Mourad

After living 4y in SF and trying 150+ amazing restaurants, Mourad still stands out as one of my favorites. The food is unbelievably tasty and unique, their cocktails are fantastic, and the decor is beautiful. Their signature 3 day short rib (featured in an Eater video) is expensive but one of the best dishes you’ll have anywhere in the US. Also unmissable are the milk bread with various butters, and the Hokkaido uni with brioche.

We went to Mourad to celebrate our anniversary and had a great meal! We started with Eggshuka, which comes with hen yolk, shakshuka, and is paired with flatbreads. Their Eggshuka is truly delectable, featuring the flavors of paprika or harissa. The hen yolk adds another layer of texture and flavor to this dish. For the entree, we decided to go with the lamb. We also tried the La'acha, a Moroccan family-style dining option, and chose the short rib! As for the lamb, it's a duo of cuts with red kuri squash, cocoa nib, and chili pepper. I particularly enjoyed the braised lamb cut, which was incredibly tender and flavorful with a medley of spices like thyme, cumin, clove, cinnamon, and paprika. These spices complemented the lamb's flavor without overpowering it, achieving a perfect balance. On the other hand, the other cut offered a bolder lamb flavor that was equally delicious, juicy, and tender. Next came our short rib, accompanied by little gem lettuce, gochujang tahini, furikake, and bone marrow. The short rib was indeed juicy, tender, and flavorful, pairing well with the three dipping sauces provided. However, the rich flavor of the short rib was already so satisfying that the dipping sauces were more of an optional addition. To top it off, the waitress surprised us with a sweet treat for our anniversary!

As someone who loves trying new restaurants, and in a dynamic food city with an ever-growing list of notable spots, I find myself limited in time and resources to revisit even some of my favorite experiences. One such example is Mourad, an upscale and modern Moroccan restaurant in SoMa from chef Mourad Lahlou. Mourad opened his eponymous space in early 2015 to high expectations after already establishing a name for himself with Michelin-starred Aziza. Mourad restaurant was a hit and quickly received a Michelin star that year. I fondly remember two visits in those early years. The grand tree root sculpture at the entrance, the suspended glass wine cellar, the stylish bar, and of course the food! I couldn’t forget cutting into that flakey duck basteeya and being embraced by the intoxicating smell of the warm spices. I also remember the tender octopus, and the large format entrees accompanied by the simple, yet highly satisfying four sides. And the presentation of the food was both bold and elegant, like the restaurant. After those strong meals, Mourad would be my go-to recommendation for out-of-town guests. I also found that the larger space was easier to book compared to other similarly trendy spots. Fast forward to last month, and I had the opportunity to finally revisit Mourad, and what a magnificent return it was. The food was as strong as I recalled, the space grand, and the service was absolutely wonderful. Some highlights included make your own Hokkaido uni toast, pillowy milk bread with a trio of butter, the refined “eggshuka”, and the chocolate dessert with sumac ice cream and olive oil. The meal was accompanied by a bottle of bold, leathery 2012 Rovellotti Ghemme "Chioso dei Pomi”, selected by wine director Jose Delgado. And wine fans should definitely request a look at their wine cellar “bridge”. After this meal, I can gladly reiterate my long-standing recommendation of Mourad as a great example of modern Californian menus that San Francisco does so well.

We thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience. The place itself was beautiful and the menu was uniquely interesting. The hit of the table was the duck pastry, but honestly, everything was superb! The short ribs were rich with flavor and melted in your mouth. Highly suggest the stone fruit burata as it was just an explosion of flavor and felt everyone should have had their own. The family style chicken platter was absolutely stunning visually and so tender and flavorful with the harissa kale chips and cipollini onions. The uni app was good but probably the least favorite of the table. Overall, we walked away feeling like we just had a very special dining evening enjoyed by all!

A right mix of Fine Dining and San Francisco :) Many Michelin restaurants serve multi-course meal in sometimes boring setting. But this restaurant feels casual. And fun! The food is great to share. The cod and duck were delicious! I had 2 cocktails and they were really good. The waitress was attentive and gave great recommendations. I will come back the next time I’m in SF.

The level of service really seal the deal for a 5 star rating here. We had the pleasure of having Ben Z as our server. He had the right amount of attentiveness - wasn’t overbearing and didn’t make us felt abandoned either. We really appreciate his knowledge of the menu and random facts. We ordered the oysters, hokkaido uni, tartare, and the short ribs. Finished our night off with this dessert that had yuzu. The bearnaise sauce added a nice creamy touch to the oysters, but we wish the oysters were a little bigger. The uni and brioche combo was interesting - quality was good too. The short rib was really soft and tender.. don’t forget to use either of the 3 sauces they provide! A lot I can say about the food but y’all should just come and try.

Great ambience and service. Really enjoyed the basteeya, I’d say it’s Wellington steak just with duck, but the puff on the outside is perfectly crispy as I like. Filling is awesome with nice fragrance. For main lamb is perfect as well with huge portion - took my two sep meals to finish. Friend enjoyed squab too. As for dessert we choose Marrakesh gold, which is basically carrot cake with whipped cream and hazelnut golden milk poured over. A little bit too sweet for me (didn’t really taste the yuzu flavor) but in general a legit dessert.

Lobster chicken carrots eggs pecans olives lamb couscous kale drinks service wow! Everything was top notch. So good. We had reservations for six on a Thursday at 8:30 and they took us upstairs. The menu was explained and the food started flowing. Good wine selection with a story about the vineyard and farmers in Italy.