Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant

The host was very kind and helpful We were passing by and wanted a small snack (not a meal) Even though it was getting busy and they had a prix fixe dinner menu, the host still accommodated us Their coffee was EXCELLENT! They had live music and belly dancing - thank you for the show. We had a great time. I wish we could have stayed longer

Go for the entertainment, not the food. The place is gorgeous, and the live band and belly dancers are amazing. We still cannot fathom the idea of the five falafels for $25 and the beyond-mediocre food (quantities and quality) for our high price. I ordered the grilled chicken kebab and grilled lamb (mixed grill) a very famous Egyptian dish and the chicken was either baked or boiled with almost zero to no seasoning. My husband is vegan and he ordered the eggplant dish with rice. The eggplant dish was “okay” the rice was beyond bland. I highly recommend that you go for the fun but not the food. I had a blast nonetheless.

Delicious Egyptian food personally made by Chef/Proprietor Sausan. Live entertainment!

This was the worst meal I’ve eaten I San Francisco by a lot. Like shockingly so. The belly dancing was amazing. The chicken tasted like fish. The fish was cold. The vegetarian dish was literally potatoes and eggplant in like warm tomato sauce.

I ordered koshry and it had nothing related with koshry from the taste, to the ingredients and too much rice and over cooked and no chick peas and even the sauce is just tomato purée with salt no taste at all and after i said i don’t like it, The chef was American white woman claiming she is Egyptian and she doing it perfectly and maybe my family doing it with another way and telling me why u don’t like it and even after i explain it to her she say i send the plate messy lol i told her thats how we eat koshry, you’re supposed to mix everything together so how come she doesn’t know the koshary dish is supposed to be eaten and claiming she doing it perfectly she was hella rude and aggressive while she was talking to me but the waitress was nice and friendly tbh. Horrible experience from the food and quality of service.

I'm glad we found this unique gem in SF. The restaurant had a very unique aesthetic unlike anywhere else in the city and the belly dancing performance was fantastic!

The rice included with your dish is shaped like a pyramid. Great belly dancers. Food so good I scarfed it down in minutes. The service is nice and you feel like you’re stepping into Egypt. A gem of this city.

Real Egyptian food. Belly dancing in Saturday’s. Street parking.

This restaurant has excellent food, service and music and dancing! I had the chicken kebab plate and they even had a nice vegan option for my wife. She often has a hard time finding good vegan food so it was really nice to have such a great choice of food available. The dish was a sort of tomato sauce mix vegetable plate with some nice rice and salad. She loved it! Food is delicious and made with care! The decoration of the restaurant is very nice; it really feels like you are in a proper Egyptian restaurant in Cairo. When we came there was also belly dancing and music (Arabic music?) which made the experience a definite 10/10 Would highly recommend!

My friend wanted to come here for her birthday celebration, since she enjoys doing belly dancing. My friend made a reservation. We came when it opened at 5:30pm on a Saturday, and ended up staying the whole night. I tried Egyptian food for the first time. The menu had like 5 options for around $27-30 each. The food included complimentary hummus, pita bread, and an olive oil with spices dip. They also sell Turkish coffee, chocolate, and other flavor cookies. I tried the Turkish coffee cookie and baklava, $3 each. Both is yummy but I liked the baklava more. I ordered the chicken kabab plate and my friend ordered the fish plate, both comes with rice and salad. Service was really good, with one of the waitress also being one of the belly dancers at the end. There were 3 dancers that night and they danced throughout the evening. Be prepared for a long evening if you want to watch everything. My friend really enjoyed the audience participation and danced with others during certain segments. Very beautiful restaurant and decorations, even the bathrooms are decorated!

If you want to have " Egyptian experience " This is the place to be. The ambiance is very warm and relax, very happy place.. music and belly dancers. Food is amazingly delicious, dessert Baklava soo yummy best baklava that ever had. Everyone there is so nice and polite the chef and owner very pleasant person. Everyone there is nice and everyone knows each other lots of regulars .. .. live music! Outstanding!! Everything everyone there is so worth to visit over and over again.

