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Osha Thai
Category: Restaurants Thai Thai [Edit]
4 Embarcadero CtrSan Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Financial District
(415) 788-6742
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
1157 reviews for Osha Thai
Review Highlights
"Volcanic beef - so tender and flavorful."
(in 99 reviews)
"Both are excellent with the crab fried rice."
(in 52 reviews)
"I also had the green tea mojito- light and refreshing."
(in 19 reviews)
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1157 reviews in English
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Review from Gunter L.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2012
Went to dinner here with my girlfriend for a dinner date night. The ambience was very nice and trendy. We were placed on the sofa tables and it was really awkward for me to sit up and talk because I am so tall but I switched it so it was no problem.
I ordered the Crispy Salmon. Pretty amazing, the salmon was cooked to a good consistency and the spicy mango sauce is so damn good! I want to go back just for the sauce ha! As well, we ordered the pineapple fried was which was so exquisite and delicious! My girlfriend ordered the tradition pad see-yew with chicken, very good.
My girlfriend order the Thialander mixed drink and it was definitely a chick drink but really fruitty and yummy. I ordered the special 3-pack margaritas, 1 original, 1 pomegranate, and 1 mango margarita. I got my buzz on, they weren't that strong though.
Overall, great place to have upscale thia food. -
Review from Kerina J.
Mission Hills, CA
2/1/2012
Very urban, chic atmosphere. How I wished I was seated at the low dining table with a bench and pillows, but it seems everyone else had the same idea.
The food is flavorful. I have had the duck curry, pad see ew, pad thai, and pineapple rice. None of these dishes disappointed.
Minus one star for price. Unless you get a rice or a noodle dish (which ranges around $8-$11 and is a good value for the size), lunch here could get pretty expensive.The Volcanic Beef entree, Duck dishes, and Fish dishes can easily range between $16-$22, and the serving is pretty small compared the rice and noodle dishes.
Minus one star for service. Not very attentive. Had to flag waiters/waitresses down for water, to take our orders, and for bill. I would not recommend Osha if you wanted have a quick lunch. -
Review from Anthony N.
National City, CA
1/27/2012
Pineapple fried rice is EXQUISITE!!!
Do it! You won't regret it!
Trust. -
Review from May B.
Los Altos, CA
2/7/2012
Trendy setting. Good food. I liked the Green tea Mojito. Everything on the menu was delicious as we ordered one of everything since we came in a large group. The seafood stood out for me and your usual Thai order of pad thai and curry was good too. It was fairly priced. Nice bar and good crowd. I would come again :)
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Review from P N.
Walnut Creek, CA
2/6/2012
This is my favorite Osha and they have the little Osha lounge in the back which is fun for happy hour. It's dark and modern in the restaurant which is really fun and intimate. The lychee drink is sooo good! Food is great. You have to go here!
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Review from Jonah K.
2/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Came for lunch here, the service was very good. The thai food on the other hand was mediocre at best. Way too heavy on the sugar in every dish. Not very impressed at all, but I didn't choose it :)
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Review from Anh T.
San Francisco, CA
1/25/2012
Came here last night for my birthday dinner with my friends(: The restaurant is beautiful with candle lights everywhere and the ambiance is great. The waiters were very attentive and what really impressed me was the person who filled up our water cups. I swear he came around like every 10 mins to make sure our cups were full haha really on point!
- Angel Wings are really good and perfectly cooked. I love their homemade sauce!
- Beef Wasabi Rolls were alright for my taste. I hate wasabi so the first bite was really horrible for me. After chewing it for 2 seconds the wasabi flavor goes away and its really not that bad!
- Combination Seafood Tom Kha soup is by far, THE best one I've ever had. I love the slightly creamy texture but its not too over powering at the same time. It had prawns, mussel, Calamari and a crab claw. Sooooooo goood!
