Ana Mandara

Gone!

Three stars may seem a bit harsh, but if 2.5 is average than Ana Mandara gets 3.
Food was a little better than average, but certainly didn’t exceed any expectations. Service was quite slow, although we did have a fairly large party (15). The slow service doesn’t really bother me because I go to dinner to socialize and this quieter atmosphere made that easy.
The green papaya salad was very unique and I would recommend giving it a try. It does have a small kick to it, but by no means unbearable.
The staff was pleasant, but a little slow to keep our drinks full.
With so many food options in the area, I think I’d go somewhere else…

I’m really sad that this place has closed. I’ve made a lot of memories here dining with my favorite people.
The food was amazing as I am a huge fan of Vietnamese cuisine and I find that the Chef here is just amazing. The flavors presented were very fresh and unique. I know that the prices are high but the location was very nice for an evening stroll afterwards.
It was always an laid-​back evening of delicious exotic fusion foods and excellent service. Sometimes the music was played a little too loud for my tastes, but I’m definitely sad to see this place go.

Tonight is the last dinner service for this beautiful restaurant, after that it’ll be CLOSED. Not enough business, due to the bad economy and high prices.
In the past, I could never get a lunch reservation here. I’ve been here for di

Tonight is the last dinner service for this beautiful restaurant, after that it’ll be CLOSED. Not enough business, due to the bad economy and high prices.
In the past, I could never get a lunch reservation here. I’ve been here for dinners and small parties in the lounge area upstairs. The only good dishes I remember are the Basa fish fillet and a Vietnamese coffee crème brûlée. The rest of the Asian-​fusiony menu was forgettable for me. All other seafood and dumpling dishes I tried made me think, I can get something similar for less elsewhere in SF.

I like this place as a nightlife venue, but frankly I would not recommend the restaurant. The food is okay, but it is way overpriced. I find it a little appalling that I am seeing the same items I can get at another Vietnamese restaurant at a markup of 100−300%. Everything also comes in such small portions that you either have to spend a LOT or eat a second dinner. We spent about $ 130 for a two-​person «meal» and had to stop by another restaurant afterward.
As for the night club — it’s quite decent. The décor sets the mood for a great night of dancing and partying. I celebrated my birthday here, complete with VIP table and 100 attendees on the guest list. The staff were accommodating and made sure everything was in place. They play good music and have actual DJ’s (not what I call «iTunes DJ’s» who can’t mix the music together).
TIP 1: If you want to have a big celebration, set everything up a few weeks in advance. The staff is capable at handling huge parties.
TIP 2: Don’t fall for the cute names of food on the menu! They’re still just spring rolls and lemongrass chicken.

Once in a blue moon fortune smiles on me. While sometimes it feels like there is a storm cloud hovering over my head, occasionally the sun breaks through. Such was the case at my recent, spur of the moment trip to Ana Mandara.
While sipping wines at nearby Waddle Creek Winery tasting room, the bartender suggested checking out Ana Mandara for a quick bite before we walked over to Gary Danko for a late dinner. She mentioned getting their signature crab soup and signature cocktail.
Well, the sweet dungeoness crab soup with hand cut noodles was superb. Big chunks of crab and long, delicious noodles (the kind you have to slurp to get down) lived up to the hype. The cocktail was similar to a mojito and is worth the trip.
But what made the night, apart from the really good food and drink, was that Friday night was jazz night, and they had a jazz trio there. And on bass was Jeff Chambers… wow, that jam was rockin’. Jeff is one of the top guys on bass in the country, and brings a passion and intensity that is really indescribable. I would’ve paid to see him… and there he was, for free.
If you are in San Fran, either as a local or tourist, by all means stop by on Friday night for Jazz. Maybe you too have a cloud over your head, and some jazz will definitely break up those blues.

