We arrived around 5pm and many tables outside weren't cleared but there were many seats available…read more We were told to wait outside when we're supposed to order at the cashier first, so I was confused. The ladies took awhile to get us seated outside, only to then tell me to order inside. The super efficient guy with the red shoes was quick to take our order of chicken shish tawook and Mezze sampler. Portions are large and food was great! We love people watching as the N Judahs goes by. It's Arab comfort food in a cozy indoor/outdoor setting.Sooo good!

Delicious! Hearty meals to be had here. The musakhan is a spiced chicken dish served with roasted…read morepine nuts, pita, and caramelized onions. I loved how juicy the chicken was and the crisp yet soft pita. Apparently this dish they claim is usually not found in restaurants so it was pretty special to eat it. I will be back to try more!

We had such a wonderful time at Dalida last year celebrating our 20th that we decided to run it…read moreback for our 21st! It was so good that it was the first time that we've ever repeated a restaurant for an anniversary date! I was hesitant that the second experience would live up to the first but it totally did and then some! We arrived 1.5 hours early to explore the Presidio - IMO the best and most beautiful part of San Francisco - and walked down to the Golden Gate Bridge and Beach where on an uncharacteristically immaculate, windless, perfectly baby bear (not too hot, not too cold, juuuuuust right) warm day we saw people body boarding and water skimming, stopping by the Korean War Memorial and the National Cemetery where endless rows of Korean War Vets killed in the line of duty are buried. The experience at Dalida is like a good dream that you don't want to end. If you go to Dalida, you might as well make a day out of it...we briefly stopped at Inspiration Point for a quick photo but you could also visit the Walt Disney Museum, the Lucas Film Lobby, the Palace of Fine Arts, take a quick stroll through Lover's Lane, visit the Presidio Officer's Club, or just hang out on the immaculate lawn across the street beforehand. It's housed in these stunning red brick buildings (where soldiers used to live in wartime) that make for some spectacular photos. From the marvelous front of house (shout out bubbly Meredith & kind Jackie) to the excellent service (shout out to Johana or Jo who was like one of the best servers we've ever had to the point of being memorable...perfectly personable without a hint of pretentiousness, warm, accommodating, and really knowledgeable about the finer points of the meal). We were lucky that Top Chef Season 21: Wisconsin 4th place finisher & Co-Head Chef Laura Ozyilmaz happened to be in the kitchen that day as we got her to sign a photo that we took with her last year. (I LOVE TOP CHEF so this was really cool!). She's so unbelievably down to earth friendly and passionate about her food. This would all be nothing without the FOOD. Last year we got the tasting menu and we got it again! It was a perfect blend of it's greatest hits and all new food we haven't tried before. The only things that were repeated from last year were the Fattoush Salad with crispy cucumbers, juicy flavorful heirloom tomatoes (WOW), sweet apricots, parsley, crispy pita croutons, candied walnuts, and tangy pomegranate molasses dressing (so perfectly balanced with amazing texture...a recurring theme throughout the meal) and the memorable Breaking Bread which should be renamed Breaking Bad because I think their Chubby Pita (hands down the best I've ever had) is laced with Walter White's crack or something man b/c it's soooo good. Accompanying the puffy pita is the best and smoothest hummus I've ever had, something called Muhammara which is a delicious, sweet roasted red pepper spread with walnuts, smoked yogurt (another WOW), punchy olives, and refreshing pickles. Welcome snacks included something called Sabzi (very herbacious and floral), an amazing Octopus Panipuri with Mint Chutney, and Mussels stuffed with rice. No misses here...everything is distinctive, exploding with flavor, and delights with various textures. Next came a crunchy Kibbeh with either curried lamb or beef (I forget)...it came with a Tahini sauce with a smiley face dollop of balsamic. =) This was followed up with a delightful carob pasta with pork shoulder...the flavor on this dish wasn't like an explosion per se and was more muted compared to the other dishes but it was hearty and reminded me of a good Italian ragout dish. It was still excellent and a delightful contrast to the rest of the meal. Then came the highlight and star of the show: a completely succulent, I-don't-need-teeth-to-chew pork collar which was impossibly fatty and unctuous and tender, accompanied by this appropriately tangy pomegranate sauce that got back on the flavor bomb.com train. What came with it was a complete surprise. I forget what the Turkish name of the dish was but it was like a Rice Wellington! The fragrant rice inside was flavored with dill and sweet Turkish Apricots and was baked inside this perfectly crunchy, flaky, buttery puff pastry...another WOW dish I've never had before and bet you haven't either! We also ordered a side of the crispy buttery Persian Tahdig rice that we enjoyed so much last year but that didn't come with the tasting menu this year (order it if it's not on the Tasting Menu). Dessert was the unique sticky Turkish Ice Cream that we remembered so fondly from last year and craved again since, a refreshing and not-too-sweet Strawberry Jasmine Sorbet, Sesame "Halva", and a chocolate cake with honeycomb ice cream. Everything on the menu is unique, creative, whimsical, rooted in Chef Sayat's Turkish, Greek, Armenian, Jewish, Persian, and Arabic (!) heritage, flavor bomb.com, and simple food elevated to something memorable.

