Cordon Bleu

Let’s say you’re a sensitive vegetarian soul. You know, the kind that wants to vomit when you see copious amounts of meat?
Or let’s suppose you are an OCD neat freak. You know, the kind that wipes up every little drop of whatever fell on the counter right away and everything in your kitchen is buffed to a high sheen?
If either of the above is true, this is not the place for you.
But now let’s suppose you are really stinking cheap, kind of okay with slobbiness, and not grossed out by dish tubs full of chewed meaty bones… and you love Vietnamese homestyle food?
Yes? Get in here!
No phở, but HUGE plates of food. BBQ chicken, pork, big fat homemade imperial rolls, one noodle salad, and one chicken salad. That’s about it. Well maybe there’s some sort of tofu thing, but Ms. Veg, this really isnt your scene. Trust me.

Going there for the 3^rd time as it has become a ritual over the last 3 months. My boyfriend’s cheap, I’m cheap and these meals are cheap but the portions are HUGE. On top of that the food is great.
Highlights:
–I have no idea what the meat sauce is but I’m sure they could bottle it and make millions.
–The chicken is charbroiled and is probably the best I’ve had outside of Thailand.
–The Imperial rolls are not like the ones you see at other restaurants. They are the big mamas of all Imperial rolls.
Tips:
–Space is limited so if you don’t want to wait, you can call ahead of time and just pick up the food to go.

The food come pretttttyyyyy slow only one lady speak english and the chicken looks good in one side and totally burnt the other side. It is still very tasty and the portion is huge!

I felt like I was walking into a private Vietnamese home when I first entered, what with the grill, tight quarters and lonesome lightbulb. However, once the food fought it’s way past my teeth and into my esophagus, I began to feel emotions that I’ve never felt before. I even invented a new word to describe them: orgsvanomous. I came close to tears of joy as I gnawed my way through the jaw-​dropping feast, and became oblivious to the world until I reached the bottom of my love-​encrusted noodle bowl. Don’t make the mistake of missing out on this beacon of hope for the taste bud community.

This place is a tasty and cheap lunch fix! The 5-​spice chicken entrée is a huge portion for only $ 9! The chicken is thrown on the grill for a quick char, which is definitely tasty. You get 2 pieces. The leg was moist, but the breast was a bit dry. No worries though, there is a tomato-​esque” gravy spooned over the rice to compensate. Overall, 3 stars. But nothing special here folks. Just lunch.

I wish I could give it a better rating, but this mom and pop shop was no good. It’s a very small hole-​in-​the-​wall place with little seating. You can see your meal getting prepped in the little kitchen area. The food was not great. There was nothing memorable about it. Wouldn’t come back again. With so many places to try in the city, I can’t justify coming back here again. (And I’ve had better imperial rolls elsewhere).

The food is very good but the service is always very bad, always forget about orders. They just don’t care about their customers. Their not orgonized. Sometimes it takes 30 min just to make an order. This place is just anoying. It’s too bad because their food is really good. If you are in hurry just don’t come here.
I’ve been to this place more than 15 times. Something else who’s anoying worth place is that they have spring rolls for sell on their menu. But they never have them, always sold out.
I think my review is fair. After all those time I’ve been there, i will never come back sadly :(

I saw the cook fully burn a chicken leg. My friend and I thought «oh…she definitely won’t serve that» «she’ll probably grill a new one.» NOPE! That fully burnt chicken leg got put on my plate and served to me. This was after she picked it up and looked at the burnt piece for a bit and then proceeded to peel off the skin (because IT WAS SO BURNT). She then tried to cover up the missing skin with their gravy sauce. I do not mind charred meat because I actually like that taste, but I tried to eat the chicken and it tasted like charcoal and ash. I asked for a new piece, which she was annoyed at (the new piece was grilled to perfection).
The grill is out in the open so you can see exactly what is being grilled and I saw her burn another piece during my time there and again, gave it to the customer. The guy being served had the same look of amazement that I had — «did she really just give me this piece of fully burnt chicken?»
I will not be returning to Cordon Bleu.