I have to update my review and give them another 5 stars!
This is my favorite restaurant in SF. This place never disappointed.
The food is fabulous all the time. Often I choose the specials, but their regular menu has so many wonderful dishes that it’s always hard to choose.
I have brought here many friends from all over Europe and the States and every one of them loved it and talked about it for years to come.
My roommate doesn’t eat seafood, so it’s not easy to please him at a restaurant serving seafood predominantly, but he had the Filet Mignon the other night & he was in HEAVEN. He doesn’t like tomato, but he loved the cherry tomatoes as well as all the greens that came with the filet. The meat’s temperature and tenderness was just perfect for him. I couldn’t believe how much he was admiring his dish. He cleaned his plate, which is VERY RARE!
We ordered a side of black rice. No matter what, if your dish doesn’t come with a side, DO ORDER the black rice!
Their wine list is fantastic! Honestly, where else can you see a Vietnamese restaurant carry such a huge variety of wines? That night they offered two different wine flights of 4 wines.
They have really awesome, cool cocktails, too.
Service is always top notch. I just can’t say enough good things about Ana Mandara.
Oh, one more things perhaps. They have a piano trio playing upstairs. It’s never disturbing or too loud, in fact, it’s quite beautiful and great background music. That night the piano player was a 17-​year-​old Israeli boy, Omree Gal-​Oz and I was stunned how good he was, what a beautiful touch he had. If you’re into jazz at all, you gotta check him out!
I will keep coming back here every time I visit San Francisco for sure.

ONLY REVIEWING THE HAPPY HOUR.
I like coming here for happy hour the bartender always knows my drink! The small bites are great and will do you justice until dinner time.
Must get: skewers, egg roll, spring roll, this tartar thing I forgot and VIETNAMESE COFFEE CREME BRULEE

I went to Ana Mandara for dinner with several coworkers on a week night. The whole night, I couldn’t stop staring at the fake Asian-​fusion décor, the cheesy staircase leading downstairs to the dining area and the trying-​too-​hard ambiance. Despite the supposed upscale décor, it ends up feeling like a slightly Asian version of the Cheesecake Factory.
Enough with my ambiance-​bashing though; it would probably be a 3 page essay if I continued. The only real way to recover from the touristy-​feel is through eating excellent food. But unfortunately the food was even worse than the ambiance. Although the all dishes on the menu sounded great, they were nothing more than ordinary — definitely not worth the price tag.
I honestly can’t even remember the flavors of the dishes to describe them. Perhaps that’s because they lacked any flavor. The only reason I’m giving it 2 stars instead 1 is because of the service — nothing exceptional but they were nice and friendly.

Review of Ana Mandara Nightclub:
Nice upscale décor, I love the staircase leading upstairs.
On my first visit the patio upstairs was open for smoking but this time it was closed. I liked how there was a nice open area outside to sit and get fresh air.
The only time I have been here is the 3^rd week of every month when Synergy/​Element SF promote. They play a mix of top 40 music. Fun crowd. Good Times.

Love the atmosphere here. Great place to stop in and sit at the bar and listen to the live jazz trio. The servers are so friendly and the décor is a lot of fun — it kind of made me feel like I was eating in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.
The food was really good too. I came here on a Friday evening and was surprised this place didn’t fill up more. Tried the ceviche appetizer… tasty and fresh, but the «strips» were a bit awkward to bite into and be able to «tear apart» from the uneaten portion of your bite. Also tried the scallops and the grilled rack of lamb. Love the spices and flavors of each.

**This review is for their nightlife only!**
My friend decided to have his birthday at Ana Mandara because they were throwing their annual masquerade party. We all decided to go in on a table and my boyfriend was told that there would need to be a $ 260 tab on one card (which isn’t bad considering the amount of money you tend to drop in places like this) and between all the people in our group, splitting the tab wasn’t going to be an issue.
As these things usually go, we didn’t quite get what we were expecting. We got a small table for 4 people in the downstairs part of the restaurant and there was no $ 260 tab, we had to get a bottle. Since it was our friends birthday, of course we did, but I really hate how they nickel and dime you and how they never follow through with anything. You’d think that they’d treat their «VIP’s» with a little more respect and continuity since we were paying so much.
Aside from their «VIP treatment», we all had a great time! Ana Mandara is a beautiful restaurant and their décor is amazing. There was so much detail! Both the upstairs and downstairs have tons of space and plenty of spots perfect for taking pictures ;) I loved that everyone had masks on and was really into the theme. The DJ played a lot of house, dance music, and some top 40. We pretty much danced the night away and our friend had another birthday to remember.
I’d come back here but I definitely wouldn’t have bottle service/​VIP here. They just don’t follow through with what they advertise and I don’t feel like we had that great of service. For the amount of money they charge for VIP they should really treat their customers better!

