Restaurant Review - Aziza

Aziza, hiding in plain site on the corner of Geary at 22nd in San Francisco, puts to shame its surroundings for miles around. You may think I'm exaggerating, but I love this place. Owner and chef Mourad Lahlou, who traveled from Marrakech to attend SF State and later opened Aziza in November of 2001, experiments with strange combinations and interesting ingredients to put his own twist on Moroccan cuisine. Now, I'm not a food critic, but I've been there twice in the last year or so (because as a student, my budget for dining at such places is limited to tagging along with my parents!) and I have never been disappointed.

For my mom's birthday, our family of five ordered the sampler menu, which consisted of five courses of varying types (see bottom of menu). The first was a choice of either lentil or carrot-ginger soup, and the odd fusion of traditional Moroccan spices with familiar dishes was decidedly fantastic. Then an assortment of appetizers, chosen by the sous chef, including goat cheese with spiced and oil-drizzled toasts, flatbread with eggplant/roasted pepper/dill spreads, giant lima beans baked with feta and tomatoes, whole peppers with garlic cloves and a salad of spicy greens and shaved almonds. The third course, with the choice of either a vegetarian or a chicken option, was the traditional Moroccan basteeya. The basteeya is a puff pastry filled with chicken, egg, almonds, and assorted spices, fried and topped with powdered sugar. Basically, a chicken pie. And it's DELICIOUS. 

Of course, we were all groaning at the pain in our already-full bellies by this point, but we hadn't even hit the entrée yet. For entrees we had individual plates, and my parents got cod, my sister got rabbit, and my other sister and I got a delicious couscous and vegetable dish (see image). And for dessert, we were faced with the most eclectic bunch of delectables I've ever seen: goat-yogurt ice cream, orange-blossom mouse, a persimmon tart thing, a pear galette cookie, CARROT ice cream, cardamom sorbet, and the list goes on. Suffice it to say, the meal was fantastic.

I have to say, I have a thing for weird food. Now, I don't mean dishes with too many legs or calling three slices of radish for $50 "avant-garde." I like it, plain and simple, when a chef surprises me. Lahlou, who I actually discovered is a friend of my aunt's, is a fantastic chef but is most importantly creative. Plus, the warm decor of Aziza's interior is done in crimson and navy, and is welcoming and cozy. I haven't yet been disappointed by Aziza, and I don't ever expect to be! Get there as soon as you can, I promise it's worth it.

Aziza Contacts page and GoogleMaps

Also, I took the couscous photo but the flatbread picture and the interior shot are from the Aziza website.