The ambiance at this place was really nice for the area it's in but the lighting was a little dark. The food was consistently good across everything we ordered and the service was great. Would recommend the Vietnamese coffee! read more

Bodega - Bun Cha - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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If you're expecting a typical Vietnamese restaurant, then you should not be coming here expecting that. they serve a more fusion style Vietnamese cuisine. Host was pleasant and nice. Server seems to hate the job and not wants to be there. We got the lemon grass chicken I give this 3/10. I highly suggest to pass on this one. The Bo luc lac "shaken beef", it is not your typical Vietnamese dish. The rice portion was more than the meat and potatoe itself. We literally got 5 piece of beef and like 13 piece of potato. It was like a 80/20 ratio. Maybe also due to that the meat was smaller cube size and the potato was cut a bit chunkier. They try to fill you up with the starch and make the plate seem more than what it is. If you get a regular shaken beef dish at other places, it's usually a lot of beef and bell peppers and even a nice salad to accommodate it. The beef tastes good for the 5 pieces they gave. But I rather would get the same meal for $22 at another spot and that itself will fill me up versus getting this for $26. Not worth it. The flavor of the dish was on point just not the portion and pricing on it. I don't think is fair. 6.5/10 Beef pho was really terrible. I never tasted pho like that ever before. Soup doesn't even taste like it's been cooking for hours with aromatics or even beef bones or onions and ginger. Taste like it came from a seasoning bag from a pho in a bag from the store and they strained it to get the impurities out and it taste like flavor Starnaise water. Or possibly made a couple hours from us receiving it. Again this is my personal opinion. 3/10 read more

I went here for a friend's birthday, and it was a private dining experience downstairs with about 30 people. It was an 8 to 10 course meal (couldn't keep track) and it was hands-down one of the most delicious meals I've eaten. Every dish was sooooo good and perfectly cooked. And we were at table full of foodies with super high standards. We were so impressed by it and it was so unexpected. It could've been a Michelin star rated restaurant because it was that good. read more

Bodega - https://topsoilcalconline.com/ - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

I have to be honest: I am not quite sure what all the hubbub about Bodega exactly is. Everything about my experience screamed "OK." The venue and atmosphere? OK. The service? OK. The food? Again, OK. I do like Vietnamese food, and everything here was competently and authentically made. The quality of the ingredients seemed pretty good: the rice was freshly made; the noodles were the right consistency. I was even pleased that the prices--although a little high--seem very much in keeping with such a pricey location. And yet, it was all a bit of a letdown. The plating and presentation were fairly minimalist--not in an artistic way, but in a "get it out as as quickly as possible" way. Tastes were agreeable and authentic, but not comparable to a small hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese spot that you might find in East San Jose or Oakland. If you are in the area, Bodega is certainly a reasonable choice. But compared to the embarrassment of good and cheap Asian cuisine around the Bay, I was thinking that it should have been more. read more

Always love the food here! Especially the truffle potato & steak, the beef tartare, and also the crab fried rice! The service is good, nothing super special but the food does come pretty fast. The environment is a bit on the smaller side, and it is located in the Tenderloin. Regardless, the food here is still really good and worth coming back to! read more

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Not in the nicest part of town in the Tenderloin, however the interior is nice. One of the best high end Vietnamese restaurants I've tried thus far in SF. For drinks, I got the Woke Up in Hanoi which was just the pick me up I needed because of the espresso. To share, we got the nem cha (cake cakes), Banh Cuon (one of my favorites), the Bun Cha (also a favorite - the noodles were very good, and this is like seared pork belly in a fish sauce like soup), mushrooms (so well done, it was buttery and tender) and Bu Luc Loc which were all extremely delicious. Will be back! Sadly they didn't have pho or soup noodles, so hoping their menu will rotate to be able to try it. read more

Fantastic food and drinks. Totally different from standard Vietnamese (and more $). Both are great. Really fun place to bring out of towners. read more

