Food is so delicious and tasty. It reminds me of my late mom's cooking and her friends who all came from Burma.

How in the end of the world does Pagan Restaurant still have 4.5 stars on Yelp? Once upon a time, Pagan was a bustling little restaurant where you'd leave sated and smelling faintly of lemongrass. Now you leave hungry and smelling like someone was smoking Pine-Sol at the table next to you. Former customers are apparently too depressed about the downfall of yet another neighborhood restaurant to update their five-star reviews. The menu is divided into Thai and Burmese, which seems straightforward until you order. Only then are you informed they aren't serving "Thai" tonight. The waiter delivers this information with the calm detachment of a man announcing a flight delay, then walks away. The fact that the incredibly similar "Burmese" fried rice is still available is something you're expected to discover for yourself. Then comes the wait. At least half an hour. During this time several employees gather near the kitchen, peering into it as though waiting for instructions from a higher power. I began to wonder if there was, in fact, a kitchen. Maybe someone was preparing our meal in an apartment upstairs. Maybe the Wizard of Oz was stirring a cauldron. I longed to pull back the curtain. We ordered potato curry, coconut rice and Burmese fried rice with shrimp. The potato curry arrived in a container that was only half full, as though someone had become discouraged midway through ladling it. The potatoes came with odd black patches floating in a thin brown liquid. That "dish" alone cost $18. They forgot the coconut rice entirely. The shrimp fried rice was dry, and stodgy enough to qualify as a new kind of wall-patching caulk. We got home, looked at one another and, still hungry, I made fried rice from whatever was in the fridge. I earned five stars for food, service and ambience. read more

Food was great. Small and quiet little corner restaurant. Tonight they only served from the Burmese menu which was not a problem. Got to try different things. We had the chicken curry soup and was pleasantly surprised. My family and I weren't expecting it to have noodles. The eggplant was good and you can taste the shrimp paste. Love the Tea Salad. The garlic noodle was not what I expected. Very light garlic flavor but it was still tasty. Not too oily. Everything was delicious and service was great. Glad to have something like this in the neighborhood. read more

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Came here after visiting the Legion of Honor around 1:30 PM Saturday. It was not crowded at all, so our party of 6 got seated right away. Food: I got the hot Burmese tea and the Shwe Taung Kauswer. The hot Burmese tea tasted like a hot, less sweet version of Thai tea, though came in a smaller amount than the Thai tea. It was a strongly brewed black tea with condensed milk and the aroma of additional spices. It was perfect for the cold, rainy weather. Shwe Taung Kauswer was a coconut chicken noodle curry. The taste was creamy, savory, and mildly spicy after I mixed everything together. I liked it, but it was not a lot of food relative to the price and it was not filling as a stand alone entree for me. Service: There was a power outage in this area right after we sat down, but the restaurant did their best to serve us. The server helped us move to window seats and moved tables to accommodate the group. I also forgot an item at the restaurant after they technically closed at 2:30pm, but the server helped me retrieve it. Interior: a cozy set up with miscellaneous decorations along the windowsill. read more

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They have both Burmese and Thai food menus, so if you're feeling like having both cuisines, this is the place for you! Good food (nothing special) with great prices! And good size portions too. First time trying a green papaya salad Burmese style and I liked it! It's refreshing. Thai iced tea was a bit disappointing. No complaints about service. Overall not bad. read more

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This building formerly housed a King of Thai (aka King of Dry, the original), and when my brother lived nearby, they (King of Dry) even accepted his gift of the skateboard he designed, and they (King of Dry) put it up on the wall or the ceiling as a decoration. That was many years ago. When I returned with my brother recently, he wanted to ask the people who worked here (Pagan) whether they knew anything about the skateboard he had donated to King of Dry. He thought better of it. For years, I was turned off by the King of Thai chain's San Francisco downfall. Then, when I saw that this place had been renamed Pagan, I continued to stay away. (Do I look like a pagan to you?) And then COVID happened, and I gave it enough takeout tries that I quite liked it. It's really a Burmese restaurant, but I think they keep the Thai menu for people who can't stand the fact that their favorite neighborhood Thai restaurant turned into a Burmese restaurant. The food from either menu is good. One of my favorite features of this place is also what drops it from four stars to three. I'm talking, of course, about the restroom, which requires you to walk through the kitchen, up a stair (making it wheelchair inaccessible), and what seems like 100 yards down a long hallway. I know it's nowhere near 100 yards, but I'm about 93.7 percent certain that the hallway is longer than the building itself, which means that you're probably using the bathroom in the building next door, if not the building two doors down. The good news is you can get your steps in going to and from the bathroom. I just hope you don't have to get there soon. The service varies from attentively excellent to mehlentlessly meh. If you have the choice, choose to sit in the little dining room to your left as you enter the restaurant. It's cozier and more relaxing over there. read more