We all need a little pick me up as we shelter in place and Al Masri delivers -- literally. Order directly from the restaurant to get the best deal on delectable Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes. The hubs and I loved the spinach stuffed spanikopita and basteela, a sweet and savory Moroccan delicacy filled with chicken inside a flaky phyllo crust. It was delivered fresh and hot and safely -- social distancing and mask protocol was on point. Wonderful business run by a phenomenal owner who really cares about the community. Treat yourself and keep an amazing local restaurant alive through this crisis!

Even 1 star is a lot for this place. These people call themselves Al Masri. But we ordered from a place named falafel fix and picked it up from this place "Al Masri" This restaurant is fraud. We ordered 3 items and we didn't receive half of the order. I'm not even talking about the taste. It's not even edible. Everything went to trash. We ordered Chicken gyro and received some chicken kabap, no chicken gyro. We ordered grill plate combination and received one beef and one chicken kebab and rice. No gyro no kafta kebap. We ordered veggie's platter We received some veggies and rice. No falafel no grape leaves. Shame on this business. With this quality they can't go far. (I hope pictures are explaining everything.)

We happened to be around a night they were open, and it was a treat. Good food and excellent live music. The interior replicates a plaza or courtyard. There was a belly dancer. In general it was a fun experience.

The food was like homemade, and the service was good. They had live music and dancers. I liked it better than expensive restaurants in San Francisco serving food from the same region with live entertainment. They are only open on Saturday nights for dine-in. The rest of the week is only open for delivery and pick-up. They welcome everyone to dance, so it felt welcoming. Don't miss out on their variety of baklava.

21.11.20 First Visit Performance ------------------ 5 Decor ----------------------------- 4.5 Food ------------------------------ 3.5 to 4 depending on item Service --------------------------- 5 single female wait staff! For all the tables occupied by several mid to large groups. She did a stellar job! It took longer due to short staffed (C19)! 30+ people! Fish - ok They were swamped within ... 15-25 minutes overwhelmed the kitchen. Therefore a raw review on this item. Hummus - pretty good The entertainment was fun. Fun to see customers getting into groove! Some are pretty damn good doing it. I have to revisit to finalize my food review ... Picture 20-30+ orders swamping the kitchen within 15-30 mins! They, especially the waitress, did a excellent job at taking order, bringing out food, and maintained her upbeat and humorous attitude

Food was good, but the ambience and welcoming feeling was amazing! A small group of people dancing together. I have never been to a restaurant that made me feel like we were friends!!!

Walked in here to grab dessert after a long day exploring SF. My friends and I were met with very unwelcoming staff. When we expressed our concern with how we were being treated the server threw her towel, walked away and said someone else can help you. We requested a manager and then ended up deciding to leave without purchasing anything or speaking to anyone. and while waiting for our uber outside for 10 minutes, the owner emerges asking us to calm down while we were minding our business on the sidewalk. When we told her about our experience she said "well it's a busy night' as though all busy businesses treat their patrons like unwelcome guests. to wrap it up she said "sorry you feel that way". can't expect much more from a woman appropriating a culture and running a lackluster business on her fetishized view of the middle east.

Everything we needed and more! San Francisco is in lockdown and "Shelter in Place". And we are unable to visit the restaurants we love. Fortunately, Al Masri is open for business and also delivery! We arranged for our family dinner four hours early and at 7pm our dinner was delivered and it was delicious. We ordered 5 or 6 dishes. Everything from an Eggplant and spiced beef dish to Lamb Shank to baked Cilantro Chicken..... and salad too. Finishing off with my favorite Baklava in San Francisco. Actually, the best Baklava I've ever eaten. Support our local small businesses.

Great experience! Good food and entertainment. Fantastic service. Highly recommend it.

This place has so much personal meaning to me. I used to come here back in the 80's when I was a kid with my grandparents, whom have now passed away, when it was called the Grape Leaf. I remember Chef Sausan bringing me up to belly dance with her and being completely mesmerized by her dancing and costumes. When I was thinking of a special place to celebrate my milestone 40th birthday, this was the first place that came to mind. Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled to find out she was still the owner of this awesome establishment. I cannot say enough good things about Chef Sausan and her restaurant! From minute I reached out to her to let her know my plans, she went above and beyond to welcome me and accommodate my large party. Chef Sausan and her staff did everything they could to ensure I felt so special on my big day and that my party was absolutely PERFECT! From the food, to the belly dancing, to the staff, to the ambiance, to the music, absolutely EVERYTHING was incredible! This place is one of a kind and I will always be grateful to Chef Sausan! P.S. The "Bitchin Baklava" is the bomb!! Highly recommend!!

