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Tay Giang Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Vietnamese Vietnamese [Edit]
2543 Noriega St(between 32nd Ave & 33rd Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
(415) 682-8886
- Hours:
Mon-Tue, Thu-Sun 11 am - 3 pm
Mon-Tue, Thu-Sun 5 pm - 9:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
161 reviews for Tay Giang Restaurant
Review Highlights
"The cold noodle dishes and pho always hit the spot."
(in 77 reviews)
"Highly recommend this place for great fried catfish."
(in 18 reviews)
"Large order of fried imperial rolls."
(in 13 reviews)
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161 reviews in English
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Review from Gina S.
1/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
I didnt know that this little gem existed in my hood! I'm so glad a friend suggested it instead of Anh Hong (the other 7 course beef place). Dont get me wrong Anh Hong is still good, but they serve the 7 courses of beef which some of the beef courses isnt my favorite.
This place does the same style of rolling your own spring rolls with different meats and veggies vietnamese style. Difference is you get to choose what meats you want instead of 7 courses of beef. We had the deep fried catfish (OMG! SO GOOD and HUGE portion!), meatballs, shrimp cake on bamboo sticks, rare beef you cook in a soup, and ended with a lemongrass veggie and shrimp soup (similar to the Thai Tom Yum soup, but vietnamese style). So much food and it was very good. Prices aren't bad at all. You should go with a big group so you can taste everything. Plus, there's other dishes you can order, like pho and rice dishes. -
Review from Robert J.
San Francisco, CA
1/9/2012
My daughter had tried a nearby Vietnamese place by mistake as she really wanted to eat at Tay Giang. Last week, I rode by bike over to Noriega St. and noticed that it has become more Asian than the last time I was in the area. I seldom go onto Noriega as we prefer going to Irving Street. I noticed Tay Giang which is located in a part of the old Carnation market. From the outside, the building looks dirty and could use a good cleaning.
Last Sunday, close to noon, we walked to Noriega from our house. It was a sunny day and relatively warm for January. When we entered Tay Giang, there was only one other customer. The restaurant had an eerie quietness about it. This is quite nice as we were tired of the head banging thumping music that seems to be the norm at other places. We had a hard time shutting the front glass door as their door closer was inoperative. Our waiter directed us to our table. He was rather robotic and seemed disturbed that we interrupted his viewing of the Atlanta Falcons vs New York Giants playoff game. The carpets of the restaurant were clean and overall appearance seemed tasteful,l though the paint peeling on the walls were pretty obvious.
For appetizers, we started off with Vietnamese spring rolls that came with a semi sweet and spicy sauce drenched with chopped peanuts. The spring rolls were wrapped with translucent rice paper. The filling consisted of shrimp, chicken mint leaves, etc. For $7.50 is was quite tasty. Beer was $3.50/bottle, but we weren't in the mood.
We were going to try the Pho, but were not in the mood. Therefore, we had the imperial roll and charbroiled pork over rice vermicelli ($7.95) and the shredded and charbroiled pork over rice vermicelli ($7.95). Apparently they did not have any shredded pork, but allegedly gave us some additional charbroiled pork. Both meals came with a small bowl of sweet sauce with peanuts and carrots, which we stirred into our meals. Our bowls had similar carrots, bean sprouts, cucumbers, and sliced mint leaves. It tasted good.
The restaurant began to fill up with patrons and our service diminished considerably. It was not as though they were that busy, just that our robotic waiter did not have the personality to be an attentive person. Our bill was brought to us after a rather long wait without a word of whether we desired anything else.
What was disturbing was their front door that had a mind of its own and would not close properly. Many patrons came and left and without shutting the front door. Even though it was a relatively warm day, cool breezes rushed into the restaurant and the staff seemed to ignore the comfort of its patrons and seldom closed the door properly.
We gave it 3.5 stars for the food and 2.5 stars for the service and finicky door. -
Review from Amy L.
Oakland, CA
12/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
I found a new place where I can get some good Vietnamese food that's not just pho. They have charboiled cat fish, which I thought was pretty damn good. Crispy, sweet and mouth watering delicious. They serve this with lots of fresh veggies, plate of rice noodle and the wrappers where you have to dip in hot water and wrap it yourself. Even when my boyfriend stopped eating I was still eating and I took everything that I couldn't finish to go. Even when it was only a few pieces of fish left cause it would have been a big waste to throw good food away.
