Bar in San Francisco, United States
New Delhi Restaurant & Bar
100Pearl PointsEasy walk-in Indian near Union Square.
About New Delhi Restaurant & Bar
New Delhi Restaurant & Bar on Ellis St is a low-friction, walk-in-friendly option for Indian food near Union Square. It suits casual meals and small groups rather than special occasions. Easy to book and conveniently placed for Powell St transit, it's a practical neighbourhood choice without the ambition of a destination restaurant.
New Delhi Restaurant & Bar: Worth Booking in San Francisco's Union Square?
If you're looking for Indian food and drinks in the Union Square corridor, New Delhi Restaurant & Bar at 160 Ellis St is an accessible, no-reservation-required option that suits a casual weeknight or a pre-theatre stop. It's not where you'd go to impress a client or celebrate a milestone, but for the neighbourhood it occupies, it fills a practical gap. Book here when convenience matters more than a chef-driven dining event.
What to Expect
The room at 160 Ellis St sits in the middle of a dense, tourist-heavy block between Union Square and the Tenderloin border. Visually, expect a compact, utilitarian dining room rather than a designed space — no dramatic lighting, no sculptural bar. The crowd reflects the location: a mix of nearby hotel guests, office workers, and locals who know the address. It's a functional room that prioritises turnover, which means you'll rarely wait long for a table but shouldn't expect a leisurely, linger-all-night atmosphere either.
On the bar side, the value-per-round question is relevant here. Without published pricing data, it's reasonable to assume this falls into the mid-budget tier for San Francisco — not the $18-cocktail territory of a programme-driven bar, and not a dive. If you're comparing against ABV or Pacific Cocktail Haven, where a round runs $16–22 per drink and the cocktail craft justifies it, New Delhi's bar is unlikely to compete on programme depth. What it offers instead is approachability and a lower commitment per round, which has its own logic if you're eating rather than drinking your way through the evening.
The food is the more reliable reason to be here. Indian restaurants in this price tier across San Francisco tend to anchor their menus on curry-house staples, tikka masala, biryani, dal, and New Delhi is likely operating in that same register. That's not a criticism; it's a useful expectation to set. If you want modern Indian cooking with regional specificity, explore San Francisco's broader restaurant landscape for options in the Tenderloin's Indian corridor further along Polk or in the Richmond. For this block, New Delhi is a reasonable, low-friction choice.
Practical Details
Reservations: Walk-ins are the standard here, booking difficulty is easy, and you're unlikely to need a reservation on most nights. Dress: Casual; the room has no dress expectations. Budget: Pricing data is not confirmed, but expect mid-range for the neighbourhood. Getting there: The Ellis St address puts you a short walk from Powell St BART/Muni station, making it genuinely convenient for pre- or post-transit meals. Groups: The compact room may limit large party options; parties of 2–4 will have the easiest experience. For further planning across the city, see our full San Francisco bars guide, our full San Francisco restaurants guide, and our full San Francisco hotels guide.
For more options across the city, browse our full San Francisco wineries guide and our full San Francisco experiences guide. If you're travelling beyond the Bay Area, Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu, Jewel of the South in New Orleans, and Julep in Houston are worth knowing about.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is New Delhi Restaurant & Bar good for groups?
It works for small to mid-size groups who don't need to plan ahead. The walk-in format at 160 Ellis St means you can show up with a party of four to six without a reservation on most nights. Larger groups should arrive early or during off-peak hours to avoid a wait, since the room is compact.
What's the crowd like at New Delhi Restaurant & Bar?
Expect a mixed, casual crowd drawn from the tourist-heavy Union Square corridor and the surrounding neighbourhood. It's not a scene bar — the atmosphere skews practical and unpretentious, making it a reasonable stop for people who want food and a drink without fuss.
Does New Delhi Restaurant & Bar have outdoor seating?
Outdoor seating is not documented for this venue. The 160 Ellis St location sits on a dense urban block, so don't plan around an outdoor table. If a patio or terrace is a priority, Trick Dog or Bar at Hotel Kabuki are better-documented options in the city.
Is the food good at New Delhi Restaurant & Bar?
The food positions this as an accessible, neighbourhood-level Indian restaurant rather than a destination dining experience. No awards or chef credentials are on record, so approach it as a reliable casual stop rather than a benchmark for SF's Indian food scene. If you want a higher-stakes Indian meal in the city, look beyond the Union Square corridor.
Is New Delhi Restaurant & Bar good for a date?
Only if the expectation is low-key and informal. The setting at 160 Ellis St is compact and sits on a busy tourist block, which limits the atmosphere for a considered date night. For a first date with more intentional ambiance, Bar at Hotel Kabuki or Trick Dog would be a stronger call.
What's the signature drink at New Delhi Restaurant & Bar?
No specific signature cocktails are documented in available records for this venue. It operates as a restaurant and bar, so a drinks menu exists, but don't book it as a cocktail destination. If a serious bar program is the draw, Smuggler's Cove or Trick Dog are the better choices in SF.
Does New Delhi Restaurant & Bar have happy hour deals?
Happy hour specifics are not on record for this venue. Given its location on Ellis St in the Union Square corridor, it's worth asking directly when you arrive — informal deals are common at casual bar-restaurants in this part of the city, but nothing can be confirmed here.
Location
160 Ellis St, San Francisco, CA 94102
San Francisco, United States
Compare New Delhi Restaurant & Bar
| Venue | Awards | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi Restaurant & Bar | Easy | |
| ABV | World's 50 Best | Unknown |
| Smuggler's Cove | World's 50 Best | Unknown |
| Trick Dog | World's 50 Best | Unknown |
| Bar at Hotel Kabuki | Unknown | |
| Evil Eye | Unknown |
Comparing your options in San Francisco for this tier.
Also Consider
- ABV, Notable alternative
- Smuggler's Cove, Notable alternative
- Trick Dog, Notable alternative
- Bar at Hotel Kabuki, Notable alternative
- Evil Eye, Notable alternative
How It Compares
Against San Francisco's more programme-driven bars, New Delhi Restaurant & Bar is not competing on cocktail craft. ABV in the Mission is the clearest contrast: a serious cocktail bar where the drinks are the reason to go, with a range of spirits and a bar team that knows the category. If your primary goal is a strong round of drinks with depth behind the list, ABV is the better booking. Smuggler's Cove takes that further still, one of the best rum collections in the country, a specific programme, and a harder-to-replicate experience. New Delhi doesn't try to compete with either.
Trick Dog in the Mission offers a more creative cocktail programme than the Union Square tier, with a room that has more character per square foot. If you want atmosphere and originality in the glass, Trick Dog is worth the short trip south. The Bar at Hotel Kabuki is a closer geographic and format peer to New Delhi, a hotel-adjacent bar serving a mixed neighbourhood crowd, practical rather than destination-worthy. For a smaller, more idiosyncratic room, Evil Eye offers more personality. New Delhi's edge, if it has one, is in the food pairing: if you want Indian food and a drink in the same stop near Union Square, it does both without requiring you to plan around two venues.
The decision is largely geographic. If you're staying near Union Square and want a convenient, no-effort dinner with a drink included, New Delhi is the path of least resistance. If you're willing to travel 15–20 minutes into the Mission or Hayes Valley, the bar and restaurant options widen considerably and the value-per-round improves at venues where the programme is the point.
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