- Sea bass is to die for! Its served in a clay pot with baby bok choi and idk what else but it was mouth watering good!! The fish is steamed to perfection. I had to stop myself from eating the entire dish. Gottah make sure to save some for everyone else! =x
- Pad Thai is really moist and flavorful. When i order pad thai from other places, The noodles tend to be dry and stick together which can be kind of annoying. + the chicken and prawns are always dry too! Gross. BUT! I have no complaints with the pad thai here =]
- Crab fried rice is excellent. Definitely recommend this dish too :)
Overall, i'm very happy with this OSHA. I definitely see myself coming back to this location again. Food is amazing and the service is very consistent. Im amazed at the number of restaurants they have in SF! its crazyyy! I'll definitely consider checking out their other locations too! -
Review from Lily W.
1/18/2012
Oh man! The pineapple fried rice was to die for! So flavorful and moist--no other fried rice like it with a touchy of tangy sweetness. So godly.
Service was quick and wonderful.
It's been a day and I'm still thinking about that damn pineapple fried rice. -
Review from Sandy L.
1/11/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I always come here with my girlfriends for a quick eat and a full-on gossip session. This place is huge, lots of space and usually very speedy service. The food is very seasoned, spicy and saucy...and you know what? It does the job when you're there to gorge on some hot food thai food without much fuss. You will expect to pay about $20/person....this is not your cheap greasy spoon thai restaurant!
these are our regular orders:
Osha Fresh Spring RollsTofu 7.95 / Shrimp 9.95 - DELICIOUS! i love their peanut sauce and their ingredients are very fresh. they do not skimp on the innards and you have a very plump fresh spring roll.
Volcanic Beef*15.95 - this is always consistently good. the beef is very tender and has LOTS of gravy and flavor. I would suggest getting a side order of rice or get an order of fried rice to soak up that sauce!
Sea Bass Clay Pot*18.95 - so delicious!!!!! the fish is very tender and not dry because of the slow cook in the clay pot. the sauce is so good with the ginger, onions and cilantro slow cooking in the broth. again, i would suggest ordering rice to soak up all that yummy sauce.
Pumpkin Curry*Tofu, Chicken, Beef or Pork 14.95 - very consistent and if you like pumpkin they really put a lot of pumpkin pieces in. sometimes i even get this to-go because it holds well as a take out item!
overall a very consistent restaurant. it's become more mainstream so i understand how it can be tagged as having a very generic taste but i'm still a fan and will keep going here! -
Review from Nini C.
Martinez, CA
1/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
I was going to give 4-stars because the food was really good but the prices are a little up there. It dropped a star just because their service isn't the best. The servers do exactly that, they take your order and serve you food. They never checked up on us and were not friendly.
We ordered a variety of foods: fish soup, crab fried rice, ribs, pad thai... it was all good and better portion size than the Osha on 2nd and Howard.
Would I go back? Only for a special occasion. Not my place to go to if I wanted dinner or craving Thai food.Listed in: Places I've Visited
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Review from Kit W.
1/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
I love Osha. I've been here probably 6 times, and this is my favorite location. However, I almost always come at off times, so your experience during busy times may be different. I've been to Thailand a few times and, at least in flavor, this place is comparable to the good places I ate there... probably not as good as the best, and 5-10x more expensive... but good.
So why not 5 stars? I love the flavors of thai food, but almost always want something other than water to wash it down... and no free refills! :( They are very good about service and refilling your water, but at $3 a pop, 2 people drinking iced teas gets silly quickly.
My staples:
- Tom Kha Soup - both soups are delicious but I like the Tom Kha better. It has more flavor and is more interesting to me, and very different from what you'd normally get as soup. The coconut milk and chili play off each other so well.
- Duck curry - flavorful and tender duck, great balance of veggies and meat, intensely flavorful sauce, and easily stretched with rice. Love the coconut rice with it, as well. Yes it's fatty, but fat is the messenger of flavor!
- Volcano beef - ask for it spicy. Yum. Super tender, decent quality cuts of beef, and a party in your mouth. I love the contrast of textures between the accoutrements with the dish as well.
- Kurobuta Pork Belly - it's slow cooked bacon from a special pig! inch thick pieces! Covered in a 5 spice sauce. what could possibly go wrong? This is just as good as it sounds.
- Lemongrass Sea Bass - probably the only thing even remotely healthy on my list, but it is really freshing and tasty. Great texture. Not a huge piece, but enough to get some bites out of. mmmmm. Intense flavors that somehow still allow the sea bass flavor to come through.
