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Categories: Indian, Asian Fusion, Pakistani
Neighborhood: SOMADine at Prana on Fridays or Saturdays and receive…
Announced 1 week agoMon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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What an absolutely delightful, savory experience! I had semi-blindly chosen this location based upon fellow Yelp reviewers wanting to utilize the Dine About Town going on this June. I had let them know via Open Table that it was a celebration for my friend's birthday, and set my reservation. I received a call letting me know that they already had a private party the night I requested, and wanted to reschedule. No problemo, I'm flexible. Side note: they gave us a bottle of champagne on the house to make up for it/plus it was my friend's birthday.
The layout is so peaceful and low lighting (but not in that romantic way, there was a work party going on and they didn't seemed bothered). It definitely utilizes the space well, in my opinion. Unfortunately, I have dined at a lot of crammed restaurants that you feel the person(s) at the surrounding table(s) is right on top of you and you are apart of their conversations. Not so at Prana. There was a party of ten, two parties of 6, and numerous small parties, but it wasn't loud and still maintained its relaxing vibe. Obviously, this is due to the fact that at night it is a club, but you'd never know that otherwise.
They give you a yummy basket of fried wonton and pita bread with three different sauces to begin. What we had with my short opinions follow...
1. Yam fritters, spicy peanut sauce, cucumber salad - Wow, this was just a starter but they gave us about 7-8 good sized fritters. You could have made a meal just off of those. They were a bit rich, but still good.
2. Dosa quesadilla, chipotle cheddar, spiced potatoes, tomato chutney - They were quesadillas...I mean you can't really mess those up.
3. Hearts of romaine, sesame-lime dressing, garlic crostini, shaved pecorino - It was good, BUT they serve the leaves uncut on a small plate. So, trying to cut those crisp leaves with a butter knife was a little messy.
4. Coconut corn bisque, fresh curry leaves, corn & spicy cheddar wontons - Absolutely delicious! I actually bought the ingredients for this dish last night and attempted to remake it. Such a "basic" dish, but so delectable on the tongue.
5. Saag Paneer Ravioli, Indian cheese & vegetable filling, Bloomsdale spinach sauce - Unfortunately, this dish was nothing to really write home about. My friend said it tasted like the quesadillas which WERE good. I won't order these again when I go back.
6. Seafood Tom Yum Talay, assorted fish, mussels, scallops & prawns, coconut broth - This was my favorite dish of the night. I was a little leery of the coconut broth in the description, as I am not really a fan of coconut. When it arrived and the aroma tickled my nose I knew there was no need to fear.
Both my friend and I decided we would definitely be back, and would have no problem bringing or recommending friends and family as well.
People thought this was:
As much as I try not to go to San Francisco's tourist-driven nightlife attractions, I would probably try it anyway because life's too short and once in awhile I'd like to laugh at myself and ask why the hell I went there in the first place
Plus, it was my girlfriend's birthday and the birthday girl trumps everyone's suggestions for the night...so I've had to make reservations for the b-day girl's choice...Prana. Let me tell you that I've called once, twice, three times to reserve and never got a call back...I scratched my head with frustration only to find out that four days before the event we've decided to call again and they finally reserved a spot for 25 people...sheeesh
Although, I prefer family-style, hearty dining, Prana wasn't bad....but wasn't "off da hook" either
Try their butternut squash soup & goat cheese wonton. The soup is creamy & flavorful and the goat cheese wonton are crispy & brown...the way I prefer my fried food
However....eeek...stay away from their broiled salmon with vegetables and purple/black rice. The salmon & rice were both very dry as if they just freeze dried the plate for the next night's serving...like airline food
Cool touch with the inside's décor that looked like a miami nightclub in South Beach with the surrounding pink, purple and green neon lighting plus a gi-normous bronze Buddha facing our group as we entered in and the waiters were eye candies so it wasn't too bad
I didn't really get the comforting, chill vibe of the restaurant and found it to be pretentious and "all for show" but if you have the chance don't forget to rub the almighty Buddha's belly =)
People thought this was:
Usually restaurants that turn into clubs at night aren't that great. I'd heard good things about this spot and had to try it out myself...wow! This place wasn't just good, it was great! We split the Dosa Quesadillas, which were good - they had a very earthy flavor from the Dosa, but it had a familiar and comfortable flavor from the cheese. We shard two entrees: Pepper Steak and Red Curry Short Ribs. The Pepper Steak was well-cooked and perfectly seasoned; it arrived with nicely cooked purple potatoes and sat atop fried leafy greens. The Red Curry Short Ribs were very tender and had good balance of curry spice and a little sweetness, but not overpowering; the lemongrass risotto that complemented the dish was awesome and stood-up to the strong spicy flavors of the main entrée.
