Poleng Lounge

Good food, good people, good music.
Went here on multiple occasions with my old roommates but the one time I recall actually going here for something was with my boyfriend and two other friends. We were up in the bay visiting and went to see DJ Neil Armstrong spin. place was packed. I remember having a grand ol’ time.
Too bad this place is CLOSED now. Wack. Oh well, I’m glad I got to experience this place before it closed down… hmph.

Today is the last day of this popular bar, in case you want to drop by to get one last drink (no food, just drinks).
Also they’ll show free screenings of the movie «Soul Power» at 5:30pm & 8pm, — limited space, first come, first served.
Closing, closing, closed…

Unlike Kid Cudi who’s in «pursuit of happiness» (great song BTW) involves rolling up weed, mine has to do with a certain list.
A food list.
My gf and I needed some gossip time, so naturally, I steered her to a place that’s on my Big Eat SF list.
I’m not sure how Poleng Lounge is on the weekends, but on a weeknight, it was the perfect spot. Low lighting, an inviting fireplace in the dining area, a long bar right near the entrance, it’s very welcoming.
The menu is a mish-​mash of Asian foods, with some interesting dishes like Filipino Kinilaw, Green Papaya salad, Samosas, Kalbi short ribs, etc. This is also a tea lounge, so expect a varied tea selection as well.
I ordered a cucumber spritzer because I got jealous of my friend’s. Muddled cucumber, mint, simple syrup and club soda. Refreshing indeed but pricey at $ 5 a glass.
The item on the Big Eat SF list is:
#83 sweet potato fries with banana catsup.
At $ 5.50, these are served on a wicker basket/​cup, cute but small serving size. I relished each crispy bite of my fries. The banana catsup’s consistency is too thin for a ketchup and bit spicy, but I couldn’t taste the banana flavor. I’m not much of a sauce/​dip fan so it didn’t bother me too much.
We shared the crispy adobo wings. The meat itself had a nice sour taste from the vinegar complemented with a coating of sauce that tastes like sweet-​chili. Served with «atchara» (picked carrots and jicama)
The chicken sesame salad is a healthy option on the menu, but it was just so-​so.
I feel accomplished on what I’ve checked off so far. Another 49 more to go and happiness will be mine.
Take that, Kid Cudi.

Man, Poleng Lounge is closing!!!
I had some good times and good eats here. From the shochu flights (like Sake but stronger), the adobo wings, Filipino ceviche, sizzling sisig, etc. all served in a modern and trendy looking space I know I’m going to miss it. Man, I even partied here before when it was Storyville!
Now that Poleng and Palencia are gone, there aren’t any Flip-​fusion restaurants in SF anymore.
From their website —
«Last call for food is this Sunday, 1÷17÷10. We’ll be running ½ off Wine, Sake, and Shochu all week or until we run-​out.»
—– I doubt I’ll be doing this last hoorah but I will pour some of my 40 out for Poleng.

Parking here sucks. If you live in the city, seriously, take a cab and save yourself 30 minutes of looking for parking. Honestly, I was scouting out a six block radius, and I STILL only got a parking space because someone happened to leave — finally (mind you this is around 11:00PM on a Thursday night).
Anyhow, the girl at the door charged me $ 5, even though it was my friend’s birthday and it was supposed to be free. I wasn’t going to argue over $ 5, but really now — wtf?
And then — the bartender said he couldn’t make a Stoplight, or a 3 Wise Men. What kind of bar is this? The strongest thing he could make was an LC — and that’s what got them the 1 star. My LC (liquid cocaine) was delicious and strong, and this almost NEVER happens. It’s usually either delicious, OR strong.
The venue itself sucks, the ventilation sucks, the music wasn’t that great, and I ONLY had fun because I was drunk with great company. I probably won’t come back unless I’m obligated to go to someone else’s birthday, and if I ever do return I will definitely call a cab.
P. S. — There is no coat check.

