Banana’s

This place is closed now. Something far trendier is going in where it used to be. Hopefully it will be far more delicious as well!

across the street from the office so i wanted to like it more. they serve breakfast in the morning i guess because there was a big sign for bagels and coffee over the thai boofay. you can boof it or have them come to your table and take an order. we were in back so i couldn’t see if the server just went to the boofay table and scooped up our lunches. it was just ok. server was friendly anyway.
4÷16÷07: There is a sign on the door that says ‘change in ownership’ and it’s closed~

Main this place sucks. I can’t believe I trusted a Dan Leone «Cheap Eats» column from the SF Guardian, and went here after being burned so many times before by him.
I got two curries, and the meat quality was abyssmal. I basically picked around at it for 20 minutes, and mostly ate rice mixed with some of the sauce.
The best part of going here was discovering the secret door that leads to Battery St. in the back of the seating area (I didn’t realize this place went back so deep). Now I know if I’m ever being chased by spies and need to hide, I can evade them by running through Banana’s. That’s the only reason this place should exist.

«I thought we were going for Thai food?»
«They serve grits here?»
«Oh, there is Thai food… over there.»
What a weird place. There’s not many restaurants where you can get a burger, Thai food (fast food or full service), salads, and other Asian food in one setting. What a funky mix.
Following the crowd, I saw myself pick up a tray and grabbing my utensils and napkins. Trying to glance up at the menu and ahead at the selection, it my turn already.
«Uh, I’ll have the two entrée thing… the Vegetarian Pad Thai… yeah, peanut sauce… steamed rice… and the Red Curry with Tofu.»
«$ 7.35″
“Can you add a Snapple to that?»
«$ 8.98»
My pad thai wasn’t that great. The noodles were a bit bland and I knew I had better pad thai than this. (My fellow diners who ordered the Chicken Pad Thai were much more impressed with theirs.) The tofu was bland. Usually tofu absorbs the flavor of whatever it’s been cooked with, but these deep fried things (what few there were) tasted old.
My red curry with tofu wasn’t that good either. The curry had some flavor, but the tofu tasted sour… and to me that’s a sign of not being fresh. (I’m waiting to see if I’ll be in the bathroom soon enough.)
Then again, I did eat everything on my plate, and maybe because I was hungry. It wasn’t so bad where I couldn’t finish it. I just know I had better Thai than this. My fellow diners enjoyed their meal for the most part, liking various entrees versus others. But overall, they left somewhat pleased.
Side note: When you’re paying for your order, pay for your drink then too! They forget to ask if you want anything to drink and then you’ll have to go back and pay for it. Keep on walking to the back past the drink fridges because there’s extra seating there too.
It can get a bit chaotic when they are asking what you want for your entrees and you’re still deciding. I would suggest going up and taking a look at what they are offering before you start telling them your order. The people behind you will appreciate you not holding up the line as you peruse and decide. It was average pace for a Friday noon time lunch. Not busy and not slow. But I guess if you want quick and easy Thai, this is the way to go. Everything is already made, so things move a lot faster. Then again, it’s not cooked to order.

Greasy spoon run by Asian people who may or may not be Thai. Choose between the MSG-​laden, greasy meat matter buffet, the hamburger section, and the salad bar. I asked the server what their specialty was and she told me that «everything is really good — you will love it». She was wrong.