I also ordered their jelly fish salad, I love the Vietnamese Goi stuff. So good, tasty and healthy. Lots of jellyfish, with shrimp and the sauce was perfect! I had some left overs the next day and it was still hella good!
Their emperial rolls were also pretty awesome, full of meat. Came with some veggies and yummy dipping sauce. Prefer this over regular eggrolls anyday.
Service was good, waiters were attentive. -
Review from trustmeonthis t.
Alameda, CA
1/31/2012
YUMMY is all I have to say for this place. Not just great bang for your buck but the customer service is excellent. We have always had a great experience and great food when coming here. ENJOY
-
Review from Krystal C.
Oakland, CA
12/1/2011 2 Check-ins Here
The only reason why I would come back here is for the fried catfish. I came here with a party of 5 and ordered the large fish and it was plenty of food. For noobs, the catfish also come with a bunch of additional fillers to add into the roll that you make with it. You're essentially building your own kind of spring roll, it's fun, interactive, and delicious!
As for other dishes, here is my 2 cents:
-raw meat: it's pretty good but completely drowning in fish sauce. Don't get me wrong, I love fish sauce but it was just overly salty that it took away from all the other flavors
-pho tai: it was pretty standard, average pho
-duck salad: also drowning in fish sauce and was overly salty. the meat was sparse and I felt that I got more duck skin than duck meat
service: the staff was pretty nice and friendly but not very attentive. They forgot to give us tea and it took us a few try to get their attention and then to remember to bring it. The same happened when we needed other foods.
All in all, I would come back just for the catfish because it was very good and the only place I know that does it but everything else I can pass on. -
Review from Tanya N.
San Francisco, CA
1/15/2012
#52 -rare beef & meatball pho is my favorite here. I've only had take out, which is always accurate and fairly timely.
-
Review from Linh P.
San Francisco, CA
10/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I personally like this place a lot better than Anh Hong (which is a more popular place for 7 course beef located on Geary and Leavenworth). With the 7 courses of beef, the variance in style is way different, as opposed to Anh hong which has 3 or 4 different beef sausages (excessive). This place gives you a beef salad, porridge, sausage, 2 types of bbq using asparagus as skewers, rare flanks for fondue, and shaken beef. MMMmmmm!
whats also good here is the fried catfish!!! OMG!! its sooooo good. If you're gonna eat here, you absolutely have to oder it! you won't regret it.
This place is a little bit expensive, though. The fish is like, $30-$60, and each person is about $35 for the 7 course beef (about $10 more than at Anh Hong).
I still like this place better though, even though most my friends disagree. I like the variety, the fish, and the fact that theres HELLA parking. haha
The restaurant is pretty small though, and the employees aren't too friendly..whatever though. typical casual asian dining.. hah -
Review from Diana H.
San Francisco, CA
11/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
CATFISH ROLLS!! I think about them all the time. The skin is so crispy and garlicky.. droool...
The cured beef salad was good. If you are brave enough to try raw meat, I'd order it here. Pho was decent here too.
If you come with a group, be prepared to wait. The service is slow, but food here is generally worth it. And they were willing to let us change channels on their TV. -
Review from Karen H.
Daly City, CA
12/20/2011
really slow service, but food is bomb!
the wrap fish is to die for. a small size is huge already.
the raw beef is amazing and i loveeeeeeeeee their fried egg rolls.
good price, huge portions....what more can i say? LOVE IT! -
Review from KD M.
San Francisco, CA
9/10/2011
Epic catfish . Fail service.
Came here with two friends about a month ago after reading reviews about the cat fish. Upon entering, the place was packed but it was absolutely silent aside from the clattering of dishes and chopsticks banging against each other. No staff were on the floor until about 5 minutes later. The man kind of just asked how many people we had and walked away. Well sir, you could have at least told us how long the wait is going to be =I.
After about 15 minutes or so, the man comes back and gestures us to a table in front of the counter towards the back. We ordered the small catfish, spring rolls, and the general pho with meat and tendon etc all up in it.
Catfish - I have to admit it was pretty damn good. The sauce does the trick and its so crispy you can even eat some of the bone in the fish. I think the small one is around $30+ though, a tad too expensive but I "guess" this would be considered a deal since its a WHOLE MOFO catfish. You'd be playing $12+ for a filet o' fish somewhere else.
Spring rolls - Meh. Too much herbs, not enough shrimp. It is also cut sushi style, into bite size rolls.
