Tajine

Tajine… please tell me this isn’t true!!! :(:(:(

I had never tried Moroccan food before this, so this was a great experience! I think I enjoyed it so much because I had zero expectations, and just let the bad service slide.
The atmosphere/​ambiance was kind of lacking in my opinion. For some reason, it resembled a fast-​food place, which doesn’t exactly do the food there justice. My cousin had dined-​in multiple times, and had never had issues with them corking the first bottle of wine, but they did give her a little bit of trouble this time. They ended up doing it, so it ended up being fine. The place also closed at 10, and we got there around 8:45. The waitress came to our table 5−6x asking if we wanted to have our food boxed. It was a little bit too much attention in my opinion. If I were to judge this place solely by the service/​atmosphere, I would probably give it ²⁄₅ stars, but I think that the exotic flavor of the food definitely makes up for it.
We ordered an interesting appetizer –the Chicken Bastilla. I didn’t fully read the description, so when the dish came, I was pretty surprised! It tasted more like a dessert than an appetizer, but it was definitely good!
We got a chicken kebab plate, which was decent. It reminded me of Turkish food, but it definitely had a more smokey flavor. There was also a bellpepper side that was served with it, that was really enjoyable. :)
We also decided to try to order an authentic dish, so we went with the Dajaj Mequalli. I don’t especially love mediterranean olives, but the dish was definitely flavorful!
The Moroccan bread was not as flavorful as I would have expected, but was a great adjunct to the dishes served.
Overall, great experience and I would recommend trying the restaurant!

I was excited about this restaurant after reading reviews both here and on open table. Called to make a reservation for 9pm because we wanted to go climbing first. The person told us that he wants us to come in at 8:30 to close early. I said, don’t you close at 10? He says, yes, but we like to close early. Oh… OK. I’ve never heard that before; 8:30 it’ll have to be. Bad sign #1.
We walked in at 8:22 and stood at the door for a couple of minutes while we were ignored and so we walked up to the «reception» and servers looked puzzled. I mentioned that we have reservation, so he walked away. I thought he didn’t hear us, so I just waited at the «desk». «Here… here» called the server. Oh, you wanted us to follow you to a table. Bad sign #2.
The table was too small and too close to the others to be comfortable.
We waited a few minutes and had a bottle of wine on the table. He brought us wine glasses, but made no move towards opening the bottle, so I asked. He walks away and we look at each other, wondering if we should leave. He comes back a few minutes later with a corkscrew that he slaps down on the table and again walks away. So ok, the restaurant was at 80% capacity. Bad sign #3.
We open the wine and the appetizer shows up. The split pea dip. It was ho-​hum. The bread was good, but cooler than I was expecting. We wolfed the bread down and ask for some more because there was more of the dip left. No bread for 10 minutes. Bad sign #4.
He comes back for the mains and we place our orders. We ask for more bread. The mains show up in about 13 minutes or so. We got the «BROCHETTE ROYALE» and the «LAMB TAJINE».
Oh and the bread showed up.
First «LAMB TAJINE»: This traditional Moroccan stew had a creamy rich sauce which was complex and simple at the same time. The meat had more gristle that I was expecting, but I ate around it. The sauce was perfect for the bread that showed up after the mains showed up. We got the saffron rice to go with it, which was perfect. There were 8 – 9 prunes on the plate. More than one would expect.
Next up «BROCHETTE ROYALE»: Essentially skewered meat served with an aubergine sauce and a tomato salad (zaaloukandshalada). The Zaalouk was under salted but well spiced. The Shalada had no discernible flavor. We started with the lamb skewer, which was tender and quite spicy; the Zaalouk went well with this. The chicken skewer was un-​marinated and over done. The ground beef skewer was last… I ate a bit and it seemed off. I asked my husband to try some and he agreed that it was off.
We had been studiously ignored all of this time. There was no «How is the meal», «Would you like some more water» or anything. The restaurant was pretty empty by now; perhaps 3 tables were occupied.
The server comes back and we tell her that we think that the meat may be a bit off.
She says «What? No, it can’t be». She takes the plate back to the other server and the chef and they had a loud discussion and they looked at us a few times. Not a bad sign, but we should have left and gone to some other place.
She comes back and leaves the check. Does not ask if we wanted dessert, tea or any apology for our experience. No, they didn’t comp anything and I would have paid for it anyways because the rest of the «BROCHETTE ROYALE» was ok.
We walk out vowing to never come back here.

