, Chinese) food at high prices.
No clue what this place is like as a bar, but it's definitely a new favorite lunch spot!
It's a rare occasion when multiple menu items appeal to me, and I actually had trouble deciding at Poleng Lounge. They focus on providing multiple forms of Asian cuisine in an authentic and affordable manner. I don't know about the authenticity, but it was very affordable.
One decision was made for me in advance...
#83 on the Big Eat SF List: Sweet-potato fries with banana catsup at Poleng Lounge. I'm a ketchup lover. But I like it traditional, I don't like fancy ketchups being forced upon me, so this situation made me very nervous. In this case, it turned out ok. This was more of a spicy banana sauce, not really a catsup at all. Although, my ketchup research has led me to the shocking discovery that the original ketchup, made in China , did not contain any tomatoes. The world as I know it is over!!! Anyway, the fries were nice and crisp, and went with the banana "catsup" quite well.
I decided on the Osihi Chicken Teriyaki -- teriyaki glazed chicken served with Asian greens and nori over rice. Basic, delicious, filling...and cheap ($6.50).
My pal had the Chinese Fried Rice, with peas, green onions, carrots and Chinese sausage -- and thoroughly enjoyed it. Some other items include the Mekong Delta Roll and Bowl (imperial rolls with vermicelli noodles), Thai Style Tofu, Chow Mein, Glass Noodles, Chicken Katsu-don, and Imperial Curry Rice.
I was intrigued by many of the drinks and ended up ordering the Green Tea Matcha Shake. Green tea shaken with soy milk to create "frothy bliss". I am in love with this drink...I'll return just for this. Other notables include the Pomegranate Iced Tea, and the Mango, Passionfruit, and Lychee Juices. During our meal, the bartender brought over a full glass of Thai-Basil Lemonade. This treat was much appreciated and highly delicious!
With each entree in the $6-7 and beverages ranging from $2-3, this is a place I can actually afford to enjoy on the regular. Thank you Poleng!
Lately me & my friends have been trying to find some new spots around the city, so we hit up Poleng.
As we were entering we were greeted by the nice bouncers/security (they always seem to be cooler than the place itself).
Cover was a donation $5-$20 of course my ass pulled out a Lincoln, what do I look like donating old presidents to a place I'm still unsure about?
Anyway, the drinks were price reasonably, music was good, and the place was pretty big (two bars & dance areas).
Negatives:
People stick to their own crowd, hardly anyone dancing. (Seems to be a problem everywhere)
Huge bathroom, one stall LOL = forever in line.
Cute place, but don't see myself coming back unless it's to try their food.
I've been here for dinner a few times, and it's not bad. Parking kinda sucks but if you park across the st at Albertsons you have to buy something there to get it validated.
The grilled edamame, sweet potato fries, shaking beef, short ribs, chicken lettuce wraps, are all very good.
Lunch here is great. Highly recomended.
Stop complaining about not having a good asian fusion place to eat. This is it.
I wish they had a frequent lunch card where u buy 10 of something, and you get one of something free. Since i discovered their lunch menu a few weeks ago ive been going nonstop.
Dont sleep on this place!
5 Stars. Fast
1 Star since the bouncer was nicer than the whole staff.
1 Star because the drink was okay and not badly priced.
Uum yea same reason why I don't party too much with my fellow USF-ers. Doubt I'll come back, to lounge but MAYBE to eat.
Reservations for 2 at 6:00pm on a friday evening was completely unnecessary. It didn't get crowded 'till around 7pm - so make reservations if you plan on dining 7pm and after. They start playing music, the bar fills up, tables fill up, and the vibe is great for a date or fun evening with friends. But, it can be a little too loud if you're trying to have a sober conversation.
I was surprised by the mix of people at this restaurant! There were young diners, older, big groups, couples, and families?! There was even a cute 2 year old boy sitting in a high chair next to me the whole time I was sipping on my alcoholic drink! I'm impressed by any place that can create a cool and sexy atmosphere as well as attract such a wide range of customers. They need more on staff though! I swear it seemed as though only one person was waiting on everyone.
Good drink menu. Quite a variety on the menu since it is afterall, an asian fusion tapas restaurant, right?! All the unusual combos made everything seem so appealing.. but here's what I thought of some of the dishes I ordered:
Yellow Fever drink ($9): I didn't like the cucumber. But the lychee aftertaste was lovely and sweet. Not as smooth as it should be though. There were little bits of cucumber that made it unsettling to drink.