This place used to be good. Dinner a year ago was splendid. Weekend lunch, atrocious. There are good servers here or at least are okay, no qualms. You'll know real quick though if you don't get one of them. The actual disappointment is the food. The must avoid at absolute all cost: - Bo Ne - Ribeye Banh mi - Bodega Beef Pho The meh, let it ride: - Dry hu tieu - Sugarcane Juice - Viet iced coffee The yum, now this is the hype you came for: - Lemongrass Wings - Banh Cuon Everything above, that's me being conservative. Honestly only the wings were fire, get that. Let's breakdown the rest. Banh Cuon: Mid, but when everything else was cheeks this slid up. The Cha Lua if made in house, sucks. The banh cuon, is okay. The fish sauce, ehh if it was better would make it truly deserving of the yum tier. Viet iced coffee: They have their barista shaking it like a cocktail, cute... But really, no issues it's fine and worth picking as your drink for sure. Sugarcane juice: Tasty, glad they didn't mess that up Dry Hu Tieu: you know it's a problem when some of your noodles are dry/uncooked. Pull out some of those strands while your eating and you can still give it a pass. Best thing in the bowl, the fishcakes. Also bomb, their sauce to go with it. If the whole bowl was just this pho noodle + fish cakes + that sauce as sad as that would be, would make it a fire bowl yum tier. Everything else in that bowl is a crime. Dry drrry chicken, unforgettable whatever else was in there. The side of broth was cool, lighter broth than the banh mi's, guessing chicken pho broth. Bodega Beef Pho: What an atrocity. Others have complained about the soup broth not being hot. I'll exaggerate and say it was cold, the reality was that at BEST, it was luke warm. I'm talking when it hit the table I immediately give it the 1st sip and I don't notice the flavor I notice "why's this shit cold". The 1st theory is it got made and left on the counter, then brought to me much later. But then that wouldn't explain how until the last bite of pho, why was the meat still raw and never cooked through. As if, it wasn't hot enough to begin with..... What a mystery. Ribeye Banh Mi: yeah don't even call it a Ribeye that's disrespectful. Bread, old everything about it, pathetic. Left it sitting there along with the next dish below to pass on a message... Bo Ne: O.M.G. Actually this is the winner. For the literal worst, most disgusting, and embarrassing dish here. The worst Bo Ne I've genuinely ever had in my life. To this point I didn't think you could even mess it up. How do you manage to overcook the eggs, and also have the meat come out dry and rubbery. Like seriously and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, THIS WAS CHEEKS. Don't ever disgrace this dish again, fahhh outta here with that. Nah but all in all, ya come here if ya got that other agenda to fulfill iykyk but if not and you're genuinely those folks walking in line with no reservation wasting 30+ minutes of your life waiting, I feel bad for you cause it's not worth a second of that at all. I could say a lot more, but I'll keep it at that. Dinner is probably still fine assuming the night crew/chef steps up/switches in, otherwise just stick to the agenda and keep it moving. If you're genuinely coming here of your own volition, ooof. At least go for dinner service then different menu & ideally diff everything. read more

Bodega - Banh Cuon, not bad compared to the rest. - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The food here is excellent. Not your traditional Vietnamese pho joint but higher end with unique dishes and excellent flavors. Every dish that was curated by the staff recommendation was great. We let them pick everything based on our pallet preferences. Very accommodating. I have been meaning to come here for a long time and this place did not disappoint. Very warm and inviting. Full bar with excellent cocktails. High top seating and I hear there is a club downstairs. I also got a small sample of the excellent northern style pho ga. The broth is the best! read more

