The Spice Jar

Atmosphere is nice inside, small and cozy. Surprisingly always a wait for a small local cuisine. Food is amazing. The chicken lettuce wraps had a smokey chat taste that was unreal. Braised rib is savory, and the albacore carpaccio is incredible, a must have. Mongolian beef and garlic noodles were full of flavor and had a little kick to them. Staff was friendly. Definitely recommend.

My husband ate at this establishment on Saturday night with his buddy. The next morning he had food poisoning. Please stay away from their salmon dish.
Usually I like to give new hip places a chance, but after seeing my husband suffering the last couple of days, no thank you.

This place is so delicious! It’s only been open for a few months and is located in the Mission just a few blocks from where I live. Soups, noodles, rice dishes and more– this place is fantastic! The food is spiced perfectly, full of flavor and prepared made to order. I am a vegetarian and requested the Laksa coconut curry soup without the shrimp or chicken. I got to say, it’s probably the tastiest Asian soup (ramen-​esque) I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.

Found this spot by just walking around the neighborhood. The design/​style caught my eye, especially the beautiful art/​lighting piece in the center of the room.
The menu has so many things that all sounded appealing. We went for a few things and split them. Portions are BIG!
The Garlic Edamame was delicious but would only order if you want to share them between ¾ people because it’s a lot of edamame.
The Tonkatsu Ramen tasted really fresh. Love the rib that comes in it. The meat practically falls off the bone and adds to the broth.
The Mongolian Beef was tasty and nice to try it with bread — although I would have preferred it with rice.
It’s a great find though. Go before a line of Mission Techies find it.

This weekend, we ventured out to another unfamiliar neighborhood to try out some new food. Through Unilocal,we found «The Spice Jar.» Normally, I try to stay away from places that have too many cuisines going on at the same time. This restaurant serves Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese and Italian (?). However, this place has raving reviews and Unilocalers suggested to try everything on the menu. Sure enough, this restaurant lives up to all the great reviews. The food didn’t disappoint, especially the Albacore carpaccio and tonkatsu ramen. In fact, I think this is one of the best ramen I’ve had in the city. The chef came and asked us about the food. I later found out the chef is the owner of the restaurant. He traveled all over Asia and picked out the best represented dish from each country. What amazing talent to replicate the different cuisines and make it his own.
We all had a great experience here. Great food, friendly service, and cozy atmosphere. We’d definitely come back to try out their other dishes.

Went by myself on a Fri. Definitely more of a date spot, as I came to realize. Very small and intimate setting.
Had the vegetable rolls and laksa. Both tasted amazing and came out piping hot. They wider variety of beers then I expected, which is always a plus from me.
The waiters/​waitresses were incredibly nice and constantly checked in on me.

Came here for lunch with some friends. The lunch menu is a tad different than the dinner one.
Food: I got the Mongolian Beef with bread. Very tasty and flavorful. Not as big as I thought (I’m a big eater) but it was filling enough. Wife got the Tonkasu Ramen. Freaking Bomb! Broth was perfect and the noodles were perfectly cooked. Also got the pork dumplings. These were so so. Garlic fries were also good.
Service: on point. Small trendy little place in a neighborhood. Friendly staff. Will definitely come back to try the dinner menu. Prices are reasonable.

I came here with a group of 4 on a Tuesday night. They do not take reservations, but we got there around 7:30pm and there weren’t any names on the list yet (though the inside was already full). It was incredibly nice out so we asked to be sat outside. They have a few tables they placed on the sidewalk outside and it was perfect. They were able to sit all four of us immediately out there.
They only server wine, beer and sake here. They have a small selection but it’s all decent. They were incredibly prompt and friendly with getting our drink and appetizer orders in.
None of us knew what to expect, but I can tell you the appetizers blew our socks off! We had the Albacore Carpaccio with Jalapeño sauce. That was so incredibly good– probably the best dish of the night. Highly recommend making a point to get that. We also got the Braised Spare Rib, which also was amazing. Lastly we had the garlic edamame. Not the best I’ve had, but still somewhat tasty.
For the main courses we had the Spicy Sesame Miso Ramen. It really wasn’t that spicy even with spicy in the name. It was decent. You could probably afford to increase the spiciness across all dishes. We had the Spice Jar Fried rice. It was good, but again not that spicy at medium.
Overall the experience was just lovely, the food was good and definitely a place I’d come back. They were all very nice!