Can’t believe I haven’t written a review for Tajine! Ate a great dinner here with friends and enjoyed the ambiance and the food. But 5 stars for the wonderful service when I placed fairly large take out orders from them for lunch on 3 different Sundays. They opened at 11:30 and had everything ready for me by noon. The reghaif reheats up wonderfully well as does the bisteeya. We requested they leave off the powdered sugar, and though the dish looks less glamorous, it fit in more with our idea of a savory entrée.
I am getting ready for another Sunday take out order for family and friends. I know I can depend on getting tasty food.

This was a tough one to review.
We started with the chicken bastilla. It was really good. Very different as you normally dont think of powdered sugar on an appetizer (Warning — it is big enough to feed 4)
We then ordered the the veggie couscous and the lamb kebabs.
(Warning again — the portions are very big — the lamb could feed 2 and the veggie probably 3)
The kebabs were good. The lamb was not gamey and the everything tasted just right.
The veggie couscous was ok. Not really a dish that gets you excited to come back.

I love this place and have been many times. The food is always excellent and the hospitality from the owner and staff makes me feel like I’ve been in a dear friend’s home.

I have been a long time fan of Tajine and have followed them here after their third move.
I liked it’s old locations in the loin – hole-​in-​the-​wall, casual atmosphere… BYOB. and reasonable menu.
However, it’s new location is quite different… at least triple its original size – the place seemed cavernous. with only three table of patrons… they now have a full bar. and charges $ 12 corkage. and it no longer offers the friendly atmosphere. The food still taste the same but the prices went up… one more minus – they no longer serve fries with their plates :(

I had a great time here. Totally different than the previous location. This restaurant turns into a night club at night. I did not stay that late so I can only review the restaurant, not the nightclub. The food was usually great. Very friendly staff who take pride in giving great service. This is a very fun place to dine and it won’t break your wallet. I do do wish that the other location remained open because it was a little more quaint and quiet. If you have out of town guests, take them here! There is not another place like it, well, maybe in Morocco. I must agree with Bianca, it is like a little escape to Morocco.

Tajine was meant for their new location! In their modest spot on Polk, I was amazed by their menu and how delicious everything was, but their new digs really make this place incredible! The staff was beyond sweet which made our experience even better. And of course, the food was still to die for!
After seeing two restaurants try to make the space work previously, Tajine may just be the one who sticks around. Easily this restaurant could turn into a cool lounge. There is a DJ table, a gigantic bar area and a separate dining area with Moroccan lounge benches, leather poufs, and brass tables. I want to have a party here! And I just might… so keep an eye out.

Oh Tajine !!! I am soooo glad to hear you’re back in business. :-)
Where do I start? Let’s see, the house-​made bread (or so I think it is) is one of my favorite breads of all time and would go so far as to claim that it’s arguably the best restaurant munch-​while-​you-​decide-​bread I have ever had ! It’s fresh, warm, lightly-​crispy-​on-​the-​outside-​but-​soft-​on-​the-​inside that is just perfect with a dab of the accompanying olive oil on the side.
Next up, the eggplant «salad» zalook is really great ! It’s a dish made of eggplant, tomatoes, olives, and spices/​herbs with a pulpy (for lack of a better word) texture that, to me, defies description ! I like to save a little bread (usually I just ask for more bread instead ! heh heh) to go with it.
The sweet-​and-​savoury yin-​yang of the bastilla never fails to fire up my taste buds; the cinnamony-​sugary dusting on the outside of the crispy phyllo-​dough (?) crust and the savoury spicy chicken-​and-​eggs fillings is a must have. An aside: I can’t, for the life of me, understand why my friends didn’t take to it !
I had the chicken tajine once and though it was no doubt pretty good, it wasn’t my favorite dish.
The piéce-​de-​résistance was the chicken kebabs on a skewer. There was not a voice of dissent amongst any of us and it simply blew us away. The salad side that comes with it is a mix of zalook and a medley of finely sliced onions, tomatoes, cilantro amongst others not unlike a pico de gallo. The red juicy morsels of hot-​off-​of-​the-​fire boneless chicken cubes was excellently paired with the sides on the plate. Definitely the dish of the day !
They do not serve alcohol but patrons are welcome to bring their own alcoholic drinks; there is no corkage fee and they will be more than happy to bring out beer mugs or wine glasses — now how awesome is that ??? (No, they don’t require that you wash the glasses after you are done)
I strongly recommend it !

