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Aicha Moroccan Cuisine
Categories: Restaurants Moroccan Restaurants Halal Moroccan, Halal [Edit]
1303 Polk St(between Bush St & Austin St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 345-9947
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 12 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 12 pm - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Cruz G. said: "After spending the last month in Nicaragua, the first thing I was craving was pizza. I ordered the Habaroni pizza. It was delicious, spicy and the crust was fresh. I'm giving it 4 stars because it's a bit pricey, and if you try to…" read more »
171 reviews for Aicha Moroccan Cuisine
Review Highlights
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"The Mint tea is super tasty and not over powering." In 37 reviews -
"Had the lamb tagine and it was wonderful." In 21 reviews -
"...entree was the lamb tangine with artichoke hearts and peas." In 6 reviews
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171 reviews in English
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Review from Michael C.
San Francisco, CA
4/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
I was visiting my great aunt, who lives in the city on her own, in her 70s, and she really wanted me to try this Moroccan restaurant with her. I have a big heart for hole-in-the-wall type restaurants, especially when they are family run. Aicha fits this bill, but I still pull no punches.
The wait service was erratic, we were seated, and then we waited for about 10 minutes before the waitress (who I believe also doubles for the co-owner) came by with the menus. What exactly is a customer supposed to do with no drink and no menu? Once they arrived The menus were very nice though, leather bounded and all that.
Taking inventory of the place, it was very nicely appointed. The dining room seems small but it actually can fit quite a number of people. I hit my head on the lamps the drop down from ceiling and decorate the room, so that's a foreshadowing warning. Err, mind your surroundings? I didn't bother trying the bathroom here, so you're out of luck on that judgement. Otherwise the kitchen is close to wear your seated so you can audibly hear the cook banging and clashing with the food.
The Hot Mint Tea is REALLY good. I would stop by this place simply to have some of this tea and smoke Hooka if they presented it to me. I kept ordering water pot refills over and over again. One small pot is enough to fill your glass cup maybe 2-3 times. For my meal I tried the Couscous Royal, which was a mix of all the select meats that they offer (Grilled Chicken, Lamb, Merguez and Kefta) over a bed of couscous and large healthy portions of vegetables. The carrots were deliciously stewed and soft to eat just how you would expect them to be served. The choice meats, while some on the tough side, were moist and flavorable overall. My Grand Aunt had the Vegetarian Couscous, which was very similar, obviously subbed with more of the stewed vegetables for the meats. We also shared a Artichoke Salad, which I would also recommend. We rounded out the meal with their desserts, which were a bread pudding and Crème brûlée.
I cannot say that was most likely the best Moroccan cuisine that I will have in my lifetime, but it was not bad either. Again, I would definitely come here simply for the Hot Mint Tea. Something about how refreshing it was, that made the difference in being a 4 star for me. -
Review from Andrea B.
4/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
Groupon definitely came through for me. I had an enjoyable, nourishing, interesting meal for a deal.
First impression: "I like this place." I have no idea why I got this immediate affection for Aicha - the menus were mini and beautiful, our server was sweet, and I was starving...
App: I chose the phyllo "most popular" appetizer. It was so interesting! It was a meat phyllo appetizer with sweet spice powder. I expected it to be heavier, and I really liked how light it was.
Soup: lentil soup. I found the soup a tad too one-note and acidic, but I adore lentils, so I still enjoyed it.
Mint tea: wonderfully light, sweet, and balanced. Not overpowering at all.
Entrees: Had the lamb royale couscous. I would say that the entree as a whole was plentiful, cooked with a very good technique (the lamb shank practically fell off the bone - sooo tender) but it felt a bit under-seasoned. The couscous and veggies were similar - prepared well but a bit under-seasoned. My fiance had a similar dish (our mistake ordering dishes too alike) with a lamb shank and a plate of peas -seriously! So, if you go, keep in mind that all entrees don't come with rice or starches. If I go again, I would order differently...Both entrees felt like it needed a sauce.