Chez Maman or the Spice Jar. Hmm… It’s a toss up and you can’t go wrong with either for dinner. One of my TOP 10 restaurants in SF ‘nough said. When you come here, order as much as you can afford cuz it’ll be worth it.

The fish was good, but the garlic green beans are more filling. The rice is undercooked. Wasabi Ale tastes OK, but not worth chugging down, actually.

Small place, tasty food. The salmon had a delicious crust. Everything was rich and flavorful. The staff was friendly, professional, and competent. A boisterous, convivial atmosphere, loud enough to be lost in the crowd, but easy to chat with everyone at your table. A great spot.

Yummy! Came here on a Sunday and the wait was not too bad. For our party of 4, we waited about 15 min.
The location is very tiny so think ahead if you are planning on coming with a big party. The décor was very nice and cute. The staff was great. They were very attentive and friendly.
My party and I ordered a bunch of small bites and couple main dishes and everything was tasty! I especially liked the garlic fried rice and Mongolian lamb.
Overall I will definitely recommend!

This, sir, is no laksa. It tastes like little more than curry powder and coconut milk, some overcooked noodles, sad tofu (not tofu puffs, mind you, just the same dried out fried tofu cubes that come in the green curry tofu), sadder beansprouts, cilantro, and shrimp. No sweetness, no sourness, no shrimp paste. Where where other laksa accessories, like lime wedges, hardboiled eggs, more herb variety, fried shallots, fish balls, chili paste, or long beans? Even one of those would have helped this beige bowl. If you only care about quantity, you’ll be satisfied since it was a quart of it.
This was not the only disappointing dish we ordered, but it was the burden in my bowl.

Came in at 9:10pm on a Wednesday night and crowd was poppin! Your typical hipster crowd in the Mission at this Asian themed joint run by what appears to be a a lovely Japanese couple.
I love the fact that this place is around the corner from me, and the flavors are tasty… but they aren’t out of this world. I had the tonkatsu-​shoyu ramen and he had the fried rice. Both were solid meals. However, as an Asian duo, we’ve both had better at several other places.
This is a good place to take someone who is a picky eater though and likes clean places, as the flavors cater to a palate that isn’t too used to ethnic flavors and the restaurant is spotless.

It is awesome! Please disregard all other reviews. Since they have opened I have been 10+ times, some times they have an off night but over all it is amazing.
It is our go to place to bring friends who are in town.

Not something I realized from other reviews: a bit of a hole in the wall, separated from the buzz of Valencia street by a nice, leisurely walk. This place is adorable, and delicious. On a rainy San Francisco day, I recommend getting one of the soups — the curry coconut broth was exceptional.

The service at The Spice Jar was absolutely incredible. Everyone is super friendly. I came here with a friend and we split the garlic fries and I ordered the vegetarian ramen and she ordered green curry. Their menu is quite diverse.
Garlic Fries: ⁴⁄₅ The garlic fries were amazing.
Vegetarian Ramen: ³⁄₅ The ramen was not all that great (it was not traditional ramen). The consistency and taste of the noodles in the ramen was the one salvaging factor. Their tofu was very well cooked.
All of their entrée sizes are huge. (2 people can definitely share an entrée and it is served very hot)

ahh! i’ve had this spot bookmarked for a while now, and am really glad to try it last night! came in with a friend for small quick bites before seeing a show down the street — the place was really popular for a wednesday night! pretty good location too!
restaurant is pretty small with a long communal table and maybe 5 – 6 surrounding 2 – 4 tops. we were seated at the end of the communal space, which was perfect. we shared: hummus, pork rib bao, laksa, and mushroom tempura. everything was pretty yum — my fave (as expected) was the pork rib bao! really good flavor and super tender — i just wish that the bao wasnt as huge (i prefer a high meat to carb ratio… my pseudo low carb diet!). laksa was pretty nomsies — great flavor and good chewiness on the noodles. the mushroom tempura i probably could have done without — lacking saltiness (my friend dipped them in laksa broth) and was a bit soggy. and i didnt even get to try the hummus because my friend devoured the entire thing!
i would totally come back for the other items on the menu — notably the karaage and ramen! the service was super fast and friendly — you can tell its a family business and theyre very very courteous!