The mood of the restaurant was cool - slightly dark with dance music in the background to give the place a lively feel, but not so loud or annoying that you can't talk to your dinner companion.
The service was really good and attentive.
I'd definitely recommend this restaurant for any occasion from a special birthday to a date night.
People thought this was:
I've been here a few times for dinner as well as drinks during dinner and although the food isn't fantastic or anything to write home about, the ambiance and the overall concept of the restaurant is great. They have a little blurb about how the originators of Prana wanted it to be a healthy, happy place with organic foods and fresh from the farm taste for many of their dishes. This is pretty true, and I would give this place four stars except that it is a little on the pricey side for some of the dishes they offer.
Waiting staff is friendly and decor inside is very cool, takes reservations and you definitely need to make some in order to make sure you get a good seat in the house. Prana turns into Temple Nightclub at night so if you make a late dinner reservation you can stay for the club ... for free :)
People thought this was:
Prana serves delicious Asian fusion, but I think the best part of my experience was the great decor and friendly service. There's just something about eating your noodles next to an aged wooden sculpture of a reclining Buddha. Our server was super friendly, and the food menu was fanciful and entertaining in and of itself.
Two co-workers took me out for a going away lunch. I 100% appreciate the gesture/thought, very nice of them. Have to give my honest Yelp review though. Here it goes.
Meal started out with a comical dialogue:
A: "We'd like to share the papaya salad with prawns."
Waiter: "Do you want a small one or a big one to share.?"
C: (thought he was referring to the prawns)--"Yes, one big prawn."
A: "They have them at Academy of Sciences"
So we waited for our food. Took quite a while to get it. The ginger beer I ordered never came. We realized that the papaya salad wasn't coming either. When my co-worker asked about it the guy gave a reaction like he was appalled she was asking him to check on it...
In the end the food was pretty good. Nothing that spectacular about the kobe beef burger. Only complaints is that the papaya salad had "filler" cabbage in it--normally it's pure shredded papaya at other restaurants. Also, it ended up being a "dessert" salad since we got it at the end of our meal.
I had a wonderful evening here with my bf. :)
It was kinda weird that we were one of two parties dining there on a Friday night...so empty and so sad actually...but the other party was on the other side and not within my view so I decided to pretend that the restaurant was cleared out for just me and my man. We had a $50 gift certificate from http://restaurant.com so had the opportunity to eat like rockstars. I suggest you do the same as things ARE overpriced.
We had....
0. In place of bread we were given fried wonton crisps with a trio of dipping sauces. I LOVED the mint sauce, then the tomato, then the chipotle. The waiter took it away while I was paying attention to something else and became really sad. Guard it with your life.
1. Scallops in lemongrass & Chantrelle broth and wasabi mashed purple potatoes (small plate) - I found the scallops very yummy. Ever-so-slightly crispy on the outside but juicy in the inside. The potatoes were good but I did not really taste the wasabi. It just looked like they cut the scallops in half so you were really getting 2 instead of 4. Sneaky.
2. Sesame Beef Tacos (starter) - yummy with diced tomatoes, avocado, and this white sauce. But I will say that Kung Fu tacos are A LOT better and only $2 each
3. Tuna Tartare with avocado, tobiko, wasabi oil, and plantain chips (starter) - I really really liked this. The tuna and avocado each made up one side of a ying-yang circle. Cute. The plantain chips were the perfect size to put a dollop of tartare on and pop into your mouth. YUM!
4. Semoline Crusted Halibut with purple and white roasted potatoes, sauteed spinach (entree) - The halibut was perfectly cooked and the purple potatoes were interesting. They definitely added to the complexity of the dish
5. Tandori-Roasted Rack of Lamb, garlic mashed potatoes, beans and green tomatoes (entree) - the lamb was a bit tough. But I LOVED the green tomatoes...I've never had before. My bf really liked the potatoes...."Not from the box" he proclaimed. lol.
