Editor Pick
Sunflower Café
- May 13, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
tigressa from alameda, California
Sunflower Café is one of the best unsung Vietnamese restaurants in San Francisco. There are actually two Sunflowers (around the corner from each other in the Mission District), one on 16th and one on Valencia. They share the same kitchen, but the Valencia Street one has a much nicer ambience. However, sometimes service is faster at 16th street since it's smaller.
The food is amazing. San Francisco has a much celebrated Vietnamese spot called Slanted Door yet I find the food and service at Sunflower consistently better. And the tab about 1/2 the price!
So many incredible dishes. If you want just a light snack, get the Fresh Spring Rolls, available in vegetarian or shrimp versions. These are so much better than the standard rolls at most Vietnamese places. Filled with delicately shredded and saute cabbage and tofu, and served with a spicy, fragrant dipping sauce, these are one of my favorite dishes around. I'm always picking up an order to go here (also better than the fried rolls which can be a bit greasy).
The Vietnamese catfish soup is spectacular. It's not on the menu so you have to ask for it specially. It has a sweet and sour base and pineapple chunks, sprouts, and basil. May sound strange, but it's memorable. That soup and the spring rolls may be my favorite meal in all of San Francisco.
But if you're really famished and it's mid-day, there's Sunflower's lunch special, probably the best lunch for the money in the whole city (and San Francisco is a veritable gastronomic paradise). It comes in meat or veggie version, but I always get the veggie. For $8 you receive a small bowl of hot and sour soup, a spring roll and a huge, and I mean huge, plate of spicy saute tofu and green beans over rice, as well as a side of tangy cabbage salad.
They also have delicious lemonade or Vietnamese iced tea.
If you are lucky you will get the waiter named Michael who is one of the kindest, most expert servers you'll ever meet. But all the people who work at this place are exceptionally pleasant.
I always feel so well-fed and taken care of here, I tend to leave massive tips. You may feel inspired to do the same!
A real find.
From journal A Hill-Walking Adventure In San Francisco