It just keeps getting better!
While half the neighborhood was crowding into the New Mexican place a few blocks away, Poleng was still doing a booming business on Friday night. With the whole dining area jumping, Desi was pitching in, greeting guests at the front door, assigning tables, and making sure service was fast and smooth.
We were seated by the fireplace immediately, and we were given a set of tea samplers to choose from. A menu cannot compare to actually smelling the luscious teas and choosing the one that stands out in the moment.
We chose an small plate and two entrees, and it was more than enough for us. Scallops katsu led off, with a glorious sake touch to them. Then a chicken lettuce cup for My Lady, and a bowl of long life noodles topped with crab for me. We were subsequently surprised by a bread pudding dessert, compliments of Desi!
This great evening feast was presented to us for the low, low price of $ 30.36 + tip. Entertaining, tasty, and economical. You can’t beat that!
Oh, maybe you can. You can drink and dance here, too. A dance floor in the back, and a DJ station and full bar in the dining area, promised fun for everyone who would arrive later that evening.

Reservations for 2 at 6:00pm on a friday evening was completely unnecessary. It didn’t get crowded ’till around 7pm — so make reservations if you plan on dining 7pm and after. They start playing music, the bar fills up, tables fill up, and the vibe is great for a date or fun evening with friends. But, it can be a little too loud if you’re trying to have a sober conversation.
I was surprised by the mix of people at this restaurant! There were young diners, older, big groups, couples, and families?! There was even a cute 2 year old boy sitting in a high chair next to me the whole time I was sipping on my alcoholic drink! I’m impressed by any place that can create a cool and sexy atmosphere as well as attract such a wide range of customers. They need more on staff though! I swear it seemed as though only one person was waiting on everyone.
Good drink menu. Quite a variety on the menu since it is afterall, an asian fusion tapas restaurant, right?! All the unusual combos made everything seem so appealing. but here’s what I thought of some of the dishes I ordered:
Yellow Fever drink ($ 9): I didn’t like the cucumber. But the lychee aftertaste was lovely and sweet. Not as smooth as it should be though. There were little bits of cucumber that made it unsettling to drink.
Sweet Potato Fries with Banana Catsup ($ 3): Thank you happy hour! The fries are great. But the slightly spicy banana catsup is off putting.
Walu Kinilaw ($ 11.50): My LEAST favorite by far. Butterfish that’s just too fishy tasting/​smelling for me. I’ve never been a fan of sushi so if you’re not into sushi too, you should skip this.
Lumpia Shanghai: I prefer the traditional lumpia to their version. It’s good but there’s nothing special about it.
Long Life Garlic Crab Noodles (Bowl $ 7): The BEST dish of them all. This isn’t Thanh Long but this was really flavorful and great.
DESSERT won Poleng Lounge my 4 stars! A chocolate banana pudding with a taro and tapioca sauce that blew my mind! If they’re offering this while you dine here, DO choose this one.
After tax and all we paid $ 70 for dinner here.

I heard some good things about this place so my bf and I decided to try it out. First time was a Friday night and it was packed so we got turned away. Second time, we were lucky and got a table right away. We knew it was small plates going in but we didnt really think it would be THAT small. We had the shaking beef, adobo wings, garlic noodles and some shrimp special they had that night. Honestly, the food was extremely mediocre. Everything was okay but not anything to come back twice for. Prices are a bit much for the quantity and quality of food served. Luckily we had a $ 25 GC which allowed us to order more than we usually would without feeling like we just got robbed.
Funny thing is we presented the GC at the end of dinner and the waitress gave us some grief about needing to present the GC at the beginning of dinner and we were thinking, why so they could serve us even smaller plates than they already do? Ridonculous. Still to this day, I defy the small print on GC that say «must present before meal». I feel that the point of participating in a GC program is to have people try your food and the only reason why I think a restaurant would prefer to know you have a GC beforehand is to sabotage your dining experience by serving smaller portioned food or something to that effect. That’s all I can come up with. If anyone out there works in the food industry knows otherwise please let me know because I’d like to be enlightened.
All rambling aside, Poleng was thoroughly disappointing, I won’t be back.

3 stars because everything on the happy hour was $ 3.
Went to try the sweet potato fries and banana catsup because it was on the 7×7 Top 100 Eats list. The last few items I’ve had off that 7×7 list is starting to make me question the list. The sweet potato fries are well fried and flavorful but nothing better than I’ve had at other places. The banana catsup is interesting but not wow wonderful. Had the pork rinds, not worth $ 3 but 6 adobo wings for $ 3 was a good deal. Guinness, Blue Moon, Kirin, Sierra and a few more on tap were all $ 3…not bad.
The space is big and maybe I’d get a bigger group to just stop by but nothing to write home about.

