Valentino's Pizzaria

Modern, spacious dining room adorned by plants give the feeling of eating in a botanical garden! The food and drink is so exciting and delicious, the service so attentive. I’ve eaten here for several years and Nari is consistently a gem in the San Francisco dining scene and easily an essential dinner for anyone looking for a memorable dining experience! 👍 Yum sum-o: winter citrus salad that celebrates the naturally delicious locally grown citrus 👍 Squid & Pork Jowl: pork was so balanced: caramelized, glazed and so so so tender 👍 Gaeng bumbai aubergine: crispy batter-fried eggplant in spicy bumbai curry made we crave naan or roti so much!

The dining experience was truly excellent everything from the service to the quality of the food itself. We got the tasting menu and everything we tried tasted incredible but the quantities were quite a lot we were unable to finish everything. The only item that I was not a huge fan of was one of the desserts. The curries are to die for! 5/5 recommend

+1

Nari is a Michelin-starred Thai restaurant located in Hotel Kabuki in the Japan Center Mall complex in Japantown on Post Street between Webster and Laguna. Entry to the restaurant is through the Hotel Kabuki lobby. There are two levels to the restaurant: Downstairs is reception and the main dining area, and upstairs is a swanky bar area with a bar top and stools, restrooms, and a private dining room. The menu is the same for both the upstairs and downstairs. For a drink I had the nilaka ($18), which was agricole rum, mango-lassi, pineapple, pandan, and falernum. It was a nice blended tropical drink on a warm day. It was sweet without being saccharine. The appetizer was the yum tawai ($22), which was a salad of summer vegetables, tart fruits, and herbs in a curried peanut dressing with sesame seeds. Yum tawai is traditionally made with the vegetables cut short enough to fit on a spoon, to which Nari adhered. The peanut dressing was light and about a medium spice. The vegetables are changed out seasonally at Nari. The entrée was the prik king gai ($36) which was crispy chicken stir-fried in a sweet and spicy curry paste with pole beans, dried shrimp, makrut, and salted duck egg shavings on top. The chicken had a crunch without being dry, then melted in the mouth. It was flavorful, spicy, and decadent without being heavy. The servers were attentive and the hostess was very friendly and greeted regular patrons by name. The experience was exceptional, and I’d absolutely recommend it.

+2

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.

Food was so good, it was one of the most memorable meals I’ve had! That’s why it deserves Michelin stars. I highly recommend squid and pork jowl, as well as miang pla

Nari is a pleasant surprise for me. I have been kind of reluctant to try it out due to the lower review scores here, but everything was amazing during my visit. The place has this cute tropical forest vibe with a lot of plants. Service was great. The best part of my experience was the food for sure. Curry lamb was the best of the evening. The pairing of the lamb with grilled green onions and peaches was kind of ingenious. Drinks were delicious as well. Update: I came here again, and everything is still delicious.

Did the tasting menu. All was great and worthy of the Michelin star if not two. Far more depth of flavor than any Thai food I've had before. Dessert was the only area that left a little bit to be desired but it may have just been the two that came with the tasting menu as the chocolate dessert the person next to us got look phenomenal.

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.

Celebrated birthday with my partner, everything was well planned by the restaurant with small surprises throughout the dining experience. Every dish we ordered were beyond our expectations, they’re not traditional Thai food but you can find every Thai elements perfectly blended in with creativity. Highly recommend yum tawai, squid & pork jowl, and the lamb shank panang curry. The sauce was amazingly delicious, and the lamb shank was one of the best lamb I’ve eaten, super tender and without any of the bad smell

Andy Correa

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.

Tony Ren

Food was so good, it was one of the most memorable meals I’ve had! That’s why it deserves Michelin stars. I highly recommend squid and pork jowl, as well as miang pla

Squirrel Friend

Nari is a pleasant surprise for me. I have been kind of reluctant to try it out due to the lower review scores here, but everything was amazing during my visit. The place has this cute tropical forest vibe with a lot of plants. Service was great. The best part of my experience was the food for sure. Curry lamb was the best of the evening. The pairing of the lamb with grilled green onions and peaches was kind of ingenious. Drinks were delicious as well. Update: I came here again, and everything is still delicious.

pamazing

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.