So lucky we got reservations for a group of 6. We ordered drinks and a little bit of everything…read more From the breakin bread, to octopus, to beet salad, to the lamb shoulder, fish, chicken and a couple of desserts. My top favorite has to be the breaking bread, octopus and the black ink pasta. Everything was tasty and perfectly portioned for family style. The desserts were amazing, baklava, chocolate cake and the chocolate tart. Everything was perfectly sweet, meaning not too sweet. :) Got here early and got to walk around and watch the sunset after a full belly.

Cute restaurant with great service and food. I walk by here often but it's always so busy. The…read morestaff is very friendly and the food was so tasty. I came for lunch so it was a good amount of food. Outdoor seating is great on a sunny day with my dog.

What an amazing place! First of all the service is so great and their recommendations are 10/10! I…read morewould come back for just the service! But then also the food is 10/10! Everything they recommend was fantastic. We went with the mezze platter for 1 person instead of 2 and then also ordered chicken/beef kebabs. Everything was so amazing and I will definitely come back. The place is small but very cozy. Make a reservation just to be safe! Will come back.

Our waiter, Rafa, was fantastic! Super helpful with recommendations and made sure we ordered just…read morethe right amount of food. Everything we tried was fresh and delicious, especially the hummus and pita, the chicken, and the torchio pasta, which were standouts for everyone at the table. The menu changes daily which keeps things exciting, and you can really tell how fresh everything is. The ambiance and lighting inside are beautiful and perfect for a date night or a special celebration. Highly recommend ordering family-style so you can try a bit of everything. We'll definitely be back!

A charming spot with a great atmosphere. The music is at the perfect volume, making it easy to…read moreenjoy good conversation. The food was delicious, served at the right temperature, and beautifully presented. Definitely a place I would recommend and come back to.

Great food. Large menu with variety. Can get vegetarian platter too…read more The shwarma salad was soo much meat on top of a little bit of salad. HEART SHAPED Cheese stuffed falafel and STAR/FLOWER SHAPED onion stuffed falafel were good and big pieces! The shaped, so adorable! Cut up and share. I didn't taste much cheese. Many tables, spacious It's on the pricier side for Mediterranean food. average $30 per person for one entree and falafel. Presentation and food is good!

Dropped by on a weekend afternoon for a late lunch. There's plenty of seating and the restaurant…read morehas a nice vibe to it. 1) Staff - very courteous and attentive 2) Cleanliness - our table was not very clean and there was leftover food under the table 3) Loaded falafel fries - my favorite dish. The falafel was on point, 5/5 4) Hummus with shawarma - average. Meat lacked flavor and depth, and the hummus was ok. 3/5 5) Musakhan - came highly recommended based on other reviews but I was not a fan. The caramelized onion makes the whole wrap very sweet and takes away from the flavor of the meat. 2/5.

Monday nights during pandemic times brought (according to the SF Chronicle) hospitality workers to…read moreKitchen Istanbul en masse. It wasn't just the food they say, but the remarkable wine list, which turned the place into a see-and-be-seen spot akin to NYC's Elaine's (RIP). If this isn't quite how you imagine anyplace along SF's Clement Street, think again. Years later it's still packed (on a Friday night) and loud. Service was the sole miscue on my visit with 3 others. We were given menus and water but ignored after that, to a point where we reached out to get some wine and attention. As you can see from the 5-star assessment, no harm-no foul; once wine and food flowed all was forgiven. The menu required some explanation. It's not broken down in any discernible way, requiring the server to explain that all dishes ae meant to be shared and that the first several dishes are dips, then small plates, then larger. In truth, all seemed like small plates to me (or small servings) but if your wallet permits, you'll not be disappointed. There wasn't one thing we shared that we didn't 100% consume nor anything I'd not recommend. Since we sampled almost the entire menu I feel comfortable saying that everything is delicious and attractively presented. We left the alcohol order to the one at our table who'd chosen Kitchen Istanbul and she summoned the sommelier and gave him free reign. He asked what we like (hearty reds) and what we wished to spend (about $75/bottle) and we enjoyed 2 completely unique offerings that we'd not have known to choose for ourselves. He was also tasked with pairing two of the dessert wines with two of the chosen desserts and they were as enjoyable as the wines served with dinner. It's fair to say that the sommelier had fun with our table, stopping by before we left to say how much he'd appreciated the opportunity to choose for us and for us placing our trust in him. Like the rest of the City I was following Sam Smith's food journey during his time here. He never made it to Kitchen Istanbul but if he had, I think he'd have nodded in agreement with the 5-star rating.