#83 on the 7×7 List: Sweet-​potato fries with banana catsup
–Tasty? You can get sweet potato fries just about anywhere these days. Nick+Stef’s in LA have little bits of ginger with the fries and comes with apricot dipping sauce — it’s so much better
–Service: ’tis OK. The waitress raised a brow when the three of us shared an order. Come on, this was the 3^rd stop of the night for us and who eats a full meal at 11pm.
–Ambiance: Trendy; great for groups. Small groups of three or under can sit at the bar and check out someone’s travel pictures on the LCDs
–Worth the trip/​try? $ 5 for a small bowl of sweet potato fries — nah. The banana ketchup is not memorable.
Too bad we were too full to order other things at this place and give it a chance. The sweet-​potato fries were not bad but I can plainly say that it is not anything special

A year ago I would’ve given this place a solid 2 stars, but as you can see by my FOUR star rating, this place has improved quite a bit!
I live across the street so that almost automatically gives it 1 if not 2 stars to start. Customer service? Fantastic. One of the owners always seem to be around and is incredibly friendly. He sets a good tone for his staff who are happy to hand you your beverage of choice. Food? Delicious but a bit over-​priced. I think they take the «tapas» or «small plates» idea a little too seriously. My consistent faves are the edamame, which is unlike any other. Grilled, smokey… nom nom nom. And if you’re like me and think eggs make almost everything better, try the Sizzling Sisig. Crispy pork on a hot fajita-​like skillet, served with a raw egg cracked over the top. A little stir with your spoon and you’ve got cooked egg and deliciousness!
I usually just sit at the bar with my neighbor and go for the previously stated food items, all the while chasing them down with some sake or one of their sake cocktails. I don’t ever stay past 9pm when the boom-​chicka boom-​chicka crowd starts to roll in and the music reaches unappreciated levels.
I like me some yellow fever… the beverage. Check it out.

Text from Ann Marie R.
«dinner at poleng on Friday night… come with?»
Of course! I missed my HH with the best co-​workers ever to hang out with the girls cause I missed them. I was a bit reluctant to try out the place cause I’ve been to the 1750 Social club and let’s just say I went once and never came back.
The food was great but when they say small plates — they mean small plates! We ordered a ton of food. I loved the roti, crab spring rolls, garlic noodles and coconut rice! Everything was delish — I just can’t get over the small plates concept for Asian food?! But I’ll definitely return sometime soon. The food was yummy.

Poleng Lounge caught me by surprise, in both a good way and bad.
Good:
–Trendy décor. Intimate atmosphere. I can see why its a popular place to lounge.
Bad:
–Asian small plates?! That is an oxymoron! How come no one warned me? I would’ve eaten beforehand.
–The waitress meant well, but she got a bit too pushy getting us to order more food. Even after we said we are fine with our order, she insisted to add on more dishes.
Food:
Only 3 dishes stood out to me.
–Walu Kinilaw (butterfish ceviche): Coconut milk and lime juice. Very interesting and delicious
–Szechuan chicken lettuce cups: The chicken was cooked really well. topped with crunchy noodles. Delicious! There were only 4 cups though
–Bo Luc Lac (shaking beef): Nicely cooked! tender and flavorful. Interesting dipping sauce, but the beef is good by itself.
We also had:
–Lumpia Shanghai: All I’ll say is, I’ve had better lumpias.
–Sizzling sisig: Wasn’t «sizzling» to me. Not much flavor. Too much grease.
–Crispy salt & pepper squid: Lightly battered which was good, but nothing outstanding.
–Long life garlic crab noodle: First of all, out of crab. But the waitress insisted the noodles is also good by itself. Wrong! Where’s the key ingredient, garlic? It was just sad tasteless naked-​looking noodles.
Don’t get me wrong, I love tapas and small plates. But this place was just disappointing. I would like to come back for their lounge some time.
2 stars for food + price
1 star for décor & atmosphere
**Sorry I don’t have pictures of the food since Jenny L was busy snapping away… and which she has not upload. *ahem* Jenny L, your picture-​taking priviledge will be taken away if you don’t upload the pictures soon.