Joshua Winter

Did the tasting menu. All was great and worthy of the Michelin star if not two. Far more depth of flavor than any Thai food I've had before. Dessert was the only area that left a little bit to be desired but it may have just been the two that came with the tasting menu as the chocolate dessert the person next to us got look phenomenal.

Yulun Wu

The first time I watched the movie ratatouille, I always thought that Anton being brought back to his childhood by the ratatouille to be an exaggeration. A cinematic artifact created to move the plot along. I learned last night that this, in fact, can actually happen. While the delightful drinks and complex dishes I had last night were fantastic, the thing that inspired the most joy was, in fact, the fish sauce cabbage. I loved my dinner at Nari very much and look forward to coming back!

Chia-Hsien Ho

Celebrated birthday with my partner, everything was well planned by the restaurant with small surprises throughout the dining experience. Every dish we ordered were beyond our expectations, they’re not traditional Thai food but you can find every Thai elements perfectly blended in with creativity. Highly recommend yum tawai, squid & pork jowl, and the lamb shank panang curry. The sauce was amazingly delicious, and the lamb shank was one of the best lamb I’ve eaten, super tender and without any of the bad smell

Mohamed Shaaban

The dining experience was truly excellent everything from the service to the quality of the food itself. We got the tasting menu and everything we tried tasted incredible but the quantities were quite a lot we were unable to finish everything. The only item that I was not a huge fan of was one of the desserts. The curries are to die for! 5/5 recommend

We started with the crispy sticky rice salad with sour pork sausage and ginger. Spicy! Good tasting, but a tiny bit over salted. The chili lime grilled squid and pork jaw was absolutely fantastic. We also had the crispy chicken with spicy curry paste and pole beans. The lemon zest on top was delicious. Highly recommend this place in the iconic hotel kabuki in Japan town.

Interesting but a bit overwhelmingly fatty. 5 apps and 3 mains was enough to feed 4 people. Favorite dish was the seafood curry app. Brussels and mushroom larb were a bit lacking in flavor, clams were overwhelmed by the sauce (in my opinion). Curries were fantastic, squid and jowl app of course delicious and very rich. Lovely char flavor on the squid

+5

Really interesting and flavorful Thai cuisine served in a chic setting. The food is salty, sweet, sour, savory and spicy but in all the best ways possible. The branzino and the pork jowl squid combo are the reasons to come here. Delicious stuff. Although the pork chop was my favorite, nicely grilled and served with a sour salty sauce. Awesome. The surprise hit was the charred cabbage with fish sauce. Shockingly tasty. The scallops were whatever and the sardines were inedible, they all can’t be winners right. The Bday candle and personalized menu was a nice touch making our special occasion that much better. After everything was done the service ended up being top notch. A great food destination for a special occasion or a romantic night out. Dos thumbs up 👍👍

+6

We decided to celebrate our anniversary with the Chef's choice menu at Nari. I started with a drink called Nilaka, a delightful blend of agricole rum, mango-lassi, pineapple, pandan, and falernum. The mango-lassi made it easy to drink, masking the alcohol taste. Our meal began with ma hor to freshen up our palate, followed by the Beef Shank Curry Puff—two curry puffs filled with braised beef shank, served with Curry Dipping Sauce and Ajad Pickles. They were incredibly flavorful and aromatic! Next, we enjoyed the Scallop Yum Gati, featuring cured scallops with shiko par, chili jam, cashews, celtuce, chili, and herbs like lemongrass. The Yum Tawai salad was a delightful mix of fall vegetables, fruits, and herbs in a curried peanut dressing with sesame seeds. This was my favorite dish! The Squid and Pork Jowl was a highlight, with grilled squid and sweet, succulent pork jowl topped with peanuts and cilantro, served with sticky rice. The Namtok Moo, grilled pork chop topped with herbs, was equally delicious, accompanied by sticky rice and lettuce wraps. I can see why people really like this dish—the pork jowl is so tender and juicy. The waiter advised eating a bite of squid with a bite of pork jowl together, and it was amazing! However, I have to say it's too salty for me, even though I ate a lot of rice and lettuce trying to balance it off. The Gaeng Bumbai Aubergine, crispy eggplant in spicy Bumbai curry with basil and crispy shallots, pairs perfectly with their buttery roti. I love their roti! The eggplant is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The Namtok Moo, grilled pork chop topped with herbs and served with sticky rice and lettuce to wrap, was delicious! Prik King Gai is crispy chicken stir-fried in curry paste with beans, dried shrimps, kaffir, and salted duck egg. By this point, my palate was feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the dishes. The intense flavors of spices and herbs like lemongrass and cilantro were becoming a bit much, with the saltiness standing out. The last dish was caramelized fish sauce cabbage, fried with garlic. I was surprised to see this dish at the end, as I often have fried cabbage in my daily meals. It didn’t stand out among the other dishes. For dessert, we had Dreaming of Lod Chong, a pandan parfait with salted coconut cream and ice, and Wan Yen, a refreshing mix of strawberry and raspberry, tapioca pearls, and jellies in salted coconut cream under crushed ice. Overall, it was a fantastic and satisfying experience. At the end, the flavors were a bit overpowering and salty, but I highly recommend these dishes: - Scallop Yum Gati - The Squid and Pork Jowl - The Gaeng Bumbai Aubergine - Dreaming of Lod Chong

