Ziryab

Excellent neighborhood spot with a kitchen open til very late. Their outdoor patio is the best kept secret in plain sight.

Just discovered this place (and its outdoor heated area), so it was a shame they told us they were closing soon! Enjoyed watching the Warriors game under the heat lamps over a couple cocktails and appetizers.

I have been to this restaurant many times in the past few years but recently it has been redecorated. I am fairly happy with the food and service. The price is a bit steep for the food. The bread is baked in house but it taste very plain and lacks character. The squid can be made much more crispy for us to enjoy more. The appetizer sampler lacked depth and dimension. I liked the main courses we had. The draft beer was served in a chilled glass and really relieved my thirst after several hours of hiking up and down Golden Gate Bridge. I am surprised this restaurant does not have more reviews. It is very popular.
Well for the experience here I should pay some 20% less. Draft beer for $ 10 a glass is an example. I mean let’s get a bit reasoned up for the sake of thirst of the beer drinkers Devine epiphanies that only surface with the next beer.
The owner is cool and hang out most of the time.

Service is friendly and nice. The food is either hit or miss tho. For example, the meatballs will be dericious, sometimes it could be overcooked and taste like a rubber ball. The drinks are poured with a nice heavy hand.

I was blown away by this place on a random Friday night when we couldn’t get a seat at a nearby sushi place.
First off, it was so nice sitting outside under the heat lamps. Much quieter and more intimate than the inside bar scene. Our waiter was great — super attentive and polite.
The food was the best mediterranean food I’ve had in a while. I didn’t really get anything too crazy, but the flavors were phenomenal. We ordered the Maza sampler which was delicious. Great bread! My personal favorite was the yogurt dip but the hummus and babaganoush were also spectacular.
My boyfriend and I shared the chicken skewers and they were juicy and perfectly seasoned. The broccolini — fantastic.
We also got the roasted Brussel Sprouts and again, perfect!
We had no complaints here whatsoever and will definitely be back. Pleasantly surprised!

I feel so conflicted about this place. It used to be my favorite Mediterranean spot in the city because the baba ganoush, sumac chicken, feta cheese plate, and hummus are soooo good.
But over the past 2 or 3 years, they’ve had a heinous rebrand. Servings are in more of a tapas style rather than traditional sizes. Evenings are crammed with party people with rap music and techno blasting. Some dude is soliciting business outside.
Gone is the minimal, elegant interior and intimate atmosphere that was once perfect for a date. If I ever get food here again, I’ll have to order it to go.

I’m very sorry to be leaving only two stars– but I gotta do it. The positives: everyone who works there is super nice and attentive. I Also liked the ambience.
Now why two stars? The combo of food and prices. So when you come here everything is essentially a tapa so you should order a few things between your party. Each tapa is about $ 15– I bit on the expensive side for what it is. Everyone recommended the lamb meatballs– I thought they were dry. The flatbread tasted like sand in my opinion as it was dry and drowned in dry spice. The moussaka was ok but I’ve had better.
Overall I don’t think I’m coming back– but again I want to point out that the service was pleasant.

First time here and I will be back again. I had the lamb shoulder and it was incredible. A huge portion of lamb that was super tender and juicy. My girlfriend had the sausage flatbread. That thing was huge, could have easily fed two people.
Lots of food at a great price. Drinks were awesome too.

I’ve been asked by the owner to update my review and say that’s not Lebanese but Moroccan. Apparently that is really offensive that I called it Lebanese. I don’t understand that, but whatever. Since I was under the impression that it was Lebanese and liked it so much, now I search out Lebanese restaurants wherever I go (and by the way, they’re menus are exactly like Ziryab). So, in essence, this error has exposed me to a whole new (not really since it’s basically the same) genre of food. There ya go, Ziryab!

Originally found Ziryab because it’s, like, a block away from the apartment (reads: I can walk there in heels). It instantly became a favorite of mine.
The drinks:
Now, if you appreciate a good, craft cocktail without all the usual pretentiousness of places that serve craft cocktails, then you’ll be in heaven. The menu boasts a variety of whiskey, ginger beer (homemade!) and other scrumptious options. They even have a full section of large block concoctions. Yay.
My favorites? The Ziryab Manhattan (made with date-​infused rye… YUM) and the Lucky Buck.
The overall liquor, wine and beer selection won’t leave you needing more. Plus, Happy Hour is 5−7p AND 10p-​1a. You heard me.
The food:
Dude. So good.
While it’s difficult to really pick a favorite, the seasonal flatbread and the maza sampler always find their way in front of me.
Another favorite is the sharmola. Which, if you like lamb, is a meatball paradise.
The chef really takes pride in his work and it doesn’t go unnoticed with tthe menu.
There’s plenty of room for large groups and the heated patio makes for a fun date night.

Happy hour is the best hour!
Ordered:
*The pilsner and the white wine
*Shaloma — lamb meatballs (spiced with lots of paprika I think?) in tomato sauce, with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt (couldn’t tell which) and a pretty sprouts-​green sprinkled on top
*Feta — two slim blocks of French Feta, a few baby olives, drizzled in olive oil and served with toasted Moroccan bread
Twas surprisingly filling and delicious :3
Storytime (!):
The restaurant’s namesake is explained in a colorful panel covering the middle light fixture inside the restaurant. It’s a neat story :)
Shout out for service! Our waiter was great~

Had a lovely dinner of small plates with coworkers here last week. It was a quiet night and our service was great — they checked in often enough, but let us talk without being pushy. We tried the maza plate, marinated feta, squid, and brussels sprouts. Everything was tasty, but the squid and hummus stood out the most. They should offer the hummus as its own appetizer, because it was delicious. Creamy and lemony and garlicky — yum! I also had the House Cup cocktail with blackberry, vodka, and ginger beer. The first sip was crazy sour but once I acclimated, it was just dreamy.

