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Vegan
Chinese
Delivery
Take-out
Asian
Vietnamese
Long-time established pure veg Asian cuisine restaurant. Its menu features a varied range of choices from rice and noodle dishes to soy meats, hot pots, refreshing beverages and vegan desserts. Moved here 2014 from its former location on O'Farrell St. Open Mon-Sun 11:00am-7:30pm.
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395 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco, California, USA, 94102
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Last update on 07 Feb 2024 by Forman
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273 Reviews
First Review by baruchadam
matterandrew
Points +282
The best Asian vegan restaurant in SF? - Edit
The Pad Thai with "shrimp" was excellent. Really enjoyed the meal, just as the place overall. I feel like it would make a great fit for a business meeting just as a romantic dinner. Most importantly though, the food is great.
Read moreGuest
Chia
Points +3631
Delicious Asian Vegan Food - Edit
I read about this place on Happycow and decided to eat here on a recent San Francisco trip. Here's my Golden Era Vegetarian review.
Read moreWe walked over from our hotel, a nice walk. For our lunch we ordered a vegetable steamed bun, the pho noodle, and the yum yum noodle. The pho noodle was very good and tasty. The broth was authentically Vietnamese, and the side plate of fresh basil, mung bean sprout, lemon, and slices of green jalapeno peppers was a nice (standard) accompaniment.
The yum yum noodle is a standard cold vermicelli noodle sprinkled with fried bits of veggies, accompanied by fried eggless rolls, and topped with shredded fresh lettuce, carrots, and cucumber. It came with a savory tangy sauce that you pour over the noodle. Delicious.
I was very happy that we stopped in for lunch. The food is good! The space is large and the feel is tranquil, has an old school (but interestingly decorated) Chinese restaurant vibe.
Updated from previous review on 2012-01-12
Pros: hearty portions, good flavors, inexpensive
Guest
Kirnos
Points +16
Golden era - Edit
The food was taistess and very oily. In addition the service was not very helpful and they forgot the drinks we ordered. After reading all the good reviews on HappyCow we were surprised and disappointed by the food this restaurant offers.
Read moreGuest
TylerTafelsky
Points +35
Pleasantly surprised - Edit
With a bit of inhibition at first glance, I was pleasantly surprised by the selection, creativity and quality of the food at Golden Era.
Read morePros: Massive selection, Quality food, Large portions
Cons: Don't judge a book by it's cover, Be patient with your food, Atmosphere is not awesome, but not bad either.
Guest
ChrisLaganiere
Points +32
Real Food! - Edit
As noted in other posts it's in kind of sketchy location alongside the tenderloin but wow this place is amazing, authentic entrees and healthy smoothies.. I'm hooked ?
Read moreGuest
Jamison
Points +16
Mmmm..: - Edit
Solid. Clean. Good service. Good food
Read moreGuest
Bosco
Points +35
Tasteful and filling - Edit
Great venue and menu. Prices are not bad either.
Read moreI really enjoyed my time and food there. Generous portions.
Staff are friendly, but not over attentive.
Only around the corner from the restaurant there are lots of people loitering.
Pros: Varied menu, fresh ingredients., Staff, Cleanliness
Cons: Metal chopsticks
Guest
tyranny
Points +67
My favourite vegan place in SF - Edit
I went here last December and loved it. The restaurant space was really comfortable and clean, the waitress was friendly without being overbearing, and the food was delicious. I still dream about their imperial rolls.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2016-09-22
Pros: DELICIOUS, friendly staff, nice space
Cons: somewhat slow service
Guest
dans1950
Points +21
Very nice - Edit
Cleaners, fast, and delicious! Will return often.
Read moreGuest
Siup
Points +3288
Great place - Edit
I found this place close to my hotel. I was very happy! The place is very nice, super clean and modern. The staff? Adorable! The food is delicious! I went twice in two days and I had tasty food, in a nice environment. There should be more places like this one. The menu is extensive and offers a wide choice of Thai food, the dessert are amazing.
Read morePros: great food, nice place, adorable staff
Guest
LorenaH
Points +104
Good location, ok food - Edit
Right there near Civic Center, near Asian museum and the symphony, etc. So I have been there many times. I was happy for them that they were able to relocate and reopen after losing their other space, but my recent visits have been disappointing. Basically, there is too much mock meat, and when I asked the server for something without it, she recommended a vegetable dish.. oily and came with lots of fake meat I just had to push aside.
