Al Masri

Bad bad bad place. The food is dreadful and overpriced. I love eating out and trying different cuisine. Fortunately, I have eaten at Egyptian restaurants before and know how delicious their food is. I honestly think the chef is disrespectful for charging so much and serving such a tasteless food and raw okra, come on!
I really feel upset about going to this place — waste of time and money… and coming home starving.

In response to the owners comments /​lies on my review…
Firstly why was using a groupon even mentioned? Highly childish! I have to question why you’re on groupon and have a completely empty restaurant at 7:30 on a Friday night? Il let others decide what this says about your business /​food.
The reason it took 15 minutes to return to the kitchen was because the server (who I don’t want to be negative about but you leave me no choice) didn’t come NEAR ME once to ask was everything ok… until I had to finally beckon him over and show him I wasn’t eating the food as it was Extremely cold & to be honest tasted disgusting!!!
As for your department store comments… this is so childish… the customer has the right to send back food if it is not to their standard or liking and especially if it is cold. nothing to do with buying a dress and changing ones mind. I think it’s pathetic that a business owner tried to save a mesely $ 20 and didn’t just refund the price of the fish. It would have saved all this negative publicity on Unilocal and quite frankly I feel you’ve let yourself down even further with your response.
I actually received a private Unilocal compliment from another customer who witnessed this and they said your whole attitude towards me was awful and very unprofessional so no need for the lies saying you came out and asked politely was everything ok… your exact opening words were «so I hear you think the fish is cold… bla bla bla»
Your customer service is disgusting especially as your meant to be the owner of this business. You need to learn how to treat people with respect.

I wasted my time, money and taste buds.
Even if you have a Groupon ticket to cover the food, I’d say stay the F away from this place.
Food was definitely over priced and under-​tasty.
I am still feeling the burn from «Mulukhia Bil Aroz», supposedly a vegetarian soup, but after 3 spoons, I literally gagged. It came with rice, which was really plain and tasteless. It felt like a gallon of canola oil was poured into the soup.
Note to cheff: you want to equalize a flavorful soup with a neutral rice, but, how can I put it, in this case, soup and rice were both missing a chromosome? You gave us the worst soup I have ever eaten in my entire life.
Lamb Skewers were also not marinated, seemed like they cut lamb in cubes, line them up on sticks, and throw them on fire. Along with lamb skewers came 6 pieces of raw okra, or as they should call it, okraw. They were crunchy. Not cool!
We left with a bill over $ 80 for the two of us, server offered wine and desert to cover up his silly mistakes, stating that it was from the house, and they even charged us for those items. Poor guys trying to make every penny they can.
I worked at many restaurants, I buy fresh and raw ingredients to cook and I am a foodie who eats out at unique places quite often to learn and experience. My point is I know my food, and the only positive experience from this place was the décor, I can’t believe the soup still burns my stomach, I just want to gag…
I mean, if you don’t believe me, just scroll down and see it for yourself, the owner only responds to 1 star reviews. I ask you, if a sophomore gave 1 star review to Stanford University, will Stanford University defend their stand against criticism?

Can I give Zero stars?! Just back from 10 days in San Francisco and this place was the only negative I had in such a beautiful city… Had a chicken dish that tasted like rubber… customer service was disgusting. Rude and disrespectful… Please do not waste you’re time and money on this place when there are so many wonderful place to eat in SF (I actually had to open an account just to vent) lol

Came on a Friday to see the belly dancers and have dinner with my boyfriend. The waiters were both very polite and attentive. We ordered the hummus sampler which was very disappointing. I could not taste the difference in the hummus platter. They tasted and looked exactly the same and the pita bread was so stale it was just sad. For entrees we ordered the lamb and chicken tenders and both plates were small portions and had very little taste. It wasn’t horrible, it was edible, but would not recommend to anyone.
Another couple next to us complained about their order being cold and asked that they take it back completely. The chef came out to ask them why and was very unprofessional and gave the customers attitude and was very defensive about their opinion of the food.
They need another cook for sure. The food was not authentic at all.
If I’m absolutely bored out of my mind I would come for a beer and to see the dancers but never ever again for food. AND they are EXTREMELY over priced.

The food is delicious and authentic. They have great live music, belly dancers and great people who makes sure your happy with your experience! This place is special, you feel transported to Egypt. My boyfriend really liked the cilantro fish, and I really loved the vegetarian entrees and appetizers here! I highly recommend this place if you’re looking for something fun and different when you’re going out for dinner!

I don’t understand the low ratings. This place is awesome! The food is fantastic and the ambiance is really special and worth the visit. The chicken kabob was the moistest I’ve ever had.

Al Masri has the best all-​you-​can eat buffet you can imagine; fabulous authentic Egyptian menu and the best baklava this side of the Mississippi. Add to this a live belly dance show (sometimes with live music!) in a richly decorated venue, and what more can you ask for? The service is always excellent as well; as good as any five star restaurant.