6. Two glasses of Trefethen Dry Riesling and a Ginger cocktail. I definitely like my yummy sweet wine!
I actually enjoyed the appetizers more than the entrees. Next time I will probably just order a mound of small plates. But overall I enjoyed myself there. :) The bill was $87 including tip and tax...not bad at all.
Don't go to Prana. I repeat-don't go to Prana. As you know by now, Prana is the "Dr Jekyll and Mister Hyde" of Temple Club.
Although the food is well-made, yet sometimes under seasoned and bland, Prana is too expensive for the average Bay Arean and is NOT in the same league as Michael Minna or Harris Steakhouse. My posse paid $30 per person, for a two course pre frix meal that didn't even include dessert.
The other downside is that you will feel rushed to finish your meal as the Prana staff begins to transform the restaurant into "nightclub" mode.
For those of you that "rave" about this place, might I suggest you take a trip up to Tommys' Joynt to see how a REAL meal is supposed to be cooked and served at a reasonable price. lol
On the flip side, Prana is a very beautiful restaurant. However, beauty is only skin deep and not a deep as my wallet. lol
People thought this was:
DELICIOUS!
This is a nice, romantic spot to bring a date. Plenty of cozy booths to be had!
Tom yum soup was super delicious, as were the ribs. The meat fell off the bone on the ribs.
I also had the lamb shanks with garlic potatoes and a bite (or two) of my date's steak. Everything was AMAZING. And the lychee cocktail was delicate and flowery refreshingness.
It looks like the other people gave bad reviews for one of two reasons: The price, and/or they are a grumpy-ass businessperson who works nearby who has business lunches there. I think, considering the quality of food and service, the price is well-justified. As for the grumpy businesspeople, well, they will be snooty in any situation. Pish posh!
People thought this was:
Before I delve into details, let me make one thing clear, THIS IS NOT A RESTAURANT. Well, I guess it is a restaurant technically. It has tables, chairs, and people who take your orders and bring you food.
It is a big nightclub whose owner decided that s/he could make extra bucks by putting some tables on the dance floor and serve expensive mediocre food during non-dance hours.
The metal shiny doors made me feel like I was walking into a sheek club where I could possibly see Blade come to hunt some vampires. The huge space looked like it was once a warehouse. Everything in the space was white, which made me feel a bit uneasy. Imagine being in a completely white space without windows. They did add colors with the lights, but it still is a white room.
Food was mediocre at best. The only thing I thought was decent was the tuna tartar. Unfnortunately, there were only 3 spoonfuls of it on the plate. :( We ordered short ribs with coconut curry (ok), pepper steak (unremarkable but ok), seafood fetuccini (blah), tuna tartar (pretty good), shrim with garlic noodles (I've had better). Three of us each got a drink. The bill came out to be $160!!!
I felt guilty that I suggested trying out this place and apologized to my dinner companions several times. I am angry at myself and this wanna-be restaurant for ruining my precious Friday night.
The extra star is for superb service. Several different people came to check on us, and our requests were met promptly. Maybe the service was excellent because there weren't a lot of patrons.
People thought this was:
Walking in I immediately loved the atmosphere...very swank! We got there towards the end of dinner so there weren't a ton of people. The atmosphere is pretty much the best thing about Prana.
The menu looked great but the food honestly isn't that good. I know it's 'fusion' food but my biggest pet peeve with places that have "naan" on the menu are the ones that bring out pita bread. WTF? I know you have to have a tandoor oven to make naan but if you don't have one and you can't produce it, you can't call it 'naan.' Just be honest about the fact that it's plain ol' pita bread and leave it at that. Or get a tandoor oven. Grrrr...
The most memorable thing I had were the raviolis and honestly I don't remember what else we had...saag maybe? Like I said, not that great so don't get your hopes up on having an amazing fusion meal. The biggest plus about eating dinner here is if you plan on going downstairs to Temple to get your dance on...if that's the case, have dinner at the last serving hour so you don't have to stand in the long line to get into Temple (or pay a cover charge).
this should be a 3.5 star, but yelp is not making it easy for me : )
we had dinner here a while back at the bar because we like to sit close to our alcohol. We tried quite a few items on the menu:
tuna tartar - good, very fresh
baby ribs - somewhat good
pot stickers - first of all, pot stickers have to be exceptional to impress me because my parents make killer dumplings with the best quality meat and veggies. so, i would say this is a-ok.