Dessert: I love rice pudding, so no complaints. Baklava was average. -
Review from Kissyfit M.
San Francisco, CA
4/3/2012
I've only been here twice, but every time I have my meal, I'm happy.
Last time, I order the Chicken shish or is it the kebab? Anyhow, the rice and chicken and salad was good. My friend order the lamb cous cous. He had a variety of veggies and cous cous on his plate. Overall, we both enjoyed our meals.
I would definitely recommend this place to a friend. The atmosphere seems chill; not too busy. -
Review from Trevor S.
San Francisco, CA
5/25/2012
Wonderful experience. Very warm and welcoming staff. Amazing range of tastes
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Review from Katrina L.
San Francisco, CA
4/30/2012
I can't speak to the food here since we never got to eat it. But the service here sucks. We had a groupon and walked into a pretty empty restaurant. Only 2 tables had been occupied. When we were seated we mentioned that we had a groupon and the guy told us its only valid if you made a reservation so we couldn't use it. We looked around and the place was practically empty. Ok so if you wanna be so nitty gritty how about we call you right now and make a reservation? And he says no you can't do that we're fully reserved tonight. Uhh if you were fully reserved how did we get this table and why are all the other tables empty? Are they reserved for imaginary people? So we got up and left and will be getting a refund for our groupon.
-
Review from Lupe M.
Oakland, CA
3/19/2012
Want to experience international cuisine? For rich, savory authentic Moroccan food, Aicha turned out to be a pleasant choice. Both the food and the décor of this small restaurant represent Morocco quite well. My friend ordered the tasty chicken couscous made of seasoned couscous topped with tender chicken, onions, garbanzo beans, squash, potatoes, carrots and zucchini. I ordered the lamb kebab which was soaked in a delicious marinade and served with salad, rice and a spicy dipping sauce. Both dishes were quite succulent and flavorful!
Overall, Aicha is a good restaurant to enjoy moderately priced Moroccan food but table service was a bit slow. -
Review from Angela X.
Oakland, CA
There are few tragedies greater than being led astray by positive Yelp reviews to a positively negative dining experience. Aicha promised much, with its four stars, attractive leather-bound menu, and bargain-priced prix fixe. The b'stilla appetizer opened the meal beautifully. But what followed was a different story. The lamb tagine tasted like leftovers, while the harira soup and lamb couscous tasted like nothing. I suppose the baklava was fine, but a meal doesn't enter "good" or even "adequate" territory just because it's bookended by a decent starter and dessert. This may not be a fair comparison, but if you seek delicious Moroccan food, save up your money for a magical evening at Aziza.
-
Review from Ebonee H.
Berkeley, CA
3/31/2012
I went to Aicha for my birthday last week, to have a nice dinner with my family. I just came back from a trip to Morocco and was craving some GOOD maghreb cuisine. Um... well, this food seemed like a sad attempt at it and my poor family is probably now turned off from Moroccan food! Not enough flavor, presentation wasn't great and the hairsa tasted like ketchup :( I will say the staff was AMAZING and the whole resto sung Happy Birthday, which was very kind. Unfortunately though, I won't be back.
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Review from Nancy C.
1/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
I came here with a large group recently and we all had the 4-course prix fixe dinner. I love Moroccan food and I'm still working on trying different places around the city. This is a tiny little place and it wasn't busy when we came here on a Monday night.
One major area of improvement that this restaurant needs to work on is service. Our waitress kept ignoring us throughout the night. I came here before all my friends arrived and it was a bit of a wait. I wanted to order a pot of mint tea and I had to flag her down because she never came over to see if I wanted anything. There were no other occupied tables at the time. When my friends were eating and wanted to order mint tea and I wanted a refill on hot water, we had to flag her down and she forgot to bring it to us. We had to ask twice and it took a while to bring the tea to us. She never checked to see if we needed anything.
