Simple Homestyle Cantonese Food at Reasonable Prices in a Small Cafe. Professional Chef who can handle special impromptu requests. Handicap parking at the bank and diagonally across the street. read more

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Of all the local San Francisco Chinese restaurant staples, Noriega has my heart for their lovely service, cozy small interior and delicious food! Noriega does something that others don't do with their Chow Fun upon recommendation (Based off my initial experience as I'll write another one upcoming for my most recent endeavors here) We were immediately seated by a sweet lady that was very accommodating. From soups to rice noodles to chefs specials, everything was satisfying to the tea. On to the review....... House special chow fun (with gravy if you ask for it) THE AMOUNT OF TLC THAT WENT INTO THE WOK. This noodle dish was made with a labor of love. I usually will always order chow fun but Noriega sets the bar for the best with its saucy, wet stir fried goodness. Ask for a bowl of rice to savor in the remaining sauce after cleaning up this dish Corn & chicken soup WOW!!! Very akin to Chang's kitchen with a more hearty eggy flavor (imagine flavor profile of an egg drop soup) paired with the sweetness from the corn. I recommend adding a bunch of white pepper to really enhance this soup this soup Chefs special: sea food egg tofu sizzling WOWWWW the soft tender jiggly egg tofu with a delicate fried texture paired with fresh pieces of calamari, a sweet glaze sauce..... a flavor bomb everywhere. Easily shareable with a party of 2-3 read more

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A traditional old school cantonese style neighborhood Chinese restaurant, these used to be the staple of Chinese restaurant in the bay area back in the days. It always amazes me the variety number of dishes the kitchen can deliver! Sadly, these type of restaurant are a dying breed, especially in the south bay. We were lucky enough to stumble onto this place after the place across the street couldn't handle the customers, and man it was a great meal. We got the yin yang fried rice, fried vermicelli, a lamb stew, steam chicken, and etc. All the food was authentic and tasty, huge portion, good price! The waitress is super nice and friendly! Definitely will go back when we are in the area again! read more

Noriega Cafe - outside - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Very authentic Cantonese style restaurant with super friendly "auntie" staff. You feel right at home once you walk in. Every dish we ordered is delicious and with so much "wok hey", you don't see this often anymore. They have a special now for ordering over $80 and get a free half of chicken dish, which makes this place even more homey! read more

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My family and I used to come here all the time! We love the food here! The last two times that I came, I felt like the food was quite flavorless. Four stars because the waitress is super super sweet! One of the nicest waitresses that you could ever encounter! read more

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This was a swing and a miss for me. I'm not a Sunset resident, so I'm not in the market for an all-purpose Chinese restaurant close to my home to satisfy periodic hankerings for familiar dishes like beef chow fun and mapo tofu. I came here specifically to try just one of their signature dishes, the $16.95 Steamed Half Chicken with Ginger, because I'm always on the hunt for the most delicious version. It's a small place, and I was just one of three customers when I arrived after the lunch hour. Their menu was quite extensive, and frankly, if I was part of a big group, I would've welcomed trying their traditional slate of Cantonese dishes. As a solitary diner, I knew it would be challenging to order a dish for one, and I was right. The platter of chicken was huge and laid out in spatchcock fashion (Photo 6). It was laminated in what I believe was sesame oil, but the texture just wasn't right. Although the dark meat was fine, the white meat was just a little too chewy to satisfy. For variety, I definitely needed the $2 bowl of white rice (Photo 8) and the complimentary house soup (Photo 7). I'm not sure I'd come back for the steamed chicken, but there are plenty of other choices to consider if I was so inclined. FOOD - 3 stars...steamed chicken not quite executed properly AMBIANCE - 3 stars...a bit closed-in where I was seating SERVICE - 3.5 stars...efficient, not ignored TOTAL - 3 stars...need to try something else if I'm in the area RELATED - Exploring the Sunset? Here's a collection of places l've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/02wYmHE0BT read more

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Oh my goodness! Talk about great value for large family sized portions! Came by for dinner and scored a table for 4 at about 6:30pm. While their restaurant is not huge, it is clean and has a clean restroom too. We ordered the following: Sampan porridge (L)- good flavor and def enough to feed a family of 4. I was expecting a med sized bowl but boy was I wrong! It was loaded with plenty of protein and we had leftovers Chinese donut- perfect flavor and texture Mixed vegetables- loved the amount of veggies given and their tofu was delicious! House special thin noodles- This came as a free item and kiddo loved it!! Seafood pan fried noodles- loaded with plenty of protein and crispy texture Beef stew wonton noodle- A lot of meat given and about 6 wontons. This was a solid dish! Pork chops- Was supposed to be salt and pepper but I opted for them to omit the pepper for my kids' sake. A great dish! I loved that their food was not overly salty and tasted good. The one employee working was amazingly fast, efficient, and made sure every table was taken care of. So miss this type of hidden gems! read more

