Amber Dhara

Ridiculously GOOD Indian Food, the best I’ve ever had, and it gets closed for cleanliness violations while hundreds of other Indian dives around the city remain open,… I am seriously confused about what happened here!

I’m SOOOO unhappy that I didn’t get a chance to convince anyone to come here before they closed.
I took the BF to bday bottomless mimosa brunch here (after super fancy dinner/​bar night) and we loved it!
The service was on point, they were refilling our waters and mimosas like no other and they were graciously take away our plates as needed. There is also a Dosa station. Yes, somebody stands there and makes you dosas. Like you just point at stuff and he hands you a food contraption.
The food, wasn’t too special or great but honestly, I’ve had a lot worse Indian food especially when it’s a buffet. The selection was not bad, full of choices. Everything was nicely kempt and taken care of.
The décor is beautiful and modern. It felt clean, fresh and elegant. We sat by the window, which was spilling with natural light (But what really is there to see in the Mission, hah!). This is definitely a date night sort of place.
I’m going to miss this place a lot!

On the fly — This restaurant has great food, great ambiance, great service. If you’re of the mind, the bathrooms are unique and peaceful with sinks that change colors.
Thumbs UP Sir Dhara.

WORST EXPERIENCE HERE. O.m.g. we got to the restaurant at 7:30 pm and didn’t receive our food until about 2 hours later. Really? Not only that the check was messed up and we’re just now re-​receiving our check at 10:04pm. The girl must not have been writing down our order correctly because it took ages to get our naan bread, butter chicken, and our eggplant dish. The manager is not much help and they’re not doing their best at apologizing. If they really cared about having any customers our meal should have at LEAST been discounted. At LEAST. My dish was also very bland I had to add sauce because it didn’t taste like anything. Probably overcooked. Never coming back!

#188. This review is for their brunch. On the weekends, they have an AYCE brunch buffet. Quality buffet for $ 17. You can customize your omelets. There’s even a dosa station. Yes, there are bottomless mimosas. What more do you need?
This is an amazing deal. Just make sure to RSVP so you won’t have to wait.

From reading other reviews, I guess this place is a hit or miss because when I went there for happy hour last week it was a total MISS.
The sign out front said there were $ 5 appetizers, so my friend and I stopped in. First, I should say that the interior design is absolutely gorgeous. The under-​lit, blue marbled glass sinks in the unisex bathroom were stunning, and the dividers between the stalls go all the way to the floor, so it didn’t feel «weird.». I hope you got to see the hand drawn sidewalk chalk elephants that were out front in the past months.
That being said, we were told that we could sit anywhere we like. We ordered our appetizers off the menu provided, all the while the waiter kept saying, «Are you sure? That’s not a lot of food.» I told him that we were keeping the menu because we were going to continue ordering. Yet, he had a panicked look on his face like he was afraid the less we ordered, the smaller tip he’d get.
The duck kebobs were very small and too few (only 3) for being $ 12. Also surprisingly, they tasted more like beef than duck. That sour cream and mustard sauce wasn’t hitting its mark.
We got four of the tiniest samosas I have ever seen. When I asked which one of the sauces were «hot/​spicy,» the server said, «We don’t do that here!»
The onion and basil naan was served as one single piece of bread that was sliced in a sloppy manner, rather than a heaping basket full as you would see at other Indian restaurants. The diced onion and basil weren’t baked into the bread, so most of it fell off when you took a bite into it.
The Khatta Meetha Baingan (eggplant and tomato) actually had a huge stem in it which was at least an inch long! I told the waiter, who didn’t understand what I meant. I had to explain to him that «the stick that connects the fruit to the plant, the STEM» was left in the food and I almost choked on it. He didn’t even apologize. For both tomato and eggplant, it’s pretty easy to determine which part of the plant needs to be taken off before you eat it, so I don’t know how that could have happened. Furthermore, the tomato sauce must not have been fresh that day because it had an overwhelming heaviness to it, like it was either canned tomato, store bought tomato sauce, or was made earlier in the week and sat for a while.
After all was said and done, we were overcharged and the manager argued with us without even offering a «sorry for the misunderstanding.» He practically insulted our intelligence because he insisted that anywhere you go, happy hour is only served at the bar and we sat in the dining room. (We were there from 5:30 — 6:30om, and not another soul sat in that huge dinning room with us. Red flag?) I’ve sat in dining rooms at other restaurants where happy hour is also served outside of the bar and even on the back patio. This hostess had told us to sit wherever we liked. She didn’t even seat us or tell us there was a separate menu.
Eventually he took 10% off our bill, but when I paid in cash it seemed to confuse the staff, who could not find enough change in coins (65 cents) to break my bill. I watched them try to count it out. I had begun to worry that they were going to take the entire amount without giving me back change because it took them so long to give me back the singles I needed to leave a tip. He could have simply asked how much change I wanted back and saved the frustration, and we could have left ten minutes sooner. I didn’t want to stay any longer with the way we were treated.