Where the service falls short, the food makes up for it. The bastilla is decent. My favorite Moroccan place is Aziza so it's hard to top that, but the bastilla here is good for the price. I would've liked it a little less sweet and more savory though. For my entree, I had the lamb tagine. It was very tender and flavorful. The meat just fell off the bone. Dessert was baklava and it was good. I love baklava and their version is very sweet. All my friends were happy with their food.
I recommend coming here if you're looking for reasonably priced Moroccan food or if you've never had Moroccan before and you're looking for an intro. Their tasting menu is a great value at only $23 for 4 courses. -
Review from Haniya M.
Berkeley, CA
12/31/2011
Roach in the b'stilla... Overshadowed everything else. Then roaches along our table... No apologies or any action from the staff. The young man (cook? manager?) dismissed it with 'you know this business, can't escape this. We just sprayed today so the roaches are going crazy'... unfortunately this lame response does not suffice.
My kefta kebabs were great, the roach-less b'stilla was excellent, but another person in our party of 11 had inedible rubber chicken tagine and they brought out an incorrect order for another person and then took 20 minutes to substitute it. Service was lacking, felt bad for the girl who was the only server in the restaurant, she seemed a bit dazed and overwhelmed. However all of this is really minor compared to finding a cockroach in our appetizer! -
Review from Amy B.
1/7/2012
We ordered the 4-course menu, which included harira soup, an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert. It didn't come with the mint tea, which would have been nice, but the prices were so reasonable that we ordered some with dessert. After all, you can't have a Moroccan meal without topping it off with mint tea!
The food was incredible. I will dare say that the b'stilla was better than any I had in Marrakech or Fes. I ordered the cous cous royal, which was at least as good as the best place I've ever had it in Casa. The bread was a nice attempt, although it's difficult to really replicate bread because of the local yeast and water. The dessert on the other hand was horrible. I should have stuck with the baklava, which was what I had been eying, but my mouth said flan. Perhaps I should have expected such a bad flan. After all, where in Morocco do you order flan? My boyfriend got the baklava, and it was indeed very good. The flan: not so much. The mint tea also wasn't great. It certainly wasn't bad, but again I suppose it's difficult to replicate the real thing.
The one server who attended to all of the tables was very nice. It was a bit slow at times, but given her responsibilities I'm surprised it wasn't slower.
My only real concern here was the cleanliness of the menus. They were kinda yucky. Give 'em a little scrubbing now and again and make sure that the ink is dry before putting them behind smudging plastic, and it would be perfect!
Excellent food and great prices! What's not to love! I'll be back! -
Review from Katherine Y.
San Diego, CA
12/15/2011
Once again the winning combination of Groupon and Yelp brought me in to a restaurant. For $30, we got a pot of tea, appetizer, two entrees and two desserts, a really good deal.
After their delicious mint tea I can't go back to unsweetened!
The Harira soup was lemony in a soapy kind of way, kind of like cilantro, and had garbanzo beans and noodle pieces. It's the only soup on the menu. It was my least favorite thing at Aicha, which given how good the food is is still a compliment, and I've never had Harira before so maybe it's just not something I love.
We got the B-stilla for our appetizer. It's a large phyllo pastry dusted with sugar with a savory, curry chicken filling. I literally sighed after the first bite it was so good.
We got seasoned couscous topped with grilled lamb Chops, onions, garbanzo beans, squash, potatoes, carrots and zucchini, and then the couscous royal, which is the same base but with grilled chicken, lamb, merguez and kefta. Both were good, but my lamb chops were absolutely delicious and made the other dish pale. Also had lamb at two other restaurants recently (sorry PETA I know), and Aicha was the clear winner.
Both desserts, the rice pudding and baklava, were very good. Such a good deal and such a good deal that I had my boyfriend but another groupon so I can go back! Yes, I'm that much of a fatty. -
Review from Faina L.
San Francisco, CA
2/13/2012
It was 'okay' but don't plan on coming back, 2.5 stars I'd say.
The artichoke salad was just lettuce, artichokes, tiny bit of feta and a couple greek olives. It would have been an uneventful greek salad had there not been artichokes.
