Bamboo Village

closed

This place is CLOSED. Go to Borobudur on Post St., the current best Indonesian restaurant in S.F. The Indonesian restaurant is also across the street (haven’t tried it yet). Penang Garden has a decent nasi lemak and gado-​gado.
People who like Bamboo Village are looking for authentic Indonesian food and used to the Indonesian style of service (in case you’re wondering about the variation in the ratings). The times I’ve been here I’ve been lucky and the food have come out within 10 mins.

CLOSED!!!
They’re packing up and moving to Boston. I have never in my life had a desire to go to Boston… until now.
I will really miss this place.

In my mind, this place is a perfect example of why you need to take the ratings on Unilocal with a grain of salt. This place is far below average and yet people still give it 3 or 4 stars even though there are obvious, blatant flaws.
Service is weak and slow, food ranges between mediocre and bad (the noodles with chicken, shrimp and veggies were bland and the coconut braised beef had clearly been cooked a few days earlier), and the restaurant isn’t particularly clean either. I want to like this place badly, becuase it’s less than a block from my apartment, but I won’t be returning. Once was enough.
For what it’s worth, there is a «FOR SALE» sign in the door, so my guess is these folks won’t be around long.

This place is so bomb
Get the pork skewers with peanut sauce.

I have to change my review now. I returned to Bamboo Village for several times after the ‘coconut milk gone bad’ incident and was quite satisfied.
Service is still super slow and there are still dirty tables around but that indicates that they’re really cooking stuff back there instead of heating stuff from yesterday.
Absolutely love their Fried Vermicelli, Siomay, Lontong Cap Go Meh and Soto Betawi.
I do warn everyone that it’s a hit and miss here, but it’s definitely worth checking.

Pretty average Indonesian food, tastes are decent, but they could do better.
Popped in here on a Wednesday night at 7:30 — the place was empty. Still, as other reviewers have said, the waitress is never around. I’m not up for those fussy servers fishing for tips, but passing by every now and again to check on us isn’t that hard. Especially when it was so empty.
Party of two, all up the bill came to about $ 62, which isn’t bad, but if the food was better it would make it easier to stomach.
Chicken satays for starters — 5 for $ 9 — these were actually great, but way overpriced
Deep fried fish in banana leaf — $ 16 — some pretty weird tastes, could have been a lot better
Chicken goreng in butter — $ 9 — not what I was expecting, but great.
Rice and four Tigers round out the bill.
Minus one also for the ambiance — repeating what others have said — the music is crap, change it. The décor and information on Indonesia was cool, makes for interesting conversation.

I enjoyed my experience there very much. There was no smoke in the room. We were the only ones there tonight when we sat down and then there were two other tables filled as we began to eat.
The waitress made our main dish (noodles, with chicken) into a vegetarian meal with tofu and tempeh. I adored the red pepper sauce. I was so happy! The Gado Gado was delicious; I loved the real Indonesian potato chips and tantalizing peanut saucc. I love the atmosphere with the thatched fake window and the water fountain.
The pace was relaxed and I had much fun sitting with my date and enjoying
the her company.
Only lost a star because it wasn’t as amazing as the places I visited when in Amesterdam.

The food is pretty good, but the service is eye-​wateringly slow. We had over an hour before our movie started across the street so we thought we had plenty of time. We nearly missed the beginning of the film. What really got to me was the fact that a couple that was seated after us (but seemed to know the staff) had their order taken before us and were almost done with their dinner by the time our food came out. Booooo!
Afterwards I had to chase down our server to get the check so we wouldn’t miss our movie.
Like I said, the food is pretty good, but not really worth the wait and being snubbed.

