I went to this restaurant without a reservation on a Saturday evening. It was not full but still the owner was kind of cranky about not reserving before. We checked if they could do jain food, not only they were not ready for any customisation but also the waiter was super rude about this. We ordered the dhokli and Mango salad. Both were decent nothing great about it. read more

Besharam - Dhokli - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The first thing we knew to do when coming to SF was going to Besharam and it went above expectations. We had to change our reservation to another day and they were very accommodating. On top of that, we arrived 45 minutes early and they made room for us, the service was exquisite. There wasn't a time we had to look around for them. We wanted to eat everything, but started simple. We had a drink each - the khoobsurat and kabhi khushi kabhie gham. Both were amazing. We started with the drunken pani puri and gobbled those up within minutes. How they were able to bring in all that flavor was amazing. We ordered dahi vada which was the perfect crispy and yogurty! The next app we had was dabeli parantha. Another item that was packed with flavor. We went with one last app the kachori dumplings and three words - OH MY GOD! We had one entree- samosa dhokli - two things we both love. Such a unique take and tasted better than the OG! We finished off with shrikhand cheesecake! The berry compote was an amazing addition that provided the amazing tart! We loved it! Too bad Chicago is so far away, otherwise we would be here everyday! We wanted to do the tasting menu, but chose a la carte instead and as Gujaratis loved all the food! Great work Chef Heena! We will be back (but please come to Chicago!) There was plenty of space and the noise levels were perfect for a romantic dinner. read more

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Drunken Pani Puri - 4* for taste (but puris had hole in bottom very quickly :( - so eat them super fast) Pakoras - 7* Undiyo Pie - 2* Samosa Dhokli - 3* Chole + Paratha - 5* Nice ambience and good service . read more

BEWARE - CONSUMER FRAUD - BEWARE They offer an a la carte menu and they offer a 2- or 3-item menu for slightly more. What they don't tell you anywhere on the menu is that if you order the 2- or 3-item menu, you get a *much* smaller portion (about half of the size) than if you had bought them a la carte. Instead of getting a bargain, as you would expect, you get ripped off. I asked for the owner and not only did he not apologize, he said that's the way they do it. I agree with one of the other reviews that said Paresh is pompous and rude. If he worked for me, he'd be fired in about two minutes for his attitude towards customers. If they had said on the menu that it was a smaller portion, I wouldn't have had an issue. This is consumer fraud and I will be reporting it to the city and state. Consumers should not be deceived like this. read more

Besharam - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Went with a couple of friends who together ticks off quite a lot of dietary restrictions (either due to allergies or life choices) and we were accommodated with no problems! We had the tasting menu, and each person got the dishes adjusted to fit their dietary needs. All the dishes were super flavorful and with just a hint of heat. The location is a bit out of the way, but the space is great - intimate yet energetic. In the same building there are art galleries, so it's a nice place to walk around before your reservation. The only slight downside to our evening was the waiter service. Unfortunately it was slow, and with long periods of complete inattentiveness to our table. Overall though a great experience and I'll be back for the delicious food. read more

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Was pleasantly surprised with my experience at Besharam. A fully vegetarian restaurant with a tasting menu that's $75 pp. First of all the name Besharam translates to Shameless. What a name. Secondly, our service was amazing, Sal our server truly took care of us. We loved the lively atmosphere & decided on the tasting menu & added on the (impossible) vindaloo meatballs. Chutney & pickles- a great sampler of different flavors of sweet, tangy, & spicy. Khasta- stuffed pooris were a burst of flavor. Really liked this one. Mooli salad - (mooli translates to radish) however this reminded me of a beet salad subbing paneer instead of feta. Light refreshing & the flavors complement each other. Personal preference- Would have been ok without this one but still good. Gujurati Daal- hot and sour lentil soup, a tart tasting daal that was addicting to taste & a change from the other flavors. Nimbu Pani- translates to lemon water, their own lemonade as a palate cleanser. Kaju Masala & Butter beans had a similar profile for me. One was spicer than the other. I didn't think they stood out from each other. They even look similar but both were layered with flavor. Malai kofta- you can never go wrong with paneer kofta & they did a good job here with a cashew cream sauce. Pulav- so good! Basmati rice is an art to perfect & they did a great job with flavor & form. The rice went perfect with the curry & Raita. Parathas- also delicious just like mom makes them! Went perfectly with the curry dishes especially the malai kofta. Meatballs - this was the show stopper. Made from impossible meat the vindaloo spice flavor & texture of these meatballs was mind blowing. Lastly, the Ras Malai was light floral & refreshing. A light dessert after a heavy meal is exactly what we needed. We got the Sakoon & Salman Khan (both whiskey cocktails) both delicious but quite strong. Ambiance 5/5 Service 5/5 Food 5/5 read more

