Nari San Francisco

“I finally tried this Thai place after walking past it for ages, and I'm so glad I did! The food had an amazing, strong spicy flavor that really hit the spot. The service was also excellent, and the staff were very friendly and attentive. It's a nice spot to enjoy a delicious meal, especially since the area is great for a walk afterward. I would highly recommend it!”

“Ok, this might be a hot take, but my friend and I didn’t enjoy our meal here nearly as much as another friend who went with the course menu. Since the course didn’t include some of their most popular dishes (like the Eggplant Curry), we stuck with à la carte. The logic? Popular dishes are often made more frequently, which should mean better consistency and dialed-in flavors. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here. To be honest, I much preferred the elevated casual Thai I’ve had in Boston and NYC. Naem Khao Tod – Crispy sticky rice, so texturally it was fun. But it was way TOO spicy. Even my friend with a higher spice tolerance struggled to finish without chugging water. There were a lot of peanuts, which added a nutty depth, but overall, the heat just overwhelmed everything. I couldn’t remember any flavor details an hour later, only the fire. Miang Pla – Branzino was better, but again, the dish leaned way too heavily on chili sauce and peanuts. Like, an ungodly amount of peanuts. Squid & Pork Jowl – The only dish I genuinely enjoyed. The flavors were familiar. Very reminiscent of Korean charcoal-grilled marinated pork. Super tender meat and squid, and the leftover juices made for a great pour-over on sticky rice. Eggplant Curry – Good curry, but not worth the hype. The curry was too watery, and despite a creamy coconut base, it was still aggressively spicy. The fried eggplant added crunch but not much flavor. Maybe the kitchen was having an off night, but this didn’t come close to the best curries I’ve had. Gaeng Som Pla – Probably the most unique flavor profile of the night. The concentrated fat of the lightly cured kanpachi worked well against the sharp, tangy red curry. It was also very spicy, but unlike the others, the natural fat from the fish gave it some balance and contrast. Service was quite poor for a Michelin-starred restaurant. Arguably one of the worst I’ve experienced at this level. After taking our orders, our server was largely absent, and she seemed more engaged with her colleagues and resetting empty tables than checking in on us.”

“I had dinner at Nari, and it was an incredible experience from start to finish. The restaurant has a beautiful, modern atmosphere that still feels warm and welcoming. Service was attentive, knowledgeable, and thoughtful throughout the evening. The food was the real highlight—each dish was layered with bold, complex flavors that truly showcased the depth of Thai cuisine in a contemporary style. The presentation was elegant without feeling overdone, and every plate felt carefully balanced. Standouts included the creative small plates, the perfectly cooked proteins, and the way spices and herbs came together in harmony. Nari is definitely on the higher end in terms of pricing, but the quality and experience make it well worth it. It’s a perfect spot for a special dinner in San Francisco.”

“Exceptional. As a Thai-American who grew up in Los Angeles (w/ the largest Thai population outside of Thailand) and who visited Thailand many times, I can't believe such great Thai food exists in San Francisco, but it's true! It's upscale and refined, but very authentic in flavors. Very worthy of the Michelin star and accolades. Highly recommend everything about this place, from every dish to the service and atmosphere.. it's worth it.”

“Nari has powerful flavors. It exemplifies traditional Thai spices and ingredients, a lot more orthodox than I expected, but presented in a modern fusion style. Being newly awarded a Michelin star, we walked in with high expectations. Let's get done with the amazing aspects. Modern, chic, woody atmosphere at the Kabuki Hotel. Already perfect for a date night to impress. Airy space. Contemporary decor. Soft lighting. Bustling yet not noisy ambience. Good table spacing. All amazing. And the service was fabulous. Again, everything screamed of fine dining without the unnecessary level of snootyness. The food is punchy. Every single dish can stand on its own and again, tries to scream in your mouth that they are special. Flavor layering is well done especially with the bit-sized appetizers. The sauces also play a very important role, whether they are pre-applied or poured on top of. The spice profile tries to run towards the moderate middleground but again, the chef is not compromising but rather giving you a bit of break. Otherwise, jumping from one dish to another is a powerful but taxing experience. The food is great and for the tasting menu price of $125, we think it is really well worth it. But Nari's tasting menu also highlights that more is always not necessarily better. Due to the powerful flavors, your tongue and brains get tired half-way through. There's no breather. No palate cleanser. And many of these dishes in Thai are served with rice or roti. But as a tasting menu, these neutral carbs cannot be the star of the show. Hence you get punches after punches. And then the quantity. It's just a tad bit too much. When you are trying to down a tasty curry after 6~7 courses of tasting, it just overwhelms. Either make everything bite-sized or reduce the complexity of the main course. Nari can easily take this to the next level by balancing out their course better. Every dish screams to be special, and they are. But the harmony of them put together in a sequence is where there needs to be tuning. And feel free to remove a dish or two and replace it with neutral flavors like a mild soup, etc. Finally, I higly recommend ordering a light, netrual and more earthy wine. Without it, you will really have a tough time jumping from one dish to the next. And trust me, you'll feel exhausted after you finish. It's a great experience overall. There's more that Nari can do!”