Pho - So so broth, fatty cuts of flank, just overall bland.
I'm pretty sure everything else is good here. I've never ate any bad Vietnamese food that wasn't thoroughly marinated in their sugary, fish saucy goodness but the service just plain sucks. Don't expect to get any here. The staff was absent from the floor so much that my friend had to peek into the kitchen and ask for some ice water and they STILL forgot. What's up with that? -
Review from Sue Y.
9/26/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Must try: Shrimp Salad, Catfish Clay Pot
Holy moly! This place blew my notions of "authentic" Vietnamese food out of the water!
We came here on a Sunday afternoon for a delicious lunch. With over 200 hundred brilliant Yelp reviews and a solid 4+ star rating, we just HAD to check out this little place in the Sunset.
Walking in, I was honestly surprised by the simple decor of the place. Family run, the restaurant exuded a sense of wholesomeness. There were only 3-4 other tables in the restaurant so service was pretty good.
The shrimp salad was phenomenal. Ceviche-style shrimp mingled with thinly sliced marinated/pickled sweet, salty, and spicy celery, onions, mint, basil, and other greens to form a wonderful combination of freshness and sweetness.
The catfish clay pot was amazing. For such a simple minimal amount of ingredients, it tasted incredibly complex. The fish was cooked just perfectly and was not over cooked, but enough so that it had absorbed the flavors from the sauce.
The beef tendon soup with rice noodles was hearty and stew-like. Even the carrots were delicious!
Big win. I'll be back. =) -
Review from sasa w.
San Francisco, CA
10/12/2011 3 Check-ins Here
So I have to be honest... I have a love hate relationship with this place. My advice is DO NOT COME HERE IF YOU ARE STARVING. If you're looking for some quick pho for sustenance -- this is not the place for you.
During lunch, there's only one person working the front. during dinnertime on the weekends there's two. doesn't matter that they have a full house or just one table. You will not get your food any faster. lol. One thing I never understand is how come pho orders come out slower than bun or rice plate orders. They are also very skimpy on the extras. Whether it's a table of three pho orders or just one, I swear you get the same amount of bean sprouts and basil on the plate. The only difference is the number of spoons. This is a FACT... sad but true.
While the service is deplorable it makes up in the yumminess of authentic vietnamese food and flavors. You know it's a good Viet place if you see actual Vietnamese people eating there. Whether it's a full on course dinner or just a simple rice plate, bun or pho, the food tastes homemade and not riddled with MSG. I can actually drink the pho soup and not down a gallon of water afterwards. Why can't they just hire ONE MORE waiter?! sigh.
Must try:
Beef Carpaccio - bigger order than yummy yummy's and better IMO. Sometimes I just order this and a plain noodle soup. :D
Goi Cuon -- the hubby and i feel like this is the best in the city.
Bo 7 mon -- this was highly recommended by several friends.
#39 - charboiled pork + imperial roll bun -- my go to order when I can't decide. -
Review from Cherylynn N.
San Francisco, CA
8/2/2011 5 photos
The BEST Phuckin' Fish You Will Ever Taste In Your Life (Ok, that didn't sound right)...
You heard of the "CRACK" chicken wings at San Tung right? Well, Tay Giang serves up the "CRACK" fish that will leave you FEENING for more. Hell, I don't even like fish and only eat sashimi but Tay Giang has made me a cooked fish convert.
On Monday, 8.1.11, my friend and I came to Tay Giang for dinner at 6:45 PM. Tay Giang is your typical no frills Asian restaurant and a place you come for the food and food only.
F O O D
The menu is quite extensive with apps, pho, bun, com dia, and entrees. There are even pictures to help you decide on what to order. But, you can forget about everything else on the menu because the MUST get is the Charbroiled Catfish!
*Bahn Hoi Ca Bong Lau Nuong - Charbroiled "CRACK" Catfish (Small-$35, Medium-$40, Large-$45): CAN I GIVE 10 STARS?
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
This dish is a "Build-Your-Own-Roll" dish. The catfish is butterflied then charbroiled to a crunchy crispy goodness (you can even eat some of the bones). The crackling skin was filled with sweet and savory flavors from the spices and herbs which was a nice contrast to the moist and tender flesh. The catfish is served with round rice paper sheets (wrapper), vermicelli noodle squares, veggies/herbs (lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, pickled carrots, mint, basil, and shallots). It's also served with a sauce (a sweeter nuoc mam) which has a garlicky sweet tanginess to it.