I got the salmon tagine and dinner partner had the white bean dish. Literally nothing but white beans and spices. No veggies, no rice, nothing. Just a huge bowl of beans and some spice. Mine was better, I had red peppers, some potato and salmon in a sauce. It was decent but not that much flavor or interest. The bread was mediocre.
Our hunt for middle eastern/morrocan in the neighborhood continues.... -
Review from Johnny K.
San Francisco, CA
11/1/2011 2 Check-ins Here
My guitar playing friend recommended this neighborhood joint to me a few weeks back. Being a fan of kebabs and such, we decided to give it a try.
We started off with the Bastilla, which is ground chicken wrapped in phyllo dough sprinkled with powdered sugar. This is the first time I have tried this and thought that it was pretty tasty. Personally, I am not used to starting off the meal with something sweet. I usually like to reserve this for the end of the meal.
Beef and chicken kebabs were ordered as our main course. Beef kebabs were made with ground beef. This was cooked very well. The meat was moist and very flavorful. The chicken kebabs were just as tasty, but a bit dry. Nothing too surprising when grilling chicken.
I am all about good and affordable local eateries in the neighborhood. Thank you to my guitar playing friend for the suggestion. -
Review from Greg G.
Richmond, CA
12/3/2011
What a great place. My friend is vegetarian, other friend were not and it was no problem.
Try the tri-salad and the artichoke salad mmmmmgood
We didn't drive so I am not sure about parking
We just asked our server to bring us some vegetarian dishes
Make sure to drink the tea -
Review from Vladimir P.
San Francisco, CA
11/29/2011 13 Check-ins Here
I like this place. I can say I'm regular here (been here ~9 times). Service is very good. Food is tasty and inexpensive.
By the way I was witness of situation with user "Hamza B." who left comment below. He and his friends were extremely rude to employees of the restaurant for no reason. When they were politely asked to leave (without even paying) one of them started screaming in front of all customers. The sad thing is that they were Moroccans too. What a shame. Owner said he knows these guys acted in similar fashion on other restaurant. -
Review from Lovetoeat A.
Outer Sunset, San Francisco, CA
1/7/2012 3 photos
I'm giving 1 star solely for the friendly service. I ordered the Couscous Royal and my friend ordered the Royal. Both of us didn't like it. The meat was too dry and tasteless. Not to mention the chipped plate and mugs both of us got. The only thing we liked from here was the appetizer, B'stilla. They only have two kind of desserts, one is Baklava and the other one is Rice Pudding. You can get this anywhere else, so nothing special about it.
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Review from Chelsey G.
San Francisco, CA
9/6/2011
Wanted to check out Cafe Zitouna and was reading up on reviews and read up the street was a smaller and more affordable place, Aicha. Just got take out because I was a slob who wanted to enjoy my food in my pj's. The place is small but was full. One girl seemed to be running the place, kudos to her. The young friendly chef also rang me up and gave me a warm gooey feeling.
The veggie tagine was pretty good, but I was already pretty full from the b'stilla I had heard so much about. It was pretty good but not really my thing. Definitley 3 and 1/2 stars. Probably 4 stars, I just need to try again. I would still reccomend! -
Review from Katie Anne N.
San Francisco, CA
8/18/2011
My gf and I decided to check out Aicha using one of her http://restaurant.com coupons.We arrived around 630pm and it was dead. It started to fill up around 7-730pm though. We ordered a few appetizers and 2 entrees to share. We had the B' Stilla which is a crisp warka (phyllo dough) filled with chicken mixture. I could eat that by itself at all hours of the day. It was SO good. We also ordered the artichoke salad which was also great. For entrees were ordered the chicken kebab and the kefta kebab. Both dishes came with a serving of rice and salad. It was a well rounded entree.
It was my first time having Moroccan food and I was quite pleased with it. Everything tasted great and service was attentive as well. Great neighborhood spot. -
Review from Tina A.