It’s interior resembles the inside of the venetian in vegas with a Vietnamese twist! There’s a grand staircase to the lounge area upstairs, painted ceilings reflecting the sky, and little touches here and there that keep your eyes wandering. It’s cute, it’s a bit romantic, and apparently it also turns into a club some nights. The service is so polite and stayed patient with my dinner table the whole night. I had a satisfying meal and didn’t leave wishing i wanted anything else.
Parking anywhere in Fisherman’s Wharf is tough. Come between 5pm-​6pm you should find plenty right by Ana Mandara. The meters run a little later until about 7pm though and not the usual 6pm cut off time.

The setting is like a movie set. They’re trying to create a feeling of being in I’d guess colonial Vietnam (hence the fusion dishes, the cuisine is more colonial than «authentic» whatever that means now adays). Whether you care for the décor or not, I feel it does do an excellent job of making you forget that you’re in Ghirardelli Square and that you’re surrounded by tourists.
The food is what it is, fusion/​colonial Vietnamese. It’s not quite like anything else out there and to me that’s a good thing. From the light aroma and taste of wood smoke on the Grassy meadow (beef rolls) to the awesomeness that is the Countryside Wanderings (poussin, and a spicy/​tangy rice) i’ll just toss out that what I’ve had has been differently delicious. Speaking of the poussin, I’m not sure how they do it but every time I’ve ordered it the skin has been crackly crispy while the meat underneath was moist, succulent and well seasoned. It seems most other places if you get crispy skin on fowl you also get dried out meat. Not so here. For something really different try the durian sorbet that comes with the mango soup.
Service can start off on the wrong foot. When you first enter the restaurant there isn’t always someone up front to greet and seat you. After that things smooth out. The first time I went I had a server named Michael. Since I felt he provided me with excellent service I always ask to be seated in his area on return visits.
My only real gripes pertain to getting there (GG bridge traffic) and of course parking, though they do have validation.

Night life review –
Came here last night for a Synergy event. To my surprise it was my first time here. considering we’ve been to almost ever venue that SF has to offer. sadly there is a huge lack of nice night clubs in San Francisco. I think someone definitely needs to step it up and open something much better. sadly I’d rather to out to Vegas of course or So cal. which is pretty close to what Vegas offers.
Anyways this place is pretty small. for a club that is. There was a massive amount of people yesterday for some strange reason. Small = hella hot inside… like sweating in a sauna kind of hot. eeek.
There is an upper part of the restaurant and the lower part where they have their «dance floor». We had a table right next to it so it was interesting. I’m actually glad we weren’t placed upstairs cause that would have been a pain in the rear end to walk back and forth.
The bottle service at this venue isn’t too bad. I think it was $ 375 for a liter of Henny.
The service was spotty, although I know that the waitress was trying her best.
The vibe is cool and the décor is very nice. I’d definitely like to come back here and try their food.

My boyfriend and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary by having dinner here. Made reservation through Opentable. Parking was easy since probably it was a week night. The meter right by the building was like after 7pm it’s free parking. Lovely beautiful décor/​architecture inside. We got seated in this cozy booth. Bought a Bloomspot deal which was $ 59 for 3course dinner for two. It included 1 app, 2 entrees, & 1 dessert.
Boyfriend got a Kirin beer while I ordered the Flowering Temple drink (not that good). For the appetizer, we chose the foie gras which was yum. Then the entrees, boyfriend got the lobster (Memories of … forgot the name) while I got the prawns (Ocean of Dreams). Both were yum as well! Then for dessert the chocolate lava — yummy!
Very good service & attentiveness.