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Stopped by on a Sunday morning just in time for their lunch special. I came after the gym so I was absolutely starving and wanted some home-y, filling Chinese food. The nicest lady was working the front trying her best to get to everyone balancing takeout, dine in, and assisting the kitchen while handling incoming phone calls. Seems like a lot of people order takeout with some even placing orders for party trays of food. I got the lunch special with tofu and cod fillet. At the low price of $14.99, I thought it was quite a steal! I also got a string beans to fulfill my veggies for the meal. Overall the tofu and fish could use more flavoring and the green beans can be cooked a bit longer but both I felt were pretty good in general! I would definitely come back read more

Noriega Cafe - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Ordered the chicken and mushroom congee for a friend who was sick and she loved it! Also ordered the Chinese donut as well and it was tasty! I ordered for myself the scrambled egg and shrimp over rice. Delicious! Everything is tasty and they provide a lot. Definitely recommend and the server is so sweet. Very friendly and welcoming. read more

My family and I's go to spot for yummy Chinese food for dinner! There food isn't oily/heavy which is why we like it. The one and only waitress there is super sweet and attentive. We always love getting their clay pots and fried fish or fried pork chops. If you order over $80, you can choose an item that is less than $16? and have it for free! We always get their chicken as it's always cooked perfectly and the soy sauce they have it in is super good & savory. read more

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3.5 stars. Cozy mom-and-pop shop with an extensive menu of Chinese favorites. We ordered BBQ Pork Fried Rice which was flavorful enough that it didn't need soy sauce; Pan Fried Noodles topped with chicken, carrots, & bok choy; & Chongqing Deep Fried Chicken with a breading that was a little thick but had a good, spicy flavor. They use quality meat, as well. First time here & I didn't feel that immediate affinity for their specific flavors; however, I'm open to returning, perhaps with a bigger party -- all the better to sample more from Noriega Cafe. Friendly service from the sweet lady helping us. They seem to fill a lot of to-go orders, but she also kept her attention on the few parties dining in. read more

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My first visit and I'm surprised that I never came here sooner. They've been here for almost 5 years. All tables were taken when we arrived at dinner time & it was a short wait for a table. There was a stream of pick up orders, so it definitely must be good. It's a small place, less than 10 tables and 2 of the 10 are for larger parties. It's brightly lit and our server was super friendly and really engaging in conversation. We ordered family style and got sesame chicken, black pepper beef and spicy pork and string beans. The portions were large, we had leftovers to take home. The sesame chicken was crispy and the sauce wasn't overly sweet. The spicy pork & string beans was my favorite dish--while it was noted be spicy, it wasn't at all. The beef was tender and flavorful. This will definitely be my new family favorite. read more

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Chose this small place searching for some Cantonese food for lunch and was pleasantly surprised at the generous amount of what I ordered along with the complimentary soup and hot tea. Total for everything was $14.95 before tip. Service was quick and was in and out in 50 minutes. read more

Noriega Cafe - Singapore pan fried noodles with shredded pork and sautéed shrimp - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Don't know how I've never eaten here before . Read all previous 4/5 star reviews and I say ditto !! Large quantity. Delicious meal. Friendly server . The place does soooo much take out too. Few tables so go non busy meal times ! Wish I lived closer . read more

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Amazing service with great food The mongolian beef, fried rice, and the chow mein are my go to! the lady is ALWAYS THE SWEETEST

Cute and cozy restaurant on Noriega with an extensive menu and friendly service. We tried the salted fish & chicken fried rice and sweet & sour pork--both dishes were ready very quickly, quite tasty with generous portion size. Overall 3.5 stars--solid option in the Outer Sunset neighborhood! read more

Noriega Cafe - Sweet & Sour Pork - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I really wanted to like this place because of the number of good reviews and the very sweet waitress. However, everything didn't meet my expectations. The fried rice was bland despite having salted fish in it. The walnut shrimp wasn't crispy, and I didn't like the bed of styrofoam-looking noodles. The chicken was also not good or crispy. The pumpkin was crispy and had a strong salty flavor, which is an acquired taste for sure. It was still good when reheated in the air fryer. read more

