Always enjoy the Indian food here. Staff is very friendly. Perfect for pre-show dinner at the symphony or ballet.

On a Saturday night, they had no host/hostess. It was possible to reserve a table with OpenTable, in fact all times were still open when we arrived at 8pm, but they weren't honoring reservation times, all the tables were full, and we waited over 30 minutes after our reservation time in the same line with walk-in customers.

We flagged down a waiter and were seated after several tables cleared. One appetizer came out after a long wait. We had to ask what happened to the second one. The sauces to accompany the first appetizer were brought out just as we were finishing. There was a long wait before the entrees arrived. At the end, we couldn't wait to leave.

Best indian food in San Francisco!
We almost go every week!
The chicken Tika Masala is my favourite.

Love the wait staff
With their sashes
And the food is impeccable

excellent place close to the Opera, Ballet and Symphony

Service was a little late given the peak dining time but were extremely friendly and accommodating! Loved the food and ambiance!

Over the course of the evening, we found ourselves dealing with about four different members of the staff, all of whom tended to be clueless about their basic job.

The food was delicious. The portions a bit small. Service was great. Overall, I would highly recommend this restaurant.

We reserved a table at Mela Tandoori for dinner before a 7:00 event at the Herbst Theater, only 2 blocks away. We were immediately seated, had a very tasty dinner, the price was moderate, and we had no trouble getting to our event.

The food was wonderful. The wait staff very attentive and courteous. We will certainly come again when we are in the city.

Took my girlfriend there on Valantine‘s Day and we both loved it, even though we had to wait quite a bit, because there were a lot of people. It was worth the wait. We love indian food and this is one of the best places we ever went to.

The wait was painful, they didn’t account for Valentine’s Day (somehow). Our reservation for 7pm got us seated at 7:30. First appetizers came at 8, and food came at 8:30 (we ordered promptly at 7:30 since we had half an hour to read the menu).

The food was fantastic but I certainly won’t go on a busy night.

Really enjoyed our meal. The seafood tandoori wad very good, the naan excellent and a spicy chicken appetizer that was a special of the day was very tasty.

Then food is pretty good but you need to know what to order. The service staff but seemed overwhelmed by the number of parties that showed up. As another reviewer noted, be prepared to wait for 15 minutes to be seated even if you have a reservation. This place is good for everyday Indian food.

Amazing, amazing food. Just the worst service I’ve ever experienced. But if you have time for your dinner to take over two hours, the food is truly fantastic!

We tried Mela Tandoori for dinner before we went to the symphony. It proved to be a very good choice. The food was very good, the service prompt and friendly and the atmosphere was lively.

A really nice range of different dishes for different palates. Well prepared with fresh ingredients. We got the mixed grill, the eggplant, chicken biryani... all standout and yummy. Friendly and efficient staff, as well. It's a big space and looks like it could accommodate a pretty serious group. We saw some other customers getting hookah, which is a nice option. We went on a Monday night when it was pouring rain, and it was pretty quiet, which was perfect for being able to talk.

Had a LONG line to be seated with a hostess that only showed up about every 10 minutes. Waited for water until about 15 minutes after papadum came (when I asked a second time). Very slow service and just okay food. I would head to another restaurant for better Indian food in the area!

Everything was delicious. We had chicken samosas to start, and shared chicken tikka Masala, prawn spinach dish and another spicy prawn dish, and naan. Do yourself a favor and order the cheese naan! Looking forward to going back soon. Great place to go before a show. Bring a bottle of wine or try an Indian wine. Cheers!

Food was fantastic, good levels of spice and really well prepared. They have a nice, varied menu with standard favorites, but also some dishes you don't see on everyone else's menus. We were there on a Saturday evening just before show time so they were slammed and service was really slow. The staff was courteous, but simply too busy to really pay proper attention (we waited a very long time to order, then drinks took more time than you'd expect and we had to ask for water several times). I would still go back since the food was wonderful, I will just pick a less busy night/time.

We dined at Mela before the Opera, on a Saturday night. Even though it was very busy we were seated, fed and out the door in time for our event.

