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Yep, I still go here as often as possible.
Yep, I am upgrading to 5 stars since as Marlene put it "this is the best Thai place in San Francisco".
No, I don't like everything on the menu, but none of what I had ever tasted like chlorine (yikes)!
Yep, I have tastebuds, thank you!
Yep, I highly recommend Manora's.
Yep, I am still a fan, can you tell?
Enjoy, and try the shish kabob (beef baby!) it is amazing....
YUM! This place was great. Packed tight (I actually had someone walk into me not realizing I was… Read more »
Why I give this place 5 stars is because this is the best Thai place in San Francisco, and as everyone knows, San Francisco has more Thai restaurants per square foot than it has Starbucks. Seriously. To compare, once I was in Connecticut, and drove an hour and a half to get to a Thai restaurant. It takes 3 hours to drive through the entire state. The white people I was with had never had Thai.... but that's another story entirely...
Thankfully, San Francisco is only 6 miles in radius, so Manora is really pain-less to get to, even for people in the Peninsula. The location is near all sorts of freeways and parking is easy. Rainbow grocery is right across the way. Rainbow sells no meat, so Manora is a good stop off for non-vegetarians, especially during lunch! Dinner would be better though, because unless you're a complete lush, the Mai-tai's aren't to be missed. They're cheap as well.
They make the BEST yellow curry chicken with potatoes and onions I've ever had. I judge all Thai restaurants on this dish, and none live up to Manora's curry. The chicken is stew like and the spices are cooked perfectly. The chef special of eggplant, chicken, shrimp, pork and basil in an oyster type sauce is delish, even if you don't like eggplant. The Pad Thai is perfect, (most places screw it up) There's a string bean and beef dish... You get the point.
Have dinner, followed by many many cocktails, and walk down the street towards downtown, and go into the little clubs littering both sides of the street... if you're into that sort of thing. I myself prefer Mai-tai's, dinner, more Mai-tai's and the other direction towards the Mission/Potrero, but that's what's so great about Manora. It really is the center of whatever direction you please.
10 of us strolled in here at around 9pm thursday night and they had no trouble accommodating us. they actually have a full bar too with grey goose etc. so we could continue getting our drink on.
i ordered two things. tom yum gong. and pad thai made with with silver noodles. the silver noodles took forever to come out ... i think at one point they told someone they didnt have it. but it came out later anyways.
I'm so lucky I work near by. I try to eat here everytime I can find some extra time to sneak away for lunch. They serve free soup along with your lunch if you dine in. Everything on their menu is great. It gets really busy during the weekdays at lunch...good idea to order ahead of time for take out.
One of he best Thai food I have ever had.Excellent Food, good portions, reasonable prices .
I had been looking forward to the "Vegetarian Delight" as I had a serious taro craving. I was disappointed, I had been hoping for a yummy deep fried ball of delicious taro goo & instead received really bland taro fries with some tofu triangles.
I had one of the appie specials as my main - baked oysters. Probably an odd thing to order at a Thai restaurant as they were baked with cream & spinach, but served with sweet & sour peanut sauce and lime wedges.
So yeah, with my menu selections, Manora's Thai delivered epic fail.
Three stars and a return trip are in order though, as my husbands fish dish was in such a perfect delicious red coconut curry sauce that I greedily sopped it up with plain rice after finishing my sad small portion of strange oysters. Obviously I just ordered wrong.
I've been here twice now, and I already feel comfortable saying that this is the first really good Thai restaurant that I've found in San Francisco. The food is authentic -- if a little on the mild side -- and prepared with care. It is also relatively inexpensive. I like the service, the atmosphere and the interesting crowds Manora's seems to attract. The pad Thai is the best I've had since I lived in Tokyo. I'm looking forward to more Manora's SOON.
Hands down this is the best place for Thai foor in the Bay area
Excellent Food, good sized portions, prices are great.
Staff is friendly and nice, most of them have been there over 15 years.
