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We ended up here for happy hour, b/c so many places were closed for private parties for Christmas. I'm glad that we did go here b/c the prices were great, the food and drinks were good, and it wasn't crowded.
I had a pint size pom-mojito for $5, absolutely delicious. We had calamari, the freshest calamari I've ever had, by which I mean, you could still taste the mean and it was fried lightly so it wasn't too greasy.
I really loved the utensils too, instead of the forks and spoons being flat, the part you held was circular...I really wanted my own set.
I will definitely be coming back and probably before Giants games next year.
2.5 stars
I would only recommend Tara if you are in a thai-or-die mood and don't feel like dealing the the 'scene' of Osha. From what I sampled, the food was sub par. The veggie fresh spring rolls were tough and chewy but the fact that their were drowning in peanut sauce helped the situation. Fried calamari was not fresh. Lettuce cups were full of flavor but it was easy to get bored after the 5th leaf. They should cheat off of PF Chang's and get that tasty blend of dipping sauces to vary the flavor. On the upside, service was quick and painless, especially considering we were a large group during the weekday rush hour.
More Southwest Visa credits towards my free flight and good Thai food in an upscale setting. Walked by several times over the past 6 months and read some yelp reviews which got me in here. I love it that they have happy hour M-F from 4-8pm with a long list of app's and $3 beers and $5 Sake type cocktails. They don't have the hard stuff, but the Mojito was pretty good.
Started out with the Edamame and Calamari and moved on to a Pad Ma-Kuer with beef which my wife gave a thumbs up to. Nice chunks of tender beef with veggies and bell peppers. Also ordered the sea bass which was nothing like a Japanese restaurant would do it or even Roy's around the corner, but none the less it was decent. I will definitely go back once in a while and the prices are less than Osha.
Whenever there's an after-work thing at 111 Minna, this is a great place to go eat after and a good alternative to Osha.
a) you will most likely get a table here without a wait
b) you can actually understand each other when talking
c) the sauces are not quite as exotic as over at Osha but everything is yummy.
Try it. It's not as fancy shmancy but when you're hungry, do you really care?
It's ok. Nice decor and reasonably affordable lunch options in FiDi. It's less crowded than Osha and the portions are pretty small. If you are a big boy, you'd better order appetizers. They have a pretty nice happy hour deal.
Four stars for their Happy Hour menu prices that run until 8, but [-1] star for lack of consistency.
Husband and I have only been here for happy hour. Both of us shared 4 dishes and the tab came out to $30. Not bad for good food in a primo SOMA location. Off the happy hour menu, we tried the BBQ pork salad, the salmon sashimi, lettuce wraps, and roti curry appetizer. The lettuce wrap filling was good, but the lettuce was a little wilted and old. I've had the salmon sashimi twice here. Once, it was perfectly fresh and deliciously marinated in some kind of ponzu sauce. The second time, the salmon was most definitely old and a little bit tough.
I would probably come back again for another meal, but only during happy hour.
Somehow Tara reminds me of Gone With the Wind, despite it being Ta-Ra. But instead of an old fashioned plantation of Georgia where some spitfire woman flirts with people (and hijinks ensue), this Ta-Ra is a modern asian-fusion decorated establishment with happy hour specials on a Sat night! This of course is a big YES for thevalue.
Came here a couple weeks back for a birthday celebration of the one also known as "Big Forehead Boy". I glance quickly at the menu and see, a Shargren Sparkling Syrah on the happy hour menu for $5, beers were $3. I generally love Syrah and anything bubbly so this was the starter drink of choice and it was really to my liking of wines. Which means all my wine snob friends would hate it. Fruity and bubbly it was the perfect way to start out the evening.
Appetizers at happy hour ranged from $4-$8. A decent affair. We ordered the roti, satay, egg rolls, and fried calamari. All not bad.
