The Mayflower Restaurant
Categories: Vietnamese, American (Traditional) [Edit]
1422 Ocean Avenue(between Granada Ave & Miramar Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94112 (415) 586-6061
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Breakfast
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
158 reviews
Neighborhood: SOMA
"Outside seating... Heat lamps... Good beer on tap... Divey... Good music... Pool table... I love this place..."
26 Reviews for The Mayflower Restaurant
I love this diner and the family who runs it. truly one of the few things I miss about San Francisco.
The French toast is the best I've ever had. The burgers are super burger-ific. The chicken noodle soup is comfort in a bowl. They'll even make birds in nest if you ask nicely.
I love counting the different colors and textures of faux wood paneling that holds the walls up here. I miss Sunday mornings at the Mayflower, may it never close.
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It's a bit dingy inside, but the people are real nice and the food is decent. The theme is mayflower, like the sailing ship back in Columbus's time. Anyway it was a decent mouthful of food, and I left full and without any stomach pains which is a good sign.
The French toast hit the spot and the omelette's are very tasty. Being right near my house, I'll want to go back there again soon.
It deserves three stars because it can use a little clean up and maintenance.
ok...so I don't HATE this place. But, I am a little peeved that I let my friend talk me into eating breakfast here.
The service was "ok"...it wasn't terrible. But, the chick serving us, kept asking if we were ready and that was annoying. I was with a friend that I don't get to catch-up with very often and we were gabbing and really enjoying each other's company. I was talking to her about my CHEATIN EX (Pooh) and she was telling me about her LOUSY LOW DOWN EX too. See where I am going with this?? It was bad juju for her to keep buggin' us.
Anyway, we finally decided on an order even though the place needs some paint and probably disinfectant really bad. Upon ordering, we expressed that we did NOT want runny eggs. We just don't like them.
So, we got our food and the eggs were burned...hella burned. Why is the solution for runny eggs to just burn the hell out of them? Whatever.
I kept having the nastiest burps for the rest of the day. My breathe was TART for the rest of the day and I kept wondering if I had swallowed a cock-roach hidden amoung my brown eggs.
I won't go there again. They can keep their burned eggs and pushy waitresses. ...and my CHEATIN' EX (Pooh....yeah that's the one).
Great diner with tasty food. I like that it's family run. Imperial rolls and pho are delicious. So is the French toast.
I Love ''MAY FLOWER", I've been going there for about 5 years, Ive moved around a few times within this time, but its always been close to home. The food is good, home like and of course reasonable anyone Ive brought, hasn't been disappointed yet. I agree with, not getting a check sometimes till you ask, but its because they like to let you relax.
Also it is family owned there all very, very nice. An the original manger "Kim", Has moved to manage another family restaurant, so that might be a part of it.
There good to me an always remember my name & yes my situation , an i appreciate the little things so ill always be back!
P.S., If you go on a weekend Brunch it will be a Little packed, they are under staffed an the place isn't to big, its a popular place after church in this area.
Decent old school restaurant in deperate need of a make over. They serve vietnamese food along with standard americal diner fare. I've only had the hamburgers which were good.
Nice family owned restaurant, comforting and affordable. My friend and I came here quite often after getting out of class. I literally ordered the same thing every time - The Mayflower Omelet with a Coke. It's quite a delight. Well, I broke my streak once, when I ordered pho. But I didn't quite like it at this particular place.
The atmosphere is kinda gloomy and depressing. But the great food and friendly service makes up for it. They don't accept credit - cash or ATM only. And for some reason, they never, ever bring me my check unless it's asked for..
Vietnamese + diner is what attracted me to this place. See, hubby isn't a big fan of Vietnamese food and I aren't always into diner grub. So, we decided to try this place with a friend and see if it'll make all of us happy.
We got there a little after 12 on Saturday and the place was packed! We ended up with the last table. The somewhat slow service was apparent when it took 5 minutes for us to be acknowledge and told we can have that table and another 5 before it was bussed. And it wasn't entirely bussed. See, we were where 2 tables joined up for 8 and we took one of those tables. The server removed the dishes off of ours but left the joining table alone.
