Mai’s Restaurant, a decades-old spot for Vietnamese dishes in San Francisco’s Richmond District, is now closed.
The restaurant, at 316 Clement St., served diners for the last time on Thursday, Oct. 1, according to a post on Nextdoor. Calls to the restaurant on Friday went unanswered, but a recording on the phone’s line confirmed the closure. “Mai’s Restaurant is permanently closed now. We want to thank you for your support and friendship. Thank you very much,” the prerecorded message announced. The restaurant’s message does not cite a specific reason for the closure.
Mai’s Restaurant had reopened earlier this year after temporarily closing in December so that one of its owners could get a knee replacement surgery.
According to its awning, Mai’s Restaurant opened in 1979. The ample menu includes southern Vietnamese dishes such as bánh tằm, rice noodles in coconut sauce, as well as ubiquitous offerings like crispy imperial rolls and aromatic pho bowls. “Mai’s pho is perfectly respectable, with tender meat and noodles along with crispy bean sprouts, fresh basil and a beefy broth,” former Chronicle food critic Robin Davis wrote in 1997…