For din I ordered the Fish in the Pond, which was a sweet and sour catfish dish. The flavor was nice, nothing outstanding. I did try my neighbor's dish however and that was the one thing that was spectacular. The Crazy Crab. It was crispy fried crab deliciousness, truly enjoyable.
Overall it was a decent affair. The weekend happy hour menu was a mega plus.
Dear Tara Staff,
On a recent Friday night, my boyfriend and I stopped in your restaurant because we were looking for a place to eat and it looked nice.
I was very impressed, and I'm sorry that other Yelpers gave you a low rating or suggested people go to another nearby place (Osha?). That usually happens when customers are loyal to another place and want to bring business from one place to another, so they try to sway people. As I really liked your restaurant, I will not be swayed!
Here's what I liked:
-Very pretty interior
-The servers were nice, pleasant, and knowledgeable of the food
-Food was yummy! As my BF made his "O" face biting into his food (something with prawns), he told me, "I think this is a five star review."
-The bathroom was clean and pretty.
-It was nice that our waters were refilled without us having to ask.
-Overall, it was good food and very nice wait staff.
I will be happy to come back--thank you for being a restaurant that knows how to run a business efficiently and successfully!
Happy hour here must be excellent since we came here early for dinner but ordered a bunch of stuff from the happy hour menu. The egg rolls was pretty small, the chicken satay was typical, and the calamari was good but just very slightly oily.
The server recommended this Prawn Pagoda plate and it should not have been recommended at $16. The grilled shrimp was very good and not overcooked but the value isn't there since all else I felt like I was eating was shrimp and broccoli with rice. I got bored eating my own entree but at least the happy hour food redeemed it a bit.
Decent food, swanky-type atmosphere. Was honestly not blown away by the food (I had the pineapple fried rice). I like this place for the simple fact that they were open late at night (10ish) when I was hungry, and they were quick to bring out my dish. Service was pretty good. There are much better Thai places to go to in the city, but this place is good in a pinch.
It's not bad but not great either. Prefer Thai Osha a few doors down.
Went here on a Friday night at around 9:30PM with two girlfriends. We had three glasses of wine, 3 appetizers and one dessert for $58. Prices weren't too bad. Servers were very nice, even offered to take our picture since she saw us taking pictures of eachother. Food came out very fast and they refilled our waters without us asking.
The fried calamari was too spicy for me but good. I used the sweet and sour sauce from the egg rolls to cool the spiciness.
Roti curry dip was delicious. I would love to try the dessert version of roti.
Fried egg rolls - typical like any other. seemed like just one egg roll cut up into like 6 pieces.
Banana fritter - by far the best dessert ever! Very pretty presentation with fresh fruits (strawberry, mango and kiwi) and coconut ice cream. The 4 little fried banana sticks tasted just like the filipino delicacy Turon.
I wonder who Tara is? It doesn't sound Thai at all, but it works in its favor ~ helps it stand a part from another prominent Thai place just a few doors down (which I shall not name here).
Tara's is sleekly modern, but cozier. They also take reservations ~ a big plus during the lunch rush.
They have the standard items - curries, noodles, etc. Brown rice available. I had the 3 Muskateers Curry which is a squash curry with your choice of meat or tofu. It was delicious. Price point is comparable to the other ~ I call it 'upscale' Thai.
Service quick and with a smile. Thanks Tara!
came here for happy hour one time and thought it was ok.
Cheap drinks till 8pm, which is not bad.
Also, service was great. They accomodated us in the back w/ aobut 10 ppl. They kept coming around to see if we were doing ok or if we needed more drinks.
HH food was just mediocre.
Clean restaurant, good ambiance and great service. Other than that, not much to this restaurant.
Very chill atmosphere, and friendly staff. The happy hour Sujo cocktails are very interesting. The food was surprisingly tasty and the prices are good.
Came here for happy hour with some gf's from work. Not too bad. We had some of thHH drinks, I was surprised by how tasty they were. Cheap too!
