Golden Era — Restaurant in San Francisco

I am so glad that I got to go here! Everything I ordered was extremely flavourful and satisfying!!! The staff are friendly, kind, and very helpful, and the service is fast. This is what we ordered: Curry Wraps Steamed Bun Tofu Salad Wonton Soup Sautéed Basil, Eggplant, [Tofu,] and Mushrooms Iced Matcha Latte My sister asked me which dish was my favourite, and I ended up just listing all of them. They were all so good! I really loved the variety of options. I eat tofu, seitan, and soy protein “meat” every day, so I wouldn’t have minded if this restaurant chose to only use one of those protein sources, but I really appreciated the variety. The variety also extends to the flavour palette as well. The curry wraps could fit perfectly in a Burmese Restaurant (and they put the Burma Superstar “Platha and Dip” to shame). The steamed bun is giant, decadent, and about 20 times as flavourful as a pork, chicken, or shrimp bun (I used to eat these every single day before I went vegan so I know what I’m talking about). The tofu salad was light and refreshing, and the plum vinaigrette perfectly showcased the vegetables💕. Since wontons almost always have meat and I was vegetarian for over half of my life (before I went vegan), I can’t even remember the last time I had wontons. When I tried the wonton soup, it took me right back to my childhood. Fellow vegans and vegetarians know that it’s hard to go wrong with sautéed eggplant, mushrooms, and tofu at Chinese and Southeast Asian restaurants, but trust me when I say that this dish is extra-special. The texture of the eggplant and mushrooms is perfect, which is one one the only critiques that I tend to have of this kind of dish. I’m a tofu-lover, so I’ll eat it at any density/texture, but I can say that this tofu could convince some of the strongest tofu-haters to come to the light side. The Iced Matcha Latte was a drink that I was hesitant about since I generally don’t like sweetened drinks, but I was very impressed. I’ve tried matcha lattes at dozens of coffee shops and boba tea places, but the depth of flavour in this one is unparalleled. Most importantly, when you go to this restaurant, you won’t have to sacrifice any taste, texture, or quality of experience in order to have a ethical meal. Please go to this place, it is absolutely worth your time...

6/2/25 Second Review: Went to Golden Era for another work lunch to celebrate a coworker's birthday at his request, since it is his favorite restaurant in the area.

We split two dishes - the lemongrass "chicken" and the papaya salad. Although I have had the lemongrass chicken dish before, it was as delicious as I remembered. Whatever they use as the chicken substitute is always fried to perfection and soaks up the flavor of the sauce beautifully.

As a huge fan of som tam, I was also very excited to try the papaya salad. The papaya salad was also very delicious and was topped with some sort of beef substitute that was also very delicious. The papaya salad wasn't as spicy or laden with peanuts as I'm used to from the Thai version, but it was very tasty nonetheless.

If you are looking for healthy and tasty options in the downtown or TL area, check out Golden Era! It has tasty options for anyone that likes Asian food, not just vegans.

Original review: We loved Golden Era! I work in the TL nearby and went here with a coworker after he recommended it, and was delighted to see a healthy option with tons of interesting and delicious sounding dishes nearby.

We got the Lemongrass "Chicken" Deluxe and the Fried Cauliflower, with a side of white rice.

The Fried Cauliflower had a really nice thin, almost tempura like batter, giving it a perfect crispiness without being super oily or heavy. It also was served with broccoli, lettuce, and jalapenos, and had a delicious spicy sauce that I spooned over it and the rice.

The Lemongrass "Chicken" Deluxe was my favorite of the two, with the soy protein cooked to a nice crisp with a pleasant chew as well, as if you really were eating chicken.

My only minor critique was that the dishes were not as spicy as I was expecting (both were marked as being spicy), but the chili sauce on the table more than made up for the slight lack of spice. I will be back for...

A pure vegan restaurant and this was our first encounter with vegan food. And definitely, this restaurant nails it. Where it sucks is............. service!! And this is perhaps the first time I have used the word "sucks" in my review.

Food: We ordered Spicy Sweet & Sour Soup, Avocado Rolls and Garden Vermicelli. The food was absolutely delicious. The soup was served over a small candle flame which kept it hot throughout. The balance of vegetables and flavors was amazing. Avocado Rolls were good as well. The wrapping was good and solid. Avocado and herbs gave it a very fresh feeling. Garden vermicelli was not so spicy but tasty enough. Overall, the food was a star.

Ambiance: The place is quite spacious and adequately lightened. If you would like to have a peaceful dinner in a well lit environment, this is the place to be.

Service: Now, this is where the tragic tale starts. There are pathetic service levels due to incompetence. Here, competence was not an issue. Once we were seated and handed over the menu, for about 20 minutes, there was nobody to take our order. There were 2-3 attendants roaming around, with one attending a large party but the rest just ignoring. Finally, I went to the cash counter to inform them that we are ready to give the order. After that, they perhaps forced one lady to take the order which she did in a rude manner. We chose to ignore it. However, there was another long wait of about 20-25mins for our food and when we almost thought to cancel the order, it arrived. Once we finished the food, I didn't bother to wait for a check and paid it all at the cash counter itself. So, in all, we wasted about an hour or so in just wait time which is pathetic for any restaurant.

Overall, for me, this restaurant is a big NO-NO. You may have great food but if your employees misbehave (to put it in nice words) then any other restaurant with good food will beat...