Perilla Ratings: 3.4/5 Food: 3/5 - I had visited many Vietnamese places in SF seeking for the best 5-Spice Chicken dish, and it's now confirmed that Perilla is on the lower end of my ratings. It was an very average meal, and not satisfying taste wise. My boyfriend and I got the same thing, but he has vermicelli noodles instead. You can read the description of the meal I got below. - Five Spice Chicken [GET]: The chicken thigh was okay, marinated well with spices, but the edge pieces and chicken skin were burnt and hard to chew. I can only enjoyed the inner pieces, and they were not that juicy or fatty to begin with. I think they have overcooked it a bit. The jasmine rice was solid though, well-cooked and chewy. Also, I wished they gave me pickled radishes as my side rather than some steamed cold broccoli, because it added no extra flavors to the dish besides health, LOL. Make sure to pour the sauce on everything, so the rice and the chicken can soaked up more flavors. Ambiance: 3.25/5 - Located on Haight Street across from Purple Rice. The interior is gloomy, dark, empty, and quiet. I got a very down-to-earth and mom-and-pop shop type of vibe. It is not as welcoming, and I wished it was brighter than I wanted. Another thing is the table is sticky, so was not pleased about it. Not the best place for dining in, but solid for take-outs. Price: 3.75/5 - The 5-Spice Chicken was around $15 per person after tax. The price is fair, but you can definitely get better 5-Spice Chicken elsewhere at a very similar price point in the Richmond. Service: 3.5/5 - The cashier is nice, and the kitchen staffs were able to make our food within 15 minutes after we ordered. We dined in, but it was more of a self-service type of place, but they will clean up when you are done though. Also, there's a water station, so you can help yourself to it. Not much interaction whatsoever, so if you are looking for somewhere that has attentive customer service, Perilla might not be the place for you. BLUF: An fast causal Vietnamese restaurant located on Haight Street. This is a local mom-and-pop shop, but not a hole-in-the-wall. If you are in the area, and craving for Viet food, then go ahead and give it a try, otherwise there's other options nearby that's probably better. I do not think I will return again.
Tomohisa W.
Five spice chicken is great with crispy skin and juicy tender meat. Goes well with garlic noodles which reminded me of flatter chewy spaghetti with garlic and butter. Simple, but like another customer mentioned, kinda grows on you and I can see getting cravings for it if you have it enough times. Vermicelli was good along with the pork. Will try again if I'm in the neighborhood.
Hannah C.
I really loved the brisket pho that I had. I had it delivered and they separated the ingredients so nothing got soggy or cooked through delivery. The imperial rolls were good. I would order it all again and would definitely come again. I do wish they had more pho options!
Conrad V.
Though I enjoy the food Perilla has to offer, this location in particular ranks worst in customer service. I'm left without an update on my order for at least 20 mins every time I mistakenly decide to go here. I'd suggest the Perilla located of Irving in Sunset. Way better service and experience there.
Kristi L.
Ordered takeout. The beef pho broth was superrrr tasty! But it was heavily weighed down by the way the noodles were packed - soggy and melted together. If the owners read this comment, cool down the noodles before you package them so they don't continue cooking in the packaging. You can also wrap the uncooked meat in plastic wrap (like other pho places) so the blood doesn't bleed into the noodles. Overall really good tastes, the packaging just needed revision.
Katie F.
Food is not super but ok. Kind of disappointed when we got ice cold broccoli for our hot dish. Literally ICE cold.
Vincent Goh
4.75 ratingDecided to try the Five Spice Chicken Pho, an dish not-so-commonly served with the pho restaurants I usually frequent. It had an excellent tasting broth, very well seasoned and very juicy chicken, and was fairly priced relative to downtown SF restaurants.-0.25 stars for the type of pho noodle they use. It was very thin and didn't have a great chew-factor and broke apart very easily.
Erwin Salguero
We were visiting the city and we found this place. Good food and excellent customer service.
Ryno Z.
My go to! Imperial rolls and combo pho are the way to go! Always fast service and really affordable as well. Thanks guys!
Victor
This is not a so authentic Vietnamese place but yet we found it our best place for pho and satay noodles (similar to bun bo hue). We tried more than 15 places in the city so far and yet, this is our favorite! The brisket slices in the pho are super tasty! We will start our search down in San Jose for more authentic Vietnamese food and bun mi’s!
I usually order pho here but I decided to try something new since I was doing a takeout order. I got the five spice chicken with garlic noodles as I've heard people rave about it. I called to place my order and they told me it would be ready in 10 minutes (which it was). The portion size was a lot bigger than I expected and it was very filling! The chicken has a lot of flavor and the garlic noodles pair very well with it. Would order again
Keara C.
A short review to reflect our short visit. Staff was extremely friendly. We came close to closing time and they served us with no rush. The inside was clean and welcoming. We ordered the Papaya Salad with Beef and the 5 Spice Chicken Noodle Soup. Both were so delicious and flavorful. We both rate them 5/5! Also the food is priced very well! The portions are very generous for the price. We really enjoyed our meal and I can't wait to return.
Brittney L.
Came here bc a friend that stays here said the noodles were good. Should've stuck to her suggestion. Instead I tried the pho. Ordered plain with tofu. Tofu wasn't fried. Not sure if you need to specify. But they definitely boiled them. Gave an egg white consistently. Then just tossed them in the broth. That part was delicious. Definitely do not provide enough garnishes and did not have chili oil. If I find myself in the city again, I won't be going to this place for pho.
Yao Xu
Fresh and yummy food! Just what we needed for an autumn night. They have quite a few vegan options, which is awesome.
EunJoo C.