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Tuesday party of 2 11:30am, no reservation needed. Service: fast, attentive, friendly Nem nuong was just mediocre, nothing special. $21 Bodega pho was in my opinion was a bit overpriced; the amount of filet mignon was disappointing. Broth lacked depth/flavor. Dry Hu Tieu, was good with the chicken broth, shrimp, chicken and pork along with the sauce. Drinks: Calamansi sugar cane and Vietnamese coffee. The Vietnamese coffee was super creamy and strong. Sugar cane was super fresh and refreshing. Overall I think you're paying more for the ambiance. read more

Bodega - Dry Hu Tieu - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Bodega SF Came here hungry, left impressed (and slightly judgmental about caviar). Bac Luc Lac - 5/5 Absolute star of the table. Wonderful flavor, crazy tender, cooked exactly right. This is the order. Beef Tartare - 4/5 Tastes like fresh pho went raw and upscale. Clean, bright, and surprisingly addictive. Caviar - 3/5 Not bad, just not worth the price. Feels more like a flex than a must-order. Ambiance: casual, relaxed, not trying too hard. Easy to enjoy without feeling precious about it. Parking: yeah... it sucks. The area is annoying to get around. That said, they do have validated parking--$15 for four hours--which saves this from being a total headache. Overall: great food if you order smart. Skip the shiny extras, lean into the beef, and plan your parking ahead unless you enjoy circling blocks for character development. read more

It's got a nice atmosphere inside but the service is a bit off. We didn't get our food for like almost 30 minutes and we never were asked if we wanted more after. Waiter suggested good dishes. However if it wasn't for the chase reserve benefits it wasn't worth the price. The crab fried rice was overly salty left an after taste. Seabass was good and tofu eggplant was good but given the uneven service not rushing to go back. read more

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Service was pretty slow when I dropped in around 2 PM. The place only had a few people, but it still took about 30 minutes for my food to hit the table. I ordered the lemongrass pork chop with rice. The flavor was definitely there and really tasty, but unfortunately, it was served pretty much lukewarm. read more

I'm sure Bodega is a pretty happening place at night, but I came in for lunch on a Friday and it was dead. The food is good, and it's nice to have a more upscale Vietnamese option, but idk if this is the best Vietnamese food I've had. It was an overall above average experience. I had a long layover at sfo and decided to take bart into the city. Bodega is located just a couple blocks from the Powell station, so it was convenient and had good reviews. Why not check them out, right? I was seated quickly and given the lunch menu, which understandably is different from the dinner menu. I liked that they offered lunch specials in addition to the regular lunch menu, but thought that the lunch specials of a French dip and two noodle dishes (lo mien, to be exact) left a little to be desired. I had a hard time deciding what to get. The appetizers looked good and I probably should have gotten the crab deep fried spring roll thing and the meatball and pork belly. Idk or something else.... Things seemed very similar in some ways (like they all came with bun noodles). I ended up ordering a shrimp spring roll, which in Hawai'i would have been called a summer roll because it's not deep fried. I liked that you could order one at a time (at $5 per roll). I also got the rib eye sandwich French dip that was on the specials menu. I liked that the bread was soft and the meat was marinated nicely. I wish there were more veggies though. It was very meat forward. It came with a bowl of beef broth. Everything was good the service was patient and attentive. The food was flavorful. I'd want to try this place for dinner. Maybe next time I find myself on a 6 hr layover in sf, I'll be back! read more

Was able to enjoy a very fancy Vietnamese fusion cuisine here. Service was good, and the deemed lights and the cozy ambiance of the restaurant made the meal enjoyable. My favorite was the tuna tartare and the banh khot caviar. The taro chips for tuna tartare was great, and the harmony of the ingredients in banh khot caviar was wonderful. read more

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Came here for lunch. Got the Bodega beef pho, shrimp spring rolls, banh cuan and pandan almond spritz. All were good. Service was good. Overall solid. read more

