Mandi House
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I have tried Yemeni food many times before and was excited to have it in SF. We ordered the lamb and chicken plates. The meats were well seasoned and flavorful, but quite dry. I strongly recommend drizzling the white and red sauces with the meats to help with the dryness. The highlight of the night was actually the lamb soup! Packed with flavor, the lamb soup was light and absolutely delicious!! It was so good that I ordered 2 cups. At times, the service was a bit slow, perhaps because they can be quite busy. I really liked the interior and the screens showing the vast history and geography of Yemen. Moreover, the servers are very nice and provide great tips if you don't know what to order.
Opens late YAY! What a beautiful and bright interior design! Music adds to the lively atmosphere! Happy to see lots of large group seating lower to the floor, how fun and unique. Saw some groups of 4 and some groups of 8 in these spaces. Lamb and chicken Mandi were big and loved putting the sauce over the rice, and everything really! Also comes with a more salsa like red sauce. I liked lamb more. The grilled chicken had burnt bits, a bit dry. Lamb was served two styles: grilled and something else, server advised the grilled version is more dry than the other way. $2.99 Lamb Soup was delicious, tasty broth. Favorite dish was hrada of fahsa. HOT. Comes with large bread! Auto Mandatory 15% tip for groups of 4 or more. Besides taking our order and swiftly dropping off food, you have to get up to get your own waters, no one checked in throughout the meal. For The bit of interaction there was, they were kind. The busboy was swamped, both cleaning tables plus placing food on your table. There were 5 tables waiting to be cleaned after guests left and I saw him working hard to keep up. Could benefit having more staff. Can't wait to return and bring friends!
The mixed dishes were a fantastic way to try a little bit of everything! The haneeth, lamb mandi, and chicken mandi were all flavorful, tender, and packed with authentic Yemeni spices. The lamb was especially delicious, and the mandi rice was fragrant and perfectly seasoned. Great portions and a satisfying meal overall. The service was great and the server suggested us with a good starter( I didn't take a picture of it) It was lamb kebab with sort of Shirazi salad with it and it came with bread. The tone of this restaurant is really unique and relaxing. Definitely a place I'd come back to try more of the menu!
15% GRATUITY AUTOMATIC. 15% AUTOMATIC SERVICE CHARGE FOR GROUPS OF 4+ Please note the above! We didn't realize this because we were so confused and distracted by the menu. It is a bit insane to be charged 30% for any group of 4 or more; 4 is not even typically considered a large group. TLDR; this place has potential! The food is solid. But I'd recommend waiting until they get more settled and figure out service to visit. Tip/service charge will be 30% for large groups. A beautiful space. They really did a great job decorating. However, with the plastic plates, cups, and table covers (along with some other touches), the place ends up feeling more like a well-decorated cafeteria than a classy restaurant. Which may be the point, but I wasn't expecting it. You are quite packed into the dining space, making it a bit uncomfortable and loud. They are still figuring out service. Nice people, but they're lacking communication as we had three different people trying to seat us. Multiple people would also come as we pressed the call button-- sweet, but very obviously disorganized. Food was the highlight. We got the shafoot (yogurt dip), tanoor bread, and no. 1 combo. All were excellent. The rice with the combo was fantastic-- it has crunchy almond slivers and golden raisins which complement all of the spices in the rice. I honestly would love to eat here again! Now, the menu is quite overwhelming. There are descriptions on one side, then the same in photos on the other-- but sometimes it spans multiple pages, and things don't align. There are so many pages as well, with breakfast, lunch, and shared plates, etc... it is easy to miss the auto tip and large party service charge. All in all, Mandi House has lots of potential, and I really enjoy having something different on Valencia! But I didn't really enjoy the ambiance or experience, which was a shame.
