Straits Restaurant

I love this place coz I have couple of my favorite dishes here, 1. Lobster stir fried with black pepper &... more

I love this place coz I have couple of my favorite dishes here, 1. Lobster stir fried with black pepper & garlic, 2. Mussel dish appetizer and 3. C... more

I have been to Straits several times and enjoy the food (the best calamari & wasabi beef rolls). I especially like the variety of delicious drinks. If i am shopping in downtown or need to chill with a friend after work, this has been my favorite place to go for great bites. I can get in, even when I don't have a reservation (however they do take them). Being a downtown business merchant myself, I have come to rely on the management and staff to accommodate me and my business associates when i want a great place to meet for business lunch or dinners. Well done! Pros: always fresh Cons: busy, but worth it more

I took my friend out for a belated birthday lunch today, and since she works at Nordstrom, we decided to... more

I took my friend out for a belated birthday lunch today, and since she works at Nordstrom, we decided to try Straits in Westfield Shopping Center. ... more

The Origami sea bass, along with Tamarind Beef are excellent. The sea bass was cooked just right along with the mushrooms. The sauce on the Sea bass was perfect and went well with the aromatic Pandan Chicken rice. The beef itself reminds me of Vietnamese Shaken' beef, except it's tastier and exceptional! Pros: Delicious and tastey Cons: A little on the pricier side more

My wife and I used to love this place. There are some really great and unique dishes that you can't find elsewhere. Unfortunately, the combination of weak $10 drinks and really inexcusable service are getting to be too much. We had one drink, one appetizer, one entree and a rice dish and the bill was $56. We ate before 6pm and the place was almost empty but we still had to flag our waiter over after 10 minutes of sitting there. The waiters were all hanging out at the kitchen window chatting with each other for the entire time. It's really too bad since we love the food. Pros: Unique food, easy public transit access Cons: expensive, mediocre service and weak drinks more

I've been here a few times with people from work. On every occasion I have been, the service has been relatively sub-par. I would normally put up with this if the food was great, but, unfortunately, the food was just average. They do have some fun drinks and the atmosphere is pretty cool. Also, very pricey. Pros: drinks Cons: everything else more

I have eaten here a few times, and if possible, it gets better each time I go! The service was great, and so were the meals! It's so nice to be able to enjoy a nice meal after a day of shopping in downtown; it can be absolutely exhausting trying to hit-up all of those sales! I would highly recommend the ""Tuna Tower"" (beautiful presentation and excellent seasoning) and the ""Prawn and fuji apple salad"" which by the way has no lettuce, but is combination of julienned apple and carrots with a mint vinaigrette. Its a wonderful way to cleanse your pallet in between courses. The portions are big as they are serves family style, so order accordingly. \r \r I hope that you enjoy the food there as much as I did! more

I totally agree with Candice about the location. I do have to say the price is a little high but again I thought about the location and the decor and the rent. I guess you have to pay for everything.The food was great as well as the service. The manager on duty Kenny was awsome. Cons: parking more

This ""new"" version of Straits is a dissappointment. We have dined at the one in Palo Alto on many occaisions, and decided to try the new one in the City Center Mall. The Roti that I use to love was over done and greasy. The dishes and atmosphere was more like a PF Changs knock off then what it use to be. \r \r Overall we were not happy with the dishes we received. Maybe the bar is better, or if you havent been to one of their other locations. It seems a typical example of a rest. trying to make the change from a small boutique to a high flying mainstream change and failing. more