To make a roll, start by soaking the rice wrapper in the bowl of hot water for about 8 seconds. Then, stack the noodles, veggies/herbs and the fish and roll it up like a burrito. The wrapper gets really sticky, so the roll is sturdy. A quick dip into the sauce and each bite is like a fireworks of textures and flavors popping in your mouth; crunchy, crisp, soft, salty, savory, sweet, tangy, herbaceous freshness, and spice! IT'S SO PHUCKIN' GOOD!
*Bo Luc Lac - Shaking Beef ($15.95) - 4.5 STARS
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The chunks of filet mignon were succulently tender and moist. It had a rich beefy flavor with sweet undertones from the hoisin sauce The accompanying lemon pepper sauce gives it a pop of citrus and spice to help balance the richness. Perfectly executed and deliciously savory, I think the Shaking Beef at Tay Giang rivals the one at Slated Door.
S E R V I C E
Cold but efficient which is typical for most, if not all Asian restaurants. I noticed a some Yelpers complain about the service so I can imagine Tay Giang having terrible and inattentive service when it's busy on the weekends. If you need something, be prepared to holler or wave your arms in the air. Despite the borderline rude service, the food more than makes up for it and will keep me coming back for more (just on a weekday of course).
PA R K I NG
Easy metered parking.
"Fish" and "feen" don't even belong in the same sentence, but somehow Tay Giang manages to make it so damn irresistibly fitting. Ahhhhh....Listed in: THE "SEEFOOD" DIET!
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Review from Albert L.
BEST Vietnamese food in SF? I'll vouch for Tay Giang!
I don't usually dine that often in the Sunset neighborhood because I'll get lost through the seemingly endless avenues but the upside is that residential parking is everywhere and finding this place wasn't too bad. (sings ABC's) J.. K.. L.. M.. N.. N! Noriega! Hazaaa!
My first impression of Tay Giang (from the outside) was.. well, it looked runned down. It made me second guess dining here and deferred me to the fancy looking Chinese restaurant across the street on the corner. But if I wanted Chinese food, I could just eat for free at home so Vietnamese it was!
We arrived at about 2:10PM and it was completely dead. Didn't mind for that usually gives way to a more quality than quantity service. Yup, I was right. The food blown us away!
Appetizer :
- Shrimp spring rolls :
[http://s3-media1.px.ye...]
Very fresh and great way to begin your traditional Vietnamese experience. The shrimp was plump, the meat was tender, and the veggies that consisted of the actually roll was refreshing. I have never said that before about greens, so that's gotta be major points! It also came with the traditional peanut fish sauce and it didn't have that straight "outta the bottle" taste.
- Beer stew (over rice)
[http://s3-media1.px.ye...]
Wow! This is hands down the best beef stew I've ever had. It was actually not a rice plate, rather, beef stew in a stone pot with rice on the side. The best thing was that it was NOT AT ALL oily whatsoever and the beef chunks were incredibly tender. I can't emphasize enough on how good this is!
- (L) Pho :
[http://s3-media2.px.ye...]
What's a Vietnamese restaurant without Pho? This isn't your viet-fast-food-order-and-receive-in-three-minutes kinda pho. It took around 15-20 minutes to come out. The amount of time you wait compensates for the amount of flavor that's in the broth, and yes! it was well worth the wait. Good rice noodles, large thin slices of beef steak, and a flavorful broth is what you'd want to expect from your pho -- and Tay Giang delivers!
- Chefs special : Deep fried fish stuffed with shrimp [paste]
[http://s3-media4.px.ye...]
Very VERY light and fluffy dish. It came with a sweet "honey walnut shrimp" kinda sauce that gave the fish an irresistible taste. Even though it was deep fried, it didn't bloat me up. The fish was cooked nicely and the shrimp blended inside perfectly. Even the carrots were pickled and not just for decoration! Chef special indeed.
The food is down right legit. The outside of the restuarant may not be a looker but hey! it's the food that matters here. It's not too expensive and fills you up right. Even my girlfriend and her friend that tagged along said it was some of the best Vietnamese food they've eaten, ever. I shall return soon and always keep Tay Giang in mind if I need that Vietnamese fix!Listed in: True Blue SF Gems, Review Of Thee Day!!
-
Review from travis t.