4.5 STARS Come in stretchy pants and your toes done because it's about to go down... Time to go ham on large platters of meat AND rice! LA's Mandi House was supposed to open by Ramadan but there's been delay after delay thanks to the city's red tape. As of last week, Mandi House is FINALLY OPEN... If you're familiar with this space, it doesn't have the best juju with restos opening, closing, opening, closing but *fingers crossed* Mandi House can turn things around...esp when this is the first Yemeni resto in the city outside of the TL. They're open everyday until 1 am. M E N U Traditional Yemeni Cuisine: Slow-cooked meats, hearty stews, aromatic rice, and housemade breads. 100% halal. F O O D * Hrada of Fahsah: Yemeni Lamb Stew w/ tanoor bread ($25.99): https://tinyurl.com/2uc53bc9 Fahsah is a traditional Yemeni stew served in a sizzling claypot. It's rich and hearty with meltingly soft shredded lamb in a savory, aromatic broth. The broth is infused with warming spices and the earthy bitterness from whipped fenugreek cuts through the richness of the meat. If you like birria, this will be your jam. Served with freshly made tandoor bread, think a huge round naan. * Lamb Mandi ($32.99): https://tinyurl.com/mwpsz2f3 Gently roasted in the oven, the lamb shank and lamb shoulder were tender and mildly spiced. Served over a huge bed of aromatic basmati rice with raisins, shallots, and almonds. * Madhbi: Grilled Lamb ($34.99): https://tinyurl.com/5n6r2z3e We were going to order the Haneeth (slow-roasted lamb) but our server recommended this grilled lamb instead. My least fav dish, the lamb was dry and bland. I was hoping for some smoky char from the grill and layered earthy spices. * Fries ($5.95) When you have the drunchies, crinkle cut or any kind of fries hit. Make sure to ask for their yogurt sauce (similar to raita). I'm surprised they didn't have zhug (hot sauce). S E R V I C E Warm Yemeni hospitality with prompt food service for Thursday evening dinner (not busy at the time). There's a call button on each table. A M B I A N C E Spacious two-levels dining area with earth tones and bold accent rugs, curtains, and traditional Yemeni clothing on wall. There's a prayer room. Regular tables and low tables for family-style meals. You have to remove your shoes for the low tables. Great space for large gatherings. P A R K I N G Nearest garage is a block away at 16th and Hoff. Overall, Mandi House is a welcome addition to the city. If you're looking for a hearty, meat-centric meal with leftovers for daaaayyys, give this new business a try.
I was excited to try this new restaurant in the neighborhood, but unfortunately I didn't have a great experience. Hopefully they're able to improve soon. For now, I'm being very generous with my rating for this below-average dining experience. Service was slow, which is expected for a new restaurant that's still figuring it out, so I'll ignore that for now. The strangest thing about the service was the lack of water. We asked for some water for our group of 4 people, and we just got handed 1 single Kirkland bottled water. Why didn't they just serve plain tap water? Also, while waiting for our dinner, I went to use the restroom and discovered that there was absolutely no soap or paper! Immediately, I was concerned about how unsanitary this place is. Kinda gross to think that the staff is handling food without basics like soap. For food, we ordered the #1 mixed dishes of haneeth, mandi lamb, and mandi chicken. Honestly, all the meat items were very bland and lacked spices/seasoning. At least the lamb was tender and fell off the bones. But my friend said his chicken was quite dry. The hummus was quite literally the blandest hummus I've ever eaten. Although the tandoor (Yemeni bread) that came with it was pretty good and quite large. The mutabbal was just okay, but we didn't like it enough to finish it. We also got the hrada of fish, which had more flavor and was pretty good. But it wasn't good enough to justify coming back again.
My favorite restaurant lately. The yummiest food. Trust me when I say you won't regret coming here. The food is flavorful and the service is excellent. The ambiance is very nice. My recommendation about the ambience is that I would dim the lights.