Sweet Potato Fries with Banana Catsup ($3): Thank you happy hour! The fries are great. But the slightly spicy banana catsup is off putting.
Walu Kinilaw ($11.50): My LEAST favorite by far. Butterfish that's just too fishy tasting/smelling for me. I've never been a fan of sushi so if you're not into sushi too, you should skip this.
Lumpia Shanghai: I prefer the traditional lumpia to their version. It's good but there's nothing special about it.
Long Life Garlic Crab Noodles (Bowl $7): The BEST dish of them all. This isn't Thanh Long but this was really flavorful and great.
DESSERT won Poleng Lounge my 4 stars! A chocolate banana pudding with a taro and tapioca sauce that blew my mind! If they're offering this while you dine here, DO choose this one.
After tax and all we paid $70 for dinner here.
Delicious asian-fusion food. I've never had grilled edamame before, good snack.
Stayed for the club after dinner, and although it was a good DJ (hip hop music) and cool setting, it was kind of empty (may have been an off night).
My Fiance and I have been going to Poleng for a little over a year for dinner, which is absolutely delicious. We had a friend visit us last weekend so we decided to head there for some drinks and dancing since we hadn't been disappointed yet.
The night was going great, good music, good crowd, we were having fun. Until 1:40 am. We had just ordered a round of drinks when the obnoxious bouncers decided to kick everyone out. Our friend ran to the rest room so we decided to finish our drinks and wait for him so we could all leave together. The boneheaded bouncer did not like that. He got up in my fiance's face threatening him! What the hell just happened?!?! He even asked him if he wanted to fight! HA! The head of security there, Abel, pulled us outside to talk to us. He said they could close the bar down whenever they felt like. He was not helpful at all. When we told him what the guard was saying to us, he could care less. They were so rude and obnoxious to us I couldn't believe it!
This place needs to be more observant with how these "guards" are treating their patrons. We spent over $200 on food and drinks and this is the thanks we get. Never again Poleng thanks to Abel and the Bozo who wouldn't give me his name.
Based SOLELY ON LUMPIA
My friends, I am a lumpia connoisseur. Not only does my apu/lola (depending on what dialect you speak) make the BEST lumpia EVER, but I can throw down too. So, keep that in mind.
The lumpia was deep fried (instead of pan fried), so the wrapper was an odd consistency. The filling had an interesting taste- cilantro? The dipping sauce had red pepper flakes in it. Overall, not even close to authentic, but ok when I was starving after getting out of class late.
It's a nice spot with an inviting decor and close to campus, but don't think I will be returning.
If you are trying to go to part-ay- very small, good DJ, nice crowd.
I went there for my first time with about 11 other people. We ordered doubles of the sisig, adobo wings, the chicken cabbage rolls, the crab garlic noodles, brown rice and white rice. All the dishes were really small when they came around but there was enough to go around for everyone, but maybe not enough to get everyone full.
I wanna recommend the sisig and the chicken cabbage rolls because they tasted sooooo good but ah both dishes were too greasy and heavy. Maybe that's why their portions are small??
I don't think it's worth it when their entrees are about $7-$12 each. Tastes great, but way too heavy for me.
I'll probably come back because it's near USF
Not knowing what to expect, I came here for a birthday party one windy evening.
Sadly, I keep forgetting that I would be ending up in SF and dressing for the warmer San Jose weather would have me freezing my tush off in the cooler SF evening. A skirt in San Jose's summer is perfectly fine turns into an unintended mimicry of Marilyn Monroe's skirt over a vent pose. Only without the vent and walking down a busy street with some really cold temperatures.
Luckily, Poleng was WARM. Upon entering, I immediately felt the inviting heat that promised good food and alcohol with new friends. The birthday party was seated in the back of the restaurant, which dampened my image of warmth since the tables were those long tables you see at picnics with plastic chairs. But the bar was readily flowing the bubbles and liquor so I settled down to taste.
Lots of smaller dishes, tapas style. Strangely, I noticed that much of the food coming out (Birthday boy's wife had a pre-set menu so that we didn't have to overthink. Smart woman.) was fried. Don't get me wrong, I love fried foods and many of the dishes were really tasty but much of it was too oily for me.
After dinner, the waitstaff efficiently cleared up our table free of dishes, glasses, and flatware as well as the tablecloth! They took the tables away to make room for some fashion show/dj party.