Love this homey shop churning out quick Vietnamese dishes! It’s so good too. the meats are so well-​seasoned and the rolls come out fresh and piping hot. The ladies are super nice, and the little counter makes you feel a little more connected to your neighbors, which is a bit rare in this big city. I can see this unassuming restaurant being a great local’s spot.

I’m not sure why this place is regarded so highly. The venue is cramped and mostly counter seating. You can probably fit about 20 people in there. It’s a hole in the wall that feels dingy and dirty. We walked in around 7pm on a Sunday, and there was a short wait. We took counter seating and watched the Cantonese-​speaking ladies grill and fry an assortment of different meats. Honestly, the food looked very unappetizing. Also, I question their cleaning methods. They were using the same rag to wipe everything… gross. I was hoping for some good ol’ phở soup, but was disappointed when I didn’t see it on the menu. So much for «authentic» Vietnamese.
I ordered #5 which came with a huge piece of roast chicken, an imperial roll, country «salad», meat sauce and pieces of grilled pork on rice. The boyfriend ordered mapo tofu with rice. Overall, you definitely get your money’s worth. For under $ 10, the food we had could have fed a small family. The imperial roll was tasty, and the chicken was cooked perfectly. However, the pork was on the dry side and the mapo tasted and looked like something I could whip up in the kitchen. I looked around the room and gathered that this spot caters to mostly young people and bachelors who can’t cook for themselves.
I wasn’t impressed, but I might come back sometime for their noodle salad. Oh, FYI — CASH ONLY!

The walk to here from Powell Bart Station was awful, as it was all uphill walking. My legs were tired and my boyfriend was trudging along begrudgingly, claiming I lied to him when I told him about a small Vietnamese shop nearby that served home-​made food at a higher quality than the fancy restaurants near the station. We arrived at our destination, and I could see the crestfallen look on his face as he saw the immediate surrounding area and the literal, hole-​in-​the-​wall shop. We each took a menu, browsed through it quickly and ordered the number 5 and the noodle salad. Waiting for the food was hell. We were tired and cranky, staring blankly at a lady frying up imperial rolls, another lady in the back grabbing utensils and cups full of water for the customers. However, the wait wasn’t too bad. Once the food came out, magic happened.
The imperial rolls are the best. They’re so crunchy and none of that half-​assed frying. This, this is what something fried should taste like. The chicken wing on my boyfriend’s number 5 plate was tender and juicy, not overcooked at all. The pork may have been a little too thick and chewy for my taste, but it was good nonetheless paired with the hearty meat sauce over rice.
The noodle salad was delicious — like a rice noodle bowl you’d get at other restaurants, but this one already had sauce on it even before adding the fish sauce that usually comes with the order. The imperial roll was tasty as always, and the chicken pieces were also tender and juicy. It was a nice contrast to the hearty meal that my boyfriend had.
All in all, this place is amazing. Over 800 reviews — so why not pop in for a bite if you’re in the area? Bring cash, and maybe a little more to buy extra imperial rolls for the way home.

Best dining experience in years — A masterpiece and visually transforming.
Thank you for the welcome

I dunno what everyone is on. The meat sauce isn’t that good. It’s too thick for my liking and I also don’t like the taste. I got the kebab which wasn’t really kebab like but more like bbq… beef, I think? It was good though. Topped with rice and a salad. It’s cheap! Like about $ 7 for lunch.
Too bad it’s kinda cramped and ghetto. guess that’s how they keep it cheap? Unfortunately the meat sauce was not all that so this meal was only ok… I think I would pick somewhere else for Vietnamese food, personally.
The bathroom is hecka tiny. It made me feel like I was in vietnam. Lol. I never been, but it’s what I imagine Vietnam to feel like. Anyway. Yea, the toilet seat is way low. so is the sink. I’m 5’5″ and I felt like a GIANT!!!
Cash only. nooo… I never carry cash anymore. You never know when you’re gonna get robbed in San Francisco.