Stumbled into this place unexpectedly and it delivered nicely. As far as neighborhood thai places go this has great food and service, nice atmosphere and is quite affordable. A soft shell crab special was less than $8; I was comparing the quality and price in my head to what something similar would have been at a downtown trendy restaurant and figured at least twice as much. Creative cuisine and soft on the pocketbook.
Please go away.
Everything here smells and tastes like chlorine and for SF, I can't believe this place is still open with way better options out there.
Come on people! Have you lost your taste-buds???
BIG fan of Manora. I live quite far away and have absolutely no problem making the trek to get me some of this amazing thai food. Big portions, high quality, amazing flavors and kitsch ambiance- add that all together and it really makes for a 4-star dining experience.
It's taken me a while to choose a favorite thai place in the city because there are just SO many, but Manora definitely tops my charts. Give it a shot, I guarantee it will not disappoint!
I'm a HUGE fan of Thai cuisine, and Manora's is a little gem located in SOMA. I wouldn't have ever discovered this place if it weren't for my friend taking me here. It's a great local Thai place to dine in or get takeout. The fresh fried fish is really good. All the basic staple Thai dishes are solid choices - pad thai, spring rolls, etc. The BBQ pork or chicken is also very flavorful.
Service is friendly and very quick. This place also has a full bar in case you want a cocktail to sip on with dinner!
I will never go here again. Yes, the chow is great.
But when I needed a little help with a slightly early take out order (like 15 minutes) they hung up on me. I was picking someone up at the airport and wanted to pick up the chow because it was an international arrival, the arrivee was jet-lagged as hell and I want to get her home.
But no, they hung up on me. Fuck them. Never again.
15 minutes cost them a customer whose previous rating was five stars.
There are plenty of diamonds in the SOMA rough, to be sure, but they tend to be uber-divey or inconveniently wholesale-centric or some such. So to see a large, gaudy, almost suburban Thai restaurant just chillin' at 12th & Folsom was a surprise. You sure don't get a lot of casual passersby here, so there must be something that keeps them in business, right?
And sure enough, Manora's food launches it into the rarefied realm of top-tier SF Thai, along with a few others like Ploy II (and to think there was a time when I doubted the existence of any good Thai in the city). Now, Pad Thai and I got off on the wrong foot a long time ago, and I've rarely ordered it since, but I took another crack at it based on the Yelp-omendations. I can easily say it's the best Pad Thai I've ever had, so consider me back in the habit. Their lunch combo plates are a great deal too, and come with some lemon-chicken soup that you absolutely must try. All in all, quite the beacon in the wasteland, and you can even follow up your meal with a bite from the chocolate factory next door.
I needed to find a place that my whole family, cousins and grandma would enjoy. I actually saw Manora's review on Zagat and was blown away by their 25 rating. A 25 in my neighborhood? I had to check this out.
My whole family thoroughly enjoyed our meal here. The green papaya salad was oh so good and not the least bit overspiced. Just the right amount of kick. We enjoyed a variety of other dishes, loved their soups, shrimp, chicken, beef. Really anything that came out of the kitchen was good.
The staff was very friendly and helpful. They even offered some other Thai resturaunt suggestions in the city for us to try that had more northern thai influence (Manora's specializes in southern thai food).
I would gladly return! Now if only they delivered...
5 stars
I think i've tried almost everything on the menu and things not on the menu.
all appetizers are good, food is tasty and well prepared customer service is excellent, ambiance also very colorful. my regular order consist of kao pad (combination fried rice) not on the menu, gang gari gai (yellow curry chicken), nur pad pik (slices of beef in chili, garlic and basil sauce), Panaeng-Sam-Ros (A combination of crisp chicken, pork and beef deep-fried, topped with spicy red curry sauce), anything you order is really good at this place never had a bad experience..
food ***** excellent 5 stars
customer service **** 4 1/2 excellent it they are busy it is difficult to get a refill
ambiance ***** very different not like all cookie cutter thai resturants got its own feel
This place is where I first fell in love with Thai food. I love it.
