Andalu

For the most part, the dishes my friend and I ordered were good. The standout were the Coca-Cola Spareribs. The Ahi-tuna Tacos came in second. These were the only two that I felt were worth the money. The bread with cheese and fruit compote were passing but nothing special. The flank steak was bland. I felt the food was a bit overpriced given the quality. The worst part is the wait staff. You are pretty much ignored the entire time you're there. You have to sit like a hawk, wait to catch a glimpse of your waiter/waitress, and then wave frantically in order to receive any service, including water. Pros: Coca-Cola spareribs, Ahi-tuna tacos Cons: inattentive service, flavorless meat more

My Boyfriend and I decided that we'd start trying out new types of cuisines a while back. As part of that, about a month ago we made our first foray in to Tapas at Andalu. Since then, we've been back three times! :-O It's just incredibly delicious. \r \r I highly Recommend making a reservation, as it can get pretty busy. The waitstaff was friendly and when we did have a problem the last time we went, they made it up with a free side and two free deserts. \r \r If you go, You absolutely must try the Macaroni and Cheese. It's the most incredible thing ever. The Coca Cola Ribs are delicious, and I really liked the Ahi-Tuna tacos, but my boyfriend didn't. The Corn on the cob was amazing, the mini sliders, good. :-) And their mashed potatos are to DIE for. \r Pros: Excellent food - Stick to two plates a person to avoid over-eating. :-O Cons: Parking stinks, Can get very loud when crowded more

My friend and I ate there on a monday evening and the service was fine unlike what other reviews kept saying. i was surprised to see the place getting busier after 8pm though. classy and atmospheric interior but very mediocre food. the halibut tastes like some chinese fish; of which was so little that for the same price u would've gotten the exact same thing but the ENTIRE fish at a chinese restaurant. the cola ribs marinated for too long, way too tender. the lamb cheeks tasted like i had nothing, the flat steak was too cooked when we asked for medium rare. the food is ok but NOT ok for the price it charges for. much better tapas elsewhere. Pros: Atmosphere; extensive wine list Cons: INSUBSTANTIAL food more

My husband and I have eaten here 3 times. The first two times it was just the two of us and we really didn't notice the service too much since we were just glad to be away from the kids for a night. The food was excellent and couldn't wait to go back. We then decided to go again with our kids, 6 and 4 who are very used to going out to eat, and as soon as we walked in we could feel the tension from the staff. We figured that since the food comes out in stages and quickly we could be in and out without a problem but after sitting there for 20 minutes I had to ask for someone to tend to us. Our waitress seemed annoyed with us and she just took our order and never came back until we had to ask for our bill. It then took another 20 minutes just to get the bill at the end of our dinner. We have never had such sour service. That psuedo-intellectual blondie had such a look of disgust when we walked in shaking her head as she walked away. I know some waitstaff hate having to service a table with children but at least try to fake it for a good tip. My husband and I always tip 20-25% when we eat out with our kids because we know there is a little more cleaning up to do and we appreciate quick attention and we also always try to make a reservation before 6:30. I was so angry for the rest of the night. I even had some customers congratulate us for having such well behaved children. \r \r I have to add though, our children loved the food, there was nothing they didn't like, especially the donut holes and hot chocolate! A must have. Such a shame we won't be going back. Pros: excellent food Cons: no service with a smile more

When you're deciding to whom you should give your hundred dollars that you have budgeted for a nice dinner out, I wouldn't give it to Andalu. I can think of a dozen other establishments in the Mission with comparable food I'd rather go to.\r I think the word incompetent best describes their staff. First, the bar manager doesn't know how to order enough beer or wine to keep his bar stocked on a Saturday night. It's not like wine goes bad...you'd think they could order enough to keep their numerous wine flights in stock, wouldn't you? You'd think with the interesting wine list that they have, the server would know something about wine, wouldn't you? You'd think that someone would give you a glass of water or take a drink order within 20 minutes, wouldn't you? I thought they were robbing me when I left a 10% tip, which is half what I usually tip.\r If you can look past a painfully deficient staff, then you should definitely go to Andalu. The front of the house takes cluelessness to new heights, but the food is amazing. I promised myslef I'd never go back there, after my first disappointing experience, but my significant other loves the white sangria, and I thought the braised lamb cheeks were most tender piece of meat i'd ever eaten. Food=superb. Wine list=imaginative. Service=horrendous. Pros: food, wine, decor Cons: better service at Denny's, too expensive for such bad service, being on 16th st more