This place is surprisingly kid friendly on weekend lunch or weekday dinners, early. That combined with plenty of parking underneath Embarcadero center (validated too, so cheap!) ... good combination. -
Review from Wilson J.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2012
I LOVE Osha Thai...but this location needs to click it up a few notches. Service was inattentive at best. Several times, we had to ask for someone to find someone, never a good sign...could have just been an off night...Perhaps it's just the location and sheer number of tourists. But hey, when i'm a tourist, I like great Thai food too! Most of the other Osha Thai locations are simply stellar! Folks, get this one UP to the LEVEL and we'll be back!!!!
-
Review from Cecilia S.
San Francisco, CA
I've been to several of the Osha Thai restaurants, and every single one of them has their own unique flare in decor. That's probably my favorite part. This particular Osha Thai sits conveniently along the Justin Herman Plaza in the Embarcadero, so I would highly recommend taking a nice little stroll around the Ferry Building after your meal (especially if you go at night - everything's all lit up, and the Bay Bridge is definitely a beautiful sight to see if you're not from the area). In addition, to my experience, I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes to get seated here.
Unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about the food. Here's the break down on what I've tried...
APPETIZERS
Beef Wasabi Rolls (Carrot, celery and mint wrapped in sliced grilled premium flank steak served with watercress salad)
- Quite flavorful, but the portions are extremely small (you get 5 pieces); the beef is some times a bit chewier than expected.. inconsistent
SOUP
Tom Kha(Spicy coconut soup with lemon grass, galangal, Kaffir lime leaf and mushroom)
- I really like this.. the spices, the lemongrass, the mushrooms. My only suggestion, ask if you can have it without the meat options. The chicken is always super dry, the shrimp kind of taste like rubber, and the mixed seafood is pretty unflavorful too - tastes like it's been frozen and defrosted several times)
LAND
Volcanic Beef (Wok-fried grilled premium flank steak with basil and black pepperin Lava sauce garnished with onion rings)
- This is probably one of my favorite dishes. The presentation looks amazing. The beef is tender, juicy, and packed with flavor. Definitely a must try.
Duck Curry - I'm not sure what was in this, but it was my favorite dish that time around. Once again, it was packed with flavor. I loved the sauce.. it was just perfect with rice.
SEA
Lemongrass Sea Bass (Steamed marinated sea bass with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf topped with fried lemongrass served in a clay pot)
- This was very mediocre. I was just tempted because it's served in a clay pot.. nothing special.
Heavenly Halibut (Fillet halibut filet steamed Asian style in spicy garlic lime dressing, Lemongrass and basil served with mushroom and spring cabbage)
- I usually love halibut, but this dish was a bit too bland for me. It honestly just tasted like fish with some lime juice on it... ehh.. I'll have to think twice before I order it again.
Emerald Snapper (new item on the menu)
- I liked the sauce, but I wish there was more of the fish. Two tiny little pieces... and tons of eggplant... ehh..
Crisp Salmon (Crispy salmon topped with dry fried mango, pineapple, onion red bell pepper, yam and crispy Thai basil)
- Yeah, no thanks. The salmon was really dry and the sauce just didn't mesh well with the dish. Will not be getting this one again.
FRIED RICE
Pineapple Fried Rice
Fried rice with egg, tomato, onion, green onion, cashew, raisins, pineapple, chicken and prawns
- Good, but I think it was a little too salty. Again, inconsistent.
Crab Fried Rice (Fried rice with egg, onion and green onion with fresh crab meat served with fresh cucumber)
- Another must try!
Overall, the food here is mediocre. It's pretty inconsistent in terms of tastes - could be really salty one time and perfect the next. Prices can also be on the heftier side... essentially, you're paying for the atmosphere and location.
Service was nice and attentive... no complaints there.
"Osha Thai is like the Thai version of "PF CHANGS" China Bistro." - SO TRUE!Listed in: Yay! It's lunch time in FiDi!
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Review from Flip F.