7/16/2011
came here with a friend and we both got the 4 course soup + appetizer + entree + dessert for $23.... long story short, just come here to get the B'stilla
Harira Soup:
- plain tasting soup that was neither good nor bad
- the only soup available on the menu
Taktouka (Grilled Bell Pepers + Tomatoes in Olive Oil and Spices):
- salty and mushy
- could not taste the spices
- came with awesome house-made bread that was soft, fresh, and slightly sweet/buttery-tasting
B'stilla (Crisp Dough filled with Chicken)
- the winning dish of the night
- outer dough was crisp/flakey
- filling was savory, sweet, peppery, and nutty - a very unique combination of flavors that is definetly worth a try
Chicken Tagine:
- SALTY (full of olives and was stewed with a lot of salt
- chicken was very tender however it was cut in a way where there were a lot of bone shards that i had to spit out....
Fish Tagine:
- the stew has better flavor than the chicken tagine
- salmon was grilled and still fishy tasting
Flan:
- highly unimpressive, almost flavorless and texture was grainy
Rice Pudding:
- bland - the raisins sprinkled on top did most of the flavoring
Good service and friendly staff.
Probably would not come here again seeing as I only like 1 of the seven dishes we had. -
Review from Raquel Y.
7/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
I came here after an amazing massage at La Biang Thai Massage next door. It was my first time trying a Thai massage, never tried Moroccan food, oh what the hell. Why not!
We had the b'stilla and couscous royal. Definitely try the b'stilla, the couscous royal was okay.
1) b'stilla - delicious. it was like a chicken pie with almonds inside this crunchy dough topped with sugar. yum.
2) couscous royal - we got this because it had assorted vegetables and various types of meat, such as lamb, chicken, kofta (meatball), and merguez (sausage) on top of couscous (kind of like rice). Don't worry, the red stains on the merguez is still cooked! Lol we saw it and both thought "eww" but our waiter actually said that that's how it normally looks, that even if we feel the meat, it's hard and fully cooked. He was right and it wasn't bad.
It was a good experience, b'stilla was great, so come here if you like or have the curiosity to try Moroccan food like I did :) -
Review from Keane L.
5/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here with my mom during her night in SF and had a great meal. The service was really friendly and the Mint Tea they brought us was amazing. We started with the B'stilla which was good, though not the best I've had. The Couscous Royal came with an assortment of perfectly grilled meats, and the Lamb Tajine was so buttery-soft it fell apart in the mouth. I'm not sure if I'd bring a date here, mostly because the food is so good I'd probably stuff myself into a circular shape.
Perhaps if she was willing to roll me back home...
Ladies? ;-) -
Review from Marc A.
6/22/2011
Can't say I've had Moroccan food before to compare Aicha to but my giant chicken chunks - with bones attached - over a bed of couscous with grilled carrots, pumpkin, and zucchini was delicious.
Friendly service and fairly busy for a Monday night. Be sure to pick up a bottle of wine or some beers before hand at the liquor store across the street as they don't serve alcohol but are happy with BYOB. Enjoy! -
Review from Dwigt K. S.
San Francisco, CA
10/2/2011
Service is kind, food is delicious (had the Lamb cous cous w/veggies), and the price is right. I'll definitely be back.
My dish was big enough to sustain me for 2 meals, which is great cuz, quite frankly, I'm broke as shit as a grad student. The lamb fell right off the bone and was very tender and juicy even as a leftover. Cous cous to veggie to protein source ratio was perfect. I also shared a flan dessert with my dinner mate and it was very tasty as well. Another great thing is, there doesn't seem to be a wait. Granted, it was a weeknight. There were also other patrons, so I know I'm not crazy. It's a solid place to take a date if you're also poor and wanna set the bar low, but not low enough so she'll think you're a damn scrub. -
Review from Daniel G.
4/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
The wife and I stopped in here before a show last night. I would have walked right past this place without even noticing it if it weren't for her.