Food: 5/5 - amazing yellow curry and Burmese noodle soup. They had one side of the menu for Thai and another for Burmese. Service: 5/5 - family owned and restroom was very clean. Staff came out with food immediately and gave honest but great recommendations. Ambience: 5/5 - wasn't crowded at all at 12:30 pm Saturday. Enough tables to keep them busy but also attentive to our needs for water or other items. Highly recommend before going to any neighboring parks or hikes!! Very good restaurant. read more

Pagan Restaurant - Briyani rice - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is a small little spot located on the corner of clement and across from a park. The service was great because the server greeted us right away and offered us menus and water. He took his time to explain to us any questions we had about the dishes and was very well informed in his recommendations. The chicken satay was a little dry but the meat had good flavor. The only bad thing was that the meat itself was too salty and you definitely need to use the sauce that comes with it to balance out the saltiness with sweetness! The chicken pad Thai was super sour! I've had many pad Thai dishes from various places but this was extremely sour and we couldn't finish it. The noodles also had a certain type of aroma that we couldn't quite figure out. I don't recommend this dish. The yellow curry was pretty delicious. It had a very slight kick to it and goes real well with rice! We order two bowls of rice to eat with this. I recommend this dish! Overall, I think some of the dishes were very overpowering in certain aspects, such as being too salty or sour. I hope this was a one off deal because I want to give it another try down the road and the service was great. read more

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I was a bit turned off from this restaurant as soon we walked in - the place smelt a bit like a bathroom (a clean bathroom, but still a bathroom...) and right as we got seated there was a customer (or maybe delivery driver?) that was complaining about his order being wrong, and he was back 10 minutes later saying the corrected order was also wrong... Anyway the actual food was decent, we tried the Burmese Curry Chicken and the Spicy Basil with Crispy Pork, to get a taste of both the Burmese and Thai menu. The Curry was fine, definitely lacking in flavor IMO, but still tasty. The Crispy Pork was much better, but the portion was definitely on the smaller side and it definitely could have been a lot spicier. They were out of coconut rice when I was there, which was a bummer, but the regular rice was fine. The service was also mediocre, with just one employee in the front handling all the customers at once. Overall a decent meal, but nothing really stood out to me to make me want to come back. read more

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Came in for dine in on a Thursday night and was seated immediately. We got the roti, chicken curry, and fish noodles and all were delicious. Very kind service as well! Highly recommend read more

Amazing food and great service! I went it on a Sunday afternoon for lunch and the place wasn't too crowded. Tried the Burmese Samusa Soup and it was on point! The restaurant is clean and seemed hygienic. I crossed their kitchen on the way to the bathroom and everything looked very clean. Will come here again to try other items on their menu. Note - they have a thai menu and a burmese menu!! Lots of dishes to try! read more

Pagan Restaurant - Samusa Soup - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

Caution!!!! You will not get served!!! Arrived after a 45-mins drive by 1:30pm, one hour before their indicated open hour, and been notified they are not taking dining customer. Maybe you should just turn off the "open" sign read more

Located in the Outer Richmond across from Lincoln Park. (Long while ago, this restaurant was located on Clement where Steins is now located.) This place is better than I remembered. There are two menus, one for Thai food and one for Burmese food. I like their rainbow salad and the chicken green curry the best. Friendly service and warm ambiance. read more