Their food is mighty tasty. Just don’t come super hungry and expect to be full. Unless you order a whole lot. They’re called small plates for a reason. The plates are small, mmkay?
Six people, Sunday night, 7:00 p.m. reservations. The place was empty when we got in, but when our entire party finally arrived, it was pretty packed.
+ Sweet potato fries with banana catsup — must have!
+ Kinilaw — butterfish ceviche — yummy nummy.
+ Lumpia Shanghai — four small crunchy pieces with sweet and sour sauce. Definitely leaves you wanting more.
+ Salt and pepper squid — nothing too special, but it was fried very nicely.
+ Bo luclac — shaking beef with the best garlic sauce ever!
+ Chicken lettuce cups — four lettuce cups forced us to rip some in half so the entire group can have some.
+ Broken rice — normal rice, goes well with the pork.
— Garlic noodles — it was tasty, but they ran out of crab meat! Boohoo.
— Sizzling sisig — actually, it was mostly burnt and/​or charred. Not so good.
We slowly waltzed over to Papalote afterwards. Maybe we should have sprinted, because they closed a few minutes before we made it over. Meaning some of us went to bed slightly hungry…

What’s all the hype about poleng lounge?
Passed by here, the place looked janky and small but there was a small line outside the place already. parking is a pain to find around here. a huge pain i must say so we ended up parking across the street in the garage. be careful, we had to find a way to go in through the doors of the plaza because everything was locked. almost didn’t get back to our car!
almost had to pay for cover but our friend convinced the bouncer since it was for her birthday guestlist! As i walked in, the lounge seating are spacious with asian décor since it it a philipino restaurant. It’s a dark color décor. dark setting in general…
Bar: not fully stocked here. so you are limited in what you can order! I ordered an LC. but she mistaken an LC as a hennessey shot… then i asked her for a change. she said «O we don’t have the liquor for that here»
Dance floor: wasn’t really feeling the vibe here. it was more old school music back in the days underground dance area. I just wasn’t feeling this place at all… ghetto crowd that night also. in tshirts/​caps very casual compared to me and my friends in cute dresses from her birthday dinner.
Maybe well known for dinner and drinks afterwards? other than that i don’t think i would come back here for a club/​bar night… unless someone forces me

I used to go clubbing here back in the day when it was Storyville. That’s probably why I never felt compelled to eat here, I still imagined the interior to be dark and club like, complete with the smell of old alcohol spilled on the floor. However, things are much different now, they have a nice Southeast Asian theme going on, and none of the rank odors I remember from the Storyville days.
The Asian small plates menu has an obvious Filipino touch, thanks to the Chef Tim Luym’s ethnic roots. The Adobo wings were perfectly deep fried with more of a sweetish glaze, rather than the typical soy vinegar flavor you associate with the dish. Still delicious, it’s served with a common Filipino pickled condiment, acharra. I hadn’t had this variety of pickled papaya in a while so it brought back some fond memories of my youth.
The Walu Kinilaw, a butterfish ceviche, was slightly less of a hit with me because of the heaviness of the coconut milk. It did have a nice tartness and spiciness from the thai chilies but I found the dish a tad heavy for a ceviche.
Staying true to form, the Cebuano B.B.Q. Pork Belly is served with a vinegar dipping sauce as well as salted egg, although the pork belly alone was delicious in its own right. The vinegar cut the richness of the pork with a much needed acidity, I’m sure Filipinos won’t argue! I was curious why the salted egg wasn’t served with the yolk, but the tomatoes paired with the egg made me smile. Salted egg with tomato is another thing my mom served us and at this point I realized the chef is definitely not ashamed to share the intricacies of Filipino cuisine.
I’m not the biggest fan of Sisig, but the version here is well done and appropriately served with calamansi for some acidity. I like how you can add an egg, chicarones, or liver for $ 1. The dish was rich from the fatty cut of pork, and perfect over rice. I was glad they served this last as it was the perfect dish to fill up on.
The cocktails are pretty nice, with a lot of citrus-​y options, which I like. The place is very casual and hip, and the small plates menu allows you to try much of the tasty menu. I’d come back for sure.

