Straits Restaurant

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danelljanine

Joined 8 years ago

excellent. I went for lunch and the food and service were impeccable! The banana dessert was superb!

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nigelbonacci

Joined 8 years ago

User review by nigelbonacci. With so many pan asian out there, it's hard to decide which I would go back to. Straights is classy, fun, and offers a dynamic menu. But I think it's becomming too corporate and therefore, the food does'nt have the personal touch of the chef as some of the noncoporate pan asian out there. I would recommend it as least once.

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wordforyou

Joined 8 years ago

The pad thai was a bit salty. and the service wasn't great but the atmosphere was great for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Not my favorite place but I'd definitely go back.

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aha

Joined 8 years ago

User review by aha. I went to find what the hype was about. Not much. The bar is great but the dining was awful. The only thing my waitor brought me quick was my bill while I was still chewing and a fork in my hand. I went for brunch, the meat came half raw and it took 30 minutes just to come out so imagine my horror of waiting for a n ew one to be cooked. Tables that came in 20 mintues after me ordered, got their food, and were eating before I got my meat. Sad.

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Shanster9

Joined 11 years ago

Go to Straits Cafe-Santana Row. We were seated promptly, but the restaurant was very busy--I think we got lucky.

Everything we ordered had great flavors; Banana Flower salad--awesome, Green Curry vegatables and Sashimi were very good. The service was outstanding despite a very busy restaurant. Also, the Mangopolitan was yummy. I've been to Straits-Santana Row several times and it is consistantly excellent.

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pinkflower

Joined 8 years ago

Better for Drinks and Lounging. The food here is only okay- a little contrived. Ambiance is great- the place is always packed and crawling with young singles. In the evenings, there's a live DJ.

My bad experience here was when I was having dinner and forgot my i.d. I ordered wine, and was halfway through with my glass when a man (I suspect either the owner or manager) comes over and cards us!!! This has never happened to me in a restaurant before. When he learned I didn't have it with me, he proceeded to take away my wine.

I suggest just going to hang out at the bar. Be sure to get there early to try to grab a seat- it gets rather crowded.

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crabloverinme

Joined 8 years ago

unique spot. the vegetables are great & fresh, love the sea bass packet :) and garlic noodles. the pepper crab was too salty. service was slow, we waited almost 50 mins. for a party of 6. that ambience is great, nice place to unwind or to get a drink before a night on the town

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

The third time's all charm for this growing empire of captivating Singaporean restaurants.. The Scene
It's a sleeker, more sophisticated space than the first two outposts of this beloved Bay Area mini-chain. Befitting its Santana Row locale, the glamorous space is all glitz--sleek Balinese furniture and antique gongs are juxtaposed with industrial stainless steel and lots of hard surfaces. The crowd is suitably posh, multicultural and youthful.

The Food
Back in 1987, the first Straits Cafe introduced San Franciscans to cuisine that was an exotic coalescing of flavors from China, Malaysia, India and Indonesia. This menu offers many of the original showstoppers, such as the Chinese-style poh pia--spring roll wrappers straight-jacketing a pile of julienned carrot, jicama, bamboo shoots, chopped fresh and dried shrimp and sausage--and rice wine-braised sea bass dotted with dried longan fruit. But the menu also bows to unadventurous tastes with ubiquitous dishes like grilled chicken Caesar salad and a paper cone of golden french fries served with kaffir-lime aioli.

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subbunns

Joined 11 years ago

Disappointing. Really, there is zero bang for buck. There is utter confusion at the hostess desk, no one has a clue about wait time. We were told on the phone, that usually walk-ins are seated in 20 mins ...longest 20 mins of our lives ! All dishes and drinks arrive out of order, and your waiter disappears only to show up rarely. Our Pratha was half-cooked, and crab cakes were lousy (most expensive all the things we ate, but utterly disappointing). I really doubt we would subject ourselves to this place again.

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layla123

Joined 9 years ago

Not Impressed. I have tried this place twice. The food is really good but overpriced for the small amount you get. The service is pretty bad. Went once on my friend's bday. Drinks took a really long time and when they finally did arrive, the server spilled two whole drinks all over her lap. Second time we went, the bartender was really slow. We waited well over 5 minutes to pay in a near empty bar so we could go to our table. The server was okay, but drinks again took a long time. The busser never brought us water refills until long after dinner was over. They checked our yet unpaid bill no less than three times. It wasn't like they were waiting to use our table. Several emtpy tables were around us. Don't understand what all the hype is. Like I said, good food, but overpriced and service needs help.