A few appetizers, the salmon was quite good, as were the samosas. We had a few other items that I can't remember what they were, but they were tasty as well.
Service was great, but we were the only people in there, so it should of been. I would like to fgo back for a full meal, so I can post a whole review. Otherwise, for HH, a good place to check out.
By far one of the best Thai restaurants I've ever been to. I just love this place. Not only that, but they are very reasonably priced, and on a lunch rush, you have plenty of time. The food comes out so fast, that you can sit and enjoy it. I prefer this much more than their neighbor Osha. In fact, I don't even bother with Osha if I don't have to. My recommendation is the Pad Seew with Beef. They a great Roti appetizer too.
Good quality food but the ambiance sucks.
Please get rid of the neon sign. It makes it look like a massage parlour.
Worth trying but not for the ambiance or a great vibe.
Only come here for the food and conversation with a couple of friends.
They have the potential for more than what Osha Thai has to offer down the street but their marketing guy must have been hired straight out of the gutter.
The beef in the pad ma kuer that I ordered was inedible. I ate the eggplant and was still hungry. My friend's chicken was really gristly. Looking over the other reviews, I just don't get it.
I will admit the noodle dishes were tasty, probably because they were so greasy. I tried the garlic noodles and the Singapore noodles, and they were decent. There are far better places to go for lunch, though.
Summary - Great food + great service = great experience.
Pros - Tasty food, quick and courteous service.
Cons - None
Details - While visiting San Francisco on business in early June, I had the chance to experience what may very well have been both the best Chinese restaurant and the best Japanese/Sushi restaurant I'd ever been to. So when it was decided that we'd be heading to Tara, a local Thai restaurant, for lunch, my expectations were understandably elevated. I thought I might just go 3 for 3.
While Tara was not the life changing experience I was unrealistically expecting, it was above-average nonetheless. The lunch menu offered the standard options, as well as a few unique creations. I settled on the Pad Kee Mao (I'd actually never tried that exact dish before, and was excited to sample something new). I was quite impressed. What I liked most was the level of spiciness achieved by the chef. Individual tastes will vary, but for me, I found it to be the perfect level. Had it been more spicy, it would have simply been too overpowering. And any less just wouldn't have had the same amount of flavor. As I said, it was just perfect.
The atmosphere was fine, and a busy lunch crowd kept things energetic and lively. I would have liked to visit Tara for dinner/late night, as I could tell the décor probably looked awesome with a dimly lit evening ambiance.
Final Rating (great/average/poor) - GREAT
Food was great, service was great, and the price was right. All in all, a solid experience.
Date of Last Visit - June, 2009
BW
I'm not sure Scarlett O'Hara was thinking of this place when she uttered the last words of "Gone With the Wind"...
"TARA!...Home. I'll go home. And I'll think of some way to get him back. After all... Tomorrow is another day!"
...unless she was raised in Bangkok by way of Atlanta. Vivien Leigh was born in India, so maybe... Regardless, this is a decent, unadventurous Thai place in the FiDi sitting in the considerable shadow of Osha Thai. It's the same kind of dilemma Chef Jia's has with House of Nanking up on Kearny. Hardly anybody at the office ever thinks of Tara for the group lunch. They always suggest Osha - which is "Ah So!" spelled backwards ...geez, why not just call it the Oriental Stereotypes Cafe?
Anyway, let me get back to Tara...'cause I keep forgetting it's there. I was at Tara with colleagues a few months back and sharing a bunch of appetizers - the $8 Ground Chicken Samosas, the $10 Fried Chile-Encrusted Calamari with Sweet and Sour Sauce, and easily the best of the bunch, the $10 Satay Salmon where they used ginger-marinated salmon fillets instead of chicken. It was all OK, but nothing really made me want to run back immediately. Even the $5 Lychee Soju was so-so.