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Eylan prices for really average food. The food was really good the one time we had visited a few years back. This week was extremely disappointing. Nothing really hit the mark. We will not be going back. read more

Besharam was a stunning experience. Roughly translated to "shameless," Chef Heena Patel shamelessly rocks these traditional Gujarati dishes with her own stunning twists. We went with a party of 3 and ordered a total of three apps and three entrees alongside rice and cheese naan which was the perfect amount. For starters, we had the Dahi Wada, Pakoras, and Paneer Satay. The Dahi Wada was a culmination of Indian chaat flavors - tamarind tanginess combined with chilled and tangy yogurt. It's a flavor journey but it's a shame that though plating was beautiful, the entree itself was quite small. The pakoras were a bit more dense and filling, and the hot honey drizzle was impactful. However, in my opinion, the star appetizer was the Paneer Satay. The sear on the paneer was absolutely divine and there was a surrounding sauce that tasted like sriracha mayo but much more elevated. Moving on to the entrees, we had the Maska Paneer, Malai Koftas, and Tandoori Elote. The Maska Paneer, as mentioned in previous reviews, has paneer crumbles as opposed to cubes which was a fun twist. To me it was a great dish but felt like a much tamer saag - I feel like I've had more flavorful spinach dishes elsewhere. The Tandoori Elote was certainly a surprise and cannot be found anywhere else. It featured corn bits in a peanut sauce, and the corn was sweet. If you've had corn soup at Chinese restaurants it tastes rather similar in sweetness. Great dish as well and a welcome new addition to Besharam's menu. The standouts of the night, however, were the Malai Koftas and the Cheesy Garlic Naan. The Malai Kofta had a cashew sauce that was immaculate - it tasted EXTREMELY like butter chicken but much better (that's the best description I can do!) It was paired extremely well with the cheese naan which had an insane cheese pull. The naan itself was huge like a pizza, and it was like if a mozzarella stick and naan made sweet love to make this precious baby. Seriously - every slice had cheese pulling out without being overly obnoxious and it was amazing. I used the entrees of the Malai Kofta, Maska Paneer, and Tandoori Elote as sauces for the naan. It reminded me of Cheese Board pizza in Berkeley, quite honestly (that's a compliment!) Service explained the menu extremely well and was kind and apt. Ambiance had the restaurant in a rather dim, but intimate space. Art murals were cool and it's next to an art gallery. 25% surcharge added to bill which makes this on the pricier side but I'd recommend this spot for weekend nights out. Too long to read? Get the Malai Koftas and Cheesy Garlic Naan. They'll blow you away. Everything else is just extra credit that'll leave your stomach happy. read more

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The partial owner (slash "door host") Paresh is pompous and rude. For parties of 6 or more, the ONLY option is their pre-set tasting menu, running over $100 each once you factor the mandatory tip, etc. That is all fine, until/unless you don't like what's on the tasting menu -- and particularly when the reservation option distinguishes pre-fix versus dinner -- AND WE specifically chose the dinner option, so we wouldn't be locked in. No problem spending money for a good meal, but I want to PICK my meal. But to make things worse, when showing the host the CLEAR RESERVATION, be not only refused to budge, but literally laughed in our face -- like "what are you going to do about it." With all that said, Food was DELICIOUS, and server (Shyrissa) AMAZING, which salvaged this from a one star, (yes, Paresh was bad enough to truly taint the evening). But Paresh needs to go back to school and learn about proper guest treatment. Hate to even suggest this, but have to wonder if being a table of gay guys led to "special treatment" from this guy. But based on some other reviews specific of Paresh, it seems he is just equal opportunity rude. read more