Another 10 minutes or so passed by before our orders were taken. Pho for me and bacon mushroom cheeseburgers for the other two. Another 10 minutes went by before the coffee showed up. Now, I usually don't expect much when it comes to getting coffee at diners. However, this place has probably one of the worst coffee I've ever had. Fortunately, the food was better. I actually enjoyed the pho. The soup was quite tasty. The only complaint is that you get a very limited choice of beef. I usually gets the everything beef pho with like 6 types of beef products. Only 3 are offered here: rare steak (mine came out well done), well done flank steak and beef balls. My companions enjoyed their burger with good fries.
When we finished, the place was empty. We were the only ones left. Yet, it took the 3 servers working there another 10-15 minutes before bringing the check. No offense, but I really expect diner folks to work at a faster pace.
The food is good enough for me to come back. However, I have to be in the mood to put up with slow service, which is hardly ever. I would said 2.5 stars. Rounded it down because it's just not good enough to deserve 3.
One more thing, check your silverwares before using them. There were stuff stuck to the back of my coffee spoon....
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I love this place. They're sweet enough to remember your name, your face, your car, and your situation. Yeah, it's just a small diner that recently added some VietNamese selections to the menu, eclectic like that. Hey, diverse 'hood, diverse food, right? Can you dig an Imperial roll with your Denver Omelette with a side of grits? Don't be afraid of that VN coffee, y'all. That stuff is better than rocket fuel. No jitters. No worries.
The menu is inexpensive, simple, and just enough to get you going. Looking for ambiance, cloth napkins and a valet? Get the hell outta here!
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This place is nice. The food is mediocre, but they have a REALLY tasty french toast. It's different from anywhere else I have tried. The service is alright. Sometimes, it gets too attentive when you're the only customer in the restaurant. They just kept looking at us while we were eating. Strange feeling -_-"
It's good to eat there for breakfast and burgers for a quick meal for ya.
Fabulous, tasty, inexpensive and clean diner. Friendly, excellent service. Great Vietnamese and American fare. I have lived in the area for 2 years and I regret not going here before now. French toast is to die for.
I did take out here for some awesome lemongrass pork chops. A bit schiesty on the meat, but still filing. They're all friendly over here.
A dive. A back-flip, 3 1/2 somersault, quadruple gainer, hit your head on the bottom of the pool dive. Diner food in the a.m. and Vietnamese cuisine in the p.m., and anything goes at noon. Honestly, if they added a $2 "Remodeling Fund" charge to every bill, I would gladly contribute.
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May this place never die. One of the true jems of San Francisco. Classic coffee house look and feel, with classic coffee house food. They also serve pretty good Vietnamese food as well. Owners are very nice people, will remember your face after just one visit. Prices are decent, food is very good, people are nice, so that's 5 stars in my book.
As weird of a concept it may sound, it works. You get true diner food and a diner experience with the availability of authentic Vietnamese food. I dream about the breakfast food here-it's straight-up for reals and they give you pretty generous portions with diner prices. The wait staff if really sweet and this place has a lot of loyal regulars-you can tell. Everything about this place is diner until you see the Vietnamese portion of the menu. The people who own this place are actually Vietnamese-a good sign. I've only tried their pho and while it's good, the portions are small-the only downside. I guess you wouldn't come here solely for the Vietnamese food.
You know, it's decent for a Vietnamese/American place. I remember coming here a few years ago for the first time for a very late-in-the-afternoon breakfast.. my friends & I had major munchies & this was a local favorite for them.
I kinda forgot about this place until my buddy & I were searching for a joint to have breakfast at (other than MickieD's & whatever grub they serve @ CCSF..) during our morning breaks.. We've been here a few times already & my girl LOVES their pancakes. She's like, "Mmm! I taste coconut!" :) I'm glad she likes it. It's hard to satisfy her..