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Noriega cafe is on our regular rotation of restaurants! We don't come here for bbq meat, because that's not their specialty. Only restaurants that have ducks hanging at the window are where you should order bbq items. We've been coming here for over a year and the food is consistent! The ladies here who take orders and serve are nice and accommodating. The place isn't huge, but we always get a table. They mainly have take-out orders rather than people who dine in. Our latest dinner was delicious and hit the spot for me to update my review. ***OUR PICKS*** SALT AND PEPPER SPARERIBS ~ one of the best we've had in a long while! Crispy batter and tons on the plate. Lots of flavorful without being too salty. And bf loves the jalapenos in this one! 5/5 JAPANESE STYLE BEEF CUBES WITH EGG TOFU & PEA SPROUTS ~ love this dish and we order this frequently. Sometimes the beef isn't as tender and the pea sprouts can be tough, but both were good and tender tonight. But it's one of the pricier items on the menu. 4/5 SALTED FISH CHICKEN FRIED RICE ~ Good fried rice if you like salted fish. It's not something everyone likes, but we liked it. Though it can be a bit salty. 4/5 COMBINATION MEAT TOFU CLAY POT ~ Nice medley of vegetables, tofu, BBQ pork, shrimp, and fish. Tasty dish! 5/5 STEAMED CHICKEN WITH GINGER AND GREEN ONIONS (HALF) ~ If you order $80 worth of food, you get an item for free! And this was the dish we chose. It's healthier than most and pretty good. 4/5 Every time we come here, we expect a lot of leftovers for the next few days! Like always, we had boxes of yummy leftovers tonight, so it gives us a break at home! Perfect! read more

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Delicious Chinese food and friendly staff! Its name, Noriega Cafe, is a bit misleading. We were expecting cafe style plates but instead the menu is of family size shareable dishes. This was a nice surprise. We ordered a few house specialties, like lobster noodles, pan fried noodles, Japanese style beef cube. Our server also recommended a few dishes, shunde stir fry, salted egg pumpkin and shrimp, salt and pepper chicken wings. Everything was tasty and the portions were big! read more

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What happened? Noriega Cafe used to be my favorite spot for good consistent Chinese food. However after the last two visits, I'm sorry to say the food has gone downhill. Don't know if they changed chefs or what?? I noticed the very nice and attentive waitress Christine is no longer there too. We ordered Beef Chow Fun, Salted Fish & Chicken Fried rice, Sweet & Sour Pork Chops & Garlic Pea Sprouts. Everything was bland...like the chef forgot to season them? The Chow Fun didn't have flavor like before... like no oyster sauce or soy sauce was used. And it was like 1/3 less. The same with the fried rice... even though it was salted fish it was bland and again 1/3 less. The pork chops were mushy & chewy and other than the sweet & sour sauce coating it was also bland. So, it looks like theyre trying to cut costs. And we were wondering why at 12noon, the restaurant was empty?? I mean, there was just one other sit in customer the whole time we were there. And I noticed the phone was no longer ringing off the hook? We were devoted customers since Covid. Now, we're just disappointed that it's no longer the neighborhood gem. read more

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Excellent food! I went there this past Saturday for dinner and very glad that I discovered this place. Ordered a variety of dishes and the food was fresh and tasty, the typical San Francisco Chinese restaurant quality you will find in most places. Another thing that really impressed me was how quickly they were able to cook and serve the food, we got our soup and 5 dishes within 10 minutes after ordering. Though a small deduction is the place is really small, they only have 1 big table, 1 medium size table plus 4 four seater ones. Therefore, you may have to wait quite some time if the restaurant is busy. Thankfully it wasn't when we were there and I was a bit surprised given it was Saturday night. Please go support this restaurant. read more

I finally tried the much-talked-about Pan-Fried Rice Noodle at Noriega Cafe--and it absolutely lived up to the hype! Perfectly crisped noodles on top, and the perfect saucy meat-to-noodle ratio underneath. I ordered the savory pork & preserved pickle, but they also offer this dish with chicken or seafood, which I'm definitely coming back for. The restaurant itself is a clean, and well-kept spot with a cozy vibe. Huge shoutout to Ann, the hostess--she was so friendly and made me feel welcome, even though I just came in for take-out. The menu is impressively extensive, packed with classic and delicious-sounding Cantonese dishes. As someone always on the hunt for great Cantonese food, I'm thrilled to have found this neighborhood gem. Just go--you won't regret it! read more

Noriega Cafe - Shredded Pork & Preserved Pickle Pan-Fried Rice Noodle - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

