Trou Normand

This rating and review is specifically for the quality of the food. The service here is outstanding and we were well attended to. It's such a shame that the food doesn't reflect the service. I wanted to like this place so much. It was recommended by 7x7 for their charcuterie plate, which, when we arrived looked very sparse, for the cost on the menu. My girlfriend and I decided to opt for dinner instead because some of the items listed sounded inviting and I am a big mushroom fan. We started the night with cocktails which we both enjoyed although I felt my scotch cocktail completely masked the flavor of the scotch. We both shared a plate of Potatoes with Aioli and the mixed pickles. The potatoes were very well cooked, the Aioli was over salted. The mixed pickles were inconsistent in flavor and the cucumbers were barely brined. Next, my girlfriend had the burger, which she received almost well done when she ordered it medium... It was also very poorly plated and just seemed like an afterthought. It was a very mediocre burger. I had the lamb belly with the black trumpets. The lamb belly was overcooked and the entire plate was once again over salted. For almost $200 I would have expected a better experience, but perhaps we came on a wrong day at the wrong time. I suspect one does not come to Trou Normand for food, but rather to have a couple of cocktails and a small bite to eat. If you were an overpaid tech engineer, I can imagine that it's not much of a problem to drop $50 on a sparse charcuterie plate... It just doesn't seem like the value is there for what we received. I could have gone to a tasting menu at a Michelin star restaurant for the money I paid. Very disappointed and unlikely I will return.

Beautiful space and delicious food. The wine is great. The only drawback is that the service takes noticeably long and they kick you out after a certain time depending on reservations, which can lead to a feeling of waiting for the food and then rushing to consume it. Bar area can get quite lively, but the back patio area is generally open and inviting.

Beautiful dining room with lots of light to enjoy tasty charcuterie and a nice drinks selection. Perfect spot for a lunch date. Green garlic pate sandwich was a top 10 sandwich of 2017!

Google event night ! It was packed but drinks and food were great. It's in a nice spot of town with lots of good eat options. Service was nice with fresh meats, cheese, and bread. Mains where fish and several types of meat. Will be back to try their regular menu for sure. Thanks

Great service. My friend had a wedding event there and they kept the flowers for her overnight in the frig till the next day and even helped me carry all the flowers and heavy candles out to my car. Their food was amazing. The salmon, beef, potatoes with some amazing aioli, and DESSERT! They had some ....type of cookie it’s like a Jam in the middle and ... I accidentally ate 7 of them that night. Service was superb. I went the next day and they had their tables set up a bit differently for the private event and it was beautiful! I wish I had a smaller wedding so I could host my wedding there. Dammit

Friend had a wedding in the back patio. They have a wonderful space for events in the back. Drinks (cocktails) were delicious. Food was good.

Exquisite. Really good cuts of meat served in a chic setting. Great for special occasions or a date night. I still have dreams about their pate. A definite must 👍🏼👍🏼

Excellent! Went when they opened at 3pm. Had a Zamboanga cocktail and a charcuterie board that is a must try. Bartender was friendly, but spent most of her time talking with a customer, who was in the restaurant industry, sharing stories of people they knew. I'd definitely go back for the food.

Went here in October for my birthday on a whim, and probably one of the best decisions I made all month lol. Amazing food, stunning interior, excellent service, and overall just a great time. Uni Toast The toast was insanely good. But the Uni was not as flavorful as I would've liked. It had a great texture, but couldn't really taste much umami. However, there wasn't much so maybe thats why I couldn't taste it? Basteeya Amazing. The crisp lettuce, tart fruit, buttery pastry, and savory duck meat was delicious. Short Ribs They told us that it was slow-cooked for 72hrs and you can tell. The meat is tender and every bite of fat melts in the mouth :chefs_kiss: Marrakesh Rose A very interesting dessert. The presentation did not invoke a rose. Interesting textures throughout the dish.

I took my mans here for his birthday Oct 2024 and he absolutely loved it! The service is a bit sassy for a Michelin for me but nonetheless attentive. I guess you have toorder everything at once, instead of apps then main entrees. It should say that on the menu or at least inform customers upon seating so there's no confusion... The mood lighting upstairs is really lovely. We sat in a booth next to each other so it was really romantic. At first we were worried about the portion sizes since the ahi tuna app was small. But once we received the half portion of braised short rib and the full platter (not the side dish) of couscous, we knew we weren't leaving hungry. The cocktails were mid but good. My man loved the short ribs but I feel the true highlight of the dinner was the couscous (coming from someone who doesn't really enjoy couscous like that) and the harissa sauce. My goodness I still think about that couscous often too!!!

I was invited to come here for a work dinner, and Mourad did not disappoint. The food was fantastic from start to finish, and the service was on point - not too much and not too little. We had a selection of appetizers, mains, and desserts - all of them were great. The flavors all went very well together, and the ingredients tasted very fresh and high quality. We were in a private section upstairs, so it was incredible to be able to have a space all to ourselves. It made for great conversation the entire evening. Starters * Olives: Whole olives w/ seeds - they were okay, but not my favorite especially given the seeds while eating * Candied walnuts: Absolutely delicious, and I don't even like nuts * Spreads w/ flatbread: All three spreads were great, the flatbread was soft and fluffy * Citrus salad: Fresh and crisp * Dill smoked salmon: Perfectly cooked and seasoned, the fish seemed like a belly piece, and it was incredibly melt-in-your-mouth moist Mains * Tai snapper: This dish was very well presented - it was a reconstructed boneless snapper which was amazing. The fish flavor came out nicely, but I would say this was a tad overcooked for my own liking * Short rib: This was incredibly tender and flavorful, with the meat flavor still very noticeable and not covered in sauce - this dish included bone marrow, making for incredible flavor Sides * Kale: Good, but nothing special * Couscous: Good, but nothing special * Heirloom beans: Very crisp and fresh The bathrooms were all individual stalls, and I like the sinks were outside for those who needed to just wash their hands.

I celebrated my friend's wedding at Mourad, and this was my third time dining here--once again, it did not disappoint. We started with several appetizers, and the highlights were the eggplant zaalouk, the egg shuka (which paired perfectly with the brioche for dipping), and the octopus, which was tender and crispy, served with a rich lamb sauce reduction and house bread. We also had the Hokkaido uni with green hummus and brioche, as well as the candied pecans. On the side, we ordered couscous and potatoes with a béarnaise sauce, which complemented the meal well. For the main course, the highlight was the snapper--flaky, deboned, and marinated with red charmoula, reminding me of the Moroccan flavors I grew up with in Meknes, but beautifully elevated for fine dining. To accompany the meal, we started with a bottle of champagne and then moved on to a Spanish white wine, which had refreshing notes of grapefruit, orange, and white flowers. It paired perfectly with the fish. The service was exceptional, as always. Everything was explained beforehand, and the sommelier helped us select the wine. Our French server provided attentive and knowledgeable service throughout the meal. Overall, the experience was fantastic, and I'll definitely return to explore new dishes as their menu evolves.