Great atmosphere with charming Egyptian-​themed décor. Students learn belly dancing here and dance for the restaurant patrons. Lovely performances and amazing service! Our server went out of her way to make sure we had a very special experience.
Eggplant salad was delicious, with roasted eggplant, fresh parsley, diced fresh tomatoes, onions, and olive oil.
Lamb entrée was delicious, mildly spiced and grilled on a skewer with pieces of red bell pepper.
Grilled fish with tamarind, garlic, ginger, crispy fried onions and pine nuts was also delicious.
Both entrees came with sides of rice and okra in a mild tomato sauce.
We’ll definitely return! Surprisingly not crowded. Easy to get a table on a Friday night. A real SF neighborhood gem!

I loved the atmosphere, the dancing and I was looking forward to experiencing Egyptian food again, missing El Mansour. But the meal was not good, there were mostly standard Mediterranean fare (and no falafel although that is the centerpiece of the meza platter, aside from dolmas, which were fresh). The $ 40 price per person was unexpected and the wine leaves much to be desired. It is worth peeking in and maybe sitting on a stool for a drink, but there are many more affordable and delicious Middle Eastern restaurants in this amazing city.

This place deserves more than 3 stars. It has a nice atmosphere with an Egyptian themed décor. It makes you forget that you are in the outer richmond district. There are very few Egyptian restaurants in San Francisco. If you want to try Egyptian food, this is a good place to go to. Customer service is very good and friendly.
Based on my previous visits, the Sunday All You Can Eat Buffet is a good deal. They do have belly dance performances after 7:30 pm. The food was pretty good. I especially like the Musa ah Bil Lahma (beef and eggplant casserole). The other items such as the rice pilaf, salad, baked chicken Taggen Firakh, baked fish Taggen Samak also were good.
They have a regular menu on the other days of the week. They do have belly dancing performances on those days. However, the portions of the food they serve are pretty large. It is best to come in a large group. If you are a small group, you are better off doing the buffet on Sunday. I tried the Kushari (Egyptian national dish which consists of noodles, rice, lentils, fried onions). It was good, and the serving was huge. The Basterma appetizer was also good.

The ambience was good, egyptian. The food was so good n tasty. Will be back again for the menu n amazing people. Dancers not to say were talented. Had a great time n great food.

The ambience was spot on, food was delicious, we being vegetarians were not disappointed at all. the food they served was delicious and fresh. The owner is a wonderful person, her taste for details and presentation apart she has a strong drive for arts, she herself being a dancer has her students perform dance which provides a great platform to showcase their talents. Needless to say their performance was mind blowing. Good teachers get good students. Amazing place to be with ur loved ones. The waiters are so caring and ever smiling, spl mention to marisa and her niece, they rocked… Waiting to head back. The owner is an iron lady. Take a bow for all the hard work and dedication.

Caveat emptor: I’m from Egypt, so I might be biased and/​or have unreasonable expectations.
If you come here for the generic Middle-​Eastern staples (which, disappointingly, occupy about 70% of the menu), they are okay. Although at $ 40+ per person and way over in outer Richmond, you have much better options.
As for the small selection of real Egyptian food, I sampled both the kushari and mulukheya, and my disappointment was immense. The chef needs to understand that serving kushari without tomato sauce is closely analogous to mac and no cheese, and is therefor, unless specifically requested by the customer for some weird reason, nothing short of a crime. When I complained, I was given a tiny saucer of hot sauce, which is *not* the same thing. The mulukheya, although properly prepared and served, was mushy, bland, and absolutely without flavor, a far cry from anything resembling the classic delicacy. If you have never had either of these classic dishes, *please* do not let this be your first exposure.
I will not even start on the overdone, kitsch, and period-​ignorant décor. Stock photos of the pyramids on the back of the toilet seat? Seriously?
On the plus side, the falafel served at Al Masri is made the Egyptian way from fava rather than garbanzo beans, and although it would compare terribly to the sizzling, crispy stuff sold on every Cairo street corner, it may provide for an interesting experience as the only such falafel available (to my knowledge) in the Bay Area.

Excellent place for a lovely night out! Delicious Egyptian food, great wine list and the belly dancers will keep you coming back for more with their charm and grace! Best nights are Saturdays and Sundays for live entertainment with your dinner. The service is fabulous too. You really get the King Tut treatment.

This place is awesome! Can tell it’s under new management. Amazing performances on the hour, delicious food & fast service. I would recommend making a reservation because this place gets busy. Did I mention there’s multiple dancers? One can feel a strong sense of family and friends can’t wait to go back!

Took almost half an to order. Another hour to get my food. Then another half an hour to get my check, and another 15min to try and fix a mistake on it before I just walked out and told them to keep the $ 6 difference owed to me.
Food was decent but, I don’t think it’ll be worth the trek out to where this is, and especially the length of time it took to get everything.