Deliciously subtle flavors and my first Egyptian dinner - absolutely real food! And convient to Ocean Beach and Lands End.

Very small place and woman's bathroom has no door - the food is nothing to brag about and the service is so so. The music was great and the dancers wonderful - but that was a special group from the Central Valley. Waitress wanted to charge us an additional 25 dollars because someone in our party ordered appetizers, dessert plus a drink - as it was the food was overly priced and definitely not worth it! We won't return to this hole in the wall!

This place deserves more than 3 stars. It has a nice atmosphere with an Egyptian themed decor. It makes you forget that you are in the outer richmond district. There are very few Egyptian restaurants in San Francisco. If you want to try Egyptian food, this is a good place to go to. Customer service is very good and friendly. Based on my previous visits, the Sunday All You Can Eat Buffet is a good deal. They do have belly dance performances after 7:30 pm. The food was pretty good. I especially like the Musa ah Bil Lahma (beef and eggplant casserole). The other items such as the rice pilaf, salad, baked chicken Taggen Firakh, baked fish Taggen Samak also were good. They have a regular menu on the other days of the week. They do have belly dancing performances on those days. However, the portions of the food they serve are pretty large. It is best to come in a large group. If you are a small group, you are better off doing the buffet on Sunday. I tried the Kushari (Egyptian national dish which consists of noodles, rice, lentils, fried onions). It was good, and the serving was huge. The Basterma appetizer was also good.

We visited on a Sunday evening which includes a buffet dinner and entertainment (live music, individual performances by belly dancers). The food is set up by 5:30 PM in time for when the restaurants opens for dinner. The entertainment starts between 7 and 7:30 PM. Above all, the service was superb. The chef / owner and Bobby were genuine, friendly, receptive, attentive, and kind. I had rice, chicken, and two of the veggie options. Overall, the food was ok. The serving dishes / spoons make for a messy combination since the lids push the spoons onto the food. Bobby made me a mango mimosa and it was delicious. The live music - singing and instruments - was great! We watched only the first 3 of 6 dancers since we had to leave by 9 PM. If not for the next day being a work day, we would have stayed for the duration.

Very impressed! The service was fast and friendly, and my meal was incredible. It was a very relaxing environment, with a unique menu. Would definitely recommend.

All I have to say is that I'm a bad cook and all this resturante taught me is that I can open up a resturante too. I wouldn't mind spending $100 for 2 drinks and an appetizer with entertianment. But no belly dancer or live music and the food was bad. I ordered fish and it tasted like it was marinted in just garlic and didn't finish cooking. My husband had the lamb kabobs and it had no flavor but garlic. We left and drove to In and Out. I'm Middel Eastern I've never had food taste like this. Sorry.

I came here to see a belly dancing show performed by students and their teachers. The food was served buffet style and was announced at each step. I believe this place is only open for dinner. The atmosphere is detailed. I'm not sure how authentic it is being as I have never been to Egypt. The owner announced that it is the only egyptian restaurant in Northern California which seems unlikely but who knows! She isn't totally egyptian herself and claims to have some egyptian heritage "back there somewhere" She definitely did a good job decorating with ancient Egyptian theme. It is very colorful and clean. The bathrooms are a work of art! Huge individual rest rooms with a lot of space and decorations that fit the theme. There is a really adorable stage area for the belly dancers with a curtain. Totally cute. I really enjoyed the show. I wouldn't exactly come here for the food. The rice (a-roni) was rather mushy and the chicken was over boiled. Good experience, over priced, only worth it if you are going with a large group. Seating is quite cozy so get ready to make some new friends!

The only reason I'm giving this place a one star review is because they are by reservation only, so I booked a reservation for December 23rd, but I showed up at the restaurant to be met by a closed for the holiday sign. As a first time visitor, it's very disappointing and frustrating to show up at a restaurant to find out it's closed, but their online reservation system is still accepting reservations.

