Aziza
5800 Geary Boulevard
(between 22nd Ave & 23rd Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121 (415) 752-2222
- Hours:
Mon, Wed-Sun 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. - Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
306 reviews
Neighborhood: Mission
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411 Reviews for Aziza
LOVE LOVE LOVE AZIZA! I go there for the Ginger cocktail (and I usually hate to eat ginger) and all the other specialty drinks are fresh and yummy as well. The food is pretty awesome to boot.
Came here for DAT to discover the deliciousness that is Aziza. This could definitely be a romantic setting to be shared with someone special. Starting off with the drink menu, my eyes caught hold of the pomegranate champagne. Two of my favorite things combined in a scintillating fashion, and it was perfection. Also all the guys in our group said that the beer selection was really good. Then the waiter went over the DAT menu and mentioned that the portion sizes were smaller than the normal. Because of that and the special mention of the corn soup, I just had to order that off the regular menu.
Then the first course came out and it didn't look small at all. I ordered the lamb sausages, moist and medium rare. Then the smooth corn soup that was huge. For the main course I got the cod, with saffron broth, which was super sour, garnished with onions, carrots, and olives. While the fish was cooked to flaky moist perfection, the sourness of the broth ruined it for me. Then I finished din with the lemon tartlet garnished with a cilantro puree along with leaves. The sour theme continued in this, but it actually tasted really good with the cilantro leaves that helped cut the sour in a really appetizing way.
Then the rest of dinner we spent gabbing about Top Chef, and talking about all the trips we've taken to various foreign locales. A great din with fun convos and good company.
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This really should be an update review with my prior entry a 4 or 5 for the food and ambiance - I had been much more impressed with my previous experiences at Aziza.
This time, though, I have to face the fact that I felt let down. Only a small part of it was due to the food (why people keep trying to serve me utterly raw meat in what are supposed to be cooked dishes puzzles me, my inner animal must be showing, rwarrr) - by and large the fare was very good if not perhaps a tad overpriced at points.
No, it wasn't the food at the heart of my disappointment, it was the overall handing of things. First and foremost when I made the reservation I was clear about it being for a birthday and requested the most romantic booth they had (and checked that the hostess had received the message when we arrived). Sure I know this leaves it up to interpretation and I'd be flexible on this, I'm really not an unreasonable soul, but I don't think anyone would call the booth closest to the restroom/kitchen opening near the bright overhead dome light romantic considering the other options, or even a very good seat notwithstanding its romance rating.
Then the dinner service was moderately sporadic, the appetizers almost came out too quickly and on top of each other (and for some reason during the whole meal a single appetizer was described to us as it was served, none of the other dishes were so addressed), then the gap to the entrees, where there was nothing on the table at all, lasted quite a while.
Finally they forgot the birthday aspect when dessert came along. No biggie, we are adults here, but it is one of those details that says something about an establishment; when a celebratory moment is honored graciously it indicates that the restaurant is making an effort to be a host. I've had memorable moments when a restaurant goes above and beyond - The Fifth Floor and Martini House in St. Helena come to mind, they each whipped up little customized items - I don't expect that every time, but some sort of recognition would have not only been professional but welcoming.
Overall I still like Aziza and will continue to visit it on occasion, but now I would hesitate to make it a destination for a special occasion - the only thing I want muddled is the drinks.
We went for the DAT menu, and it lived up to the rave reviews. We had a hard time selecting, but everything we had was great. The lamb shank especially lived up to its reviews. The food was inspired. it took a 45 minute ride on shit-smelling 38 Geary bus to get there, and it was still worth it. We'll be back.
Did Dine About Town here with friends last night. Aziza's menu featured organic, sustainable, locally grown food (etc etc yes, I mock but love this about the Bay Area) AND the tasty Med-Moroccan fare hit the spot.
I had the goat cheese and cherry app, the cod in saffron and veggie stew for an entree, and the yogurt and strawberry for dessert. All were excellent. Unlike lots of places in this price range, Aziza actually provides pretty large portions too. Big ups, Aziza.
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Review on: Dine About Town menu
Unexpectedly delicious. I don't know what I was expecting really, but I was impressed by the ambiance, the cocktails, the presentation of the food, everything.