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I had the spring rolls, meatballs, shaking beef, chicken rice, and one of the banh mi's. Oh and the mango calamansi drink. Ate in person on a weekday for lunch. Felt rushed to leave, even though food took a long time to come out. The rolls were forgettable, pretty bland. Chicken was cold, but the rice and broth were yummy. Had everything else packed up, but they forgot to give me my $30 meatballs! Very sad and disappointed when I got home. Tried calling multiple times, but did not pick up. If you're looking for authentic, reasonably priced, delicious, Viet food there's so much in the city. If you're visitting from out of town, you got a company card to use, you like a bland ambiance, and you're crunched on time, then I guess it's a convenient option. Really nothing special. read more

Bodega - Banh mi, Shaking Beef, Hoi An Chicken Rice, meatball - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Food was good/okay, and nothing special or mind blowing. Noodles were over cooked and salty. Really wanted to try the truffle crab fried rice, but they got rid of it and just had regular crab fried rice that was very mediocre. Drinks were good. read more

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The bun cha was FIRE. If you get nothing else, get the bun cha. I can see why this is one of their most popular dishes. Wrapped in lettuce the pork belly just melts in your mouth. Service was excellent, recommended this dish. Only thing I'm a bit annoyed about is that they charged me $3 for a few extra pieces of lettuce. Would not have asked for that if I knew it would be added to the bill. Other than that very nicely lit restaurant with great vibes. read more

Bodega - Bun Cha - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Ambiance: it's a modern Vietnamese restaurant located in SoMa area, convenient to public transportations and shopping centers Service: very friendly and patient with questions, provided useful suggestions and accommodated specific requests Food: their menu comes with shareable dishes, and noodles and rices plates BANH CUON - **** Vietnamese Rice Roll, Ground Pork, Wood Ear Mushroom, Fancy Pork, light taste and good with dipping sauce, recommend BUN CHA - ***** Heritage Pork Belly and Meatballs, Pickled Carrots and Kohlrabi, Vietnamese Herbs, very tasty and rich in flavors, highly recommend, a must-have here DRY HU TIEU - *** Shrimp, Chicken, Ground Pork, Fishcake, Garlic Maggi, Side of Chicken Broth, plain and lack of flavors SHAKING BEEF - **** Beef Tenderloin, Potatoes, Maggi Butter, tender and juicy meat, recommend Garlic Noodles - **** chewy and tasty, recommend Price: generous portions and a bit over priced, expect $40 per person read more

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I finally found a replacement restaurant for Ha Nam Ninh's #25 dry!! While Bodega's Dry Hu Tieu is super similar, the OG sauce had more crack in it. BUT this place still hits the spot if you're ever craving that dry pho. The only thing missing that I'd add would be a fried sunny side up egg. YUM. I will be back!! read more

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Bodega has been on my want to go list for awhile, and I finally got to try it when we were walking around Union Sqaure for SF tulip festival! We got the banh cuon, the pork chop with garlic noodles, and the Bodega Pho! The banh cuon, it's rice rolls filled with pork and wood ear mushrooms, bean sprouts, pork, and shallots. I love the flavor and texture of the pork! Bodega Pho comes with rare filet mignon, brisket, meatballs, rice noodles in beef bone broth. The flavor is good, and the texture of filet mignon is good as well, not overcooked! But it didn't come with bean sprouts, basil, and lime, which was a bit disappointing! But it did soothe my craving for pho. read more

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Wow, all the dishes were amazing. We sat at the bar & the bartender was super nice with great service, she was very friendly! We had 3 appetizers, & the flavors went so well together. The caviar went well with the shrimp, the Hokkaido uni was very sweet, & the seared beef was great with the pickled onions & fried shallots. The lamb chops were so tender & tasty, the squab was very flavorful, the crab fat fried rice was delicious & had a great mouthfeel, & the panna cotta dessert was perfect. The mushrooms were probably the best veggie dish I have had in the city, each bite exploded with flavor. I will for sure be coming back here!! All these dishes + 1 non-alcoholic drink came out to $260 before tip, the dishes were very reasonably priced! read more