By then, I started feeling really sick and ended up throwing up for most of the evening.
Sadly, I was sick all day the next day. I don't think I would choose to come back but if my friends come here, I would go.
hayley w. requests a song.
dj refuses to play song b/c he's 'doing this for free.' he was apparently SO upset that he was donating his services to poleng that he gratuitously repeated that fact.
yeowch.
considering that she and i have been strong advocates of the nightlife at poleng, we were surprised at receiving such treatment from the dj that evening. he also should've taken the hint that his set was lacking, as the dance floor was empty at a quarter past midnight.
3 stars for the memories of when hayley and i toh' up the dance flo, poleng's free lunch week that recently occurred, and their crab garlic noodles. (although, i think i prefer thanh long's version.)
why? for the dancing.
not convinced? your bottom will be when it starts to move in ways you…
Read more »
Through my journey of visiting different happy hour spots and specials, my tales bring me to this one particular stop. Inside the den of dim lighting and asian elcletic zen like features, is the setting for which our happy hour frenzy takes place. With specials going from 4:30 to 6:30pm, the specials are almost a tease from a gourmet kitchen. Athough it smells like what it would during the night time, you just have to bear with it and just embrace the specials. However, one down side: they have no cable and the giant 40" tvs are just to show a slideshow of asian scenary and pictures. lame
-$3 Draft Beers - anything they have on tap from Blue Moon to Stella is good for me
-$3 Pork Rhines - Although it seems expensive at first, its actually pretty good and they taste absolutely fresh and lightly crisp
-$3 potato fries - Not as good as Pacific Catch, but nonetheless, a good small bite
-50 cent Tangy Sauce Chicken Wings - perhaps the only item that is making me thing of coming back soon again for. Although it's a bit over vinegrette, its still good and is almost like San Tung's!
LOUNGE REVIEW ONLY
So my friends and I came here around Fri night. NOTE TO ALL, put yourself on…
Read more »
I came here for a birthday party last Saturday. My friend and I had the same sequence of drinks from the same bartenders and we both completely blacked out soon after. I actually was vomiting until 6pm the following day, when I know what I drank shouldn't have even gotten me buzzed on a usual night. We both handle alcohol pretty well so we're very confused how that happened. Not placing any direct blame on Poleng since there are many other factors that could've played into that, but.. just saying.
Anyway, from the first 30 minutes that I remember, everything was mediocre. There's a back room with another bar that I didn't know existed when I previously ate here for dinner, so the whole place becomes quite spacious. Decorations were a good attempt at classiness, but the results seemed a little dingy and cheap to me...more clubby than lounge-like. It's out of my way so I wouldn't put it in my nightlife rotation, but I'd go back if there were another birthday/event there.. next time I'll just make sure to drink somewhere else first, haha.
Review for dinner only:
Cozy and well-lit interior, would probably make a good place for a cheap but…
Read more »
Slightly battered samosa with curried flavored fillings to die for.
Buddha's Treasures: Beautiful dim-sum like vegetarian dumpling with edamame
Purple Eggplant Adobo: They were great! Infused with just the right amount of sauce. Yum Yum Yum.
Sweet Potato Fries with Banana Catsup: Definitely my favorite dish!! The Bnana Catsup's got a kick to it ... perfect match to yam fries.
Crispy Tofu Triangles with Xiao Xing Rice Wine Sambal: Very lightly battered tofu triangles that melt in your mouth with Xiao Xing (a kind of Chinese liqour) aromatic dipping sauce
Poleng Tea Curry: HUGE bowl of green curry with cubes of tofu, eggplant, and pineapple.
Coconut Broken Rice: Perfect companion to Poleng Tea Curry.
The drinks were a bit of a disappointment to me. My friends seem to like the sake and soju selection although I didn't care much for either the Hong Kong Cosmo or the Laotian Lychee Love.
The service deteriorated drastically after 9PM. We rarely saw our server and ultimately had to harass the poor bus boy to help get our server's attention.
All in all, great fusion food at very reasonable price.
I came here for the first time with my bf b/c we had a http://restaurant.com certificate. The food tasted amazing...but I'm taking off one star b/c of the super small portions. If you go there, don't anticipate a huge glorious meal. For the two of us, we had to get 4 items to be just satisfied (not full).
CRISPY SALT AND PEPPER SQUID: this was really good. the calamari was just lightly battered and fried...not super greasy at all. you can really taste the pepper. the thai chili dipping sauce was a nice complement to it.