Vous vous sentez comme vous êtes dans le film Indochine et vous vous attendriez à ce que Catherine Deneuve flotte dedans… mais non, you’re in San Francisco.
Cham Bar with it’s high-​end cocktails, h’ordeuvres and live jazz in the weekend is a great place to kill some hours. Take the upstairs side entrance and avoid the front door line up.
What makes a good cocktail? The class of liquor, freshness of the ingredients and the ambiance of the place you drink it. Try out the Ana Mandara signature martini with its fresh lemon grass/​mint (very Vietnamese) and citrus Skyy Vodka (very San Franciscan). Go for the Perfume River of Tanqueray dry gin and lemon/​lime with seltzer water and you’d think you were in Hue looking down the Perfume River (No, they didn’t serve Perfume River near Hue’s Perfume River as I recall).
I was in Vietnam last year, and of course this restaurant is a Hollywood version of Colonial Vietnam, and there’s nothing like this there (except maybe part of Apocalypse Club bar area of HCMC); however, they ought to change «Saigon Rose Cosmopolitan» to «HCMC-​HoChiMinhCity-​Rose Cosmo» for Uncle Ho, just to make it politically correct. However, the people in HCMC still refer to their city as Saigon, just to piss-​off the Northerners (another story).
For appetizers we had some Vietnamese crispy rolls with shrimp, crab meat and shiitake mushrooms. Yum, or should I say «Rt ngon».
With the three piece jazz group in the weekend, the fine cocktails and delicious food, this nook upstairs of the restaurant makes this a nice classy hangout.
The only strange twist since I was here last was the effect of the economy. Saturday night dining, was not packed. This is the sign of the times.

I made a reservation for dine about town for tonight, Sat. I swear I saw Monday — Sunday for the dinner.
We arrive 15 minutes early. No need for reservations because there was only two other tables eating. We were seated in a dim lit area but secluded from the rest of the diners for most of our meal. It was nice. Also they gave us a table for four and we were a party of two. I like that!
I asked the matire’d if there was the dine about town and he told me no. I was so disappointed. You could have seen my face change. We came all the way from downtown and wasn’t really interested in eating at any other place in the area so we stayed.
I was still bummed when we were picking out what we were going to order. We order and then after a wait the very nice waitress came over and gave us two non-​alcoholic drinks on the house to apologize for the dine about town confusion. I guess a lot of people were confused. YEA! They need to fix that and I just checked and they did. GOOD!
Because of this gesture my boyfriend and my mood was notched up and we were more open to the delicious food we ordered.
OCEAN O F DREAMS 27
MESQUITE-​GRILLED SKEWERED PRAWNS, THAI BASIL & GARLIC MARINADE,
GARLIC NOODLES WITH SPECIAL HOUSE SAUCE (G)
Five pieces of shrimp. Good amount. I hate when you order a shrimp entrée and they skim on the shrimp. The shrimp was very flavorful and we loved the slight hint of spicy it has. The garlic noodles are chow mein noodles. You never see a piece of garlic but its good! Light taste. Good amount of noodles.
HEARTY OFFERINGS 30
CHARRED PRIME FILET MIGNON, ASIAN SPICE RUB,
GRILLED PINEAPPLE, SAUTEED MUSHROOMS,
CRUNCHY SWEET RICE CAKE, PINEAPPLE SAUCE (G– S)
Medium rare. It was good. I love how there was so much stuff in this dish. It was well presented. The pineapple was underneath the filet mignon and went well with it too. The sauteed mushrooms was ontop of the filet mignon and when you bite into slight juices rushes out. The crunchy sweet rice cakes were kind of tasteless but different and I enjoyed it. Only downside was the green beans. I felt that they weren’t cooked all the way but I like how there was greens on the plate.
STEAMED BROWN RICE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS 3
Just a bowl size. Not much but then you don’t want to be eating rice at a restaurant. Good amount for two to share. Couldn’t really taste the caramelized onions.
HU Y — P H A T T R O P I C A L PU N C H 4
A B L E N D OF O R A NG E, P I N E AP P L E, MANGO & PAS S I ON F R U I T
This was really tasty. Sweet and the orange that came on the glass was delicious says the bf. Also comes with a cherry!
P R IN C E S S AI — V Y MIN T L EM O N A D E 4
F R E S H MI N T, MI N T S Y R UP AND H OUS E — MADE LEMONADE
This was sour. I am not a huge fan of lemonade but this is better than regular lemonade. Came with a lime on the glass lid.
The restaurant décor is nice and spacious. There are two floors. I wished in some areas they had better lighting. The bathrooms very clean. Reminded me of a beach hotel thing.
I really loved the quote they had on the wall of their staircase.
«To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.»
Definitely wouldn’t mind coming back.

