Restaurant in San Francisco, United States
Serious Thai, Michelin-starred, book early.
Nari holds a Michelin star and an OAD top-250 North America ranking for 2025, making it San Francisco's most decorated Thai restaurant. At $$$, it offers one of the better value-to-accolade ratios in the city's fine-dining tier. Book three to four weeks ahead minimum — this is a hard reservation, and the room is designed for occasions that warrant the effort.
Nari earns its Michelin star and its booking difficulty. At $$$, this is one of San Francisco's most serious Thai restaurants — a counter-driven, special-occasion room in Japantown that rewards the effort of securing a reservation. If you want refined Thai cooking with genuine technique and a room that matches the ambition, book here. If you want something easier to get into or lower stakes, Kin Khao or Bird & Buffalo are strong alternatives at a lower price point.
Nari occupies the ground floor of the Hotel Kabuki at 1625 Post Street, and the space reflects its Japantown address: composed, deliberate, and more intimate than the building's footprint might suggest. The dining room is structured around a sense of occasion — this is not a room you drop into casually. Seating is arranged to give each table some separation, which makes it a credible choice for a business dinner, an anniversary, or any meal where the conversation matters as much as the food. The spatial restraint sets expectations correctly: the cooking here is meant to be paid attention to, not eaten in a hurry. Arrive at the right time for dinner (doors open at 5:30 PM across all nights) and the room has a quieter, more focused energy than you get at peak hours.
Chef Meghan Clark runs a Thai kitchen operating at a level that Opinionated About Dining ranked #249 among all North American restaurants in 2025, up from #289 in 2024. That upward trajectory matters: the cooking is getting more confident, not coasting on its Michelin recognition. The cuisine is rooted in Thai technique and flavour logic , aromatic, layered, built on sourcing and restraint rather than heat for its own sake. The $$$ price range positions this clearly below the city's $$$$ tier (think Benu or Atelier Crenn), which makes Nari one of the more price-accessible one-star experiences in San Francisco. For context on where Thai cooking at this level sits globally, Nahm in Bangkok and Samrub Samrub Thai are the reference points for serious Thai fine dining , Nari is the closest San Francisco gets to that tier.
The PEA-R-15 angle matters here: Nari is not primarily a takeout proposition, and if you are weighing whether to order delivery versus booking a table, the answer is direct. The cooking at this level is designed around the room experience. Thai food at the fine-dining register , precise sauces, aromatic garnishes, textural contrasts , degrades meaningfully in transit. The spatial and atmospheric intelligence of the room is part of what you are paying for. If you want Nari's cooking without the full sit-down commitment, check directly with the restaurant on any off-premise options, but do not expect the experience to be equivalent. For Thai food that travels better, Funky Elephant or Hed 11 are better delivery candidates. Jo's Modern Thai is another option if you want quality without the occasion-dining format.
Book at least three to four weeks ahead, and further out if you are targeting a Friday or Saturday. Nari's Michelin star and OAD ranking put it in demand, and this is not a restaurant with easy walk-in availability. Sunday through Thursday evenings offer slightly more flexibility, but do not bank on last-minute availability on any night. Hours run 5:30–9 PM Monday through Thursday and Sunday, with a slightly later last seating at 9:15 PM on Friday and Saturday. The tighter Friday/Saturday window means your table turn time matters , arrive on time.
Nari sits within a city that has one of the strongest fine-dining concentrations in the country. Browse our full San Francisco restaurants guide for a wider shortlist, or drill into bars, hotels, wineries, and experiences if you are planning a full trip. For comparison outside California, Le Bernardin in New York, Alinea in Chicago, and The French Laundry in Napa sit in the same conversation for serious dining occasions. Single Thread in Healdsburg and Providence in Los Angeles are also worth considering if you are building a West Coast itinerary. If occasion dining in New Orleans is relevant, Emeril's rounds out that tier.
If you want comparable ambition at a different price point or format, Benu and Atelier Crenn operate at higher price tiers with broader tasting-menu formats. For a less booking-intensive fine-dining option, Quince offers a similar $$$-range commitment. Nari is the only Michelin-starred Thai restaurant in the city, so there is no direct substitute if Thai cooking at this level is what you are after.
Nari's dining room at 1625 Post St is intimate by design, so large group bookings require advance coordination. Parties of four to six are manageable with early reservations, but expect limited flexibility for groups larger than that. check the venue's official channels well ahead of your preferred date — the Michelin star and OAD Top 250 ranking mean demand is consistent and space fills.
Book three to four weeks out as a baseline, and push to five or six weeks if you are targeting a Friday or Saturday slot (service runs until 9:15 pm those nights versus 9 pm on weekdays). Nari's Michelin star and OAD #249 North America ranking in 2025 keep demand high year-round, so last-minute availability is rare.
Nari has a counter component that can be a practical route in when the main dining room is fully reserved. Availability there is still constrained given the restaurant's Michelin-starred profile, so do not rely on walk-ins — check the booking platform for counter seats when full-room reservations appear sold out.
Yes, with a caveat on format: Nari is a composed, intimate dining room in the Hotel Kabuki at $$$, with the credentials (Michelin star, OAD Top 250) to justify the occasion. It works well for two people who want serious food in a relatively quiet setting. If you need a louder, more celebratory atmosphere, it may not fit — but for a dinner where the cooking is the event, it delivers.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