Comfort-food on-point. Took a few friends of mine here and we couldn't get enough of the vegetarian entrees. The owner / chef is really friendly, and the fact that it's not in the middle of a main street makes it all the more quaint and charming. Not sure if it's 100% Egyptian but since neither am I, I have no complaints ;)

The worst "egyptian" food, its nothing like an egyptian food in addition to the rediciouls price markup! $4 for a soda can! Not to mention the million other bad things! STAAY AWAAAAY

Sorry - but you won't accept a ZERO review of a restaurant... Maybe, it should apply to YELP, instead. I received, from al Masri, a CONFIRMED reservation for 2019-11-16 @ 6:00 PM. When I arrived at the restaurant, it was completely closed. When I knocked on the door, there was no answer. What's the point of using your service to reserve a seating at a restaurant that ISN'T EVEN OPEN when we get there, during it's business hours?

This place has great, fresh, delicious food. The service is a bit slow, but I think that's a fair price to pay for everything being made fresh. I usually go with a date who can hold a conversation and who can enjoy the dark, intimate, and slightly quirky decor. Best babaganoush I've ever had. Best baklava. I also highly recommend the hummus

This is one restaurant I have been dying to try, and left disappointed. The ambiance was great. I like the idea of creating in indoors area into a patio dining feel (especially at a place close to ocean beach were there are only 3 days out of the year where you can eat outside without freezing). I also loved the belly dancing they provide on the hour! We ordered the Maza for two, which had a little bit of all their appetizers, including hummus, Baba Ghannuug, Zabadi Bil Toom (garlic yogurt and cucumbers), dolmas, 2 pieces of feta cheese, 2 falafel. This dish was really good! I would recommend this to everyone who goes! You could tell all the items were homemade. We also ordered the Kushari. This was one dish I was really excited about (especially after hearing about it first on No Reservations - Egypt episode). The dish came with lentils, pasta, rice, caramelized onions and side of shata (hot sauce). The caramelized onions were actually just super thinly sliced onions made into onion rings. Also the "hot sauce" was not even that hot. This dish was a disappointment and it lacked flavor. It was just a blend of the lentils, macaroni pasta, and white rice, with onion rings on top, nothing special. I felt like I could have made this at home. We also ordered the Cornish Game Hen, which was a special of the day. The hen was good, but again, I felt like I could just bake on at home too. However, the green wheat that was stuffed inside was unique. It came with The service here was a disappointment. We first walked in at 6:00 and there was no one there, since we were the only customers there, we received some great service. However, when a few more people stepped in, we were quickly ignored. It took over 30 minutes from the time we finished our meal (and ready to box up our left overs) to the time we paid and left. We had to ask 2 or 3 times if we could get a box. The boxes there are just dixie paper bowl that are then covered with aluminum foil. So we asked our waitress for a bag (since we would have to carry these bowls on the bus), and she kept telling us that they don't have bags there. We had to ask someone else there before we actually got a bag for our leftovers. Lastly, she over charged us on our bill. And again, we had to go to someone else who worked there to get that corrected.

We ordered take out dinner there last night and most of all enjoy supporting the small businesses throughout the city. Taking out a nice $100 dinner is not the same as enjoying the ambiance of the local restaurant but the food was generous and delicious, even after reheating. My wife was hoping for the mussels and I was hoping for the lamb shank both of which were on their 'daily specials' menu on line but not available. However the lamb chops were excellent and my wife enjoyed the eggplant with beef. One of her favorites is the babaganoush which unfortunately was also not available. But they are very nice people and we have been there before so please support this and other small businesses so that they are there for us after the pandemic.

Really nice place with great food and nice people! I ordered their hummus and masa'ah. Their hummus is delicious and not over-the-top garlicy like other places. Their vegetables were crisp and fresh. The sauce was light and fragrant. Definitely will be coming back.