Lafayette, CA
1/27/2012
Osha Thai is an old stand-by for me. I will go there anytime anyone wants great Thai food. Excellent excellent. Curries, including Pumpkin are fantastic.
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Review from Kerrie T.
San Francisco, CA
2/6/2012
Osha has yummy food, and good service but the food is overpriced. Have had many lunch meetings there because their service is actually quite fast! Don't appreciate the non-stop hip-hop / techno music which makes conversation near impossible!
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Review from Rick V.
South San Francisco, CA
1/2/2012
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Osha Thai... there are about six of these in The City, mostly in the downtown area. The one we decided to kick off 2012, is on the Embarcadero. Number 4 to be exact. Osha validates the under street level parking facility. Very nice place, with good friendly service. They even have some shorter tables that seem to rest on your lap for... uhh...because... Well I don't know what they're for. But most of the tables are normal.
OK, for a restaurant chain, the food here is really good. Very tasty. Curries delicately flavored with coconut milk. The Volcano Beef is spicy and just excellent. Good quality food with very good presentation. They've even included Kobe Beef along with lobster in a Surf n Turf special.
As good as this food is, it's just waaaaaay over priced and under portioned. Roasted Lamb Ribs... you get 4. The Surf n Turf, you get a lobster tail and 5-6 slices of beef, for $36. The skimpy entrees are dished in the middle of huge plates. Even if you knew to order more items you couldn't fit them all on the table. But the worst is the Margarita Special. Three margaritas - Original, Pomegranate, and Mango for $25. Sounded good... until they brought them. They were small I mean really small. They'd make the restaurant bars in Pier 39 shake their heads.
Kid friendly? Not at these prices. No dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets or mac n cheese here. You're not going to enjoy waiting at the McDonalds drive thru after you just spent over $200 on Thai food.
So what have we learned? Osha serves up some killer Thai food. But the booze you get isn't enough to deaden the pain of the check. -
Review from Shirin E.
San Francisco, CA
1/29/2012
Not a huge fan of Thai food but this was by far the best I've ever had. They have exotic drinks and great noodles.
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Review from Jenny L.
12/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
**Happy hour review only.
All food on the happy hour menu was $6.
We ordered the crab rangoon (3 very small pieces) and the kurobuta pork belly (3 pieces as big as the crab rangoon...in other words...SMALL) with an order of the coconut sticky rice with mango from the regular menu.
After hearing rave reviews about this place for happy hour and dinner...I am NOT impressed! Price wise...it just wasn't worth it. Place looks modern and was filled with fresh flowers though. -
Review from John A.
San Francisco, CA
1/28/2012
This is for the lounge: A normal person would ask "who the heck are they fooling?" but considering chairs were hard to find it looks like many were fooled. I bought a pint of Guiness which cost $7.58. Im almost 40 and have travelled the world and that is by far the most expensive beer I have ever purchased. My second Guiness cost $7.59. I am clueless as to why my second was a penny more than the first. My third Guiness was $8.69. When the waitress saw my raised eyebrows at this latest price she told me "happy hour" was over. Any sane Guiness drinking person knows that you can get a fantastic 4 pack for the price of one pint at the corner market. Adding insult to injury the head on said Guiness was more akin to the foam on a root beer float and was kind of flat.
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Review from Augusto T.
Berkeley, CA
12/16/2011
Tasty Thai food in a swanky local.
I really enjoyed my dinner at Osha. The restaurant decor makes it look really extravagant yet I felt the prices were surprisingly good value for the amount of food you get served.
The service was great and all the dishes I tried including the pineapple fried rice and the beef roti were delicious.
The restaurant is pretty large and open till 11pm making it perfect for an improvised late dinner. -
Review from Christopher L.
Davis, CA
12/31/2011
Modern Thai cuisine that usually bustles during lunch and dinner hours. The wait is usually negligible. The service varies sometimes between bubbly and pompous, but whatever, I go here for the food.
Most of their dishes are pretty tasty, although the Volcano Beef on one occasion was gummy and tough and hard to chew. On complaint, they just said: Oh. Ok. And the pad Thai had a mushy texture like it was in the cold.
BUT...
