Vietnamese Buddhist Association of San Francisco

It feels wrong to rate a temple on Unilocal.You can’t really compare one place of worship to another. But because Unilocal is prompting me to, here goes:
For being the only Vietnamese Buddhist temple in SF (at least, from what I was able to search up), this place deserves 5 stars. Yes, the place is small and not as beautifully decorated as Chua Duc Vien in San Jose or that one Temple of 10,000 Buddhas in Ukiah (aka South Oregon. Just kidding). But at least in the temple hall, it is well maintained, and there’s ample room to pray.
In the basement, they serve food to all who want to come in and eat, and also sell select foods for a cheap price.
Even though I proclaim myself to be a foodie, I don’t really care much for the food at temples. I come to pray, and for that, Chua Tu Quang serves its purposes to the full extent.

This Temple always host’s us on The Walk to Feed the Hungry. They are very kind and generous. This is a beautiful temple.

It’s weird to rate a temple on Unilocal!,but I love this temple and just wanted to express that.
This is a wonderful temple nestled right next to the Castro District. My grandmother used to come here all the time, so naturally, I’ve spent a lot of time here.
I also have several relatives who frequent this temple, and it’s always a treat to come here.
The altar is upstairs, and it’s very beautiful up there. The downstairs part of the temple where people cook and eat is a bit more worn and torn, but probably because of the sheer numbers of people who come to the temple every weekend. San Francisco buildings are all mostly pretty old and dilapidated.
The Buddhist monk who heads this temple is a magnanimous, gentle, warm, and inviting man who is originally from Hue, Vietnam. He always is so welcoming to everyone who enters the temple and is very easy to talk to.
The Sunday service is always pleasant, and the carpet is very comfortable to sit on for that hour. There are often memorial services on Sundays that start at 12 pm or so.
By the way, the vegetarian food prepared here is always delicious. Even my cousins, who don’t usually eat Vietnamese vegetarian food, usually wolf down a plateful with nary a comment about missing any carnivorous products. YUM.
TIP: Do not park in the Chicago Title Company parking lot next door, even though the title company is closed on Sundays — you WILL be TOWED. Boo, Chicago!