I am always amazed at how wonderful Andalu is. From the service to the food to the sangria to the value, those are why I keep coming back. The food is consistent, and we always leave amazed how little we paid for such quality AND quantity. I just celebrated my 30th with 18 people, our server was beyond fantastic, patient, helpful, etc. The only negative thing I can say is the hostess is not very friendly; over the phone or in person. But, that's not why I have been coming back over the years! Pros: Food, Value, Service more

Had a great dinner with some friends at Andalu a few nights ago. Not only were the food and wine fabulous, but the staff are some of the sweetest and most beautiful people in SF! The server was attentive, responsive, and helpful, and the hostess was super cool (and very hot!!). She seated us with no wait even though we didn't have a reservation, and cracked adorable jokes with us all night. I recomend taking advantage of their wine flights which are a great deal. Next time I might show up early just to talk wne with the knowledgable and fun bartender. Also, don't miss out on the ribs or fondue,which are both phenomenal, or the donut holes for dessert. All in all, this place is yummy and fun, and the awesome, sexy staff make it even better! Pros: Great Food, Wine, Sexy Staff Cons: Parking, Not for kids more

Some of the food was not what I expected, but I really enjoyed all of it regardless. I enjoyed the atmosphere as well. It was probably louder than I remember, but my company was great, and we could hear each other fine, so it couldn't have been too loud. It definitely lived up to the expectations that I was told, and would definitely go again. Pros: great food, nice ambience more

What a great restaurant! I went to Andalu for the first time last week with a good size group of people. The hostess greeted us with a pleasant smile and quickly took us to the upstairs seating which easily accomodated our twelve appetites. The drink choices were very creative and prompty served. After checking off pretty much one or more of everything on the small plates menu, the feasting began. It was like a steady drum beat of unique and delicious flavors. Wave after wave of plates appeared with just enough time between to finish up the previous morsels. The final plate was a marvelous four ounce filet that rang the bell for everyone. When the last plate was cleared, the group slowly rolled out of the restaurant completely satiated. The food was outstanding, the service was prompt and courteous, and the atmosphere was fun. I will be back! Pros: Great food, Atmosphere, Staff Cons: No booze more

Went to Andalu for my sister's birthday last week. It was 5 of us and we had a rsvp for 8.30PM. We knew that parking is terrible around this area, so we decided to have valet parking. We were greeted by this rude valet guy who called us ""Princesses"" just because we told him that we wanted to have valet parking. We went inside the restaurant & greeted by this rude hostess. Got there on time but she refused to let us sit at out table coz not everyone in my party is there. But the majority was there. The hostes was explaining the situation with rolling her eyes...what a drama queen!The foods in general was ok;good but not too impressive. What impressive is how small the portion was, although the waiter had explained it to us.Overall, I'd say this restaurant is average. I won't go back. Pros: nice waiter, yummy desserts Cons: rude valet attendant, rude hostess, skimpy portion more

I headed to dinner on a Friday night with 3 girlfriends and we had a rude interaction with the valet and then an even more rude interaction with the hostess. Not only was she unwelcoming, she was argumentative. To make things worse, she proceded to throw stares at us all night and continually pointed at us while chatting with the wait staff. It was borderline funny that this girl is for real. It put a real damper on a restuarant with good food and atmosphere. The girl needs to go because its not worth interacting with her to eat there. Pros: good for sharing Cons: valet, rude hostess, crowded bar more