Came in on a Friday with a party for 2 with a reservation for 6pm. We were here for about 2 hours. This review is for our experience in April 2024. Hiramasa - One of our standout dishes for the night! The grapefruit was a great citrusy highlight against the fish. I felt like it was a great light app to get the appetite going, highly recommend this as a starter! Basteeya - Presented beautifully, and is delicious too! It was lighter than we thought. Short Rib (half) - Super tender, great flavors. Overall a very balanced entree. Each piece is presented with a small entourage of veggies. The pickled radish helps cut down on the heaviness of the meat. Desserts (Puffs & Marrakesh Gold) - We couldn't decide which one to get so we got both. It was a bit too much for 2 people so I recommend just getting 1 to share. The puffs were lighter and went great with the sauces. The Marrakesh Gold is only heavier in comparison, but it's still overall a pretty light dessert. If I had to pick one I'd pick the Marrakesh Gold.

TLDR : Great food, wonderful ambience, amazing service- pricy but worth the $$$$ We were introduced to Mourad by an amazing friend who treated us here! We had a reservation for 8 and were upgraded by the restaurant to the private section allowing us the space and area to ourselves. The servers were pleasant and patiently walked us through the menu suggesting us drinks and food per our tastes. Loved the experience completely and highly recommended!

This place continues to be outstanding! I was in town for a business trip and the CEO treated us to dinner here. We shared nearly everything on the menu and he splurged on several of the large-format dishes for the table. The fish was beautiful - tender and flavorful. The short rib was outstanding! A real star of the meal. And the basteeya with duck confit was a beautiful packet of deliciousness. I can not recommend it highly enough.

TLDR: Get the short rib, salmon, milk bread, and Basteeya. Mourad is a beautiful Moroccan restaurant in SoMa with food that's both exquisitely plated and straight up delicious. I've been twice in the last month and have been pleasantly surprised by how great the food is despite them losing their Michelin star a couple years ago. While I think there's room for improvement overall, this is still a fantastic upscale dinner spot in SF and honestly one of my favorites. I've tried basically their entire menu, and here is my ranking: ------ FOOD: 1. [MUST TRY] Short Rib (5/5): I know, it's the priciest thing on the menu, but it's by far the best large-plate protein. It's so tender and melts in your mouth. It has a super flavorful and slightly sweet sauce that coats the exterior wonderfully. The full portion comes with ~12 large pieces and can easily feed 4-5 people in my opinion, but there's an option to order a half portion too. 2. [MUST TRY] Salmon (5/5): If I came here and didn't want to order a large-plate item, this would be my entree. It's a cooked salmon filet that has the smokiness of smoked salmon, and it comes with a creamy sauce that pairs perfectly with the smoked fish. 3. [MUST TRY] Milk Bread (5/5): Best bread in the city. Comes out PIPING hot, it's so fluffy and soft, and it's heavenly to bite into. It comes with three flavored butters (hot honey, lemon, passion fruit + molasses) and honestly I don't love these butters and wish this just came with basic salted or sweet whipped butter. Still, the bread itself is flawless. 4. Olives (5/5): I order olives at a lot of restaurants and this is hands down the best olive dish I've had in SF (and maybe anywhere) 5. Basteeya (5/5): I've never had anything like this before. It's a huge phyllo pastry (size of a completely outstretched hand and very thick) full of meat, nuts, berries, and more. It's crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and is just such a unique thing to have. This is another great entree for when you don't have a large group to share with. 6. Pecans (5/5): The satisfying texture of the pecan paired with the sweetness of the sugar coating plus the unique flavor of the harissa make this the perfect appetite 7. Chicken (4.5/5): My second favorite large-plate dish after the short rib. The meat is not dry but it's also not super tender (I get it, it's chicken). It's super flavorful though and is marinated / baked in a delicious tomato-based sauce. 8. Tartare (4.5/5): Super interesting texture and punchiness from the aleppo pepper. Worth trying once for sure. 9. Asparagus (4.5/5): Fantastic and beautiful asparagus dish paired with an amazing Caesar foam sauce on the dish 10. Tai snapper (4/5): My least favorite large-plate option but it's still pretty good! I don't usually love whole fish so this is personal preference. I think this could have had more flavor but I'm super whole fish lovers would thoroughly enjoy this. 11. Octopus (3.5/5): These last two were the only two dishes that were lacking for me. The octopus is a very small serving of octopus and overall too salty for me. I've had better octopus dishes elsewhere. 12. Hiramasa (crudo) (3.5/5): I thought the crudo gave me neither the texture nor the flavor that I would want from this. ------ SERVICE: * Service shines sometimes and lacks at other times. Drops of wine would get poured into my water glass, and they would ask if we were done with dishes that still had plenty of food left. Still, they were attentive and we were overall well taken care of, so I'll for sure be back! * As you walk through the restaurant, all wait staff very politely stop and greet / smile at you ------ ENVIRONMENT / AMBIANCE: * Located in SoMa, the general area is perfectly fine to walk around, and the restaurant itself is gorgeous and spacious * There's both a main dining room and bar area downstairs as well as booths and more tables in their upstairs area

Celebrated 30th birthday of my cousin. Food was amazing. Some dishes are with very interesting flavors. We tried lot of dishes but milk bread was my favorite. It was so soft paired incredible well with three of their butters. Duck basteeya is next one which was flakey and crunchy on the top with hearty filling. Their olives are delicious. Beef tartare tasted like raw sushi. Their short rib came with very large portions, it was bit chewy. Drinks were good too. Service was amazing. Our server gave us great recommendations but spoke so softly that we could barely hear him. Puffs were so good but we hardly had room to eat them. Overall, it was very nice birthday celebration.

The bread dishes (Parker rolls with 3 kinds of house butter, and the flat bread) were the highlights. This is not a slight, the bread was amazing. I ate too much of it and I'd do it again. the next best dishes were the sesame dessert, which had so many flavors and textures packed into one dish, and the octopus dish, which was tender and while not novel, was nicely executed. I wanted to love the eggplant dish, but it was just OK. Maybe I don't love cold eggplant. The short rib was my least favorite - it tasted too much like cha siu, but either I wasn't expecting it at Mourad, or maybe it just wasn't as good as cha siu. The server was very sweet and helpful in building our selections for dinner. We still ended up with too much since there were so many things that we wanted to try. Would definitely come back. Love that it is a la carte.