Their appetizers (yummy mango and shrimp) and curries are fresh and delicious, and their other main dishes prove to be far more successful than my aforementioned disappointments. My favorite: pad see ew. If you prefer it, ask for more eggs - it tastes better that way.
Lovely, appropriate plating. Fresh vibe. -
Review from Rachael K.
Los Angeles, CA
12/4/2011 3 photos
Occasion: Dinner out with friends for Weekender
What I Had: Chicken Pad Thai
Food Review: They give pretty big portions, and the quality of the food is great. I do however wish they'd put in more meat and sauce! It was a little dryer than I'd expected. Otherwise the food here was awesome.
Service Review: Nothing in particular about the service, although I have to give them credit for letting us stay for two hours right up to their closing hours.
Venue Review: This place is one of the better-decorated Thai restaurants I've been to, which traditional Thai styling and artifacts. They have rather dim lighting so it makes it feel like a higher end dinner spot. There's parking in the Embarcadero center across the street underground.
Overall Impression: Love the portion sizes and the venue, but not sure if it's the best Thai food I've ever had, hence the 3 stars. -
Review from Gunjan K.
Fremont, CA
1/2/2012
Excellent Thai food and good service too.
Decor is very tastefully done with the perfect lighting for lunch or dinner.
Lunch on a Sunny bright dat in the city, get the outdoor seating, its a great view.
Full bar and great drink menu!
Worth a try!! -
Review from Christopher L.
Millbrae, CA
12/8/2011
I think it's important to know what you're paying for when you come to a place like this. Prices are high enough that you know its classy, but not high enough to expect AMAZING food. However, it's not bad.
I've been here a couple times over the past few years for both happy hour at the lounge as well as dinner in the restaurant. I think the first time I had dinner here was maybe 4 years ago. I recall it being OK then, and this week when I went again, it was OK too.
I think they have a great happy hour menu with $6 appetizers and $3 beers. That's great prices for the FiDi and with $2 validated 4hr parking, such a WIN in my book! Just remember, HH deals are only good in the lounge and NOT the restaurant.
I think there are plenty of reviews to let you know what's good, but here's a tip I didn't seem to find: If you like spicy food, ask them to make it HOT, because medium-hot is hardly spicy at all.
If you come here on a date and don't know what to talk about, you can always resort to talking about how mediocre the food is. If you've had traditional Thai food before, you'll know this is more than true.
I think, time permitting, I would always be down to come here for HH and bites. -
Review from Rat a tat R.
San Francisco, CA
11/27/2011
I didn't eat any food at this OSHA Thai location, just stopped by for a friend's party at a bar. The bar is a completely separate room from the restaurant, and it took me a minute to find in the mall- which, other than OSHA, was pretty deserted.
The bar was fine but probably not the place I'd choose to go to if I were picking a location. The mixed drinks were decently expensive ($10 and up range), mine was fine but not amazing. The ambiance of the bar was rather trendy and quiet enough to have an actual conversation.
I found the bar ok, but I'd be more likely to come back for actual food based on my expience eating at another OSHA location. -
Review from Nick L.
San Francisco, CA
12/22/2011
A solid 3 stars for mediocrity.
This place is busy at lunch - no real surprise there. This location is always going to get a lot of foot traffic.
The wait wasn't too long so it wasn't an issue for me. When you look around, you get an idea of why there may bottlenecks. Some of the tables were for 8 people. I don't mean that they weren't using them waiting for a party of 8 but rather the table could not be a worse size. This means cramming in people wherever there is space, sharing a table isn't so bad to me but it would have made more sense for smaller tables which can be combined as opposed to large tables that are not flexible.
The noise level?! It's incredibly loud inside probably because of all the stone reverberating noise to no end. Not a place to go if you are looking for something on the more formal, quiet side.
The service was adequate although clearly there were not enough servers to cope with the demand nor were the cooks timed correctly.
One dish comes out at least 5 minutes before the other. Not cool.
Pineapple fried rice was actually very tasty and it would be worth having that again. The kurobota pork belly was ok but way overpriced. I would not recommend it no matter how good it tastes (I've had better) so that was a miss.