3.5 STARS for a cute and above average Asian Fusion (I think?) spot owned by super friendly Asian folks. I came for brunch, and they have several small shareable plates and entrees, and a very extensive drink list.
* SHU MAI — 3.5 stars:
Homemade and meaty, but the wrappers were soggy and oversteamed. I liked that they tasted healthy and was well seasoned, but I have to admit I prefer the type at dingy dim sum restaurants because they have more flavor (I know they are chock full of MSG and preservatives…)
* TONKATSU RAMEN — 3.5 stars:
Decent broth and noodles, AHH-​mazingly tender pork rib. Not the best ramen but a really good option for SF standards!
* SEAWEED SALAD — 3.5 stars:
Enormous portion of spring greens topped with seaweed salad and a soy-​apply dressing. A little salty for my liking — ask for dressing on the side.

*** In Short ***
Okay Asian food, seasoned and catered to an American (a.k.a. heavier) palate.
*** In Depth ***
What’s a guy to do when he loves Asian food, has tried most of what Chinatown has to offer countless times, but is too lazy to trek out to Sunset or Richmond? Check out the Mission, of course! Coming with two other friends who weren’t particularly hungry (and myself as a light eater), we only ordered a handful of dishes:
* Shu Mai — Definitely not your traditional dim sum style shu mai. The ones at Spice Jar are much larger and sweeter, with wonton skin that was oddly papery/​gritty in texture, none of which made for a super desirable dish.
* Braised Short Rib Bao — If you’re perplexed by why you only get one per order, it’s because these are also likely to be larger than you expected. Super tender and flavorful short rib, but, be it the meat or the other sauces, the bao ended up also being too sweet.
* Spicy Sesame Miso Ramen — Definitely the most solid and tasty dish of the three, with nice springy noodles, albeit a bit plain overall in terms of toppings and accoutrements.
If you’re in the area and have a hankering for Asian, this certainly isn’t terrible, but trekking a little into Chinatown goes a long way.
***Accessibility Info***
Venue — There’s a large single step/​platform to get into the restaurant, so we opted to sit outside instead, which was marginally more accessible, because the way the table legs were positioned made scooting under impossible. I didn’t look closely enough at the accessibility of the inside, for those who feel like braving the step (it’s really not that bad).
Bathroom — Didn’t try.

A lovely little restaurant in the Mission. serving delicious asian comfort foods (i.e. ramen and other noodle soups!). It’s got a homey feel to it. There’s even a large table in the center where some parties share. I came here for lunch with a dear friend and luckily for us, we secured a table of our own off to the side.
I ordered their tonkatsu ramen. I’m a sucker for that milky, rich broth with the perfectly cooked noodles and toppings, and Spice Jar didn’t disappoint! There’s even a spare rib (bone in) thrown in there! My friend ordered the laksa, which is also a rich, flavorful noodle soup dish.
Definitely happy to have Spice Jar in the neighborhood and close to my work place! I’ll have to try some of their appetizers next time!

Cute wittle restaurant in the middle of the Mission neighborhood. Indoor and outdoor seating. Adorable, nature-​y décor.
I think the best thing about this place is the service. Everyone is so happy and helpful! One time I called in a togo order and didn’t know that the haw gaw (shrimp dumpling) was only for dinner but before I could even say that it’s ok, the lady immediately told me to hold on for a sec to see if the chef could make it for me. And of course being so kind, the chef said sure. To go out of their way like that was so appreciated. All the other times I have gone into The Spice Jar, the service is amazing.
FOOD:
–Aonori garlic fries are the best! Packed with flavor but not overly salty. Perfection.
–The haw gaw skin is overwhelmingly thick and not thin like dimsum places. Probably wouldn’t get again.
–The shu mai is pretty good for not being a dimsum spot. Big pieces!
–The chicken phở tastes clean and the self-​added ingredients are fresh.
–The tonkatsu ramen has a delicious broth, but the egg is a fully cooked hard boil egg. Wish it was soft boiled like the menu reads.
–If you enjoy the taste of mint, the Spice Jar fried rice would be your thang. It tastes pretty heavy on the mint side. The portion is huge, and they don’t skimp out on the shrimp and chicken. A good dish to share!
–My friend’s favorite is the laksa. Heard it is a popular item, but I have yet to personally try it.
This place has been my new favorite place to go for lunch. Must try!

