Right off the corner of 19th and Mission, the extended soft opening of Bollyhood Cafe has confounded many a prospective diner/drinker/movie-watcher, but if all goes to plan, this weekend should finally see a formal opening for the Baobab offshoot. In the meantime, the Bollyhood folks have done something that is becoming increasingly necessary in this Yelp-crazed town of ours: they went out and bought the Yelp vote:
Bollyhood Cafe was fully open and hosting a Yelp! Elite event. The place was brimming with people, and I barely made it thru the doors. I was surrounded by Yelpers, an elite group of mostly non-south Asian writers and reviewers who are part of Yelp.com.
We can't fault Bollyhood at all here, as Yelp is a necessary evil for restaurateurs in this town, and buying favorable reviews is an increasingly valid strategy for new restaurants to get off to good starts. Turns out the plan worked quite well, as plenty of glowing reviewers now adorn Bollyhood's Yelp page. Some of the gems that came out of the Yelp Elite event:
Kaustav C's five-star review: "So when Yelp invited me to the Elite event at Bollyhood, I was really curious to see whether the experience of Bollyhood really lives up to such a unique concept-breaking name. The following are some of the reasons which make Bollyhood a star in the Milky Way of Indian restaurants in the Bay Area...."
Veronica D's five-star review: "This is for the 'soft' opening of which I think they hit it pretty hard taking on the Yelp crew! I look forward to movie nights and even games of cricket being shown on the huge screen in the cozy space that used to be a dance studio. The other half was a burner underground space, and I'm told there is still a secret room downstairs ;). ... From the smiles behind the bar, to the laid back atmosphere it's just a good vibe. I'm told Bollywood's head chef cultivates sustainable farming and free range ranching. BRAVO!!!"
Rashi D's five-star review: "This place is super yums ... And no puddles of oil/grease/ghee!!!"
Enjoy this moment, Yelpers, because it might a while before someone else dubs the entire Yelp community an "elite group of writers and reviewers." As for Bollyhood Cafe, with the soft opening slowly hardening, the Mission should start to get a feel for what it's all about over the next few weeks.
· Bollyhood Cafe [Official Site]
· Bollywood graces San Francisco [Hyphen Blog]
· Bollyhood Will Be Open This Weekend (Probably) [~ESF~]
· PSA From the Mission: Bollyhood Cafe Not Fully Open [~ESF~]
Per normal, your thoughts on new restaurants and such are encouraged in the comments field or straight to sf@eater.com.