A great find in SF First off Im not writing about the belly dancing Im writing about the food. We went on an the advice of a friend from cario who said the food was delicious to the point of making him homesick. The place looked amazing and the smells that came from the kitchen were very pleasing. We were greeted by the helpful staff who were very friendly and knowledgeable. I ordered the Kushari which was flavorful and hearty. My companion ordered the red chicken or Tagen farhk which was juicy and rich. the desert was

I have to admit I'm quite surprised that this place has an average three star rating. The only reason I didn't give this place a five star rating ("As good as it gets!") is that I have never tried any other Egyptian restaurant, nor have I been to Egypt, so I cannot make a fair comparison on whether what I ate was authentic and as good as it gets. What I DO know is that everything was DELICIOUS. With that said... My friend and I arrived at 5:45PM on a Thursday evening (admittedly an early dinner), with a $40 off coupon I had bought on Amazon Local. At 5:45PM we were the first ones in the place, and the only ones there until about 6:30PM, and our server was most attentive and sweet. It's a very small place, somewhat dimly lit but with fun, interesting Egyptian-esque decor. The place felt very warm and inviting - I think it's a family run establishment, and it felt very personal to be there. On the exterior, despite the bright blue sign, the restaurant is easy to miss, sort of stuffed between two dull residential buildings, and without windows you almost question what exactly is going on in there... We started with two appetizers: the Hummus Bil Tahina and the Zabadi Bil Toom. Entrees ordered were the chicken kebab, Kebab Firakh (my friend's) and the layered eggplant with ground beef, Musa'ah Bil Lahma (mine). My entree in particular was HUGE and as much as I wanted to, I could not finish it and had to bring it home. This did not stop me from ordering dessert, however. Desserts vary each day but last night's order was of a honey cake and a plate of coconut covered, doughnut hole looking things ("fingers" they were called), that were both wonderful. As we arrived at 5:45PM and had a leisurely dinner, we got to enjoy the short belly dancing show that began at 7:30PM. Per the restaurant, the shows are at 7:30, 8:30, and 9:30PM. It was a fun way to savor our dessert and enjoy a little entertainment. I took a quick look at the complaints people made (you can't please everyone!) and some of them are a bit ridiculous. Overpriced? With three glasses of wine between us, the bill after sales tax came to about $94. Apps average about $5-8, entrees $20-25, desserts $4-5. This is SAN FRANCISCO and this is NORMAL. The menu not having much variety? It's a small establishment, probably seats about 50 total, and I feel like the lack of variety is overshadowed by the quality of the food. Yes there are only 9 entree options on the menu (and maybe one daily special) - if you can't make a choice among 10 items, maybe you're better off going to TGI Fridays! Overall, a great experience and I highly recommend the place to anyone looking to try something a little different.

We went to Al-Masri on Sunday. The ambiance was great with Egyptian decor. The Sunday buffet consisted of a series of vegetable, meat and fish dishes. The food was very good. Bread and hummus appetizer was served on the tables. The show was wonderful! Although a different band came because of the CA fires, they gave a great performance with rhythmic music. The dancers were great, too. The room was relatively small, so we could watch the performance from pretty near. Each dancer was in distinguished costume with charm. The customers also could join to dance for the last piece, so we could enjoy dancing, too. The staff was very friendly. Usually, a lot of a lot of buffet places don't take dirty plates soon, but they were good about it. Overall, we had a great time there. Next time we are definitely going to bring further friends.

Unfortunately I've came here twice and both times the food is horrible. It's like they are serving you food that was precooked for days and just reheated. The only thing interesting is the belly dancing which isn't that great either compared to the ones I've been to in Los Angeles.

http://www.almasrirestaurant.com/ A gorgeous dining experience. We too have been passing the place and thinking that we might go there one day. We didn't make any particular effort. Then, we had a friend visit from Texas and another friend from the Bay Area wanting to eat there before going to a concert at the Independent. (What a contrast!) We didn't stay for the belly dancers because we had to be at the Independent, but next time... Everyone in our party was impressed by the great food. We had the Riasch Mashwiya (rack of lamb grilled and with butter garlic sauce) Lahma Mahshiya ( filet mignon stuffed with feta and cheese and with a onion-garlic nutmeg topping) Kabab "Om Tarkek" ( we had a combo of both lamb and filet mignon kababs!) Everyone was impressed by the rice, which came pyramid shape. Since we were all Thirteen Elevator fans, that was special. The wait people were friendly and explained all the dishes for us and the traditions. I felt like I walked into a place that I had been a regular of for a long time, because they treated us so well.