Hearts of Romaine - i thought i wanted something healthy, but it's not really the case if my belly is full of booze toward the end of dinner. it's a good salad nevertheless.
there is a noodle dish i really like, but i couldnt' recall the name, it has tofu in it and it's really tasty. maybe i will find out the name next time at Prana!
service - it's always good when you sit so close to the bar tender!
if you dine at Prana on Friday or Saturday night, you can get free admission to Temple party after your meal. yeah, more money for booze later!
People thought this was:
I have to admit that I didn't even know you could eat lunch here. I've been to the Temple Nightclub side of the place not because I'm the clubby type. Maybe cubby, definitely chubby but most certainly not clubby. No, no...I came first for a Yelp Elite event and then for a SF Pride event with Jody ("I'm Lookin' for a New Love...yeah, yeah, yeah") Whatley ...oh and then for a big-screen airing of the VP debates when I wanted to hunt for a certain governor from a helicopter.
So my only experience actually eating here was a morsel off a speeding appetizer plate as a flock of Yelpers devoured it. It was like that scene from "Suddenly, Last Summer" when Elizabeth Taylor's gay cousin was cannibalized by Mexican street urchins. But I digress...I was pleasantly surprised when a colleague took me here for lunch today, and we could sit outside on their makeshift patio seating.
What was even nicer was that they make a sensational Grilled Kobe Beef Burger on a light focaccia roll for $11. What was even nicer was the tropical twinge it had between the mango chutney aioli on the bun and the banana ketchup for the fries. It was a satisfying burger find and just minutes away from my workplace. Service was fine, though I have to admit the motley foot traffic - loud, name-tagged kids on a field trip ... even louder runners from the LaLanne gym - was a bit annoying.
FOOD - 4 stars...excellent, unexpected burger with an unobtrusive tropical beat
AMBIANCE - 4 stars...it was nice outside
SERVICE - 4 stars...accommodating and not too slow for a busy lunch hour
TOTAL - 4 stars....thank goodness I don't have to know how to dance to come back here
People thought this was:
This review is for the lunch menu and not the club or dinner menu.
I have lunch here quite a bit and its an OK place to eat at. On the down side-small tables, not lots of room. The wood chairs are bit hard on the arse!
The menu is unique. I love the naan pizza with Chinese sausage. I also enjoy the five spice chicken which is served with Coconut rice and a small cucumber salad.
All the salads are very good and fairly proportioned.
The staff here is very attentive and friendly.
The one thing that I do not like about this place is some dishes are very small portions while others are very large. So if you are with company and they get a burger and fries and you get five spice chicken plate, you have to eat slow to not be done first.
Very good selection of sodas--lemon grass, lavender--Ginger Beer and the usual types.
I have not tried the dinner menu but understand its the better of the two daily offerings.
People thought this was:
There was lipstick on my glass. Yuk.
One of my restaurant pet peeves.
Decided to grab lunch to-go here because I had left my jacket at coat check on Saturday night. Thank goodness it was still there and no one had taken it. On the plus side, the Kobe Beef Burger I got was delicious! The meat was good and you can taste the difference from regular burgers. The cheese and seasoning was a perfect match. I have to admit that I had low expectations since the place was empty when I went around noon, but glad that I was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps I'll try dinner here one day....
I had eaten at this restaurant like 2 weeks ago..and completely forgot. That tells you something doesn't it? When a restaurant is so forgettable...too bad.
Prana is actually Temple Nightclub before it turns into the nightclub. Seating is comfortable & the settin is beautiful. The food, not so much.
Service is terrible. I ordered the spring salad & i think it was 45 minutes before I got it. I ordered my drink...and that too took at least 20 minutes to get. and they were NOT busy!! we went at about 9 o'clock..there were like 5 tables..I asked for change at the bar...and they told me, sorry..i don't have any. WTF?!
My friend got the ravioli & it was filled with peas. Interesting..it wasn't bad..but it wasn't good either. My other friend got the lamb, gamey.
All in all, a huge disappointment & waste of time...though it was a free meal so that gave it another star. Whoopity doooo 2 stars! WOOT!
People thought this was:
There is a reason why this place is more popular for the night club.
Coconut chicken tomtom: good and hot, corn was sweet. this was definitely the best part of the meal
Seasame chicken: way too much extremely strong sauce on the chicken, making it almost inedible. the coconut rice didnt have any coconut flavor to it, and they put some of the chicken sauce on top of it, thereby ruining it. the cucumber salad, however, was workth eating
naan pizza: good, cuz they use chinese sausages. also, they give you a big portion too
chocolate peanut butter bars: if you eliminated the whole peanuts in the chocolate portion of the bar, they would have been good, but they didnt, so they were pretty bad.
im not coming back here.
