Aziza re-opening is an event in the San Francisco foodies’ landscape. Back in 2010, Aziza became the first Moroccan 1-star Michelin restaurant in the United States. After Chef Mourad Lahlou closed it in 2016 to focus on Mourad -his other restaurant downtown, it’s time for Aziza to have a second life after a full revamp.
As Chef Mourad told us, it’s all about “bringing the old thing back”, and whatever happens, Aziza will always be Aziza, named after his mother.
Aziza is one of the rare Moroccan restaurants in the Bay Area, that serves Moroccan cuisine with local Californian influence.
We decided to check if it would live up to its reputation and our expectations.
We had a family style dinner, sharing a few of the smaller dishes, chicken liver mousse and its brioche, the smoked trout, beets and the carrots with the muhammara, and of course Harira.
For the entrées we shared the beef tajine (a featured dish from old Aziza and a forever classic that you HAVE to have if you eat meat) with the hand-rolled couscous (a bliss) and the roasted lamb and its ancient grain porridge. We loved what we had on our plates!
We need to go back to taste more entrées but we had to save room for dessert.
Impossible to pick a favorite among these delicate and elegant desserts. We enjoyed finishing our meal with Moroccan mint tea.
Our conclusion: we are still trying to figure out why Mourad called his menu “rustic” !!!
Everything was full of flavors, spices, subtle, traditional yet modern. The service was impeccable and the staff very pro yet friendly.
The new space is exquisite with high ceilings, a beautiful bar space, and we particularly enjoyed the Green Room which is most probably going to be the new “Instagramable” place in the City with its palm leaves wallpaper!
Aziza is the new “neighborhood” restaurant to go to in the Inner Richmond… but not your average one though! Beware of parking, it can be scarce to find in this area, so allow sufficient time.
Aziza will be open seven days a week for dinner from 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM, and for brunch Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM.
Address: Aziza – 5800 Geary Bd, San Francisco
