Sunflower Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant

Great little Vietnamese spot on 16th at Valencia, right next to the Roxie Theater. I had a couple hours to kill before catching a movie, so I sat outside and people watched while waiting for my food. The staff were very kind and attentive. I ordered the Lemongrass beef vermicelli bowl, which comes with crispy (egg or spring?) rolls on top. The portion size was generous; I took home leftovers and it was just as delicious the next day for lunch. Can't wait to come back and try the Hawaiian BBQ options, too!

Me: "Where do you want to eat - around here or drive somewhere else?"
Friend: "Let's just stay on 16th."

Me: "Ok, Truly Mediterranean (*thinking*: please pick this!), Picaro (or this), or Sunflower (please, do NOT pick this!)?
Friend: "Hmmm, Sunflower sounds good!"

Me: "Sure!"

Cap. But, I didn't want to kill the positive vibes just because Sunflower's food is not my jam. But, maybe they've improved from my last visit?

Sunflower has been in The Mission for as long as I can remember (nearly 2 decades) and they also have a location in Potrero Hill. They're open for takeout, delivery, indoor dining, and outdoor dining (dog-friendly).

While their name is "Sunflower 'Authentic' Vietnamese Restaurant", they don't serve authentic Viet eats. It's Chinese style Viet food.

M E N U
Typical Viet menu of apps, phở, bún, and entrees.

Online menu is different than the in-person menu. I asked about Viet rice plates and was told, you have to order a side of rice to go with your entrée. They also have a Hawaiian BBQ menu that includes rice plates so that's odd.

Beer available.

F O O D
* Spam Musubi (2pc-$6) // 2 stars
2 stars for the spam (not coated in soy+sugar glaze) because you can't go wrong with spam (if you grew up on it). The rice was very mushy so we didn't eat it.

* Bún Thịt Nướng Chả Giò: BBQ Lemongrass Pork & Imperial Rolls Vermicelli Bowl ($13.95) // 2.5 stars: https://tinyurl.com/3fas2wdm
--Thịt Nướng (BBQ Lemongrass Pork): Hella salty with no lemongrass flavor. Tasted more like Chinese style pork since it was heavy on the soy sauce and oyster sauce (?).
--Chả Giò (Imperial Rolls): Hot and crunchy with savory pork. Menu says, there's taro but didn't taste any.
--Bún: The vermicelli noodles were overcooked and broken up into small segments. They don't give you much noodles.
--Accoutrements: Chopped romaine lettuce (crisp), cucumbers (fresh), and pickled carrots + daikon (hella sour).
-- Nước chấm (fish dipping sauce): So salty, needs more sugar and lime for balance.

* Loco Moco: Two beef patties, two fried eggs, rice, gravy (Regular - $13.95) // 3 stars
Not my order but non-picky friend said, it wasn't good. At least the eggs were runny!

S E R V I C E
Super sweet cashier and server, that also helps cooks in the kitchen. We were the only ones there and food took about 20 minutes.

A M B I A N C E
Dingy hole-in-the-wall with four tables inside and two tables outside.

P A R K I N G
Very challenging street parking.

Overall, if you're used to good Viet food in the TL or in E San Jose, Sunflower is probably not going to cut it. BUT...if you're solely looking for cheap AZN food for sustenance while barhopping on 16th, this may be an ok option.

This place was pretty disappointing. We arrived at 6pm. Our food was only partially brought out at 6:33pm. The remainder of the food we ordered was brought out at 6:45pm. It took over 45 minutes to get all the food we ordered.

Part of the problem was the waitress kept bringing out incorrect orders. She mixed up a togo order and our order. Our full order had been packed togo, even though we were sitting right in the restaurant. Then she brought us another patron's order. Then she finally got one of our dishes out. Then finally the last dish.

When the check came, it was incorrect at $48. The correct amount was $26. It had items on there that we did not order. The waitress went back and changed some things on the ticket, then brought it back to us. It now read $38. I pointed out it was still incorrect, and she went back for further analysis and calculations. It finally came out at $28, which was only $2 over. So I just paid it because we had to leave.

Sunflower makes the best summer rolls in the city. Hard stop. As evidenced by the picture, my meal was just two orders of them. One star off because the food took ages, possibly because it seems to be an overwhelmingly takeout oriented operation. The service was very terse, and while I'd never expect the utmost attentiveness in that setting, a little more warmth would take this place to the next level.

