Besharam

Deliciously different!

This place is an amazing hidden gem! Went to an opening at the Minnesota Street Project and noticed that this restaurant was right next door​. Had low expectations but thought, at the very least, there are a lot of veggie options for my beloved.

We were charmed by Paresh at the door and he led us to the lone table for two at the back. Heena delivered a few of the dishes to our table herself and enchanted us with their origin stories. The Drunken Pani Puris were a delight, crunchy​ at first bite followed by a spicy explosion​. The Hella Desi Caesar was a pleasant, spicy​ surprise. The Fish Moilee was also exceptional. The Shreekhand Cheese Cake was spot on. And the Turmeric Lemonade washed it all wonderfully down.

We'll definitely be back and bring friends next time.

Amazingly delicious food and service

Our first visit to Besharam and we loved this place! The food was an inventive take on Indian flavors without straying too far from home style flavors. The cocktails were outstanding. It was a quiet and rainy night, so I’m guessing it gets a bit louder with a full house.

Fun, comfortable place. The lamb and cheesecake we're the standouts.

We enjoyed the food. We tried a number of dished, all were good. The service was attentive and efficient. The owner's husband was friendly. It's a nice room and not too loud. We'll return. Our only complaint is the reservation policy. 48 hour notice or lose $20 per person. This seems a bit strict.

One of the best meals I've ever had. Both food and service were impeccable.

The meal was good overall, and this place definitely has potential to be something very special, but based on this first experience I would not go back, for two reasons primarily: 1. The portions were too small for what we paid, and while the food was good, it was not good enough to justify the tiny portions. 2. The service was very slow, with one waiter for the entire restaurant. You’d think that after so many reviews have mentioned the slow service that they would do something to fix it, but they haven’t.

Good experience overall. Ambiance is particularly pleasing.

Nice place, nice people and good food. My only issue is the requirement to give them your credit card for a $20 per person charge to hold your reservation, for a Sunday when the place was practically empty.

Great food, California twist on classic Gujerati dishes. Wonderful service!

So glad this place is around! I've been there twice and each time was great. Food is delicious, flavorful, and full of spices. Cocktails are interesting and well balanced. Good wine list, too. Will definitely be back again.

"Besharam marketing" is what this place is all about. The food we were served did not look anything like the pictures on their website. The "thali" was served in a ceramic plate with food items piled on top of each other in an unappetizing arrangement. The portions were smaller and the flavors just did not live up to the hype. The mozzarella cheese kachoris were the only saving grace. Be warned.

Portions are too small for party of 3 or more. With two people, you can get away with a "tasting menu" type of experience, but otherwise, the small plates are TOO small in portion to really experience if the food is tasty. I've tried it twice now, and the "thali's aren't very good, so maybe they will refresh the menu. Great one time experience, but you'll need to follow up with a second meal elsewhere.

Terrible experience. Food was not brought out at the same time, one person in our party waited 15 min to get his dish. And there was not one but four + hairs in my food, sent it back and none of us finished eating.

Excellent flavors and options. Don’t let their credit card requirement for online reservations deter you.

Disappointed

it felt like very personal, close to home dining experience. the staff were super friendly and I would definitely recommend it to anyone it the San Francisco area, especially those of indian descent who are perhaps missing home.

We looooved everything and ordered half of the menu! Great brunch. Want to go back for dinner service!

Great food and service. Very tasty. Authentic flavours

The food was great and we lucked out that the restaurant was quiet on Sunday brunch. Service was good without being intrusive and the space is fun. I will definitely go back and hope that it's as quiet. I imagine it can get quick noisy when there is a crowd.

Good flavors and interesting Indian food. Service was good.

Great spot! Good quality Gujarati food. Service was good - staff was very friendly, although also a bit slow. They also did not have a lot of stuff listed on the menu, which was a bit disappointing as we were not there late. Would go back there for a casual dinner.

Good ambiance and food. Service kinks need to be worked out desperately. Waited almost 20 minutes before even approached for drinks and then apps came before drinks and one app was already out.

