In some unsurprising restaurant news, perpetually empty, enormous Indian restaurant Amber Dhara (680 Valencia Street) has given up the ghost just a month after its brief, rat-related, Health Department shutdown.
The restaurant, which is a spinoff of the successful downtown spot Amber India, was met with a poor critical reception after opening in 2012, and struggled ever since to fill its hundreds of seatseven though one would think that mid-range, upscale Indian would be a fairly easy sell in the Mission. Perhaps the competition from nearby popular spots like Dosa, Udupi Palace, and the cheaper Aslam's Rasoi just proved too stiff.
In addition to the lack-of-clientele problem, Amber Dhara also suffered from multiple rat infestations in the last year, according to health inspectors, and the occasional protests from local unions who claimed that the Amber India group refused to hire union carpenters.
Owner Vijay Bist confirmed the closure with Inside Scoop, saying that he doesn't "want to just give up," and that he's now looking for someone to help take over the space with a new concept.
To be clear, this is a vast restaurant space, with a total of 275 seats on two levels, a large bar area, and 6,000 square feet in total. It was one of a slew of new restaurants that appeared in 2012 on the Valencia corridor in spaces that had not previously housed restaurants, prompting some tension with other local merchants.
[Inside Scoop]
[Eater]
Previously: Amber Dhara Briefly Shut Down For Rat Problem