Ana Mandara Restaurant

11/22/06

Mediocre food

by lady123 at Citysearch

Way too expensive for the mediocre food. not much selection from the menu. wouldn't go back to this place again.

10/28/06

Best Vietnamese Place Ever!

by lopezc1979 at Citysearch

I loved this restaruant. This place has the best French/Vietnamese Fusion taste. I loved the atmosphere and the staff was very friendly and helpful.

09/25/06

One of my favorites

by audreyjl at Citysearch

This place is great! I would come here all the time if it wasn't as pricey as it is, but it makes a wonderful special occasion spot. It's multi level and the atmosphere is great. Has a beautiful decor and the staff is very professional and knowledgable on the menu. They have a fun drink menu, and even better food and small plate menu. My favorite way to come here is with a large group so you can get tons of plates and share them so you get to taste everything!

• Pros: menu, staff, atmosphere
• Cons: pricey

09/18/06

disappointing

by caite at Citysearch

I frequent the cham bar on the second level of Ana Mandara, which is beautiful with excellent service. Last Friday, my husband and I ate in the restaurant for the first time. The atmosphere is beautiful but my table was seated ridiculously close to another table. There must've been only 2 inches between us! I could hear every single word of our neighbors' conversation even though they weren't loud talkers. To be fair, it seems we had the worse table in the building since none of the other tables were set up like ours. We had the lobster and beef tenderloin, both of which were delicious. Our waiter was gruff and practically ignored us the entire time. For the amount of money they charge, I expected better service. We were so put off by the lack of service and being forced to listen to our neighbors' conversation that we cut our meal downstairs short, and had cocktails and dessert upstairs where the service is unfailingly excellent. Appetizers and dessert is served at the cham bar upstairs. If you can, dine upstairs.

• Pros: cham bar, ambience, food
• Cons: unfriendly negligent service, bad seating arrangement

09/10/06

Good food, somewhat expensive

by sfdining94123 at Citysearch

This is expensive Vietnamese food. It's very good, but it's also very expensive. I wouldn't go pay money for this food myself (someone else was treating), but it is good. It's a really nice ambiance, also. I would say that if you like really nice vietnamese food in a really nice setting and you don't mind paying a lot of money, this is okay. Otheriwise, other Vietnamese holes in the wall would probably be just as tasty....

08/28/06

Great Food

by casea33 at Citysearch

I love this restaurant. Their bar is very sheik and the food is wonderful. I would return on a monthly basis if i could afford it. We always order a lot of food because everything is so tempting that when the check comes we're a little scared but it's always worth it. We've never had bad service here. I would recommend this place to anyone, especially if you're looking for a special occasion or something romantic.

• Pros: wonderful menu and food treats
• Cons: a little pricey

08/07/06

Great Food but Horrible Service

by ayw1013 at Citysearch

I've had great food but horrible service the late 90's. I chose to take my friend there from Switzerland on Saturday because he enjoys upscale dining and Asian type food. As with each guest that I take I always tell them don't be surprised if we have lousy service. We'll the server lived up to their reputation once again! I asked him if a particular dish was cooked in soy because I'm allergic to soy sauce. He barked at me in a heavily accented voice and basically asked what I was doing there. I told him that I knew that the fish did not have soy sauce but please have them put the sauce on the side (it's too heavy and sweet for my taste). I also let him know that I had trouble the previous time; he promised he would take care of me. Of course my fish arrived covered with the sauce. He only knew the wines by bin numbers. I can't imagine a restaurant of this caliber in San Francisco not training their staff on wines. There's a lot more; I think I've gotten my point across. Anyway, this type of thing has happened over and over again. It's too bad because it's such a lovely place with great food.

• Pros: Great food, bar and atmosphere
• Cons: Horrible Service

07/28/06

A splurge for sure

by ieatallthetime at Citysearch

Beautiful location, beautiful restaurant, beautiful food and drink presentation. Definitely a place to take a special date or impress out-of-towners. Not for the faint of pocketbook, though - a few entrees and some cocktails can set you into next week's paycheck.

Great service, though. You pay a little bit more than what you get, but it's a must-try at least once. This place has it down to an art.

• Pros: Location, ambiance, service
• Cons: Parking, pricey

07/20/06

Seamless service, awesome food and a personal touch

by makeupchica at Citysearch

It was my first anniverysary and I made reservations thru opentable. I asked for a quiet table which we were given. I love the service -- everything arrives right on time. Waiters come and go without stumbling over each other and making a scene. We had the price fixe meal and everything was utterly delicious. The topper was when our dessert arrived -- a plate with happy anniversay written on it. May sound cheesy, but it made our visit all the more memorable. Drinks and music are great too.

• Pros: Service, Food
• Cons: Parking

03/30/06

Cool Ambience, Decent Taste

by sockit2me at Citysearch

Ana Mandara is definitely reserved for Special Occasions. Keep in mind that you go largely for the ambience, the food being important but secondary. I've been there 5 times now, with large and small groups. Yes, the prices are exorbitant and the portions are a bit small but the food is presented beautifully enough and tastes adequate enough to justify the visits. Compared to Tamarine in Palo Alto (the only other true, upscale Vietnamese restaurant), AMandara probably wins by a small margin because their interpretation of Vietnamese cuisine is more unique and their restaurant decor is more sleek and inviting.

• Pros: Ambience, Cool Presentation
• Cons: Expensive, Taste OK only