+6

Great experience, very nice ambiance, and attentive staff. We came as a group of 4 and got the chef's pick, and by the end of the meal we were stuffed. Why only 4 stars? Personal opinion, but many of the appetizers were a little too acidic with not many other flavors to balance. I ended up having to drink a lot of water after every dish to wash away the acidic flavor. The entrees were good though. I don't think I'll come back again, but I would still recommend trying as the overall experience was nice.

+6

We had the tasting menu and it was very good. Our favorite was the veggie and fruit salad. The dessert was just okay compared to how great the meal was. Highly recommended to get the tasting menu!

+6

Had the chefs selection. It was a good amount of food. My favorite dish was the pork belly and squid appetizer. The entrases were brussel sprouts and eggplant. Overall, the food had good spice level but was too salty for me. Cocktails had complex flavors but too sweet for me.

+6

Had a reservation for 2 on a Friday and the atmosphere is great! I recognize the restaurant is hyped and they need to turn the tables fast but it’s very annoying being rushed to order and having to order everything at the same time without even knowing the size of the dishes or what kind of flavors we would like best. Talking about the dishes, they were of course fresh and well cooked as you’d expect from a place like this and the $ you’re paying. I did enjoy some unique combinations and a hint of spicy in the dishes Either go knowing what you want and expecting to be kicked out in 1h or try it at a later time or less busy day 🫡

Overall the food and service was amazing. The decor was also nice. We chose the tasting menu so we can try more dishes. The stand out items were the duck curry puff, pork jowel, and ox tail curry. These were top notch. The other items we had were executed well, but not quite at a higher level. Our overall experience was great and we would return and probably pick from the à la carte menu.

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!

We came here to celebrate a friend's engagement and had a wonderful experience. Nari is a contemporary Thai restaurant that has won numerous awards, as well as receiving their first Michelin in 2023! They're located inside Hotel Kabuki, which you have to enter through the hotel's lobby. Upon entering you are greeted by the staff. We made reservations, and were seated quickly. The staff had special made custom menus for our friends, congratulating their engagement! We started off with the gaeng gradang tod (pork croquettes). I recommend this! The bite was so tasty and I wish it lasted longer, but the pork croquette pairs so well with the ajad pickle, making it one perfect bite. Within the first course we also ordered the Yum sum o (citrus salad), Miang pia (branzino), and squid & pork jowl. The salad consisted of some melons and fruits and was very refreshing! It was sweet and tangy, and the coconut flakes add some extra texture to every bite. The miang pia is a must try. It comes with a few veggie options as a wrap (lettuce, cabbage, etc). The branzino is cooked perfectly with the right texture and tenderness. I love that they added so much other ingredients with it. Each bite is so flavorful and the lettuce wrap makes it refreshing. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the squid and pork jowl. I felt like the dish was a little too salty for my liking. For the second course we decided on the prik king gai (crispy chicken) and namprik kapi pla. The prik king gai was good and has a small kick to it; I did think it was a little too crispy as I couldnt really taste the meat. The namprik kapi pla was paired with jasmine rice, and was very flavorful. I'm not the biggest fan of spice and curry, but my friends seemed to enjoy this dish. We ended dinner off with dream of lod chong (pandan parfait) and wan yen which was an iced dessert consisting of fruits, sago, and jelly. I def recommend the wan yen, it was easy to share and had a lot of fun textures and a variety of sweet treats in the mix, making it a very delightful treat to end the night. The ambiance to Nari is very nice. It was the perfect atmosphere for dinner, with dimmed lights, and modern/contemporary interior. It's beautifully decorated. Overall I had a wonderful experience at Nari.