Being as it was advertised as their most popular appetizer on the menu, we decided to try the B'stilla, which was unlike anything that i have ever eaten before. It's a mixture of chicken, egg, herbs and some kind of fruit/veggie, all packed inside a crispy flaky pastry dough similar to phyllo and lightly topped with powdered sugar. Excellent dish.
For entrées, we ordered and shared the lamb tagine, which was a braised lamb quarter with dates, almonds, and a sauce that i can only describe as similar to a mild curry, and the kebab royal, which was a basically just a combo kebab including chicken, lamb, keftka (spiced ground beef), and a type of spicy lamb sausage which i will refer to as lambguica. Both dishes were excellent.
In terms of service, just a note, there was only one server--actually, there was only one person working the entire front of the restaurant; she was the hostess, the waitress, and the busboy for the entire restaurant. This didn't turn out to be a problem for us at all as it was relatively empty when we arrived, however i could see potential for this to be a problem if the place filled up.
One thing i would have liked to have seen is more options in terms of teas and coffee. There is only one option, the mint tea. I was hoping for some spiced tea, or a chai but unfortunately they don't have any.
I'm very very happy with this place, i would come back here in a heartbeat. -
Review from Kenny L.
2/21/2011
Thanks to Angelo for introducing us to this Moroccan gem!
While the restaurant was relatively empty when we walked in for a party of 10 on a Monday, they were very accommodation in moving tables to make sure we have enough room for everyone, even when our party didn't arrive at once.
Between all of us, I've tasted the lamb tagine w/prunes (my order), white beans tagine, fish tagine, couscous, saffron rice, taktouka appetizer, and moroccan mint tea.
Everyone in the party raved about their dishes and we all had a good time. I've been to Cafe Zitouna down the street and while they serve relatively the same types of food, I prefer Aicha because overall the prices here are cheaper/comparable and I like the atmosphere here.
Note, however, that the service here is slow. We were all done eating and we were wondering if the rice pudding and vanilla flan that people had ordered were coming out and whether they were ready to present to check. I feel that they are understaffed when it comes to a large party. Not so good especially if you have an appointment to get to in a timely manner.
But if you have the time and ready to explore some tasty Moroccan treats, this is the place! -
Review from Cathy Y.
2/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ugh, for once Yelp steered me wrong.
Service: Aicha desperately needs to hire another waiter. The one woman working could not handle all of the tables, and everything was atrociously slow. Slow to give us menus, slow to give us water, slow to take our order, and food was sllooowwww to come out. We had to fight for her attention and ask multiple times for a takeout box.
Food: I can forgive slow service if the food is phenomenal. This was not the case. I went with the $23 fixed price dinner (they do not advertise their prix fixe, it is in tiny print at the end of the menu and you must ask about it) with the harira soup, any appetizer, any less than $15 entree, and dessert choice of flan or rice pudding.
Harira - eh, I would have been disappointed if it didn't come with the prix fixe. Plain old lentil soup with one skinny noodle.
Taktouka (appetizer) - grilled bell peppers and tomatoes with spices in olive oil. So salty! It was ok when spread atop bread, but the overwhelming flavor was just saltiness
Grilled merguez - came with rice and salad. Salad was just romaine topped with a whole lot of feta cheese. I found the merguez (ground lamb plus other stuff) pretty dry, and was very jealous of my dinnermate's saucy tagine.
Flan - not bad, but not something I would have ordered by itself.
Overall, the dinner was a giant meh, and in the end the waitress would not let us use our $10 http://restaurant.com gift certificate in combination with the prix fixe menu, because the prix fixe counted as an additional discount. She told us not to worry and that we could use the certificate next time. Ha, as if there will be a next time... -
Review from Uly S.
San Francisco, CA
9/14/2011
Service really friendly and welcoming.
B' Stilla superb
Really affordable
We will be back -
Review from Mr. J.
San Francisco, CA
5/14/2011
BLAND. Boy was I disappointed when I got home to eat my Lamb Couscous, which I thought was going to be braised Lamb shoulder but it turned out to be Lamb Leg. I didn't want Lamb Leg, which is another item on the menu, so right away the wording on their menu was deceiving.
The entire dish, couscous, Lamb and veggies, were severely under seasoned, if even at all. Zero flavor. I couldn't believe it. All the elements and every bite was disappointing. So much so that I didn't even finish the dish despite paying $14+$3 tip. There was no special spices or herbs treated on any of the elements. The Lamb was super gamey. Makes me wonder what the other dishes are like. But not so much that I'll try it again. Unfortunate for this being my first and last time.
Oh, and someone working in the restaurant reeked of cheap cologne which filled the restaurant more than the smell of the food. But that doesn't surprise me. When good, flavorful food is on the stove it tends to permeate other scents no matter what. I didn't smell food when I walked in there. -
Review from David A.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2011
This local restaurant offers authentic Moroccan food in an environment the feels authentic, at least in it's looking tired enough to have made the trip over from the old country.
Service was sweet but poor. The server was not fully familiar with what she had to serve and when we asked for help opening our beers (the restaurant is BYOB), we were handed a bottle-opener to pop our bottles but no glasses in which to pour.
This is so close to my home I wish I wanted to go back. I don't. -
Review from Amy J.
2/8/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Yum. The lovely Angelo F gathered some friends together for Moroccan Monday. Most of us got the prixe fixe items for the night which consisted of a soup, a flaky sweet and savory appetizer, an entree of your choice and a dessert of your choice. I figured since two items would already cost me almost as much as the prixe fixe, why not get the prixe fixe? I really liked the appetizer who's name suddenly escapes me. It was marked on the menu as the most popular appetizer.
I ended getting a chicken kabob which I ended up taking home because I was full by the time I got to the second item. The flan was also pretty tasty. The rice pudding looked good, but I'm not a huge fan of that in the first place. The service was a bit slower than expected even though we were a big party but the food was pretty decent. Good stuff. -
Review from Betty f.
Daly City, CA
3/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place is great loved the food.
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Review from Jenn A.
Campbell, CA
8/3/2011
It's like we visited someone's home. I took my parents to Aicha the other day. My mom is from Bethlehem and is very picky about Middle Eastern cooking. I was taking a risk, I knew it.
We ordered the Lamb Couscous (which came with a lamb shank), the Kefta, and the Chicken Tagine. As my mom was taking her first bite, I cringed a little because never has she eaten Middle Eastern food that wasn't her's or her sister's cooking and liked it without criticism. Would you believe, she said, "Oh my gosh, this is so good," after her first bite? I was so excited because we had finally found a place that would live up to her standards. It was like we were eating at the chef and owner's home. He was so kind to us, offering tea at the end of our meal.
My dad pleaded with him to never change the menu. Excellent food! This will definitely be my go-to in the city! I cannot wait to take my husband here! -
Review from Desiree D.
Fairfax, VA
12/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cute little quiet place. Authentic ethnic cuisine at good prices. They don't serve alcohol but you can bring your own from the liquor store a few blocks away. Really tasty mint tea and delicious couscous. Try the tajine kefta if you like meat.
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Review from Kimiko T.
San Francisco, CA
5/9/2011
I'm sorry, there are very few places that I'd give a 1 star rating to, but this was a terrible disappointment. I agree that the B'stilla was one of the better items on the menu - but I'm not a huge fan of sweet meat. Everything else tasted like it came out of an old lady's kitchen.. and I don't mean your grandma's delicious secret recipes.. I mean one who's lost her sense of taste and accidentally mixes up the dog food tin with the tuna tin.
We had the Chicken Couscous and Lamb Kebabs and the meat in both were overcooked and extremely tough. The couscous tasted like it came out of a package, and sat in a puddle of water at the bottom of the bowl. A few giant, over-boiled pieces of vegetable sat on top of this, along with dry, boiled, flavorless chicken - I couldn't even pretend to like it - it was too tough to swallow.