The meal was delicious, including a vegetarian dish with Okra that I would recommend. The lamb Tikka Masala was very good as well.

It's quieter when we go in the middle of the week!

Mela makes consistently good Indian food at a price that is more than fair. We had a quick dinner before a performance at the opera house -- two dishes and two naans. A tandori chicken marinated in yogurt and herbs was perfectly spiced and cooked, flavorful and tender. The bindi (okra) here is more interesting than at some restaurants, with onions and other vegis mixed in. Onion kulcha and a seeded naan rounded out the meal. Friendly staff too.

It had been awhile since I last visited Mela Tandoori Kitchen while in San Francisco. It was even better than I remembered. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. I especially recommend the Lamb Saag. Enjoy!

Mela is a great dinner spot in San Francisco's Civic Center district. We'll often eat there before opera or theater performances, and we've never been disappointed.

Very tasty North Indian fare (plus beef, as it's Pakistani) and not really very spicy. Samosas were OK, mixed grill and a full range of sauced dishes were excellent, each distinctively spiced. Huge variety of naan, both the chili and the garlic were wonderful.

Pleasant environment a short walk to Opera/Davies. We had 6:00 reservations on a Tuesday before 7:30 opera and made it, as there were few other customers. The wait staff was attentive, knowledgeable and professional. Longest wait was actually to get the bill, for which their standards apparently require that all the plates be cleared, so will initiate sooner next time and there will definitely be a next time!

Service was terrible. Three waiters covered the entire restaurant while the owner or manager sat in the corner counting money and doing whatever else he was doing. Rediculous way to run a business. Food was mediocre. Quantities for appetizers were very small. Entree portion was appropriate. Our waiter was a nice guy but he was running in many directions. He forgot our second round of drinks (we just gave up and did not bother to remind him again). Would not go again.

Wonderful place. This is my go-to restaurant when I am going to the opera or symphony. I love it! :-)

We thoroughly enjoyed both the attentive service and special dishes. We each ordered a dish outside our usual picks so were even more surprised at how delicious our selections were. We were seated at 6 when there were few present. But by 7 p.m. every table was taken!

Service was extremely slow. We waited over 15 minutes to be seated (even with having a reservation). We were also seated for over an hour and a half before we got our food.

Food was good, but the service made it unenjoyable.

Vegetarian and chicken dishes were tasty and well prepared. Beef and lamb barbeque dishes were overdone and dry. One in our party waited almost 15 minutes extra for her main dish. Friendly staff.

Authentic, high value, courteous & efficient. Feels like home cooking. Clientele is a mix of South Asians & others. Young as well as old. I usually order Chicken Tiki Masala, Garlic Nan, a wonderfully aromatic rice & a glass of wine. The also have great beer. And I bring home enough leftovers to have a second meal. They have an upstairs club for late night. Thanks!

Ordered 2 mains.New hotel with ocean view as upgraded 👍😁xxxx
First was the Chicken Tikka Masala
with separate sauce.
It arrived yep with sauce on.
Told waiter order was wrong & it was brought back with seperate chicken this time but obviously just taken out of the sauce as still covered!!
Sauce was flavourless & runny as water.
Luckily the other dish which was Chicken Jalfreze was great.
We put all the chicken in the Jalfreze sauce & tucked in.
Was good now & ate the lot.
Not great restaurant but enjoyable enough for price.
Wouldn't rush back as lots of choice in San Fran

This was my third time bringing friends to Mela. It was so wonderful again- great authentic dishes, attentive service, easy to hear your own table conversation

Great food. Good service but could be better!

Ordered Saag Chicken and Benghan Burjia. Chicken dish full of bones (no warning
on menu or by waiter) and the Eggplant dish was very poor. Rice and Naan
were fine. Will definitely not return to this restaurant.

Excellent Indian restaurant. The food is delicious.

Awesome restaurant. Delicious food and great service.

Was perfect. Just need to notice that the medium spicy is very Spicy

Good Indian food with good choice and good service