Beyond Cafe

what a "find" for me.. they been around for 3 yrs who knew? obviously not me. but today i experienced it. the Cart noodles (make your choice of additions, type of noodle, type of broth. I didnt see this online (or I wasn't paying attention). but did my own (so if i messed up the combo I couldnt blame anyone but me).
got the Mala ---spicy/numbing-- with thin noodles (like for wonton) and mostly fish cakes. MAN was it good. spicy enough i didnt have to add any extra pepper sauce. noodles springy and good mouth feel, fish cakes were nice (a little sweet).
this was a good bowl (and size too). my friends had similar experience making their own combos. but with this experience i'm sure the cafe's set noodle combos (by different names) are just as good. i gotta try some the next time.

nice folks. you gotta try it. (pix dont show the exact nature of the dishes, since we had already dug into them before i took the pix)

I would never have stopped where this restaurant is located except for the recommendations by friends . Entrance is not clear nor is restaurant signage visible unless you really looked for it !! The building almost looks like it's vacant !

Having said that , we managed to park across the street and went in ! I can't remember what noodles we ordered except that it was really good . Had we read the reviews, we would have tried the wonton noodles . Next time for sure .

The server was very friendly. Told us where to park next time !

Place reminds me of HK style restaurants in side alleys . Can't wait to go back .

When my friend told me about having wonton noodle on south of market in SF, I was rather suspicious of how good can it be?

Was I wrong! This is definitely one of the best wonton noodle in SF and dare to say in America.

I've tried wonton noodle around the world. All the way from HK to Vancouver (which has one of the best wonton noodle) and the west coast of America.

1. The noodle... Better than the famous wonton noodle in Vancouver(they used to be good, not anymore). The noodle is crisp and Al dente. After 5 minutes in the soup still not soggy. That's impressive!! The wonton has marinated with sesame oil and 大地魚粉... I think because you can taste the different. Excellent flavor. Perfect balance on meat and shrimp in the wonton. The soup is also very good, not as good as that legendary wonton place in HK and Vancouver but still good.

2. Cart noodle - I loved the 咖喱豬皮魚蛋 and 金錢肚. Very tender, flavorful. The 油麵 is not what I expected. I think I'll stick with the Al dente thin noodle

Milk tea was smooth and flavorful. True HK style milk tea. Like many HK style restaurants, their milk tea are lukewarm too, I wish they microwave it after around the evaporated milk cause it made it lukewarm instead of hot.

Well, I'm thoroughly impressed. I can't believe I never heard about this place when the owner 昌哥said they have been there for 3 years!

Excellent Hong Kong style noodle soup. You pick 4 main ingredients, and then choose your favorite noodle and broth type. Wontons can be added for $5. Love how you get to customize!

This is one of my go-to restaurants in SoMa! Beyond cafe is well known for their Hong Kong style noodles, and for good reason. I always get their cart noodles, and the braised sauce is the way to go. Their offal ingredients are very tasty, and have never tasted gamey.

You order using a plastic placard and a marker, and the staff is very nice and accommodating. The interior walls are decorated with sitting from customers, and you can tell that it is a beloved restaurant! Definitely a must for anyone wanting Hong Kong style food in the area!

Love this place! You know a Chinese restaurant is legit when there are lots of people speaking Chinese in it! Have tried many items here, and my favorites are the black pepper pork with rice (sauce is delish, also love the corn that comes with it), little cart noodles, and the dish I tried for the first time today - spicy szechuan braised beef noodles (made my nose run, but in the best way!). Milk tea is always on point too. Yum!

One of my favorite Yelp pundits Ken K. (https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=DS0Idr2XDhz5e7ZfSy0dYA), before he went radio silence, put this business on my radar. Being my favorite read and source for all varieties of Asian cuisine, Ken, I'm hopeful to read your stuff again.

I write this review with mixed feelings as it is also the home of one of my past favorite lunch rotation restaurants, So, an offshoot of that popular dry fried chicken wings place on Irving Street. I've been wanting to come here for awhile but my work schedule hasn't aligned for a dine-in experience. For a few months, they've been on Neon's roster of food makers.

I ordered their signature dish which came like this, (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=NInQnfkIze9ZtSyG5gVb1g&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) complete with instructions (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=oEZk-9uPde8GjZSEnEa9Xw&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q). After about fifteen minutes at the stove, I prepared my last fresh lunch of 2024, their wonton noodle soup (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=yxIZi7b7DsUinhQWh3ZGDg&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q). A bit skeptical about how good this would be, I started to prepare my meal. As I built it, my bowl slowly impressed me as each ingredient looked delicious as I added them. There was one small packet with something dry packed in a tiny Saran Wrap. I couldn't figure it out as it was listed in the ingredients nor on the instructions. When I added it to the broth, it became obvious that they were Chinese chives to garnish the meal. After the camera ate 1st, I dug in and the grin on my face grew with each bite. This continued after sipping the first spoonful of the broth. Unlike most Chinatown restaurants that I frequent, the flavor was distinct and deliciously savory, perfect for winter days. In reading the description, it states the broth is made from flounder, likely a cured and dried version that gave the perfect savory flavor. The wontons were larger than normal and five were ample for a meal. The noodles had a perfect crunch on every bite, this despite me misreading the directions and cooking it more than a minute over. Slowly eating this meal and savoring every sip and bite, I really felt like I was in Hong Kong.

Besides this signature, they are also known for their cart noodles, a popular night market standard; not big on certain offal ingredients so will need to give pause in trying this. On Neon, they also offer beef tendons which I only eat when in a certain mood. You know that wonton noodle soup is definitely on my radar.

A quant cafe situated near big-box stores and across from the I-80 overpass in SF.

We had Noodle Soup with braised beef brisket and tendon. And Noodle soup with Wonton.

The brisket had an amazing flavor full of cinnamon and clove essence.

Most of the ingredients are cooked from scratch. The broth is a long-cooked mixture of pork bones and chicken. The hand made straw-color egg noodles are cooked al dente.

Super nice staff are attentive and willing to answer any questions.

Matt says check this gem out.

Food is good, decor and painting on the wall is cool.

However, they never serve people when they first arrive. The person behind me gets a menu and tea before I do everytime and I've been here 3 times. First time I came, I ordered right away. Two tables of 2 ordered way later than I did as they just came and they all got their food before I did and I was only a table of 1 at that time. They also forgot my drink one time and I had to ask for my drink before I left. I've seen reviews of friendly service but I have yet to experience that here.


The outside and inside of the restaurant has a stinky stench, smells like human pee. Once you open the restaurant door, you can smell the stench rush into your nose.

Pricing is a little higher than other restaurants for HK food but theres not much choices of HK food in the area.

Curry stew rice is gone, duck blood cubes are gone. Menu continuing to get oversimplified.

Cart noodles and wonton noodles are all that are offered. Egg noodles are pretty decent (for SF), soup base is bland and wontons are mediocre.

Prices are high for what this place has become.