i had been wanting to try sobakatsu for awhile, and i did not realize it was such a small…read moreestablishment. it only seats 11 -- two 4-tops and three bar seats -- so be ready to be in close quarters with other patrons! the entire restaurant is self-serve with clear instructions in the front. find a table, order from the tablet, pick up your order once your number is called, and clean up after yourself after your meal. because of the limited seating, be prepared for a wait. from the time when i arrived to when i received my food was about 40 minutes. the decor, setup, and entire ambiance made it feel very authentic. while i've never been to japan, this is certainly what i would imagine a soba shop in japan to be like! there is also soba-yu on the side to enjoy as a hot drink or to pour into the cold concentrated soba after. this is a very unique thing that i've never seen at other japanese places. now for the food! i ordered a hot soba with assorted tempura, which came with 1 jumbo shrimp, 3 normal shrimp, 1 yam, 1 mushroom, 1 shishito pepper, and 1 imitation crabmeat. the tempura was light and not too doughy. perfect for dipping in the broth! the soba noodles were absolutely delicious in texture and taste, and the broth was perfectly seasoned. as garnish, there is a fish cake, yuzu, and some leafy vegetables which i thought was a great touch. i also got surimi as a side, and this blew me away. it came with four assorted surimi -- mushroom, shrimp, corn, and vegetable. all were incredibly yummy, flavorful, and amazing. i highly recommend sobakatsu and can't wait to come back. next time, i'll come right at opening to ensure i don't have to wait! thank you for the wonderful meal!

I came here on a rainy Saturday about 30 minutes before opening and was able to make it in the…read morefirst wave of seating since we were the second party. They open right at 12, and you put in your order on the kiosk before taking a seat. We received our food after about 20 minutes of our order. Overall, the soba was refreshing and the tempura was light and crispy! The noodles were very fresh and the texture was perfect. I enjoyed the whole experience, but I don't think it was necessarily anything super special or worth any longer than an hour wait, personally. There was a long line after we left, so we definitely felt a little rushed to finish our food and leave to make room for others to dine. It is indeed very tiny (literally 11 seats).

best duck noodle ever, must get the wonton duck noodle with warm soy milk, and the fried wontons…read moreare great

southeast asian approved! I got the house special noodles with mee pok (wide egg noodles) and added…read morewontons (+$2) and it was so comforting! what's pictured is only half the serving (I saved half for another meal). the staff were friendly and efficient, and offered to cover my soymilk tightly when she noticed I was biking. the noodles came with plenty of ingredients, and a huge bowl of warm soup. the hot soymilk was sweetened and reminded me of home :") highly recommend for comforting and satisfying noodles!

Really good! Very flavorful and awesome service. Visiting SF, there is a lot of restaurants to…read morechoose from and Ben Thai is definitely worth it. I liked the ambiance and music.

Back again. Happy…read more"Mother's Day, to all MOMs! We celebrated with mom and family with a small gathering. Ben Thai Cafe Server - Amp T, she was very quick in helping us find the best dish and drinks that would match our meal. Hot Sake Ginger Mimosa Singh a Beer Barebottle IPA Fresh Roll - Tofu Garlic Duo Jasmine Rice Pad Thai - Veggie Gra-Prao Fried Rice - Extra Spicy The deco is alway so relaxing with all the beautiful art work on the walls. You must visit.

I saw many were able to park right outside of the restaurant and it is walkable from Union Square…read more If you are walking and first time SF, the area may feel a little sketchy especially after sundown. I was by myself and wanted to have a quick eat. This place has unique ramen so I decided to come again (also SF/bay area only in the US). Since I was alone, I got to skip the line and only waited 15 minutes. The ramen was great. I would love to come again and try new one. Their duck chashu is SO GOOD. A little salty but works great as a whole. I respect the kitchen and servers because it's so busy and they are very efficient.