We've wanted to come as many mutual friends have posted the food on social media. It's a very small footprint. Two tables that can hold up to eight, two tables up to four, and two tables holding two. It's kind of a mom & pop operation. As the four of us came for lunch we ordered- * wor won ton soup - large dumplings and good soup broth. * beef chow fun - nice wok umami * house H.K. style chow mein * fried chicken wings - crispy Everything was tasty. Large portions. There's one server, Christine. She had a great disposition and was very attentive. Next visit will be for dinner. read more

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Very good food and service. Our server, Christina, is awesome! Gave us very good recommendations. read more

Noriega Cafe - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

Our family has ordered when we're in the area from here. Food is always decent. Service is good. There is some seating inside, but people seem to take out from here. We just ordered a party tray today, perfect for Chinese new year. Would recommend to friends and family. read more

Noriega Cafe - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

We always saw this place and finally got to try it out. There was a hair in one of our dishes, so they gave us free green beans. They also had some sort of deal where you buy ~$80 or so and you get to pick an extra dish thats worth ~$13 Pea sprouts with fish paste - 3/5, pea sprouts seemed a bit old. Cumin lamb - 3/5, super flavorful, maybe a but too much. Meat quality could be better. Sesame chicken - 2/5, sauce is salty and the meat used is probably frozen chicken breast. Not very fresh and quite rough. Scallop and egg fried rice - 4/5, can't mess this one up! Japanese beef cube - 3/5, good flavor, quality of the meat could be better. Green beans - 2.5/5, seemed kind of raw still so we were wary. We also received it at the end so we didn't eat much. Gave it away and told them to cook it more before eating. Singapore rice noodle - 3/5, not enough flavor. read more

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My brother told me about Noriega Cafe as a decent restaurant to get some simple Chinese food. I was specifically intrigued by the fact that they serve Hung Tao Yee Wonton (iykyk). On my way home from a business meeting in Sausalito, I stopped by to get takeout for dinner. Since it was mid-afternoon, the restaurant had only one diner so my order was taken right away. The order took awhile to be ready though. I ordered the following: Hung Tao Yee Wonton - decent but no restaurant has ever lived up to the ones my dad used to make Dry fried chicken chow fun - the noodles were fresh and the dish was flavored nicely but the chicken pieces were big and too dry Tomato beef chow mein (HK style) - this was probably the best dish but I don't like that they didn't separate out the noodles so by the time we ate it for dinner, the noodles were all soggy Overall, a solid 3 stars! read more

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Great variety of tasty Chinese dishes. We did take out for my mom's birthday & Mother's Day here. The salt & pepper chicken wings were so good that everyone practically fought to get the last ones. I liked: sautéed beef cube, braised tofu with vegetables, anything with custard tofu, the sautéed string beans, the fried fish cake with lotus root, the pork ribs with bittermelon (also a favorite of mine), and mapo tofu. The fried rice with chicken & salted fish was pretty good. The vegetable fried rice was ok. The vegetable chow mein and the tomato beef chow mein were both also ok and probably would have tasted better eaten in the restaurant before all the sauce got absorbed in transit. Reasonable prices and generous portions. The family was happy. read more

3.5 stars We had this place marked after we drove by it a while ago and finally made time to have lunch here! No wait around 12:30pm but the restaurant got busy soon after so plan accordingly. Ambiance: Pretty small restaurants with only 6 tables inside. Diners were mostly older Chinese people so it's a given that place serves good food. Service: Only 1 waitress running the whole place but our orders were brought in a timely manner. We did have to go find her to ask for the check though. Food: Delicious! Portions were good for $$. They have lunch items that are between $10-$12 served with rice and choice of protein. Salt and pepper calamari - Perfect ratio between calamari and batter. Generous portion for an appetizer but wish it had more pepper. Cod fillet and tofu over rice - Again, ratio between rice and entrée was perfect. It was delicious. Roasted duck and bbq pork over rice - There was a bed of Bok choy underneath the meat combo so not much meat tbh. Roasted duck was definitely leftovers that were re-roasted so half the pieces were crispy and half were dry and burnt af. Bbq pork slices were small and dry too. read more

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Food portions are good. The fried rice was excellent. Salt and pepper Pork chop, honey walnut shrimp and the tofu pot were all very good. The waitress was nice. It's a small restaurant, with the biggest table able to seat 6. The special now is if you spend $80, you get half a scallion chicken. That was meh... so I'm glad it was free. We got a beef tofu soup too that was okay. The flavors were not too salty which I liked. And I definitely did not have that I am dieing of thirst feeling I usually get after eating out. Definitely a great place to try if you are around the area. read more