This place has a nice ambience, staff & above all - it has a great quality food. A little bit pricy but it's the quality & taste what makes it worth. I appreciated the creativity & deliciousness that was pulled in the lunch we had. read more

Besharam - The shrikhand cheesecake - delicious - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Delicious and interesting take on Indian food, great service, and worth trying. The location is in Dogpatch, so it was relatively easy to find parking. They open for dinner at 5pm, but if you reach early you can take a stroll in the gallery next door. If you are a party of 5 and up, you have to get their tasting menu. Since we were a small group, we opted for a-la-carte. You need to order your order of appetizers and entrees at once but they serve one after the other. The food was delicious, especially kachori dumplings with sesame rasam, dabeli paratha, malai kofta, ringan nu oro (eggplant bharta). Roti and cheese paratha were great too. The patra kadhi and cocktails were okay. Their Shrikhand cheesecake was perfect- not too sweet. Overall would definitely recommend. read more

Besharam - Kachori dumplings - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Food was fantastic! Got the uttapum which was a lot fluffier than I am used to and the pav bhaji which was so buttery and rich. The uttapum was topped with nice mushrooms that worked well with the green chutney and micro herbs. The place inside is also well decorated, and has a good amount of light if u go in the day time. Service was also speedy and respectful. The servers explained the dishes well too. Great experience! read more

Besharam - Uttapum - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great waitress and excellent food. Atmosphere is low key but cute with plenty of street parking. Favorites were the chaat and shrikhand dessert. read more

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Quick Summary: - Located within the art gallery - Reservation recommended, although we didn't follow this method - Vegetarian option - Noise level - medium-high - Indoor seating only - I liked how on the website menu it included images with it The restaurant is attached to the art gallery, but the entrance is separate from it. An easy indicator is the vibrant pink neon sign that glows in the night. Inside is a cozy size; one side of the wall is all windows, so you can view the art pieces while eating. The other side of the restaurant is a bar. Once we entered minutes after the clock struck opening hours, the staff asked if there was a reservation. We didn't, so they offered two tables closest to the entrance. For just the two of us, the table was small but not too small that our legs were bumping into each other. The table was always cleared out when we finished eating, so there was never a moment when the table felt cramped. The portions were unexpected; through the images it felt like the portions were light and we will leave hungry; however, in the end three dishes with dessert filled us up unexpectedly well. I want to thank the staff who guided us through the different menu options, and hinted at us that when ordering dessert we should split the cheese cake in half instead of eating it individually. That was a wonderful advice. We ordered the Malai Koftas with a side of Pratha, and Dahi Wada. For dessert we ordered a Shrikhand Cheesecake with chai tea. My favorite was the Dahi Wada. If you are a fan of pani puri, this had similar ingredients. I would have ordered a pani puri, but this one contained alcohol, which I wasn't feeling like eating with at that time. I loved the texture of the Dahi Wada. It has a crispy base and there was a punch of sourness. The Malai Koftas came alongside the Pratha. Without the staff explaining to use what the dishes were going to be like, we would not have realized that this dish needs a edible scooping agent like a naan or a Pratha. We chose the Pratha for the light crispiness. This dish had four fried patties suspended on a cashew sauce. We used the Pratha to scoop up the dish. In terms of the sauce, the flavor is strong but it's not salty. However, without a naan or a Pratha, I wouldn't be able to eat this like soup. To finish the dish, we cut up a slice of the cheese cake and drank the chai tea. I liked how the chai tea wasn't sweet and had a floral element of cardamon. The cheesecake was on the sweet end in my opinion, especially the crust. In each bite, we tasted a bit of saffron. read more

Besharam - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great food and an interesting take on Gujurati favorites. Wonderful ambience and service. Saw the review in Sunset magazine and had to try it. Was worth the trek. read more