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So so good. Have gone twice and am already planning my next visit. The samusa soup and tea leaf rice are our staples. We love the pad see ew (such thick, fresh noodles) and pumpkin stew. We've been served by Philip both times and he been super attentive and kind both times (even when swarmed with a lunch rush). read more

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Came to Pagan Restaurant and was excited to try it after walking by it for a long time. One side of the menu is Thai, the other Burmese. We ordered the Tom Kha Soup and Burmese chicken curry with coconut rice. 2 larger groups sat down after us, ordered and received their food before us. Our wait was awfully long without any acknowledgment of an atypical timeline of ordering/ receiving food. The curry was oily with separation at the rim of the bowl, and the flavors were underwhelming. read more

Pagan Restaurant - Tom Kha Soup - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

Incredibly delicious Burmese food. The chicken kebat was juicy, spicy and rich with flavor. The mango sticky rice was also some of the best I've had. Marinated in coconut milk, the sweet warm rice balances out the cool tanginess of the mango. Would recommend 10/10 read more

Pagan Restaurant - Chicken Kebat - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

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- stuffed tofu 5/5 - crispy rolls 4/5 - Burmese lamb curry 5/5 - prawn an After taking a hike nearby, we ended up at Pagan restaurant. It sounded interesting and I've never had Burmese food before. We started with stuffed tofu, and it was amazing. Crispy tofu with this cool awesome asian mix inside. Definitely a highlight We got the crispy rolls - standard thai crispy rolls (in my book). They were fine, but not amazing I really enjoyed the Burmese lamb curry. . .it was the highlight versus my friend's dish (prawn) and my wife's (who got a pad noodle dish). I would definitely say after trying all the dishes, that it is an average Thai place but a yummy The Burmese lamb curry at Pagan was yummy to the last bite. Just imagine juicy pieces of lamb were simmered in a rich, aromatic sauce made with a blend of spices that includes turmeric, cumin, and coriander. The curry is slightly sweet, with just the right amount of heat from the chilies, balanced by the earthiness of the spices and the tang of tamarind. If you are afraid of spice - don't order it spicy :) My friends did say the thai iced tea wasn't sweet at all and they gave it a 2/5 read more

Pagan Restaurant - Stuffed tofu - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

Cozy hole-in-the wall feeling and a nice menu of rice and noodle dishes. Enjoyed my meal and loved the setting and service.

Pagan has quickly risen the ranks on my list of best restaurant in San Francisco. First off - they have a full Burmese menu AND Thai menu! How many restaurants can say that? Every dish I've had from the Burmese and Thai menu has been tasty, and I look forward to trying more of the menu in future visits. The Chicken Kebat is out of this world and one of my favorite dishes in San Francisco. The chicken is crispy yet so juicy and so flavorful. I'm craving it right now as I write this review! The Lamb Biryani is also exceptional. The lamb melts in your mouth with incredible depth of flavor and the rice serves as a perfect complement. The Tea Leaf Salad was another hit. Nice large portion and it tasted great. The Roti is thicker than I've had at other Burmese restaurant but I liked it! The accompanying curry was good but not my favorite. The Mango Sticky Rice was delicious and a perfect ending to any meal at Pagan. Staff is friendly and always take care of you very well. Great vibes, great food - Pagan is simply one of the best restaurants in San Francisco! read more

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This was a delightful, delicious meal. Wonderful selection of both Burmese and Thai foods, including the "expected" dishes and a few that were new to me. We shared a Burmese vegetable curry that was outstanding - fresh vegetables in a flavorful, moderately spicy curry sauce. I would drive across the city to get this again. Friendly service and very reasonable prices, too. read more

This is a smallish, unpretentious restaurant that's a bit of a drive for those of us who don't live or work out in the avenues, but it my mind it's worth the drive. They have both Burmese and Thai sections of their menu and we typically will order one entree from each section as well as the tea leaf salad and, sometimes, samusa soup. I have my favorites but I've tried so many of their entrees that I feel comfortable writing that whatever appeals to you the most will likely please you. Everything is flavorful. This is one of the rare restaurants were I typically also order a beverage other than water because I love their hot Burmese tea, which is similar to an Indian chai tea. When we first started dining here a couple of years ago, it always seemed packed around noon on the weekend -- so much so that we only would come here if we knew we could arrive by noon at the latest. I don't know whether their business has dropped off a bit or if we just have happened to come on less busy days, but it seems noticeably less busy over the past few months even though the food is still excellent. read more

