56-Year-Old Cordon Bleu on Polk Serves Vietnamese Lunches Under $16

At 1574 California Street, a tiny Vietnamese lunch counter that opened in 1970 still turns out five‑spice chicken and combo plates for under $16, a rare pocket of low prices in San Francisco’s Polk Street corridor. Yahoo’s profile notes the “tiny spot” sits around the corner from the long lines at Swan Oyster Depot and serves a popular Number 5 combo priced at $15.88 and a Number 4 for $13.58; the same piece reports “nothing costs over $16.” Owner Katie Yu is quoted in that profile saying, “it feeds neighbors, not tourists.”

The restaurant traces to Anthony Dang‑Tran, who “first opened Cordon Bleu in 1970” and “created a small menu” of five items, according to a SFGATE summary of its history. Yahoo reports that Yu bought the business in 1995 and “added a few dishes” to the lineup. SFGATE and other summaries describe the spot as “possibly the oldest Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco,” wording used cautiously by multiple outlets.

Menu highlights center on longrunning five‑spice chicken and a handful of counter classics. Tripadvisor reviewers praised the chicken and the shish kabob, with one writing, “The tagline is that this may be the best chicken you’ll have outside of Vietnam, and it’s not a hyperbole.” Reviewers also detailed meal components: an egg roll “piping hot,” rice served with a gravy on the side, and coleslaw or cabbage salad alongside the mains. One reviewer recalled coming “for lunch on a Friday around noon” and that “everyone seemed to have ordered the Number 5.”

The interior is consistently described as extremely small, though exact seat counts vary across accounts. Yahoo describes “eight stools and a smoky grill” at 1574 California Street, Tripadvisor reviewers variously said it “fits about 10 people” or that it has “two tables and about 7 seats at a counter.” Facebook and Tripadvisor both sum up the ambience as “no frills” and a “true hole‑in‑the‑wall,” with one Tripadvisor reviewer warning, “Don't look too closely at hygiene.”

Operational details offered in profiles help explain the price point. Yahoo reports Cordon Bleu operates with “low overhead, with only two full time employees,” and notes a payment oddity in its exact phrasing: “Cordon Bleu is cash only, but customers can also pay via Venmo.” SFGATE framed the shop as “a rare pocket of low prices in an expensive city,” a positioning reinforced by the combo pricing cited in Yahoo’s writeup.

The business has a bit of local history beyond the counter: a short SFGATE item notes Cordon Bleu once operated a second location at 2227 Polk Street. For now, the house specialty and modest prices appear to keep regulars coming; Tripadvisor reviewers and a long‑time Facebook patron both describe returning over many years for the same five‑spice chicken and plentiful portions.