My dad tends to balk at paying higher prices based on the decor and atmosphere of a restaurant, so Prana's not likely to be a good choice for him. That said, the decor and atmosphere are very nice. The small, front seating area was perfect for lunch on a sunny day--wide open windows let in the the warmth, sun, and breeze; white walls complemented unpolished wooden carvings; and despite conversation and background music, the volume was entirely reasonable.
The food was generally quite good, too. My proscuitto, brie, and pear starter salad was individually tasty, though the flavors seemed to alternate rather than blend. The Kobe beef burger was delicious and almost too tender. Given the classy surroundings, I felt self-conscious about the amount of juice dripping out of it all over my fingers. Sadly, the shoestring fries were overcooked to the point of being twig-like in their crispiness throughout. Dessert was a chocolate and raisin baked cheesecake. While attractive and well-made, the raisin flavor didn't appeal to me much and I was a bit confused by the topping appearing to be currants.
Staff were friendly and attentive, though the wait between courses seemed unexpectedly long. However, it wouldn't have seemed unreasonable if I'd had a companion with whom to chat.
Overall, a very nice place to come for a good experience and a mild splurge at lunch or dinner.
TRIVIA: I'd previously only known "Prana" as the name of a Yoga-clothing company. It's actually one of the 5 Hindu vital energies ("breath", central to Yoga) and itself divides into 5 subcategories. One of those is "samana", relating to digestion and the generation of auras. Perhaps there's a connection to the contented glow many people have after a wonderful meal?
People thought this was:
I must admit that I was skeptic about this place from before they opened, they are a club that has to offer food to have their late night permit and I am aware of the food quality at similar establishments isn't usually up to par with a place that serving quality food is their primary business.
I have been to this place as a club and usually clubs do not look nearly as good in the day time, however Prana is different, the place looks pretty good in the light. The staff was very friendly and seated us fairly quickly.
I ordered the 5 spice chicken with rice and it was decent, nothing to die for however nothing to complain about, my friend had the salad and the soup (can't remember which ones exactly) he enjoyed both of his dishes. The wait staff was average at best on being on top of things, our glasses of water were empty more than once and the big kicker was we ordered their fresh juices that we asked for twice and didn't receive the drinks until the same time that we received our check. They did realize the mistake and didn't charge us for the drinks so we considered it dessert. I did look at food on other peoples plates and they looked good, the price was decent so I am pretty sure I will be back to check this place out again.
Checked out the interior of this rather cool spot, it is spacious and worth
seeing will defintely return to dine,, also the Hostess Haley was most
helpful, thank you dear haley
People thought this was:
It is super trippy to have a late dinner here and notices tables around you disappearing as the wait staff prepares to turn the restaurant into the second floor of the club. (Bonus, though, if you plan to go to the club later, because dining at Prana gets you into Temple without a cover.)
Others have mentioned that, because of that transformation process, the service was very slow, but that wasn't our experience at all. Our waitress was sunny and sweet and made sure to take care of us all the way through dessert. I appreciate a server who lets you know what's going on in the kitchen, and she did just that. If anything was running behind, she was sure to tell us, and, when she dropped the last of a dessert my friend ordered, she apologized to him and told him she'd bring him another complimentary dessert and waive our corkage fee. And that she did. We left her a really nice tip.
As for the food, it was interesting and a fun experience, but I wouldn't go out of my way to have it. We were all impressed by the various dipping sauces for naan and wontons, all three of which ended up, I think, on the paneer ravioli. It struck me as very odd that an Asian fusion joint had so few vegetarian options, as Asian cuisines (especially Indian and Thai) are the absolutely the most adapatable to being made without meat. I'd rather have the non-fusion versions of these dishes, but dining at Prana was a fun experience, nonetheless. I don't really need to do it again, though.
We came here for DAT during lunch - totally dead on MLK Day... I think there were a total of three table including ours. Nevertheless, it provided for a more intimate atmosphere!
For my three courses, I chose (1) Organic Baby Red Oak Lettuces - prosciutto, poached pear, warm pistachio brie, (2) Grilled Kobe Burger - chile cheddar, mango chutney aioli, banana ketchup, and (3) Baked chocolate & raisin cheesecake - vanilla sauce & fruit puree.