The Spice Jar is a relatively new Asian spot in the Mission, bringing homey comfort food from all different Asian cuisines. I wouldn’t exactly call it fusion because they somehow bring in distinct flavors from each culture in an authentic way. My boyfriend and I came in on a Tuesday, and ended up waiting almost half an hour for a table, which goes to show just how popular it is. We started with the chicken lettuce wraps, a simple dish but full of flavor. I loved the addition of the mushroom with the minced chicken, helping to cut the natural saltiness of the dish. We also tried the har gao, which was definitely on the doughier side but great in terms of portion size.
For entrees, we had the tonkatsu ramen and the Spice Jar fried rice. The flavor of the ramen broth was amazing as it tasted like the pork had been stewing for hours. The fried rice was generous in shrimp and chicken portions, but definitely a little too salty for me. Overall, it tasted as close to home-​cooked as you can get from a restaurant in the city!

I have been here twice. For dinner and lunch service. When I first stumbled upon this place about two months ago via Unilocal I couldn’t be more excited to check out an Asian cuisine in the Mission.
First time I came for dinner. Ordered:
shu Mai, spare rib bao and homemade tofu. Previous review I read saying the tofu was a must order. It was just okay to me. The wasabi salt was a nice touch though. Really enjoyed the «fall of the bone» spare rib bao and the shu Mai. Don’t forget to try the Buddha beer!
Another visit for lunch ordered the Zen noodle soup (order was split with a friend) and the har gow. The spices in the soup were on point! The serving was just right for a lunch portion not leaving us overly stuffed. And don’t pass up the ginger mint lemonade. Im weary about anything ginger. That too much gingery taste but it was the perfect blend. So good!
Don’t expect your authentic Asian cuisine here. It’s Asian fusion and my kind of Asian Comfort food especially because of all the spices and flavors. (I am Asian, well Filipino. Authentic Chinese is my least craved food. I’d rather have Panda Express lol) Look forward to returning and trying more dishes.

Super rich, super tasty East Asian comfort food. Nothing healthy about this joint but ingredients are fresh and the flavor is on fleek.
The menu is fairly compact but in a very good way, a diversity of choices but no decision anxiety from a multi-​page menu. We started with the pork Shu-​Mai which were solid, very well prepared but not epic. Same for the crispy spring roll, they were a bit pedestrian. The mains and sides were the 4-​star caliber dishes: we went with the Spinach and Roasted Garlic Fried Rice (strong in flavor, only for garlic lovers), the Mongolian Chicken which was super savory and a tad too rich but overall pretty epic in flavor, and the garlic green beans which had the right balance of garlic and sweetness and salt were also the bom dot com.
Service was friendly but the dishes were staggered in an non-​ideal way, apps came out together but then there was about a 20 min wait after we finished those before our first entrée came out (the fried rice), and then another 10 mins before the other two dishes (chicken and green beans) came out.

I’m usually quite wary of Asian «fusion» restaurants, as it seems to cater towards a crowd unused to specific cuisines. The interior design is very cosy, country home; while adorable, it almost reinforced my expectation of an underwhelming experience, due to cognitive dissonance. That being said, The Spice Jar pleasantly surprised me. I sampled an assortment of dishes and enjoyed all of them.
I started with the Crispy Calamari Salad – a generous portion of fresh greens, topped with delicious, lightly breaded calamari and red honey curry dressing. The little critters were crisped perfectly and didn’t overpower or wilt the salad leaves.
I ordered the Tonkotsu-​Shoyu Ramen next, and also loved it. I’m used to eating delicious ramen at food trucks, but this was truly a treat. The rib was fall-​off-​the-​bone tender, and the broth was flavorful and substantial without being too salty. The noodles were cooked just right, with a bit of bite to them. The hard boiled egg was done just right too.
The couple who owns the restaurant are truly charming and wonderful. I’ve eaten here a few different times, and in recognizing me, they brought some Aonori Garlic Fries on the house. Yum! I was happy to see, upon my more recent visit, that they’d hired some wait staff. I can’t imagine how insane opening weeks must have been with just the two of them doing all of the work – from cooking, to waiting on tables, busing, etc.
The interior design is worth mentioning again, because it is so unexpectedly adorable. The bottom of tables are adorned with material that feels like mattress topper – it prevents you from bruising yourself while shifting your legs. I almost want all the restaurants I go to to adopt this methodology. I’m so clumsy, it definitely saved me on multiple occasions.
Definitely eat here.