Love dining in at this establishment. I would not recommend doing pick up though. Our estimated time of pick up was 6:54 PM but did not leave with our food until 7:39 PM. read more

I ordered a to-go Burmese Style Fried Rice, Burmese Beef Curry, and Burmese Fried Tofu. The fried rice and curry were delicious, and the fried tofu was ok. The dipping sauce saved it. The portions were small, but I feel like that's typical for SF . read more

note this review is for take out only - I ordered the bun tay kauswer and it was good just a bit salty. I also was mistaken and thought this would be more bright but it was more on the saucy side. would still like to return and dine-in! read more

literally doesn't look like much! near legion of honor in the presidio and have been on my to try list for a while (i don't remember exactly where I got this rec from but I trust past ivan) ended up getting papaya salad - same comments as below, could benefit from more basicl and fish sauce. it felt really sweet and I think there were a tad too many peanuts. burmese curry with pork -- pretty good! I think i'm not 100% sure on the authenticity but the oil and suace was split. maybe that's how it is! just a heads up vegetarian curry - more of a soup, extremely good pad see ew - honestly its extremely okay, could benefit from more fish sauce and basil. my dad who eats a lot of thai food was not amused extremely reasonably priced for a city (and it's out of the city) but the seating is a little small. service was also a little slow but the wait staff was really nice read more

Pagan Restaurant - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I was very surprised trying this place out. It has to be up there with one of the best tasting Thai restaurants I've had in the bay. I didnt really expect the food to have so much flavor. Im a fan now and have to try everything they have on the menu. Probably one of the best tasting food on the entire block if not the neighborhood read more

Neither the very readers of this review nor do I have a clue what I am just about to do simply by starting to talk about this business as it naturally comes, backed with an intention to put an emphasis on the taste of the food that they cook, which I BELIEVE, is quite AMAZING!! And on top of that, they, in my days of much harsher survival efforts compared to this day, provided me with various and deliciously nutritious, flavorful dishes on those cold & dark winter days back in time, when I used to live in the neighborhood (33rd Ave & Balboa to be more precise) in such a terrible living situation which unfortunately did not allow me access to a kitchen so to be able to cook my own food; which I always prioritize. So I had to systematically find good places with meaningful prices to buy me GOOD food; with the reassurance of it being cooked for you & delivered to you by good people. However, being an immigrant running up that hill of LIFE as an independent survivor, a lot of times meant and required compromises and sacrifices, and although it might've gotten a little easier over time, the JOURNEY itself is not over! I am glad that I, growing up and becoming an adult version of me, did not choose to apply compromises or sacrifices on my character, thus my values, to do business for selfish gains or make that kind of a business sustainable for me. After all, it's all a matter of energy; which we mostly obtain with the nutrition we allow in our human bodies. So in all that regard, the food from these guys is brought to you with clean & mindful energy. It does not feel selfish as opposed to how a few competitors made me FEEL. Their simple yet impressive presentations on the other hand, do serve the hunger in your eyes prior to your delicious food making its way to your tummy to take care of your physical hunger! Back in time on one of those days in my R2D2-BLUE haze When I needed magic to cook; oh that was a terrible phase When this life truly felt like nothin' but a complex maze Pagan's Thai Spicy Noodles helped me to better cherish my days I'm not sleeping, I'm only ALIVE in this human experience In a world where people become more & more mindless It needn't have to cause pain for 1 to maintain kindness Yet people only repeat their 9 to 5's in absolute ignorance Today I walked by the Pagan Restaurant I wanted to say Hi Yet by 3PM you guys were closed, so I'm Yelping to say hi I'm a 41 year-old MAN yet haven't found the reason "Why... ...animals are cut & eaten, cause human-beings in this ecosystem do rank more high?" They know how to transform a shrimp, applying a pan fry Inside they have an intimate ambiance, worthy of a try P.S.: I must say that never have I ever dined-in there or had orders which included pettable animals' flesh! I've always placed my pescatarian orders on the phone and grabbed them TO-GO. And that worked quite well for me every single time! * Ye shall not be discouraged by the small size of their business Given the food's tastefulness and the staff's kindness * Keep up the good work you guys! read more