Highlights:
Apricot cocktail - with brandy & passionfruit.
It had bits of real fruit in it, nice and pulpy. I coulda drank 3 of those.
Beet salad - with oranges, tomatoes & frisee.
It was a great combination of tart, sweet, bitter, and salty. Loved it.
Lamb shank - Yelpers, you were right.
Yogurt panna cotta - the crispy corn flaky bits on top added a pleasant texture to the yogurt.
Other comments:
The quail entree was descent. The was nothing wrong with it; it was cooked perfectly and all but it just wasn't amazing like the lamb. I also learned that you need an acquired taste for the chocolate dessert (with cayenne pepper). My friends loved it, however some of us did not quite enjoy the burning sensation in our throats.
I would definitely go back. Looking forward to trying more of those dangerously yummy cocktails!
Wow, what a meal! I was lucky to hear about Aziza for their now infamous generous Dine About Town menu. Unlike most DAT restaurants, Aziza actually shows off the goods and gives you a great selection of items off their regular menu. I was blessed to start my meal with their delicious meatballs, and even more lucky to eat their lamb shank with couscous for my main. The lamb was so tender it fell off the bone. For dessert I had the yogurt, although I should've opted for the devilishly delicious cayenne chocolate. Smooth chocolate with just a hint of spice, it was divine!
PS I'd heard their cocktails were also great, but despite the waitresses best intentions to impress me, my kumquat and thyme cachaca drink was a bit too heavy on the herbs for me to enjoy.
This is quite possibly one of my favorites in the city. Not only is everything on the menu delicious, but the wine is great too. I highly recomend that you get the Eco wine that they have. It is a good buy.
Every time i walk into this place I feel at ease, and very relaxed. Waiter service is always good, and the host and hostess are always welcoming. Really the only thing that is hard, is to get a reservation on the weekend. My favorite dishes are the lamb sausages, the cod, the squab, and of course the lamb shank. Though most things here are according to the season. I found out about Aziza from the owner himself, who shops at the same Farmers market as I do. I find it comforting to know that this organic restaurant is taking action in buying good quality food.
Mourad is a great chef, and provides a great service. I recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants good food at a fair price. It isn't a fast food joint so don't expect cheep, but at the same time it's not ridiculously expensive. In my personal opinion it, they are worth the price.
For more organic restaurants visit www.iheartorganic.com
Be Well,
Mr. Organic
I liked Aziza from the minute I walked in the door and spotted the plush dark blue booths lining the walls. The decor is great -- dark colors and low lighting, with lots of archways throughout the restaurant to enhance the Moroccan theme. However, it's also a very hip place, with jazzy electronica music playing over the sound system. So it would probably be fair to say that Aziza is more "Moroccan-inspired" than authentic.
The food was very good -- though it lacked that "ohmygod this is the best thing I've ever eaten" quality that would make me give the restaurant five stars. The service was amazing -- the waiter helped me navigate the menu so I would know what was safe for my gluten-free belly, the courses came quickly and my water glass was continually being refilled.
We shared two salads, and I had the prawns as a main course -- my only complaint there was that the bowl was so hot, I burned my tongue devouring the tasty tomato/fennel/celery/caper base that came with the prawns. For dessert, the peach with goat-cheese mousse was delectable -- and too small, especially for the price.
I definitely want to come back here and try more of the menu, because the whole package of atmosphere/service/food is definitely worth going out of one's way for.
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There were 4 of us - two couples.
We decided we wanted something special, so we went to Aziza after reading reviews from fellow Yelpers. As we got there, we were quickly seated and right away melted into the intimate ambiance of low, colored light and modern eastern dcor. As this was our first time we went for their 5 course special and had few drinks each.
The food was excellent - and the service impeccable. Mohammad, our waiter, recommended drinks with each course, or to match our mood.
All of us enjoyed this 2 hour dinner and walked out feeling that we'll certainly be back soon.
The verdict - expensive, but worth every penny.
