Quan Bac

From Burden's Landing

4112 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco, CA
415-668-8898

LA Times Review

Prices: $6.50-$20.95

Sara Le loves San Francisco — and she loves cooking for San Franciscans, she said. That's why the Vietnamese woman opened Quan Bac, her 15th restaurant in the city by the bay.

Le, who immigrated to the U.S. 20 years ago, has spent the last two decades working toward her goal — owning a dining room like Quan Bac. Unlike her earlier restaurants, which were small, Quan Bac can serve 155 diners.

Le opened the pretty dining room a little more than a year ago, serving French-style Vietnamese food and doing most of the cooking herself. Service is attentive, the portions are generous and the ambiance is tranquil. The location, near Golden Gate Park, makes it an easy, pleasant stop for tourists.

The menu has more than 100 items; we enjoyed the mixed vegetable soup ($13.95) and chicken cabbage salad ($7.95).

We loved: the unexpected flavors, such as the pineapple, that added a lively taste to our soup.

We didn't love: how difficult parking can be.