After a completely subpar meal at a Brasilian restaurant with particularly mediocre food and awful service (see my review at Canto do Brasil if you’re interested), a friend changed the subject and started to rave about how amazing the chow mein was in an Indonesian restaurant, of all places. This managed to leave an enduring impression for me, so I sent him an email to get the deets. He sent me the info on Bamboo Village and I proceeded to do my own investigatory research on Unilocal to get the real scoop!
There were definitely mixed reviews and it seemed like the overwhelming pros and cons were as follows:
PLUSSES: Awesome Mie Tek Tek, tasty BBQ chicken cooked in coconut milk on a sizzlin’ platter!
CONS: Tough and chewy Beef Rendang, ridiculously & mind numbingly slow service, grating and redundant music
Despite the longer lists of cons, I decided to venture to BV on a Wednesday friend who had also done his prerequisite Unilocal research. We got there relatively early, at 7 pm, and were the only ones in the restaurant. Maybe that would assure us prompt and speedy service!
We were greeted by sweet and savory scents wafting from the kitchen so that was a good sign. We both noted the annoying music right off the bat, and worked to keep the convo flowing so we wouldn’t notice it as much. That technique seemed to work. Of course, the sound of the fountain flowing at the entrance was still like Chinese water toture, but me managed to ignore that as well.
We stuck to the overwhelming favorites and ordered up the Mie Tek Tek spicy and the BBQ chicken on the sizzling platter (white meat, please). The MTT was reminiscent of the smoky flavor of Pad See Ew, one of my standbys in Thai restaurants. It was solidly good, but I would be hesitant to rave about it to others. The BBQ chicken came in a nummy-​nummy slightly spicy sauce, but the meat was dry, so some more sauce would have made it more palatable.
I might consider ordering other dishes to go, but I wouldn’t go back for that cheesy ambiance. By the way, the service was acceptable. Although the waitress did disappear at the end of our meal and my friend had to wander to the back of the restaurant to ask for our bill.

As far as Indonesian food goes, this place is authentic. Martabak (thin deep-​fried pancake stuffed with onion bits, ground meat and eggs) was awesome, and so was the grilled chicken and the garlic steamed rice (*a must try*). Beef rendang is authentic, which means, alas, stiff and dry (per Katie C.). That’s the way they do it in Indonesia but, having been here for a while, I grew accustomed to the more tender Malaysian version of beef rendang. Mental note: no ordering beef rendang in the future.
Couldn’t help but wonder if the grilled chicken is the staple dish — 4 out of the 6 parties that dined at the same time we were there ordered the same thing.
Not much can be said about the service, but you always take the good with the bad. I did not fret over the fact that it took 10 minutes for the water to come, and then another 15 for the appetizer (needless to say, it was worth the wait). This is no Michael Mina so do not expect a full, attentive service. Just good, reasonably priced comfort food to line your stomach with before you hit the bars in the inner Richmond.

A guide to Indonesian food as experienced at Bamboo Village
Lumpia= Egg Roll
Nasi Goreng= Lackluster Shrimp Fried Rice
Beef Rendang= Stiff beef in Panang curry sauce
Mie Tek Tek= Overcooked Chicken Chow Mein.
I love trying to cuisines, but this foray into the unknown didn’t do much for me.

My gf Priya and I met here for dinner. We were looking forward to something ghettodelicious… especially after reading the great reviews.
I was a bit disappointed – the food was decent. but the whole experience left much to be desired…
I wouldn’t say that the waitress ignored us. but being the ONLY waitress in the entire restaurant. the service was painfully slow – not good for two hungry girls.
The fried fish was good but a bit difficult to eat with all the bones. The beef satay was pretty overcooked.
If you live nearby perhaps consider getting take out… but I probably won’t be returning for a dining experience.

The waitress ignored us for while and then told me that i couldn’t order what i wanted because it was too traditional. Pointing to the asian woman next to me saying she likes it but I don’t think you will. she then suggested something with peanut sauce. I didn’t want peanut sauce. I thought it was very rude, bordering racist. Needless to say I did not eat there. I think there was some kind of miss communication.
My friend got the 4 pieces of chicken and egg rolls for $ 20 dollars, Yikes! I agree it is over priced as well. She wasn’t too impressed with the food either.

