Melisa's Chinese Cuisine
450 Balboa St
(between 5th Ave & 6th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118 (415) 387-1680
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Sat 4:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
93 reviews
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
"Taste soo good almost make me eat the plate hehehe.. Don't forget to order the fried rice with pine nut and spinach! yummm"
101 Reviews for Melisa's Chinese Cuisine
The lunch special menu at Melissa's is pretty hard to beat. Everything is priced under $7 with the most common price of $5.50. The portions were huge, too! I had the 5 taste chicken - a deluxe version of Panda Express' Orange chicken - quite good! Throw in soup, an imitation crab wonton, and rice and you've got a great lunch deal on your hands.
One of the best things about Melisa's is that they deliver to the Outer Sunset. In a somewhat speedy fashion. The person on the phone and the person who shows up at your door? Both reasonably cheerful. So that's another good thing.
The food is pretty darn good too. I keep forgetting to ask for a menu but they have all the classics. The kung pao chicken is good, so is the sauteed spinach. The honey walnut prawns were not the best, so, don't order them if your high standard is the greatness that was Ha's (rip). Everything tastes fresh. DO IT!
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By experience, the greasy spoon is the best. Enter Melissa's Chinese food. The actual place is not much to look at and kind of scary "roach infested" kind of way. Since they deliver I usually chose this for lunch. I get one of their rice plate lunch specials, I tried most of them and they are all pretty tasty. The only thing that bugs about this place is that they put an orange slice in all their plate lunches. And it makes most of my food have a taste of citrus which im not to fond of.
My favorite (and for a while now the only place that I will go to for chinese). I've tried a lot of chinese food in San Francisco, Boston, Sacramento, etc and I compare everything to Melisa's. The best thing about the food here is that it's super fresh. Unlike other places that tend to taste very heavy and drenched in heavy sauces Melisa's food tastes fresh and light. The broccoli in the broccoli beef doesn't taste over cooked and mushy but instead lightly sauted and crispy. The garlic chicken is also very tasty and since I hate mushrooms, the owner kindly replaces the mushrooms with carrots instead.
I can't rave enough about this place, it's just really delicious.
Go here. Try it.
I come here often alone, with one other person, or with a large 10+ person group and the food is always ready within 5-10 minute of ordering.
Great food! Fresh from the kitchen... and huge portions, with more than enough for lunch tomorrow. Kinda looks nasty from the outside, but alright inside. I wasn't afraid of roaches crawling across the table or anything... I'll definitely be coming back. Perfect for take-out.
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whoa is me... I dislike Chinese food but the bf loves it. Whoa is me. So, after years of Yum Yum's take out, I just got fed up! "Let's find some place else please!!" So I called upon my trusty YELPers to find a new Chinese food place.
To me, all Chinese take out menus look alike - eveyone has the exact same dishes. And Melisa's is no exception. So why the four stars?
*) fast delivery
**) hot and tasty and fresh food
***) they understand English when I call
****) finally Chinese food that I actually LIKE!
Why not five stars?
-*) a bit pricier than most and you don't get the free fried rice like most other places. But, you know, not getting gas and blouting and actually ENJOYING my meal is so worth it!
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Awww... nothing like wilted food showing up to your door. My meal was pretty much ruined by the cooks failing to plan for the delivery process. If you are gonna stick things into a container right out of the pan, you have to undercook it a bit. Otherwise it wilts like a tulip at a fart contest. Like a child's hopes and dreams when you smash his favorite toy and cackle maniacally. Like a boner after a meth binge. (Unless of course you brought some viagra in which case your boner would be nothing like this chinese food.)
The House Special Duck had nice flavor. But again, the wilting. Someone could make a fortune offering real chinese food and planning well for delivery. Omg. Did I just pun? The food was wilted like your soul after an unintentional pun in a Yelp review...
Why only white people inside?
Beef chow mein rocks MB's soul.
If no MSG, what's that fluid on my meat?
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When the fog comes in, you walk down Balboa Street. You see the lights of the stark, undecorated dining room. You sit. The waiter comes. He is quiet. You order broccoli cashew chicken and spicy eggplant.
The waiter sits down. A moment passes.
The 31 goes by. A foghorn is heard in the distance.
You realize you're the only diner.
Another moment passes.
Yet another moment passes.
Your life is meaningless.
The Richmond District.
Live it.
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This is a shady little place on Balboa that I have passed many time without even thinking to go in, but yesterday I had a craving for some Chinese and needed something I could grab on my way home.