We visited Mensho Tokyo SF for our Mother's Day celebration after hearing so many great things…read moreabout the ramen, and we were genuinely excited to try it for the first time. We were a large group of 15, including several kids, and we completely understand that the restaurant is small and accommodating a group our size can be challenging. We waited in line for almost an hour with around 6 children. During the wait, a staff member named Sue came outside, asked how many people were in our group, and handed us menus. Since it was our first visit, we were naturally asking questions and trying to understand the menu. Unfortunately, throughout the interaction, her body language and expressions felt impatient and unwelcoming. There was visible frustration and eye-rolling, which made us feel uncomfortable rather than welcomed. Even after we were seated, the experience continued to feel tense. One of the toddlers in our group started crying briefly -- something fairly common with young children -- and we were told to "keep it low out of respect." While we absolutely respect other diners, the way it was communicated felt lacking in empathy, especially on a busy Mother's Day with families dining out. A small gesture of kindness or understanding could have gone a long way. Instead, my friend felt compelled to take the child outside, which was disappointing. Additionally, after being seated, we had to remind the staff multiple times to come take our orders. What makes this especially unfortunate is that the ramen itself was truly delicious and lived up to the hype. The food was excellent, which is why this experience was so disappointing overall. I hope management takes this feedback seriously because customer service and hospitality matter just as much as the food experience. Unfortunately, this was not the ideal way to end our Mother's Day celebration.

Came here at around 6 PM on a Tuesday and got seated immediately! It got busier about 10 mins…read moreafter. Super cute & decorated inside, and staff was so nice! Okonomoyaki tater tots - 8.5/10 from a potato lover!! This does have some sort of cheese on it so beware if you don't eat it Hamachi Hand Roll - 9/10 SO GOOD. I think the rice is mixed in with soy sauce. It was super flavorful which I wasn't expecting Scallop Hand Roll - 8/10, the yuzu on top was absolutely delicious & scallop was very soft. Kobe Skewer - 7/10, it was good but nothing extraordinary. It'll hit the spot if you like meat skewers Yuzu Tori Skewer - 7/10, same as the kobe skewer, but the yuzu on top was delicious Niku Ramen - 8/10, good portion & very very flavorful. I'm glad that they gave a lot of meat in this. I shared this & they provided an extra bowl without me asking :) It's also not super spicy. Hokkaido Milk Pudding - 8/10, the pudding itself was so good but the sauce was a little too sweet for me. However, my partner has a sweet tooth and loved it :) Will totally come again, everything was so yummy and so glad to have tried it!

I had no idea how popular this restaurant was when I made the reservation. I was just craving…read moreJapanese food and wanted to try somewhere new with friends. When we arrived, there was already a long line out front, which set the tone. The place is small and intimate. The food was out of this world. I got the pork belly skewers, mushrooms in truffle sauce, a unagi hand roll, and a shrimp tempura hand roll. All of it was excellent, but the mushrooms and pork belly truly stood out. Every dish felt like it was made with deep care and intention. Our server was attentive throughout. We had a fantastic time. Definitely make a reservation before you go!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Extremely solid food, we ate vegan today and the vegan shaken beef was such a fun eat (the potatoes…read morewere the perfect crispiness on the outside and fluffiness on the inside). Also the food was hot, fresh, and fast! The servers were super nice and kind and knowledgeable. Also it is such a cute relaxing cafe style vibe on the inside, definitely coming again!!

Went with a friend for lunch on a Saturday and there was zero wait, though finding parking can be a…read morepain in the Polk Gulch neighborhood. The interior is nicely decorated and transports you to Vietnam, and they have windows that extend outwards which opens up the space, and is especially nice on a bright sunny day. Pros: . Food was delicious and authentic! Great Viet spot in the city without having to go down to SJ . Serving size is large! I'd recommend splitting an entree between two people unless you're especially hungry Cons: . Service is really slow; Once I got my food they ignored me, so I didn't get water refills often and you have to hunt them down to get the bill . Pricey! Each item is around 30$ each. I think I'd be happier with less food for a fraction of the price.