I work in the same building as this restaurant, so it was easy to score a reservation with my colleagues for a weeknight dinner. The place had been on my list since the time they had a Michelin star. Since we had vegetarian people at the table, we started with an Eggplant (zaalouk), an Eggshuka, their Milk Bread, and the Salmon. The zaalouk was this nice concoction of eggplant, tomatoes, spices, and tahini. It comes with some decadent flatbread that's like brioche, but butter. Cannot recommend enough. The Eggshuka is a refined take on the traditional shakshuka. It was made with extremely whipped egg whites as the crust, hen yolks in the middle, and the usual tomatoes/spices/peppers underneath. I was impressed with how in sync with flavors were of these perceptible layers. The salmon was plated well but I did not think of it as highly, and really recall what it made me think of :/ The Milk Bread might be the best form of carbs i've had this year, seriously. It is pillowy, sweet, and pairs incredibly well with the accompanying butters (peppered honey, lemon, pomegranate). Next we got the Lamb, Heirloom Beans, and the Couscous. The lamb was cooked medium well, and had a satisfying bite. The beans were huge, and cooked to a smooth consistency. The couscous was topped with gooseberry and almonds- unusual but a great combo that went down easy. Our server gave us great recommendations, the staff was attentive. The food took a while to prepare, but that was my only gripe. The ambiance is great, and the interior is gorgeous. 8/10 would go back again!

Mourad Food: 3/5 Service: 3/5 Ambiance: 4/5 Overall: Between the portion and taste, I think I could get something a little less expensive for comparable. The extended review... Food: 3/5 - I shared a variety of starters and mains. While I get that this is a higher end place and I expected the portions to be smaller, I felt like the taste wasn't necessarily elevated to offset the price. Dishes were standard fare. Service: 3/5 - Service was standard fare Ambiance: 4/5 - Definitely loved the ambiance of the place. Very modern interior.

My partner and I love watching Eater videos on YouTube, and watched the one where Nyesha Arrington makes the short rib dish with the chef de cuisine from Mourad! After watching, we immediately wanted to try the 72 hour dish! It did not disappoint, along with all the other dishes we had! We made a reservation for 5pm (opening) and were the first ones in the restaurant! By the time we left at 7, the restaurant was bustling. The interior felt very modern with warm tones and cool lighting. Service was very attentive. My water glass kept getting refilled within a minute of me drinking some! Standout dishes were the eggplant with flatbread, the short rib, and the couscous! We definitely want to go back again with more people so we can try more dishes! This was a lot of food for 2 people, but we powered through, and had really yummy leftovers for the week :)

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 entrées accompanied by the simple, 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.

Hadn't been back in awhile and just wanted to say it's as good as ever! A couple standouts: SALMON squash . sungold & cherry . tomato consomme . east african spice STRIPED BASS saffron . mushroom escabeche . red charmoula It was all good though - dangerously addicting pecans and olives, couscous and puffs. Didn't get the lamb and short ribs this time but recall them being excellent. Such a gorgeous restaurant and a serious treat. Service was thoughtfully hands-off, respectful of our dinner discussion.

Really delicious food with some fun takes on dishes. We were celebrating a birthday and the servers made it feel special. We ordered: Olives ($12) - 4/5. I liked the addition of the preserved lemon, though the acidity combined with the saltiness of the olives could be a bit overpowering. I wish the almonds were crunchier. Eggshuka ($16) - 4/5. Our server recommended getting bread with this but we ended up slurping it off spoons. Delicious! I will say the crunch of the pickled vegetables under the creamy foam was a bit strange to me, and I don't know if I enjoyed the texture or flavor that much. Eggplant ($24) - 4/5. The bread that came with this was insane. Slight crisp with pillowy soft crumb. Dipped in the tahini, it's perfection. The eggplants themselves were silky. Tartare ($28) - 5/5. This was so yummy. I loved the layer of crispy lentils capping the tartare, and there was this great balance of savory and sweet. Barramundi ($49) - 5/5. This was an excellent dish. The fish was so soft with a crackly skin. Potato ($12) - 5/5. Who can hate potatoes? These were soft, a bit smashed so you get those crunchy crevices, and the sauce was luscious. A pricy place but great for a celebration (or if you're trying to impress a client). I liked the sizes of the portions, and the service is prompt and attentive.

Wow this was one of the best dinners that I have had in a long time!! Everything was amazing, the service was great too. This was a corporate dinner and the starters were all so good. The dipping bread made me throw my low-carb diet out for that night. The 72 hour short ribs were very very good and the moroccan tangin chicken was fantastic. The heiloom beans were super interesting. We had people at the table that said "this is the best chicken I have ever eaten" and I cannot say that I would disagree. The puffs for desert were great a must have. Overall this is a great place but this is also $$$$. No wine but many cocktails for 14 people with tip was just short of $4,000.

The space is gorgeous with high ceilings and beautiful lights in the dining area making it an intimate dining experience. Service was nice - waiters checked on us throughout our emails and explained each dish as they came out. -Appetizers- * Hokkaido Uni - very light, creamy, and fresh. loved the small piece of brioche toast that came with it * Eggplant - presentation was spot on. comes with bread on the side. lots of flavor but not too overwhelming. * Milk Bread - so soft and fluffy! came with three types flavors of butter and each of them were delicious in their own way -Mains (La'acha)- * Chicken - juicy and flavored perfectly. came with a trio of sauces. very big pieces of chicken! * Short Rib - very tender! definitely can see why they're famous for it. -Sides- * Potatoes - perfectly crispy * Heirloom Beans - great flavors! -Dessert- * Puff - very fluffy and light We left the restaurant stuffed, pants about to explode, and lots of leftovers!

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!