Some people say, «variety is the spice of life». To me, that just means quantity over quality – like buffets. They usually suck and give you bubble guts.
Then, you have Pan Asian restaurants that serve popular dishes from various Asian countries. Usually, I’m not a fan of Pan Asian or Asian Fusion cuisine because they rarely come close to the dishes I had growing up, the flavors are watered down, and/​or the fusion of flavor profiles are just a hot mess.
After seeing some raving reviews for The Spice Jar and that they had outdoor seating so we can bring Tater Tot, we decided to give it a shot. The Spice Jar is a newish restaurant (opened in late June 2015) that took over Local’s Corner which was ok but grossly overpriced. The Spice Jar’s menu is Pan Asian with several Asian Fusion dishes. There’s items ranging from Chinese Dim Sum items to Vietnamese Phở to Japanese Ramen to Malaysian Laksa. The prices were reasonable for the very generous portions: small bites ($ 5-​$ 12), salads ($ 8-​$ 12), soups, noodles & rice ($ 9-​$ 14), and large plates ($ 11-​$ 19). No desserts. No msg is used. Shochu, sake, wine, and beer only.
We ordered the following:
*Braised Sparerib Bao w/​lettuce, pickled cucumber, hoisin sauce ($ 5):
*Crispy Calamari Salad w/​mixed greens, vermicelli, red onion, cilantro, red curry honey ($ 12):
*Hanger Steak BBQ Mushu Wraps w/​Korean spices, sautéed veggies ($ 18):
*Mongolian Lamb w/​onions, scallions, sesame bread (not shown) ($ 19):
Based on the dishes we sampled, The Spice Jar is just not my cup of tea. Seems to be better suited for yipsters and techie transplants so they choose a great location. We were the only Asians there aside from the staff.
The Sparerib Bao had a huge hunk of meat but in order to eat it with the bao, you had to cut the meat off of the bone first so it became messy. The bao was light and fluffy but the meat was tepid and a bit tough. It tasted like a boiled rib from the am that was drizzled with hoisin sauce.
The Crispy Calamari Salad was gigantic and good enough for 4 people. The calamari was overfried so the batter was hard. The greens were overdressed with the pungent, sour dressing (pool of dressing at the bottom of the bowl). The dressing didn’t taste like curry or honey but a lime-​fish sauce dressing used in Cambodian and Laotian salads.
The Hanger Steak BBQ Mushu Wraps (Asian fajitas) looked delicious as they sizzled on the cast iron platter. The hanger steak was cooked medium rare as requested but it was very chewy. The marinade had a savory sweetness similar to hoisin sauce, not Korean spices. I liked the accompanying cilantro (?) aioli but not with the steak as the flavors didn’t mesh well. This would have been better on the calamari salad. This was also another messy dish because you had to slice the steak into smaller pieces before placing them in the wrappers to eat. I recommend that they place the mushu wrappers in a tortilla warmer because they dried out quickly.
The Mongolian Lamb was the most traditional tasting of the dishes we tried but the only dish that I felt was overpriced by $ 2-​$ 3. The lamb was super tender and flavorful. It’s served with sesame bread to make a sammie but I recommend substituting with rice so it’s easier to eat.
Service was very welcoming and gracious. There’s no doubt the Japanese owners are super sweet so if I was rating service alone, it would be 5 stars. They were also very nice to Tater Tot who would wake up from his nap every time a dish arrived thinking it was for him. Poor guy. Food service is on the slower end so do come here when you’re not in a rush.
The Spice Jar is a small restaurant best for parties 2 – 4 people. The homey, rustic space hasn’t changed much from Local’s Corner aside from the painted walls, and addition of spice jars lining the walls.
Parking in the area is much easier than the central mission area.
The Spice Jar may not be my cup of tea but I wish the owners well. I hope they don’t suffer the same fate as Local’s Corner.

Shumai — ³⁄₅
Har gau — ⁴⁄₅
Karaage — ⁴⁄₅
Pork bao — ³⁄₅
Portobello tempura — ⁴⁄₅ — Unique. Truffle salt.
Fries — ²⁄₅
Mongolian beef — ³⁄₅
Tonkotsu ramen — ³⁄₅
Sesame ramen — ⁴⁄₅
Overall, «I’m a fan.»

This side of the mission has been Long overdue for a place like this. I’m really a sucker for Ramen so I ordered the Tonkatsu Ramen that immediately blew me away. I also had Beer on tap and they have really good wine list. Although I didn’t have any wine. This spot is family and neighborhood friendly. I’m happy these guys are here. Lunch is noon-2:30 and then dinner is 5:30-?
Now I’m going to go take a nap.