E&O Trading Company

I went here the other night with a girlfriend from work. I had heard about this place from fellow co-workers and finally decided to try it. I had heard that it is pricey (even for just drinks and appetizers!) but we went anyway. I am glad we finally decided to try it out. This place is amazing! I had one of their exotic house cocktails(with an umbrella, how girly right?!) and so did my girlfriend (it was girls night out after all!) We decided to order some appetizers as well (after seeing the menu and the dinner prices we decided to not have dinner here) but instead enjoyed some of their specialtys, such as the corn fritters, and papaya salad, both were very tasty! Perhaps next time we will try this place out for dinner. I figure any place that can make appetizers as fresh and scrumptious as these must do a fine job with the main entrees as well! Nice atmosphere as well, attentive staff! a little bit noisy though.

Pros: Delightful exotic house cocktails! Atmosphere and naturally the food!

Cons: Pricey, a little loud.

Posted 09/03/08

I have been to E & O several times with my co-workers for lunch. The decor is beautiful. The service is attentive. The Asian food is terrible. If you really want authentic Asian food and not fusion/American style food don't come here. The food is OK but lacks a real Asian kick. It's just not there. Not enough ginger, spices, etc. The satays are bland with no spicy kick. I've traveled to China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Hawaii and Europe and have tasted excellent foods. This restaurant is very disappointing. .

Pros: Decor is nice/tropcial

Cons: Food is bland and disappointing

Posted 08/06/08

I'll keep it quick, my girlfriend and I eat at e&o at least twice a month. The staff a fast and friendly. The food is amazing, the chicken lettuce cups are fresh and sharp, the corn fritters are delicious, the ahi tartare has an amazing spicy sauce, the naan breads are diverse and always make a great compliment to your order, and of course... the new chicken dumplings are sweet and savory and have a clean, healthy taste... no deep fried mess, you can actually taste the spiced ground chicken. I seriously have no complaints and I've eater here a good twenty times, the food is just a great draw and I'm less inclined to keep trying new places since I know this gem exists right near my office.

Pros: amazing food and drinks.

Cons: none that i can think of, maybe just location, it's in a boring part of town.

Posted 10/07/07

I've driven by E&O several times and always assumed that beyond the stunning doors they served fabulous fusion chow, BOY WAS I WRONG! The service was very kind, the decor gorgeous, but the food was sooooooo bad! My companion had the scallops, which tasted half way done and tough to chew, the sauce they came with had a bunch of grapefruit pits in it and a funny smell. The tuna tartar was decently prepared, though it too didn't look fresh and had an off-pink color to it. Over all we felt like we got ripped off on their "lunch special," and realized why this place doesn't pack up during lunch. I can only assume that most of the diners are either making their first (and last) visit here or are from out of the city and got lost in downtown SF. The chefs must have been culinary flunkies in this joint.

Pros: nice decor and drinks, might be ok for cocktail hour

Cons: sad, bad food

Posted 07/07/07

The atmosphere here is quite nice, got that Indo-tropical look and feel. Seems like a fun and hip place for drinks and gathering. The food was pretty good. We only tried two dishes though. We had the grilled skirt steak which was Korean-style but the meat was tasty. We also had the char-siu style smoked black cod, I wouldn't order that again though as the fish was a little dry. I'm sure they have other dishes that are good so will definitely come and try other dishes.

Pros: nice atmosphere, good food

Cons: little pricey

Posted 11/13/06

Like it a lot. The food is always good there (especially their corn fritters). We even brought our seven-year-old daughter and she liked everything as well. The waitress was very nice and patient with her. Though the lighting makes it very hard to read the menu, but after several visits and memorizing what food they have, its no biggy (anymore). Decent pricing and nice atmosphere makes it definitely a place to always come back.

Posted 09/13/06

I try to get to E & O Trading Company for lunch, whenever I'm down in SF. Convenient location near Union Square - great food, and great service!