Updating my previous review: We came back, and this time the experience was completely different. Asim was super helpful, friendly, and made sure we were well taken care of. The service was amazing, and we're very happy to see such a big improvement. The food was delicious as always. My only recommendation would be to add more beef options to the menu. Keep up the great work! The facilitator of parking is very good person too
Food 5/5 All the food was very flavorful and fresh. Had a great spice to it. Service 3.5/5 Everyone was super nice and helpful but we did have to ask for waters twice. At first the wrong food came, and after asking for the check we waited quite a while. Ambiance 6/5 Amazing ambiance! Really love the interior, it is one of the best restaurant interiors I've seen in a long time. Also the front facade of the building is beautiful as well. We accidentally came in the evening if their soft opening but glad I did. The food was amazing, I'd definitely be back but with a larger group. Definitely seems like they don't have options for just two people. Food quantity is a lot and it is a bit pricey if just going for two or one people. I imagine their lunch menu quantity might be better. Can't wait to come back!
Amazing experience!! We came with a group of 8 to celebrate my wife birthday, the food and the service were fantastic. Our friends and my wife had so much fun and amazing and kind hospitality give to us a great ambiance, such an incredible team. Btw this is our third time and We loved!!!
I have been waiting for this Yemeni restaurant to open for a nearly year!! Today I happened to see them finally open so I could not resist to walk in and try their food!! It's such a beautiful restaurant and a lot of people were dining in already!! I walked in around 5:30pm without any reservation. I was seated pretty quick:) Food - I ordered HRADA OF SHRIMP, MUTABBAL, (a huge Yemenis bread came with it) and KARAK TEA. MUTABBAL was very flavorful and so delicious!!! I loved KARAK TEA very much, too!! Service - all of their staff were very kind and nice. However perhaps because I went there during very busy time, service was a bit slow and I could not get my tea until I asked them for the the 3rd time ( the 3rd time is the charm, y'all!!) . I did not get any water or the tea until after I finished eating my meals so I was super dehydrated, lol. The staff offered me if I would like to have the tea to go, and I finally got the liquid intake at the end. The tea was really good. I wish I could have it with my meals but that's ok I understand that they were super busy. There were many customers waiting outside. Happy to see the local business flourishing!
Reviews are generally positive. Diners praise the authentic Yemeni food, generous portions, beautiful ambiance, and friendly staff.
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1 month ago
2 months ago
9 days ago
I have tried Yemeni food many times before and was excited to have it in SF. We ordered the lamb and chicken plates. The meats were well seasoned and flavorful, but quite dry. I strongly recommend drizzling the white and red sauces with the meats to help with the dryness. The highlight of the night was actually the lamb soup! Packed with flavor, the lamb soup was light and absolutely delicious!! It was so good that I ordered 2 cups. At times, the service was a bit slow, perhaps because they can be quite busy. I really liked the interior and the screens showing the vast history and geography of Yemen. Moreover, the servers are very nice and provide great tips if you don't know what to order. read more
2 months ago
Opens late YAY! What a beautiful and bright interior design! Music adds to the lively atmosphere! Happy to see lots of large group seating lower to the floor, how fun and unique. Saw some groups of 4 and some groups of 8 in these spaces. Lamb and chicken Mandi were big and loved putting the sauce over the rice, and everything really! Also comes with a more salsa like red sauce. I liked lamb more. The grilled chicken had burnt bits, a bit dry. Lamb was served two styles: grilled and something else, server advised the grilled version is more dry than the other way. $2.99 Lamb Soup was delicious, tasty broth. Favorite dish was hrada of fahsa. HOT. Comes with large bread! Auto Mandatory 15% tip for groups of 4 or more. Besides taking our order and swiftly dropping off food, you have to get up to get your own waters, no one checked in throughout the meal. For The bit of interaction there was, they were kind. The busboy was swamped, both cleaning tables plus placing food on your table. There were 5 tables waiting to be cleaned after guests left and I saw him working hard to keep up. Could benefit having more staff. Can't wait to return and bring friends! read more