Fine Vietnamese Dining. I used to have a problem with that phrase, just because I’m so used to eating Vietnamese food where my meal with tax and tip comes up to be around $ 10 max. However, this place gives you a reason to spend a little extra for the experience and quality.
Food:
Deep Fried Lobster Wonton — so good! Definitely try this appetizer.
Crab Soup — was just ok. Nice big chunks of soup and delicious fried scallions My friend accidentally ordered a large bowl for everyone at the table thinking it was ONE LARGE bowl split by 8, rather than 8 large bowls. So be careful when ordering… it’s not family style.
Duck Breast with Daikon Cake, Green Beans and Pine Nut sauce — I LOVED this dish. I’m a huge fan of duck and loved the way this was prepared. Every bite was flavorful. All the sides and sauce complemented the duck very well. The green beans were a little undercooked in my opinion, but that didn’t stop me from loving this dish.
Wokked Tornedos of Filet Mignon (Bo luc lac) — my sister ordered this dish and doesn’t like meat on the rare side so she ordered this well done despite our protest. Even though she ordered it cooked well done, these were the juiciest, most flavorful and tender pieces of beef I have ever eaten! I couldn’t believe it. Definitely worth the money for the flavor and quality. The only thing that was a bummer about this dish was the way it was served. The pieces of beef are served on a bed of peppercress. It’s more like a salad than an entrée. Make it an entrée by ordering their Garlic Noodles on the side!
Garlic noodles — pretty good, but nothing to write home about. Definitely not a star, but not bad. This side was overshadowed by our amazing entrees.
Grilled Rack of Lamb — YUM! cooked and seasoned perfectly. Not gamy at all. Tender pieces of lamb. The rub and sauce were so good you will want to lick your plate clean, but should refrain since this is a nice restaurant. :) The taro gratin was very interesting and tasted great.
Random: I hate the dishes for the names. Creative. but I just feel that they’re trying too hard so it’s annoying. haha! «Wading in the Fields,» «Storm Clouds Brewing»…blah!!!
Service: AWESOME! Our server was very nice and attentive. We had no problems at all. She checked back with our table often and our glasses were never half empty. You are definitely paying for the service with the higher prices and it’s worth it.
Atmosphere: This restaurant is beautifully decorated with a lot of historical pieces. The ambiance is great of groups to talk because it’s not too noisy. It would be an AMAZING date place with dim lighting.
So the bottom line is… you pay more for the service, ambiance and higher quality food. You can definitely taste the difference in quality between the Vietnamese food here and the small hole-​in-​the-​wall places. Try it once just to know what it’s like!