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Highly recommend this place for upscale viet cuisine, the flavor of each dish was amazing. Great for ordering family style. They also have lots of cool viet-inspired cocktail flavors. read more

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Bodega in Union Square is a very popular restaurant. Both times I've visited for last-minute plans, never having a reservation. Both times I've been quoted 1.5+ hours of wait time for a table. My first visit, my friend and I decided to just order for takeout. During my second visit, we had some time so decided to just join the waitlist. I was called back in about 10 minutes, which was a very pleasant surprise. The inside of the restaurant has a nice ambiance with low lighting and staff here is nice enough. Recounting the dishes I've tried: - banh cuon - 4/5 this tastes exactly like how i remember it from childhood, make sure to ask for thai chilis on the side if you can handle spice - bo luc lac (shaking beef) - 5/5 the beef was cooked very well. the flavors of the dish are so buttery and delicious. the potatoes absorb the sauce the dish is cooked in very well and i couldn't get enough of them. this is definitely a modern take on bo luc lac, but is done in a fantastic way with fresh ingredients - pho - 3.5/5 it's off-menu, but sometimes they'll be able to make you a small bowl. the broth is pretty standard and the meat is what you've expect. no complaints. - dry hu tieu - 4/5 good flavors and came with a very light, refreshing broth like in traditional vietnamese restaurants - nem cua - 3/5 leaves a bit to be desired as the dish itself wasn't very substantial or well-seasoned. the crab flavor wasn't very strong. - banh beo - 4/5 the dried shrimp adds lots of flavor, no complaints here - braised tofu eggplant - 2/5 the flavors here were not at all what I expected. the seasonings, in my view, weren't bold enough. however, this isn't something i typically see or order from Vietnamese menus so I guess it's our fault for ordering it! I'm usually not a fan of up(per)scale Vietnamese restaurants, but Bodega is an exception for me. They give their dishes a modern twist, but respect the authentic flavors and forms. read more

Got the bun cha, banh cuon, spring rolls, and iced coffee. Portions were perfect for sharing between two and a good value for SF. Everything tasted fresh! Vietnamese iced coffee was perfectly balanced in sweetness. Service was okay. Took a while to get seated since there was a line and no hostess in sight, but we looked at the menu until she arrived. Couldn't really get a read on the hostess and she didn't seem too warm even though it was the start of the day. There was a ton of availability online so we decided to do walk-in since we were literally down the street. Hostess hesitated when we said we didn't have a reservation and didn't seem too pleased but she sat us anyway, so phew? Decor was giving mid-century modern and I go nuts for that, so that's a plus for me. Good for date night if you're near Union Square. read more

We went there after another event. We arrived pretty late, just before the kitchen was about to close, so we had to place our order quickly. The food turned out to be really good, and the staff was friendly. Even though it was late, they didn't make us feel rushed at all. The neighborhood wasn't the cleanest, but the restaurant itself was very nice inside. read more

Bodega - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Yummy! One of my first times at an elevated Vietnamese restaurant and I was blown away! The drinks were all delicious and the food was incredible. I went here about 4 weeks ago (oops, late post). The highlights were definitely the thịt kho mushrooms and tom rim tiger prawns. Both were super flavorful and perfect with a bed of rice. Outside of that, we also ordered the nem cua and banh khot (hold the caviar). Those two were also good! Honestly, I don't remember what drinks I ordered but both were great and well crafted. Overall, I really enjoyed my time here! The vibes were great and food were even better. It was on the pricier side, but I wouldn't expect any less for something so upscale. Service: 5/5 Food/Drinks: 5/5 Price: 4/5 Atmosphere: 5/5 read more

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OMG! Worth the wait, worth the hassle of the city. First of all...they are: * Well and reasonably priced. * Beautiful interior. * Bomb and delicious food and drinks (and wine)! Every single thing tasted and touched was amazing. I consider myself a pho lover and Connoisseur - their pho - my goodness, it's flavorful, fresh, amazing broth, meat and NEEDS almost NOTHING added. It may be theee best Pho I've had in the city (sorry Turtle tower). Bun Chua was also amazing. I gotta get back here. It's the spot. Drinks were GOOD. Waiter was pleasant, on his stuff. Just an all around amazing experience. I'll be back! read more

Believe the hype. Fantastic meal, friendly and knowledgeable staff. Highly recommend.