A birthday celebration brought eight of us here for a Moroccan dinner. My spouse and I from Maui, two friends from San Francisco, one from Los Angeles, another from Las Vegas and two relatives from Arlington had a fun weekend of gluttonous eating and responsible drinking. We saw a piece on them on CBS Saturday Morning days prior to our travels, so my spouse was even more thrilled with our reservation. ATMOSPHERE: Very chic and sexy everything, with high ceilings and a suspended wine cellar. We had an uber-private room at the back of the restaurant. MENU: My spouse planned a preset menu from their everyday offerings, with the chef throwing in some nice surprises. FOOD: Olives Served warm (a first for me), the mix of greens & blacks was an excellent starter. Spiced Nuts No, it wasn't the holidays but the sweet & salty pecans worked well as a dinner app. Spreads Grilled flatbread with three spreads; piquillo-almond (tomato), charred eggplant and dill-lebni (cream). I lathered on the trifecta and loved them all, even the eggplant which isn't my favorite fruit. Hamachi Beautifully plated, paper-thin slices of fish with crunchy cucumber, sweet melon and creamy-spiced sauce. Flavors abound. Tartare Chef's compliment. Three symmetrical tiers of wow. The base of crushed lettuce held up the ground lamb, topped with a crumble. Savory and smoky. Amazing and a must-try. This dish alone should earn back their Michelin star. Basteeya Tender duck wrapped in a filo/puff pastry. Sweet & tart cherries married well with the savory protein and crunchy sprouts. Snapper Well-seasoned and crispy skin, moist and flaky meat are the pillars of a well-executed fish. Chicken How in the world could chicken be my favorite dish of the evening? Two words, tangine brine. I've never had chicken with flavor that went all the way to the bone and competed with the skin for delectability. Highly recommended. Short Rib If it weren't for my health conscious mind, I would've had more of the most tender meat I've yet to consume. Carnivores, rejoice! Sides The kale could've easily passed for collard greens, one of our favorite dishes. Instead of rice, brown butter couscous was my tasty alternative that went well with the proteins. Heirloom beans looked nothing like it sounded. Yogurt-like in consistency, its creamy and savory profile was finished with duqqa - a blend of chopped nuts and spices. DESSERT: Puffs Similar in looks to Okinawan andagi but not nearly as dense, these balls of dough were light as air. Accompanied by chocolate and syrup-based drizzles. Unknown Dessert Chef's compliment. I didn't get the name of this dish but it was, I believe, a thin layer of chocolate mousse topped with a mound of blueberries. I was so full by this point I had just a spoonful. SERVICE: Outstanding from the planning stages till we walked out the door. Everyone deserves praise. FUN FACT: Yelp's old HQ used to be in this building. OVERALL: A very memorable celebratory experience. Now, can we talk about that "star"?

A dined here recently with a friend who was visiting from Honolulu. She chose this restaurant based on another friend's recommendation. Reservations are definitely received as they are busy, even on weeknight. I saw a lot of business dinners being conducted. Upon entering, your eyes are drawn up to the tall ceilings. There is a stylish bar & lounge area and the main dining room is behind it. The beautiful dining room has some small banquettes, which I love because the seating is so comfortable and the seating faces out towards the main dining area. I had the Goddess cocktail, which was a perfect balance of mild sweetness & flavors. We shared several small to medium sized plates. - Hokkaido uni: served with brioche toast on the side to use as a serving vessel. It was one of favorites. - Stonefruit: features burrata too & was another yummy favorite. - Milk Bread: delicious loaf of airy, fluffy bread served with 3 house butters. -Eggplant: slightly smoky comes with tahini & served with flatbread. Yum. -Basteeya: duck, cherry & almonds served in phyllo dough. We were getting pretty full so I took part of it home. Tartare: lamb, date, smoked oyster, beautifully presented & was a bit heavier in comparison to the rest of our dishes so we weren't able to finish it. Dessert: we had to have dessert although our bellies were so full & shared the Marrakech Gold dessert. It was described to have a similar texture to the tres leches cake, which I love. We also got the Hammerling Rose, a sparkling wine that was suggested to pair with this dessert. Service was very helpful. I appreciated the sophisticated experience that we had.

Usually if I rate something 5 stars it's because everything was great and I want to visit again. In this case, Mourad deserves a 5 on service alone. We arrived to our reservation 30 minutes early and they still sat us at the bar and served us immediately. The bar tenders were very kind and hospitable and made great drinks. We even got a tasting of a drink the mixologist is trying to get on the menu. Additionally the ambiance was beautiful and the bathrooms (mixed gender single stalls) were clean. In total, we ordered the basteeya, eggshuka, milk bread and lamb tar tar. The eggshuka was so good my friend made sure to wipe the plate clean. For us, the basteeya was a bit too sweet though it looked beautiful. Looking forward to coming back again and trying some new dishes and sticking either the classics.

One of the top restaurants I have been to - beautiful interior upscale dining with cosy booths, started with the olives - fennel citrus and rosemary with marcona almonds - good, milk bread and butter trio - the bread is warm and beautifully salted - butters are so diverse and unusual. Must-get is the duck pastry (bastiya) - this seems like their star dish and it deserves all the hype, a rich duck explosion packed in crisp buttery pastry with pops of flavour that change with every bite - blackberry accompaniment and other wonderful tastes. Finally the short rib (half portion is more than enough for 2-3 people) and kale side, best short rib I've ever had. Truly unique high quality experience. Must visit if you're in town!

My fiancé took me here to celebrate International Women's Day. We were seated on the second floor, which was wonderful because of the intimate lighting and fewer crowds than on the first floor. The service was wonderful, although the hostess's greeting at the front felt a bit cold. The food was delicious, especially the lamb tartare, which I tried for the first time. The potatoes were included with almost every dish, which was great because I love them. We ordered potatoes as a side dish as well,but it was too much, and we couldn't even finish it. The Farro dish wasn't that good for either of us. Overall, the experience was good, and we would definitely come back.

I usually don't buy the hype of a lot of Michellin star places; I've found a lot of the recommended food good but not mindblowing. But Mourad? Fully deserve any and all acclaim and praise it gets. Two months after eating here, I'm still thinking about the dessert we had. There were two of us and we ordered the following (this was an excellent quantity of food for two people): Eggshuka - unlike your regular shakshuka, it was made with extremely whipped egg whites. The texture was wonderful fluffy and eating it felt like biting into a cloud. Our wonderful and helpful waitress did let us know it's not like a traditional shakshuka and recommended some excellent bread to go alongside it. Chicken - this was the main dish and it was the best chicken I've ever had. The meat was beyond juicy, there was an excellent brightness to the meat, and the seasoning was perfection. I normally don't like olives, but the olives they had perfectly complemented the meat. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the best chicken I've ever had. Marrakesh Gold - this is a dessert that I'm still thinking about. It was incredibly rich with flavor and the tumeric yuzu sauce was heavenly. The sauce was one of the best I've ever had and soaked and mixed with the other flavors perfectly. The space was also beautiful and the waitress was incredibly attentive to us, providing excellent recommendations. The ambiance felt very cozy (though it is a large space). I don't usually revisit places, but I am definitely returning here the next time I'm in SF.

