Tu Lan
40 ratings since posting on Friday, October 15, 2004|
in Downtown / Civic Center
(submitted by
Gish
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Overall Rating  based on 40 ratings |
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I crave this place like mad. - Unsubscribed , posted 06/10/08 |
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What can I say? The place utterly rocks. Try the Chow mein. - Bill , posted 12/18/07 |
 If you are a vegan... run, don't walk away. If you are a neatnik do the same. Great before going out for a night out on the town. Good place for people watching but be prepared for a gut bomb. - Dave , posted 12/18/07 |
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And then again... I think the juxposition of the kaotic neighborhood makes it interesting. It's a very casual place, where people from all walks of life will drop by. The food is great, They use alot of ginger which I love, and the prices are reasonable. I would recommend trying the "Fried fish with ginger sauce". And you'd want to be there before going to clubs, because they close by 9:30pm. Also closed on Sundays. - Shu , posted 06/26/07 |
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Of this place, is that the people who love it are secretly proud of the fact that they are brave enough to eat there. The food is good. However, the location and the cleanliness have a lot to be desired. If finding good food in hole-in-the-wall dirty places in crack neighborhoods makes you feel cool and urban, definitely eat here. - James , posted 11/29/06 |
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As you can see from the other reviews, this isn't the cleanest joint in town. yet, Tu Lan remains consistantly busy because of their delicious food and great prices. I recommend the chicken curry and imperial rolls. Yummy! - Reina , posted 10/13/06 |
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The food here is worth checking out, but there are so many better places in the TL. Check out Turtle Tower (aka Turtle Power) on Larking between Eddy and Ellis. Great, cheap and Clean! - Matt , posted 10/05/06 |
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This is one of my favorite resturaunts in the city and I eat there regularly. It's a great treat on a tired weekday...try the pineapple beef--to DIE FOR. - C-Bear , posted 05/15/06 |
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with all the good vietnamese food in the tenderloin, there's no reason to eat here. The one time I didn (had pho, it was bad), I got sick afterwards. And I've generally got an iron consitution. - Lorien , posted 02/18/06 |
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The tables were so greasy my elbows slid off. Look around, you think the plants are plastic, but they're actually shiny from the grease. I lived next door--got sick a few times. And yet, I would recommend that everyone experience it at least once. It's a fun place, like something out of a William Burroughs novel. "Nake Pho"? - heidski , posted 01/26/06 |
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giant portions of spicy food to fill your belly w/o emptying your pocket. low on ambiance, high on flavor. *FAST service* - portuguese , posted 10/27/05 |
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this place is great, but you just have to jump over the people lying in front of the door, then you're in for great food. i like eating in. you feel like you're in a typical s.e. aisa place, grease, steam, and noise. i love it. - zain , posted 10/08/05 |
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the shrimp fried rice was really good. I went there four times, but that's the only thing I liked other than the vietnamese coffee. - Unsubscribed , posted 10/08/05 |
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Seriously. It's like the greatest food in the world and it's super cheap. The place itself is scary and you have to walk over homeless people in the threshold, but the food is soooooooooo good. Also try the squid in green curry sauce. It's unbelievably tasty! - Kali's Evil Twin , posted 09/19/05 |
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The food is amazing, the most expensive thing on the menu is $7, and the service is fast. Get the imperial roll and kebab plate or the vietnamese chow mein. I['ve never had anything bad there. - Unsubscribed , posted 07/23/05 |
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just like my mom makes it only greasier. the legendary julia child tasted the delights of this place and may be a reason for slight over-ratedness. but in all, i heartily recommend tu lan for your vietnamese food craving fix. - Unsubscribed , posted 04/18/05 |
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Tu Lan is not pretty, it's not clean, it's got no ambiance, no hipness - just good Vietnamese food. The windows are greasy (would it kill them to scrub the place down?) but my germaphobic nerves are put at ease with the open kitchen where I can see what's going on. The food is fast, tasty, and the portions are rather generous. Take your brave friends here, and bon appetit! - Amanda , posted 03/17/05 |
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Saying that Tu Lan is the most overrated Vietnamese restaurant in town is more of a testament to its popularity than a reflection of the food; which is pretty damn good. In fact, their bun thit nuong is some of the best in town. You should be warned though, if you haven’t been before, their pho is only mediocre. With all the great Vietnamese joints in town (way too many to go into here and a lot of them only blocks from Tu Lan) it does seem a shame that Tu Lan is the only one to achieve such instant name recognition. There are easily more great Vietnamese restaurants in San Francisco than Indian or Pakistani yet, while most folks can probably name their three favorite Indian/Pakistani joints, with Vietnamese its usually Tu Lan that people mention. Well, good for them, their bun is awesome! - Inspector , posted 03/17/05 |
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If you're squeamish about bad neighborhoods and hole-in-the-wall environments, you might want to dine elsewhere-- there are a myriad of fine establishments in the city that would meet your needs. If you want bloody awesome food at a great price, go to Tu Lan. The imperial rolls are to die for, and the lemon beef salad is outstanding. - Patti , posted 03/16/05 |
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This was one of Julia Child's favorite places to eat. - Unsubscribed , posted 02/19/05 |
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I work down 6th Street and this is the best lunch spot around - Mike , posted 02/17/05 |
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Ten bucks and your hunger are all you need; cheap, hot, and fast...these are a few of my favorite things! And you don't look at all odd going there alone and tripping out on the tv upstairs. Or tripping out on people tripping out on the tv upstairs. - Magnonymous , posted 02/07/05 |
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ate there 3 times (live next door)... sick everytime!!! - mad , posted 01/25/05 |
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I work near Tu Lan, so I eat here fairly regularly. I love it. The only items I EVER order are the Tofu Rolls, Vegetarian Chow Mein, and Vegetarian Fried Rice....the Fried Rice alone is out of this world, I truly have never had anything like it anywhere! Don't let the grim interior and "colorful" neighborhood turn you off! - Dina , posted 01/11/05 |
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The food is wonderful....but it's so freaking bright inside. It's like being in an operating room. Get some dimmers! - Bobzilla , posted 11/26/04 |
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Pham and Brian will hook you up. Even break a little from the menu. The imperial rolls are the best I have ever ever ever had. Ginger fish, nuff said. - Unsubscribed , posted 11/26/04 |
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If you're feeling adventurous and like your food spicy, delicious and, best of all, cheap, this is a great place to go. Located in the heart of the Tenderloin, it's a great place to take your special out-of-towner for an unparalleled introduction to the city. Finish your meal off with a Vietnamese coffee--trust me. - Unsubscribed , posted 10/20/04 |
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bestest and cheapest vietnamese in the city. everything on the menu is good. but it's too bad they're not open on sundays. - Unsubscribed , posted 10/16/04 |
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I can eat at the best restuarant in the city for five bucks. I don't know howthey do it, what spices they use, or how the black magic works, but Tu Lan is the most delicious food orgy... ever. Located on 6th and Market, nothing fancy about the decor here, just the best Vietnamese food I've ever had (maybe the best food I've ever had). Then when you are done, the best part comes, the tab. Super cheap. Portions are huge. And I'm actually in a happy food coma for about an hour afterward. - Steve , posted 10/15/04 |
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vietnamese food. great bargin. very gritty place, seating is horrible, it's always crowded, but eating there is a very san francisco experience. generous portions of good food. - Tom , posted 10/15/04 |
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This is hands down, the best Vietnamese in town (take that Charlie Phan!) It's super cheap & you have to pass a lot of crackheads on the way in, it's worth it! - Jess , posted 10/15/04 |