This is one restaurant I have been dying to try, and left disappointed. The ambiance was great. I like the idea of creating in indoors area into a patio dining feel (especially at a place close to ocean beach were there are only 3 days out of the year where you can eat outside without freezing). I also loved the belly dancing they provide on the hour!
We ordered the Maza for two, which had a little bit of all their appetizers, including hummus, Baba Ghannuug, Zabadi Bil Toom (garlic yogurt and cucumbers), dolmas, 2 pieces of feta cheese, 2 falafel. This dish was really good! I would recommend this to everyone who goes! You could tell all the items were homemade.
We also ordered the Kushari. This was one dish I was really excited about (especially after hearing about it first on No Reservations — Egypt episode). The dish came with lentils, pasta, rice, caramelized onions and side of shata (hot sauce). The caramelized onions were actually just super thinly sliced onions made into onion rings. Also the «hot sauce» was not even that hot. This dish was a disappointment and it lacked flavor. It was just a blend of the lentils, macaroni pasta, and white rice, with onion rings on top, nothing special. I felt like I could have made this at home.
We also ordered the Cornish Game Hen, which was a special of the day. The hen was good, but again, I felt like I could just bake on at home too. However, the green wheat that was stuffed inside was unique. It came with
The service here was a disappointment. We first walked in at 6:00 and there was no one there, since we were the only customers there, we received some great service. However, when a few more people stepped in, we were quickly ignored. It took over 30 minutes from the time we finished our meal (and ready to box up our left overs) to the time we paid and left. We had to ask 2 or 3 times if we could get a box. The boxes there are just dixie paper bowl that are then covered with aluminum foil. So we asked our waitress for a bag (since we would have to carry these bowls on the bus), and she kept telling us that they don’t have bags there. We had to ask someone else there before we actually got a bag for our leftovers. Lastly, she over charged us on our bill. And again, we had to go to someone else who worked there to get that corrected.

It was 7pm on a Friday evening and we were the only ones in the restaurant. This would be unheard of anywhere else in SF. I already had a feeling that this place was going to be a disappointment.
We sat down and were greeted by who I’m guessing is the owner who commented that the server was running late (who apparently was supposed to also be the dancer… we didn’t stay long enough to see what that was going to be like). Being the only people there we were able to order quickly. 2 other parties came in after us and they waited probably a good 5 minutes before anyone came back out from the kitchen to seat them or greet them (they all just took their seats anyway).
Got our food and it was pretty decent. Not the best Middle Eastern food I’ve had… but definitely not worth the $ 30/​person AFTER using a $ 25 off coupon. For that much money I expect better quality, better service and a happily stuffed belly. I’m guessing we paid extra for the belly dancing that never started while we were there for an hour. This is kind of like those restaurants you see on TV where you wonder how they’re surviving because they’re probably not making the rent and is in need of some new juju. As for me, I’ll probably never come back.

I have to admit I’m quite surprised that this place has an average three star rating. The only reason I didn’t give this place a five star rating («As good as it gets!») is that I have never tried any other Egyptian restaurant, nor have I been to Egypt, so I cannot make a fair comparison on whether what I ate was authentic and as good as it gets. What I DO know is that everything was DELICIOUS. With that said…
My friend and I arrived at 5:45PM on a Thursday evening (admittedly an early dinner), with a $ 40 off coupon I had bought on Amazon Local. At 5:45PM we were the first ones in the place, and the only ones there until about 6:30PM, and our server was most attentive and sweet. It’s a very small place, somewhat dimly lit but with fun, interesting Egyptian-​esque décor. The place felt very warm and inviting — I think it’s a family run establishment, and it felt very personal to be there. On the exterior, despite the bright blue sign, the restaurant is easy to miss, sort of stuffed between two dull residential buildings, and without windows you almost question what exactly is going on in there…
We started with two appetizers: the Hummus Bil Tahina and the Zabadi Bil Toom. Entrees ordered were the chicken kebab, Kebab Firakh (my friend’s) and the layered eggplant with ground beef, Musa’ah Bil Lahma (mine). My entrée in particular was HUGE and as much as I wanted to, I could not finish it and had to bring it home. This did not stop me from ordering dessert, however. Desserts vary each day but last night’s order was of a honey cake and a plate of coconut covered, doughnut hole looking things («fingers» they were called), that were both wonderful.
As we arrived at 5:45PM and had a leisurely dinner, we got to enjoy the short belly dancing show that began at 7:30PM. Per the restaurant, the shows are at 7:30, 8:30, and 9:30PM. It was a fun way to savor our dessert and enjoy a little entertainment.
I took a quick look at the complaints people made (you can’t please everyone!) and some of them are a bit ridiculous. Overpriced? With three glasses of wine between us, the bill after sales tax came to about $ 94. Apps average about $ 5 – 8, entrees $ 20 – 25, desserts $ 4 – 5. This is SAN FRANCISCO and this is NORMAL. The menu not having much variety? It’s a small establishment, probably seats about 50 total, and I feel like the lack of variety is overshadowed by the quality of the food. Yes there are only 9 entrée options on the menu (and maybe one daily special) — if you can’t make a choice among 10 items, maybe you’re better off going to TGI Fridays!
Overall, a great experience and I highly recommend the place to anyone looking to try something a little different.