I’m DOWNGRADING my rating based on our dining experience this past Sat on 2.20.10. And, the ONLY reason for the 3 STAR rating is b/​c of the nightlife @ Ana Mandara that my friends and I always enjoy.
After our previous dining experience @ AM which was very good, I thought we have dinner there before attending a party there; mainly to avoid the long line.
We had reservations at 7:45 pm and was promptly seated.
FOOD:
Tet (Vietnamese New Year) Menu — 4 courses for $ 48
*Dungeness Crab Cakes w/​Wasabi Aioli: The crab cake (singular) tasted like it came from the freezer/​refrigerator section of the grocery store. It was heavily battered and overfried to the point I felt like I was eating fried cardboard. The crabmeat didn’t taste fresh (not tender and sweet) and there was too much shitake mushrooms in the filling. The wasabi aioli tasted more like plain mayo and did nothing for the dish.
*Shrimp Papaya Salad: The best dish out of the four dishes. The papaya was fresh and crisp and was lightly dressed with the vinaigrette dressing. It was very refreshing after the oily and heavy crabcake.
*Pork belly w/​Sticky rice and Quail eggs: AWFUL! It was basically a deconstructed Zongzi (Chinese Tamale). The pork belly was NOT braised properly; the meat was very tough and dry. Considering pork belly is a very fatty cut of meat that should be pretty hard to mess up, but AM managed to do so. The quail egg was rubbery to the point, I had trouble sticking a fork into it. The sticky rice w/​mung beans was ok and was the reason I managed to eat my entrée. It was the only thing on the plate NOT swimming in a pool of soy sauce (which was VERY VERY salty) which «slightly» help counterbalance the other items in the dish.
*Roasted Banana Boat: The most ATROCIOUS and FOUL looking dessert. The roasted banana was covered by a walnut caramel sauce which resembled a log of sh*t covered in diarrhea (see picture). It didn’t taste any good either. The banana was undercooked and was slightly bitter. The unroasted walnuts tasted stale in the overly sweet caramel sauce. Did someone spill the 5 pounds of sugar in there? Because it sure did taste like it. The only think edible part was the vanilla ice cream which had a icy center.
One of my friends had the Ahi Tuna Tartar; although the tuna was fresh, the accompanying rice cake which tasted like a polenta cake was way too heavy for the dish. She also ordered Basa (similar to halibut) which is suppose to be pan fried, but it came out deep fried with thai sweet chili sauce. And, by the look on her face, it didn’t seem like she enjoyed it.
My other friend ordered the Roasted Lobster which he said was completely flavorless and that the best thing on the dish was the green beans. Definitely NOT a good thing.
SERVICE:
The best way to describe our waiter was that he was very eccentric and quirky. Although, he checked up on us 2 times, he was not very attentive and neither were the bus boys. I had to ask twice for my chili sauce. And, the servers were completely lost; they brought our food to a different table 2 times and when the food arrived; they didn’t know who had what. For an upscale restaurant like AM… SERIOUSLY??? Our food came out very S-​L-​O-​W-​L-​Y; at least in 20 – 25 minute intervals which dragged our meal to 2+ hours.
*******
Update on the Nightlife…
Another great night thanks to the Synergy and Element promoters but…
*Throughout the bar area and dance floor, it was wet which was a big safety hazard. Ummm, yes, I managed to SLIP and FALL near the bar. *Sigh* Where’s OSHA when you need them?
*Drinks are STILL very strong and expensive. Each drink will put you out at least $ 12 though, so if you’re looking for cost savings… pre-​fade!
*Bathrooms: No toilet seat covers/​toilet paper, yack all over the toilet seats and yack filled sinks! GROSS! Ummm, shouldn’t staff be checking the bathroom periodically during an event to make sure it’s clean and fully stocked?
AM is one my favorite places to party in the city and I will be back for the NIGHTLIFE, but for dinner… NO thank you!

Despite the other reviews, our Dine About Town was quite yummy :) As usual, we took advantage of the beautiful upstairs lounge to grab a cocktail before our full party arrived for dinner. This is a wonderful pre or post dinner option as their jazz lounge is great — and free :)
Both the bf and I opted for the DAT menu. Between the two of us we had:
Appetizers:
–Banana Blossom Salad with Chicken and Grapefruit
–Vietnamese Crispy Rolls
Entrees
–Seared Hanger Steak
–Chili Basil Jumbo Prawns
Dessert
–Roasted Banana Boats
–Coconut Sorbet and Passion Fruit Sorbet
For me, the food was pretty good. I was SO happy to see the Banana Blossom Salad on the DAT menu as it is one of my FAVORITE things to get here. The egg rolls were tasty but nothing too memorable. My bf really enjoyed his steak, especially with it being paired with kimchee. Nice touch. I thought the shrimp was cooked perfectly but I didn’t care much for the tomato sauce. The caramelized bananas were great and I enjoyed the fresh/​light flavor of the sorbet.
Décor, of course, is as beautiful as ever.
Service…pretty good but not as «spot-​on» as it usually is. When we were seated they didn’t have enough menus for our table, our drinks ordered from upstairs were not brought down until we reminded them, and there was a mistake on our bill — though they quickly fixed it.
Overall, I still give Ana Mandara 4 stars for the overall experience. However, next time, I’ll skip the DAT menu and just go with selecting my own choices. Still a good option if you’re looking for a nice spot for a special dinner.