One of my favorite restaurants in the world. Ambiance: Super spacious, clean, opulent. The spaciousness alone is a luxury, allowing you to savor every detail of the interior decor and have a private dining experience to focus on the food. I even love the modern bathroom design. Food: Everything. Is. Delicious. Even the chicken is the best chicken I have EVER had, and I am not a chicken person. How do they make it so flavorful??? How is the skin perfect? I personally love the fish and the vegetarian options, but you cannot go wrong. Mouth watering just thinking about this place. Loooove.

This is my second review of Mourad. We went for my birthday tonight and were delighted we decided to go here. We have dined at Mourad many times and everyone agreed this was the best time -- it's not easy for a restaurant to stay at or exceed the top of its game, but Chef has done it. Every single item we ordered was amazing. The meal went from strength to strength, with each dish packed with exotic flavors such as za'atar and Ras el Hanout (Arabic spice blend) in perfect balance. Glazed pecans with harissa were perfect. As were the olives. Milkbread was an unexpected delight, demonstrating mastery of fusion. Eggplant received raves from all. Short ribs cooked to perfection with torpedo onions. Chicken might have been the best we ever had!!! This restaurant is underrated in my opinion. It is worth a visit.

I was lucky enough to snag a reservation recently here as part of the Resy Tastemakers promotion, and came with a party of 4 for dinner at 5:45 on a Wed evening. The food was great here, but it's definitely on the pricey side. More of a special occasion spot, I'd say. It was the first time here for everyone, and from the beginning to the end of the meal the service was impeccable. When we first arrived, they asked if we wanted to leave any jackets or bags with them, and when we boxed up some leftovers after dinner, they had our bag waiting for us at the front when we left. The space is spacious and gorgeous, with high ceilings everywhere and brick walls in the bar area and beautiful lights in the dining area. As the sun sets, the lighting within the restaurant gets fairly dim and adds to the intimate ambiance. To start, we tried a couple of the appetizers, most of which came with some kind bread or carb on the side which was unexpected. We then shared some of the main plates as well as one of the la'acha (sharing) plates. Everything was good for the most part, but some dishes were definitely more hits with the table than others. Here's everything we got (* marks my favorites): --Appetizers-- * Hokkaido uni ($34) - loved the small piece of brioche toast that came with the uni, but when eating the uni and bread together, the flavor of the uni is hard to distinguish and it just tastes like you're eating something creamy. Still, it was a delicious bite Eggshuka ($15) - was expecting something along the lines of shakshuka, but this was completely different. I still enjoyed it and liked the sweet potato bits under the egg foam *Milk bread ($16) - this bread was SO soft and tasted amazing hot. It was fun to try a bite with each of the different butters it came with. I believe the three flavors were honey lemon, pomegranate, and I'm blanking on the last butter flavor Eggplant ($23) - presentation is spot on, but I'm not a huge eggplant person so I already knew I probably wouldn't enjoy it as much as the other appetizers, and I was right. It comes with a piece of flat bread on the side, and it was unclear how we were supposed to eat everything. I ended up cutting the bread in half and stuffing the eggplant pieces with the various sauces inside --Mains-- * Black cod ($46) - cooked with turnip, fava bean, king trumpet mushroom, and Moroccan curry sauce. My favorite dish of the whole evening! The black cod was super soft and went great with the curry. My only regret is that the piece of cod was so small, so I only got a couple bites after splitting it with my friends! Lamb ($59) - this is a trio of cuts with beetroot, English peas, green za'atar. I'm not exactly sure what the three cuts are, but the lamb chops were a little bit on the gamey side. I didn't like the large piece of lamb on the side as the outside was caramelized with something sweet, and the sweet/savory combo didn't work for me. I really enjoyed the bits of lamb bacon, which went so well with the green peas and beets. Artichoke ($28) - comes with Swiss chard, garbanzo beans, puffed sorghum, and cumin. I only ate a couple bites of this, but it was my least favorite main as I'm not a huge fan of garbanzo beans. Still, it was nice that they had a veggie entree. * Chicken ($80) - this was our shared la'acha dish, with a Moraccan tangine brine, gaeta olive, and cipollini onions. The chicken was flavored perfectly, and the skin was nice and firm. It comes with a trio of sauces to eat on the side, including a tomato-based sauce that was my personal favorite --Dessert-- Marrakesh Gold ($16) - honey cake with hazelnut milk, lavender, turmeric, and yuzu. We were stuffed after all the food but still wanted to end the meal on a sweet note, so we all shared this dessert. Presentation was definitely spot on, but the taste was average imo We went over the promo amount and still had to pay extra especially with the drinks, but I'm very grateful to the restaurant and to Resy for providing us with the opportunity to have such an amazing experience!

I did my annual celebration with my fellow October birthday friends and Mourad was our vote this year. The experience was amazing! We were seated upstairs at a booth by the window with a view of a courtyard. The service was friendly and attentive. We started off with the evening with 2 glasses of black and chrome to whet or appetites. Everything was beautifully presented, delicious, and I loved some items more than others. See my notes below. What we ordered: HOKKAIDO UNI $34 brioche . pomegranate . green chickpea Good. Interesting concept. The cool uni was beautifully layered on a plate with the warm little bars of brioche served to the side. EGGPLANT $23 zaalouk . brentwood corn . garlic tahini . pine nut . ras el hanout served with flatbread I really enjoyed this dish. It was difficult to not eat all the bread because it was so soft and fluffy that you'd want to smear everything on it. BASTEEYA $30 - must get! duck . almond . verjus I loved deconstructing this. The flaky texture and the duck filling was scrumptious. BLACK COD $46 - must get! tokyo turnip . fava bean . morrocan curry This melted in your mouth like butter leaving you wanting more. SHORT RIB - half portion $85 - must get! little gem . gochujang tahini . furikake . bone marrow Life changing short ribs. It was perfect as is even though it came with 3 dipping sauces. The half portion was more than enough for 3 people. We each had about 2 pieces of rib and it was tender, moist, flavorful and cooked to perfection. 72 hours of preparation to be exact. COUSCOUS $12 brown butter Order this. It goes with everything above. MARRAKESH GOLD $16 must get! hazelnut milk . lavender . turmeric . yuzu So good, not too sweet and I loved the yuzu sauce it was swimming in. The combined flavors were subtle and complimented well.

Had a nice Valentine's dinner here after the original plan fell through. The food, service and ambiance were wonderful. Planning to come back soon. Everything we ordered was delicious. The highlights are the Hokkaido Uni, Milk bread, and short ribs. Highly recommend these. Hokkaido Uni: the sea urchin was fresh, pairs perfectly toasted brioche with pomegranate/chickpea spread. Milk bread: better version of Hawaiian roll with wonderful house made butter. Still craving for this! Basteeya: i like that it was well mixed of flavor of duck, apples/pear and almonds. It's a good portion for two after the previous two appetizers. Short ribs: ordered 1/2 portion and it was plenty for two. The presentation was beautiful and the ribs were tender and perfectly seasoned. I recommend this for main dish. For desserts: ordered Puffs and Sesame. Both are good. Loved how light the donuts are, paired well with their lemon honey, and chocolate dip. Sesame dessert is highly recommended. It's not too sweet, sesame and dark chocolates paired well together and the presentation was beautiful. It's a unique one.