First of all, they don't skimp on the food - I think we were all stuffed by the end of the meal. I was trying to hold back on the second course so I had room for dessert! I really enjoyed my salad although the chopped salad and soup were so much more in terms of quantity. I really enjoyed sampling my husband's Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - very creamy and smooth.
The kobe burger was quite tasty although WAY too greasy - oily juices running down my hands and on to the plate - not a pleasant sight. The burger comes with fries which were nice - quite crunchy.
Finally, the cheesecake for dessert, which was interesting. I enjoyed it although I thought it would be more creamy... it's "cheesecake" after all. The crepes were definitely on the dry side and I don't recall them coming with ice cream - or maybe my husband ate it all before I had a chance...
Service was good - not many tables to serve so it better be!
One thing I thought was a little strange was that they only had one ravioli entree left when we were ordering. How could you run out of ravioli when you only had three tables to serve that day???
People thought this was:
Excellent food, stellar service, chic modern atmosphere...what more can you ask for?
Prana was a huge surprise for me. Mr. O had been wanting to try Prana for a while, and on one Friday night, I was feeling especially generous. ;) I decided to "give in." We loved every single dish we ordered. That night, I took Mr. O's "told you sos" like a woman.
- Their complimentary wonton crisps are very addicting...especially with the sauces they provide.
- Garlic naan - it was yum, but not very necessary to order after all the wonton crisps we ate.
- Sesame Beef Tacos - Oh wow. Those were super duper! The meat was soft and the whole thing was an explosion of yumminess.
- Barbequed baby Spare Ribs - The meat literally just fell off the bone. So good!
- Short Ribs Entree - Perfect. It came with a side of rice and grilled veggies. The meat was tender and very flavorful. The veggies were so darn good, soft but crunchy.
It really couldn't get any better, but then wait! It did! Prana was offering 50% selected bottles of wine, so we ordered a recommended Berger Gruner Veltliner. The entire bottle (larger than average) for $12.50!
Our server was very knowledgeable of the entire menu. The manager/owner (?) came by to make sure we were happy. He even asked about our meal as we left for the night.
Lucky for us, Prana also participates in http://Restaurants.com, so we got $25 off the entire bill. Needless to say, date night was a success and we were two very happy people. I'd go back in a heartbeat.
so i must say it's odd eating in the same place you have been to as a a club, but the food/ambience/service at prana were all very impressive!
every dish we ordered was especially delicious - creative dishes with an exotic twist. our service was very friendly and prompt.
it was a nice evening - pretty cool lighting as well - go early, and try not to think about what might happen at the booth you are sitting at later that evening!
I stumbled on Prana through http://Restaurant.com's ridonkulously discounted gift certificate. Never heard of it, but it sounded interesting. what the hey?
very cool decor - all white futuristic, which on the one hand is soothing and on the other hand makes all my colorful spilling stand out like a piece of modern art. we got a bunch of small plates through a dine-about-town combo. the short ribs, soup, and salads stood out. great ravioli too. for desert, grab those indian donuts like your name was Homer Simpson.
much better food than I expected for a place I'd never heard of. try it!
People thought this was:
I had lunch at prana today. The place is lovely. The service is friendly and accomodating.
I had a salad with mango and avocado, the vegeterian tom yum soup, a green tea and a fresh tomato juice.
They made my fresh tomato juice spicy and brought out chili for me for my soup. I'd never had fresh made tomato juice, so this was a new one on me. I'd say it was "good" but I ammuch more used to spicy V-8 which has a totally different texture.
The salad was good - bitter greens, i found it over dressed for my taste, but I have no complaints. The salt and pepper came on the side in small bowls so I could self administer. I like that! I salt as much as I like spice!
The soup was tasty and I wished the bowl was bigger and frankly that the spoon was bigger too.
I will return to prana and I enjoyed the wait staff there. Honestly it makes a place. The water was copiously refilled and the dirty dishes cleared.
It's a nice lounge-y restaurant and I imagine later at night, when the DJ starts playing it is really vibrant. It's cool but not cosy.
The food was delicious. The service really good.