Talk about stepping into another world!!!! I walked into this place expecting very little and had my expectations obliterated!!!! From the outside it seems like a cute little space that serves something that resembles Egyptian cuisine but taste nothing like it... Once inside I was amazed at how well they used the space and made it appear much larger than it actually was... ornately decorated in regional Egyptian fare... The lovely hostess took me to a small table were I sat for just a few minutes before the waitress came to take my order. Not having a clue as what to order I asked for some help... without hesitation she gave me a couple of great recommendations... While waiting for my order i noticed the one hostess who brought me to my table had a little more make up than the other hostess, but I figured it was a personal choice and thought nothing else of it... With in no time the appetizer arrived... TA'MIYA: Egyptian falafel... ground spiced fava bean cakes, fried and served with tahina sauce. The flavors enveloped my tongue with an experience from a country I've never known, but would love to travel to some day. I have to say it did take quite some time for the main entree to arrive but believe you me it was well worth the wait!!! LAHMA MAHSHIYA: Sliced tenderloin stuffed with Egyptian feta cheese, white cheese, and parsley, topped with a garlic, onion, nutmeg, lemon juice sauce... see...see...what'd I tell ya... worth the wait huh!!! Now as I was enjoying this fabulous meal the lights started to dim and I'm thinking... OK did they not pay their electric bill... Not at all... the hostess with all the make up came out in the most stunning authentic belly-dancer dress and put on one of the most amazing shows... come to find out this dancer has been in competitions around the world and just happened to be in the area and a friend of the family... all I can say is WOW!!!! So if anyone's feeling adventurist and willing to try something new... you gotta try this place... it's so worth it!!!! But go on the weekend that's when the surprise dancers come in!!!

My mom and aunt absolutely love this place! Being from Yemen, they love being able to come somewhere and belly dance while listening to live Arabic music!! Definitely recommend for a great time and good vibes!

Went here for dinner on a Sunday after I saw a special on Groupon. I was really surprised that there was a Egyptian restaurant in San Francisco so we decided to try it out. The service was good and so was the food a little on the bland side for me though . I had the fish and my partner had lamb kabobs. The chef came out to talk to us to make sure everything was good and and Offered us free dessert. It was 630 when we got there and left at 8 and we were the only ones dining. They had a lot they had a bellydancing performance that we really really enjoyed. And the place is decorated beautifully vary detailed even the bathroom. Will be back for the Ambiance for sure.

I wasted my time, money and taste buds. Even if you have a Groupon ticket to cover the food, I'd say stay the F away from this place. Food was definitely over priced and under-tasty. I am still feeling the burn from "Mulukhia Bil Aroz", supposedly a vegetarian soup, but after 3 spoons, I literally gagged. It came with rice, which was really plain and tasteless. It felt like a gallon of canola oil was poured into the soup. Note to cheff: you want to equalize a flavorful soup with a neutral rice, but, how can I put it, in this case, soup and rice were both missing a chromosome? You gave us the worst soup I have ever eaten in my entire life. Lamb Skewers were also not marinated, seemed like they cut lamb in cubes, line them up on sticks, and throw them on fire. Along with lamb skewers came 6 pieces of raw okra, or as they should call it, okraw. They were crunchy. Not cool! We left with a bill over $80 for the two of us, server offered wine and desert to cover up his silly mistakes, stating that it was from the house, and they even charged us for those items. Poor guys trying to make every penny they can. I worked at many restaurants, I buy fresh and raw ingredients to cook and I am a foodie who eats out at unique places quite often to learn and experience. My point is I know my food, and the only positive experience from this place was the decor, I can't believe the soup still burns my stomach, I just want to gag... I mean, if you don't believe me, just scroll down and see it for yourself, the owner only responds to 1 star reviews. I ask you, if a sophomore gave 1 star review to Stanford University, will Stanford University defend their stand against criticism?

Bad bad bad place. The food is dreadful and overpriced. I love eating out and trying different cuisine. Fortunately, I have eaten at Egyptian restaurants before and know how delicious their food is. I honestly think the chef is disrespectful for charging so much and serving such a tasteless food and raw okra, come on! I really feel upset about going to this place - waste of time and money...and coming home starving.