I was excited to come after hearing good things from friends who've diner here before. We were lucky to find street parking right next to the restaurant as walking in, it's a great reprieve - warm, inviting with a great atmosphere without feeling too stuffy. Unfortunately the food didn't live up to the expectations. We started with the basteeya which was a meat pastry with phyllo dough crust and duck filling. The pastry was great but the filling was too sweet for our liking and full of nuts while the duck was ground too fine to feel substantial. We then share the lamb and black cod entrees along a side of brown butter couscous. The black cod was our favorite dish of the night, served with turnip, fava beans, mushrooms and a moroccan curry. The cod and curry was great but all the vegetables were too salty and hard to eat. The lamb trio had a lamb chop, shoulder, and belly. I thought this dish also ate too salty but did like the pea puree which lightened the dish. It really was only 2 cuts of lamb as the belly was more like lardon - too much fat that became too charred to eat with very little lean portions. For the price and portions, I probably wouldn't choose Mourad again - while it's a nice experience, there are better places for Moroccan food in the bay.

The service was great. The server was nice and she changed my drink too. I do think their drinks are very average though. The food was good. The fish was very fresh and the olives were tasty.

Ms. San Francisco Real Estate Janice Lee dines at Mourad, a fine dining Moroccan restaurant in Downtown San Francisco. The ambiance is nice and the food has unique flavors and excellent portions. The octopus was very fresh with a good mix of textures and flavors. The duck basteeya had a crispy exterior and the filling was so hearty. The 72 hour aged short rib had good portions and melted in my mouth. I always love the milk bread and three types of butter (lemon, pomogranite and light spiced butter). The uni over the brioche was cute and feeds two. I also ordered a spicy ginger ale. This is a great place to eat on a date or with a large group. It's like creating your own several course meals. I would return again for a group dinner.

A very solid 4 stars in its very high end category. You will not be disappointed! The cocktails were mind-blowingly good! The juices tasted like they'd just plucked the fruit off the tree, and the complexity of the flavors, wow! The family style Moroccan short ribs that they're famous for? Yes! I can see why, super yummy and a very decent portion size for a high end place :) Also standing out: the lamb tartar, and a quinoa that was probably the best quinoa I've ever had tho that is not saying a whole lot. Why not five stars? Well the bar is pretty high here, this is a very solid place that meets your every expectation. But the service did not go beyond, it was a little jumbled, like for instance they brought out a 1/2 order of the short ribs, then whisked it away and shortly came back with the full order, great catch! And I don't think we were dawdling but somehow our 8pm table ended up the last to leave, by far, I kind of felt like somehow the timing was off somewhere for us to be that far behind? I mean I didn't feel any long waits during dinner, but they were starting to clean up the dining room while we were still there, so we must have been late. But of course everyone at Mourad was very pro and gracious and we never felt rushed. I would definitely come back!

Lovely ambiance, very stunning and modern. Love this part the best. The food was pretty delicious, however it was texturally not varying. That was a bummer. I found the food good but missing a pop of acid. Just being honest. I thought the service was decent but not anything to write home about. I think this place gets a B+. They did it better with Aziza. I still think about the food there. This sister is a good second!

Absolutely Fabulous, the service was over the top, the place was comfortably as the noise levels, the place was very clean and tidy. Now for the food, everything brought was great, food allergies were asked an discussed beforehand, very thoughtful, though the food was to die for.

Mourad presents accents of Moroccan cuisine, courtesy of its chef and founder Mourad Lahlou, but the cooking here is also thoroughly Californian, and the restaurant offers a fine dining experience in a high-end, elegant setting. I've been here time and time again for special occasions but for my most recent visit nabbed a spot on the Resy Tastemakers promo, which offered a $99 credit per person! Taking full advantage of this opportunity, we ordered several entrees including the Black Cod, a boneless piece of cod wrapped in chard and served with Tokyo turnip, fava beans, king trumpet mushrooms, and a Moroccan curry; and the Lamb, which came with three different cuts (butchered in-house from a whole lamb) including a juicy rack of lamb, crispy lamb shoulder, and lamb belly "bacon", along with beetroot, English peas, and za'atar. From the La'acha (family style) section of the menu, we ordered a half portion of the Short Ribs, which were six braised and seared pieces of boneless short rib in a gochujang glaze, served with pickles, radish slices, and little gem lettuce topped with furikake, all in a tagine (Moroccan earthenware pot). Of all the large dishes we got, my favorite was the Black Cod, which had an almost silky texture and went perfectly with the "Moroccan curry" sauce and the sides of beans and mushrooms. To go with the dishes, we ordered a bunch of side dishes as well including kale braised with Kalamata olives and harissa; crispy new potatoes in a creamy dill and chive sauce; heirloom beans baked in a tomato sauce and topped with za'atar breadcrumbs and a feta mousse; and soft, fluffy, grilled za'atar flatbreads. On previous visits, the side dishes were a highlight, but this time, they were all extremely salty (especially the kale). Nevertheless, the plating, the presentation, the service, and the atmosphere of the restaurant were all highlights, but this was definitely a place for a splurge meal.

(More a 3.5 for me)We came here on a Saturday night and it wasn't super crowded. We had really great service with good suggestions for food combinations and drink pairings. Loved the intimate atmosphere for couples (corner couches)! I really enjoyed trying new flavors and spices but most of the food I ordered didn't suit my personal palate. The lamb tartare was my favorite--very tasty and amazing textures--but unfortunately couldn't taste much of the lamb. The beef basteeya had a very cool texture but the nut and beef combo was quite heavy (perhaps meant to be shared by more people). No complaints on the short-rib for that was delicious (though the sauce was a bit too sweet for me). The beans on the side were my least favorite--nut/spice topping with beans and tomato sauce was also too heavy and not very dynamic flavor-wise. It was definitely really expensive and I would have preferred a lighter meal or a cheaper meal. However, I'm still interesting in giving some of the other menu items a try!

