I'll be in SF soon and am trying to decide between these two restaurants for dinner. They both look great but I will only have time for one. I'll be dining with someone who is vegan if that makes a difference between the two. Thanks much.
I can’t advise on the vegan aspect, but I think Kin Khao is the better restaurant hands down. They have really interesting stuff and good drinks.
I haven’t been to Hawker Faire. I love Kin Khao but I wouldn’t take a vegan there. They wouldn’t be able to eat most of the dishes. If you insist on going, I would call or email the place ahead of time to see what vegan things they can do.
I would suggest going to Shizen Vegan Sushi Bar in the Mission. It’s one of my favorite restaurants in SF and I’m not even a vegetarian. Golden Era is also a vegan favorite but might not be what you’re looking for. Good Luck!
We went to the Oakland Hawker Fare (which had the same menu as SF) shortly before it closed. SE Asian cooking uses fish sauce as well as the fermented anchovy paste beloved of the Thai/Laotian/Burmese. I would not bring a vegan to either Kin Khao or Hawker, based on the fundamentals of the cuisine.
I'd imagine one could find a good vegan Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant in SF - there's several in the EBay that are excellent. Would that be a good choice for your outing?
We ended up at Hawker Fare because that seemed a better vegan choice but both had options for vegans/vegetarians. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal. I know fish sauce forms the base of much of this cuisine but Hawker Fare was very accommodating in altering the recipes where possible. While this no doubt takes away from the authenticity of the dishes somewhat I know it made the whole experience much more enjoyable for my vegan companion.
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