Pretty good food. Even better if you consider the price!
Going with a group of 5 in the middle of dinner rush presented a bit of a challenge. However it turned out really well because rather than have us wait for a group of two to leave a big table, they decided to seat us upstairs where we had a whole room of low tables, booths, and pillows to ourselves. Dining like kings!
As everyone recommended we ordered the chicken bastilla even though I was really doubtful of this sweet savoury combination. But boy oh boy was it good! And it was pretty big. More than enough of a starter for 5 people. Probably because we had a hard time resisting the bread they kept offering to refill.
For a main course we got the merguez sausage. I think this was recommended by the SF Chronicle but I was underwhelmed. Our friends ordered the lamb tajine and the bite I had of that was good.
And of course who could forget the mind tea. A very more-​ish sweet tea. Extremely refreshing.
Bike Parking: designated bike racks and poles up and down Polk St.

This review is based only on the bastilla which I found to lack chicken. It was mainly filler and I was disappointed by the taste. The bastilla had a really odd strong taste which I am not sure what it was. I did not taste or see any chicken inside and it is pretty pricey for this appetizer. I have had better at El Mansour and Café Zitouna. Service is good and I am pretty sure other things here are good but I know I can get the same things for 2 – 3 bucks cheaper elsewhere.

I really wanted to like this place and would have given it a solid 3 stars if not for the servers.
The boyfriend and I headed to Polk with De Afghanan Kabob House in mind for my birthday dinner, but when we arrived we found that it was a little too casual for a celebratory meal, so we headed across the street to Tajine.
For starters, we ordered the plate with a sampling of each of their four salads. The salads were tasty enough… one beet salad, two tomato-​based salads that reminded me of salsa, and my favorite, an eggplant concoction that I hogged all for myself. Unfortunately, though, the bread they served with the dish was borderline stale.
For our entrees, we resisted the delicious-​looking kabobs and each selected a tajine dish. He loved his, saying that it reminded him of the «huevos ahogados» his mom made for him back in Mexico. Spicy meatballs in a complex, chunky tomato sauce, topped with two poached eggs. My lamb tajine was very nice… the combination of sweet prunes, rich meat and crunchy almonds was a winner.
But the service! Sure, it was efficient, but I have never experienced such sullen, unfriendly servers, and that was without even hearing any of them speak a word. Really, they were almost hostile and appeared angry about having to be there. It was a huge turn-​off and I doubt I’ll be back.
P. S. Cash only, and don’t go in the late evening because they start sweeping right around you a full 30 minutes before closing.
P. P. S. The «Moroccan mint tea» tastes suspiciously like chamomile.

So I was watching Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day in the old Hitchcock movie, «The Man Who Knew Too Much», and there’s an early scene where they are in Morocco partaking the local cuisine on silk pillows, pulling meat off a chicken carcass with their fingers. Well, there are no pillows here. No carcass either.
My previous review — two years ago — was actually for the old location deep in the ‘Loin on Jones. I’ve finally come to the Polk location and still enjoy their exotic food. As many of you recall, the Jones location was really just a closet. They had 3 – 4 little tables tops, and if they were occupied, you had to eat out on the street where you are surrounded by panhandlers who had been tiring of the rejection they were getting from the people in line at Dottie’s.
With a lot more space on Polk next to Piccadilly Fish & Chips, the owners seem more relaxed here, and the place even more crowded. I finally got a chance to try something I wanted to try at the last place — the Chicken Bastilla, which is this round of baked filo dough stuffed with chicken, almonds and egg but then topped strangely with powdered sugar and cinnamon. At now $ 8.95 (a dollar markup from the Jones price), I’m not sure why this is listed under appetizers since it tastes like an entrée to me. It’s really the ultimate sweet-​and-​savory dish.
There’s other good stuff here though not as impressively presented. Jamie W. ordered the $ 7.95 Lamb Kebab Sandwich, hearty stuff for sure, especially with a pile of crinkle fries on the side. The $ 3 side of couscous was hardly worth the effort since it is served plain and straight up. Service was nice though even though we were the last customers through the door that night. I have to remember to come here more often.
FOOD — 4 stars… really good Moroccan at still-​reasonable prices
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… much better experience on Polk than in the Jones closet
SERVICE — 4 stars… still friendly… and they gave us free baklava at the end
TOTAL — 4 stars… yep, Tajine didn’t suffer in its cross-​Loin move

Vegetarian Bastilla — looks like funnel cake tastes like vegetarian meat pie. You can do amazing things with fillo dough. The cinnamon and powdered sugar actually complemented the salty layered filling rather well. Really unique blend of tastes and textures. I really enjoyed this appetizer.
Lamb Tajine — a broth based stew that tasted better than it looked but marginally. The almonds and the prunes tasted really good with the lamb, suprisingly, but the brothy base was too watery. It would have been nice if they served it with couscous.
I jumped on the Morrocan Mint Tea when I saw it on the menu. That stuff is liquid crack! Another plus is the restaurant is BYO. We ran across the street and grabbed two bottles of wine at the wine outet kitty corner to the restaurant. Full off of $ 15 bucks. Not bad.

