Betelnut Pejiu Wu in 2030 Union Street, San Francisco on Dine.com

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Betelnut Pejiu Wu

3.73/5 (20 reviews)

2030 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 929-8855

Category: Asian, Chinese, Indian, Korean

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19 Reviews

REVIEW #1

Isuara D.
Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating:

February 18, 2009

Great funky place. Great for drinks and apps. Large size. Good place to meet up with friends.Food is also good.

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REVIEW #2

Michael F.
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating:

December 10, 2005

I was not impressed with the flavors of all dishes. There is an over-reliance of salt and oil to make the food taste flavorful. Betelnut is a fun spot so you can go for a social meal. The best item was the Hefeweizen beer on tap. Some of the dishes come out pretty. It isn't always backed up by good taste.

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REVIEW #3

Dave S.
Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating:

November 28, 2005

Very good food...a hint about Betelnut. Try going on a Saturday afternoon and going for a couple appetizers and haveing a beer. In my opinion its better than going for the entire meal.

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REVIEW #4

Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating:

August 19, 2003

I was amazed by the quality and the taste of the dishes the first time I visited. I fell in love! There is not so much variety on the menu though, so if you go often, you don't get as much excitement out of it. But if you just go once in a while or when you miss the taste of those dishes, you will be really happy coming home. The type of food is a blend of all asian cuisines. I think even the cooking styles and mix of spices are a blend, a good blend. They have really good draft beer, even for a not-so-up-for-drinking person like me. Actually their name in Chinese is just that, "beer house". You don't have to order a lot of dishes because you will have a lot of rice to make sure you capture with the rich flavors. I'd definite order the ribs (forgot what it's called specifically, but it's a small plate). Go and you will be satisfied.

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REVIEW #5

Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating:

July 6, 2003

It's noisy, pretentious, crowded, no parking, and we keep going back when we visit the city. The food is quite interesting and of good quality. At least one seating at the counter is worth-while, just to see the action in the kitchen. I pity anyone who doesn't like the food here. It's great. But, some waiter folk here seem to think more highly of themselves than necessary. These are waiters and waitresses, not attorneys! :-) <br>

Beats Chinatown, hands down.

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REVIEW #6

David G.
Avg. Entree: $20-30
Rating:

October 25, 2001

The food is very well prepared and quite tasty. However, two cautionary notes. I've listed the "entree" price a bit higher than what you'll find on the menu. That's because the service is "tapa-style", and for 5 people, the staff recommends 8-10 dishes, so I've scaled up the food prices accordingly. Secondly, they have what they call "small plates" and "large plates." The description should be taken literally: As far as I could tell, the only difference between them was the size of the plate, i.e., there didn't seem to be any difference in the quantity of food! However, by the yuppified standard of San Francisco restaurant pricing, Betelnut is a reasonable choice for a slightly up-scale dining experience.

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REVIEW #7

Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating:

August 11, 2001

Very good food...a hint about Betelnut. Try going on a Saturday afternoon and going for a couple appetizers and haveing a beer. In my opinion its better than going for the entire meal.

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REVIEW #8

Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating:

November 27, 2000

I'f you want a balance of atmosphere/decor/food, this is definatley a place to try. You can't compare it to other asian restaurants in China Town or the Sunset.....THEY DEFINATLEY KNOW THIER MARKET. The bar is excellent!

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REVIEW #9

Jai S.
Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating:

August 27, 2000

good place to go asian grub. is quite popular aas can be made out by the waiting time. expensive, but great variety here. must go.

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REVIEW #10

sharon D.
Avg. Entree: $15-20
Rating:

July 3, 2000

Great place to take someone from out of town....interesting, tasty dishes (We had 6 and didn't hit one bad one), great people watching. Also, you can order exactly what you feel like - all veggies, all fish, noodles...some perfect onmnivore mix. A blander version of a type of restaurant you might find in Hong Kong, but cleaner and better decor. I have been there twice and enjoyed the visit each time. Parking in this neighborhood is notoriously difficult for those who are parking challenged. There is a pay parking lot across the street. And yes, get reservations unless you like hanging out in the bar.

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REVIEW #11

E L.
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating:

June 1, 2000

This restaurant is lovely inside and packed with people. It's a bit loud, but it just adds to the festive atmosphere. The scallion pancakes and string beans are especially good. I also enjoyed the crab spring rolls. The lemongrass chicken entree was decent, as was the fire noodle entree.

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REVIEW #12

alice L.
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating:

March 21, 2000

A bid expensive when you compare with the other Asian restaurant. One goes there for the decor and atmosphere, not food. The drinks are great! I love the house beer a lot! It's very nice for people with little appetite. Will recommend if you are not too hungrey and have mood to BS with your friends over couple of drinks.

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REVIEW #13

Anton H.
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating:

March 13, 2000

If for nothing else, Betelnut is a fairly good spot to watch the beautiful people of the Marina saunter by. The ambiance is a somewhat cheesier, deliberately seedier version of the decor at Le Colonial, but without the musty scent of the Fairmont's Tonga Room. The dishes are just about the right size if you intend to order several for the table and go at it tapas style. The pan asian flair both succeeds at everything and fails in every way. The flavors have been woefully anglicized for the benefit of the fair-haired and small-nosed who crowd the bar--much tastier tidbits can be had at more ethnic (but less chic) venues. Still, Betelnut, with it's rather powerful drinks, nonetheless makes for a pleasant, people-watching night out.