MADRAS SAMOSAS: this was like yellow curry in a crispy wrap. it was very creamy and hearty but too greasy for me. my bf loved it. this came with a delicious sweet chutney dipping sauce.
LONG LIFE GARLIC CRAB NOODLES: we got the larger size. Don't get the bowl size b/c you won't survive off that. I'm really happy that they used real crab meat! not that imitation crap. the noodles had a nice chewy texture and was packed full of garlic flavor. Although this was a very small dish, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
SHAKING BEEF: this dish was super small. However, I must give them credit...the beef was delicious. it was super tender and flavorful. the sweetness from the sauteed red onions complemented the pepper rub. I would recommend this dish, but don't be surprised when you get this really small rectangular plate. Also, this goes well with a small bowl of rice.
For the two of us, the bill (subtracting the $25 gift certificate) came to about $35 including two cocktails. I was kind of surprised that they charged us an extra $2 for SF Health Insurance. I guess with small independent businesses, it's tough giving all their employees health coverage, so they decided to charge the customers. So heads up when u go...u will be paying an extra $2 for they employee's health insurance. But all in all, it was a good dining experience.
Yes, it was free lunch day, but the absolutely delicious curry I got here was well worth 8$. Loved the peach sencha iced tea too, as well as the interior.
It seems like the 3.5 star rating is mostly due to the bar aspect of it, rather than the food...I really wish Yelp would address this and have some way to separately rate the food aspect of bars.
I think this place has enough reviews to convince you that this is without a doubt amazing! it's like your mama's cooking but done very sexy and sophisticated.
Here is a list of everything I had (with 3 other guests of course):
Royal scallop katsu, the grilled blue oysters, Sinigang Chicharonnes (AMAZING!), Walu Kinilaw, Sizzling Sisig, Crispy Adobo Wings, Szechuan Chicken Lettuce Cups, Long Life Garlic Crab Noodles, Kang Kong and Mushroom Adobo, and Coconut Broken Rice.
Then there was a tasty treat that wasn't on the menu - razor clams. I saw these on the tv show, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. I'm not too sure about the ingredients but the clams were cooked and then sauteed in oyster sauce. They taste just like a clam but just a lot more of it! Yummy!!!!
No crumbs left for the birds.
If you go for dinner on Thu-Sat, stay for drinks. The restaurant turns into a night lounge with dj's in 2 rooms. You can chill at the bar, catch up with friends in one room, or get your boogie on in the other room!
Was taken to lunch by some native San Franciscans to this little neighborhood gem that I never would have tried on my own. Really wonderful food, low-key atmosphere and friendly service. Great place to just pop in, grab a drink or two and a quick bite.
To be honest, I was pretty disappointed with the food here. After reading all the reviews from yelp, my best friend and i decided to order...
- crab garlic noodles
- sweet potato fries
- adobo chicken wings
- scallop katsu
- cocktails: yellow fever & no-can-do
The food didn't take long, but all I can say about it was that it wasn't anything special. It looks pretty, but thats about it. I know the portions are suppose to be small since it's tapas style, but the scallop katsu literally looked like one scallop sliced into 5 slivers to fill the plate :(
Overall, the best dish had to be the sweet potato fries. So sad...I really was hoping for something better.
What the hell the Poleng mean anyway? Who cares as long as the food is good right? And good it was. DELICIOUS, actually.
We came here for our friend's birthday one Saturday. I would have to say one negative this is that when we got there, they had lost our reservation. Boooo... so we had to wait a little longer for us to get seated. They were able to put something together for us at the bar tables pretty quickly. It was better than them turning us away or separating our party. Not the most comfortable, but it served its purpose of holding our food and drinks.
The savior of the night was LeRoid, our server. He was pure awesomeness. He took such good care of us that the restaurant losing our reservation was a minor detail. The food came out quickly and hot off the grill/stove and it was tasty. The adobo wings are a MUST try for those of you who go and visit Poleng. It was finger lickin' good.
The signature cocktails: Tres magnifique. It'll be shame if you can't try them all.
The service made up for the boo boo on the reservations. Just make sure that you call ahead of time to make sure they have your reservation in the books before you get there.
The bar/dance floor in the back was pretty cool. The night we were there, they were playing old school hip hop and reggae. It was great music to dance to. Too bad I'm old and couldn't stand in my heels that long. Hahahaha!!!