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Been here a few times and it's fine. The portions are good, but the quality is lacking for most of the dishes. The sweet and sour pork is sickeningly sweet and the meat was too fatty. It's fine for a quick lunch of fried noodles or one of the lunch specials, but I think China North Dumpling a block over offers similar dishes with better quality and flavor. Super friendly staff though, so I don't mind eating there read more

Polite and speedy service. Great local Cantonese style diner. They have a selection of dishes to chose from to accompany rice or some noodles. Currently they have a deal if you spend over $60 they throw in half a chicken or chicken wings. Ordering 4 dishes we were able to redeem a plate of chicken wings. They were crispy large and juicy. The standout dishes had to be the salt and pepper fish. It was flakey and the batter was light and crunchy. Not overly salty or spicy. The garlic peashoots also came in a pretty large portion. During our time dining there were a few takeout orders which was fulfilled pretty fast. Would recommend for a solid and quick bite to eat. read more

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We finally got a chance to come here. All my friends been posting photos on Facebook. It's good that I just live up the street. The 4 of us shared 4 dishes and got an order of chicken wings for free. We ordered tomato beef curry geen mein. The noodles were nice and crispy but I thought the sauce was a little thick. The chicken fried rice with salty fish had nice large bits of salty fish and chicken. Very loaded. My hubby ordered the salt and pepper cod and it was cooked perfectly but could have used more seasoning. The best dish of all was the Japanese steak cubes over tofu and broccoli. It was delicious and cooked perfectly! The steak was flavorful and tender!! The salt and pepper chicken wing has a thicker batter but the wings were big! read more

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Ordered the sweet and sour pork to go. It was bad, the pork under the coating is so dry that i have never seen meat this thin. Its dry and chewy. Not recommended. read more

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Excellent Chinese (Cantonese style) food, and reasonable prices. It's relatively small place but accommodated our family of 14 just fine. (Smaller banquet-style round tables; we took up 2 of them. I think there were 3 of these round tables, with a couple of small 2 person tables along the side of the restaurant. Overall a strong recommendation! Looking to go back for family dinners soon! read more

Down home good old fashioned Chinese food. Stuff you won't find these days at the trendier places. If you miss Mom's cooking, this is the place to go to! The waitress there is also a riot read more

We came here on a Sunday afternoon and were greeted by the nicest server, like being welcomed by a sweet aunt in a Korean drama The food was fantastic. We got the Yangzhou fried rice and spare ribs with Peking sauce, and both were so good, flavorful, not too oily or salty, and great portion sizes It's a cozy spot, and the service and food made it totally worth it. Don't hesitate to try this place, you won't regret it Definitely coming back! read more

Noriega Cafe - 504. Yangzhou Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

I ordered the salt and pepper spare ribs which is my favorite but I was disappointed. There's not much pepper or green onions in this dish. The batter is much thicker than the paper thin meat. It was the lunch special and the rice is a lot more than the entree with a layer of bok choi hidden underneath the meat. I don't think this is the way to make salt and pepper spare ribs. I have a lot of rice left over. I think it is a better deal to grab a sandwich then eating this nothing special. read more

Noriega Cafe - Salt and pepper spare ribs lunch specials with bok Choi bidding underneath.$12.99 - Chinese Near Me - San Francisco, California

We've had this dish before but didn't hit the mark this time when I took a friend w/me for lunch. We had 2 dishes, 1 is the stir fried garlic eggplant & house combo claypot. For starters, service was satisfactory, the stir fried garlic eggplant was way too sweet, overpowering tasting the eggplant along w/the portions shrunk. The claypot had an assortment of BBQ pork, fish, chicken, squid, tofu, scallions etc. Sauce was OK but for a claypot it could of been cooked to be more the tender. The squid was to rubbery so had to be pushed aside. We shared 1 single bowl of steam rice & the rice could of been more steamed to be more fluffy. It seems like the dishes were not cooked w/enough heat. I took the leftovers home, even the rice & steam to be better suited. Many other restuarants along Noriega to try. read more

Tried Noriega Cafe for the third time and am finally writing a review. We ordered takeout this time and only had to wait around 15 minutes for our food which is decently fast. We ordered their beef and cilantro soup, chicken chow mein, and Mongolian beef. The beef and cilantro soup was really good though you definitely get a bigger portion when you dine in. The chicken chow mein with thick noodles was good but was a bit disappointed that they used white meat vs dark as it was a bit dry. The Mongolian beef was good but it was more like a regular beef dish and wasn't spicy. Would order again though because the beef was cooked well and was still flavorful. It's more of a beef broccoli dish without the broccoli. read more