Ana Mandara
San Francisco, CA 94109
Phone: (415) 771-6800
Fax: (415) 771-5275
- Price:
- $$$
- Cross Street:
- Polk Street
- Best of Citysearch:
- Pan Asian Food 2004
- Hours:
- Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm, Sun-Thu 5:30pm-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 5:30pm-10:30pm
Editorial Review for Ana Mandara – by Bethany Jean Clement
The Scene
The name means "beautiful refuge," and the place absolutely lives up to it, from silk-uniformed staff to potted palm trees. It may be in Ghirardelli Square, but it's tropical grandeur all the way--the ceiling is sky-high and the space is defined by dark carved-wood detailing. The sweeping staircase even has its own koi pond.
The Food
French-accented Vietnamese dishes meet utterly fresh ingredients with gorgeous, delectable results. Wrap the deservedly acclaimed crab, shrimp and shiitake imperial rolls in a lettuce leaf with mint for extra crunch. Striped bass seviche, draped over cucumber and shallots in rice vinegar and chili oil, is a revelation in taste and texture. An entree of enormous freshwater prawns with a rich turbinado sugar glaze flecked with chili pepper is superb. Moist, marvelously flavorful quail with plum sauce is architecturally presented with sweetish black sticky rice.
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Insider Tips
Know Before You GoFamily-style portions are impressive--you'll want to share.
Where to SitFor privacy, request an alcove table on the main floor; in summer, enjoy outdoor seating. Drop-ins can sit upstairs in the cushy Cham Bar, where there's often live jazz.
ParkingValet is $9, or get 1 1/2 hours validated in the Ghirardelli Square garage. Street parking is possible, but not during tourist season.
The ExtrasTreat yourself and up to 35 of your closest friends right in the private dining room.
User Reviews for Ana Mandara
01/23/2008 Posted by Dree317
I got married and had my reception here a couple of years ago and the service and food were fabulous. The ambience is spectacular and the food is mouth watering especially the appetizers. I will be forever grateful to the management and staff for creating such a beautiful memory.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
01/20/2008 Posted by monkies
very nice place, and the food was tasty and unique. wasn't as upscale as people are making it out to be, i felt it was a nice date place, or a nice evening out. upscale but not upscale enough where you warrant stuffiness. i think between me and my girl the bill was like $150 (drinks, appetizers, main and deserts) so very reasonably priced...lots of people claim it's overpriced/expensive, but it's what' i'd expect for a 5-star type of place. i'd definitely go back for special dinners or if i'm just in the mood for a nice meal. they had a jazz band playing too, which was a classy added touch. nice bar upstairs, separated from the main dining room visually. whine whine whine. the service was fine...in fact any place of this type of caliber is going to have good service. that's the standard at restaurants like this. i find that when people go a nice place, they expect servers to jump around and dance for them or something. no the service wasn't like a ciprianni or gordon ramsey restaurant, but it wasn't a TGIF.
Pros: great food, good prices, classy atmosphere...nice but not so nice you feel awkward
Cons: none really
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