Rasa Rasa San Francisco: Best Nasi Padang I've Had in the US

Nasi padang is the dish I judge Indonesian restaurants by. It’s the cuisine of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra — rice with a spread of curries and sides — and most versions I’ve had in America are a pale photocopy: dry rendang, timid sambal, the rice doing all the heavy lifting.

Rasa Rasa, on Bryant Street in the Mission, is the exception. This is the best nasi padang I’ve had in the US. Full stop.

Padang Platter Combo — The Main Event

$29. The combo arrives loaded: white rice, beef rendang, fried chicken, kerupuk crackers, a sambal-coated egg, greens, and a tangle of crispy anchovies with peanuts. The rendang is the headline — deeply spiced, fall-apart tender, the kind of beef that surrenders before your fork finishes asking. I’ve had rendang in the US that chewed like homework; this isn’t that.

The fried chicken holds its own — shattering skin, juicy inside — and the supporting cast (the sambal egg, the teri kacang) keeps every bite different. A $29 plate that eats like twice that.

Javanese Fried Rice

$17 with chicken. Served still in the pan, which keeps it hot to the last bite — cabbage, crispy shallots, cucumber and tomato on the side. Dark, savory, properly wok-kissed. Not the star of the table, but a plate I’d happily order again.

Sweet Martabak — Chocolate & Cheese

$8, and the sleeper hit of the meal. Thick, fluffy pancake folded over melted chocolate, drizzled with condensed milk, scattered with chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream on the side. This is the martabak manis of Jakarta street carts, done with real care — I’d drive to the Mission for this alone.

The Owner

One more thing worth saying: the owner, Joe, is Indonesian — friendly, hands-on, and glad to walk you through the menu if nasi padang is new to you. You can tell he’s on a mission to put Indonesian food and culture in front of more Americans, and the restaurant is better for it.

The Bill

$68.38 all in — $54 subtotal plus tax and the 18% service charge. For this quality, in San Francisco, that’s more than fair.

The Verdict

Score: 9.0 / 10 — Rasa Rasa is the Indonesian restaurant I’ve been waiting for in the Bay Area. The nasi padang alone justifies the trip up from the South Bay — for Malaysian comfort food closer to home, there’s Mari Mari in Milpitas — but it’s the martabak that’ll bring me back. Order both.