The thing I thought was disappointing were the toilets. It starts in the hallway before the toilets where the white prana theme suddenly disappears and it's old beige-brown paint, chipping off. The floor is carpet-tiled and there are all sorts of stains and/or chewing gum in the rug. 2 different cheapo toilet signs for ladies and gentlemen and then in the ladies' toilet nothing personal. No flowers, no basket with towels, no picture on the wall, just blank plain nothingness. Toilets are a restaurant's business card as there you see if they put love in the details or just do the plain necessary.
Came to Prana w/ a large group of girlfriends for DAT.
The service was very nice from the moment I made my reservation.
My vegetarian friends liked the fact that Prana's DAT menu actually provided options for them, and they raved about the butternut squash soup. I opted for the red lettuce salad w/ prosciutto and warm pistachio brie. YUM!
For entrees, my party of 7 got either the lamb or the saag paneer ravioli. I heard the ravioli was just ok. My lamb was quite tasty, though 1 was cooked more than the other so the flavors were different. The tandoor sauce was tasty but I think it overpowered the natural flavors of the lamb too much (I heart lamb). The garlic mashed potatoes were yummy and well seasoned, and the "buttered long beans" came w/ lots of garlic, which I loved.
The dessert was rather disappointing. I opted for the baked chocolate and raisin cheesecake. It was more chocolate than anything else and I really wanted some cheesecake. The bottom was a chocolate crust w/ a rather thin "filling" of "raisin cheesecake" covered with a 2 mm thick square of chocolate. Too much chocolate and not enough cheesecake. I heard the rum crepes were awesome though.
The ambiance here is nice, the food is overall really good. Service, again, is good. I think the menu here is really creative but sometimes things don't turn out the best. I'd still recommend it though!
Very cool venue, we ate dinner here but didn't wait for the club to start. I hear they run a cool nightclub too. Maybe next time. The food is a con-fusion of East Indian and Mexican, very unique but they pulled it off well.
Want a tip? We went here with a $50 coupon from http://restaurant.com that cost us $4 and we ended up dropping $250 between the four of us because everything was so good. Very reasonable for how much we ordered.
We started with cocktails (which they have a good selection of some creative ones), moved to apps (they're are some really good ones), entrees (again, a good selection and some winners here), dessert and after dinner drinks. We posted up for nearly three hours and had a great time.
Auf.
Came here for Clarisse C.'s sister's birthday/club event. It was the first time I've eaten at restaurant/club place. I've always been hesistant of eating at these types of places, but I really enjoyed the food here.
The celebrant opted for the $30 prie-fixed menu which was a 2 course meal. For my first course, I chose the vegetable curry with the naan. Really good curry; not too spicy and the naan was good. I chose the salmon for the second course. I think the salmon was undercooked, but I couldn't verify it because the lighting in there was pink and kinna dark. I was able to try the lamb from someone else and it was good too.
Didn't check out the club, but will definitely check it out one of these days.
I went here for my sister's birthday and I only got to enjoy the dining experience, so no idea how the clubbing went, but I'm pretty sure it was probably good.
They seem like a really good place to throw a dinner and it's convenient since you can dance right after! It looks fancy schmancy as well and big baller.
I'm considering throwing my birthday party there.....hmmmm...August 29, if you wanna show up..haha
2 stars for the food and venue. Minus 3 stars for the service.
This is not a place to go for lunch, unless you have 3 hours for a martini lunch. I unfortunately am not one of the lucky ones so I get an hour.
This said I finished my lunch and asked for the check which took 30 minutes to get. UGH!!! I asked 4 times and they finally brought me the check and my dessert (boxed). Fourth time I actually asked someone other than our waitress who was too busy filling water glasses to be bothered.
This place was amazing. Yummy food and drink. The wait staff was sweet but the place was empty. Don't know why, it should of been packed. I would recommend this place to anyone in the mood for a great dinner in a tranquil setting.
One of those fusion restaurants in SF city that try to be hip, cool, green, yuppie-ish, modern and cultured. Overall I think they did a pretty good job trying to achieve that goal, and the place certainly did attract lots of people in their 20s~30s, great marketing!
I appreciate the urban-exotic decor such as the Buddha paintings and the elephant sculptures. The interior was nicely designed like a futuristic temple. I also like the fact that Prana is very spacious in contrast to many popular restaurants in SF that just try to fit in as many seats and tables as possible in their limited space.
Since our party was big, we had to go with a fixed menu. I was a bit bummed out since I really wanted to try their famous ravioli. We had the Chinese sausage pizza and tomato mozzarella appetizers which were nicely prepared but very ordinary. I was starting to get a bit disappointed.