Still love this place!!! Went here again to celebrate and I must say the stars are for the welcoming and helpful staff all around. Obviously it's also for the food, which is consistent, high quality, and the vibe is a joyful experience. Love the decor, high ceilings, pom pom lights, and spaciousness. This time for food we tried the: -CARROT Coffee. tahini . madras curry . goat cheese So yums! Highly recommend the delicate dish -DUNGENESS eggplant . toum . dukkah . marash chile So beautiful! Definitely order, super flavorful -EGGSHUKA & MILK BREAD hen yolk . shakshuka . selection of house butter Homemade Hawaiian like rolls yet even lighter fluffier and quality with that shakshuka -BASTEEYA duck . satsuma . almond . verjus You just have to order this, the flaky outside with that duck inside, amazing flavor combo -SHORT RIB shiitake . charred onion . niitaka . bone marrow I loved the picked veggies, added a great flavor element -Couscous: so yums and flavorful Check it out!

Here is my open letter to Mourad. Dear Andrew, You may never see this email, but writing it makes me feel better. I was both surprised and disappointed to hear on the news that Mourad closed on October 26. Given that many companies have already secured holiday event venues by this time of year, I felt a sense of urgency and concern. I immediately checked my work emails, assuming Mourad would have sent a courtesy notification about the closing and the cancellation of our December event, but no such email was found. Realizing that our company now lacked a venue for our December event, which is fast approaching, was deeply disappointing. Mourad was an exceptional restaurant, and while I regret its closing, I hope that if it reopens in the future, more thoughtful practices will be implemented to ensure timely communication and consideration for loyal customers. Regards, Kelley

Very balanced food flavors, the work behind every dish im pretty sure is a huge. The signature dish of short rib is amazing, the texture of the meat and the flavors are incredible. But, listen the waiter, he knows better the menu than us, and at least in our case, the recommendations are perfect; the Lamb dish is very tasteful. And finally, the ambience is cozy, warm and very inviting. Please go, at least once.

Navigating the dining scene in San Francisco is a daunting task. I live in NYC so I'm used to such an experience, but at least I've made a substantial dent there. SF is relatively uncharted territory for me, meaning that there are hundreds of restaurants and bars I want to go to in a very short period of time. Deliberating is virtually impossible. But, Mourad made the cut this trip, and thank god it did. We came here on our first night out in the city, and it set the bar high. Everything about the experience was exceptional. The ambiance, the service and most importantly, the food. Mourad is definitely more upscale than the type of restaurant I tend to dine at, but it was a nice change of pace. For a special occasion, you should absolutely consider it. We came here at 8pm on a Friday night. The space is beautifully designed, very dramatic, sleek and swanky. We got seated at a booth near the back of the space, which was both comfy and also allowed us to take in the scene a bit more. Though the wine cellar here is quite impressive, we stuck to cocktails on this particular night. The offerings are definitely more creative than the average restaurant, a sign of a comprehensive and well thought out bar program. To start, I got the Lilly and the Muse (tanqueray 10 gin, lillet, cocchi americano, banana liqueur) and my husband got the Azul (denizen 8 year barrel aged rum, crème de violette, le blue combier, orgeat, citrus). Both super yummy. Mine was really smooth and subtly sweet, while the Azul was tropical and funkier. Next, I got the Black and Chrome (mikuni japanese whisky, john barr scotch, amaro, lemon verbena, chamomile, rosemary) while my husband got the Ruby (aloo gin, quinquina, select pilla aperitif, crème de violette, citrus). Not as great as the first round, but still good. Food-wise, I'd highly recommend sharing here. That said, good luck trying to narrow down what you want. Luckily, our server was not only helpful but effusively so, which always helps my confidence in ordering. There's a long list of starters, a few mains, and some larger, family-style plates good for large partiers. We stuck with the first two sections so we could try more, but I'm sure it's all amazing. I'm pretty sure I had never eaten Moroccan food prior to Mourad, and now it's something I may want to make a habit of. Eats, below: Eggplant w/ cucumber, oregano, pepper, flatbread, za'atar, pine nut: A My husband is not an eggplant fan (I can take it or leave it, but I'm not averse) but I was intrigued. Our server assured him that even most eggplant wary of people enjoy this, so we took a leap of faith, and we reaped the benefits. Beautifully presented, flavorful, great variety of textures and flavors. Tartare w/ lamb, date, smoked oyster, radicchio, aleppo: A++ This was one of the best dishes I have ever had in my life. There, I said it. This came highly recommended by our server and for good reasons. Insanely flavorful, rich, earthy, sweet, salty, just everything going right. I feel like no description does it justice -- just order it. Octopus w/ honey nut, violina di rogosa, yuzu, berbere: A+ Another excellent dish playing with sweet and savory notes. You don't get a lot of octopus for the price, but I still don't regret ordering it. Arrowhead w/ green lentil, jimmy nardello, apple, pistachio: A+ This is one of the few vegetarian dishes on the menu, and we went for it because we wanted more veggies. But this isn't just another veggies dish -- it is superb. Probably my other favorite dish of the night. Just super flavorful, earthy, spices on point. Halibut w/ celery, broccoli di ciccio, oro blanco, mussel, zhug: A One of the lighter dishes of the night, this was a beautifully cooked, fresh piece of fish that was accompanied by celery prepared a few different ways. Delicate flavors, subtly creative, generally just very well executed. I can see why this place has been recognized by Michelin. It's been around a while so it has staying power, and clearly the food is anything but tired. It's a well-oiled machine, but not in a way that's overly robotic. On the contrary, the experience felt personal in a really wonderful way.

I'm not surprised that Mourad is busy even on a Tuesday night. We were a party of 6 celebrating a birthday and the restaurant is full like a weekend. The winter menu has a good variety of dishes to choose from and the wine list, extensive. All you wine lovers will have a feast with the offerings they have. They do have a wine consultant that will help you if you need a little direction. We started off with pecans, lamb tartare and salmon. My favorite is the lamb tartare. The flavor is heavenly and not at all as I expected it to be. For our big party and we came hungry... we ordered all 3 La'acha dishes: short ribs, snapper and chicken. The short ribs was extremely flavorful and tender. The snapper, superb as well. It came with sauce and lettuce. The chicken, it's so so... I would pass this up next time. The potato sides is a must try. We had couscous as well but I prefer the potato. Never leave without trying desert and the puffs did not disappoint. 2 hours later, our party was content after a full dinner, couple of bottle of wines, dessert and a birthday cake. Oh by the way, there is cake cutting fee. It's definitely $$$$$$ for dinner but if you are willing to pay for good food, attentive staff, nice ambiance. This place is a must try.