Will I go back? HELL to the YEAH!!! Try to get LeRoid as your server because he is just too cool for school and he'll take proper care of ya.
3 stars because everything on the happy hour was $3.
Went to try the sweet potato fries and banana catsup because it was on the 7x7 Top 100 Eats list. The last few items I've had off that 7x7 list is starting to make me question the list. The sweet potato fries are well fried and flavorful but nothing better than I've had at other places. The banana catsup is interesting but not wow wonderful. Had the pork rinds, not worth $3 but 6 adobo wings for $3 was a good deal. Guinness, Blue Moon, Kirin, Sierra and a few more on tap were all $3...not bad.
The space is big and maybe I'd get a bigger group to just stop by but nothing to write home about.
In short: Don't go in with a large group with a large appetite. You'll end up feeling a bit empty in the tummy tank.
In long: The food is flavorful and tasty. The service is friendly and accommodating. But the portions are very, VERY SMALL. Granted I went to Poleng knowing the portions were nibble-size, however I thought the menu writers was being modest and humble about their sizes.
They weren't. Literally it was a nibble on a plate.
To everyone's dismay, one small dish gives our party of 5 exactly one nibble per dish. My growling stomach was in agony!
Nonetheless, the food is excellent. We ordered the following: bbq pork, adobo wings, sweet potato fries, 2 plates of garlic noodles, the scallops, calamari, the shaking beef, and coconut bread pudding (which was my favorite out of all the dishes) All were savory, sweet, and incredibly delicious with our cocktails. That brings me to the great cocktails. My friends ordered the following: the No-Can-Dew and Yellow Fever. They were fruity, fresh, and very good. I'll definitely go back for those two specialty beverages.
The non-alcoholic drink of Go-Mang-Go was really. really awful. They should have renamed it Cilantro-A-No-No because all I tasted (and chewed!) was huge sprigs of cilantro. I could not taste any mango. Lesson learned? Order a drink with booze and you'll be a happy Poleng-camper.
Going back to the downside of Poleng: I could literally eat the food we ordered all by my lonesome. And at $7-$16 per teeny dish, I couldn't help feeling a bit ripped off. If I could go all over again, I go with one other person, focus on the drinks, and stay for the afterparty.
Oh yes, did I mention they turn into a lounge and dancefloor after 10pm? Well they do! The DJ in the front of the house was excellent, a nice mix of high quality 90s hip-hop and R&B. The back of the restaurant serves as a dancefloor and after hours nightclub.
The clientele at the club are trendy (and I mean that in the best possible way) college students (Poleng is a few blocks from USF) who like to mingle and throw back a few drinks. No one seemed obnoxious, too drunk, or annoying. Since we stayed for dinner and lingered past 10pm, we were given free admission into the Poleng Club--which is a $10 cover. With this perk, I'm willing to sort-of forgive the pricing of the food.
We were told they have a happy hour, weekdays from 4:30-6:30. 50 cent Adobo wings and $5 well drinks. I'm sure there are other discounts, but I can't remember them all. If i were to go to Poleng again, it would be during happy hour only. Dinner again? Probably not.
Good thing Poleng lounge is located across the street from a chase bank... because you're gonna need more money than you'd think to dine at this place!
The food is delicious. I enjoyed everything that we ordered... especially the salt and pepper squid, the scallop and the garlic crab noodles. The flavors were a treat for the tongue and the nose. Unfortunately, this made me want more, and more i did not get. The restaurant is tapas style which means small plates, so be prepared for that!
The cocktails here are just to my liking.... fruit infused and not too strong. I'm a lightweight so i can't handle my alcohol well. I tried a sip of their yellow fever and the no can do cocktails and both were very good.... so good in fact that I could barely taste the alcohol!
My friends and I stayed to experience the "lounge" part of the night which was ok. I wasn't really into the music and the place remained fairly empty, though that was probably because we were there early due to dinner. I will definitely be back to check out their happy hour specials one of these days!
Happy birthday to my big sis! I came out to celebrate my big sis' birthday with her one Saturday night; I think the Evite had 53 that responded yes? Popular chica, I know. I didn't want to deal with cover charge, so I opted to eat dinner before the clubbing portion of the night. I scheduled my appointment for 8:30pm through opentable and it worked out well; we had ample time until the restaurant turned into a nightclub, around 10-10:30pm-ish? I was thoroughly pleased with my experience because yes, first of all, I didn't have to pay cover since I was already inside, and also, because the space was decent, decent music, decent people (no Asian overload), and the food was great!