A very nice and classy restaurant. Excellent service. The bartender is so talented and the chef is one of the best. Highly recommended

Came here for dinner with some co-​workers (one of which was Moroccan) and had a great time. The Lamb Shank was meat-​falling-​off-​the-​bone good and the Chicken Tagine was delicious (make sure you soak up the sauce with some bread).
Also had a dip sampler with bread which was great and to drink I had a Ziryab Old Fashioned which made use of a date-​infused bourbon. Not a flavor I’m super familiar with but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Service was fast and friendly and I’m not sure if it’s because we had a Moroccan among us but we were able to bring in a small dog as well.
All in all a good experience and if you like spicy, ask for their hot sauce. It’s got a huge kick!

Very good morrocan food (revisited) !
I had a chicken tagine and my friend a vegetarian tagine.
Both very tasty and
The chef is very nice and was happy to speak french with us.
You can feel he really likes to cook and to talk about his specialties.
We will definitively come back to try the pastilla.

I expected Ziryab to be more bar than restaurant, because the bar seemed to take up so much space in the venue, but I was pleasantly mistaken. The food quality is good, and you can’t argue with the prices (~$ 15.00 per entrée, $ 6.00 per side). Our party had the merguez tagine, the lamb shank with orzo, the smoked trout flatbread, the quail and lentil salad, and the brussels sprouts and cauliflower sides. The sides stole the show, but I came out feeling entirely satisfied with every single dish.
The roasted brussels sprouts and the roasted cauliflower were both actually roasted. I mean, like, thoroughly cooked, but not dried out. I can’t tell you how many places have disappointed me with their papery and over-​roasted, or limp and CLEARLY pre-​boiled brussels sprouts. These were done perfectly. The cauliflower was also well roasted and they came with yummy sauces. Ziryab did really well with these and I imagine myself returning and eating like 4 bowls of those with a few cocktails.
As for the main dishes, I thought what was best about them was that each dish had a distinct identity, even though they had the potential to taste very similar. The merguez tagine and the lamb both had that Mediterranean tomato-​spicy-​harissa to it, but the lamb had a nice kalamata olive element to it, too, and the tagine had fresh sprigs of thyme on top. The quail and the flatbread both had really big arugula elements to them but the flatbread had sweet caramelized onions on them and the salad had some fresh zingy alfalfa to go with it. These seemed like little things, but I found them to be very intelligent touches that kept us engaged with each bite.
I also had one of their ginger beer cocktails. I found it musky (in a good way) and a little smoky. It seemed to go well with what we had and it was a happy accident.
Service was good. There was a TV behind us playing a basketball game but the sound wasn’t loud enough to be disruptive. As the evening got chill they turned on the heat lamp. It was a little ineffective but I appreciated the thought.

What a pleasant surprise. I ended up here after the original dinner spot ended up being closed and NOPA politely laughed us and our lack of reservation away. I like the bar, which I think they redid recently. What I liked better was the food. There was really tasty moussaka, which is usually dry or with some lame tomato sauce. Even better were the roasted brussels sprouts with a spicy harissa sauce. I wasn’t in love with the baked tagine with sausage and canneloni beans, but it was serviceable. All in all, I enjoyed my surprise meal well enough to want to make a return visit.

When we had our «mini-​moon» in San Fran (I was only there for a few days), we came to Ziryab a couple of times and were so pleased with everything! The place itself is cozy and welcoming, without being stuffy and the staff is incredibly friendly. Zack, the bartender was wonderful and remembered us after we came in once. He was helpful and knowledgeable about the area, and gained our trust pretty quickly as a good reference for drinks to hunt down during our short visit.
As far as food and drink go, the variety is perfect and not overwhelming, with a good balance of different types of options that would appeal to everyone. I got the shandy – a beer and ginger beer mix – that was amazing. The ginger beer was perfect and Zack told me all about perfecting his personal ginger beer recipe, which was, in fact, pretty perfect! The only food we got was an appetizer, despite being tempted by so much else (like I said, we were short on time during the whole trip and had some other food plans) – it was sunchoke, I believe, and delicious.
Overall, for what we experienced as out-​of-​towners, this place was one of the most comfortable and enjoyable places we found. I’d recommend stopping in for at least a drink and a chat with Zack if you have the time!

I’m with everyone else not impressed with the changes. Gone are the falafel and lamb wraps for $ 10. Replacing it is a fancy expensive menu. The chef seemed nice. The cheapest menu item was the grass fed beef burger for $ 14. Pleased they didn’t charge extra for your choice of 2 cheeses cheddar or Swiss. When it came out it reminded me of nopas burger. Pickled onions and fancy presentation. It was good. Nothing great. All in all 48 dollars. I tried the renovation but I won’t be coming back. Not worth it. I’m all about bang for your buck. They seem to be aiming for a different audience now.

So sad to see a great place turn into… a neighborhood bar. Too loud, the food is not as good, a lot more expensive and super crowded.
I guess, this would be a good thing for a lot of people, people like a variety of drinks. Every time the restaurant «pivots» — they loose some, they gain some. I really wish them the best with the new crowd, and looks like this neighborhood needed a place like this. But I am out.