It's nicely decorated but the noise ambiance and the fact that some tables are too close to the door on a windy day it's not something you focus upon.
Food wise - it was better than average but this location didn't go down well with me. I'd try another but let me down again and it Osha and Out for me. -
Review from C V.
Los Angeles, CA
12/19/2011
Osha Thai, I didn't like you. Your food wasn't so great, your tables were really close to each other that it felt like I was in an awkward date with the guy next to me!
No Thanks! -
Review from Ms j. K.
San Francisco, CA
1/16/2012
Argh.. please do not offer seating and eating at the bar, if you cannot provide customer service at the bar equal to a sit down meal.
I am not sure if the particular bar staff member was new or that he was overwhelmed, but on a Monday with less traffic, I didn't expect the lack of customer service as I did today.
I ordered Tom Yum soup to start and an entree with beef. About 10 minutes later, I got the entree with chicken and a look from the server expecting me to allow him to serve me the wrong entree and the soup later-- perhaps for dessert? With much annoyance, he took the wrong entree back.
I had asked for Tom Yum soup- size large, was given the whole bowl and a spoon- I know that perhaps some people eat the large as a meal, but if an additional entree was ordered, I think you can presume that a separate bowl and ladle are need, no?
When I asked for the items, I was stared at and the accompanying heavy sigh, made me feel as if I had asked for his first born son.
So far I had received the wrong entree, a huge bowl of soup, one scowl and one heavy sigh of annoyance.
I can say that I have usually enjoyed the food and service @ Osha... truly hate that 2012 has started off so poorly .... -
Review from ana m.
Oakland, CA
11/16/2011
This is the story of a used-to be fantastic restaurant that appears to have gotten lazy and sloppy with BOTH customer service and food quality.
I had lunch here today with three coworkers and it was a failure in each respect. The first three dishes were served so irregularly in relation to each other that the first was cold by the time the third appeared. The last dish - a soup- came when we had all polished off the food and assumed that the last dish was forgotten. Who eats soup last? My co-workers thai iced tea never came, despite three reminders to waitstaff. The scallops were not fresh and had a poor texture. Soggy vegetables in the Pad see ew noodles. The pumpkin curry almost made up for these faults, but was hardly worth the trouble. Together with the painfully loud interior, I couldn't believe we were paying $15 each for the meal. This restaurant is a has-been. -
Review from Jason W.
San Francisco, CA
1/19/2012
Before I start: The food here is amazing. I am purely writing this on the dine-in experience.
Worst service ever
As soon as you have a party of 6 or more, they charge an 18% guaranteed service tip. So what does that mean?
They do jack shit and don't give a damn.
They never bothered to come take our orders after the appetizers arrived.
Three times they got our orders wrong.
Refill of beer took roughly 20 minutes
Didn't give everyone utensils
Food came out extra late; Waited 40 minutes for my curry.
"It's on it's way out" means they just caught the fish.
My buddy was here the other day by himself and they made him sit at the take-out counter, which is about 2 feet shorter than the actual bar, which makes it hella awkward to sit and eat at.
Definitely only recommend take-out. -
Review from Greg K.
San Francisco, CA
2/2/2012
Very good food and prompt service. The volcano beef is great.
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Review from Tracy H.
College Station, TX
1/17/2012
The green curry is fantastic. The veggie spring rolls are light and unique. The cucumber salad is fresh and flavorful, but more tangy for my tastes. Fantastic presentation. Excellent brown rice. The waitress has an awesome haircut.
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Review from Josephine L.
Boston, MA
11/15/2011
Ech! The ONLY reason I came here was because it was close to my hotel and I was too drunk/tired from wine-tasting Napa Valley to go somewhere further.
I had the lemongrass sea bass and my friend got the spicy Thai pan-fried. My sea bass was way too fatty (I know that's usually a good thing but there's only so much fat I can take) and there was too much ginger in the sauce. Plus, the whole thing was way too salty. By comparison, my friend's curry was da bomb, but on its own it would just be mediocre.
Don't come here if you want authentic Thai. Not when SF has so many more authentic options. -
Review from Anita C.