Disappointed beyond belief. Do better Matt Ho. Tell your hostess to greet customers with a smile and use polite customer service etiquette. We had chosen to dine in at Bodega, coming from the North Bay, about an hour drive, no reservations. Unable to score one on Open Table. So we thought we'd try our luck. Walking in at about shortly after 1pm, we figured we could be walk-in's. Neither did the hostess offer to be on the waitlist or acknowledge there could be available tables in the near future. The answer was NO. Witnessing plenty of tables needing to be bussed with potentially new open tables. The bussers were slow to flip the tables. The hostess never acknowledged soon to be availability. NEITHER WAS SHE FRIENDLY. We asked if we could sit at the bar. Subsequently, the hostess asked if everyone was over the age of 21. Of course we weren't. We had a toddler with us. What kind of condescending question was that? As a result, we decided to order TO-GO. $150 worth of it. All I have to say is, if an old Vietnamese grandma is NOT cooking in the background, do not eat here. Additionally, why did we get ONE soup spoon if we ordered (3) pho's noodles? SMH. What we got: First off, WHY was the Banh Cuon dish sour smelling? Disgusting. Are you serving this dish to 12 other customers? Do other customers not realize it once they pour the fish sauce over it? Either the rice noodle mix was from two days old or the wood ear mushroom mixture was left overnight and sat outside left to sour before serving to customers. Because there should be no reason there is a giant sour stench as soon as I open the Banh Cuon order. The only saving grace was we ended up waiting for our order next door at the hotel connected to the restaurant. The super friendly front staff at FOUND Hotel offered to let us eat at their second floor lounge. (Note, pregnant with a toddler and it was FREEZING on this 53 degree day on Black Friday.) I shared Bodega won't seat us or offer a table and we decided to order to-go instead. We were overly disappointed in the food. I shared with the company I was with, we would have been better off eating pho in the North Bay without the fancy price tags and it would have tasted 5x better. A Vietnamese grandma would have litmus tested the freshness of her ingredients before serving her customers. Clearly, whoever is in the back of the kitchen has zero clue when food is no longer allowed to be served to customers. Why? I can't explain that. I won't be back, that's for certain. Rude customer service from the hostess with a TUDE and sour smelling food has me staying far away. PS: I overheard the hostess complain to folks after us about how she had been standing for so long with no break etc. Not professional lady. Get a new job if you're unhappy. PSS: Prices in the menu does not reflect pricing on the receipt. The Pho Hanoi was listed for $21. Instead we were charged for $22. read more

Bodega - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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If you're ever craving cow, goat, or chicken, come to bodega because they have plenty of that. Pretty solid place to experience elevated Vietnamese food. We tried a LOT of their lunch menu items. Our top favorites were bun cha and nem cua. They were placed together so that we could make some wraps with the herbs and noodles from the bun cha dish. That sauce in the bun cha is liquid gold. And don't even get me started on that chargrilled pork belly and the meatball!! Our other favorite was the shaking beef. The beef literally melted in our mouths lol. We also ordered the wings and bo ne. They were alright. In the end, service was a bit slow to get our check for some reason. The table next to us for their bill. And by that time, we were done eating and purposely on our phones so they would come check in on us. But that didn't happen. It was weird since the hostess lady glanced over at our table and didn't think to check in? Food was amazing! Definitely want to come back to try the dinner menu. read more