Order the hot tea. It was absolutely fantastic, I would order again and again and again.
The food was delicious as well
Service was great. You really couldn’t ask for much more… except to be seated away from the door as it was cold outside.
Would definitely go again.

I’m kind of hesitant to write a review because I don’t want all the bar seats filled up on the nights I want them.
My disclaimer is that I have never actually sat down at a restaurant table to eat here. I always sit at the bar for a couple of reasons:
1. The happy hour is all night every night and has great small bites on it.
2. John the bartender/​mixologist is amazing. He makes super creative cocktails that taste incredible, and he manages to tie them back into ayurvedic concepts. He also is super friendly and remembers people even if they don’t come in very often. He is everything I want my regular bartender to be. Too bad I don’t live down the street — I’d be in here every night.
3. The space is set up to be pretty social. It creates an air of camaraderie that’s really nice in a bar.
The green pea kulcha is phenomenal, by the way. So so yummy.

Amber Dhara also proves to be a daytime treasure spot in The Mission – specifically for weekend brunch. AYCE Indian style brunch buffet? Nice! Bottomless mimosas? Even better! Accommodates +10 party? Icing on the cake!
For veggie friendly consumers, there are a plethora of different curries, sauces, rice, and sides to choose from. The TANDOORI CHICKEN was my favorite meat – tender and juicy with just the right amount of spice.
But the best part of this buffet is the DOSA STATION. You can order fresh masala dosa, scrambled eggs, omelets, etc. and they will be delivered straight to you. I liked this better than the buffet since you’re guaranteed hot, fresh food. And it’s all customizable so you can adjust the spice level, add different stuffing to your dosas, etc.
The BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS really hit the spot and paired well with our savory, spicy dishes. For our large party, they just placed two large carafes on the table and let us go to town (in a classy way of course).
Perks:
+ Tasty food for both spicy and non-​spicy lovers
+ Vegetarian friendly
+ Accommodates large groups comfortably
+ Reasonable pricing ($ 17/​person)
Things to note:
— Parking is a pain in The Mission! Go BART to 16^th St. and it’s just a 10 min. walk away
— Make a reservation if you have a large party.

Great spot for Happy Hour surprisingly! Every day of the week! Cheaper cocktails than anywhere in the city. HH food was also great. Cute lounge style seating.

Why is this place always so empty? They have fantastic indian food — with better quality ingrediants and more diverse imaginative dishes than most. I just don’t get it. They are a touch pricey, but they are on Valencia for pete’s sake — and they’ve got a better space and look than Aslam’s or Udupi.
I dunno. I’m tempted to give it 5 stars just to bump up the visibility. I don’t want this place to go out of business. It’s such a great option. I mean, they have the standard curries and whatnot — but the kale chaat, the cauliflower bezoule, the turnip butternut squash stew. .. this place is a step beyond almost any other indian place in SF (similar to Dosa) in imagination and newness.
That said, they get the Indian standards right, too, in my opinion. But they also weave in a smattering of local, seasonal, different options (leek soup? sweet! local seafood? awesome. truffle naan? ok, now you’re just pandering to the mission foodie. still, it’s delicious, so I’m not complaining.)
I’m going to leave this review a 4 star out of respect for the rating system accuracy — but it’s a really strong 4 star and this place should definitely get more traffic. If you want an option that is super tasty and nice — but where you can get a table immediately — go to Amber Dhara

I ordered dinner for delivery and overall while the food was OK it was nothing special and for what we got I’d say overpriced.
We had butter chicken, khatta meetha baingan, nan and samosa. The portions were very small, the samosas were dry and really not great at all, and the order only had 2 pieces of nan, although the bread was good.
Usually this order would leave us full and we’d still have leftovers but this time we finished it all and could have had something else. The chicken was the main problem, there were only about 5 pieces of it in there, so sharing was fun:)
If I’m going to pay more for Indian food, I’d do Amber or even Dosa where the portions are generous and quality is higher.

John the mixologist magician made me a fantabulous yogurt liquor drink last night. I don’t know what they are calling it but I hope they add it to the happy hour menu soon.