I got on Yelp and read some of the reviews of Melisa's and decided to give it a try. I am glad that I did. The orange beef was great and the servings are so large that I never made it to the kung pow chicken. The vegetable fried rice is the best I have had in the city. It was no more than 15 minutes from phone call to pickup and the prices are reasonable.
I am wary of the no MSG claims, but was fully satisfied with the meal.
Delivery was slow. By the time our food came, it wasn't hot anymore, instead it was almost cold. Food wasn't good either.
Hands down the best takeout Chinese that I have had in the city. They are pretty speedy and the food arrives hot and fresh. I could really gush about this place; for you see, I have searched lo these many years for some decent delivery Chinese and until now to no avail. With the first bite of Melisa's chow fun tears of joy burst forth and flowed down my cheeks. Her green onion pancakes were light and flaky; her beef in black bean sauce was a revelation; and the kung pao shrimp chock full of fresh tasting shrimp. I love these place so much that I am making my wife change her name to Melisa.
But wait I just glanced over and saw that Melisa's just recently received two poor reviews...now I am scared.
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The delivery from this restaurant is always fast, and the Melisa's Noodle Soup is delicious, with lots of noodles, and shrimp. This is one of my favorites for delivery and consistently good.
-FAST
-CHEAP
-GOOD (the broccoli cashew chicken was amazing...tangerine beef outstanding...excellent egg roll
need i say more?
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One of my favorite spots. Service is fast. Food is amazing.
Food at this place is best enjoyed at the restaurant. For some reason the flavor is lost in the delivery, but that is the only down side I can think of.
Melisa's offers great food at great prices. I prefer this place to most Chinese restaurants in the vicinity. The food is not overly greasy, the dishes are fresh, and it is presented well on contrasting plates. My fav's are the Spicy Chicken with Basil, the Tangerine Chicken, and no meal can go with out the hoisin string beans.
Very similar menu to Eric's and Alice's (Noe Valley), but better tasting food in my opinion.
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I never thought I would ever live to say this about a Chinese restaurant that delivers, but my recent order from here proved to be the blandest food I have ever had. Some may complain that delivery in general tends to be too greasy, over sauced, or soggy. But none of these complaints applied to my order as the food tasted like absolutely nothing.
- Chicken Chow Mein: Only vaguely dominant flavor associated with the chicken was flour. The noodles looked like sauce might have once been applied, but had no flavor. Would have been better off boiling some noodles and eating them plain.
- Kung Pao Tofu: There was no sauce on anything. The dish tasted like they put all the cooked all the ingredients together in a dry, empty wok. The tofu was overcooked, bone dry and tasteless. Disgusting.
- Five Taste Chicken: Slightly more flavor than the aforementioned horrors above. Dramatically moister than the tofu - likely due to the presence of some form of sauce. Not memorable at all, nevertheless wins the best dish of the night award by default.
Next time I feel the urge to order from here, I'll save myself 30 bucks by eating plain boiled noodles accompanied by tofu nuked in the microwave for at least 45 minutes to be sure that there isn't an ounce of flavor anywhere.
One obligatory star for serving brown rice.
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Melisa's is great, and its only match in the city is Hai Sun. Most of the dishes taste really good and aren't too greasy, and the delivery is fast..almost too fast. Don't throw your money away by ordering from Andy's, go for Melisa's.
Crab Ragoon and all the appetizers are great! All the other food is pretty good. Super fast delivery every time. This is my standby Chinese delivery place.
went on a Friday was the only customer frim 7-8:30 , they are a big
take out palace that offer free delivery. 1st thing was the tea , only
warm not hot,the won ton soup was good but like the tea warm not
hot, the order was sweet and sour chicken and mongolian beef
both were quiet good ,the bad part it took 30minutes to come out
from the kitchen.
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Fresh Asparagus and snow peas in the Fried Rice! SUPER FAST delivery! Great Prices! Lots of Prawns! Princess prawns delicious!
YUM!
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When I first moved to the city a little over 4 years ago, I lived way out in the Richmond in a house of 5. One of our first meals as a "family" was delivered by Melisa's. I remember their mango chicken being amazing and having a very positive food experience. We ordered from Melisa's all the time.
I am back in Melisa's delivery zone now. So last night, on my cold ride home on the bus from a long day of work, all I wanted was to curl up on the couch with some hot and delicious Chinese food. I imagined my perfect plate of steaming rice, chow mein, walnut prawns, broccoli beef, and mango chicken.
My anticipation was further titillated by the hour and fifteen minute wait for the delivery man. I kept telling myself that the wait would be well worth it. When I eyed the car pull up and the guy hop out of his ride, I ran to the front door, threw it open, scribbled my boyfriends signature on the payment slip, and ripped into all of the boxes.