The appetizers are the real stars here. I found most of the mains to be very run-of-the-mill, with nothing really standing out as unique or especially delicious. The drinks were equally underwhelming. And the price...WOW! I will also say that while I gave them my card and said, "go ahead and charge," I got a weird look when I asked for an itemized receipt. I then realized that the tip line was empty, after we had already paid close to ~23% in additional "service" type charges. I'm fine with paying and tipping appropriately for a meal that is incredible and has great service. This was not that experience for me. Be prepared for a hefty bill, and food that is fine, but nowhere near some classic places that I will absolutely go back to. It's a hearty no for me. It was a bummer. read more

The food here was wonderful and creative. I loved that it was all vegetarian. The dinner for 3 of us was spendy tho $200! Service was fine (20% service charge included in the bill) Ambiance nice especially with early dine time. I'd go back read more

The staff and our server was sweet - but that's really about it. The food was ABYSMAL! Why has the standard of food in SF gone down so much that people will leave raving reviews for frozen roti and overpriced koftas with below average curry ? Frozen rotis.. seriously? They should be embarrassed (it's in their name). Never again. This is an embarrassment- we brought our out of town friends here and were beyond disappointed. read more

Besharam - Roti? This looks like frozen roti ! - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Food: 4 Decor: 4 Service: 4 Came here for dinner with a party of 7 after booking a week in advance. Overall great dinner and one of my favorite Indian spots in the city. Parties of 6 or more are required to opt for the tasting menu. KHASTA pooris, spiced peas, chutneys, sev stonestreet sauvignon blanc, sonoma county DHOKLA savory lentil cake, cranberry chili glaze ENDIVE PEAR SALAD blood orange, lime mint dressing, walnuts NIMBU PANI mint, ginger, cumin MALAI KOFTA panner croquettes, cashew cream sauce roco pinot noir, willamette valley PULAV pea rice, beetroot chips, chili oil BUTTER BEANS ginger, scallions PARATHAS wheat flat bread RAITA cucumber, ginger RAS MALAI sweet caramelized milk, rose flavored paneer, pistachio Menu 85 Per Guest Favorites: khasta, dhokla, endive pear salad Gin cocktail (top of cocktail list) was also decent. Service was good. read more

I recently went to Besharam with my uncle. Besharam is 100 percent pure veg aka lacto-vegetarian fine dining Indian restaurant in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco. We went here recently and was packed. Service was friendly. I spent more than three years in India over eight winters. My uncle recently returned last winter from his first sojourn to India. The atmosphere and ambiance here was just fine. A nice restaurant. He is vegetarian and I am vegan. The menu features cuisine from Gujarat and Mumbai aka Bombay. The menu is a bit challenging to navigate with too many options yet our waiter gave us some suggestions. My uncle went with a paneer dish and naan. I went with Chloe aka garbanzo beans and roti made vegan sans ghee. We split the Ringan No Pro aka fire charred eggplant. My uncle is a tough critic. He gave it two stars. He quipped I had better paneer at the airport in Bangalore than this paneer. He got the halva for dessert to go and later said it wasn't that good. I felt the food was costly aka expensive. I liked that it was pure veg aka vegetarian with clearly labeled vegan options. I was happy to see the restaurant was packed as makes me very happy to see a vegetarian or vegan restaurant packed with so many folks enjoying vegetarian or vegan cuisine. Our server was friendly. I felt my food was tasty. It was a light fare. They did have a $75 dollar tasting menu featuring a little bit of everything on the menu yet my uncle felt like if he loved what he ordered he would be keen to come back to try it. Our waiter said that they can customize the tasting menu to be vegan. I concur with my uncle. The bill for what we ordered was nearly as much as if we both got the tasting menu. This is our feelings on our recent experience here. read more

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We had an early reservation so there weren't many patrons when we arrived, but by the time we left it was packed. The space is attractive & it was nice to be able to carry on a conversation despite the "buzz." We sat near the open kitchen & were intrigued & attracted by the view & aromas. Our server was knowledgeable about the menu items & made good recommendations. She was the perfect balance of attentive & giving us space. Last but most definitely not least, the food was aMAZing! Every single thing we ordered was perfectly prepared & bursting with freshness & flavor. Can't say we'll come often because we live in Marin so Dogpatch isn't very handy, but highly recommend! read more