Very disappointed. After being a regular at the ""old"" Straits I was so excited to try the new one out. Unfortunately it has become another one of those SF establishments where it is all about the look and no longer about the quality. The portions have decreased tremendously and the prices have sky rocketed !\r The service is snooty and the crowd is now a ""mall"" crowd who can afford Bloomingdale prices and are satisfied with mediocre quality. Pros: In a downtown location where you can shop and eat. Cons: In a mall - too young of a crowd ! more

i have been to the straits in SF and in San Jose. both were disappointing. the service was very slow. our waiter at both locations ignored us. the rest of this review is about my recent experience at the SF location. we had to get the attention of another waiter to ask him to tell our waiter we wanted drinks. the waiter brought me water, but my husband did not get any until we had started eating. i ordered the funky monkey, which was supposed to have a chocolate flavor, but i could barely taste any chocolate in there. \r the waiter also spilled a drink on two of our friends. later when he brought out drinks, they were too full and liquid was dripping off the sides. \r the food was disappointing too. we had some appetizers similar to samosas, which were ok but the sauce that went with them was not the right flavor. i don't know the names of the entrees we had because we were there with a large group, so everything had been arranged already and we did not see the menu.\r the salad was strange because it had peanut and ginger flavors together, which i did not like. the vegetarian entrees we had were some noodles which were too creamy, and some grilled vegetables in soy sauce - how boring. and then the waiter did not bring rice until we were almost done eating, so we had been eating these super-salty vegetables with nothing. \r to top it all off, the check had 20% gratuity added in because we were a large group. normally i don't care that gratuity is already added for a large group, but our waiter was so awful that he definitely did not deserve it. one member of our group was so upset over the poor service that he asked the hostess to talk to the manager. the manager nor the hostess ever came back to our table to respond. (we did end up paying the 20%).\r overall, this place was an awful experience and i would never go back again. more

We went to Straits to grab a quick bite after catching a flick at the Century. Very Convenient!!! We got a pretty good bottle of wine off of their very large wine list. The food is decent with nice presentations, however the flavorings were just a ""little off"". The Fuji apple & shrimp salad was okay but was lacking lime juice (comparing this to similar dishes at other restaurants). The noodle dish was okay, not great. Ordered seafood curry dish which was very good. Again decent food, nice atmosphere, good place to go after a movie. Pros: Convenient Location, nice atmosphere Cons: Average Food more

A friend and I chose to meet up and explore the new mall's ?fine dining?. Our first choice was booked. Straits was presented as a second. The semi-sheer curtain of orange silk and dark teak colored wood accents of the restaurant tricked me into believing that this would be a good fit. The hostess informed us that it would be 45 minutes and tethered to a 50 foot radius by our radio receivers. Despite a number of open tables, we waited the full time. We were seated at a table situated so close to the kitchen I could read the labels on the ketchup bottle dispensers. It seems that the fare at Straits would be unable to cope with a shortage of Lemon Grass and Kafir Lime Leaves; all meals require one, if not both. We ordered cocktails from a lengthy and seemingly exciting list. Upon review, the only hint of sophistication was the infused vodka selection, but sadly is destroyed when the drink arrives. I had Regina?s Martini. Straits has made a drink that tastes exactly like yellow cake mix ?and causes tooth decay. I next tried for spice with the Pepper infused Vodka Martini; I've had better ashtry. For my entree, I ordered Redang Beef. It sounded interesting: curried beef with a coconut polenta. If New England wants to know where its Yankee Roast has gone, I can answer, ?Straits in the San Francisco Shopping Center.? The crowning achievement was the Polenta. It was green, rubbery, and looked and tasted like a Cell-O sponge.\r The service either lived on top of us, or contracted Alzheimers and forgot we existed. The music piped in was certainly danceable but inappropriate. Don?t get me wrong, I like the ?If? by Janet Jackson, but at dinner, it seems a bit too athletic. And finally, the bathrooms. It is a bad sign when you remember the communal sink, the cubbyholes posing as water closets, and paper towels strewn about as if a tornado had touched down rather than the food. Do not go to this restaurant, no matter how short the wait. You will regret it. Pros: Nice windows and orange silk drape Cons: Everything else. more