We went to Besharam with friends & none of us are experts on Indian cuisine. However, the menu and the wait staff were great at guiding us to what we should order. The food was quite tasty & we had a great time experiencing new flavors. Would definitely go back.

An incredible addition to the neighborhood! Great food and the friendliest of folks!

Limited vegetarian choices. The appetizers tasted good but nothing extraordinary. It was regular easy to cook items. I was disappointed with the entree. Only one vegetarian choice - dum aloo. Ordered it and found out that it was a mix of squash and potato with very little potato. It is a normal vegetarian dish and not even a fusion. I was disappointed with it. The service was awesome. The person serving the food was genuinely interested in ensuring that we had a good time but the food does not stand up to the good service. Overall, disappointed with the restaurant. I was expecting yet another good fusion Indian place in San Francisco.

The best. Warm, helpful, quick and attentive staff. Innovative, skillful food. In truth, I should have paid a lot more for this meal and I’m happy to recommend and support these people and their art. My standout dishes noted in photos.

Superb, unique food. Fantastic service and a great ambience - will definitely be recommending and definitely returning.

Went there to celebrate Diwali and was delighted by how creative the menu was. The BBQ wings are super! The sauce is to die for. Great appetizers! The main course was served Thali style with a fish, chicken and vegetarian option. Amazing flavors! I really loved the Shreekand Cheese Cake! It took me back to my childhood. The service was on-point. So warm and friendly. The only thing I will note is the cocktails. There is a lot of potential with the flavor profiles they have but the result falls a little flat. I suggest a visit to Besharam; you'll find it warm, welcoming and utterly delicious.

Everything was a little off: pacing (took 25 minutes to get anything, even drinks, then everything hit at once), service (one waitress worked the entire place), decor (the lighting was too bright and seemed fluorescent), some of the flavors, the entree arrived lukewarm. This would be okay if the food were exemplary, but it wasn't. The food was mediocre (on par with what you would get at any run of the mill Indian joint, except for the grilled shrimp, which tasted like something I would make at home and not be very pleased with). There was one waitress working the entire restaurant.

Food was delicious. Good flavors, balanced, and new things to try. The service was a bit slow, especially as it got busy, and we had a hard time catching a server to get drinks, etc. Lots of families.

Super delicious, interesting and fun! Loved the cocktail, and all the food especially blue cheese naan and undhiyu kadhi. Very reasonable price for what you get.

Delicious & inventive Indian, but something needs to be fixed about the service. We ordered 4 items for 2 people and got each dish delivered half an hour apart, so we were there over 2 hours. When we asked the host about our food, it didn't speed up the process, but it did result in duplicate charges on our bill. I can only recommend this restaurant if you are eating family style (one dish at a time would have been awkward if we weren't sharing) and literally don't care about time. My companion had been here once before and also complained about the service on his previous visit, so it seems like a persistent problem rather than a bad night.

Cool atmosphere and idea but waiters don’t walk you through the menu or provide direction for the experience. Food was good, but nothing to get too excited for.

Server had no clue
Food was good
Sat in empty restaurant in middle of dining room seems silly
They try hard though

Incredible lamb chops. 10/10 would recommend for its creative take on Indian classics

Good, authentic food. I am from the land so I know a little about how it’s supposed to taste :)... I would say though the food was great, I was confused on the main course - if it came with bread/rice or not. I mean it’s an Indian restaurant. We ended up ordering more bread than needed because our host didn’t specify that the entrees came with bread and rice.

The food was phenomenal! It was authentic tasting with a western twist
Chef patel came out and greeted us ...humble and passionate about her cooking !

We loved our experience hope to come back !

Still in its first 100 or so days, Besharam is a vibrant entrant to the San Francisco food scene. The food was inventive and flavorful. The cocktails were terrific and paired beautifully. Can't wait to see how this new gem evolves over time, and it's even more satisfying that they are working with Restaurant Opportunities Centers on social justice issues.