All Day Happy Hour — $ 3 beers? Amber Dhara should give their marketing person a raise because that’s what got me to come in! Inside is a modern restaurant on the left and a bar on the right with large tables for 4 – 5 people. My review is based on the bar area only.
Amber Dhara’s Infusions are what set this place apart from any other. The bartender plays with different flavor combinations in good liquor to make them taste totally different. Each shot is $ 7 or a flight of 4 for $ 20. He uses Bulleit, Don Julio Silver and other liquors as the base and soaks different flavors in it for 2 – 7 days (as he explained to us). It is amazing what he can do with them! I never thought the distinct flavor of tequila could be masked! These are nothing like the flavored vodkas or rums you can buy at the grocery store. Those still taste like alcohol, these do not. These are perfect people who don’t like the taste of liquor but are definitely creepers for those who can drink since the base is still as shot of liquor.
I haven’t tried them all but one day I will!
Blanco tequila, strawberry, elderflower — tastes like strawberry only, not hint of tequila!
Bulleit Rye, Apples, Cinnamon — tastes like apple cider
Anejo tequila, pineapple, Serrano peppers — spicy and burns when it goes down!
Gin, bell peppers, spices, raspberry — tastes just like green bell peppers.
Bourbon, pistachio, vanilla — the smell of vanilla and taste of pistachios and tastes the alcohol the most.
Bourbon, bacon, walnuts — I’m allergic to walnuts but my friends said this one was their least favorite as it had a very oily taste from the bacon fat.
Beers — $ 3/​pint — 3 tap options. Kingfisher Lager is really crisp and light.
Bar Snacks/​Small Plates — $ 5/​each (in order of my likes)
Naan stuffed with lamb — several pieces of deliciously soft naan with chutneys.
Brussels sprouts — roasted and very tasty.
Calamari rings — surprisingly good, crispy batter.
Chicken 65 — small chicken bits, made with 65 different spices. Good but not my favorite here.
Bathrooms are very clean with unisex sinks and common area — a rare set up.
Brave the parking and check this place out!

I think Amber Dhara may have gotten up to a bad start, because friends have complained about the poor service and food quality when they first opened. Looking for a nice spot for drinks in the Mission, where you don’t want to fight crowds and may actually want a seat, is tough. I was shocked — SHOCKED! — when we walked by Amber and noticed they had a happy hour on Friday night that went until midnight and included drink and food specials!
The food was really good, and an interesting take on Indian food. For food flavora nd quality I much prefer it over Aslam, although it’s a tough comparison because Aslam is more traditional.
Overall, very friendly and prompt service, modern-​ish looking interior (kind of odd with the colored lights if you ask me, but to each their own), and tasty modernized Indian food. Drinks were pretty good, and did I mention — what an amazing deal!
I would absolutely return for brunch to check out their unlimited brunch and mimosas!

Ordered at 6:54pm (time stamp on email)
Received an original delivery time message saying: 7:51pm
Then changed to 8:55pm
After calling the food arrived at 9:48, cold.
I typically like Amber Dhara for delivery but they’ve been getting worse and worse regarding delivery time.
Looks like I need to find a new favorite Indian delivery place.

Amber Dhara has a new fan! Me!
I bumped them up a star because they aim to be ecologically sustainable — and they offer organic brown rice! I have ordered delivery twice via Grubhub, and both times the food was great. Great Indian food is nearly nonexistent in San Francisco and I appreciate Amber Dhara’s unique take on the cuisine.
The appetizers so far have been the most impressive and tastiest part of the meal — Samosas, shrimp kempu, and cauliflower bezule. They come with three sauces — the green one is always my favorite; the tomato sauce which was too sweet for me; and the brown sauce which I didn’t bother to try because I don’t usually like it at other restaurants.
I also tried the chocolate walnut banana cake which is made with buckwheat flower. I’m not usually a dessert person but this combo of ingredients is a favorite. It was perfect, not too sweet. And the portion of soy and clove ice cream was very manageable (the size of the container was the size that the above sauces came in).
So far the curries I have tried have been less impressive. The vegetable kurma wasn’t that great. It had a strong ginger flavor which I did not expect. On the plus side, I asked for it ‘spicy’ and they put in extra chiles. The dal makhani was pretty good and the better of the two curries I have tried — I asked for it ‘spicy’ the second time around and oh boy they put a lot of chiles in it!
I look forward to trying their other curries. And I also think the food would probably be better if you dine in the restaurant.
Oh I forgot the naan! The garlic cilantro naan is good but not outstanding.

This isn’t your typical curry joint.
Amber Dhara is a sexy space with tasty Indian food complete with good service and delicious Vesper cocktails.
I blame it on the booze because I can’t remember what I had, but like Arnold said, I’ll be back.