Wow. What a disappointment. The walnut prawns were tasteless, chewy, and dry. It scratched my throat whenever I swallowed. Eventually I just gave up.
Perhaps I had built up my Melisa's experience too much in my head and overly romanticized my night in on the couch. But I will probably never order from here again.
Anyone with good Chinese delivery suggestions in the Western Addition/Nopa area, please, let me know.
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Melisa's Chinese food is fresh and flavorful. The hearty won ton soup (won tons have shrimp in them for those of you allergic to shellfish) has a great amount of vegetables, won tons, and whole shrimp, and chicken pieces. The singapore rice noodles had a lot of veggies, cha siu, and shrimp. It was dry not oily (that's a plus!). The spicy salty squid was filling and had a crunchy batter (not oily, greasy, or soggy). And the tofu and string beans will definitely be ordered again. The string beans and tofu were seasoned just right, the veggies crunchy, and tofu spongy!
This is the only Richmond Chinese restaurant that I've researched that delivers. They are nice on the phone, quick to deliver, and the food is still hot! It's on the pricey-er side of Chinese food in the city, but delivers! I kind of wish the portions were a little bit more generous.
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Perfect place for a dinner out, or a cozy dinner at home. The food always tastes fresh and delicious. Chicken chow fun with recognizable chicken! I'm craving Melissa's as I gush about it...
Hm, what do I want the most after a long, frustrating Monday? What gooey, tasty treat can warm my soul and soothe my spirit?
oh yes! Crab Ragoon.
My long, arduous quest for this City's tastiest crab filled pastry has lead Melisa's to my door. With the quickest (10-15 minutes? woah!) delivery ever, I sat myself down to gorge.
Surprisingly fresh tasting, non-greasy, golden triangles of what seems to be more crab than cream cheese - just enough to make it creamy, while allowing the crabbiness of it all to really show through. Crispy yet chewy crust. Delightful!
On a whim, and to make the $10 delivery minimum, I got some egg rolls too. They were very crispy and flaky, although they were also a lot more greasy than the goons.
Definitely will be ordering from this spot again.
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I love this place!
A neighborhood staple. I ate here weekly. Everything on the menu is excellent - fresh - and - tasty. Try Melisa's spicy eggplant - just try everything. Richard is outstanding - friendly, helpful, and funny. It may not have the big name or atmosphere but if you want good food probably the best Chinese food in SF.
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Wow!! Super fast, fresh, and great tasting. You must order Melisa's Spicy Eggplant -- this is an intriguing and tasty compilation of sliced eggplant, chicken, prawns, and peppers.
I've found my neighborhood chinese delivery.
Atrocious food. Everything (broccoli beef, chicken chow mein and some other chicken dish I can't even remember 'cause it all tasted the same!) tasted (and smelled) like dishwater and had the same kind of flavor... I am giving it 2 stars 'cause their delivery was super fast and the potstickers were pretty good. But if you want to actually enjoy your food, please do yourself a favor and try someplace else.
i know i'm picky as shit when it comes to chinese menus... but i cannot deny melisa's chinese cuisine. granted, it's lacking essential items such as the fried wonton (it's done the "fake" way) and also a basic wonton soup (though i do love shrimp, chicken, and pork, i don't love it minced up into a ball and then covered with wonton skins... too much mixing of the meat! man, that sounded kind of dirty).
you see, i was brought up eating chinese food a certain way, and because of that i have very high standards for how chinese restaurants should serve their foods. and yes, i know, it's all based on the owner's preference and which region of china their from (and believe me, this is NOT what real chinese food is... the food in shanghai is amaaaaazing.. but still, i do love and adore america's take on chinese food)
anyway, the point is that melisa's is the shit... they have amazing dishes that include delicious, fresh veggies, along with savory sauces, tasty noodles, and extremely tender and flavorful meats! i will for sure be coming by here more often when i'm not in the mood for some greasy deliciousness from king lee's.
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* Delivery arrived about 40 minutes after my phone call (which was fine, given that they sounded busy and it was dinnertime)
* Only two egg rolls per order? Awww, why not three :(
* Pot stickers were good, but I liked the egg rolls better
* Good quality chicken in my sesame chicken order
* Sesame chicken was served in a watery container. Maybe this is too American, but I like sesame chicken served with a thick sauce that is sweet and spicy.
* The vegetables in the sesame chicken were cut well (if you wonder why this matters, feel free to message me!)
* Food did have a bit of a peculiar smell as some other Yelp reviewers mention, but it was just noticeable rather than overwhelming
Overall: good but not great. I think I will try another delivery provider rather than order from them next time.