The mixed dishes were a fantastic way to try a little bit of everything! The haneeth, lamb mandi, and chicken mandi were all flavorful, tender, and packed with authentic Yemeni spices. The lamb was especially delicious, and the mandi rice was fragrant and perfectly seasoned. Great portions and a satisfying meal overall. The service was great and the server suggested us with a good starter( I didn't take a picture of it) It was lamb kebab with sort of Shirazi salad with it and it came with bread. The tone of this restaurant is really unique and relaxing. Definitely a place I'd come back to try more of the menu! read more
15% GRATUITY AUTOMATIC. 15% AUTOMATIC SERVICE CHARGE FOR GROUPS OF 4+ Please note the above! We didn't realize this because we were so confused and distracted by the menu. It is a bit insane to be charged 30% for any group of 4 or more; 4 is not even typically considered a large group. TLDR; this place has potential! The food is solid. But I'd recommend waiting until they get more settled and figure out service to visit. Tip/service charge will be 30% for large groups. A beautiful space. They really did a great job decorating. However, with the plastic plates, cups, and table covers (along with some other touches), the place ends up feeling more like a well-decorated cafeteria than a classy restaurant. Which may be the point, but I wasn't expecting it. You are quite packed into the dining space, making it a bit uncomfortable and loud. They are still figuring out service. Nice people, but they're lacking communication as we had three different people trying to seat us. Multiple people would also come as we pressed the call button-- sweet, but very obviously disorganized. Food was the highlight. We got the shafoot (yogurt dip), tanoor bread, and no. 1 combo. All were excellent. The rice with the combo was fantastic-- it has crunchy almond slivers and golden raisins which complement all of the spices in the rice. I honestly would love to eat here again! Now, the menu is quite overwhelming. There are descriptions on one side, then the same in photos on the other-- but sometimes it spans multiple pages, and things don't align. There are so many pages as well, with breakfast, lunch, and shared plates, etc... it is easy to miss the auto tip and large party service charge. All in all, Mandi House has lots of potential, and I really enjoy having something different on Valencia! But I didn't really enjoy the ambiance or experience, which was a shame. read more
1 day ago
5 months ago
4.5 STARS Come in stretchy pants and your toes done because it's about to go down... Time to go ham on large platters of meat AND rice! LA's Mandi House was supposed to open by Ramadan but there's been delay after delay thanks to the city's red tape. As of last week, Mandi House is FINALLY OPEN... If you're familiar with this space, it doesn't have the best juju with restos opening, closing, opening, closing but *fingers crossed* Mandi House can turn things around...esp when this is the first Yemeni resto in the city outside of the TL. They're open everyday until 1 am. M E N U Traditional Yemeni Cuisine: Slow-cooked meats, hearty stews, aromatic rice, and housemade breads. 100% halal. F O O D * Hrada of Fahsah: Yemeni Lamb Stew w/ tanoor bread ($25.99): https://tinyurl.com/2uc53bc9 Fahsah is a traditional Yemeni stew served in a sizzling claypot. It's rich and hearty with meltingly soft shredded lamb in a savory, aromatic broth. The broth is infused with warming spices and the earthy bitterness from whipped fenugreek cuts through the richness of the meat. If you like birria, this will be your jam. Served with freshly made tandoor bread, think a huge round naan. * Lamb Mandi ($32.99): https://tinyurl.com/mwpsz2f3 Gently roasted in the oven, the lamb shank and lamb shoulder were tender and mildly spiced. Served over a huge bed of aromatic basmati rice with raisins, shallots, and almonds. * Madhbi: Grilled Lamb ($34.99): https://tinyurl.com/5n6r2z3e We were going to order the Haneeth (slow-roasted lamb) but our server recommended this grilled lamb instead. My least fav dish, the lamb was dry and bland. I was hoping for some smoky char from the grill and layered earthy spices. * Fries ($5.95) When you have the drunchies, crinkle cut or any kind of fries hit. Make sure to ask for their yogurt sauce (similar to raita). I'm surprised they didn't have zhug (hot sauce). S E R V I C E Warm Yemeni hospitality with prompt food service for Thursday evening dinner (not busy at the time). There's a call button on each table. A M B I A N C E Spacious two-levels dining area with earth tones and bold accent rugs, curtains, and traditional Yemeni clothing on wall. There's a prayer room. Regular tables and low tables for family-style meals. You have to remove your shoes for the low tables. Great space for large gatherings. P A R K I N G Nearest garage is a block away at 16th and Hoff. Overall, Mandi House is a welcome addition to the city. If you're looking for a hearty, meat-centric meal with leftovers for daaaayyys, give this new business a try. read more