Appetizers are delicious and portiona are generous. Try the Mint Roll.
My favorite dish here is the Tom-Ka-Talay. It's a spicy seafood soup in a coconut milk broth. I find myself craving it on those chilly, foggy San Francisco days. Okay, that's pretty much every day.
Had lunch with 2 other girlfriends here on Thursday. We got there around 1:30pm and got seated right away. Got our waters and order our lunches. Their lunch menu is 2 pages and prices are very fair for what you get. I had the chow fun noodles with pork and Chinese broccoli with gravy on top. I coulda used without the gravy and that's my fault not theirs. The food came out fast and delicious. Service was good and they're very nice. Came to refill our waters a lot (I know that's a minor thing but I'm find that more and more common, no one refilling my water!).
We all left completely satisfied and I will definitely come back. Delish!
p.s. My full plate of noodles, meat, veggies and gravy only cost me $6.95 what a deal! don't forget to TIP!
We moved from the Bay Area around 5 years ago. Thankfully we're close enough to indulge in the wonderful San Francisco on a regular basis visiting friends and eating like it's our last day on earth. It's funny but we visit there equally as often as when we lived in San Carlos...
An old friend I haven't visited for a long time (since well before Yelp was a gleam in Jeremy's eye) is Manora's Thai. We used to fill up here prior to heading to one of the many music venues for the rest of the evening (anyone remember The Covered Wagon?).
Goodness, what food! The Tom Ka Gai (Chicken Coconut Soup) is like nowhere else. Anything with the red chili sauce is awesome. On top of that, the Pla Chu Chee (Orange Roughy with Red Curry) is outstanding.
It can get busy and service can get a little spotty during that time but I'm not going to ding them for that. The food makes up for it.
So happy to have good friends like this in SF!
I've never been to Thailand, so there's that.
This food, though? Makes me feel like I have. Like someone up and dropped an entire chunk of Southeast Asia into my mouth. But in a good way!
Much of my visits here are a blur of blissful devouring, but I distinctly remember loving the chicken satay so much that I may have asked its hand in marriage. Given that cooked chicken lacks cognizant functions such as speech, I left with that dream unfulfilled. I highly recommend you try it - the consumption of Manora's chicken satay, that is, not the misguided attempt at matrimony.
One of the best in San Francisco.
Many Thai restaurants in catering to the broad mass market, serve "gravy food." That is, slopping strong flavored curries riddled with fats (i.e. coconut oil) over rice. Of course it will taste pretty good, but Manora tastes great.
The analog of my thai example is w/ hamburgers. A hamburger always tastes good, but there are only a few grills that do a _great_ burger. Manora's dishes are _great_ because the flavors are brought together so well. In Chinese cooking, there is something called "Wok Hai" -- literally translated as "essence of the wok." This place definitely has that taste that just makes you feel good.
Service is pretty good- they move tables fast and are attentive w/o rushing you. Good to see them doing so well.
This place is located right where the Mission district ends and SOMA begins, as well as close to all of those bars/clubs along Folsom Street.
This Thai place has good food along with the nice exotic atmosphere, though the space can be limited at times. I took a few dates here before, as it's exotic enough to make it a cut above a casual date place, yet subtle.
I can't say anything negative about them to be honest, and the only reason I don't give them 5-stars is because there's probably better food out there if you pay more, but this place has it all working for them other than being located near a freeway that's a bit noisy.
they do not deliver!
OMG
so GOOD
and the prices are pretty good
we got the pad thai, some kind of curry and other stuff. SO GOOD!!! too bad there's no good thai place like manora down here...=(
I have always been skeptical and not a big fan of Thai food (from a very bad experience in the early 90's in Chicago...but that's another story), so I always past on opportunities to try it again. But I have to say though, this place is absolutely wonderful and I am a HUG FAN! My opinion on Thai food has been changed forever because of this place!
