Nari w San Francisco

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.

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.

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.