We went near the end of their lunch service on a Saturday afternoon… your results may vary depeding on time and day.
My wife and I went to check this place out. She ordered rasam and the triple mushroom dosa, I the bass tikka. The food service was slow but our waiter was attentive, I can understand that given that we were showing up towards the end of the lunch service.
The food was good quality, I liked my bass and the rasam was good. The dosa was also decent. I also ordered the spice market cocktail, really interesting flavors.
So why the 2 star review? The portion sizes were very disappointing, particularly given the price. My wife’s dosa was puffed up and beautiful but had a disappointing smear of just a few mushrooms down the middle. Really? My little cubes of sea bass cost as much… I can understand overpriced fish but overpriced mushroom dosa?
We didn’t go expecting cheap Indian eats (that’s what Pakwan is for) but the dosa experience really soured us on this place… portions are just to small to satisfy.

NEVER date a Unilocal addict.
They ARE cray cray.
Actually, cray cray can’t even begin to describe them (me). Quality time? Sorry, their Unilocal app is their Diablo III so don’t even think about messing with them when they’re using it. Fast food and chain restaurants? They will rip your head off if you brought them to one. Eat? Forget about it. They will swap your hand like a pesky fly if you dig in before they took a food pic at every p-​o-​s-​s-​i-​b-​l-​e angle. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Don’t say, I never warned you.
Then there came the talk of compromise, the foundation of every relationship along with trust and communication. I have zero. I AM A CONTROL FREAK. I want to know where I am going, what I’ll be eating, when, and with whom at all times. Told you, I’m cray cray. Mr. NSS said to trust him when he chose Amber Dhara for date night (I choose 99.9% of the places we go to). So I did. However, I was honestly anticipating a two star review (or worse) after reading the mixed reviews of overpriced and mediocre food.
Amber Dhara is the sixth child of the Bay Area Amber mini-​empire (opened 7.22.12). It’s a trendy version of the upscale Amber in Union Square (my review:
). Portions are small. Prices are high; 2 – 2.5 times more than other Indian restaurants (small plates $ 6-​$ 13, tandoori $ 12-​$ 24 and entrees $ 12-​$ 21). Food is mediocre and comparable to a glorified Naan ‘N Curry. So why come to Amber Dhara? For a Happy Ending. DUH. Amber Dhara is one sexy beast. Sometimes all a girl needs is a stiff cocktail and a sensuous ambiance and it’s ON. Amber Dhara put it on like donkey kong. Cheezy but true.
F O O D
I started with their Vesper gin & vodka cocktail ($ 5 HH Special
) which blurred my vision after two.

We shared the Masala Ojhari on Paratha ($ 10) which was very filling for an appetizer. Lightly fried leavened bread topped with robust spicy chunks of pork belly was fiery and scrumptious albeit dry.
The Wild Boar w/​Apple Chutney ($ 19) was next.
Although nicely spiced with a subtle sweetness from the apple chutney, the boar was overly dry and tough. We really had to utilize the trio of chutneys.
. I’m a huge fan of the Butter Chicken at their Amber Union Square location but didn’t care for the Deconstructed Butter Chicken ($ 17) here.
The breast meat was semi-​dry and the butter sauce was too tomatoey. Nonetheless, the sauce was good for dipping the Garlic Naan and Whole Wheat Roti ($ 3 each) which were great fillers.

S E R V I C E
I LOVE CAROLYN. Carolyn was our super sweet, lovely, and attentive waitress. If it weren’t for her, this would have been a 3 Star review. The hostess didn’t give us the happy hour menu and Carolyn was quick to tell us about the happy hour drink specials and bring us the menu which made me a very happy girl. She was also knowledgeable and gave good recs. She said the Masala Ojhari (pork belly) on Paratha was her fav and it was our fav too.
I’m big on customer service and it can make up for a lot especially lackluster food which was the case at Amber Dhara. Thank you, Carolyn!
A M B I A N C E /​D E C O R
Amber Dhara is a place where you come for the ambiance. Boosting two levels, Amber Dhara is a huge restaurant for San Francisco standards. It has a separate bar area with leather ottomans, a well-​spaced dining room good for groups, and another dining area on the 2^nd level terrace. Bright earthy reds, oranges, and yellows along with dim lighting make it perfect for date night. Rihanna bumping in the background? Unisex nightclub-​like bathrooms with illuminated sink bowls? Odd but there’s nothing like finding love in a hopeless place anyways.
P A R K I N G
Difficult street parking.
Thanks to a little something called «trust», at the end of the night, we BOTH won if you know what I mean. ;)