I was super excited to try this spot out for a friend's surprise birthday. The food was delicious and the plating and presentation lived up to the hype. Recommend the Cheesy Garlic Naan and Malai Koftas. The drinks are definitely overpriced. I got a non-alcoholic drink that was $14 and it was not worth it. Never paying that much for juice again. The service is where it lost a star. We asked the staff to keep the birthday a surprise til the end so we could bring out a dessert. The staff put birthday hats we brought on table right away so it ruined surprise a bit but not a big deal. The issue was that we almost never saw our waiter. We had to hunt him down anytime we needed anything like water. At the end, we were the last people at the restaurant and no one came to take our card. We had to go up to the closing staff to pay and leave. The restaurant has an auto 20% gratuity and 5% SF tax for everyone (even small groups). read more

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Probably worst places I have been to in recent time in the Bay Area. The dinner gave me food poisoning. Appetisers were soggy and very average. Entrées were hard to eat, very oily and not well cooked. We paid almost $900 for our group of 6 and it was a horrible experience. They should shut down the place honestly. Sad to see them defaming Indian food experience read more

I had high expectations after hearing about this restaurant from my friends, but unfortunately, this place was a bit of a letdown. An Indian restaurant that charges for chutneys - that's a red flag in my book. Let's start with the positives first. Finding the restaurant tucked away in the Minnesota Street Project felt like stumbling upon a hidden gem. This also meant that parking was easy to find, which is great. The restaurant is vibrant and has a warm and pleasant ambiance. Now, let's switch gears. Besharam definitely lived up to its name (which translates to "shameless" in hindi) when it comes to service. We were a party of 5. While the 4 of us were waiting for our 5th friend to arrive, we decided to order some appetizers, only to be told by our server that they only take full order (not sure if that's the restaurant policy but we didn't bother to clarify). Anyway, after our friend joined us, we decided to order a few appetizers and one entree. When we were ready to place our order, our server kept pushing us to order more food for our party size, despite us telling him that we were okay with what we were getting. We've never had a server be so pushy that it felt a bit sales-y. When we politely opted for our own selection, he seemed almost disappointed. Speaking of selection, the pacing of our food left a lot to be desired. Everything seemed to arrive at once, turning our meal into an unintentional eating competition. We were inhaling food to make space for the next dish on our table (partly because our servers didn't do a good job of removing empty plates from our table). The food itself was a mixed bag. Mango lassi was delicious - thick and creamy with perfect sweetness level. The masala chai was okay. Most of the dishes fell flat and were bland. The Dahi Wada, a lentil dumpling in creamy yogurt, was good and flavorful because of the tamarind chutney. The Pav Bhaji Puff, a unique take on the classic street food, had potential, but the pastry crust was a tad dry. The Drunken Pani Puri, a fun twist on the traditional pani puri with a boozy filling, was a playful idea, but we could hardly taste the gin. The Dabeli Paratha, a flatbread stuffed with spiced potato filling, was decent, but nothing special. The Kachori Dumplings, another lentil dish, were a bit underseasoned. The Malai Koftas, vegetable dumplings in a creamy sauce, were the clear winner - flavorful and rich. The Garlic Naan, on the other hand, was very cheesy and filling. Apart from their a la carte menu, they also have a tasting menu priced at $75/person that is served family style and requires everyone at the table to participate. In my opinion, it is not worth it. You are better off ordering items from the a la carte menu. read more

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Was a little tentative coming in due to the higher price point for vegetarian Indian food, but it was largely a good experience. We were around 15 minutes late, and the staff was very nice about holding our table. The starters were particularly good. It was our first time trying pani puri, and the server was patient with her explanations. Unfortunately, the mains were nice flavor-wise but too spicy for our taste. Our party was split on whether or not to return, but it was a great location for our Chase Center show after dinner. read more