I went there with my boyfriend last month. We had a hard time finding parking (45min) and finally got to the restaurant 30min late after our reservation. I understand that it was not right to be late, but the hostess specifically pointed out the time of our reservation and the current time and stated rudely that we were 30min late. I can read the time! If she gave our table away b/c we were late, that's fine, but I don't need someone lecturing me when I spent the last 45min trying to look for parking when there was still a vacant table. Anyways, we ordered fondue, steak tartare, cola ribs and something else. The food was not bad, though fondue was not hot enough..more like a dip than fondue. Server was not very attentive but not rude like the hostess. Not spectacular...had better tapas at other places. Pros: Nice crowd, Mission district Cons: Rude Hostess, Parking more

Our waiter was really rude. We had a table at 7:30pm. The waiter told us there was a reservation at 9pm. He was telling us not to order some more for the second time. I invited some friends for the dinner and I was very disappointed with his manner. Hostess was very helpful and friendly. Food was good. There were a lot of deep fried food. Pros: Variety of tapas, Service (Hostess) Cons: Service (Waiter) more

I was pleasantly surprised after booking this place two weeks ago. I really had no other option as all my other choices for a group dinner were already booked, so Andalu it was. Having last been there two years ago, I was slightly concerned with how the food and service would be. I'm here to say that both are still good! And I'm happy to see that the fish tacos( a must try) are still on the menu. My friend had the lamb( loved it) we had salad, fondue( great) halibut( average, very slim serving of it) and the coco donuts for desert. A couple of glasses of wine and the bill was around $. It was a Wednesday night with just enough customers to make it feel like you were not alone, yet pefect for a couple on a date. Pros: good value, fish tacos! more

Unpretentious, lovely atmosphere, great service and fantastic eclectic flavorful food. I brought my best friend here for her birthday, we were seated immediately, food arrived promptly and the people were so nice. Tacos, ribs, crab cake and sangria are great! Pros: Valet parking, No rush service Cons: Slightly pricey more

I love tapas, and Andalu provided some great selection with a California twist. I would recommend this place for anybody who loves these small plates of flavorful delicacies. Give it a try but do make a reservation. People who eat at this restaurant seem to dine according to Latin dining schedule, unlike most of North America, so you will see a very busy dining room even at 10pm. Cons: little street parking more

After reading all the mixed reviews we decided to check this place out. It was wonderful! They have an extensive wine list, but after one taste of the white sangria we stuck with that the rest of the night. It was delicious. All the dishes were great but the fondue and the chicken really stood out. The fried mac & cheese was interesting, but not the taste sensation we were thinking. The donut holes with cocoa were so yummy, especially the cocoa. The service was great and we will definitely go again. Pros: Good Service, Great Food, Great Drinks more

TOP FAVS: Braised short ribs, Tomato salad, Cheese fondue, Turkey lettuce cups, Crabcakes, Grilled Eggplant, Duck confit, Donuts w/ Hot Choc, Dulce de leche sundae, Banana Ice Crm\r \r OK: Squash, Mac & Cheese more like a chs sandwich, Ahi Tacos (can't really taste the ahi), Polenta Fries (interesting but similar to Chs Mac)\r \r SKIP: Mussels (nothing special), Moroccan Cigars (way too greasy)\r \r Our server recommended 3 dishes/person - we found that to be too much food for a large group of 11 people. Pros: Lots of variety, Reasonable prices, Great wine selection Cons: Tough parking more

My boyfriend and I had such a great time here. Being from LA we were expecting a little more fluff then actual taste but we were so wrong! Really yummy bites which are fun to share and flights of wine and bubbly make this place a great date spot. Pros: trendy, fun, great service more

It's cool, the people are fun, the drinks are strong... and then.. the food. MAN I'd order one of each on the menu if my wallet could support it... DON""T MISS THE DONUTS! Pros: Food, Atmosphere, Service Cons: Parking, Size more