VIETNAMESE OR HAWAIIAN

I like these two cuisines, but for this restaurant it represents a dilemma for me. This restaurant is close to the Roxie Theater. One evening I came here to eat before watching a movie at the Roxie Theater. I ordered the imperial rolls and house fried rice. At any Vietnamese eateries I prefer imperial rolls over spring rolls as the imperial rolls are fried. I can make a meal of these imperial rolls. The house fried rice looked small in portion yet was tasty. It also wasn't oily but hearty. After seeing the menu on the wall of the restaurant that includes several Hawaiian dishes I wanted to come here again.

About a month later I ate at Sunflower Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant. I ordered the spam musabi and BBQ beef short ribs. It was great seeing how the spam musabi was made. Most spam musabi I've ordered the rice ends to be too hard. Not at Sunflower Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant where the rice is warm and soft. Even though this place mostly serves Vietnamese dishes that one Hawaiian dish this is the best spam musabi I ever had at an eatery. The BBQ beef short rib at Sunflower Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant is better than most BBQ beef short rib I've ate from other Hawaiian eateries. First the portion of the beef ribs engulfs the two scoops of rice as too often I get more rice than meat at other places for this dish. Second the BBQ beef short rib was also flavorful with the combination of meat and fat.

I ate here about several weeks later. I knew this time I wanted to order Vietnamese food. I ordered jasmine rice and shaking beef, which I never had. I loved the portion of the shaking beef, but there was something about the taste. I tasted the beef but unlike the BBQ beef short rib the shaking beef lacked flavor. I didn't know if this dish was supposed to be sweet, savory, or spicy. Of all the Vietnamese and Hawaiian dishes I ordered from Sunflower Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant, the Vietnamese dish of shaking beef was the worst I ate.

This place left me in a flux. Is it a Hawaiian or Vietnamese? I was more impressed with the Hawaiian dishes than the Vietnamese dishes from this eatery. I think if this place focused solely either on Vietnamese or Hawaiian the quality of the food from that cuisine would be clarified.

There are two locations in SF. While I like the ambiance at the Connecticut St. vs. Valencia/16th, I prefer to order my food at Valencia- my reason may be silly, but the peanut sauce is made so much better at the Valencia location.

I've only been here once but I loved my food and the service. I came on a Sunday afternoon for lunch, the food was great and our waitress was very sweet and helpful. I ordered the Vermicelli with Beef and Imperial Rolls, best one I've ever had. The serving portion was generous and I think worth the cost of $12.95. Those Imperial Rolls were so good, I'd order it by itself for an app too, either way you should try them. We also ordered the Vietnamese coffee and I they served it very fresh, still in the press while still brewing and then you pour it in your cup. I thought that was a nice touch. I will say they have another location just half a block away so I was a little confused on where to go but I still found it and I'm glad I did. I plan to come back when I''m in the mood for a healthy meal. Also love that they have Hawaiian options. SPAM MASUBI FTW.

Hard to find place thats literally two restaurants on one.

The left side is Hawaiian BBQ and the right is Vietnamese.

I must have walked by this place a dozen times and still couldn't find it. It's to the left of the theater.

Do not order their thai iced tea. I think mine was contaminated because it tasted like it had some chemical cleaner in it. I took a sip and it burned the back of my throat. I instantly threw it away.

The beef pho was skimpy at best. The only good part was that the meat was tender. The soup was okay but it doesn't come with anything. Just some slices of rare beef. No tendons or any other pieces.

They don't include any sauces like hot sauce or hoisin sauce to go.

Small portions.

Will not be coming back.

My friend recommended this place for pho. We both went on Monday and shared the spring rolls as an appetizer. They were good but were kind of falling apart. I got the beef pho and my friend got the veggie pho. I really enjoyed the beef pho. It was very flavorful and was a bug portion. I had to pack some of mine to take back. This place screams authentic rhe minute you walk in. It is very small and there were two women cooking in the kitchen and taking our orders. It is a great local spot! Definitely pay a visit.

35 dollars 9n take out BBQ por and no roce ...supposedly ala carte....phuck this ishsh.