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2024 was the year I was introduced to this restaurant with bold flavors that keeps your pallet wanting more! Chef Heena Patel is not only showcasing her regional Gujarati cuisine of India. She has curated some unforgettable dishes that satisfies your taste buds like no other restaurant I've ever been to before. Out of this world flavors! My favorites: 1) CHEESY GARLIC NAAN with pine nuts, mozzarella, sunflower seeds. -AMAZING!!! I CAN EAT THE WHOLE SERVING TO MYSELF. But sharing is caring so sharing I must. =) 2) DRUNKEN PANI PURI with semolina puffs, pea ragda, shallots, lemon tamarind water, mint, gin. -What a fun adventure to go on with this dish. The joy of pouring the lemon tamarind water into a delicious pea ragda and shallot filled puff. Fantastic! 3) LAMB MEAT BALLS plant based, vindaloo sauce -Yes! You got that right. It is plant base meat balls. But you'll think you are eating regular "meat" balls, can't even tell it's not meat. The Vindaloo Sauce is fire! It has a nice kick to it and your taste buds will keep wanting more! 4) HALWA caramelized carrot, cashews, nutmeg -This dessert is soooooooo delicious! It's nice and warm too. Sweet and savory! Great way to end the meal. I can eat this all day! So GOOD! We've tried other dishes on the menu too! Everything we've tasted so far is superb. Make sure to make a reservation! Otherwise you can eat at the bar, if it's not packed. Bartender Jesse is quite the mixologist and knows his way behind the bar. The cocktails are fabulous!! The atmosphere is always filled with great energy. The place is always packed. This is definitely a hidden gem and is worth finding. You've struck gold when you do! I always leave thinking about my next visit! That's how great the cuisine is here at Besharam. It's the most unique culinary experience I've ever had! read more

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The food is served like Indian Tapas (family style). It was pretty good and flavorful, but a little pricey and overrated for what it was. I enjoyed the Pani Puri, Dal Dokhli, and cheesy garlic naan. I was kind of annoyed by the automatic 20% tip + 5% Sf mandate tax when we were only a party of 4. (I tip 20%, but I found it presumptuous with a smaller party.) read more

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Besharam - Bold, Creative, and Absolutely Delicious Besharam is one of the most exciting Indian restaurants in SF, offering modern, innovative takes on traditional flavors while staying true to its roots. Every dish was beautifully plated, deeply flavorful, and felt like a celebration of bold spices and textures. Maska Paneer - A creamy, luscious dish with rich, melt-in-your-mouth paneer and a perfect balance of spice. The texture was amazing, and it paired so well with the warm, flaky roti. And the paneer is made in-house! Dal Makhani - This dish was comfort food perfection--slow-cooked, deeply spiced, and rich with a velvety texture. Topped with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, it was one of the best dal makhanis I've had in the Bay Area. Pav Bhaji - A fun, nostalgic dish that was spicy, buttery, and packed with umami. The fluffy pav was toasted perfectly, and dipping it into the bhaji was incredibly satisfying. Roti - The roti was soft yet slightly charred, adding a rustic touch to the meal. The way it was served standing up was such a cool visual! Dabeli Paratha - This was one of the most unique dishes--a fusion of the classic dabeli (a spiced potato street food favorite) with crispy paratha layers. It was crunchy, sweet, spicy, and had incredible texture contrast. Besharam doesn't hold back on flavors--everything was vibrant, well-spiced, and just fun to eat. The ambiance is warm and inviting, and the staff was super friendly. Highly recommend for anyone looking for bold Indian flavors with a creative twist! Must-try: Dabeli Paratha Perfect for: Indian food lovers, adventurous eaters, and anyone who enjoys unique, well-spiced dishes Already planning my next visit! read more

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Last minute Saturday night dinner. Place was busy but we were seated at the bar immediately. My dinner companion noted that though the place was fairly crowded, it was not loud maybe because the ceiling is covered with something to dampen sound. Cucumber Gimlet: refreshing Passionfruit something cocktail: tasty, on the sweet side. Khandvi besan rolls were unique, with the blend of pine nut pesto and toasted coconut. Dal makhani tasted pretty standard--complex, warm spices without being bitter, homey and delicious. The best thing we ate,, imo. Wellington was also quite tasty and another interesting and unique combination of flavors and techniques. Ras malai was another highlight that gave the dal makhani a run for its money. definitely worth a trek out to the dog patch. read more

This is one of if not the best Indian restaurants I've been to. The food, the teas, the vibe are superb. Get the chai and mango lassi. This venue offers treasured family recipes. Many of us have not tasted what she offers even if you recognize the name of the dish. read more