The food is absolutely delicious, the atmosphere and service at the restaurant is wonderful and I would give it 5 stars, but have nothing to compare it, so for now they get 4 stars for now. It's a great place for a first date or a big group of friends to enjoy! I will definitely be going there again and let's just say, I am now a HUGE FAN of Thai food! KUDOS TO THE CHEF and OWNER!
I don't even remember everything that we had, but I will tell you this.
Manora's is one of the best Thai eateries in the whole Bay Area. Yeah I said it. ONE OF THE BEST!!!
We had 6 people so we at least had 6-8 dishes and there wasn't a single thing we ordered that wasn't good. And the service is great. Price? CHEAP!!
Usually stopby here for lunch on a work day, service is fast and food was excellent. Great value. Sometimes the meat dishes are just a little bit overcook, so dry. This is where it is inconsistent as sometimes their meat dishes are excellent.
Writing this makes me want some Spicy Chicken! I get it FLAMING EXTRA HOT, since I'm a crazy lunatic! It makes my nose run, and eyes burn, but damn is it good! The price is great too.
The salt and pepper pork is good too!
(Sometimes during lunch their rice is a bit on the wet side, but if you ask them for "other" rice, they'll make sure you get one cooked correctly.)
So I somehow managed to get people to leave a lovely bar serving free drinks and all sorts of porcine delights to go out in the rain and walk 4 long blocks to Manora's. They are nice and we passed a lot of leather stores.
Once we arrived, we had a chicken and seafood in coconut milk soup, claypot beef, sauteed beef, vegetables, calamari in spicy garlic sauce, giant prawns, an omelette and a claypot seafood combination, everything without fish so as not to kill one in our party.
My favorites were the seafood dishes and the omelette. The shrimp and the calamari were both really flavorful without being too salty. I could've handled a greater degree of heat but it was still good. The portions must've been fairly large because we had a lot of leftovers. Or maybe we just ordered too much.
I learned a lot about HCM and hair implants that night. I hope I never need it but it was kind of interesting. I probably won't walk over in the rain again but I'll be back.
I'm finally writing a review on Manora's, because I'm soooooo craving it right now....despite the fact that I just ate there yesterday. *oink"
One word I would use to describe Manora's is...
"YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmY!"
I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE this place!!!
Their Lunch Specials are FANTASTIC!!!
GREAT price$ and GOOD PORTIONS!!!
My coworkers refer to Manora's as "That really good Thai place M****** goes to!" I should clarify that it was actually Christine at our office that told me to try this place...I keep getting all the credit on good eats! =P
What I love about this place is that the food tastes good, and doesn't have that stinky/dirty after taste you get at some other ethnic restaurants. If you're a first timer and not sure what to get, I'd suggest the grilled pork! Other than the grilled pork here, I hardly ever eat pork -yes! it's that good. I've gotten everyone else at work hooked on it. Now when we place lunchtime pick-up orders...all of our orders are pretty much identical. =(
If you haven't checked this place out, you need to go ASAP!
This place has the best thai food...I have been to many in the bay area and none compare to the thai tea they serve here. I think I had the chicken in lobster sauce and it tasted veryyy good.
It is not the classiest place so if you are thinking for a first date the restaurant - looks wise is not that impressive. However, the food is great!
Frank. Dark-horse! Generous.
Manora's is a foodies gem on this malnourished block in SOMA!
The place get packed during lunch, but if you're solo, bar seating is always ample, and if you call ahead, they'll have a table waiting for you or ready in no more than 10 minutes.
The chicken noodle soup is NEVER-ENDING. After an hour of slurping and sipping, I looked down to see that my bowl was still nearly full...and so was I! And at 7 bucks, what a steal!
The pad thai, the chocolate chip cookie of baking if you will, hopefully represents all of Manora's entrees: abundant, high-quality, and most importantly - scrumdidilyumptious!