My only complaint is, GOSH do they have to be SO typical?! I mean, they're nice & all (to your face) but then they talk smack about people (the customers in view) in Vietnamese behind the counters & it really does remind my girl & I how much some Asian parents do that. Especially Asian women; like my mother; and her mother; and other Asian kiddo's mothers.
What a funky little place! Lemon grass chicken with french toast? Admittedly, the lemon grass chicken was pretty stellar. I can't say that it looked like the cleanest place around, but the food was good and the atmosphere is definitely quirky. Not sure I'd go out of my way to go back there but I wouldn't run screaming, either.
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Lemon grass chicken and pancakes? Wha? My cousin and his wife (and their ridiculously cute daughter) recommended this place for brunch. I swear I thought they were lying when they told me, "They serve diner food in the morning and vietnamese at night"...but it's true!
I had the french toast, which was seriously good, very fresh and not too eggy, served with real maple syrup. My boyfriend had the lemon grass chicken and pancakes--a very large breakfast! Their prices are great and the owners are super nice--they even made a special dish (scrambled eggs and avocado) for my lil' couslet. So nice! :)
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The people here are very friendly, food inexpensive, and tasty. I wouldn't try to impress a first date here, it's more of a comfortable spot for comforting food. The fried chicken, porkchops, burgers, and chicken sandwiches here are good. I'm pretty sure it's all one family who works here because you definitely get that feel. Which is refreshing especially if you are often at chain corporate ass restaraunts. I've also noticed it's been a neighborhood spot that is thought highly of by residents. I mention this because I remember a guy with his new wife talking to the waitress thanking her for what shes done for him in the past. He was telling his wife on how he used to go to the mayflower when he used to be homeless and was never mistreated or turned away. When I overheard that I was telling my boyfriend at the time how it seemed as the people here cared about their customers. That's what it seemed like to me anyway.
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The French Toast, Eggs and Porky Chops were so yummy. Especially the french toast! I see that some are saying its not the cleanest, eh, its cleaner than some of the other asian places in SF I had eaten at this past weekend (eg. D&A Cafe, drrrty)
At least this place had some good food.
I would definately go back again!
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(1.5 Stars) Man, this place is a local spot and is the reason why I support it...decent for a greasy, cheap breakfast. Although thinking about it...don't expect too much, even for that.
I'm pretty fond of this place. It's not the cleanest, but it has charm; contrary to most not so clean Asian run restaurants in this town, that are plain dirty, but lack charm.
The Pho is great, best broth in town. The breakfast is your common american eggs, bacon, pancakes etc. I've been there only once, but I pretty much enjoyed myself.
They're also one of the friendliest places I've been to in this city. If greasy, American beakfast and Vietnamese beef broth is what you like, then you should definitely give this place a whirl.
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I love this place. I go for breakfast about once a week to this family run diner. They serve cheap standard american breakfast and lunch plus vietnamese fare.
I don't agree with the other reviewer who claims that the place is dirty. Sure, the decor hasn't been updated and the wall decorations don't get cleaned much, but where it counts I see them clean all the time.
I also like their customer service: very friendly. The clientel is a great racial mix. I enjoy that everyone is represented.
I absolutely love this place! Their french toast is TO DIE FOR. Delicious! And their bacon is crispy and not oily. It's kinda like eating chips. The place is inexpensive and the main lady that takes orders is very nice.
Although, their vietnamese food probably isn't the best because my friend found an ant in her pho.
Where else can you have Pho (without MSG!) with a club sandwich on the side?
The neon Pho sign is what caught my eye, but what keeps me coming back is Lil' Kim cooks with fresh ingredients and she always remembers that I need scissors to cut up my noodles.
It gets really crowded on the weekends during breakfast time. And on the weekdays, it seems to be pretty popular among the City College kids.
It's a great little mom and pop place where you can find a decent breakfast and pho in one place. My brother and I enjoy going there because they have amazing pork chops and grits. The service is great (the ladies are very attentive and never leave your coffee cup empty!) and you can't beat the price! The ambiance isn't what this place is all about. It's a neighborhood restaurant that serves good food simple food at a great deal.
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