Besharam - Chai tea - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Elevated vegetarian Indian food. Some of the dishes were more traditional (malai koftas) but had a modern twist. I could have eaten the mango sauce that came with the koftas by the spoonful. Although the food is pricier than what you may expect, I think the creativity and execution of the dishes made our visit well worth it! read more

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*NOTE - I am writing this review solely based on the Diwali Menu that was served on 11/11 & 11/12 . I will definitely write another review once I've tried their standard menu * This past weekend my girlfriend and I decided to dine at Besharam to try their Diwali Thali experience. The restaurant itself is fairly nice - the main dining room is warmly lit and the interior decoration/ paintings are very cool. We were seated outside of the main dining area in an open hall which leads to the Minnesota Project (which I would like to check out some time soon). Our meal started with an assortment of Khakra/ pappadam and Chutneys (Coconut Mint, Apple, Mango, and one more I fail to remember). The chutneys were very unique and fun takes on classics that I've had a lot as a child. We also ordered drinks that were both very solid - I got the Love In Tokyo which was like doctored up Gin and Tonic and my girlfriend got the Peaches Patel. Afterwards a pre-selected meal was served. The meal included *Daal *Malai Kofta *Besam Kadhi *Methi Curry with a Besan Fritter *Samosa , Dhokla, and Pakora *Tindora + Potato Sabji *Poori and Methi Paratha Almost everything we had was very solid - my favorite items personally were the Daal (which had a mix of black pigeon peas, black chickpeas, and several other lentils) and the methi curry with the fritter. For me, my Malai kofta was a little under done in the middle and I found my bread to be a little on the colder side. This didn't deter from the flavor of these items at all but I think fixing those things would've made the experience better overall Also, while the meal was delicious, my girlfriend and I did find our curries to be a little on the saltier side. Once the main meal was done, we were brought a small assortment of dessert items - A Gulab Jamun, Kaju Kathli, and Milk Cake. All three were solid, with the Milk Cake being the best in my opinion. Food aside, the service here was excellent. Our server Sal was extremely friendly and accommodated us very well. All in all, Besharam is serving some good quality takes on traditional Indian food. Aside from the few comments I made, my girlfriend and I enjoyed our meal a lot and I will definitely be coming back to try the regular menu. 4/5 read more

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Only got appetizers. They were good! The dishes are creative. Haven't tried the main course yet.

3.5 stars. On the way to lunch, we noticed Besharam's limited lunch menu was nothing like the more exciting dinner menu we had first heard about but decided to go ahead with our plans to eat there. Besharam serves upscale versions of vegetarian Indian dishes. We ordered: -- Mango Salad ($14): gorgeously plated, had a delicious white sesame miso dressing. -- Thali ($22): trio of starches to be eaten with four dips, of sorts. I believe we got a taste of Malai Kofta which was a teaser of the dinner menu's creativity. -- Naan Vada ($22): spiced potato fritters on naan was the dish my group liked least. -- Uttapum ($19): savory lentil pancake with a unique (to me) texture. The mild flavor was a break from the two more in-your-face mains. Service was a mixed bag. Friendly servers, irritable host (perhaps someone more cheerful should be the welcoming committee.) I talk about time & money invested in going out to eat & whether it's worth it because there are infinite options where one could be spending both. I do feel a bit jipped that I spent my experience on lunch rather than dinner, I take responsibility for that oversight, however it does mean the chances of my coming back to try Besharam's larger menu are slim to none. Adulting means I know I've already used my arbitrarily allotted time & money on them. read more

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Ate here for a second time and just so pleased with all the flavors and absolute deliciousness. I've gone for dinner and brunch and shared 4-5 dishes with friends each time. Great cocktails, too. Take in the Minnesota Projects galleries right next door. Captivating art to complement a fantastic culinary experience! read more