Don't let the grungy neon sign (that I've never seen on) fool you! This place is Michelin Star nominated, pleases your soul, and takes it easy on your wallet!
Know Before You Go:
1. want soup to go?! They'll separate the broth and noodles for you!
2. lunch rush? call in and they'll have your order ready upon arrival!
The one thing I order at all Thai places upon first visit is the Thai Iced Tea. If they can make a good Thai Iced Tea, basically setting the tone of my meal, chances are I'll enjoy the experience whether the food or service is phenomenal or not. At Manora's, not only was the Thai Iced Tea on the spot, the food was delicious and the service was great. We wandered in rather early for dinnertime, so I suppose the attentive service would have been expected.
We started out with the Tom Yum Goong [spicy and sour prawns and mushroom soup with a touch of lemon grass in roasted chili aroma]. My oh my, this soup is SPICY! Next time I'll have to ask for one step down in the spice. My sinuses, which have been bothering me for over a week, cleared up instantaneously. The prawns were perfect, probably thrown into the soup at the very last second so that they wouldn't be smooshy.
To share, we ordered the Gai-Kraprao [sautéed minced chicken in sweet basil and fresh chili garlic sauce] and the Nur-Toon [a combination of beef cubes and spices cooked in mushroom and garlic sauce served in a clay pot]. One dish was a little on the saltier side, perfect for eating with a generous helping of Jasmine rice, which is ~$1 per person. The clay pot was nicely flavored. All portions were generous, and we had to take some food to go.
Considering the portions [good and plenty], the price [entrees average around $8 to $10], and the service [very attentive early on], I'd eat here again. You know, especially if I happen to be in the neighborhood, shopping at Costco or perhaps for a MINI/BMW, or spending the evening at Butter or Wish nearby.
I love Monora's! Try oyster, mint roll !! Yummmmy!!
Don't forget Tai iced tea!
Yum Thai Food:-) I was looking for a place in SOMA that had good thai food and I think I just found what I was looking for.
Loved the Gai Tom Ka (Chicken Coconut soup) and MaKeur-Paad-Prik (japanese Eggplant with chicken, pork and shrimp).
Too bad this place does not deliver- if they did I will eat it everyday!
I would probably give the food here 3 1/2 stars but their service is decent so I'll bump it up to 4 stars. I've been here several times and their food is pretty standard Thai. Some of their appetizers are good (I like the Larb Gai salad) but others are just okay (I didn't think the Pirate Treasure is that good). The beef with basil was a bit overcooked, but the yellow curry chicken was good with rice (although the chicken pieces were cut quite large). I do like their mango sticky rice as dessert - I love mango and I love sticky rice and a lot of places don't do it that well.
This place is also great for take out. They pack the food in the nicer plastic containers versus the paper take out boxes so it's harder to spill. The flat plastic containers also maintain a better presentation. I think it's a nice touch.
this is my favorite Thai place in the city - food is excellent, prices are very reasonable, and just a great place for small or large dinners with friends - everyone loves Manora!
food is tasty, service is good, people are friendly, and parking is relatively easy in the area. all in all, a perfect pick.
This place used to be just blocks from my place in San Fran...so imagine how surprised I was when I happened to go after living so close for 4 MONTHS! A co-worker took me one night after a late day at the office and I have to say, thank goodness to W for that! This is some of the best Thai I have had. The service is always friend, the food is always hot and delicious and the price is good too! We would hit up this place and then head back to our place for drinks or hit butter, which is cute if you want a white trash bar.
I've heard of this place a decade ago. I've visited probably a dozen times only but each time it's always surprisingly good. Chicken satay was superb and their peanut sauce is just damn good! I love my Thai food and I can only recommend a few, this is one of the original ones to go to in the city. My favorite to order here is the chicken satay (the only place that serves it the way I like it!)
Tom-Ka-Talay and just that the food here is better than Thailand. Nuff' said.
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Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Noe Valley
Category: Thai
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