San Francisco Bay Guardian :
Best of the Bay 2006 : Food & Drink
BEST TRIUMPH OF THE NICE
For years the little Vietnamese restaurant that could was Lotus Garden, treasured as much for the ridiculously warmhearted and attentive family that owned it as for the (very good) raw beef salad. Kathy, the owner, seemingly never forgot a face, brought favorites to the table without being asked, offered off-menu treats, and welcomed walk-ins as graciously as regulars. But the boondocky location at Mission and 30th Street didn't attract much foot traffic, and business was never what it should have been. Bernal Heights' heart broke a little the day it was replaced by a generic Chinese restaurant called Fortune Cookie (ouch) the day before Christmas (oof) in 2004. But maybe with the most recent wave of gentrification, venturing past 24th Street now seems like less of a footslog or maybe Lotus Garden's unswerving support base's cries were heard. Whatever the case, the sweethearts of South of Chavez are back, in a new location next door to Blue Plate on Mission between 29th Street and Valencia. And dang if Kathy didn't recognize us the moment we walked in.
3216 Mission, SF. (415) 282-9088