Great little mom-​and-​pop restaurant. We found this place via Unilocal.We were looking for Vietnamese lunch, but were at such an off time nothing was showing up in our area except this little gem. Super glad! They cook your food right in front of you. GET THE CHICKEN. I got the chicken (upgrade) over noodles, yummy and refreshing. Their imperial rolls were delicious (esp with sriracha!!!). My husband got the #1 combo plate. Was good, but he wished he had chicken on it. Next time I am in San Fran I will come here and get what our genius restaurant neighbors ordered: a whole plate of chicken and a plate of imperial rolls each!!! Very friendly staff.

Huge helpings and very friendly owners at this small but serious-​about-​food hole in the wall on California Street. Get the #5 combo for a little taste of everything, and come hungry!

Yummy. Big portions good value.
Get the venerable #5, can’t go wrong.
I remember being skeptical about the gravy on the rice but in the end I can’t stop eating it’s savory sweet combination.
I’m normally not a fan of bone in chicken parts but it was moist and fresh. The shish kebob isn’t really a kebob, it’s marinated flat meat grilled till its chewy. Like fresh jerky.
I also try to stay away from fried food but the imperial egg roll was actually good

CASH ONLY
Best imperial rolls ever! My boyfriend and I loove this place! It’s fun getting to sit at the counter and watch them make the food on the stove. The restaurant gets crowded since there’s limited seating (best if you have only 2 people) but so worth the wait! I also saw a ton of people calling in to pick up their order.
Ordered the #5 (imperial roll, shish kebab, five spice chicken, meat sauce with rice, and small salad) which is ENORMOUS for only $ 10. Honestly that dish alone is enough to feed 2 people. It is so flavorful and the meat sauce over rice is really comforting and hearty. The imperial rolls are huge, deep fried and packed with meat/​veggies. The chicken is so soft and perfectly spiced!
My boyfriend got the noodle salad which comes with an imperial roll and shish kebab ($ 9). Seriously up there for the vermicelli bowls I have had but I think the meat plates are the way to go. We finished both our meals but were so full afterwards.
One of my favorite hole in the wall restaurants and love the amount you get for the prices. I highly recommend you check it out!

#5 is what you should get if you are not getting the chicken salad (which is deceptively huge and the pictures do not do it justice). The imperials rolls are also huge (not as good as tin or some other places but super filing). This is a to go drunken food place with lots of rice, sauce, and fillers. You basically can get a meal that feeds two for under $ 20. The #5 comes with pork, chicken, imperial roll, rice, and etc.

3.5 Stars
Came here for take-​out during lunch. The restaurant is definitely a hole in the wall type of place. I only saw a few stools for eating. (For sure not a place to come with large groups.)
Call ahead and place your order! We called and came 10 minutes later and the lady cooking behind the grill (maybe the owner?) was really nice.
I ordered one of their lunch specials; 1 shish kebab, salad and meat sauce over rice. Oh my goodness! Talk about huge portion! (I was able to eat my leftovers for dinner.) only complaint was that there wasn’t enough meat and soooo much rice. Which became somewhat «soggy/​mushy» from the meat sauce. I’d love to come back and try the chicken tho! Their imperial egg rolls are a MUST! So crispy, crunchy and good!

The food isn’t fantastic, but it’s nice to have a few simple cheap eats places around.
I got the #5, so I got to try a bit of everything: five-​spice roast chicken, chicken shish kebab, imperial roll, country salad, meat sauce on rice:
— The roast chicken was nice and moist; I got a leg quarter. A little too charred for my liking, though.
— The shish kebab (not really shish kebab) was probably the best thing in the box, and went well with the little plastic tub of nuoc cham.
— The imperial roll was enormous and crispy, but kind of tasted of stale oil. The risks of coming in near closing time, I guess.
— The country salad was a small pile of shredded cabbage. As small piles of shredded cabbage go, it was fine.
— The meat sauce, I could have done without. Underseasoned and gloopy, in desperate need of a squirt of Sriracha. It might have been better if I’d eaten it there rather than taking it to go, but the restaurant doesn’t have a whole lot of seating.
If I were still in college, I’d probably be a regular here. But since I’m not, it’ll probably be an infrequent take-​out spot. This three star rating takes the price into account, which is to say, if it weren’t cheap, there’d be no reason to come here.