"One thing the Cole Valley outpost of the Arabic comfort food spot has over the original in the Castro—it’s open Mondays. So head to the casual, counter-service place when you’re meeting friends for an after-work catch-up, or going on a chill date. The mezze sampler and whole-fried branzino should definitely be on the table, along with the garlicky chicken shish tawook. " - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong