August (1) Five

The restaurant has an overall nice ambiance . The appetizers we ordered were not that great and were bit salty ( specially the buffalo cauliflower ). Main course was amazing ( spinach paneer and assorted breads ) . We initially thought of trying chef special menu but the menu didn’t seem very exciting so we thought of ordering from the main course . Overall a nice experience .

Overall good place, I wouldn’t say it was the best. Food: Gol Gappa: This was really good! Must try. Chicken Tandoori: Chicken was tender but was really warm. Lacked flavor a little. Tandoori Prawns: These were king size prawns and taste was really good. Bison Keema: My favorite dish of the night was keema. It was served with 4 buns. Palak Paneer: This was not good, there was no panner, it was more like indian veggie lasagna, too bland. Fish: Fish was really good, sauce was in the form of foam and tasted amazing. Drinks: Mango Lassi: I would probably come here again for mango lassi. It was the best I’ve had in bay area. Love Potion: Decent drink, it has golden fizz! Fancy ! Desserts: Malai Kulfi: Complete flop, there was no taste of malai and cinnamon flavor was very dominant. Gajar Halwa: Complete flop. There was no taste of gajar halwa and was very very sweet. It was topped with whipped cream instead vanilla ice cream would have been good. Altogether, this was decent place, service was quick. Booking recommended.

August 1 Five, like it's name which represents India's Independence Day August 15, attempts to provide freedom to the Indian food from its traditional recipe, taste and presentation. The place feels upscale and modern with subtle hints of tradition and royalty. The cocktails are carefully crafted to compliment the food really well. The food itself is innovative, tasty, flavorful and presented with lot of art. All this doesn't come cheap though and you would end up spending about $75 per person or more. Overall, it's a great place for you to visit on special occasions!

Brunch here is damn good. They serve Indian food with an interesting take. The Pani for Pani Puri is served in little carafes. Highly recommend the lotus and taro root salad, not something you find often on the menu in Indian restaurants. They have added little touches to Indian food which sets it apart from usual Indian food. Like the fried onion on top of the aloo kut or green pea stuffing in the Puri. There's limited things to order from, the portions are small and kinda pricey. But it's worth the price.

Almost missed this place, I had to drive by a couple of times. I went here with about eight friends for a birthday dinner and was shocked on many levels. The food was diverse and incredible. So many different flavors and the quality was off the charts. My friends who had been there a couple of times did all the ordering so I really have no specific recommendation on dishes. However every single one of the dishes we ordered was excellent. The portions or slightly small but perfect for the group. The servers and service can only be described as five star excellence. They took the time to explain the dishes, how they paired with our drinks and in what order we should order them going from Sweet to savory too spicy. Mixologist or bartenders or on point with creative and delicious drinks. This is not a quick in and quick out cost-effective option for dinner. This is fine dining with an international flair and expect to pay for that. I can’t afford to go to restaurants like this every week but it’s definitely my spot for the special occasion in San Francisco.