Have both dined in and ordered takeout from here many many times and so pleased with the quality of food and consistency!! Truly everything I've tried has been good--so fresh, well prepared, and so much flavor. I especially love: --The pork chop with rice: the sauce and flavor in this is perfection, it's super savory with just the right amount of sweetness and then comes with fish sauce to balance it all out --banh cuon: just so comforting, flavorful, and delicious. The texture of the rice rolls is perfect--soft but not mushy at all and the filling is so flavorful and well done. read more

This place was super busy for lunch, but it was worth the wait. The restaurant is very nice and has an impressive inside. The beef pho was packed with protein!! It was delicious!!!! read more

Bodega - Bodega Beef Pho - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Nice location close to Union Square. Inside is clean and comfy. The restroom was clean looking but smelled a little like someone missed the toilet on multiple occasions. We had reservations so it was nice to be readily seated when we walked in. People that came in afterwards that did not have reservations either had to sit at the bar, wait for something to open up, or order take out. Looks like it gets busy regularly, so reservations highly recommended. We had ordered four dishes (with a fifth accidentally delivered to our table). 1. The Canh Chua Chilean Sea Bass was the best (and most $$$) of the four, but it was worth it. A great subtle fish flavor while the meat was tender and melted in our mouths. Definitely recommend. 2. "Tom Rim" Tiger Prawns. Can't go wrong with them. 3. Crab Fat Fried Rice. Nice bits of crunchiness. Being used to Canton style Chinese fried rice, it was a little too dry while I was also hoping for a little more flavor (Oyster sauce anyone?). 4. Braised Tofu Eggplant. Pretty good with very subtle flavoring. The tofu was very fresh and you can't go wrong on Eggplant. Seemed like something I could make at home, just not as fresh. All in all, pretty good dinner. Note: if you are a Chase Sapphire card holder this restaurant counts for their restaurant credit (as of Dec 2025), it will you save you $$$. Just use their portal to make the reservation to get the credit. read more

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We were in town on Monday 10/27/25 for a show at the Warfield Theater on Market Street and arrived early, so we thought to get some lite bites and drinks before the show. After wandering around the area (which was pretty dingy, shady, and bleak), we happened on Bodega, which seemed pretty warm, clean, and inviting, so we decided to give it a try. Here is my experience. First of all, the space is very nice & cozy. They use a lot of warm wood & dark earth colors in their decor. It's a fairly large restaurant, with a long bar, some booths, a larger banquet table up front for 8-10 people, and other assorted tables for smaller parties. We were only two, so we were seated in a nice, isolated space away from the bustling bar and main dining area. The restaurant is quite loud & very busy. This is always a good sign, and it was fairly early (around 6pm), so I can only imagine thet it stays consistently busy throughout the night. Patrons were very dressed up, either just having gotten off of work, or also hitting the night on the town. Table was comfortable, seats were nice, and everything was nicely laid out and candlelit. This almost felt like fine dining. Around the restaurant are vintage pictures of San Francisco in the early-1900's, a nice touch. Glowing, artsy, and modern light fixtures adorn the space and provide a nice warm tone against the dark wooden decor. But, it was really loud & busy, and [almost] difficult to hold a quiet conversation amongst the excited crowd. I browsed the extensive drink menu and opted for a Lucky Buddha beer, their selection is quite extensive and offers some rarer alcohols, beers, and cocktails from around the world. Each was nicely described and priced fairly. Didn't want to go too crazy with the drinking, as I was going to be also drinking at the show, so I just stuck with the beer. The dinner food menu offered some interesting & adventurous & appealing choices, but both of us being vegetarians, we had limited (yet delicious) options. Some of the meat, poultry, and seafood selections had my mouth watering just reading their description, but I stuck with the non-meat options. We went with the Thit Ko Mushrooms with Maitake & Eringi mushrooms and the raised Tofu Eggplant with perilla and vegetarian oyster sauce. Everything was delicious, tasty, and had delicate and subtle interesting flavors. Service was professional, efficient, quick, and attentive, despite the swelling crowd that was descending upon the restaurant for dinner & cocktail time. Everyone working here stopped by our table multiple times to check up on us as well as to ask about our experience. Top notch service here. Bartender was busy but hospitable & conversational. The rest of the staff were very approachable & well-trained/had knowledge of the menu & its offerings. Host was overwhelmed, as expected, but less social and enthusiastic as the rest of the staff. In fact, he seemed pretty cold and artificial, but I guess his primary role is to greet, seat, and thank you for your patronage. But I couldn't help to think that this restaurant could benefit from a warmer, more engaging person as you first & final impression of your dining & drinking experience. All in all, a good choice to come here. I enjoyed the sanctuary of dining & drinking in a cozy, clean, and fun space, despite all of the chaos that was going on outside around the Civic Center, Market Street, Union Square, and Tenderloin neighborhood. Felt like entering a refuge coming in here after walking through all of that strange energy! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone coming into town for entertainment, shopping, tourist activities, or just looking for a place to hang out with friends, family, and co-workers after a long day. The final bill was also very fair, considering all the factors of the quality of food, the level of service, the wonderful ambience, and the large amount of lovely space which probably isn't very cheap in terms of rent. 4-stars for the food, drinks, service, ambience. Only took away 1 star for the cold reception & departure from the host/greeter, as well as the absolutely loud noise level of the interior. But with throngs of hungry, thirsty, and eagerly social patrons descending upon this place for dinner time, I guess that those negatives aren't really a bad or negative thing. This, and it was only a Monday night. This place must really rock & roll on a Friday or Saturday night! read more