Rockville, MD
10/31/2011 2 photos
Came here last Saturday for my birthday dinner. I thought the food was good, but not great.
I sampled:
1) Volcanic beef ($18): Tasty, but honestly, it tasted like basil chili beef. It comes nicely presented with chunks of beef with three big fried onion rings atop and some elaborate flower decoration. However, it tastes like what I could get for $7 at another Thai restaurant in basil chili chicken. Flavorful? Yes. Worth the price? No.
2) Crab fried rice (~$11-12): I liked the crab fried rice the most. It has a nice, mild flavor. I've never actually had crab fried rice before, and at $11-12, it's more reasonable than the volcanic beef. However, again, the food itself isn't worth the price.
The premium here is the ambiance - the interior of this restaurant is gorgeous. Red everywhere, with nice dinner tables. The walls are glassy, so you can see outside to where the ferry building is.
Service was good, but at the end of the night, most my friends paid with cash and one paid with card. The next day, she got the whole amount charged to her credit card instead of just her portion of the check. She forgot to take her receipt, and when she called back the next day to notify them, the manager started arguing with her! We're still waiting to see if the charge will be rectified. I would've given 3.5 or 4, but docked down to 3 for this inconvenience and for the unprofessional means of dealing with the credit card situation. Lesson: beware and always take your receipt!! -
Review from Jacqueline C.
Oakland, CA
11/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
4 stars for a workday lunch restaurant.
Came here for lunch and tried the Pumpkin Curry with Chicken, which was delish! The curry was sweet and spicy -- all spices were perfectly balanced. The crispy yam on top was the icing on the cake, so to speak.
The menu had a great selection -- there are so many things just on the curry menu that I want to go back to try (i.e., duck curry), that I didn't even look at the other sections!
Not feeling the extra $2 charge for brown rice.
The restaurant is really very popular and packed for lunch on the weekdays; I was shocked that we were seated immediately, but it was SO loud in there that when I left the restaurant, it did to my ears what leaving a movie theater does to your eyes!
The restaurant is also in a nice location -- across from the outdoor skating rink (this time of year, anyway), at the base of Embarcadero Center 4. -
Review from Jenna K.
Oakland, CA
10/10/2011
Osha Thai, my fellow diners, is nothing more than over-hyped, Americanized Thai food that bamboozles you with shiny silverware and a misty water view.
I've eaten here twice (apologies to my taste buds), and both times our food was extremely over-salted and - even worse - the seafood was not fresh. That's right folks, you heard it here first. NOT. FRESH. The Osha Sea Curry was a sad amalgamation of old, over-cooked salmon, mussels, and crab. Even worse: the shrimp were rubbery.
Now, I'm no cultural anthropologist or anything, but I'm pretty sure that rubbery shrimp is the universally historic equivalent of a big, fat, middle finger. In fact, I'm pretty sure the original English colonizers disembarked from their ships and then proceeded to offer the Native Americans a huge vat of rubbery shrimp. Little did they know.
Anyway. Middle finger aside, there's just no love in the food. No mama in the kitchen. Just 15 illegal immigrants and one beleaguered manager who's somebody's cousin back home. Add to this a team of brusque and over-spackled waitstaff, and you've got all the reasons why I will never step my pretty little feet in here again.
Over-hyped, over-salted, over-cooked, over-spackled. Under-pleased. -
Review from Tip K.
San Francisco, CA
12/5/2011
Total amateur hour for service (my last experience)
After a 2 hour service (a full hour between appetizers and main course) where the waitress did not come by after taking our order once (not to refill drinks, not to ask how things were going, not to ask if we needed another fork, etc), she ran by with the bill - I gave her my credit card - which she promptly lost on the way to the credit card machine - I have had to cancel my credit card, reset all my autopayments, a pretty big hassle... It's not the most expensive meal in the world, but compared to other Thai places (where the owner runs the place and they give a hoot), this place is purely amateur hour.
UPDATE: Manager did call me back, which I appreciated. Still pondering giving them a second chance -
Review from Nora S.