Pagan Restaurant - Eric & Pagan Restaurant - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

I'm living near by this restaurant and always came here before COVID-19. I think the taste is much better than before！ Duck fried rice was good，the duck is fresh，tastey and juicy！ I always like green curry，but I tried pumpkin curry with chicken this time（red curry）So yummy！Taste sweet，the flavor that combine with curry and coconut milk was amazing！Made the pumpkin much more flavorful！ read more

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Delish and authentic Burmese cuisine! The mohinga was superb! The broth was made just right, not too thick and the noodles were nicely done. The stuffed tofu was memorable! Expect a casual atmosphere just like you're in Myanmar! read more

Pagan Restaurant - Stuffed Tofu - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

Great food and cozy inside. Staff is really friendly. Would recommend for anyone who like Asian fusion cuisine or great crab fried rice

We ordered pad see ew with chicken and no broccoli but they gave us a bunch of broccoli and no chicken (see photo). On top of that, it had a strange taste- not a traditional Thai flavor. The pumpkin curry and palata was pretty good tho. read more

Pagan Restaurant - No chicken but lots of broccoli ‍ - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

Decided to come here for a weekend lunch after going to the beach, it's only a short walk away. The service and food were pretty good for the most part, but there was this one dish that was not it. - Roti Palata - Delicious! The roti was super flaky on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The curry was also delicious and the chicken was super tender, would definitely recommend this. - Ong No Kaw Soi - I think the flavor of this dish is something you definitely need to get used to as the coconut flavor is extremely strong and the soup was pretty thick. The reason why I'm giving it a 3-star to Pagan is because of the chicken which felt expired in this dish. It had a very sour aftertaste, and for that reason would not recommend this dish. Overall, pretty good except for the Ong No Kaw Soi chicken. Just get the Roti Palata. read more

Pagan Restaurant - Burmese Roti Palata - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

We have always loved going to Pagan and were so happy to see that they had power during the power outages in the Richmond, but then the power went out right after we placed our order. They were so kind and offered to make us our meal despite the outage. Their amazing staff cooked our food in the dark with just their phone flash lights! The food was so amazing, as always, even made in the dark. We couldn't pay since the power was out but they took down our information. We returned a couple of weeks later after we remembered we hadn't paid and that they hadn't contacted us about it. They were so happy we came back to pay and we saw that they had a stack of receipts that people had not returned to pay, some totaling up to almost $200! Please go back and pay this amazing restaurant for their hard work and amazing food!!!! Definitely recommend the Burmese roti palata, egg plant dish and the Nan gyi thoke! read more

Tried this place for lunch today. It was okay. I got a little bit of the Thai and the Burmese food. The Burmese food was good. Burmese I got the infamous tea leaf salad which is always good. Got side of plathas, it was just the bread usually it comes with a dipping gravy. Thai I got the chicken fried rice and it was so bland and barley had chicken. read more

We drove a long way and arrived at 1:30 PM, only to be told by the host that they weren't accepting dine-in customers--only takeout. It was such a waste of our time. read more

They gave themselves a 20% tip on my to go order on top of the cash tip I gave them. Very disgusting and dishonest behavior. The restaurant is dirty and smelly. All the surfaces are sticky and dusty. Really a shame when small businesses do this and you have to dispute the charge with your bank. read more