3 months ago
I was excited to try this new restaurant in the neighborhood, but unfortunately I didn't have a great experience. Hopefully they're able to improve soon. For now, I'm being very generous with my rating for this below-average dining experience. Service was slow, which is expected for a new restaurant that's still figuring it out, so I'll ignore that for now. The strangest thing about the service was the lack of water. We asked for some water for our group of 4 people, and we just got handed 1 single Kirkland bottled water. Why didn't they just serve plain tap water? Also, while waiting for our dinner, I went to use the restroom and discovered that there was absolutely no soap or paper! Immediately, I was concerned about how unsanitary this place is. Kinda gross to think that the staff is handling food without basics like soap. For food, we ordered the #1 mixed dishes of haneeth, mandi lamb, and mandi chicken. Honestly, all the meat items were very bland and lacked spices/seasoning. At least the lamb was tender and fell off the bones. But my friend said his chicken was quite dry. The hummus was quite literally the blandest hummus I've ever eaten. Although the tandoor (Yemeni bread) that came with it was pretty good and quite large. The mutabbal was just okay, but we didn't like it enough to finish it. We also got the hrada of fish, which had more flavor and was pretty good. But it wasn't good enough to justify coming back again. read more
1 month ago
My favorite restaurant lately. The yummiest food. Trust me when I say you won't regret coming here. The food is flavorful and the service is excellent. The ambiance is very nice. My recommendation about the ambience is that I would dim the lights. read more
3 months ago
Updating my previous review: We came back, and this time the experience was completely different. Asim was super helpful, friendly, and made sure we were well taken care of. The service was amazing, and we're very happy to see such a big improvement. The food was delicious as always. My only recommendation would be to add more beef options to the menu. Keep up the great work! The facilitator of parking is very good person too read more
7 days ago
5 months ago
5 months ago
Food 5/5 All the food was very flavorful and fresh. Had a great spice to it. Service 3.5/5 Everyone was super nice and helpful but we did have to ask for waters twice. At first the wrong food came, and after asking for the check we waited quite a while. Ambiance 6/5 Amazing ambiance! Really love the interior, it is one of the best restaurant interiors I've seen in a long time. Also the front facade of the building is beautiful as well. We accidentally came in the evening if their soft opening but glad I did. The food was amazing, I'd definitely be back but with a larger group. Definitely seems like they don't have options for just two people. Food quantity is a lot and it is a bit pricey if just going for two or one people. I imagine their lunch menu quantity might be better. Can't wait to come back! read more
24 days ago
4 days ago
4 months ago
Amazing experience!! We came with a group of 8 to celebrate my wife birthday, the food and the service were fantastic. Our friends and my wife had so much fun and amazing and kind hospitality give to us a great ambiance, such an incredible team. Btw this is our third time and We loved!!! read more
6 months ago
I have been waiting for this Yemeni restaurant to open for a nearly year!! Today I happened to see them finally open so I could not resist to walk in and try their food!! It's such a beautiful restaurant and a lot of people were dining in already!! I walked in around 5:30pm without any reservation. I was seated pretty quick:) Food - I ordered HRADA OF SHRIMP, MUTABBAL, (a huge Yemenis bread came with it) and KARAK TEA. MUTABBAL was very flavorful and so delicious!!! I loved KARAK TEA very much, too!! Service - all of their staff were very kind and nice. However perhaps because I went there during very busy time, service was a bit slow and I could not get my tea until I asked them for the the 3rd time ( the 3rd time is the charm, y'all!!) . I did not get any water or the tea until after I finished eating my meals so I was super dehydrated, lol. The staff offered me if I would like to have the tea to go, and I finally got the liquid intake at the end. The tea was really good. I wish I could have it with my meals but that's ok I understand that they were super busy. There were many customers waiting outside. Happy to see the local business flourishing! read more
6 months ago