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!

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 don't often have thai but decided to give Nari a try. The vibe was nice as was the decor and service was friendly. We had the pink lady apple salad with puffed shrimps, nice but be warned very spicy and it's a shame neither our server or menu indicated the level of heat. We also ordered the seafood curry with crackers which was good. For mains we ordered the black cod curry and the aubergine curry both were good but the aubergine curry stood out for me. It's a shame because we requested a paratha / roti but was told the chef would decline our request. The paratha / puri comes with a dish if you order the chefs choice menu BUT unfortunately we could not have this because it was meat based and it was not halal. I am surprised for a michelin star restaurants the chef could not accommodate a simple request. The cost came to approx £130.00 for 2 people, out of which approximately £30.00 or more was taxes and tip. Eating out in San Francisco is expensive. Our bill did not include any drinks save for sparkling water.

henry l

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!

may

We came here to celebrate a friend's engagement and had a wonderful experience. Nari is a contemporary Thai restaurant that has won numerous awards, as well as receiving their first Michelin in 2023! They're located inside Hotel Kabuki, which you have to enter through the hotel's lobby. Upon entering you are greeted by the staff. We made reservations, and were seated quickly. The staff had special made custom menus for our friends, congratulating their engagement! We started off with the gaeng gradang tod (pork croquettes). I recommend this! The bite was so tasty and I wish it lasted longer, but the pork croquette pairs so well with the ajad pickle, making it one perfect bite. Within the first course we also ordered the Yum sum o (citrus salad), Miang pia (branzino), and squid & pork jowl. The salad consisted of some melons and fruits and was very refreshing! It was sweet and tangy, and the coconut flakes add some extra texture to every bite. The miang pia is a must try. It comes with a few veggie options as a wrap (lettuce, cabbage, etc). The branzino is cooked perfectly with the right texture and tenderness. I love that they added so much other ingredients with it. Each bite is so flavorful and the lettuce wrap makes it refreshing. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the squid and pork jowl. I felt like the dish was a little too salty for my liking. For the second course we decided on the prik king gai (crispy chicken) and namprik kapi pla. The prik king gai was good and has a small kick to it; I did think it was a little too crispy as I couldnt really taste the meat. The namprik kapi pla was paired with jasmine rice, and was very flavorful. I'm not the biggest fan of spice and curry, but my friends seemed to enjoy this dish. We ended dinner off with dream of lod chong (pandan parfait) and wan yen which was an iced dessert consisting of fruits, sago, and jelly. I def recommend the wan yen, it was easy to share and had a lot of fun textures and a variety of sweet treats in the mix, making it a very delightful treat to end the night. The ambiance to Nari is very nice. It was the perfect atmosphere for dinner, with dimmed lights, and modern/contemporary interior. It's beautifully decorated. Overall I had a wonderful experience at Nari.

Wook Chung

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!

Jea Kim

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.

Hammimi

I don't often have thai but decided to give Nari a try. The vibe was nice as was the decor and service was friendly. We had the pink lady apple salad with puffed shrimps, nice but be warned very spicy and it's a shame neither our server or menu indicated the level of heat. We also ordered the seafood curry with crackers which was good. For mains we ordered the black cod curry and the aubergine curry both were good but the aubergine curry stood out for me. It's a shame because we requested a paratha / roti but was told the chef would decline our request. The paratha / puri comes with a dish if you order the chefs choice menu BUT unfortunately we could not have this because it was meat based and it was not halal. I am surprised for a michelin star restaurants the chef could not accommodate a simple request. The cost came to approx £130.00 for 2 people, out of which approximately £30.00 or more was taxes and tip. Eating out in San Francisco is expensive. Our bill did not include any drinks save for sparkling water.