The food was indeed pricey, but that's to be expected when you've got tapas AND San Francisco in the picture. We ordered yam fries (the banana ketchup added a nice twist), calamari (tasty, smaller bits so they are crispier rather than soggy), ceviche (butterfish was delicious! subtle fish flavor, great texture, and loved the coconut sauce), crab noodles (fancy chow mein, tasty crab meat on top- waiter suggested the crab noodle bowl for $7 rather than the $15 portion because the crab meat is not mixed in with the bowl), island bbq pork (charsiew texture, soft - good flavor), coconut bread pudding (delicious coconutty flavor), and a "Yellow Fever" cocktail (not so memorable, skip). Later that night, got a round of Soco lime shots for $8 each. Overall, really happy with the experience and wouldn't mind coming back. Great food, great atmosphere, what more can I ask for?
I heard some good things about this place so my bf and I decided to try it out. First time was a Friday night and it was packed so we got turned away. Second time, we were lucky and got a table right away. We knew it was small plates going in but we didnt really think it would be THAT small. We had the shaking beef, adobo wings, garlic noodles and some shrimp special they had that night. Honestly, the food was extremely mediocre. Everything was okay but not anything to come back twice for. Prices are a bit much for the quantity and quality of food served. Luckily we had a $25 GC which allowed us to order more than we usually would without feeling like we just got robbed.
Funny thing is we presented the GC at the end of dinner and the waitress gave us some grief about needing to present the GC at the beginning of dinner and we were thinking, why so they could serve us even smaller plates than they already do? Ridonculous. Still to this day, I defy the small print on GC that say "must present before meal". I feel that the point of participating in a GC program is to have people try your food and the only reason why I think a restaurant would prefer to know you have a GC beforehand is to sabotage your dining experience by serving smaller portioned food or something to that effect. That's all I can come up with. If anyone out there works in the food industry knows otherwise please let me know because I'd like to be enlightened.
All rambling aside, Poleng was thoroughly disappointing, I won't be back.
5 stars for the taste of the food. Everything we had was delicious. From sweet potato fries, to shanghai lumpia, angel wings, to salt & pepper squid, "shaking beef", pork belly and garlic noodles.....we devoured it all.
The drinks were superb as well. I had the "Yellow Fever" and it was really refreshing. It had sake and cucumber puree in it. Not strong though.
However, this place is only getting 3 stars because it is too expensive for what it is. We did not expect the dishes to be "tapas" style. All the portions were teeny tiny and the dishes were all about $10 - $15 each. Among the 5 of us we each spent about $35 (for all the food we ordered above) and nobody was really that full. I wouldn't come back here for dinner unless i had a lot of money to spend.
We stayed for the music and lounge atmosphere for a bit but the music wasn't all that great. I think they played hip hop from the early 2000's and nobody was dancing at all.
I do want to come back for happy hour though since i heard the sweet potato fries and angel wings are only $3.
The chef here is probably one of the most talented passionate chefs in the Bay Area and you can tell all this from his food
This place has definitely gone through a lot of changes in the past 5/6 years and for the better.
I went to have some pupu's and a few drinks just to relax and chill with a friend around 7ish. I had the adobo wings, sweet potato fries with banana catsup, and samosas. They were all delicious.
Atmosphere was chill, elegant, and relaxing. Bar wasn't crowded and no problems getting a drink.
#83 on the 7x7 List: Sweet-potato fries with banana catsup
-Tasty? You can get sweet potato fries just about anywhere these days. Nick+Stef's in LA have little bits of ginger with the fries and comes with apricot dipping sauce - it's so much better
-Service: 'tis OK. The waitress raised a brow when the three of us shared an order. Come on, this was the 3rd stop of the night for us and who eats a full meal at 11pm.
-Ambiance: Trendy; great for groups. Small groups of three or under can sit at the bar and check out someone's travel pictures on the LCDs
-Worth the trip/try? $5 for a small bowl of sweet potato fries - nah. The banana ketchup is not memorable.
Too bad we were too full to order other things at this place and give it a chance. The sweet-potato fries were not bad but I can plainly say that it is not anything special
It's been said in almost every review so far but I'd be remiss if I didn't say it again:
Portions? Really small.
Prices? Disproportionately high.