My friend and I went for a mid-week dinner a couple of weeks before Christmas. We were told it was a 45-minute wait, but in order for our waiting list call remote unit to work, we had to stay within 50 feet of the restaurant. This means you cannot wander around the shopping center; you are pretty much confined in front. We waited with a number of other people while numerous tables inside appeared empty and unbussed. While our waiter was nice, over the evening we were either ignored for long stretches or hovered over. The music was more reminiscent of a club or rave, loud and blaring at 200 BPM or R&B make out music, and the row of seats by the kitchen felt like we were IN the kitchen. The drinks were either flavorless (Lemongrass Mojito - surprising, yes) or jaw clench inducing (Regina's Martini). We split two appetizers, one, the calamari, was primarily tough rings wholly outnumbered by fried bits of breading - the other, the garlic fries were lacking flavor and overcooked. Both came with the same dipping sauce. While we were hungry, we left half of each uneaten. As for entrees, my companion's Asian fusion beef dish (Rendang Beef) tasted like ""over cooked p0t roast"" and my grilled lamb chops (R@ck of Lamb), which were burned black on one side and came served with a butter knife. When I asked for something that would cut them after attempting with the butter knife, I waited about 15 minutes while the manager and my waiter searched for one in the restaurant finally returning and telling me ""we are all out, other people must be using them"" offering no solution since my food was then cold and the butter knife wouldn't cut the chops. I ate my bland, cold, burned lamb chops with my fingers. The majority of the wait staff seemed to be having a nice time though, dancing and chatting in the corner amongst themselves while we waited with empty glasses surrounded by a number of unbussed dirty tables. All in all, not a pleasant dining experience. Pros: convenient location Cons: inconsistent service, bad for conversation, untasty food more

For those of you who remember the Geary Street location, you'll be happy to know that Straits is back in SF at the westfield mall. It looks nothing like the original, but features the same great asian-fusion menu. LOVE LOVE LOVE the roti prata with curry sauce, the sea bass and the beef in grape leaves. The service needs to be polished a little, but the food is totally worth it and the atmosphere is really fun. They've even sheathed the front windows so you forget you're in a mall. I also appreciated that there was someplace open late-night to get a drink after I saw a movie. I'm also glad to see that the quality of food hasn't suffered in the transition. Pros: great dishes with many Asian influences, cool bar/lounge area Cons: can be loud, service needs work more

This aint no regular asian restaurant - it's one of our favorite places in town with the freshest seafood, and excellent vegetarian choices too. The drinks can get a little pricey, but overall, it calls for a great dining experience. The restaurant is cool, and the decor is retro loft - makes is different and alive compared to some of the not-so-cool looking restaurants in the city. The fact that it is in the shopping center makes it a little awkward, but its worth the trip - and maybe you can watch a movie to digest the lobster. Enjoy the food, then enjoy the show! Pros: Great food and cool ambience Cons: Service is kamsi-kamsa more

I just read both of the reviews posted on Straits Restaurant so far, and I have to say I had a completely different dining experience. I loved the food, the waitstaff (not just because they were hot!) and the atmosphere. First of all, I came with a large party and we had reservations. We waited in the stylish bar and once we all arrived, we were shown to our table. The decor is gorgeous - dark wood, interesting paper chandeliers, beautiful curtains shielding diners from the starkness of the shopping mall and great furniture. The food we ordered was also gorgeous - Vietnamese beef rolls with an amazing sauce, delicate Roti Prata with yellow curry, tamarind beef so tender you barely had to chew...everything was great. I recommend highly to all! Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere Cons: A little loud more

I wish I could have given this restaurant a 1/2 star, just for the new decor. I like everyone else who has visited this restaurant the serve was lacking and the the food was very bad. We were surprised that this was the same restaurant group. We also had a problem with our order. First we got our drinks and salad. which started ok(we had the Yu Sang Salad, which was pretty good.) then the mussels came the 1st of 2 main entrees then 40 mins later the 2 nd entree came the hainan chicken rice. We do not know what happen to the original chef, but my wife being Singaporean and we have had hainan chicken rice millions of times before and what we got was not hainan chicken rice. More like boiled chicken with white rice. The chicken tasted like it was defrosted that day.\r For good Singaporean food, I would suggest you go somewhere else. They are still trading on thier old reputation. Very disappointed. Pros: Ambience, new decor Cons: cold food, small portions, $$$ more