Read morePros: vegan food, good location, plenty of seats
Cons: too much mock meat, no brown rice? I forget
Guest
TalBen-Artzi
Points +24
Delicious!! - Edit
I had the rice plate "Sai Gon" and it was great! The fried soy was a little oily but yummy. The dessert of mango sticky rice was the best I've had!
Read moreClean and nice place
Pros: Food, Clean
Guest
alexandra_vegan
Points +1549
Fresh food with loads on mock meat, Good service, Welcoming place - Edit
I went there with a non vegan friend. It was an anjoyable meal, but would have been better had they not used so much mock meat.
Read moreWe ordered the Mushu Rolls (very good, rolls made with a sort of savory pancake, very interesting and tasty), the Pho noodle soup (made with a delicious soup, fake meats, loads of fresh greens and soy sprouts) and the Banh Xeo (vietnamese stuffed pie).
The food was good and fresh, but I would have preferred to have tofu in the dish instead of the mock meats - it's just my personal preference, I don't like mock meats.
Service was friendly and fast and the place is nicely decorated, clean and welcoming.
When we went there (Wednesday for dinner) the place was not noisy and it was easy to talk.
I think you could ask to replace the mock meats with tofu, haven't tried this but I will definitely ask next time :)
I would recommend this place to those who like mock meats (my only con for this place) and want to try Vietnamese specialties.
Pros: Friendly and fast service, Fresh food, Fair prices
Cons: Too much mock meats
Guest
rebeccaj
Points +168
too noisy - Edit
Every conversation and clanking fork is amplified in this extremely noisy location, which made eating here an unpleasant experience.
Read morePros: vegan, I had earplugs with me
Cons: nerve-jangling
Guest
amiramke
Points +76
One of my favorites - Edit
I love this place. I go here a lot, especially with friends. Eat a lot and quickly so you can catch that movie!
Read morePros: Wonderful selection, big portions and very colorfu, Fast, Not too busy. Great for groups
Guest
craziercatlady
Points +28
excellent! - Edit
I went there today to have a late lunch with my husband (he is not vegan). We really enjoyed the food. This is the fourth asian restaurant I try in the bay area, they were good but this one is the best of my list.
Read moreThe mushroom curry was delicious and the sweet sour soup my husband had was far better than the ones he tried in the other places.
I definitively recommend this place, it deserves a 4.5 stars.
Guest
LisaGrill
Points +20
Tasty - Edit
Really great. Rice was delicious. Kids loved every bite of their appetizers and entrees. The oyster mushroom dish was heavenly. Service was also fast.
Read morePros: rice dish, cheese cake, oyster mushroom dish
Guest
merimac
Points +164
silver rating for golden era - Edit
This restaurant is another nice Asian restaurant similar to Loving Hut with many almost identical dishes. (In fact I'm told one of the spouses owns a LH franchise). We had the Tofu salad and the lunch special (Tofu, green beans,rice,broccoli) and neither was spectacular. Neither was spectacular but still a good place for vegan food. It is clean and pretty and almost adjacent to civic center. Go to the Asian Museum afterwards for the full experience. Very noisy when busy and the display of vegan Frank's in a can is off-putting.
Read moreGuest
Rolandmh
Points +64
great local spot - Edit
Good food in a decent atmosphere. Service was good but a little slow.
Read morePros: selection, taste
Guest
DSpocklington
Points +44
A delight - Edit
Golden Era was all it was described as being. These folks understand what it means to be a vegan and have created a host of wonderful choices, many of which are gluten-free. Great food, generous portions, reasonable prices and a pleasant atmosphere. We're in SF for just a week and have many option to try out, but we will probably go back again. An excellent place for the serious vegan...
Read morePros: Lots of options, Delicious food, Generous portions
Cons: Needs a warmer atmosphere
Guest
rach
Points +144
Great Chinese Vegan Food / Nice Setting - Edit
Large menu, new decor. We enjoyed our meal and were glad we made the trip out of our way for lunch here. Pot stickers and the spicy soup were particularly good. Worthwhile going
Read morePros: choices, decor
Guest
JonJon
Points +21076
A great place for vegans! - Edit
I tried their meals when they were still at the older place and I appreciated the experience. The food was of good quality and creative, the staff was friendly and all is vegan. If I come back to SF, I will certainly try this new version of the restaurant!
