The Richmond district of San Francisco is very easy to find on a map. It is the area just North of the large east-west swath of greenery that is Golden Gate Park and just south of the park-like Presidio. The Richmond is predominately a residential neighborhood that does not draw the tourist crowds because it is probably not as photogenic as other areas of the city. If I had to describe the Richmond in one word it would not be cute but it might be delicious.
The culinary heart of the Richmond district is Clement Ave which runs east and west just North of Geary street. While Clement may lack the beautiful facade of other neighborhoods like the Filmore it makes up for it with good food at very reasonable prices. As one friend expressed it, “when you live in Clement can’t afford to eat at home”.
I previously reviewed the very popular Burma Superstar! restaurant where you will need to stand in line as much as an hour before the restaurant opens to get a table. But there are mind small restaurants in the Clement where you can get a good meal with less preparation or persistence. Directly across the street from Burma Super you can find Mai which offers inexpensive and good Vietnamese cuisine. We went to Mai on the recommendation of my friend Dan who recommended in particular the imperial rolls and the 5 spice chicken.
We loved the chicken also tried the hot and sour soup which has a very different taste than the chinese hot and sour soup that I am more familiar with. This spicy soup has tofu, pineapple and tomato and has a very fresh taste. Dan also recommended a Vietnamese sandwich place and Yum Soing for more expensive but great dim sum.
After dinner book lovers and browse for new or used books at one of the two Green Apple Book stores nearby (one for fiction and one for non-fiction). Clement and the Richmond may not draw a lot of tour buses but it is easy to see why so many people gladly call it home.
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