I’ve been to Tajine a handful of times and always love the food. The chicken bastilla, shalada, zaalook, kebab plates that are served with home made bread, zaalook, shalada and fries (specifically the Kufta and Merguez), mosaic of salads, harira bowl lentil soup are all great. I particularly LOVE the split pea purée appetizer to dip with the buttery, focaccia-​like home made bread in, the white bean tajine, and the lamb couscous with it’s big hearty cuts of stewed lamb, perfectly steamed carrots, potatoes, zucchini, and squash, served over the lightest, airiest, warm, tiny pearls of golden-​colored couscous. Oh, and the mint tea: hot, sweet, aromatic served in little sipping glasses!
In terms of desserts, the home made shepakia, is interesting. It’s a Moroccan pastry made of flour, almonds, sesame seeds, honey and orange blossom water.
Also excellent is the fact that Tajine is BYOB! If you bring a bottle of wine to drink, they will kindly give you glasses to use.

I’ve been here multiple times,
Each time the food was excellent
From the bastilla appetizer to entrees like dajaj mequalli (chicken tajine)
All delicious, perfectly flavored
I wish they accepted credit card though
A meal for 2 can add up,
so we have to remember to visit Mr. ATM before we go.

We ordered an appetizer (vegetarian bastilla) and an entrée that the server recommended (lamb tajine). I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised with the complexity of flavors without having to be spicy. The Bastilla was delish — really delish. The Lamb Tajine was a serving enough for a hungry me — three large pieces of stewed lamb with bread to dip into the sauce. The lamb fell off the bone and broke apart easily and was again, wonderfully mild.
Another really cool thing about this restaurant — you can byob on the liquor. They don’t serve, but they do let you go next door and buy bottles of wine. They even have glasses and corkscrews on hand! That’s purty neat-​o.
Ambiance — felt like a family run place, sort of like a no frills restaurant you would find in Berkeley. The place was packed. People were waiting in line to sit down. Looked like there is quite a following of regulars…
Cash only.

Oh my, I just realized that Tajine review moved with the restaurant! I haven’t been to the new location, so below review could sound out dated.
— — — — — — — — — — –
ORIGINAL REVIEW of OLD LOCATION.
Thanks to Unilocal,I finally got to try Tajine, a small Moroccan restaurant on Jones Street (just south of Geary). I’ve walked around rough neighborhoods in Chicago and Detroit, so I’m don’t have any problems going to Hookerville or Drugtown if I could find some good food, but it’s my responsibility to warn Unilocalers that there is at least a 20% risk that you’ll see (or feel) something that may result in a lost of appetite as you walk from your parked vehicle to Tajine.
Once inside, décor isn’t too bad. The orange wall and star shaped lamps provide a warm ethnic feel. NO alcohol is a good sign that you are about to be served some authentic Moroccan food. Everyone there was drinking mint tea, so I tried it, too. It tasted like a mix of tooth paste and sugarless gum. I think you are supposed to say ‘oooh, it’s good,’ but I’m honest. Lamb Tajine ($ 9.50) is a bowl of stewed lamb. The meat was soft and seasoning was very nice. Chicken Kabob was also seasoned nicely and came with two side items, which were bit on oily side, but good.
You can get a nice meal for $ 10/​person.
SF Weekly’s Best of SF 2006 winner for ‘Best New Restaurant, Inexpensive’.

I like this place a lot. It’s a tiny place good for maybe 15 ppl, or take out. Cheap Moroccan food that is pretty good. Walking distance from Powell Station Bart or Union Square. Saw a bum that even wanted my leftovers, I didn’t give it to him and lived to tell about it.
Favorite dishes, (oh and they give you silverwear. don’t have to eat with your hands):
harira soup is awesome! Bowl is $ 3.50
Salad-​we tried two:
Zaalouk-​eggplant, tomatoes, garlic & parsley sauted in olive oil $ 4.75
Beet Salad $ 4.50-beets, parsley, green onions & olive oil, garnished w/​a boiled egg
Appetizers–
chicken bastilla $ 7.50-pretty good
Entrees served w/​Moroccan bread
Dajaja Mequalli $ 9.50-chicken w/​olives & preserved lemon
Lamb Tajine $ 9.50-stewed lamb w/​prunes & roasted almonds
Only wish I got couscous, maybe next time. Mint Tea lg pot $ 3.50 recommended.
Recommended, only bad part: Cash Only!
Open 7 days a week:
M, Tu, W, Sun: Noon-​10pm
Th, Fri, Sat: Noon-​11pm