718 — Restaurant in San Francisco

This is the first time ever I write a review. Till now I never had the necessity to share my experiences. But this time I want to inform people not to choose this restaurant. Don't let the pictures of all the famous people and presidents in the entrance mislead you. I cannot imagine they have ever eaten here... The smell of the restroom for the women was 'hanging' in the restaurant. The men's restroom was upstairs where I had to pass a kind of kitchen where food was laying around on a dirty table. Disgusting. We had to exchange our glasses because they were full of fingerprints and one of them even with lipgloss on it. Even the 'new' glasses we got, we had to clean with a napkin... The 'service' was given by an angry man. He almost threw the dishes on the table. The food was terrible ! We have been travelling with a family of four for 1 month in 3 states, and this was the first and only restaurant that gave us the bill with 18 % tip already calculated in. Apparently they think of thereselfs they are giving a good service. I can tell you that we didn't pay the full amount, with more angry looks as result ! The nice view you have when you sit at a window cannot make anything good. Stay away from there, this was really a damper for our visit to the famous...

Ohhhh the bad reviews are from Cathay House (RIP).

That said, I didn’t even know going in — I had only heard great things — and the place exceeded even those expectations!

The drinks are SO good, and unique/use Asian flavors in a wonderful way. We had the punch bowl (came in a legit old school punch bowl, with glasses), smoked umamis (my fave here!) and the hot and sour (really good!). Haven’t been wowed by such good drinks in awhile, and I am not infrequently getting cocktails.

The decor is nice and the place is spacious. We arrived with a fairly large group at 8pm on a Friday once, and managed to get a comfy seating area in the middle. The staff was nice enough to produce plates and a knife for a birthday cake we brought, too.

Great experience, great drinks, great space! Come here, but make sure there’s still enough room for me when I show up.

Just one thing - this is definitely not a speakeasy per se; very visible outside with signage, but that’s ok, it’s...

This is the first restaurant review I have written, and do so as a warning to others. Also the last time I visit a restaurant without reading reviews beforehand. I would have given the Cathay House 0 stars if I could have. Truly terrible. The worst restaurant I have been to. I think that it survives by preying on people who don't know the area. The chicken tasted off and within 30 mins of leaving the restaurant, my girlfriend was on the loo. My turn is coming, I'm sure. Bad food, bad service. And expensive. An 18% service fee is added to the bill without consulting me. And the expense doesn't stop there. Take into account all the loo paper that you will use afterwards. The only good point is the view. This place deserves a visit from the health...