Just a couple of nights ago, I found myself needing a late-night work dinner, so I tried the $11 BBQ Pork Noodle, which was a thin slab of marinated pork covering a mound of angel hair rice noodles, shredded carrots, bean spouts, and peanuts accompanied by a sour sauce (see my photo). I thought it was reasonably good though I was slightly embittered that they didn't bother to cut the pork into manageable slices. Overall, Tara is a nice-looking, compact place though simply not a dining destination. Maybe Scarlett will have to go hungry again and wear her curtains... Fiddle-dee-dee!
FOOD - 3 stars....reasonably tasty though somewhat unmemorable Thai dishes despite an obvious effort toward creativity
AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...typically darkish decor with clean lines, seating gets crowded
SERVICE - 3 stars...talk about unmemorable
TOTAL - 3 stars...not bad...needs a "wow" factor to overturn the Osha tidal wave
This place is a pretty solid 3.5 stars, but tips over to 4 stars for being able to accommodate our large dinner party when Osha could not.
Spacious seating and not too crowded on a Saturday night. Walk-able to several SOMA bars -- so drink it up, folks, and let your peds take you elsewhere to continue whatever belligerence suits you.
Recommend the Roti Curry appetizer and the sea bass, Hanglay Beef (like a stew) and Crazy Crab entrees. Might want to stay away from the Hainan Chicken (too dry) and the Laksa Noodles (noodles tasted pre-packaged).
No hassle and cheap. We had a party of 16 and spent about $30 a person (no drinks, out the door).
Happy Hour at Tara is great. It goes until 8 p.m. Enough said, right?
$5 Lychee soju's. Of course, anything lychee is good.
$3 beers. They have a great selection of AzN ones. Hollaaa.
$5-6 bites. Potstickers, chicken satay with a BOMB peanut sauce and a killer pork salad.
My Jewish friend ate the entire pork salad. Enough said.
He is also allergic -- deathly allergic - to peanuts. He was so tempted to dip the chicken satay into the intriguing peanut sauce - I had to practically hold him back to snap him back to his senses.
Go to Tara. It's cute, the service is great and it's Asian / Thai-inspired - what more can you ask for?
I would say it's a good place to stop by for quick lunch.
Service was fast and staffs were friendly.
However, I found that foods taste was only average.
I still like Osha better.
This place is excellent, a nice alternative to played out Osha. Try the appetizers, they are creative and delicious. Entrees are cooked perfectly and bursting with flavor.
Love their little bar with a view of Second St., great place to relax after work with a couple Singha and an appy! Happy Hour here rocks it!
I almost had a near-death experience here today hackin on a piece of fried basil, but at least I would have died in bliss.
Whether I'm doing an office lunch, customer lunch, or social lunch; Tara's never fails. I typically deviate from my standard Tofu Basil with the 3 musketeer curry as it is absolutely phenomenal.
Great after work happy hour too!
Went here for Happy Hour with a friend on a Tuesday.
- Lychee Soju: $5 - Excellent. Tasted just like a lychee. Could barely taste the alcohol.
- Apple Soji: $5 - Pretty good. Mostly apple puckers.
- Potstickers: $6 - Comes with 6. Awesome dipping sauce and a nice little salad (Was it garnish? Oh well!)
- Fried Egg Rolls: $5 - Oh you know, it's egg rolls. Just presented nicely.
- Fresh Spring Rolls: $5 - Four little rolls. Warm peanut sauce on top. Good stuff (and it didn't have cilantro so SCORE!).
Pleasant dining experience. No one was in there except for three other tables so there was a lot of attention paid to us. Quick service, good food, and so on.
Also note that during Happy Hour, EVERYTHING is between $3-$6! Whooooo
a very casual place with good food and happy hour. the happy hour is monday to friday, from 3pm-8pm.
Tara is consistently tasty & fast.
I've always had extra time during my lunch break when I eat here.