Food = good. Tabletop flat bread with oil and za'atar spices = delicious. Maza for two = hummus (chickpeas pureed), baba ghannuug (eggplant), zabadi bil toom (yogurt cheese and garlic with cucumber), and wara enab zeit (stuffed grape leaves). All items were delicious. Of course, I loved the baba ghannuug. My sister loved the zabadi bil toom. $20.00 Taggen Firakh (Baked chicken in a rich tomato, ginger, garlic sauce, with rice pilaf and vegetables) = It was moist but we thought that it was very overwhelming in garlic and ginger, and couldn't taste much else. Also, he's not a fan of dark meat chicken. $18.00 Firakh Fe Alforn (Baked chicken in a rich cilantro, onion, garlic sauce, with rice pilaf and vegetables) = The chicken was moist but I wasn't happy with my choice. It was very heavy in garlic and cilantro but I couldn't taste anything else at all. Dark meat chicken here, too. $18.00 Fuul Midammis (Fava beans, garlic, tomato, diced onions, parsley, with rice pilaf and vegetables) = This was my sister's choice and it was my favorite. I'd ordered this one next time. Great flavors, tender fava beans and addicting. $18.00 Baklava = okay. $4.00 Service = friendly and attentive. Prices = moderate. Dinner for 3 came out to under $85. Overall, worth trying once, and will revisit. But we will avoid the dark meat chicken dishes next time. Apparently they have live shows at 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.; live band (check their site) and Sunday is AYCE dinner buffet.

My husband and I love Al Masri restaurant. Every weekend night they have great shows with wonderful bands and beautiful belly dancers. On Sundays they have all you can eat with big variety of the Middle Eastern cuisine. My favorite is moussaka dish. This restaurant is very nice and cozy. Staff is wonderful. I highly recommend this restaurant if you want to experience a unique atmosphere of the Egyptian night club.

It was 7pm on a Friday evening and we were the only ones in the restaurant. This would be unheard of anywhere else in SF. I already had a feeling that this place was going to be a disappointment. We sat down and were greeted by who I'm guessing is the owner who commented that the server was running late (who apparently was supposed to also be the dancer...we didn't stay long enough to see what that was going to be like). Being the only people there we were able to order quickly. 2 other parties came in after us and they waited probably a good 5 minutes before anyone came back out from the kitchen to seat them or greet them (they all just took their seats anyway). Got our food and it was pretty decent. Not the best Middle Eastern food I've had...but definitely not worth the $30/person AFTER using a $25 off coupon. For that much money I expect better quality, better service and a happily stuffed belly. I'm guessing we paid extra for the belly dancing that never started while we were there for an hour. This is kind of like those restaurants you see on TV where you wonder how they're surviving because they're probably not making the rent and is in need of some new juju. As for me, I'll probably never come back.

Caveat emptor: I'm from Egypt, so I might be biased and/or have unreasonable expectations. If you come here for the generic Middle-Eastern staples (which, disappointingly, occupy about 70% of the menu), they are okay. Although at $40+ per person and way over in outer Richmond, you have much better options. As for the small selection of real Egyptian food, I sampled both the kushari and mulukheya, and my disappointment was immense. The chef needs to understand that serving kushari without tomato sauce is closely analogous to mac 'n cheese with no cheese, and is therefor, unless specifically requested by the customer for some weird reason, nothing short of a crime. When I complained, I was given a tiny saucer of hot sauce, which is *not* the same thing. The mulukheya, although properly prepared and served, was mushy, bland, and absolutely without flavor, a far cry from anything resembling the classic delicacy. If you have never had either of these classic dishes, *please* do not let this be your first exposure. I will not even start on the overdone, kitsch, and period-ignorant decor. Stock photos of the pyramids on the back of the toilet seat? Seriously? On the plus side, the falafel served at Al Masri is made the Egyptian way from fava rather than garbanzo beans, and although it would compare terribly to the sizzling, crispy stuff sold on every Cairo street corner, it may provide for an interesting experience as the only such falafel available (to my knowledge) in the Bay Area.

Came here with my bestie (who had a groupon) for dinner and the belly dancing show. The service was attentive, but the food came out slowly and was cold.