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What can I say? If I lived in the city, I would be fat. Real fat. I came last night with my +1 for DAT's first night. We had to ask for the DAT menu, but from there everything was gravy. Excellent goat cheese, meatball appetizers. Luscious lamb shank and flavorful couscous. Yes, the desserts were a bit weak, but the other food more than made up for it. The Meyer Lemon cocktail was delicious, but I'd say the rhubarb is not for the faint of heart. It comes with pepper, and it was a bit too much for me.
And unlike most other upscale restaurants, the portion sizes here are substantial. I came away stuffed.
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#8 on the quest to conquer the 2008 Top 100...
Thank you Dine About Town for hooking me up with this mind-blowing dinner. Came here with my home boy who also felt adventurous enough to try some Moroccan food. We were like so Moroccan huh? WTF food is that, like couscous and shit? Definitely couscous, definitely the shit (although we didn't get that).
We both wanted to experiment and try each dish so we shared all 6 of our orders. In a romantic, intimate setting like this, I am grateful this restaurant ain't in the Castro or we would definitely be looking a little suspicious. Everything from top to bottom was amazing, so fabulous I had a lot of best evers:
olive oil for bread - from Morocco, very nutty and extra extra virgin
lamb sausage - great texture and seasoning
lamb shank - melts in your mouth, the thing was the size of my arm, prunes and barley were awesome accompaniments
quail - ate millions of quail eggs before but first time eating quail meat so had to be the best, moist and succulent
croutons - yea i said freakin croutons, it came with the quail. buttery, crunchy, chewy.
chocolate mousse - the cayenne pepper added a little pop at the end. like PB&J somehow spicy chocolate works.
Someone mentioned before "you will bust a nut over this place." I couldn't put it better: skeet-triggering Moroccan food.
Fucking gorgeous. From start to finish. We got the goat cheese with tomato jam, the arugula salad, and the basteeya to start. Then I got the lamb shank, which fell off the bone like butter. If you have a thing for meat with dried fruit, you will bust a nut over this place. For real.
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I also did Dine About Town last night, and I left both impressed and confused. I studied their short menu trying to figure out what I would be eating based on the random list of ingredients. Instead of a normal description, it was like food Mad Lib - each course was described by 5 unrelated ingredients separated by commas with no indication of how it was prepared. Alright, creating the element of surprise, I get it.
I wasn't so impressed with the flatbreads, but my lamb shank was huge and the meat fell right off the bone. The couscous was also amazing, albeit it was a grab bag of existing items on their menu. It included lamb sausage from the appetizer and shredded lamb from the lamb entree, but good nonetheless.
The chocolate dessert was also good but confusing. You take a bite and taste a perfectly balanced chocolate pot de creme, and then all of a sudden the Cayenne hits you like a slap in the face. You take another bite, savor the initial flavors and then it hits you at the end again, no less shocking than the first time. Repeat 15 times. It was an interesting dessert, but I preferred the strawberry yogurt which was very refreshing and super delish.
All in all, I was impressed by the decor and the food even though it was nothing like what I expected.
in preparation for my trip to morocco, i was in search of some fabulous restaurants to pique my taste buds. I knew a woman who was the wife of a chef and she recommended aziza, which was a real find.
i wouldn't consider it traditional moroccan fare, but the spices and basic structure of the dishes were present. i had the lamb with dates, so delish. the decor is interesting, and thank god no belly-dancers. i think belly-dancers are fun sometimes, but it definitely adds a level of cheese to a dining experience.
the trip to morocco was an unforgettable adventure, but the culinary experience began with aziza!
Second time dining here. I have travelled to Morocco and knew that we never had this type of food in the origin. However the meal is still enjoyable by being arranged by a talented chef. We had tasting manu and I selcted couscous, which was the most soficticated "couscous" i ever had. They also had good alternate plates for the vegetarians which was looking good as well.
Ambiance is intimate. Maybe a little too dark, one of my friends almost felt asleep after the long day trip to Monterey..:p
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I hadn't been here in a couple of years, until I went again last month with my husband and my cousin, Rachel S. We started with a salad with "Bermuda Triangle" cheese and the chicken basteeya. The cheese was kind of brie-like. I'm not sure why they called it Bermuda Triangle cheese, other than the fact that it was cut into triangles and mysteriously disappeared. I then had a leg of rabbit.
They make good use of fresh ingredients here, and the atmosphere is pleasing. The desserts were delicate, creative, and artfully crafted.
Read: The desserts were tiny, weird, and fussy.
I could skip the dessert next time. We had a rhubarb tart and an apricot souffle. The souffle was served warm whereas we thought it would have made a better frozen souffle, and the rhubarb tart was served with a side of some kind of celery compote.
Celery has absolutely no place in a dessert. It's a total travesty, I tell you.
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Part two of dine about town. Came here for dinner. We thought we were going to be eating with our hands but we saw people using utensils. This restaurant had a three course meal. For the starter i got the spreads which was flat-bread with three different kinds of spreads - chickpea, piquillo-almond and yogurt dill. I only liked the yogurt dill. For the main course, I had the beef with cauliflower, ginger, and castelvetrano olives. Lastly for desert I got yogurt panna cotta. That was good. The service was good except that they brought out our dessert before we had our main dish. It looks like a good place to go for a romantic date.
Fantastic gem in the Richmond. The atmosphere lends itself to either a date,or a very small crowd. Low lighting and and a wonderful decor. The restaurant is very misleading form the outside. The staff was knowledgeable and non intrusive.
One special note are the drinks. They are a blend of fresh fruit and matching liquors.
Must say that they have good food and the meat is sooo tender! But, I don't know how authentic it is because the place is a little too fancy. So, my thought is that it's probably a little americanized.
Anyway, I ordered the meat couscous ($20) which has shrimp, chicken, and lamb in it... it was good.. and they give you the spicy Moroccan sauce on the side, which is awesome with the couscous. Hubby ordered the lamb shank with lentil and raspberry sauce?($22) it was really good also. For appetizer, we ordered the lamb sausage ($9) which tastes and looks like gyros. It was really good. Everything we ordered were flavorful. But, we didn't try any cocktail though because we thought that we were going to be too full, and each portion is well enough to feed one person.
The only thing is the place is in the pricy side! But, it's a good place and good food for special occasion though.. so, it worth a try!
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I took one bite of my lamb shank, turned to my girl and exclaimed, "And this is why we live in the Bay Area."
The space makes an interesting use of colors. The blue light makes the shadows yellow. We looked at our plates and thought it was olive oil! Funny. I didn't expect to find this restaurant where it was. It's very out of place, but that may be more of a positive.
Despite the risk of repeating perhaps much of what the other 403 reviewers have said before me, let me begin.
First of all, they did the DAT menu right - giving several choices thru which one could easily concoct a cadre of dishes suitable to one's palate, as opposed to one or two selections only.
A beautiful array of flavors adorned every dish. Terrific presentation and attention to detail. The flat bread spreads were tasty I thought the chick pea (yes I know it's not hummus since hummus is middle eastern, not Moroccan) was not too exciting but the Tzatziki-esque one and the spicy tomato spread were both terrific. The dark red one reminded me of the kind of bbq flavor you taste in Lay's BBQ chips. I don't mean that in a bad way - it was great. The skewered meatballs on the jicama/cucumber salad was terrific. The goat cheese appetizer, for someone who doesn't like goat cheese, was excellent. My lamb shank was beyond amazing - could be my most favorite version of the dish. Yes it fell off the bone, yes it melted in my mouth and yes I couldn't stop eating it. The barley sitting with it in the bottom of the tagine dish was a great compliment. We also had the couscous - great selection of meats/prawns and integration of the flavors. There was lamb in the middle of the mound of couscous as well as lamb sausage. This was good!
The desserts on the DAT menu, and this could be our fault based on what we ordered, were just okay. We had the lemon tart and the yogurt. The lemon tart was a bit to sharp - i think the citric acid was a bit overwhelming but I guess you need to allow for that possibility with that sort of dessert. The yogurt dessert was essentially a yogurt with strawberry parfait with bread crumb topping. It was okay. Looking back on it, how could we not have the chocolate dessert. Oh well. There were several more dessert choices on the regular menu that seemed very appealing. Again - next time.
This is quite a find - something you may not expect to find in the Richmond District but it is absolutely a destination.
Service was friendly if a bit dry at times. I didn't feel the waitress was terribly engaging, but she was pleasant.
I'd unequivocally recommend this restaurant to anyone - the food here is tremendous.
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This place was great. We enjoyed the food and service. If you want a Moroccan fusion fine dining, this is the place for you.
Do try the prix -fixe menu for a group of 4-5! Family style with more than a dozen dishes was fantastic! We started out with 5 appetizers then onto 5 entrees and finally 5 different desserts!
Each dish was prepared with the freshest, organic ingredients: crispy buttery bread with 3 choices of homemade hummus, artichoke with parsley infused with olive oil, goat cheese with celery leaves, baked chicken with brussell sprouts, leg of lamb, shrimp, calamari salad, yogurt parfait with strawberry and lemon zest, passion fruit icecream...just to name a few.
A combination of seafood, meat, vegetables that hit every tasting palette: sour, sweet, bitter, salty, and pungent. This is how every meal should be! Not an unsurmountable amount of food but just enough on the serving platter to taste and fulfill your appetite. They also accommodate vegetarians, substituting dishes as it pertains to your liking. A great wine list and unique cocktails to spice up the mood.
We never had to ask or request the server for much, except to order more wine :) Our waiter didn't hesitate when asked about the dishes or wine preference.
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Yelpers, you lead me in the wrong direction. =(
I hate to be the party pooper here. But i gotta keep it real.
I really thought I would like this place. Norey, Vicky and I went here last week and the three of us were disappointed. We went for dine about town, but instead decided to opt for the $50 five-course menu. What a waste.
I had corn soup to start off with, which was too sweet for me and pretty boring (and so small--about three spoonfuls of soup).
Unfortunately, you can't even pick what starters you want, which was a little disappointing initially, but then I accepted giving the chef the benefit of the doubt since i figured he/she would give us the best stuff. I was wrong.
For our second course, the chef sent us:
spreads----(boring and unoriginal, once again too much sweetness in one of them) which contained a spicy sweet spread, a chick pea spread (not hummus unfortunately) and a tzatziki type yogurt/dill sauce. I should give them credit for the flat bread, it was grilled to perfection and had beautiful grill marks on it. But it should have been all about the spreads, not the bread. We asked for some more bread and they charged us for it. Whatever. I couldn't stop comparing these spreads to the spreads at Saha, which are 1000% better
----cannelloni beans in some sort of sauce and cheese. The beans were a bit crunchy in my opinion and drenched in cheese. Now, i love me some cheese but this was just too rich. Then, there were some crunchy bits in this dish but none of us could figure out what it was. They tasted and felt like grape nuts. It was an odd pairing that I didn't really care for.
----we had some meatball/grape skewers that my dining companions seemed to like, but I didn't try so I can't comment. They did look pretty good though.
2nd course: You must have a mandatory basteeya. They don't allow you to pick anything else. 2/3 of us didn't like it. I just can't get with chicken that tastes like dessert. I was explaining to our server that I don't care for basteeya (before deciding to go for the 5-course meal), and he explained that their basteeya is "more savory" than traditional basteeya. This is what influenced me to go with the 5-course to begin with, as I was planning to just go with the three course. Well, he was wrong. It tasted like every other basteeya I've had (tons of sugar, chicken, cinnamon, eggs, and a flakey crust all mixed together). It wasn't savory at all.
For our entrees, we had:
Scallops with lemon-saffron risotto. The scallops were not bad, but mediocre. They should have seared them. They were a bit mushy. The lemon-saffron risotto was also WAY overcooked and had too much sauce in it, making it very heavy.
Lamb shank:
Extremely good. I really I wish I would have ordered it. It melted off the bone, had good flavors, and was not gamy at all. It's pretty easy to screw up lamb and they executed the dish very well.
Cous Cous with vegetables and Lamb:
Okay but boring. I could have made that myself. It was extremely bland. Isn't Moroccan food supposed to have more flavor? What made it even worse is that the server recommended this dish to us.
A few minutes after we started eating our entrees another sever came by (who was extremely nice) and gave us harissa sauce to spice things up. I was excited. I love spicy food. I was hoping this could save 2 of the entrees. Once again, utterly disappointed. The harissa sauce I had at Mezes seemed more like the real deal. This harissa tasted like they made it out of ketchup and added a bunch of smoked cayenne pepper.
For dessert we had:
----Chocolate souffle with "coco nibs" ice cream. It tasted like an extremely heavy chocolate mousse, and not like a souffle AT ALL. The ice cream was good by itself, but did not complement the "souffle" in any way. It was mediocre at best.
----The yogurt with fruit. This was much better than the chocolate dessert, and that's saying a lot because I love chocolate. The yogurt wasn't sour, but extremely smooth and went really well with the strawberries. It was actually pretty refreshing. The crunchy bits on top added a new texture to the dessert. It was a good dessert. Not great.
The service was very good and the staff extremely helpful as we were a bit perplexed by the menu, but the best part of our meal was a bottle of Rhone Syrah that we had. Delish wine. I actually want to go out and try to find it. +1 star for the service and +1 star for the lamb shank dish alone.
You have to rate food relatively. We paid $75 each for our meal and we didn't come out of the restaurant happy. We all agreed...we will not be going back.
Saha, Aziza made me really miss you!
Here we come!
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Went here last night and right away the decor made me feel like i was in another country. It was dim inside and and gave off that romantic, intimate feel. Our waiter, Mohammad, was excellent, he knew the menu and was very personable. Everything looked great on the menu so all four of us got the tasting menu for $50 each, what a steal!! We got to pick our own soup, then the three appetizers was the chef's pick, then we got to pick our own entree and desert!
We had:
Lentil Soup
Avocado Soup
Spreads
Calamari
Cannellini Beans
Basteeya
Beef
Scalops
Lamb Shank
And really, everything was soooo delicious!! This place is a winner!!!
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I would agree that it is Moroccan inspired rather than truly authentic but what really is authenticity? You are not going to find a restaurant in San Francisco exactly as it is in Morocco, right? With that said I have to say that we loved every single bite we had from the 5 course tasting menu the first time we came. It is rare, especially when you have so many courses, that every single thing is delicious. I will say that the second time we went it didn't quite match our own memories from the amazing first experience, but it was still delicious. We went on an off night the second time and it could have been a day that the main chef was off. It has not dimmed our overall image of this fantastic place.
Aziza's food, drink, ambiance, and service are all out-of-this-world. Why not five stars, then? It's too expensive (see: $11 for four stalks of asparagus). That's its only flaw. Well, parking in The Richmond is horrible, too, but that's hardly the restaurant's fault, even if they do profit tidily by charging $10 for valet parking.
J. and I had been here once before, long ago, and loved what we had then, just as we loved what had this time. My rhubarb and vanilla cocktail with vodka was tastylicious. The previously mentioned pricey asparagus dish was fine, although not particularly notable. We preferred the selection of three spreads with little triangles of grilled flatbread (loved the pepper and pomegranate one). We also both enjoyed the ginormous basteeya with ground nuts, chicken, and sweet spices wrapped in flaky phyllo dough. It was delicious and filling. Finally, we shared an order of the lamb chops, cooked medium rare. Fabulous preparation, tender meat with perfect seasoning accompanied by an intriguing fava bean/mint mixture, chard, and apricot wedges. Yummy, if pricey. We also liked the perfectly cooked side of couscous. No room for dessert!
Our waiter was thoughtful and helpful, unobtrusive yet available. Unfortunately, there was a long wait before our lamb and couscous arrived, but that was the only flaw in service.
Aziza is a feast for the senses. Amazing cocktail menu with drinks entitled "cucumber" and "rhubarb" and each one is made fresh...even the sangria. I couldn't help but order the tasting menu because I wanted to sample as much as possible from the menu. The tasting menu was 5 courses and only $50 per person. Every course was bursting with flavor. I chose fish as my main and had scallops my dining partner had chicken and was equally pleased. This is easily one of the most charming places in SF...can't wait to go back.
Went here since I've been craving Moroccan food after having El Mansour 5 years ago. Nothing is wrong with El Mansour, but I love AZIZA!
My boyfriend and I decided to go with the Tasting Menu since we didn't know what to get. We both chose the lentil soup. For the chef chosen appetizers, we received the meatballs and the spreads. Both were amazingly delicious. I was surprise to find my boyfriend enjoying the meatballs so much since they are made with lamb. My boyfriend won't even eat ham/pork, ground beef, duck, etc. (Poor me, right?)
Then came the basteeya which was delicious and so elegantly served. A nice lady came out and explained it to us and cut it for us too. After that came our main courses. I got the quail which was soft and tender and utterly scrumptious. The boyfriend got the scallops. He decreed them fabulous as well.
Lastly was dessert. I got the lavender almond cake which was a mistake. I didn't like the flavors, but nothing was actually wrong with it, just personal taste. The strawberry sorbet that came with it was fantastic though. My boyfriend got the chocolate brownie which was yummy! For our drinks for the evening I ordered the pomegranate soda with my meal and then had red peach hong tao mao feng tea with dessert. My boyfriend had the imperial pu-erh di huang tea with his meal and dessert. Both were delicious.
Not only was this meal a treat for the tongues, but also the eyes. Everything was plated beautifully and the decor of the restaurant so beautiful. It is nice to find a place with great food, great service, and great ambiance.
I definitely recommend this place!
Very very delicious. Although we didn't get a table because we had no reservation, we were seated immediately at the bar, and service was quick. The atmosphere was amazing, with Moroccan-inspired arch ways, veils hanging over the door, and beautiful candlelit tables.
Everything we tasted was either good or excellent.
Good:
Barbera Wine
Artichoke salad
Olives (I don't eat them, but my boyfriend said they reminded him of Greece)
Quail
Chocolate mouse cake
Excellent:
Goat Cheese with tomato chutney
Grilled Flatbread
The huckleberry sauce and salad that went with the Quail
Lamb Chops (I only had a bite, but holy sh*t they were good!!)
The experience was definitely worth the price if you're willing to spend it. However, I didn't find any Moroccan-inspired flavors or spicecs in my food. I was expecting to experience the cuisine of another land, and instead I experienced the cuisine of San Francisco fine dining. Not that I'm complaining ;)
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Aziza poses a difficulty for me.
The food (lamb, basteeya, virtually all the appetizers) is excellent. The drinks are transporting. They may actually be in a category beyond drinks: they're more like alchemy or art.
But the place is about a block from my home, and I am not one of those Seacliff people. I have to work to earn regular doses of beauty like this.
Aziza is virtually outside my front door. When I'm coming home from downtown, it's across the street from my bus stop. The gentle blue glow of Aziza is a constant lure and reminder ... of Paradise.
Can anyone actually afford Paradise?
My husband and I are very occasional Aziza diners -- choosing occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, to dine there. I'd probably be more haunted and less happy if I went there more often. I would feel the tractor beam of all that Aziza delight drawing me in; instead, I just head home.
Want my advice, Yelpers? Save Aziza for something special. It's not for just any old day. It's a precious jewel set in the Outer Richmond; too much exposure to it may overwhelm you.
But maybe that's just my own longing talking ...
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5 of us went there for dinner Saturday night
Drinks -- the Adult soda -- well adult implies not that much sugar -- the tangarine and pom were good
The sangria was ok but was very potent
The Vodka drink will Meyer Lemon and Basil was excellent
Onto the Ap and Salads -- the lamb sausage, the bean dip and salads (fava bean and cannellini) were amazing
As most yelper say, the lamb shank is very good but the fish (the coe) is to die for... the veggies and sauce that come with it need some bread to dip and slurp.
The couscous is well made as it should be and goes well with the veggie charmoula though the poached egg was not well liked by the veggie folks -- you may want to avoid that
The caramel ice cream -- loved by the kids as was the chocolate dessert
All in all a wonderful meal
Fantastic food. The lamb shank was awesome and the chocolate dessert was definitely something to be savored.
Great service too.
One of the more memorable meals I've had, this place is well worth the visit.
Totally date worthy, but good for friends or family or even out of towners as well.
The food was awesome- really exceeded my expectations. Like a flavor explosion. Yum. Date loved the drink options, since I'm such a coffee girl I was so happy to find that they serve blue bottle, if that doesn't make it a perfect I dunno what could.
They support local sustainable ag, have info on their farmers available and they do a lot to stick to fresh, local, organic food- you can taste the difference...PLUS I love the idea of supporting stuff that matters rather than restaurants that don't bother.
Highly recommend this place!
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We had dinner at Aziza on Friday. We had heard good things about the restaurant and were jazzed to check the place out since there were a few Walk In tables available. While the service was great, the food did not meet my expectations.
Food:
Starter: Mussels in Saffron Broth. The mussels were really good, but the broth was too buttery and a little sweet. I like to dip my bread in the broth, but the flavors made me feel a bit sick.
Entree: I had the CousCous item. It was flavorful, but after a while the intense flavors and mix of flavors made me feel a bit sick. There was a bed of couscous with stewed lamb on top, vegetables, small bits of chicken, two shrimp, and lamb sausage. Eddie had the Scallops dish with Saffron risotto. I have had risotto before, but it was too rich and cheesy. I had two bites, but it made me feel sick.
Dessert: We shared the brownie dessert, which was really SKIMPY. We had a REALLY SMALL brownie with ice cream. Nothing special, probably shouldn't have ordered it.
Service: Service was really nice. Very attentive.
Price: Price was really reasonable given all that we ordered for dinner.
Cons: Confusing menu...didn't really know exactly what I was getting when looking at the different items. The decor was nice, but I HATE the blue glass. When the light shines through, it hurt my eyes. Lastly, I'm all for portion control, but some of the servings were really puny.
Pros: Nice ambience and service. Price was reasonable although the portions were a bit puny.
A few weeks ago, I went to Aziza with a great friend of mine. We had a blast! I have been there about 4 times previously, twice with my husband and twice with friends. This is one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants.
Aziza serves fantastic Morrocan cuisine. Each time I have been here, I have tried a different salad/starter, entree and dessert. I am very impressed by the great variety in spice used for each dish and I have never been disappointed. All foods are aromatic, unique in flavor and exquisite in presentation.
When I am with friends, a good starter to have is the Mediterranean spread. You can't go wrong with 3 different spreads served with flatbread. Other great starters are the goat cheese and the wild mushrooms in phyllo.
The entrees I have had are the vegetable couscous, prawn tagine, lamb shank, lamb chops and the rabbit. Each dish was flavorful and very satisfying; I am convinced there isn't a bad plate served here. At times, I will eat a vegetarian plate and there are very good options. Friends have told me that the couscous Aziza is excellent, which is served with chicken, prawns and lamb.
An interesting side is the toasted cayenne-cumin almonds. Although I would consider other sides first such as the flatbread, couscous, or veggies, it is a surprisingly great treat.
I will have tea with my dessert. I saw a review from someone who missed the Moroccan mint tea. I was a great fan of that tea. Matter of fact, my husband and I would have separate orders. I hope they will consider bringing it back.
Sometimes parking might be a challenge when you arrive at the restaurant, especially on weekends. If you circle around the block for street parking a few times and are unsuccessful, there is valet parking. My tip: go valet, not worth the hassle.
Aziza is worth it for special occasions and great eating with friends!
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Only in Sf.
One of the best places to take out of towners for dinner, a truly unique experience that one isn't soon to forget. The drinks are interesting, and the food is quality. The flavors are punch your momma in the face good. (side note.... don't come here with yo momma) The atmosphere is really cool too. They used to have belly dancers there and for better or for worse they don't anymore, but the place is still one of a kind for offering an all around experience. Do Not Miss This!
P.S. could I sound anymore like a zagat guide???? I think not.
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My first time here the other night. Met a new group of friends who have been coming here for some time. Delicious food and sensual atmosphere. I had the beef stew, delicious and tender. The interiors take you away from the urbanity of the city. I would go back, but next time with someone I can snuggle up to over a glass of wine and kebabs.