Lets just say my attitude was changed 180 degree when the entrees showed up. I was sooooo impressed with my entree, the Mushroom Scallopini. It was so delicious and tasty without being overwhelmed by spices or salt. The mushroom was juicy and soft, covered by crispy tasty breading that's not too thick. I am a meat eater, but I'd rate their Mushroom Scallopini in the same league as any good steak I've had. The polenta that came with the dish was probably the best I've had. The brocollini was well cooked and still had a crunchy texture, excellent~
I'd give Prana 5 stars if the appetizers and desserts were as good as the entrees. Also, the protions need to be bigger to satisy a large appetite like mine. The staff was friendly and attentive, but sometimes forgetful, probably because our party was big. The bill at the end was $60 per person which was expected. We'll definitely come here again~
People thought this was:
Wow, you yelpers were not exaggerating when you guys said the service sucked! ok, let me break it down...
service: I mean, the server was nice, but it was slow! Our water was never refilled unless asked. I know the fried wontons are free, but we asked for a refill and they never came back out. The server got us our meus but didn't bother to check on us until after 20 mins or so. And it wasn't even packed...
food: hmmm... we got the DAT menu... my dishes were:
1. Organic Baby Red Oak Lettuces - prosciutto, poached pear, warm pistachio brie. No, never again. Just too plain. Plus, the prosciutto has probably been sitting out for a while for the fact that it was a little hard...
2. Pan Roasted Crispy Skin King Salmon - ginger glaze, Brinjal rice, sesame vegetables - Ok... i gotta give this one to them... it was tasty and the portion was not small. a bit over salted, but nothing to worry about.
3. Rum Crepes - vanilla ice cream, raspberry & chocolate sauce - GOOD. my favorite one of all.
Drinks: $9.00 for a drink filled with ice. i'm not sure about that.
:::::WARNING::::: 3 of my friends order the Indian Doughnuts... all 3 of them took a bite did not like it. I tried it, did not like it. no thanks!!!!!!!!! the doughnut tasty old.. it was hard... something you can find at the "almost expired, go on sale" section at safeway.
Would i go here again? No. But hey, we got in the club for free. But still, not worth it.
Overall, great appetizers, decent entrees and a good place for groups or rowdy parties.
Ambience is like a Miami club with deep pink/purple lighting, lots of white furniture and high ceilings. Sound proofing is definitely like a club so everyone's voices echoes in the high ceiling space. But since it is not crowded, you can have your own intimate alcove for a date.
Service was attentive. They seemed to only have 2-3 waitstaff, but they 2 who served us were great.
Highly recommend the appetizers so maybe you can/should share tapas. We ordered the Spicy Peanut Soup and Dosa Quesadilla. Very unique and creative. Especially loved the Spicy Peanut Soup.
Entrees we ordered were Saag Paneer Ravioli (1 plate = 4 pieces) and Braised Short Ribs. Both were mediocre. Other people reco'ed the ravioli but both of us couldn't really taste the saag/spinach, maybe it was in the pesto. Lots of peas in the ravioli and the pasta skin was mediocre. Sauces were interesting (see picture = multiple colors of white, orange, green). Short Ribs were not full-off-the-bone good. Instead it was mediocre. A much larger dish (other yelpers made note of the disproportionate sizes too) with a side of risotto and veggies. Veggies were good but the risotto was mediocre & bland.
this place was pretty nice. we saw a lot of underground artists perform that night( might not be some people's thing) and downstairs theres another dance floor. they played a lot of ragae hip hop which was kool. i liked how there wasnt really a dress code there. i like to dress comfortably
drinks were fairly priced.
will go to again!
Split the tendori chicken burrito and the kobe beef burger. Burrito was surprisingly good. Burger was as well, had an interesting banana ketchup that I enjoyed.
Service was average, nothing memorable. People next to us ordered the same thing, ordered after us but some how got their food first.
Reasonably priced.
I was here for my gf's bday happy hour get together.
The drinks were good.
The server was very helpful and friendly.
The food was pretty good. Expensive for such small portions but still darn good. I had the beef tacos.
We stayed for the clubbing part. One of the bouncers was pretty rude when he made us get up from a table that had been reserved for some "VIP". He never said one word to us. He used his flashlight to motion to us to get up. We then had to ask why. Lame-o!!!!
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
Category: Brazilian
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