That said:
1. Really tasty food. We went for the sweet potato fries with banana ketchup (#83 on the almighty list) but my favorite dish was the butterfish ceviche -- undeniably fantastic.
2. Cool ambiance, even if it does seem out of place for this neighborhood.
3. I didn't even come close to blowing my Weight Watchers points. I don't think I could have, if I tried!
OK. I'm eating my words now. I've been back several times since, mostly due to proximity, and feel the need to edit my post.
Their happy hour rocks! The sweet potato fries are great, as are the chicken wings - both for super cheap. I do believe happy hour ends at around 7 so go early.
And the BIG conversion came after I tried their non-alcoholic mixed drinks. I can't drink alcohol. I'm not terribly upset by it since that generally means I don't spend as much, but hmph, I want to be a big girl too. So coming across a place that made me a mean strawberry kaffir lime elixir from heaven so I had something to sip on that isn't a soda, well end of story. I'm now a supporter.
As for the food, well the portioning is still a little small, but I ate and was full, and the great drinks totally helped to make the bill easier to swallow.
For the price you're paying - not worth it. You can get better food elsewhere for half the price.… Read more »
I finally got around to review this place.... I went to Poleng Lounge with a group of friends a few months back. I like the ambiance which was modern with dark black and brown tones. The place was a bit dark at night but the energy level was high. The crowd and the staff were mostly in their 20's and early 30's.
This place did not stand out... The food was okay and the service was not so okay. It's almost like the servers there have never worked in a restaurant before. You have to ask everything multiple times and there is absolutely no anticipation.
Some of the small plates were good, but I thought most were just very ordinary & overpriced for what you're getting. I do have to put a caveat: a couple of our friends are not seafood eaters, we steered away from seafood, which is probably half the menu.
Sizzling Sisig - This was kind of plain and very ordinary. We were told that this is a Filipino specialty. It was pretty much just some sliced pork with an egg on top. Pretty plain and not worth $12 to me.
Kalbi Short Ribs --- This was pretty standard Korean Kalbi ribs (boneless slices), but at $17 was a bit steep for the small portion.
Szechuan Chicken Lettuce Cups - This wasn't bad, but again pretty ordinary and pretty much tasted exactly what I expected.
Grilled Marrow with coconut bread - This was the best dish of the evening. The marrow was rich and went well with the sweet coconut toast. Smearing the rich marrow on the little pieces of coconut toast was really good... similar satisfaction as Foie Grois!
Roasted Pork Leg - This was okay... a bit plain and very fatty with the skin and all. This is a common dish in China's East Coast (i.e. Shanghai), but the flavor here is not complex or sweet enough. Didn't care for the vinegar dipping sauce too much.
I would not go out of my way to eat here again, but may be willing to give it another try if friends wanted to go....
Restaurant: Over hyped. Over priced.
After hours: Drinks are alright, but not feeling the crowd this place seems to draw in.
When they say small plates, they really mean SMALL plates.
i must admit though, their food is yum. The service, however...not so much.
We ordered the scallop katsu w/ corn = DELISH, ceviche = yummy & coconutty, and short ribs = ehh, expensive for what it is? $14 for like 6 small pieces of short ribs (not full pieces, but cut up bits from probably just one piece of meat)
Our waiter seemed seemed a little clueless? We only ordered 3 plates, and he came back 5 minutes after we ordered to ask what we had ordered again. Can we say annoying? That wasn't just it though, because when "our" first two plates came out....they were the wrong items. Wrong table. AND then soon after, another waiter came by to drop off some crab garlic noodles....uhhh we didn't order crab garlic noodles. Wrong table again.
Our total came out to $52.88...we paid cash and gave him an even $62 to include tip. He took it and soon came back to ask us if we want our change back. UMM...what kinda question is that? Wouldn't they just give us the change back whether or not we want to leave it as tip?
I just thought overall it was annoying and unprofessional. I'm giving this place an extra star because of the dj & music last night.
weekly drink & food specials
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Happy Hour in J-Town!
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Filipino
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Filipino
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Filipino
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
Category: Mexican
A way more apt, and less annoying descriptor than…
So here are some of the Filipino or…
Since I lack any kind of personal ambition, my…
Little by little I'm starting to adjust in San…
Clubs where i've gotten Low (low low low low low…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
where you might be able to find me at :) at a bar?…
Neighborhood spots that I can easily drag my lazy…