House of Mandi has good food, but the service is a disaster. It's wild that a Mandi place would be completely out of chicken. The staff didn't even bother to apologize for the wait. Everything came out in the wrong order, too--the soup arrived mid-meal and the bread didn't show up until we were almost finished. Good flavors, but the experience was super frustrating. read more
3 months ago
The food was delicious went there around 5 some of the dishes ran out. The service was ok just they forgot to bring 2 of the items. The ambiance was nice and fun right back of us was a birthday party the staff was singing and a service robot came with the cake. read more
5 months ago
Had lamb Mandi and the beef stew. Food was great and service was friendly and very fast. There was no wait at 8pm on a Wednesday. Restaurant policy doesn't allow tips. Price was really good for the portion and quality of food read more
3 months ago
Went here for the first time on Thursday with my husband and we loved the food. We ordered the fahsa, meat sambusas, chicken Mandi, lamb soup, and babaganoush. Everything was well seasoned, hot, and delicious. One thing I would prefer is a fluffier basmati rice because the rice used in the chicken Mandi is on the thicker and dryer side so it couldn't soak in the flavors as much. The service is great, everyone was very nice and helpful. The ambiance is beautiful, I love all the restaurant is decorated and does a great job of showcasing Yemeni culture. Definitely recommend and will be back when we're in the sf area. read more
2 months ago
Everything about Mandi House was amazing! Came in to dine in late on a Friday night and it was packed! But the service was still so great even though they were busy. We ended up ordering a bit too much because we didn't realize how much quantity it would be. Food was delicious. I'm vegetarian and got the stew - it was great. read more
Three stars went to beef fahsa alone. The decor is unique showing a lot of its culture. There are varieties of seating: on chair with table, floor bench with table. They also have upper section which could use as private party. Beef fahsa is very tasty. The bread is a bit burnt and the lamb mandi is okay. It was not really authentic because they did not smoke it underground like it's named that's what I was told. It was a pleasant setting. Service was lacking maybe because we went too early because they were cleaning on the side while we were eating. Also, the dessert we ordered was already unavailable even though they just opened. The tea we ordered came very late and last. Kinda nice to drink last since it was very smooth and washed down the lamb taste. I would go back to try another dish though maybe fish fahsa for sure. Try the place out and let your taste bud be the judge. Nevertheless, I am thankful they are in community for people who missed their home country food. Sorry no food pics. read more
4 months ago
My friends and I ate here during Saturday lunch. We got a big table for a large group, which was great because our small kids could crawl around on the cushions. You need to push the call button in order to have the server come to the table. We were blown away with how succulent the lamb was and the pilaf was well cooked. The tandoor bread, which comes along side many of the dishes was definitely our favorite thing. We liked everything we ate. Will definitely come back. This place is great for large groups and kids. We think it was well-priced for the amount of food and we over ordered. read more
4 months ago
5 months ago
20 days ago
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2 months ago
I loved the ambiance! They have sit down areas, a prayer area, and 2 floors worth of seating. We tried their Lamb Mandi and it was tasty (with the red and white sauce)! The lamb was falling right off the bone. Staff was very kind. Perfect spot to grab chai and hang out with friends read more
5 months ago
Make sure to ask for printed out bill before you pay. They applied additional auto charge for large group and we were only 4 (2 adults, 2 children) we found out after we paid in addition to the tip! Be careful. read more
6 months ago
5 months ago
The food is excellent the meat was cooked perfectly and the atmosphere is great with authentic Yemeni flavors throughout. This place definitely deserves a spot among San Francisco's most authentic restaurants.the only thing I noticed was that the service was a bit slow. read more
26 days ago
6 months ago
Tried their LA location first, so I was hyped when they finally opened here in the city. Having previously worked in the Middle East, their menu and food quality instantly brought me back to the good old days in Riyadh. I highly recommend this Yemeni spot in Valencia if you want to experience authentic Yemeni cuisine. The flavors felt comforting and genuine, the interior is absolutely stunning, and the service is superb. read more
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