This is a very cute dinner place, I recommend going for a date night or for a hole-in-the wall spot with friends! It was easy to get seating (we went as a walk-in at 7pm on a Friday night) and the big windows gave a great city atmosphere. This location is at the end of Outer Richmond so the fog from ocean beach is everywhere, you can watch the 1 and 18 bus drive by often and see the trees from Lands End out the windows. The service was great and food came fast. The only reason this place got 4 stars instead of 5 is because they were out of the first two menu items I originally ordered (the mango salad and roti palata) which was disappointing because I love mango and carbs! I also really wanted to try the mango and sticky rice for dessert but was disappointed they couldn't serve that dish either. The server suggested the papaya salad (not pictured) which we ordered and I LOVED. It was the perfect combination of spicy and sweet and had so many flavors! The Nan Gyi Dok was amazing, I ate it all! And then the samusas were shaped like egg rolls which I found interesting, and I really liked the taste. They weren't dry like some samusas can be but instead really soft and savory. Also the samusas come with more than three, we just ate a few before I took the picture which is why there's only 3 in the review picture ;). The portions were good sizes, I'm eating some leftover papaya salad right now! Atmosphere inside was quiet, warm, and gave me a real local vibe. I've lived on 34th and Geary for three years and always meant to try this place but with pandemic and all, I never got around to ordering take out. Now I'm kicking myself for not going sooner! Overall I definitely recommend this place! Will be coming back. read more

Pagan Restaurant - Burmese Samusas, garlic noodles, and Nan Gyi Dok - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California

I've a really bad experience with this restaurant, I just want people to know, so you can be aware for dinning in this restaurant. In May this year 2025, I've eaten in this restaurant as a first time customer, I've charged the bill on my credit card, and later when my credit card billing statement arrived, I've noticed that this restaurant has charged me more than what I've paid. Fortunately, I did save my original credit card transaction receipt; then I printed out my credit card statement along with my transaction receipt to return to this restaurant to inform them what's happened, I told them for doing business, integrity is the core principle, and this is not acceptable to illegally change the payment amounts from customers, and hoping that they wouldn't pay attention to them on their billing statements; but the manager told me that there's nothing he can do about it at this time, and asked me to leave my contact information, and they will call me later for the outcome; I disagree with it, and also don't want to have spend another trip and time for me to return this restaurant with the unresolved issue and demand my money back from the over collection on my credit card; and immediately, the manager spoke to me with a loud high tone of voice, and I quote what he said to me "if I just want my money back right away, then my complaint isn't based on principle as I've indicated", which is not what I've expected from his management of handling my issue. With proper management approach for quietly settle down the issue, I thought the manager should have been apologized to me sincerely for over charging on my credit card, and give my money back without my asking, instead of treating his customer with rudeness and bad manner, and acting the way that their restaurant has done nothing wrong.... and because there're some customers still dining in the restaurant at the time when I was there, and with my consistent demand, he finally gave back the overcharge amount which was owed to me. If there's a "0" star rating allowable for the review, then this restaurant would deserve none of the stars. I'll never come back to this restaurant, and hoping my review will help to bring the awareness to other customers to be careful when dining with this restaurant due to their dishonesty on their business practice, as well as unacceptable management approach and rude manner with their denial of wrong doing. read more

Don't be put off by the name of the restaurant. The Burmese and Thai food is the most sophisticted, delicate food of its kind. I have had meals with friends and family several times in the restaurant and twice had takeout sophisticated enough to call "catering." Everything was delicious. read more

The menu has 2 sides with Vietnamese dishes on 1 side & Thai on the other. We ordered 2 Vietnamese dishes & 1 Thai dish + mango sticky rice. 4* Biryani with lamb (Vietnamese): My favorite dish! After tasting it, I wanted to order an entire 1 for myself, lol. The lamb was tender & flavor-fully spiced without spicy heat. The rice had a good texture & was not dry. Not photogenic so no pic. 3* The clear soup with rice noodles, can't remember the name was fine. My friends enjoyed it. Not photogenic so no pic. 2.5* Pad thai: Took a long time to arrive, about 15 minutes after the soup & biryani. When it arrived, my 1st thought was "Weird color, why is it so orange?" (Unfortunately I didn't take a pic) Despite squeezing the lime over the noodles, we all agreed that it was too sweet, yuck. A waste of $12. Definitely will not order again. 3* Mango sticky rice: Nice presentation (hence the pic). Served with warm rice. My friends really liked it. If it is not chocolate or ice cream, it is not a dessert for me. =) read more

Pagan Restaurant - Mango sticky rice - Thai Near Me - San Francisco, California