Posted 08/30/06

I enjoyed the spacious and eclectic interior. The food was very good, especially the lamb and the duck. Since it's near the financial district and the shopping area, it can get very crowded, thus slowing down the service. My friends like the cocktails we ordered.

I just wish they have Spanish guitar performance more often.

Posted 08/20/06

My boyfriend and I have had great food our whole life so we know when food is good. And E&O is amazing! Great service, food, music, drinks, and atmosphere. Salmon was awsome!

Posted 08/16/06

This is a good place to grab a quick lunch when you are shopping at Union Squire. But, you should make reservation for dinner because the wait could be extremely long. The food is always consistent and the waiters are only soso. You should try one of their specialty drinks since they do have a well stock and creative bar.

Pros: Good decor

Cons: Must make reservation; so so wait staff

Posted 08/04/06

This is an excellent restaurant. It reminds me a lot of Straits cafe down in the South Bay. If you like asian fusion definitely give this place a try and you probably wont have any regrets.

Posted 04/12/06

We went there with a bunch of people last week. Usually we sit at the bar, but this time we decided that we're gonna wait for a table. The hostess (skinny blond with lots of eye makeup) wasn't giving us good service and vibe. At first, she said the wait is 1.5 hour, then after 1.5 hours had gone, we checked back with her and she told us that it could be 2 or more hours. She doesn't know what she's doing. This place has good foods...but service definetely needs some improvements.

Pros: good foods

Cons: bad hostess, pricey

Posted 03/07/06

Start with a hostess who ignores us while she takes phone reservations, then seats folks without reservations before us. Add servers who seem miserable to be here, and disappear for large chunks of time, only to reappear just in time to whisk away a plate before you finish with it. Some of the food was adequate, but the rest was sub-par. Overall, overpriced and disappointing.

Cons: service

Posted 01/14/06

I like the decor and ambiance, if dining choose table away from the bar, annoying people hanging around looking at people having dinner. The satay platter is excellent and recommended plus we ordered 1 big plate, 3 small plates. They arrive too far apart and I prefer if food arrived at the same time. The dishes are all delicious and portion is good but the delay of the food arriving kind a spoiled the experience.

Pros: delicious food, nice ambiance

Cons: food late arriving, a little pricey

Posted 12/02/05

If the decor/ambiance is better than the food, there's a problem. I was not impressed.

Pros: ambiance, drinks

Cons: food, touristy

Posted 11/15/05

I've been here twice, one with my sig. other and once with a group of friends. I had an excellent experience both times. The atmosphere is roomy, romantic, hip, and cozy. The service is great and food is delicious too. The corn fritters are E&O's signature dish and it's so tasty. E&O is in the Union Square area near the Sutter-Stockton garage so there shouldn't be a problem with parking. We found street parking on both occasions too. I noticed that E&O seems to be a popular place for a girls night out. I think this could be my new hangout with the gals too.

Pros: Atmosphere, Food, Service

Posted 07/24/05

What a gem! We stumbled upon this place late at night and couldn't have been happier! The ambiance is fun and the food was great! I especially loved the corn fritter appetizer -- absolutely delicious, and so unique! My husband's salmon entree melted in your mouth. The merlot that we ordered by the glass was very mediocre, but I guess that's what you get for ordering the least expensive wine on the menu! I would definitely go back again, especially with a group of friends. I noticed there is a great private room downstairs, too. This restaurant is worth going out of your way for!

Pros: Unique food, Ambiance, Variety

Cons: So-so house wine

Posted 03/14/05

Pan-asian cuisine can easily be ruined, but E & O makes it so delicious and enticing, I wonder why we would ever eat anything else. Make reservations to dine upstairs, but arrive early to sit at the bar and enjoy a drink or two. The appetizer list is fantastic and easily makes a meal in and of itself. The satay assortment is spectacular and elegant despite the rather large portions. This can be very romantic or just a casual night with friends.

Pros: excellent food, interesting ambiance

Cons: long wait for walk-in

Posted 01/22/04