Today, I had the lemon ginger water. It was pretty good and the ginger was not overdone. I also had the green papaya mango prawn salad. It was pretty spicy and sour. To top it off, my friends and I shared the mango sticky rice, which is was way too good and small to share. I've never had the red been sticky rice warm before and what a difference before.
Also, a shout out to Jin + Nick
Thai Iced Tea
Pad Thai
Singapore Noodles
Pad Kee Mao
------------------------- --
total: about $36
food…
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Hmmm I so drunk now
No thank you to Tara though
Not so spicy food
______
Disclaimer on behalf of Tara: I am drunk now. This is no thanks to Tara though. My favorite sake--Hakutsuru--was $9 at Tara. I walked to Whole Foods afterward because it's only $3.99 there. SEE! I got two for the price of one! Who is laughing noW? HAHAHHA.
RIght. So I asked for spicy. It was not spicy. My friend ask for spicy, too! It's not spicy. That's a minus star.
The dessert--sticky icky black rice ecstasy--was DIFFERNENT (huh?) from last time. W. T. F. It was stilll good, but maybe not as good. Probably not as good because I had to share with friends and Nicholas Princess Becker is a pig who eat shella fast and we had to race to see who could get more, which meant not know-enjoying flavor. Eats it slowly tastes it better. I still like, but next tim e I won't share.
Also, my waitress rushed me, which I accept partial responsibility for because I wasn't paying attention to the menu. She was not hot, unlike th other waitresses, and I don't accept responsibility for that. Lastly, I said, "Make it spicy! 10 out of 10 please." And it was not spicy. That was sad.
Still, I like Tara. I will go back, I'm sure. They are on opentable, they give me united mileage points, they have good food at acceptable prices. Tara. Good.
Ants in an orgie
Congealing food ecstasy
Sticky rice dessert
_____
You are probably puzzled by this…
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Take a humble, ordinary dish, and dress it up with hip, swanky atmosphere and you can jack up the price however much you want and people will buy it.
It's called branding, and I'm studying about it in school. So, I should not resent the fact that Tara is overpriced because of all the branding they do (even the business card is fancy). But I do.
There's a limit of how far you can stretch the power of your brand. Especially when the actual product is mediocre.
First off, chicken satay. The meat was tender, but not very flavorful. And it didn't seem like it's actually grilled (no grill marks). The dish came with FOUR sticks of satay. That's it. Four.
For lunch, I ordered pad see ew because it's simple and not super expensive (compared to the rest of the menu). It's not bad. But, King of Thai in union square has better pad see ew for a lot cheaper.
Some other things I find overpriced include a side of peanut sauce for $3, meat upgrade to duck for $3, and meat upgrade to seafood for $4. Most places charge $2 for upgrades at the most.
Fancy plates and business cards don't do it for me (I did take their business cards though, cuz they're cute).
We came here for a weekday lunch since it's close to Mike's work and we had already been to Osha a few times.
We ordered the pad thai and hoi jur (deep fried bean curd stuffed with crab, pork, shrimp) and a couple of thai iced coffees. Being a huge fan of thai food, I thought Tara was acceptable but far from one of the best (Saladang in Pasadena is still one of my favorites and for more casual dining I love Noodle Planet in Alhambra).
The hoi jur was disappointing. At $10 we expected more than this deep fried almost egg roll type dish that we got. I did not taste any bean curd, crab, or shrimp. The only thing I really tasted was the pork. would definitely NOT recommend it. The pad thai on the other hand was pretty good, no complaints there. The thai iced coffees were alright. I've had better but also worse.
I don't have anything amazing to say about Tara but I really don't have anything horrible to say about it either.
The dishes were solid Thai yummy, but the portions not worth it. In Seattle, I would order the veggie fresh rolls and the showering or swimming Rama and share with two people and be full. Not possible at this place.