I'd give Mourad a 3.5/5. I tried their milk bread, duck basteeya, mocktail, cod, and lamb. What worked: -- beautiful space! The entire restaurant felt very modern but cozy at the same time. I loved how comforting it was to sit in there booths -- staff were friendly and very attentive. Each item on the menu was carefully described by the server -- mocktails we're delightful. The Marrakesh Sunset and Lavender Oasis were sweet and balanced and I felt like each flavor was easy to detect -- the milk bread was so good! It tasted like an elevated Hawaiian sweet roll and the butters were very uniquely flavored -- so many unique dishes. I loved that they went past classic Moroccan dishes and added their own twists and spins -- everything was beautifully plated -- the duck basteeya was crispy, flavorful, and not gamey at all -- the cod itself was so delicately flavored without being boring or underwhelming. It was like listening to really soft piano playing, very tender and light -- the dessert we ordered, Marrakesh Gold, was incredible. Like, really incredible. I would've happily eaten plate after plate of that for the entire meal. It was moist without being soggy, sweet without being saccharine, nuanced without being confusing. If you like tres leches, you'll like this -- potatoes and couscous were good! The potatoes were nice and crispy and you could easily pick up the brown butter in the couscous What didn't work: -- the duck basteeya was very sweet with no other element to break up that sweetness aside from a slight tang in the cherries. The addition of a fresh or tangy ingredient would've been a simple way to prevent it from becoming monotonous -- while the cod was very good, the turnips and fava beans were really salty. Each time I took a bite of either, salt was the only thing I could taste -- I wish the cod had been a little more exciting. The fish itself was delicately flavored which I really liked but the rest of the plate was just kind of salty and lacked flavor variety -- I was not a fan of the lamb. Part of this is personal preference but I found that it was very gamey and the meat itself wasn't tender or soft, it was on the chewy side. The beetroot and English pea served with it were fine, they tasted the way they always taste. I was very excited for this dish but there wasn't anything about it that I fully enjoyed Overall, I would definitely consider returning for the ambiance, appetizers, and dessert. I found the restaurant to be really lovely and what they did well, they did really well. But the entrees, which were supposed to be the stars of the meal, were disappointing and, considering the price point, I expected a lot more.

Have been meaning to try Mourad and finally got to try couple weeks ago for my mom's bday dinner! One of her friends suggested coming here since she has been many years ago and had a great experience! However, I feel like the food and experience fell short and it's a little surprising to me they have one Michelin star. They are located in Fidi and I was surprised how close they were to my office! As everything in SF, it is hard to find parking so expect to pay for the nearby parking garages. Most of the dishes we ordered were just okay even though they were plated nicely. None of the dishes stood out besides the short rib at the end. The short rib was the family style dish and they let you know it takes around 45 min to prepare. We ordered a dessert at the end but they didn't even say happy birthday or put a candle on the dish. The dessert was a chocolate pineapple dessert and it had some spice to it. Definitely interesting but don't know if I would order again. The cocktails overall were quite good, I ordered a non-alcoholic one to try too. All in all, I was glad I was finally able to try this place but since I didn't really like it and it was pricey, I don't think I would come back.

This is my second visit to this restaurant. The first time was for the dining room experience, which I am glad that I had. This review is for the bar experience. I was not impressed by the sterile bartender's attitude. I'm not sure if he's just an unhappy person or he hates his job. He had no charisma or charm. My favorite dish on both visits were for the basteeya. The pastry dough is just so soft and crispy at the same time. The couscous entree was tasty. The lamb was good, but probably not worth $60. I would avoid the eggshuka. Overall, I would recommend Mourad in the dining room, not high table or bar. .

On the plus side: Decor and ambience are aesthetically pleasing; Bussing & water service were attentive; Eggshuka, milk bread, Eggplant and Basteeya were standout BUT The 35 minute wait for our bottle of wine, coupled with the flippant and "I don't give a s***" attitude of the sommelier AND the waiter pushing us to significantly over order were big black marks on this experience. While the food in general was good, the octopus was too salty, the hiiramsu fish was fishy and the farro was mediocre. Bottom line - would not go back. The service experience left a bad taste in our mouths and the offer of free dessert does not remotely address the shocking attitude and rudeness of the so called sommelier, nor does it excuse an unacceptable delay in wine service.

3.5 stars Enjoyed my meal here but not my top choice for spending $100+ on a meal in SF. We got: milk bread - really good, fluffy + buttery basteeya (duck . cherry . almond . verjus) - this was my boyfriend's favorite dish but a dud for me. Ironically, our reasons for liking/disliking the dish are exact same reason - he liked the sweetness while I found it reminded me of jam and weirdly offputting eggplant (zaalouk . brentwood corn . garlic tahini . pine nut . ras el hanout served with flatbread. ) - this was okay - I found the eggplant a bit bitter but I liked the sauce. it comes with flatbread which we weren't expecting (and I think they might have added 2 pieces of flatbread to the dish to ensure all 4 of us would have a piece of flatbread since I saw an additional charge on the receipt, but I wish they just asked us and we could have declined, since I would have been happy splitting a flatbread) Hokkaido uni (brioche . pomegranate . green chickpea) - this comes DIY - you put together the uni with the brioche. I like uni but I didn't find this combo that tasty and would skip it here. lamb (trio of cuts . beetroot . english pea . green za'taar) - the best of the mains but there was one cut I found incredibly dry and couldn't eat more than a bite of. avoid that cut and stick to the lamb chops, which are great black cod (tokyo turnip . fava bean . morrocan curry) - this was much meatier and fishier than most black cod - others at my table really disliked the texture / flavor but I personally didn't mind it. I sometimes find black cod too smooth and not fish-like enough, so this was a welcome change. short rib (little gem . rhubarb . gochujang tahini . bone marrow) - I found this too rich and beefy for me, and my boyfriend thought it had a weird flavor potato (dill . tarragon . chive) - this was a highlight - the cream foam on top is so good.

The restaurant deserves a Michelin star. The food was excellent. Unfortunately, I was here by myself since traveling on business, otherwise I would have tried more dishes with other peeps. I started with the eggplant. Not usually an appetizer you see on its own but with the flavors and incredible hot freshly made bread thats comes with it, OMG so delicious. I then had the Basteeya. You can read the ingredients, have a waiter explain it to you and look at a pic, but until you eat it do you really understand it. Its savory, crispy, a little nutty, a little sweet, and just a flavor bomb in your mouth. To be honest between the egg plant and this dish I was full but i had also ordered the barramundi. Thankfully, it was light enough. A nice piece of flavorful white fish with perfectly cooked crispy skin. Think a more flavorful branzino or sea bass. Service was excellent and I like the vibe and atmosphere. Restaurant was fairly full with 2 or 3 large tables but not too loud. Must come back to try the short rib and milk bread.