Melisa's is damn goooood Chinese food. I live in the area, so there are many to choose from. any type of chicken you get from here is wonderful and the vegetables are always served fresh. Its a good place and you should check it out.
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Excellent delivery - fast, hot, in my area, good price...
Get the spicy eggplant for sure. I had excellent chow fun (my favorite) and hot and sour soup was on the mark too.
I just received my order and it is delicious. They told me it would be about a 30 minute wait and they showed up about 25 minutes later with some great food. I got Sweet and Sour pork with wanton soup and rice for $16 plus tip. There is plenty for leftovers and the soup is fantastic. The Pork is very good, but not the greatest thus the four stars. I will definitely order from them again in the near future.
The food is pretty good, inexpensive, and close to my house...all pluses in my book. My favorite dishes: the broc. prawns with cashews(!), mango chicken and spinach with tofu soup. The food is fresh and plentiful.
If you go at lunch, you can try one of their lunch specials, which are $5-6 and includes soup, rice and a little appetizer. Usually enough food for two meals.
Parking is difficult in this burg.
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My friend took me to this place about 3 or 4 years ago and I will never forget it. I always get the Sesame Chicken or Eggplant dish. The portions are huge but the quality of the food does not suffer. It is so hard to find a good non-fried Sesame Chicken dish but Melissa delivers every time. You will never forget this food you'll have cravings. I live in the East Bay but am more than willing to drive to the city for Melissa's.
Most definately the best chow mein ever.
Ever....
I'm not even kidding.
I wanted to go back the next day for more chow mein
And the foil wrapped chicken was little chunks of deliciously roasted breast meat.
And the beef was so good....
really
and its really close to O'Keefes.. so you can have a few drinks and great chinese
We had two entrees, foil wrapped chicken and tea for $20.10!!!
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Pretty decent chinese delivery. I'll let you all know when i find a place that delivers to the inner sunset, that is any better. For now, this seems to be the best chinese delivery anywhere in this town.
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I sometimes walk to Chinatown from work and have always wondered where those restaurants even find chicken that is 75% fat and gristle. I must be getting scammed when I buy whole chickens that are missing the gelatinous rubbery masses of lard. Are these the Kobe beef of poultry, fed beer and lovingly massaged? No wonder all my Chinese coworkers religiously hoof it up the hill from downtown.
This is not that place! All you get here is trimmed white breast meat, WTF! Chinese food isn't the same without fighting the reflex gag to hurl , all while politely avoiding spitting out hunks of cartilage on your plate.
So anyway, I tried the honey walnut shrimp (the container was stuffed completely to the top, only with shrimp and walnuts, no filler which was nice.. although it's breaded, which I always forget to ask about) and it was good, spicy eggplant (very good), and grilled chicken something or other, which was cool too.. all chicken, nothing else, perfect for me. Actually, that's something different about this place also.. if it says it's grilled chicken, thats what you get, not a container half full of onions.
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I love this place. After having experienced illness and food poisoning (yes, I know bad luck) at two different other Richmond Chinese joints, a friend suggested this place and now I never order from anywhere else. The food is just REALLY fresh, like it tastes like they made it when you ordered it, and it is full of fresh meat, fresh vegetables, fresh spices, and hell, yes, fresh oil and grease, but you know, you want Chinese food, you are going to get some grease. The delivery service has never been anything but polite and quick. With literally hundreds of Chinese food places to choose from in the Richmond we go back to Melisa's all time. We have "eaten in" there and it is not that bad (some reviews made it sound awful! and it's not) it is just shall say lacking in ambiance. But the service is good, and they are quick and friendly. Definitely check this out if you are in their delivery zone....
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I love and miss you Melisa. Once you were just a mere two blocks from my apartment - never too far to pick up the phone and have you back at my place within 10 minutes. But alas, I have deserted you to another part of the city, with a chinese place a few blocks away - but none as good as our time together. I miss your honey walnut prawns terribly, and also how you would always dress up and wear a tuxedo every time I stopped by ... I also always appreciated the paper bag you would put around my beer so I could start drinking while bringing my meal back to my apartment. Oh Melisa's can you ever forgive me for deserting you?
I've ordered delivery about 5 times now, and I am very happy. I always get the app combo, which is decent, the sesame beef, which I love. There version is a bit sweet, not fatty, a nice chew going on. For the third item, I try and mix it up. Had the honey walnut shrimp, yummy, the house special shrimp, has a good sauce, w/ onions and tomatoes, and the kung pao combo, yummy.
I used to order from Jasmine Tea House, no longer!
Yes, delivery is fast, so the food is hot!
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