I'm not sure how this has gotten so many good reviews - even my boyfriend who loves ANYTHING hated it. Perhaps we just came on an off day?
Yuck. -
Review from David G.
2/6/2011
Looking for something different and new to try, my friend Jamie and I were walking up Polk Street tonight and noticed Aicha was open. So, we decided to take a chance and were not disappointed.
Not too crowded at first (it got busier after we arrived), we were promptly greeted and told we could sit where we liked. Water in clean glasses and hot sweet mint tea were ordered and served quickly.
Our server suggested we split the $23, 4-course menu, which was a great deal and surprised us with a good amount of food. The soup arrived after our 3-salad sampler, which was fresh and tasty. Fresh eggplant, red peppers and marinated carrots were perfect.
The Couscous Royale with lamb, chicken, couscous, and other assorted veggies was well prepared and delicious. Rice pudding for dessert rounded out the meal. Not the best, but not bad either.
Overall, I like Aicha, and while the service wasn't fast, that was ok with me,as it was attentive with several helpful menu suggestions to help us throughout our meal. -
Review from Aasim K.
5/18/2011
Aicha is a welcome change to the sea of arabesque kebab/shawerma joints in the area. North African cuisine is unique, flavorful, and very tasty. It has hints of Egyptian or Lebanese cuisine but stands wholly on its own. The service was impeccable and the food was well seasoned particularly the bastilla and the tagine.
The place is a tad cramped though and suffers from an 'in-between' atmosphere. It has elements of a more trendy place but because of the layout it has more of a hole-in-the-wall feel. Eh, good food is good food. -
Review from Nick M.
San Francisco, CA
1/21/2011
De-friggin-licious stuff!!
Been here twice and I recommend the hell out of it to everyone who asks for Moroccan food. The Mint tea is super tasty and not over powering. I got the Couscous Royal which come with 4 differently prepared types of meat, a bunch of steamed veggies and a big bowl of couscous. You WILL be stuffed, but not in a 'oh I can't move way,' more of a (Cartman voice) 'mmmmmmm seriously you guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuys' way.
The first time I went there, the apartment building that Aicha is built into had it's fire alarm going off...normally I would say f this and i'm out, but at that time, I was so into my food, I didn't care, and the staff kept on serving while the fire trucks rolled up. There was no fire and we continued out grubbage.
Both times I was there on a Thursday night and there was no wait. -
Review from Darya B.
San Francisco, CA
12/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Excellent food, outstanding customer services. I've been here a few times already. Love their mint tea. Highly recommend checking them out :)
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Review from Cliff K.
San Francisco, CA
3/6/2011
5 stars for bang to buck, proximity to nightlife, very tasty food, and attentive service.
TIP: When ordering main dishes, make sure you find out which dishes come with rice or not. I personally did not see any organized method or pattern for distinguishing which dishes came with rice or not, and some guy in my party got a very good dish, but it came a la carte and he had to order rice.
PARKING: cheap parking at a structure diagonally across from the restaurant. $2/hour on a Saturday night.
SERVICE: Handled a group of 8 wonderfully. Never felt rushed, and attentive during our 2.5 hour stay. Overall a nice dining experience. 20% service added to parties of 5+.
The b'stilla is a must try. A phyllo dough stuffed with eggs, nuts (I think it was almonds, I don't remember), chicken, and cinnamon, topped with powdered sugar. Definitely something you don't find at every Mediterranean place in SF, and a unique specialty. I later found out from a Morrocan woman I met in a bar that night that b'stilla is a dish usually served only on special occasions.
The mashed eggplant appetizer was a tongue pleaser, with an interesting spice mix and proper texture for eggplant (half-mashed, not babaganoush).
The tagine dishes came with great portions, and the mixed meat couscous plate looked very interesting and with great smells. But my chicken kebab plate made me very happy as well. Chicken had a smokey/charry grilled flavor, and the chicken was almost perfectly cooked/moist. The rice served with it was very flavorful, I sensed a very very slight hint of saffron with olives. Recommend.
