Maharani

06/28/2008 Posted by monkies

I'm a bit confused, but seeing that every Tom, and Harry is capable of writing a review I guess I can't fault the review sites for giving restaurants more credit than they're worth. First off, we didn't eat in the 'Fantasy Room' but the regular dining area wasn't anything special. In fact, it wasn't anything I'd expect for a high end establishment. Seriously people, look at the part of town this place is in, do you really think that there's going to be this luxurious high end restaurant there??? Although the food is more new age Indian, Dosa is the type of nice establishment that would be comparable to the level this place is being advertised as by CitySearch. The food: below average. The Saag was literally un-flavored spinach in little sauce. The appetizers were bland as well. There was nothing special about the food at all, and this was below par by far. I'll be honest, the classiest Indian in this city has unfortunately been Dosa (too expensive, but a twist on Indian food). The best tasting Indian is the Naan and Curry right down the street from Maharnini....if you're in it for the food and not trying to impress, you can't go wrong with Naan and Curry...it's just like the food my mom made for me. As for Maharini, it's out of it's league for what CitySearch is calling one of the best Indian in town....trust me, not even worth going to. San Francisco in general has had some of the worst Indian I've had in the states...only LA might be as bad. Go to Dosa if you're on a date, go to Naan and Curry if you just want a good meal.

Pros: nothing really. much better places to try.

Cons: not a luxury or high end place as adverstised. Indian food is below par. so why go?

10/15/2007 Posted by malmec

From reading reviews and the restaurant's website, I had high expectations. There were 6 of us, so we did not eat in the Fantasy Room. The staff was nice but enough went wrong during the meal that I couldn't enjoy it. We were never asked if we wanted drinks before our order was taken, therefore the apperitifs came when the food arrived. This was 20 minutes after ordering them, and then only half of the drinks arrived. Two entrees came, which looked like appetizers and were treated as such. So one person's entree was eaten by all of us! Papadam came, without the dipping sauces. They were eaten, then the sauces came, but not any papadam. $14 a glass for California Pinot? In an Indian restaurant? The food was good, but not great. The staff did try to rectify things, but the service was uneven. Dessert was great though and the chef did accomodate one guest who had strict dietary restrictions. The decor didn't add anything to the atmosphere. I think there are better Indian places with great food (Masala in the Sunset).

Pros: Great desserts

Cons: Uneven service, avaerage food

07/30/2007 Posted by bucnasty

I had dinner in the resturaunt last night an it was an absolutely wonderful experience. We had tandoori chicken and it is the best we have ever had. Probably the best Indian resturaunt i've ever been to.The wine has a very good selection and i was impressed by the overall ambience. Check it out..

Pros: Tandoori items are wonderful

07/28/2007 Posted by hrtkiss

Perhaps the most romantic Restaurant in San Francisco...the only restaurant in the world with One Million Hearts...Fantasy Room is breathtaking...I heard the owner is a poet and an artist.

Pros: Great Food and Ambience

Cons: None

07/16/2007 Posted by adeltrudis

I enjoyed dining at Maharani Restaurant...they have a very authentic Indian food, a very romantic place for a couple....I highly recommend this restaurant to people who wanted to enjoy dining out with their special ones.

06/28/2007 Posted by dilkamaharaja

Gracious hospitality, very refined dishes, friendly service and the breathtaking statue of Radha in the Fantasy Room...and One Million Hearts gracing the walls of Maharani...almost the 8th wonder of the world...right here in San Francisco...I think the name of this restaurant should be HeartThrob Restaurant or simply Dharkan...Indian name for heart-beat. I hear the owner of this restaurant is an artist and a poet.

Pros: Great ambience, refined food and gracious service

Cons: parking one block away

05/08/2007 Posted by indianmasala

Maharani, as the name itself explains the royalty, and the fine dine.....is one of the best Indian restaurant in the Bay area. I've been living in Bay area since 2000, and visited many other Indian restaurant, but there's none like Maharani..... Service is great with very welcomming enviornment, once you are in expect the best behavior. The food is JUST DELICIOUS....presentation of the food is gracefull, I was expecting the same Indian taste, but with my first bite, i knew this was the right place with right food. I Recommend it to everybody to really enjoy delicious and joyfull food.

Pros: Delightful Food

Cons: Reservations are recommended

04/08/2007 Posted by cbcbcbcbcb

I am new to SF and was looking forward to eating some good Indian food on a Sat. night. I serached this website to locate the best-reated Indian restaurant in my area. Due to the super-high overall rating or 9.1, I felt confident that this restaurant would provide excellent service and fantastic food. First the positive: the waiter, busboy and host were all polite. Now the negative: we waited almost 2 hours for our entrees to be served. By the time we received our food, it was cold! Not only was it cold, it was bland--when is Indian food ever not spicy? Last, the food was hands down the worst Indian food I have ever had and I ordered the same dishes that I tend to eat in all Indian restaurants. Overall, the experience was extremely disappointing and I would not return unless it was the only Indian restaurant in the city. Save your money and do not go!

Pros: friendly staff

Cons: Horrible food, terrible service

02/22/2007 Posted by acaguilar

Try the fantasy tables, is a nice setup that will give you privacy and might just put you "in the mood". After a little while you will start feeling like you are somewhere else. The food is good, specially the appetizers!, the rest pf it was average. Extraordinary service, they treat you like a special guest. Prices are ok, consideraing the location. A couple can have a great meal for at the fantasy tables for about $100 dollars. I am pretty sure is hard to find another Indian place that have that kind of setup.

Pros: Romatic, Unique, Great Service, Great appetizers.

Cons: Not all food was great. Some of the entree's were average.

02/12/2007 Posted by jjnj

Visiting the Bay Area with girlfriends after moving away 2 years ago, we had in mind a memorable and delicious Last Supper together. After a stellar recommendation from our hotel receptionist, we made reservations at this restaurant. It was nice to walk after taking taxis the previous evening and battling for coveted parking spots during the day. The restaurant interior is simple and fairly forgetful--seen one Indian restaurant, seen 'em all sort of decor. We order samosas, which were crisp and not greasy. A good sign. The various other curries arrive after quite a generous wait and we dig in. Again, flavorful food without the layer of grease coating the dishes. I've had better, but I've also had worse. We realize that our lamb dish has not been delivered and think we're better off without more anyway. Nonetheless, it arrives another several minutes later, but much to our dismay, is excruciatingly hot. Even our chili connoisseur is unable to palate more than a small biteful. We let our server know and all he says is, "Oh, so sorry. It is a medium spiced dish, after all." Or something like that. No offer to replace it with something more mild, just an acknowledgement of its spiciness. Sure enough, when the bill arrives, the $14 for the lamb is still on it. Additionally, we, a party of 5, have been charged a 20% gratuity, AFTER TAX! We were stunned and took the matter up with the manager immediately. He claimed that this is customary and only after minutes of debate, agreed to remove the charge for the lamb. That was all. Well, we took the financial matters into our own hands, leaving a gratuity of 15%, before tax. After all, it is a gratuity, a gift if you will, for quality service and food. My guess is that there are better places to go and I recommend choosing one of those before patronizing this one.