Alice Hou

We decided to celebrate our anniversary with the Chef's choice menu at Nari. I started with a drink called Nilaka, a delightful blend of agricole rum, mango-lassi, pineapple, pandan, and falernum. The mango-lassi made it easy to drink, masking the alcohol taste. Our meal began with ma hor to freshen up our palate, followed by the Beef Shank Curry Puff—two curry puffs filled with braised beef shank, served with Curry Dipping Sauce and Ajad Pickles. They were incredibly flavorful and aromatic! Next, we enjoyed the Scallop Yum Gati, featuring cured scallops with shiko par, chili jam, cashews, celtuce, chili, and herbs like lemongrass. The Yum Tawai salad was a delightful mix of fall vegetables, fruits, and herbs in a curried peanut dressing with sesame seeds. This was my favorite dish! The Squid and Pork Jowl was a highlight, with grilled squid and sweet, succulent pork jowl topped with peanuts and cilantro, served with sticky rice. The Namtok Moo, grilled pork chop topped with herbs, was equally delicious, accompanied by sticky rice and lettuce wraps. I can see why people really like this dish—the pork jowl is so tender and juicy. The waiter advised eating a bite of squid with a bite of pork jowl together, and it was amazing! However, I have to say it's too salty for me, even though I ate a lot of rice and lettuce trying to balance it off. The Gaeng Bumbai Aubergine, crispy eggplant in spicy Bumbai curry with basil and crispy shallots, pairs perfectly with their buttery roti. I love their roti! The eggplant is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The Namtok Moo, grilled pork chop topped with herbs and served with sticky rice and lettuce to wrap, was delicious! Prik King Gai is crispy chicken stir-fried in curry paste with beans, dried shrimps, kaffir, and salted duck egg. By this point, my palate was feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the dishes. The intense flavors of spices and herbs like lemongrass and cilantro were becoming a bit much, with the saltiness standing out. The last dish was caramelized fish sauce cabbage, fried with garlic. I was surprised to see this dish at the end, as I often have fried cabbage in my daily meals. It didn’t stand out among the other dishes. For dessert, we had Dreaming of Lod Chong, a pandan parfait with salted coconut cream and ice, and Wan Yen, a refreshing mix of strawberry and raspberry, tapioca pearls, and jellies in salted coconut cream under crushed ice. Overall, it was a fantastic and satisfying experience. At the end, the flavors were a bit overpowering and salty, but I highly recommend these dishes: - Scallop Yum Gati - The Squid and Pork Jowl - The Gaeng Bumbai Aubergine - Dreaming of Lod Chong

Jeremy Welland

We started with the crispy sticky rice salad with sour pork sausage and ginger. Spicy! Good tasting, but a tiny bit over salted. The chili lime grilled squid and pork jaw was absolutely fantastic. We also had the crispy chicken with spicy curry paste and pole beans. The lemon zest on top was delicious. Highly recommend this place in the iconic hotel kabuki in Japan town.

The atmosphere was great. The server kept discouraging us from ordering spicy dishes even though we said it was fine which was kind of annoying, in the end the server was wrong because they weren't too spicy... Also, I personally found the flavors of the food to be below my expectations with things either being too acidic or too heavy. I did not love the flavors of the dishes, a lot of things felt like they were clashing to me. I usually love thai food so this was a disappointing experience. We ordered the following: naem khao tod: Pretty interesting flavor combination. Not sure I enjoyed the flavors but it was definitely unique. I thought it was a little too acidic for my palate. squid and pork jowl: probably my favorite dish here. It had a nice balance of fatty + acidity. gaeng panang gae: the lamb shank was very tender. However, I did not like the flavor. I felt as there was a lot of spices and it was extremely heavy. However, it felt like it would have been so much better with some acidity in there. It was heavy in a rather unpleasant way. Overall, the portions were pretty big for the price however, the flavor of the dishes were not up to my standards.

We've just returned from what was a rather average experience at Nari. Given that this has a Michelin star AND is a Thai food restaurant (which we love), expectations were high, but sadly, this didn't quite live up to the hype. First off, the hostess/server (Jane, I think? That was the name written on the bill) was a bit brusque and condescending throughout, and twisted my arm into having a version of a Negroni that I found far too sweet for my tastes - this despite telling her that I didn't like sweet cocktails at all, and asking for the least sweet drink available. Having said that, my husband's lime cocktail was very nice, so the bartender(s) certainly know their stuff, even if the server did not understand the brief. For food, we, again, were arm twisted by Jane into ordering the melon starter, which, again, was a bit too sweet for a savoury item. The three additional dishes we had on top of that were entirely excessive for our appetites. This is despite checking with Jane regarding the portion sizes, and it is galling that we were misled into thinking we hadn't ordered enough food. So the three stars are for the quality and taste of some of the food, specifically the pork jowl (exceptionally succulent - the best thing we ate here) and squid, miang pla (branzino - very tasty but a far too huge portion) and gaeng hung lay (beef cheeks - a nice, homely curry but far too overpriced). It's quite decent food but with excessive amounts of seasoning and a rather violent clash of flavours that are not exactly harmonious. Having eaten a huge amount of stupendous Thai food over the years, both within and outside of various parts of Thailand, for a fraction of the price, suffice to say that Nari seemed to be yet another sad example of an overrated, rather pretentious Michelin starred establishment, and not one we would recommend to anyone.

