My coworker took me to Mifen101 for the first time a few years ago and I've loved it ever since. We…read morealways get a combo of the cucumber salad + tofu skin salad to start. For my main dish, my go to is Signature Beef Mifen Soup with mild spice level. The noodles are always cooked perfectly, soup is flavorful, and there's always plenty of meat and toppings in each bowl. It's a small restaurant with just a handful of tables indoors and maybe two small tables outdoors. They've gained popularity over the years so there may be a wait during prime lunch or dinner hours.

I have been here once a few years back, but this place has exploded in popularity relatively…read morerecently and I always see a huge line out the door. I finally got the chance to go again recently, but unfortunately I was honestly quite disappointed. The soup broth just didn't have very much flavor. It was very oily (which I didn't mind) but again, just not a ton of flavor. I did enjoy the noodles and the beef brisket fairly well. We also got the beef bun to share. I did enjoy the texture of the dough, but again, the shredded beef inside simply lacked a lot of flavor. The staff was friendly and we were able to sit down quickly (no line this time) but I probably wouldn't come back to be honest. Just didn't meet my expectations unfortunately.

When you sit down, the staff brings you water & you order via a QR code on the napkin box…read more I ordered the spicy ground pork dry noodles with medium round noodles and my friend ordered the Mala Spicy Beef noodles with large flat noodles. We also got the chili wontons & the garlic cucumbers. Our favorite items were hands down the wontons and the cucumbers. Both were incredibly flavorful & the wontons were so juicy! The braised beef chunks in the Mala spicy beef noodles were INCREDIBLE. I was a little jealous comparing it to the ground pork in my dry noodle bowl. All the noodles are made in-house and have a nice chew! The spicy ground pork noodles were yummy and I added chili oil (there is a condiment jar on every table when you dine in). I think I would order one of the braised beef soups next time since the meat is so good!

Seated very quickly on a Thursday night. It was loud and bright and crowded inside. Beef itself was…read moreflavorful, broth was lighter. The dry noodle dish was tasty. But for both dishes, the noodles seemed a bit undercooked / raw. I felt like there was a lot of potential here, but expected more. Still pretty solid flavors though!

I got the regular curry udon. solid portion for a quick sit-down lunch. waitstaff was super…read morefriendly and establishment was clean

We have always walked past this restaurant and watched it stay busy, especially since it arrived on…read moreCastro Street quite a while back. This time, I used the online Yelp waitlist option and was able to get in much quicker. We were offered bar seats right away, but since we wanted a regular table, we waited just another five to six minutes, which was not bad at all. The ambiance is warm and welcoming, and every time someone enters, the servers warmly greet them. Since it was our first time, the server took the time to explain the menu, which made ordering a breeze. Plus, the presentation of the food deserves a solid five out of five! Here is what we ordered: Tonkotsu Udon Deluxe (Large, Medium Spicy): The portion size is huge, and a regular size should easily suffice since I could not even finish the large. The pork kakuni (braised pork belly) was incredibly soft, tender, and packed with flavor, and the broth was really good. This deluxe version comes with everything in the regular Tonkotsu Udon plus pork belly: a rich pork and fish broth, three pieces of premium chashu, shrimp tempura (which I asked for on the side), a seasoned boiled egg, garlic, green onions, boiled spinach, fish powder, and tempura bits. Beef Sukiyaki Nabeyaki Udon (Regular, Mild): This includes sweet and tender beef, a poached egg, maitake mushrooms, onions, green onions, fish cake, and tempura bits. We actually felt the broth on this one was even better than the Tonkotsu. The beef was flavorful and an absolute delight to eat. Vegetable Tempura (A La Carte): Comes with sweet potato, eggplant, pumpkin, corn, maitake mushrooms, and broccoli. The absolute standout was the pumpkin because it was so sweet and tender. It comes with a lower-sodium, light soy sauce that makes dipping the tempura effortless and light. Hot Ginger Orange Sake: A lovely drink made with dried ginger, dried orange, and rosemary. The aroma of orange and rosemary was very calming, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Extras: They also provide a side of spice powder if you want to dial up the heat on your soup. Practical Details: Parking & Waitlist: Visiting on a Saturday means it gets very busy, and you will need to find parking before turning onto Castro Street. Joining the online waitlist ahead of time is definitely the way to go to make getting in smoother. Overall, it is a fantastic spot with wonderful service and incredible udon. We will gladly return!