We were so excited to come here and try their take on the Gujarati dishes and flavors that my husband grew up with. Our friend made a reservation for a party of seven for dinner. We specifically did not choose the prix fixe tasting menu, as we were looking forward to sampling a variety of dishes. When we arrived, our server (Shyrissa - throughout the night, she was great!) informed us that parties of six or more MUST order the tasting menu. We understood that policy was out of her hands, so our friend who made the reservation went to show the host (Paresh) that the reservation clearly showed that we had picked the dinner option. After much back and forth, including showing that their website still permitted new reservations for 6+ people to select the non-tasting option, he refused to budge. Their reservation website clearly needs work. If parties of 6 must do the tasting menu, don't allow them to make reservations for the dinner menu! This is basic UX stuff: don't allow people to put themselves into invalid states. We later found out that the disclaimer about parties of 6 was hidden behind a tiny "Read more" link. More basic UX stuff: don't hide critical information. Maybe this was intentional to tricky people into the more expensive option. After our friend returned to the table, my husband went to go speak with Paresh. The reason he gave (in a rude, condescending voice) for the policy on parties of six is that they "didn't want us to all sit there staring at each other while we waited for food to come out at different times and then complaining that the food got cold". Well, that's our call to make, not yours, and that is in fact exactly what we wanted: lots of different dishes arriving at different times so we could try them all! And had we split our party into tables of four and three, it seems like they would have been happy to serve us the dinner menu. This reasoning seems incredibly flimsy, and I can only assume that the policy is a money grab. Had Paresh left it at that, we might have too. But after my husband told him we'd still like to dine there, he said in a horribly sarcastic and mocking tone of voice, "Oh, thank you soooo much!" We were incredibly close to just walking out at this point. But as we'd already ordered drinks, we decided to stay and see if the food was better than the service we'd received that far. Well, we all thoroughly enjoyed the food, and that's the only reason this wasn't a one-star review! It's clear that Heena is an excellent chef. The malai kofta was especially delicious and the ras malai was plated beautifully. However, we've had larger quantities of similarly excellent food elsewhere in the Bay Area for much less money. We ultimately felt the price was too high for what we got. With one drink each and the mandatory 25% tip/surcharge, the bill came to almost $1000, which is among the most expensive meals we'd ever had. Had our treatmeant by the host been absolutely exceptional, we may have walked away happy enough. But it wasn't, and we didn't. Besharam means shameless. Shame on us for staying even after being treated that way, I guess. We won't be back. read more

I rarely write reviews, but our experience at Besheram in San Francisco was so frustrating that it deserves to be shared. We drove over an hour to celebrate my wife's birthday, only to be told on arrival that reservations were required. The worst part? Nowhere on their website does it say that reservations are needed. When we pointed this out, the staff agreed that the information wasn't listed--yet still turned us away. There was no apology, no empathy, and absolutely no attempt to make things right. Their customer service felt dismissive and unprofessional. Thanks to this lack of transparency and basic courtesy, they managed to ruin my wife's birthday evening before it even started. If you value clear communication, decent hospitality, or even just common courtesy, I'd strongly recommend choosing another restaurant. Besheram, thank you for nothing. read more

A small update: their interiors have been redone and the outer space is now part of the main restaurant area. A much better design and interior now. They have a smaller lunch menu, which is very good. Favs: Pav bhaji Uttapam Rasmalai French toast Papdi chaat Ok dishes: Vada pav Masala burger (good but not great) read more

The owner's behavior was blatantly racist. My husband and were completely ignored while other non-brown guests were greeted warmly and served immediately. The experience felt uncomfortable and unwelcoming. Many reviews mention similar racist behavior -- I wish I had read them before visiting. read more

Besharam - When the welcome depends on who walks in. Some tables gets red carpet, others dont. - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Overall 4/5. The ambience is quaint and comfortable ( as most upscale restaurants are). Service - no complaints. The food : 1. Pav bhaji Puff : 2/5 The bhaji was tasty but didn't go well with the puff. It felt incompatible and incomplete. Left a lot to be desired. 2. Samosa Dhokli : 4/5 A thoughtful dish that is well planned dish with a lot of fun elements/ flavors. The only caveat for us was it was too sweet. Ask for a spicy version and you have a star dish. The yuba sheets have such an interesting consistency. 3. Dabeli paratha: 3/5 The topping has radish!!. (I wish that was mentioned in the menu). The dish was flavorful but it wasn't anything exceptional. The chutney doesn't come with it??? Felt a little preposterous. Overall, it was decent. read more

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