Came here on a Friday a couple weeks ago and to my surprise, it’s actually not bad. I’ve always wanted to come try the food here but never had the chance.
I didn’t like the fact that we had to pay $ 10 cover since we weren’t on the guestlsit cuz we originally wanted to go Element lounge. We got there around 11 and the place was already packed. Really good mixed crowd which makes me happy. I hate going to places with ALL Asians… The bartenders were very friendly and the drinks were good, strong and cheap. The Adiós was probably the strongest I’ve ever had and had to give it away cuz it was way too strong for me since I already too like a bazillion shots of Henny before hand, I didn’t wanna yack…
Dance floor area upstairs isn’t bad but it can get pretty hot when everyone next to you is dancing up a sweat and it would kinda smell too so I suggest you bring some cologne/​perfume with you. PLEASE.
I would def come back for the lounge and to try the food.

Umm thanks but NO thanks. I will not be coming back here again… ever! This place was soo weird! We arrived a little after 10pm and the bouncers made us wait in line even though the restaurant/​lounge was obviously not packed. After entering we figured out why — they wanted to wait for the time to hit 10:30pm so they could charge us the $ 5 entrance fee! How whack is that?
We entered and there was such a diverse group of people that we were all very confused. I saw a grandma on one corner eating her meal, some parents, and a bunch of people dressed in clubbing clothes. We walk towards the back and up the stairs, pass the bathrooms and find another back room with tables where people were eating, but with red lights. I felt dirty. I felt like I had just walked into a brothel with Asian women sitting on mens’ laps and another grandma eating her dinner on the next table over.
We finally found a nice, center table to sit at and ordered some drinks. They don’t come and serve you so you’ll have to go to the bar and get your own drink. I tried my friends’ midori sour and it was the worst midori sour I’ve ever had. How does one go wrong with midori sour? At 11pm a guy came over to us and told us we had to leave our table cuz there were reservations made at 11pm. Whack.
Oh and get this — ONE stall for the women’s bathroom?! HELLOO! Bad drinks, weird vibe, whack bouncers makes this a no go for me.

Finally, this place was definitely an interesting spot to be at for my birthday celebration. My Faux Hawk friend, got the suggestion from his cousin. So we picked up two of my friends (let’s call em D and H), and off we went to the Poleng Lounge. I was kind of skeptical of the place at first, because it was a sit down restaurant, with a load of people enjoying the food and atmosphere.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no qualms with that but I thought it was a lounge? Shortly thereafter, one of the hosts came up to us and asks if we wanted to be seated, after questioning him if we were at the right place he said instinctively that the place turns into a night club at around 10pm. Alright so off we go, being seated in the far back near the DJ Booth. A waitress came in and decided to start us up on some drinks… and here was the starting line up:
First Round of Drinks:
2 Black Berry Mojitos (a secret specialty)
1Calamansaki (yes it’s their own concoction)
1 Raspberry Tea
All the drinks were delicious (especially the mojitos, it was the best ones I’ve had thus far), but the Calamansaki had too much ginger, so I didn’t enjoy it.
Next up is the food and here were the orders:
1 Beef Siloin and Bone Marrow w/​Coconut Toast
1 Half Moon Ahi Poke
1 Crispy Adobo Wings
Everything was delicious, although I should have tried the toast with the watered down marrow. Poke was on point, chips and fish, while the Adobo Wings we’re something I wish I knew how to create. After tasting the wonderful delicacies of this place, it finally transformed into a lounge. Slowly people trickled in from all sides, and my other guests during my birthday celebration showed up (the guests being C and J). The DJ didn’t start to play good stuff, until 10:15pm, and by then we all decided another round of drinks we’re to commence.
Second Round:
6 Kamakaze Shots
Then another Round, after dancing to some good beats…:
Third Round
1 patron shot
2 Long Island Ice Teas
1 Buttery Nipple
Afterwards a fourth round with more «buzz filled» dancing:
7 Red Headed Sluts
Then finally a bonus round, courtesy of the cute chick from Hawaii (named after a flower) who gave me a birthday drink… and took a snapshot with me (sadly I retain no record for myself):
1 Long Island Ice Tea
After all the drinking and commotion, flirting, dancing some more, and entertainment value courtesy of my friend H, we all decided to call it night once it closed down around 2am. Great times indeed, crazy pictures taken, and good food.
Poleng you deserve this rating, keep doing a great job.
P. S. Some pictures are provided, so enjoy.

Awesome