+2

Food is genuinely alright. I wished I had better things to say about it. Everything tended to be on the saltier side. The disappointing piece was the stir fried chicken, which really just felt like picking at breadcrumbs. I enjoyed the cocktails, I enjoyed the food, but definitely didn't qualify as a Michelin-star in my books.

The restaurant has a lovely atmosphere with a vibrant, stylish vibe. Service was warm and attentive, definitely a highlight of the experience. That said, the food didn’t quite meet Michelin-level expectations. Most dishes felt overly oily and heavy, with the exception of one standout that was well-executed. Flavors lacked the balance and refinement I was hoping for. The cocktails, however, were excellent, creative and well-crafted. I’d recommend stopping by for drinks and ambiance, but overall, the dining experience felt more average than exceptional.

Pooya Fayyaz

The restaurant has a lovely atmosphere with a vibrant, stylish vibe. Service was warm and attentive, definitely a highlight of the experience. That said, the food didn’t quite meet Michelin-level expectations. Most dishes felt overly oily and heavy, with the exception of one standout that was well-executed. Flavors lacked the balance and refinement I was hoping for. The cocktails, however, were excellent, creative and well-crafted. I’d recommend stopping by for drinks and ambiance, but overall, the dining experience felt more average than exceptional.

Wouldn't recommend :/ The food at Nari is "okay," but the execution is hit-or-miss—the eggplant curry was tasty but the sea bass was particulatly oily. Service was the biggest disappointment; they served a tiny, poorly balanced $17 Negroni and dismissed our concerns with "that's how we do them." Iam surprised about the Michelin star, for these prices, I think there are better Thai spots in the city.

The fish dishes that we ordered were very good. Really enjoy the pork croquettes. There were two things that kind of let us down about this restaurant. The first was the chicken dish (Raka Kin Prik) it just tasted off and kind of fishy? The second was the fact we asked the waitress if we ordered enough food for two meals people and we already had. However she continued to up sell us the $38 chicken that was just not very good. We couldn’t touch it at the restaurant because we were so full.

I don't understand how this place got a Michelin star, but who amI to judge? Just a customer who thought their food was lacking flavor and too spicy. Service was prompt, though waiter seemed to lack personality. Like reciting words...not to mention he closed the check with a higher amount of tip.( We left 20%). So check your statement after eating there:))

Context: I took a date here for Valentines day on Feb 15th 2026. The restaurant atmospher was beautiful, but food was poor, especially for the price and status. Food: Overall everything was incredibly salty. We had the squid and pork jowl, namtok nuea and crab curry with garlic noodles. The pork and jowl was tolerable, the nomtok nuea was nearly inedible. We had to wrap it with a lot of lettuce and cucumber in order to stomach it. Crab curry was alright but fairly mild for curry. We only ate through half of everything and couldn't stomach the rest. Service: Slow. Wait was about ~45min for the food. They gave us an extra appetizer as an apology which was nice, food was poor though. It was Valentines day and packed so more understandable. Drinks: We had the kanitha and utai. Not sure if it's my fault for getting a more fruity cocktail but they weren't very strong. Price: Felt like robbery, we could barely stomach half of it yet walked away with a 400$ bill for everything I listed above. Overall: not worth the price, reservation logistics, or wait. I gave it 2 stars because the date went well gave us a fun story to talk about how overated the place was.

The food is a disappointment here. Half of the dishes, the waiter said are very spicy and the hotness cannot be adjusted. And half or more of the dishes contain cilantro that cannot be removed also. Together, there was not one dish that I wanted to eat and I pay $250 for dinner for two without alcohol. It was a pretty bad experience.