The lamb kebab and the eggplant rocked and then we were graced by the belly dancer, Clementine was her name...very entrancing and skillful, it was awesome; made it really special! then we finished the night with the baklava -all great! Also, the place is pretty cool inside, Egyptesque Very Unique

The staff is friendly, but otherwise the food was disappointing. The koshari was missing chick peas, tomato sauce and overall did not taste like koshari. The Kabab firakh was ok, the veggies were a little on the salty side. We could not taste or see any cheese in the cheese kinafa, not sure if it should be called kinafa at all.

This young lady by the name of Sausan decided to open the only Eyptian Restaurant in San Francisco's Ocean Beach district. When I drove into the fog shrouded neighborhood I was immediately impressed by the decor of the outside of the building. It's a little hard to find parking but take an Uber because the food is worth it! She was standing just inside the door faintly smelling of the delicate spices used in her meals. I would refer to this place and Sausan has the best music! A singer that was reminiscent of the late Lou Rawls was entertaining the audience and the waiter was busy serving. Great place.

The owner of this restaurant is very accommodating and we celebrated our parents' 60th wedding anniversary here. We had a most memorable event. The food was authentic, delicious and reasonably priced. The belly dancing was great entertainment. Very down home feeling, if you're accustomed to worldly travel. We will be back!

Okay...wow...where do I start....I blame Groupon because their deal is the reason I came here tonight, Now food is good...not gonna lie..however not that good where its worth the pathetic service and arrogance I got tonight. Unless you are the Dali lama and have that kind of patience stay AWAY!. we had reservations and took 25 mins for them to take our order. 10 mins to get a bottled beer...28 mins to get our food...and 20 mins to get our check...I'm not exaggerating either!!! OMG...really if you can't handle the rush then why did you agree to hook up with Groupon! No apology for the wait and at the end they slap on automatic gratuity!!! WTF really...I did not pay it...the main server is this beast of a woman...she didn't care at all...the belly dancer was fat...and the food is the only saving grace but still not worth it!!! DAMN YOU GROUPON DAMN YOU !!!!

The atmosphere and belly dancing was really great. I was excited by the dishes on their menu and already started thinking about who I'd like to bring the next time....that is until our food actually arrived. The $20 Maza for 2 appetizer assortment was accompanied by store-bought pita bread and Kirkland brand olive oil from Costco (as declared by the chef herself). The (canned) dolmas were tough, and not tender. Bottom line- nothing particularly stood out as memorable/tasty/ "Egyptian" to me. As for the main courses- the Taggen Firakh (Chicken dish) was OK. The lamb Kufta was almost inedible. Something about the texture and seasoning was really un-appetizing to both of us at the table. Finally, the Baklava "made daily on the premises" was definitely not crispy/ crunchy like it should be... If the prices were cut in 1/2, I would consider coming back just for the ambiance alone. But sadly, the food was really that bad. Minus stars for the crazy + argumentative comments from Chef Sausan below. If you read some of her responses to other yelpers, she seems quite defensive and adamant that Al-Masari is not willing to improve. I can't help it but... It is quite laughable/unfortunate that Sausan boldly claims the she is the "most accomplished Egyptian chef in North America", and Al-Masri is "the most reviewed restaurant in Northern California" on her belly dancing school page biography (Michael Mina doesn't exist!). Beware of this woman. *Revised from my original post (in response to the chef's comments respectively).

I must say I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THESE NEGATIVE REVIEWS ARE ALL ABOUT. Yes, the location is "out of the way" to quote a recent reviewer, but so are many restaurants in the area, therefore that's BEYOND ridiculous! I guess you will never enjoy the awesome restaurants the Berkeley has to offer, for example. The service is kind and hospitable. They were prompt, friendly and engaging. There were the floor manager and another gentleman. Both, well mannered, responsive, attentive. Food may take a bit longer than most restaurants, but if you realize about it, it's FRESH FOOD people!!! More so, it's authentic! Everything is absolutely delicious! from the pita bread, olive oil and dipping spices to the Koshari! *YUM!* I simply cannot wait to go back! Oh! Valentina! how could I not mention her! gorgeous smile, and her hips kept us all hypnotized the entire time. Playful, gracious, definitely entertaining. I must repeat, if you want fast food, go to McDonald's. This s not a place to go in a rush, it's a whole experience. Casual, relaxed, amenable and entertaining.