San Jose, CA
9/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Going to a Vietnamese restaurant owned by Chinese people or any other people from a different ethnicity.. never really a good idea. My girlfriend and I had a craving for some Pho and decided to Yelp it and came here. We ordered Pho Dac Biet and Pho Tai. Took forever for our food to finally come out. Soup ended up being pretty flavorless, and the meatballs in the Pho Dac Biet were terrible.
Now onto service... or lack thereof. We only saw one guy, who I'm assuming is the owner. Most of the time, he was in the back and no one was in the restaurant. At one point, a couple came in and waiting at the door for someone to come out and show them a table or give them menus. Five minutes passed, and they walked out because no one came.
There's nothing like Pho in San Jose where it's actually owned by Vietnamese. -
Review from Sabrina W.
Outer Sunset, San Francisco, CA
Been going here for maybe 2-3 years now, didn't notice it until I went for an eye exam near by and they told me that there was a pho shop. I was completely stun because I had no idea... Especially since my mom & I walk by ALL THE TIME!
They're quite clean, a few flaws but that's pretty normal given that it is a restaurant... Though the food comes out slow, it's so worth it when you take a sip of that broth. Heavenly on cold days! When it's just a small, family dinner, we each get a bowl of pho or rice and it hits the spot! $6.25 too! Quite cheap!
Anyways, when we have a large get together, we order the fried fish and rolls and they're simply de-lish! Love adding the mint leaves to everything!
Also, the service is really nice! The worker/owner is pretty nice and remembers exactly what my brother likes!
Yum! Craving some right about now! -
Review from Patrick C.
San Francisco, CA
7/5/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Awesome!! I can't believe that this place has been here for years and I have only been here a few times started this year.
Love their catfish soup, beef look luc, bo tai chahn, and their fried catfish specialty where you roll your own rolls!!
Just that their service is a bit slow (not a bit...a crap load). The first time I ate here I thought the server was cooking in the back too with five microwaves...hahahaha -
Review from Lauren P.
San Francisco, CA
9/3/2011
I want to go back again so I can give it one more star!!
My fiance and I went (btw, we LOVE VIetnamese food) and he ordered the Pho with beef tendon and trite and I ordered the pork and fish noodle soup.
The Pho was at least worth 5 stars! Soo good. But my noodle soup had an overwhelming mint/leafy flavor to the broth that brought it down to more like a 3.5 star rating. (The pork and fish was delicious and well cooked though.) Thus, I give the restaurant 4 stars and will be going back and trying another dish! -
Review from vee v.
San Francisco, CA
5/5/2011
No fancy entrance or statues to lure you in but the food is ridiculously good. I didn't even know this place existed until two nights ago.
We had:
catfish soup - (OMFFFFG) the aroma enters your body and
lingers...pairing of the sweetness and sour!
luc lac beef - soft cubes of heaven...dip into the lemony sauce, speechless
5 spice chicken - never had it as perfect. tender and you can taste
the spices. LOVE their fish sauce
bo tai chanh (rare beef slices) - just thinking about the dish makes my
tongue water, need to request less chilli peppers tho
beef congee - taste is great but the consistency is a bit thick for me
Overall, a great dining experience. I must return to try their fried catfish! -
Review from Larry C.
San Francisco, CA
1/4/2012
Service is slow, the 7 course beef is terrible and the catfish is bearable.
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Review from She D.
Bay Area
11/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came across this place through Yelp while finding some place to eat. Food was good but nothing special. Wouldn't go out of my way to come out here. But what really got me was the charge of $3.50 for a can of Sprite - good lawd!
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Review from norris t.
6/15/2011 5 Check-ins Here
If I could describe in one sentence. Hole in the wall'ish place next to a massage parlor with the best fried catfish in SF.
Just about everything is good here except the service. It looks family owned and only the dad seems to care alot about taking care of the customer the rest seem to be there just to be there. If you can look past that then I'd definitely recommend coming here to try it out.
Seafood, beef, chicken, doesn't matter it's all good! Ironically the only thing I haven't sampled yet is the Pho because I can think of alot of good places for Pho but not everything else they serve.
Bear in mind:
The Catfish is the best thing there (think of the flavor of the chicken wings at san tung but in a catfish) its pricey but worth it.
The service will invariably suck and it may be crowded. Try to talk it up with the dad to help you and you'll be fine. -
Review from LENA D.
San Francisco, CA
5/25/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Wow, I came here to try their catfish wrap dish and it totally hit the spot!! This would be my fourth time trying the Vietnamese catfish wrap ever and I have to say it's one of my fave. The fish was cooked perfectly and soo flavorful. To top that off, their herbs was so fresh. My kiddies didn't eat the fish so they shared a chicken rice dish and killed it too. I can't wait to come back again to try all the other goodies they have on the menu and of course the catfish wrap again =) Service was also very friendly. I'm glad to know that I don't have to travel as far as San Jose or LA just to have some good authenticate catfish wrap... just to Sunset =)
One suggestion tho...more selections of fresh herbs for the true herb lovers out there..hahaha -
Review from Keith J.
San Francisco, CA
8/2/2011
Pho was great. Just what I needed to confront this cold I feel coming.
The Vietnamese Spring Roll was ok but the peanut sauce was excellent.
Deep-fried Crab Claws were really tasty especially with the sweet (mango?) sauce. -
Review from A E.
San Francisco, CA
8/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
The first thing that I saw when I walked into this place was two very irate would-be customers, a dining room that is almost full (most of the patrons weren't eating) and no servers in sight.
Unfortunately for me, the restaurant's off on the wrong foot. Fortunately for me, the irate customers turned to me, said "nobody's home" and stormed off. They were just being babies because right after that the server materialized with plates and plates of food in hand, and motioned me to take a seat at the last remaining table.
Not gonna lie - the service was a tad slow. After all, Vietnamese food is as close as you can get to fast food chains in terms of speediness (you even choose by the number!). So I was a bit surprised that the food took more than 10 minutes to show up.
But it was ok. The wait wasn't interminable, I was just comparing it to other similar Vietnamese restaurants.
For the price that we paid, our bun thit nuong (grilled pork with vermicelli) and com suon bi cha (broken rice with pork chop and shredded pork) were fantastic. (+5)
The Vietnamese coffee, however, left much to be desired. (-1) -
Review from Andrew W.
This is not a Pho restaurant even though they have it on the menu. Their entrees are absolutely fantastic. It is also one of the few Vietnamese restaurants where you can get 7 course of beef ($28/Person). They basically serve you 7 entrees of beef cooked in various ways. Pricey but one the things everyone should at least try once in their lifetime. I don't recommend Pho here, because it isn't as good as Pho places.
What I recommend:
-- Charbroiled Catfish (a favorite among the vietnamese community)
-- 7-Courses of Beef -
Review from erica a.
San Francisco, CA
2/15/2011 4 Check-ins Here
I used to love this place. Their pho is honestly delicious.
I came in tonight at 8:45ish. There were THREE tables full of dirty dishes and we stood there for 10-15 minutes waiting for a waiter or waitress to even come out of the kitchen. Eventually the waiter comes out and he says "two?" and I nod. He begins to clean up the table BUT DOESN'T FINISH THE JOB. A waitress comes out and cleans another table BUT DOESN'T ASK US TO SIT.
Finally, I get completely fed up and I yell, "I want a fucking seat". I walk over to the cleaned table and yell at the waitress, "HEY CAN I SIT HERE?!" and she says yes. Stupid bitch, you could have just pointed at the table when it was cleaned.
Took another FIVE minutes to get menus. We just got two bowls of pho, and it came out to be $15.33. You might wonder why I remember such a specific amount.... BECAUSE I ONLY LEFT A $.67 TIP.
FUCK YOUR BAD SERVICE! -
Review from Binh V.
San Jose, CA
3/6/2011
This place charges $5 for extra veggies which is ridiculous. You would get beat up in San Jose if you charged $5 for extra veggies at a legitimate Vietnamese restaurant.
I want to say that the baked fish was baked-but it definitely did not taste or looked baked. It looked like it was simmered in a pot with a lot of caramelized sauce, then they got lazy and put it on a pan for a few secs after. Our $48 fish wasn't small but it definitely wasn't meaty.
Throughout the entire experience at the restaurant, the server didn't check up on us at all. Yes, she did come to our table plenty of times but that was upon our request for MANY things that should have been done correctly the first time around. For example...
-The table should have been cleaned before we sat down.
-The tables around us should have been cleaned also (feels pretty dirty eating around dirty tables).
-Our drinks should have been brought out in a timely manner.
-Plate settings should have been brought out before-hand.
-Food should have been cooked by the time we came because we called 30 minutes in advanced prior to sitting down.