We tried the tasting menu. There was not enough variation in the dishes. The pork in the different dishes tasted the same. It would have been better if the amount of food was halved and the taste was better. I was very full without satisfaction.

Nothing wrong with this place. Food tastes great but not wow as you would expect for the price point. If you have money to spare and want to check this Michelin star restaurant off your checklist go for it but there are much cheaper Thai places around the Bay Area that taste as good as Nari.

Nayeong Kim

We tried the tasting menu. There was not enough variation in the dishes. The pork in the different dishes tasted the same. It would have been better if the amount of food was halved and the taste was better. I was very full without satisfaction.

Pedro Vicente

Nothing wrong with this place. Food tastes great but not wow as you would expect for the price point. If you have money to spare and want to check this Michelin star restaurant off your checklist go for it but there are much cheaper Thai places around the Bay Area that taste as good as Nari.

Nari has a beautiful ambiance, but the experience didn’t live up to it. The hostess was beyond rude and refused to accommodate a simple table change despite other open tables, which set a negative tone from the start. Although they claim they don’t adjust spice levels, nearly everything from the salads to the mains was overly spicy and underwhelming, lacking balance and depth of flavor. Thankfully, our server was amazing and attentive, helping make up for the poor seating experience and average food. Unfortunately, the overall experience was disappointing and not one I’d rush back for.

The prik king gai and eggplant curry was good but the pork jowl was so painfully salty and when we brought it up to the waiter they said it's because they use fish sauce and we're probably not used to it. They said that to me, a Vietnamese. Insanely condescending and so much lack of professionalism when they refuse to admit that was inedibly salty.

Since I cannot give 0 star, the one star goes to the service and the pastry only. Unfortunately we ordered chef's selection which everyone hates --- too late to see the reviews. My taste is on the salty side already, but EVERY single dish is just way to salty! It's almost like dipping the food in the salt for every item, cannot taste the original food flavor like at all. The only thing that's not salty is their rice, pastry, and squid which I think it's just because it's hard to season compared to other ingredients. I have never had such salty food for the entire sitting in my life. I don't get why it got a star or so, but the food is just mediocre and the price is ridiculous. I also wouldn't try to justify there're other dishes are not as salty coz the chef's selection menu covers a lot items on their menu, including the popular squid and pork jowl. The eggplant curry tastes spicy and bitter, even the salad has too much fish sauce or salt which is unbearable. Oh the drink is ok only --- the cocktail has minimal alcohol and the mango lassi is just like any other restaurant. Would not recommend this place at all.

+4

Terribly overpriced. We got the chef's pick menu which seemed like the biggest scam I've ever been to. The food was good but not worth 4x the price at your local Thai place. Some items were too salty which was almost inedible. I don't know how this place is worthy of a Michelin star as it's so much lower in quality of service, food, and creativity compared to other Michelin stars around the world. Second biggest scam was the chef pick menu. We paid $250 for the chef's pick. If chosen a la carte it would be $161. The off menu items were two pieces of duck pastries, tiny summer salad, two tiny bites for amuse bouche, and two tiny bowls of two bites desserts. Definitely was not worth $90 all in all. Seriously do not go to this place. You will regret it.

+6

Nari has a very nice ambiance, but unfortunately everything beyond that was a disappointment. While the space itself is polished and inviting, the overall dining experience fell far short of expectations. Service was a major issue. Our server came across as rushed, unwelcoming, and disengaged. At first, I assumed it might have been an off moment, but after watching his interactions with nearby tables, it was clearly consistent. There was no warmth, no effort to explain dishes, and no sense of hospitality it felt as though he either didn’t want to be there or was overwhelmed with too many tables. The menu itself is heavily pork-focused. If you are not a pork eater, I would strongly recommend skipping this restaurant, as the majority of the dishes include pork in some form, leaving very limited alternatives. We ordered two beers, both of which were poorly poured, arriving with approximately three to four inches of foam more foam than beer. It looked like beer topped with whipped cream, which immediately set a negative tone for the meal. For food, we ordered the Prik King Gai (crispy chicken stir-fried in sweet and spicy curry paste) and the Gaeng Bumbai Aubergine (crispy eggplant in spicy Bumbai curry). We were warned that the Prik King Gai was very spicy, so we planned to switch dishes if needed. When the food arrived, both dishes were equally and overwhelmingly spicy, with no depth of flavor beyond heat. The eggplant dish offered nothing but spice, and the chicken dish had the texture and taste of burnt crumbs tossed in dry chili no balance, no complexity, and no discernible flavors coming through. Overall, this was not an experience I would return for or recommend to others. While the ambiance is nice, poor service, limited menu balance, poorly executed drinks, and flavorless, overly spicy food made this a very disappointing visit.