11/8/2011
This is the fancy version of OSHA and the prices and atmosphere reflect that. Otherwise, seriously excellent Thai food. This was a restaurant that slipped through the cracks and I am only now reviewing it after many months. But I still remember the amazing kabocha squash curry. Mmmm. This is one of my favorite Thai dishes and they did it well here.
A bit too fancy for young kids, but it was ok for lunch. -
Review from Brian C.
Daly City, CA
12/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Wow, OSHA, so disappointing. We came here for L's bday and had reservations for 7 pm on a Sunday. Shouldn't be a problem right? But nope, unfortunately, it was a HUGE problem. When we got there, the table was not ready yet but they said they were going to set it up and they had us wait at the bar. Our party of 6 were all present at the time of the reservation but we still had to wait. First, they told us that a certain table was ours, and that we would have it in 5 minutes. 10 minutes pass and we flag down the hostess, she said there was a mix up and they would be combining two tables together to accommodate us. Just another 5 minutes, 10 minutes pass, and we have to track her down again, she said "oh wait, this other table opened up" and we would have to wait for that, what did she say? Of course, "5 minutes" but it wasn't. Eventually, it took us 45 minutes just to be seated even with reservations. Normally, I don't mind not being seated immediately even with reservations but the back and forth, untruthful claims were too much. It became so frustrating.
And when we thought that was the last of our issues, oh wait, there's more. One of the place settings had no fork, the drinks took forever to come when ordered. We practically finished our appetizer, the tuna tower (which by the way was yummy, sweet and savory in the perfect balance, tuna tartar with mango, avocado) before the water was served and it took even longer to have the drinks ordered to come and when they did come, J didn't get his drink, hot tea for another 5 minutes. My lychee iced tea was just pure lychee syrup, ugh, and J's hot tea was basically a tiny cup of hot water with a tea bag, really? $3 for that? You tell me, what else should i expect from a swanky spot like this but I would've been ok if the service matched the prices being charged.
The entrees were luckily decent. All pretty tasty thai food but probably double what I would've paid in a less trendy spot.
Volcanic beef - beef braised with onion rings on top, tender and flavorful
BBQ & Crispy pork - basically BBQ pork and the fatty chicharone style pork from any chinese restaurant but served with a soy based sauce that they charge double what a Chinese restaurant would've - stay away
Hung Lay Curry - creamy and coconut based, very light and tasty, I might actually pay for this again
Honey Duck - basically roast duck in the same mold as BBQ pork dish, could be bought at Chinese restaurant for half price
Pad See Ew - pretty good noodles, soft but firm enough that it didn't fall apart, this was the first dish to be devoured
Also, because we were 6 people, they charged auto gratuity which we refused to pay with the debacle from our reservations.
If you want good Thai food, there are dozens of other places in the city which will charge you a more reasonable price for great quality food. Sure, it might not be in the same type of location with the same great decor but wouldn't you rather pay much less for much friendlier service with equal or better food? I would. -
Review from Johnny C.
Oakland, CA
1/5/2012
A very delicious place!
I came here and ordered three dishes.
First was the Chicken Pad See You. It was pretty good! Chicken was tender and the noodles were chewy. The only thing I didn't like was how it tasted very soy-saucey
The next was the Crab Pad Thai. Now I've never had pad thai with CRAB in it. So seeing that made me want to get it, especially at no extra charge. And I thought it was VERY GOOD! The crab was tender and the noodles were chewy as well! And the flavors were there. I loved the tamarind sauce in it, I could totally smell it. It was so delicious. Oh and the peanuts were on the side so I forgot to add it into the noodles :T
Also, we ordered a mango sticky rice for dessert. I'm not the biggest fan of mangoes so it was decent to me. They were a little underripe. And I guess I'm a little skeptical when it comes to the sticky rice-mango-condensed/coconut milk combination but I have to say it was a very unique taste.
The setting of the place was very fancy. I like how thai restaurants in the city are very fancy and high end but at the same time, have very agreeable prices. Very reasonable and it's a great atmosphere!
Definitely recommend
OH AND ALSO. I ordered the THAI ICED TEA. And as a huge thai iced tea slut, I enjoyed it! It tasted very creamy, which I enjoy.