Bodega - Entrance & host/greeter & waiting area - Vietnamese Near Me - San Francisco, California

We didn't know what to eat in San Francisco and found this place that was close to our hotel. We came here with no expectations and were sooooo glad to pick this place for a Saturday night! First, this restaurant is really popular. So be ready to wait for a while on a weekend night. Everything we ordered here was impressive! From the appetizer to cocktails, we enjoyed every single dish. My husband loved bo tai chanh (the filet mignon dish) because there were so many layers of flavors involved. It tasted really citrusy and herbal. I personally liked the prawns, which were fresh and chewy. The waiters and bartenders here were all super friendly and gave us some great recommendations. It was such a wonderful dinning experience! read more

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Delicious beyond measure. I love the rare steak pho and super love the chinese donuts they serve along side the soup. Yum!

Very disappointed with my experience at Bodega Restaurant in SF. I ordered the dry noodles, and honestly, it was terrible. The dish had mostly noodles, only two shrimps and a few slices of cucumbers, and the flavor was not good at all. Paying $19 for such a small amount of toppings felt unbelievable and completely not worth it. Also, the sugarcane drink cost $7, but the cup was super small. For the price, I expected much better quality and portion size. Overall, this place was a huge disappointment for me. Definitely not worth the money. Sadly, I would never come back and would not recommend this restaurant to my friends or family. read more

I've been here twice now and enjoyed both experiences! We had reservations the first time (highly recommend having one bc it gets packed!) and the second time, came shortly after they opened and snagged first come first serve seats at the bar. Between the two visits, I've tried quite a few of their dinner dishes, but I'll just touch upon my latest visit since it's fresh in my mind. I loved the bahn cuon and the bun cha. The texture of the rice roll on the bahn cuon was perfect, and all the ingredients taste super fresh! And for the bun cha, I especially love eating it "lettuce wrap" style and dipping it into the sauce. While the caramelized sauce on the tom rim tiger prawn was good, the prawns were on the dryer side, slightly over cooked. As for dessert, I could eat the hojicha panna cotta to myself! Sooo delicious and refreshing! Great place for date night, girls night out, etc. Service was friendly and I always feel a little bad sitting at the bar when I'm not a dinked, but the bartender was so kind and did a great job explaining the food to us! I notice they have quite a few regulars too which is always heartwarming to see. read more