Beef papaya salad and five spice chicken & garlic noodles are very delicious and steady. Highly recommend.
Perilla Ratings: 3.4/5 Food: 3/5 - I had visited many Vietnamese places in SF seeking for the best 5-Spice Chicken dish, and it's now confirmed that Perilla is on the lower end of my ratings. It was an very average meal, and not satisfying taste wise. My boyfriend and I got the same thing, but he has vermicelli noodles instead. You can read the description of the meal I got below. - Five Spice Chicken [GET]: The chicken thigh was okay, marinated well with spices, but the edge pieces and chicken skin were burnt and hard to chew. I can only enjoyed the inner pieces, and they were not that juicy or fatty to begin with. I think they have overcooked it a bit. The jasmine rice was solid though, well-cooked and chewy. Also, I wished they gave me pickled radishes as my side rather than some steamed cold broccoli, because it added no extra flavors to the dish besides health, LOL. Make sure to pour the sauce on everything, so the rice and the chicken can soaked up more flavors. Ambiance: 3.25/5 - Located on Haight Street across from Purple Rice. The interior is gloomy, dark, empty, and quiet. I got a very down-to-earth and mom-and-pop shop type of vibe. It is not as welcoming, and I wished it was brighter than I wanted. Another thing is the table is sticky, so was not pleased about it. Not the best place for dining in, but solid for take-outs. Price: 3.75/5 - The 5-Spice Chicken was around $15 per person after tax. The price is fair, but you can definitely get better 5-Spice Chicken elsewhere at a very similar price point in the Richmond. Service: 3.5/5 - The cashier is nice, and the kitchen staffs were able to make our food within 15 minutes after we ordered. We dined in, but it was more of a self-service type of place, but they will clean up when you are done though. Also, there's a water station, so you can help yourself to it. Not much interaction whatsoever, so if you are looking for somewhere that has attentive customer service, Perilla might not be the place for you. BLUF: An fast causal Vietnamese restaurant located on Haight Street. This is a local mom-and-pop shop, but not a hole-in-the-wall. If you are in the area, and craving for Viet food, then go ahead and give it a try, otherwise there's other options nearby that's probably better. I do not think I will return again.
Five spice chicken is great with crispy skin and juicy tender meat. Goes well with garlic noodles which reminded me of flatter chewy spaghetti with garlic and butter. Simple, but like another customer mentioned, kinda grows on you and I can see getting cravings for it if you have it enough times. Vermicelli was good along with the pork. Will try again if I'm in the neighborhood.
I really loved the brisket pho that I had. I had it delivered and they separated the ingredients so nothing got soggy or cooked through delivery. The imperial rolls were good. I would order it all again and would definitely come again. I do wish they had more pho options!
Though I enjoy the food Perilla has to offer, this location in particular ranks worst in customer service. I'm left without an update on my order for at least 20 mins every time I mistakenly decide to go here. I'd suggest the Perilla located of Irving in Sunset. Way better service and experience there.
Ordered takeout. The beef pho broth was superrrr tasty! But it was heavily weighed down by the way the noodles were packed - soggy and melted together. If the owners read this comment, cool down the noodles before you package them so they don't continue cooking in the packaging. You can also wrap the uncooked meat in plastic wrap (like other pho places) so the blood doesn't bleed into the noodles. Overall really good tastes, the packaging just needed revision.
Food is not super but ok. Kind of disappointed when we got ice cold broccoli for our hot dish. Literally ICE cold.
4.75 ratingDecided to try the Five Spice Chicken Pho, an dish not-so-commonly served with the pho restaurants I usually frequent. It had an excellent tasting broth, very well seasoned and very juicy chicken, and was fairly priced relative to downtown SF restaurants.-0.25 stars for the type of pho noodle they use. It was very thin and didn't have a great chew-factor and broke apart very easily.
We were visiting the city and we found this place. Good food and excellent customer service.
My go to! Imperial rolls and combo pho are the way to go! Always fast service and really affordable as well. Thanks guys!
This is not a so authentic Vietnamese place but yet we found it our best place for pho and satay noodles (similar to bun bo hue). We tried more than 15 places in the city so far and yet, this is our favorite! The brisket slices in the pho are super tasty! We will start our search down in San Jose for more authentic Vietnamese food and bun mi’s!
Restaurantji Recommends
I usually order pho here but I decided to try something new since I was doing a takeout order. I got the five spice chicken with garlic noodles as I've heard people rave about it. I called to place my order and they told me it would be ready in 10 minutes (which it was). The portion size was a lot bigger than I expected and it was very filling! The chicken has a lot of flavor and the garlic noodles pair very well with it. Would order again
A short review to reflect our short visit. Staff was extremely friendly. We came close to closing time and they served us with no rush. The inside was clean and welcoming. We ordered the Papaya Salad with Beef and the 5 Spice Chicken Noodle Soup. Both were so delicious and flavorful. We both rate them 5/5! Also the food is priced very well! The portions are very generous for the price. We really enjoyed our meal and I can't wait to return.
Came here bc a friend that stays here said the noodles were good. Should've stuck to her suggestion. Instead I tried the pho. Ordered plain with tofu. Tofu wasn't fried. Not sure if you need to specify. But they definitely boiled them. Gave an egg white consistently. Then just tossed them in the broth. That part was delicious. Definitely do not provide enough garnishes and did not have chili oil. If I find myself in the city again, I won't be going to this place for pho.
Fresh and yummy food! Just what we needed for an autumn night. They have quite a few vegan options, which is awesome.
Beef papaya salad and five spice chicken & garlic noodles are very delicious and steady. Highly recommend.