Well, at least the fish sauce was good. -
Review from Elizabeth R.
San Francisco, CA
7/7/2011
The food is GREAT. Truly. But it's now three times in a row I've found long black hairs in my to go food.
The first two times I brought the food back and they gave me a new meal. The third time... I just didn't bother. I'm not going there again. Such a bummer 'cause the food is great.... wish they cared more about their customers. -
Review from Minh-Chi T.
San Francisco, CA
1/21/2011
As someone that is Vietnamese, lived in Vietnam for an extended period of time, and has grown in Asian dominated communities...this is my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in the city. AND I am picky people, this is probably the one and only place I confidently recommend to my friends for VN yummy meals.
The most popular dish here is the fried catfish rolls which is really good and deserves the praise it gets. However I want to give props to their other dishes too because so far, they are all good. Trust me, this is the restaurant my parents want to go to when they visit me and they are pickier than me.
The ambiance is not fancy but in my opinion the best Vietnamese restaurants should have random fish tanks and a tv on the drink cooler. WTF is with fancy restaurants who serve wine next to pho? NOT AUTHENTIC! It's never busy there which makes me happy for the nonexistent wait time but sad that this place hasn't been enjoyed by more folks. -
Review from Courtney L.
San Francisco, CA
3/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
The food was five stars. The wait was absolutely horrendous. When we got there only 5 tables were seated, but it took 30 minutes to get our food. After checking yelp reviews, the slow service seems to be a consistent problem :T
My friend and I ordered seafood egg noodles, shredded pork with lemongrass chicken, and duck salad. All three were very tasty, so I may give Tay Giang a second chance.
Just a tip: when you walk in, just sit down--they won't seat you. Of course, I should have known this since this is my hood... but obviously I didn't-- so I'm passing the tip on. -
Review from Jenny L.
2/14/2011 1 photo
02.11.11
After a horrific morning of trying to commute and finally deciding to work from home, I needed a good, home-cooked feeling meal for lunch. Thank goodness my friend works near where I live, so I can drag him out to Noriega for lunch.
#19 - grilled pork with two eggs and rice. It was OK...nothing to write home about. Definitely did the job of curbing my hunger.
Total damage for two: less than $20. -
Review from Mike C.
San Bruno, CA
11/4/2011
if you are really hungry, this is definitely not a good place to go. don't get me wrong, the food is decent, but the wait for food (and sometimes for a table) is horrible. prices are about average and portions are worth it, but if you go off-hours and aren't completely and utterly starving, then i'd recommend it. otherwise (and with other restaurants close by...), pass.
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Review from Quynh-An P.
San Francisco, CA
11/29/2010
The services alone warrants this. OMG, AWFUL. We came as a group of 6...and when we got there we were the only ones there. About 20 mins after we got there, 2 large Canto families came in to the restaurant. How quickly we were ignored. One guy's food came out, after we waited an hour for food...and my bowl of pho was the last to come out...and it came out 40 minutes after the original dish. I waited almost 2 hours for a freaking bowl of pho. UNACCEPTABLE! And it wasn't even good pho. I got pho with beef, and you could taste that they used chicken broth instead of making their own beef broth. LAME.
I am never coming here again. -
Review from Anh L.
Sacramento, CA
8/16/2010
We went here for a friend's birthday party. I read up on the reviews and was very excited to try out the grub.
We ended order the dinner for 6 and then added a few dishes on top of that. We also brought in our wine (small cork fee).
I thought the food was okay and it's stuff that my family could make at home. Kinda salty. The fried fish was huge (man, they are making margins on the price they charge!) and it was decent--salty, a little sweet. I'm from Sacramento, so it's not like I'm from LA where there's a huge Viet town area. But I can't help but think that I could get the same fish for $10 from the Sacto Supermarket, have them lean and deep fry it for me, drizzle ginger seafood soy sauce on it.
I think I overhyped it in my mind. -
Review from lardo m.
San Francisco, CA
8/6/2011
The food was just ok. No reason to come here. Abc bakery across the street has better service and costs half as much.
They didn't bring us tea until after we ordered. The manager glared at me about six times but never seemed interested in taking my order.
One of the people at our table is a strict vegetarian and when we asked politely that they not use fish sauce, dried shrimp, etc, the guy practically rolled his eyes at us.
Other tables literally had their food served before they walked in or within 5 minutes. I think our wait was 45 min.