Joshua Michael

Nari has a very nice ambiance, but unfortunately everything beyond that was a disappointment. While the space itself is polished and inviting, the overall dining experience fell far short of expectations. Service was a major issue. Our server came across as rushed, unwelcoming, and disengaged. At first, I assumed it might have been an off moment, but after watching his interactions with nearby tables, it was clearly consistent. There was no warmth, no effort to explain dishes, and no sense of hospitality it felt as though he either didn’t want to be there or was overwhelmed with too many tables. The menu itself is heavily pork-focused. If you are not a pork eater, I would strongly recommend skipping this restaurant, as the majority of the dishes include pork in some form, leaving very limited alternatives. We ordered two beers, both of which were poorly poured, arriving with approximately three to four inches of foam more foam than beer. It looked like beer topped with whipped cream, which immediately set a negative tone for the meal. For food, we ordered the Prik King Gai (crispy chicken stir-fried in sweet and spicy curry paste) and the Gaeng Bumbai Aubergine (crispy eggplant in spicy Bumbai curry). We were warned that the Prik King Gai was very spicy, so we planned to switch dishes if needed. When the food arrived, both dishes were equally and overwhelmingly spicy, with no depth of flavor beyond heat. The eggplant dish offered nothing but spice, and the chicken dish had the texture and taste of burnt crumbs tossed in dry chili no balance, no complexity, and no discernible flavors coming through. Overall, this was not an experience I would return for or recommend to others. While the ambiance is nice, poor service, limited menu balance, poorly executed drinks, and flavorless, overly spicy food made this a very disappointing visit.

My recent dining experience at Nari was unfortunately below expectations. Although the restaurant’s reputation suggests a high standard of cuisine and service, several issues detracted from the evening. Of the six dishes we ordered, two were not the dishes requested. While mistakes do occasionally occur, the substitutions were neither explained nor acknowledged by the staff at any point during the meal. In addition, the chicken entrée was noticeably overcooked, resulting in a dry texture, and the steak dish arrived significantly oversalted, which obscured the underlying flavors that the restaurant is normally known for. More concerning was the lack of response when we attempted to address these problems. We politely asked to speak with a manager on two separate occasions, yet no one ever came to the table. The other matter I attempted to address with the manager involved the restaurant’s apparent non-compliance with ADA Title 24 requirements, which was also ignored. At this level of dining, attentive service and appropriate follow-through should be expected, particularly when a guest raises a potential accessibility concern. Nari has a distinguished reputation in San Francisco dining, and I recognize that many guests have excellent experiences. However, based on this visit, the food preparation and service oversight did not meet the standard we anticipated. I hope the restaurant will take this feedback constructively, as the concept and atmosphere remain appealing, and I would welcome an opportunity for a more positive experience in the future.

Josh C

My recent dining experience at Nari was unfortunately below expectations. Although the restaurant’s reputation suggests a high standard of cuisine and service, several issues detracted from the evening. Of the six dishes we ordered, two were not the dishes requested. While mistakes do occasionally occur, the substitutions were neither explained nor acknowledged by the staff at any point during the meal. In addition, the chicken entrée was noticeably overcooked, resulting in a dry texture, and the steak dish arrived significantly oversalted, which obscured the underlying flavors that the restaurant is normally known for. More concerning was the lack of response when we attempted to address these problems. We politely asked to speak with a manager on two separate occasions, yet no one ever came to the table. The other matter I attempted to address with the manager involved the restaurant’s apparent non-compliance with ADA Title 24 requirements, which was also ignored. At this level of dining, attentive service and appropriate follow-through should be expected, particularly when a guest raises a potential accessibility concern. Nari has a distinguished reputation in San Francisco dining, and I recognize that many guests have excellent experiences. However, based on this visit, the food preparation and service oversight did not meet the standard we anticipated. I hope the restaurant will take this feedback constructively, as the concept and atmosphere remain appealing, and I would welcome an opportunity for a more positive experience in the future.