One of the best Indonesian restaurant in the Bay Area.
The spicy «mie tek-​tek» is awesome.
Ayam pangang bumbu rujak is second to none.

Martabak Telor was very tasty; big curry flavor with ground beef, eggs and onions wrapped and fried in dough. Portion is enough for 4 people.
Laksa Bangka came with huge udon noodles with tough chicken, in a coconut milk soup. Udon noodles did not go well with the rich broth. I did like the bits of dried shrimp though. I like the version at Singapore Malaysian called Curry Mee.
The famed Rendang Beef was good as promised but a bit pricey for the portion.

Ever since Sawa closed, I’ve been struggling to find a place with good food, good service, decent hours, and isn’t expensive. Something I’d want to go to again and again, and that will be there as a good option when none of your friends can decide where to eat.
I’d have to say this is the best in this category I’ve come across. The staff is very accommodating (want tempeh or tofu instead of shrimp? sure no problem) and friendly. I usually find parking right in front or within a half a block, but I can walk if i want as well. If I have a party of 8 or so it’s usually no problem getting seated right away.
And the food is so delicious and umami. I usually have the tek-​tek (with rice, spicy, no egg, and tofu instead of meat), or the kwetiau (sp?) goreng and I clean my plate each time. The tahu dan tempe goreng appetizer is great as well, and even seems to go over well with the non-​veg crowd. Actually the whole restaurant gets good marks from my veg and non-​veg friends.
So yea, eat here

Oh… Thank God for Bamboo Village!!!
Now I can be a proud Indonesian in SF again. What do I mean? Well… let me explain this. For years since I moved to SF… I have not been able to find an Indonesian Restaurant worthy of bringing my non Indo friends to. I was actually rather embarrassed by the Indonesian restaurants in the city. Often times my friends would wanna try Indonesian food… and I would be like…“Errr…I don’t think it’s a good idea. I mean Indonesian foods are good… but if you tried the ones here… you would never wanna eat them again.“
I was so happy when I found Bamboo Village. It took me a long time before giving them a try. Somehow with a name like Bamboo Village… I doubted it was authentic. I mean… most Indo restaurants I knew usually have cheesy names like Bali Restaurant, Jakarta Island or Indonesian Kitchen.
I did not expect much on my first visit… but by the time all our dishes were served… I was completely blown away. Pretty much everything we ordered that night were scrumptious. The omlette appetizer (Martabak Telor) was utterly delicious. The Rendang (coconut beef) was tender and flavorful… just as good as the ones in Indonesia. The Bakmi Goreng (chow mein) was savory yet has a hint of sweetness and definitely the best I’ve had.
These days I am a champion for Indonesian food… particularly Bamboo Village. I bring my friends there whenever I get a chance and tell all my coworkers about it.
Thank you Bamboo Village… for your excellent food. I can honestly say I am a proud Indo in SF again.

I place this restaurant at #2 on my indo food destination list. Not my favorite, but not as bad as borobudur. Came here twice, but the first time was better. If you like spicy food, I recommend ayam bumbu bali and ask for really spicy. I swear it almost killed my coworker and left me with tears in my eyes.
Come with a lot of friends because indonesian cuisine is meant to be shared. Order a lot of different dishes so you can try everything. Bring an indonesian friend if you can to make ordering easier ;)
Be prepared to spend quite a bit though, because this place is not cheap for the portion size.
If it’s closer to where I live, I’d come here more often. But the plus side is that parking is actually not too bad considering it’s located in SF.

A little Indonesian restaurant on Geary Street offering excellent food at reasonable prices. In this part of Geary, street parking is fairly easy. As indicated by untreated graffiti on their yellow yawning (see pic), don’t expect much of a décor in this low-​price family run restaurant. Going in a large group is a good idea so that you could try a large variety of interesting dishes. They were quite accommodating in putting tables together for a large group. Food is 5-​Stars! Looking forward to going back.