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REVIEW #14

Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating:

April 12, 1997

I went around 5pm on a Saturday. This is a good time to go, as it is just starting to fill up, but you could probably get by without a reservation. I ate at the counter and watched the action in the open kitchen - no wait, no problem. My waitperson was excellent. I was a bit afraid that the place might be all attitude (like so many other "in" places). But my waitress was very friendly, helpful, and sincere. She asked if this was my first visit (it was), and pointed out some of her suggestions. Also told me the best veggie dishes. The food was very good. I had szechuan green beans, very tasty. Also had a nice stir fry noodle dish with succulent baby bok choy. Prices are very reasonable. Good selection of wines by the glass and Asian beers. I will definitely go again, and next time, I would like to be a bit more adventurous. There are many things I would like to try there. Decor is also interesting - go on a warm evening when the windows are open. Beleive the hype - Betelnut is a find - even though everyone knows about it!

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REVIEW #15

Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating:

January 23, 1997

This restaurant presents a variety of small dishes that are the results of a number of Asian influences. There is quite a variety to choose from, of which I enjoyed the sashimi the most. I would not recommend the chicken with the coconut milk sauce. Be sure to try as many things as possible, since there are so many different styles of Asian cooking. Betelnut also features a bar which has an interesting collection of microbrews. It definitely makes the long wait more bearable. This place is more about atmosphere than anything else. The decor is rather unique, with a modern, Asian feel to it. Since this place is on Union Street, you can expect that the crowd will be filled with "young, urban professionals." The restaurant is fairly loud, and the open kitchen adds to the action. Reservations on weekends are really hard to get. Be sure to call well in advance. Even on weekdays, one can not expect to reliably walk in and get a table.

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REVIEW #16

Neil R.
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating:

November 22, 1996

A different kind of Chinese restaurant, attempting to imitate a Chinese seaport tavern. Food definitely has a different style than most Chinese places, with other Asian dishes too. Sea bass with homemade pickles was wonderful, as was chicken with vegetables and basil in peanut sauce, but vegetable dumplings were underdone. Not crowded at 5 on a weekday.

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REVIEW #17

Partha S. B.
Avg. Entree: $20-30
Rating:

August 12, 1996

I cant comment on how busy this place is because I got there around 5 anf got seated at a table for 2 without reservations ... but the place definitely filled up very quickly after that. For price, as this is descibed as an "oriental tapas" place, it's hard to work it into the "entre-based" pricing model ... i think you can eat a pretty filling meal for $15-$25/person if you dont go ape with the drinks. I thought the food was all well-prepared and creative. The pork-chops with the scicy orietnal seasoning was quite good. I was there with a vegan so some of the thigns we ordered were a little blander than what I would have liked but still it was well prepared. The bloody mary they have is interesting and worth trying if you like bloody marys. The drink they make with midori is good as well. I was concerned the waiter we got might have been kinda annoying based on what seemed this kind of affected accent but he seemed to be a pretty good guy actually ... i appreciated not being rushed eventhough the too of us were seated at a a booth [that could have accomodated 4] when the restaurant started to fill up. in fact they could have seated us at a smaller table in teh first place. I'll probably go back there with a larger group. Seems to be a good place to start an evening that will be spent in SF. Parking of course is kinda bad in the marina. I ran into Big Frank Jordan coming in when I was on my way out. It wasnt clearl to be the maitress d' recognized him ... I'm pretty sure he was asked his name. No one seemed to be fawning over him anyway.

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REVIEW #18

Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating:

July 14, 1996

If you're willing to sit at the counter, where the action at each cooking station is fun to watch, the wait is about 30 min. enough time to put your name on a waiting list and park the SU vehicle. House brews are available as are a number of asian dishes from sashimi to noodles to lettuce chicken. An upscale "hole in the wall Chinese dive." Noisy in the front, intimate & quiet in the back. Service was slow until you initially get the waiter's attention, but later service was attentive, friendly and helpful. Great for impressing out-of-towners or enjoying yourself with locals. Afterwards a walk along Union street, avoiding the hundreds of rollerbladers, on a Friday night, is a great cap to a great evening.

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REVIEW #19

Erik L.
Avg. Entree: $10-15
Rating:

April 24, 1996

great new restaurant, opened in 1995, serving a mix of Asian dishes. very hard to get into. try to make reservations at least two weeks in advance. young, hip, affluent crowd. cool Asian decor, with eye-catching red bar in front of an open kitchen. very stylish place. delicious foods, all served family-style: small dishes, soup, noodles, rice, veggies, big dishes. (go in a group so you can try more dishes!) interesting combinations make every plate an experience. tastes from around Asia: India, China, Korea, etc. service was a bit harried, but friendly and helpful. definitely try this place out! (if you can get in!)

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