The food was too good and I forgot to take a photo honestly so here's a photo of my friends one…read moreafter she ate. (Literally giant servings) Sometimes longer lines and you may have to sit at the community table. Service is pretty order and then get your items in 10m as expected. Ambiance tends to be lots of small tables talking and chatter but also efficiency rather than sitting around. Their Pickled vegetables are also awesome and good bite of crunchy and flavorful

In the area, found the high rating ,but fell short…read more Two of us ordered: spicy beef noodle $17.95 dan dan noodle $17.95 seasonal vegetable $9.95 Soup did not have much flavor. Noodles overcooked. Meat on the beef noodle was kind of wild. Essentially all bone, nothing to even chew off. Veggie also did not match the one in the picture. Overall, not the best experience. Portion wise, they do give a lot of noodles? But that's about it. Maybe we ordered the wrong thing..not sure we would be back. On top of it all, 3.5% mandate tax :/ Street parking only.

Everything about this place was outstanding. The atmosphere, staff, and food…read more I would like to say our waiter Richard was fantastic. Very polite and attentive to all our needs and all around great human. I will definitely be eating here again. May even move from the east coast just to partake in the delicious cuisine as often as possible.

Always On! She is great! She is wonderful and very helpful…read more Udon is . For sure will come back again!

We love the food and the service here. it's one of our favorite restaurants in our neighborhood.read more

Tried Dumpling Story for lunch and enjoyed this spot! Was seated right away and ordered the pig…read moreear, green onion pancake, xiao long bao, dan dan noodles and fried dumpling. Everything was good and I'd definitely come back. Our server was also attentive. -pig ear: crunchy and had good flavor -green onion pancake: thin and crispy, it wasn't oily or heavy -beef xiao long bao: I liked this compared to your usual pork version, was filled with a good amount of soup as well -pan fried dumpling: this dumpling was on the heavier side with thicker skin so I only ate one. it was tasty but I'd want to try a different dumpling next time -dan dan noodles: yummy and light, I liked the smooth texture of the noodles

We came to Mashita Galbi Jim on a Sunday and were the first in line. We were anticipating long wait…read moretimes after having tried to eat here a few times before. If you're not able to squeeze into the first wave, the wait is upwards of 2 hours! FOOD: We ordered one galbi jim with extra noodles and rice cakes and a separate garlic noodles for a party of 5. While we initially thought we could finish two galbi jims, our server cautioned us against it, referencing the healthy portion size. We were glad we took her advice because everyone was stuffed by the end of our meal. Their galbi jim was flavorful, with extremely tender beef and chewy rice cakes. We ordered the lowest level of spiciness and while there was still a kick, it was extremely manageable. SERVICE: We were the first to be seated and our galbi jim took almost 20 minutes to come out while others waited even longer. However, they comped our garlic noodles and apologized for turning waits. Overall, I'd definitely return if I'm able to get into the first wave of seating.

Came here on a Friday night at 7:30. Had to wait about 30-40 min for 2 seats. The restaurant is…read moresmall so unless you have a 4-6 person party, expect to be seated side by side other parties. Typically what I saw was they do waves of seating and ordering so if you aren't there right at open/when they fill up, plan to write your name down and grab a drink nearby. Once we got seated, they were pretty prompt to give us utensils, napkins, cups, and water. The two of us shared the Braise Beef Galbi Stew. It's more than enough for 2 people to go home in food comas (with some food remaining) and for 3 to be sufficiently full. If you have big eaters, order an app alongside if you have 3 people. The Galbi stew was exceptional. I liked that they had various levels of spiciness. We went with spicy and it had a nice kick that elevated the dish for me. The beef was very tender and flavorful and the veggies and rice cakes soaked up all the juices. And the cheese was so stretchy! I'd actually rank this place slightly above Daeho given the shorter wait, the quality, and the price. I'll be back for sure.