They brought out the food all separately so some of us waited while others ate.
My dish came out last. Actually it was the easiest to make.
My dish was supposed to have a papaya salad but didn't come with it. Two pieces of carrot and three pieces of radish is not a salad. The manager mumbled something nondistinct and walked off. Now thats service.
Vietnamese rufio at the next table walked in with his hooker looking girlfriend and they spent ten minutes doing god knows what in the bathroom. Their entire table was full of food in 5 minutes.
The other table that had food begore it had people, got dish after dish served while we were waiting.
Tu Lan has better service. -
Review from Jenny C.
5/12/2011
There are plenty of Vietnamese restaurants that serve delicious Pho in San Francisco. And while Tay Giang does offer good Pho, I come here mainly for the Tay Giang Charbroiled Pork. I was never as passionate about pork as I was about chicken or beef, that is, until I had the pork here. Now, I hold pork in the same esteem as beef and chicken. The nitrosamine laden pieces of pork are tender, moist, and most importantly, phenomenal tasting. The beef and chicken versions are equally well prepared but the unique taste of charbroiled pork makes it irresistible. You can enjoy this heavenly pork over vermicelli, over rice, or as an entree. Other favorable entrees include the Grapeleaf Wrapped Beef, the Sweet & Sour Catfish Soup, Clay Pot. The prices are quite reasonable compared to other places as well.
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Review from XYZ Q.
San Francisco, CA
8/11/2011
pretty authentic food, but the service was average...
1. when i called to make reservations, the guy didn't ask for my name or number or anything. i had to offer myself...so to make sure he would reserve the table for me properly
2. when i called again later to push the reservation by 30min. he again didn't ask for name, number...nothing
3. when we arrived, it took him a long time to give us hot tea.
4. after we ordered, the dishes all came at different times, so by the time we all started eating, some ppl's dishes were cold already
overall, authentic vietnamese service...reminds me of my experience while traveling in vietnam. hehe -
Review from Eileen L.
San Francisco, CA
10/31/2011
I've been waiting to try their catfish for a while now and I finally had a chance to try it today . Their catfish is alright but it isn't all it's hyped up to be . It could really use some more flavor because it's really missing some . The catfish is HUGE ... it probably can feed 3 people !! I love how the catfish comes with rice paper , vermicelli , and vegetables for you to wrap it up in a spring roll . The catfish tasted so much better wrapped up in a spring roll . I loved the few pieces of leeks that came with the veggies ... they were so yummy ! They tasted fresh and unique .... different from the leeks that came out of the can . I loved the dipping sauce they gave us for the spring roll . It tasted like a mix of vinegar , diluted peanut butter sauce , and some hot sauce ... very yummy and flavorful . The shaking beef really surprised me ... I didn't expect much but it ended up to be very yummy . I expected the beef to be overdone but it was actually cooked to perfection . The dipping sauce that came with the shaking beef was a little too lemon-y for my tastes . As my friend and I got further into our meal , I got tired of wrapping spring rolls so I just wet the vermicelli with the hot water and mixed it with the shaking beef , veggies , hot sauce , and the sauce for the spring rolls . It actually ended up tasting very delicious ... it was more delicious , less work , and less consuming for me compared to making the spring rolls . The soursop shake was pretty good .... the best I've had so far in the bay area . It was very fresh and just the right consistency . A lot of other places make their soursop shake very icy but not this place ... it tasted like they put little or no ice . Food is of good quality but still seems to lack something . Will be back to try more ...
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Review from Mark L.
9/30/2010 1 Check-in Here
You see that fred Catfish that is the default picture at the moment; that is the best fried Catfish I have ever had hands down, until this place closes or something comes along and takes the top dawg spot!
I have never ever had any Vietnamese fried fish, but I will definitely want to try more now because this stuff was so bomb! The place was pretty dead tonight, which was hella shocking since this place has been apparently open for awhile and the if the fish is this yum, where all the people at?! That's okay, it's probably better to keep it a secret anyway!
So glad that I was introduced to this place by friend's sister and her cousin. I definitely have a new place to pick up fish for a potluck and lie that I made it, only to reveal that it ain't Filipino fried catfish, it's a better Vietnamese one! The veggies they give you and the rice paper to eat it with is only the best way to eat it, screw all that steamed rice.
By the way, the pho place two stores up. That place sucks, don't go there! I won't say the name, but you'll know when you walk up Noriega.