Read morePros: all vegan, creative food, friendly staff
Guest
veggieriga
Points +660
I'm so glad they reopened - Edit
I was so sad when they closed and was eagerly waiting for them to reopen. The new location is so nice and a perfect place to stop after going to the Asian Art Museum.
Read moreThe first time I went they didn't have any lunch specials but now they have a very affordable 2 item lunch option.
In terms of the regular menu, it is a bit inconsistent. The first time the food was so salty, so the next time I asked them if they could make it less salty and they said they couldn't. The food seemed less salty but was much spicier. When I mentioned it to the server, she was quite nice and went to talk to the chef and he said that it was the normal level of spiciness, but that next time they might be able to make it less spicy.
The desserts look delicious, but I was too full to eat them. There are so many interesting things on the menu to try, I'm looking forward to going back.
Pros: much nicer locations, good food
Guest
AshleyLorden
Points +1335
Vegan Oasis in Central Neighborhood - Edit
Update 11/30/2014: Restaurant has moved to new location on Golden Gate Avenue, still in the Tenderloin neighborhood but now adjacent to Civic Center. It has just opened in the new building yesterday, with a menu almost the same as before and some of the same staff. They are set up to have a lunch buffet but are starting with just the standard menu.
Read moreThe restaurant decoration and dish plating has gotten a big makeover; it's now quite modern and a bit fancier than before. They also now have a parking arrangement with a garage so parking should be easier. The service was lacking when I went but it was their first day open so hopefully that won't be an issue.
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Golden Era in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood, like many of the restaurants in the Loving Hut/Supreme Master network, is a calming, peaceful, welcoming spot where I often see people who know each other saying hello (you could say it's one of the local vegan watering holes).
Parking in this area is difficult -- it's near Union Square, so parking garages are expensive, and street parking may take you a number of circles around the block to get. Because this is the Tenderloin, it's also not that secure. However, it is very near main bus lines and a short taxi ride from many places. Although the neighborhood is not good, the risk of anything bad happening to you as you walk to the restaurant is still very very low.
They don't offer delivery, but I've had great success calling in takeout orders 10-15 min before I arrive there to pick something up. They always get my order right and take cards, making it a quick stop.
The menu is a bit more gourmet than many Loving Huts but follows the same general profile -- a mix of Asian flavors done in their own style, with lots of vegetables and faux meats. Some dishes are very healthy, while others are oily and fried -- your choice!
Be aware that the style here is what you'd expect of a "Chinese restaurant"; staff wear jeans, food is served when it's ready, bathrooms aren't fancy. It's not upscale but has everything you need for a great meal.
I have to also recommend the dessert menu, if you can save room they are quite good!
Pros: Affordable, All-vegan, Lots of choice
Cons: Sketchy neighborhood
Guest
PhilippaPickering
Points +60
really really good - Edit
This was a fantastic find. The menu is huge and varied and they have vegan desserts - bonus! My husband who is non-vegan loved the food too.
Read morePros: great food, varied menu, central location
Guest
GlobalVeganist
Points +60
OMG happiness on a plate!!! - Edit
I had the pot stickers and the Pho soup - SO delicious!!! Everything tasted to fresh and was seasoned to perfection. The staff were very friendly and gave great advice on meal choices. The only problem with this place was.... you get full way too soon when you just want to keep on eating!
Read morePros: yummy, yummy, and did I mention: Yummy!!!
Guest
Veganessss in SF
Points +95
Delicious Vegan Vietnamese Restaurant! - Edit
Excellent vegan Vietnamese restaurant. Favorite dishes: fresh spring rolls, tofu salad, vegetable fu young, wonton vegetable noodle soup (a kid-favorite), pan fried vegetable chowfun, spicy sweet potato curry. Delicious desserts. Highly recommended! Also check out Loving Hut at the Westfield Mall in San Francisco (http://lovinghut.us/sf_westfield/contact.html).
Read morePros: Excellent Food, Vegan, Kid-friendly
Guest
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