Problems:
1. No showering/swimming Rama (rice, spinach, peanut sauce, tofu, not hard, I make it at home & I am far from Thai)
2. Hostess tried to seat us in a small corner area right next to another couple, when the restaurant had very few people in it.
3. Fresh rolls which were quite small, but they seemed to rolled in the same size phyllo, which made them too phyllo-y.
4. Waitress who brought us tea was kind enough to pour it for us, but it hadn't steeped at all so we had to pour the water back in the pot. Then she came by and tried to pour it again, when it still wasn't ready. Not so bright.
Pluses:
1. 3 Musketeers Curry was amazing. I love squash and coconut milk curries.
2. I forgot my iPhone at the restaurant, it fell out of my bag or pocket while eating and when I went back an hour later in hopes of it being there, it sure was, thankfully.
Tara gets three stars because it is fine. That is what it is just fine. If you happened to be on second street and want Thai Food though (especially overpriced Thai food) go to OSHA!! Tara just seems like the not as good alternative when the wait is too long at Osha. Their cocktails are fine, their pad si ew was fine and the wait staff was fine. This is not the place you seek out, this is the place that you end up.
Alright so, I love this place and would order delivery from here all the time. I think my favorite is the Pad-See-Ew. Their curries are absolutely delicious also. Super fast delivery and great Thai food!
About a week ago, my boyfriend and I ordered dinner from them (as we do quite frequently) and I kept my yellow curry for lunch the next day. Again, delivery was on point and the food was tasty. However, half way into my yummy leftover chicken curry, I see this strange purple object in my food. I stopped chewing and investigated further to find that it's a squid tentacle. I'm not really experimental with my food, I know some people like that stuff, but ugh I could see suction cups! Completely grossed out, I instant messaged my boyfriend at work, and told him about my discovery in the food. Unfortunately, he was doing a demo at his office and his co-workers got to see all about my tentacle surprise!
Needless to say, I don't think anyone from his office ordered Thai that evening. I haven't had Thai since, but I'm sure I'll order again as soon as I get the Day of the Tentacle out of my head.
Boring...not tasty...three times you are out!
Calamari was just awful. Very greasy and no flavor except for the grease!
Chinese chicken salad...is that what I had? It was just horrendous. Big leaves of ice berg lettuce, chunks of cucumbers, chicken thigh meat, loads of fried wont tons on top and far too many sesame seeds and heavy dressing.
If you cant get some of the basics right then why bother putting them on your menu?
Go down the street to OSHA THAI. Heck Lees steam tables does a better job than what I had today.
Sorry Tara I have tried you over and over again and it just ain't working!
See their Clean Score: http://www.cleanscores...
OMG I am doing it....I am writing my 101st review when I wasn't sure if I would continue into 2008.… Read more »
3.80 stars!
This place is good. The dishes are quite exotic (in looks). I think this place is more for family-style (although not in portion) than Osha (next doors). I came with a group of about 8-10 for dinner, and we ordered different dishes and we shared it. It was a nice experience. The atmosphere is nice and quite (unlike Osha next doors which is loud as hell during lunch time). Price is on the high side, but within reason for fidi.
I would come back!
I love Thai food, so I tend to be a little picky, but I have to say that Tara is one of my new favorites. The staff is super friendly and prompt, and the food is quite creative. Yes you can have your favorite Thai classics, but they also have some very interesting and thoughtful creations of their own.
Nice change of pace from Osha Thai, which is also good. Service at Tara is excellent, and the food, while not 5-star, hits the spot when you're hankering for some good Thai food. The place wasn't packed, which is a shame, as it's tastefully decorated and had a nice vibe to it.
I hadn't heard many good things about this place but I really liked it. The 3 Musketeers Curry was awesome. I got the vegetarian. Food was there quick, nice atmosphere, and waitresses were right on top of finishing my water. I'd write more but I have to go to the bathroom.
Free Dinner Delivery!
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
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Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Art Galleries
San Francisco, CA
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Thai
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