Great food with good service, one of my favorite places for Chinese noodles. The portions are…read moregenerous, everything tasted fresh, and the staff were friendly and attentive. I'll definitely come back again!

Ordered the G7, very authentic,tastes very much like the one I had in Henan. Owner is very friendly…read moreas well!

Favorite malatang spot, hands down!! More reasonably priced for the quality!! There's never a time…read morethat I'm unhappy with the food. I will say that sometimes their broth is a bit spicier than described, so just keep that in mind! You can always spice it up with the sauce bar if it's not spicy enough for you. The service is usually fairly good. It's self serve while you build your bowl of toppings, most of the service is at the beginning then just refilling water and giving you a to go container. It gets pretty busy, so it can be noisy and a bit of a tight squeeze between tables. The wait isn't too bad though because there's a lot of tables!

Yum! Good thing I read all the reviews first. This was perfect for me and a lot of food. I may have…read moreover did it otherwise. My daughter couldn't resist trying everything and her mix dry pot was over two pounds. She took leftovers home. I selected 4 beef rolls, half a tube of soft tofu, two shrimps with the head, two lobster/crab fish balls, two types of mushrooms, baby bok choy, broccoli, and achoy. It came up to 1 pound 4 ounces and I selected the tom yum soup. It was a little salty but delicious and more than enough for one meal. I dipped it in chili sauce for added spice. There was a spice center with different spices, green onions, & sauces. It is one pound minimum for $14.99 lb. I was super full. Next time, I would take half of it home. Service was great. We walked up to sign in and they asked how many and gave us a table. We filled our bowls and someone was sitting at the assigned table. The cashier had someone move them so we were all good. The place is actually clean considering all the different bowls of raw ingredients to choose from. Tables were white with plastic orange/black bowls, chopsticks, and orange plastic spoons. It took less than 10 minutes for our bowls. Everything was hot & heated thru. They also refilled water. Employees weren't overly talkative but they were polite.

Street parking could be hard to find during lunch/dinner time, but they have a parking garage a bit…read morefurther away. Came on a Sunday lunch time before the rush. Got the string beans, stir fried rice cakes, steamed dumplings, their "secret menu" pork ribs, and pan fried dumplings. My favorites were the pork ribs and the pan fried dumplings. The pork ribs are in their yelp photos but not in the actual menu, but it can be ordered with the server if available. It was packed with flavors and tender!

Food 4/5 The steamed xlb here is really good in that they…read moremake it fresh and it's juicy with think skin, this is a must order! The Shanghai chowmein tasted like noodles coated in soy sauce and had very little protein, would not recommend. The spareribs was a recommended to us by the waiter and not on the menu but was the most terrible dish. The flavor was good but the meat was so hard and mostly bone. The last dish we ordered was the kaof gluten, this was a yummy cold appetizer and packed with mushroom. Service 5/5 The waiter was extremely nice and attentive, although there several times when they keep bringing the dishes to the wrong table. Ambiance 5/5 I like the ambiance in the restaurant. It gives off the nice, elegant, and vintage Chinese vibe that is perfect for a casual dine out. It is a tucked away on the further end of Castro and I like that there's no big crowds outside.

The place is nicely decorated, feels welcoming upon entry. Service is quick. I was approached by my…read moreserver as soon as I sat down. My food came out in the blink of an eye. I ordered Pho Thai and fresh spring rolls. Everything tasted fresh and portions were big. I recommend this place and plan on returning.

Literally just left this place i bought a large pho with cha gio. The soup smelled bad, taste…read moreunseasoned and with half of the bowl full of fat. Charged me 40 dollars for inedible soup. I don't post on this app because I feel like this app is easily corruptible. But pho Tran vu pissed me off so much with their service and bad pho. They got me posting a review on an app that I hate I wasted 40 dollars for food I barely touched.