This spot has been on my list for quite some time and I'm grateful that I was able to finally check…read morethis off! There's good reason why this place continuously garners glowing reviews. Started off with the hummus, which was a very solid starter that was clearly blended and seasoned appropriately. After the first bite, I was transported back to Israel for a hot moment. I do wish they served more pita bread (which was warm and toasty upon being served-chef's kiss!). Ordered half of the menu and the most memorable items had to be the Chicken For Two (tender fall off the bone chicken with sundried tomato, chard couscous that I could not stop reaching for 3rds and 4ths) along with the Moussaka ( bechamel sauce makes any day infinitely better). OK NOW ONTO THE MOST NUTRITIOUS, IMPORTANT PART OF THE MEAL. DESSERT. Get the Kunefe and Inci Profiterole. If you like the texture of baklava and chocolate in general, you will LOVE these two dishes and can thank me later (or scoff at me). I don't care. I was pecking all the flakes of phyllo dough on the plate like the city pigeons and scraping the plate of all the chocolate ganache goodness because it was THAT good. Great service and ambiance too.

I loved this spot! The first thing you notice is how cozy and welcoming it is with the staff being…read moreso warm and willing to help for anything. It's a small spot but their waitlist system works great if you join ahead of time. And a bonus is that the N line on the muni drops you off directly in front of it! As for the food, it's safe to say that every dish I had was delicious. The mezze platter is a sample that I would highly recommend you get. The lamb shank was perfectly falling off the bone and the fried branzino was my favorite! It was cooked to perfection with the lemon and herbs on it and the crispy skin. I had their white wine and I loved that on the menu it tells you which wine would pair best with what you order. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here and would definitely come back!

gets pretty busy even on weekday nights but wait went by pretty fast. They have outdoor heaters…read morealong with their seating which is really nice! Food was pretty good - I liked the sampler a lot (the baba banish being my favorite) and their falafel as well. The pita bread was warm and seems store bought. The chicken was pretty good too along with the butter rice! Definitely think the sampler was the best and I'd love to try their other proteins next

Maykadeh came to me as a recommendation from a North Beach foodie patron. Boy are the yelp reviews…read moreaccurate. We walked in on a Monday evening without reservations and were greeted by a very friendly gentleman. I am guessing that he's the owner as he made his way through every table during our visit to check on folks. While there were non-Persians, majority of patrons were Persian. I overheard the table next to us chatting about the authenticity of each dish and how they had been coming here for years. Here is what we ordered: *Koobideh & Barg: portion was huge and every morsel of meat was juicy and so tasty. The saffron rice was perfection. Even the tomato was sweet and delicious *Kashke Bademjan: tasty eggplant with mint that went perfectly with the bread. It was also yummy with the crunchy onions and basil We will definitely be back to try the lamb tongue referenced in other reviews and koobideh will be on my repeat list. I can't recommend Maykadeh enough and will bring my foodie friends next time!

We came to this place recommended to us by some SF locals. We were super excited to try out Persian…read morefood since we don't get it in Seattle (where we are visiting from). We ordered the Chicken koobideh and the spicy Joojeh kabab. The chicken koobideh was not cooked properly - the kababs were a little raw and not flavorful at all honestly. And the spicy joojeh kabab was the same - not cooked well. Needless to say, kinda paranoid I might have gotten food poisoning from this experience. As far as the service is concerned, very very slow. Inattentive staff. Ex: they did not serve us water unless we specifically asked for it. We won't be returning. Disappointed because we were really looking forward to a great meal on our vaca.

A friend was visiting from Atlanta & we wanted to try something besides the norm…read more What a ***Find*** Quaint place - Turkish Cafe/Restaurant. nice airy atmosphere - good local vibes. We ordered the Red Lentil Soup - Anda & Beef Kabobs. Big plate with Lots of Great Flavor. The bread & Dipping Sauce were also a great start (Surprise). Attentive Staff and offered advice on new dishes for our next visit. Definitely a Must see when in the City!!

My friend wanted a shawarma and found this place. Was pleasantly surprised to learn it was Turkish…read moreowned. Service was attentive, food was great. Ended with tea, and have zero complaints.

Ana made this place a must-return. First time here and we…read morewere blown away starting with the service. Ana was exceptional. She made us feel genuinely welcomed from the moment we sat down, checked in on us throughout, and brought a warmth that's rare to find. Best service we've had in the city. And the food? The chicken shawarma was a 10/10. Will absolutely be coming back. All 5 of us REALLY enjoyed the food!

Absolutely love this neighborhood gem. The server was very kind and welcoming…read more The kofta plate was delicious -- do be warned it's spicy as I didn't know but still great. Pita is soft and hummus was creamy and smooth. The special kebab plate was hefty, with shrimp, and two additional skewers!