Cafe Zitouna

Café Zitouna is one of my favorite spots in San Francisco. The food is so delicious!
Najib, the owner, is very friendly and a great cook. We hired him to cater our school/​teacher event last week and it was a big success.
Everyone loved the menu!!!
We ordered:
Traditional Vegetarian Couscous
Tajine Jilbana,
Breast of Chicken Kebab,
Homemade Merguez
Basboussa (Semolina cake with almonds flavored with orange blossom water and topped with pistachios).
And, of course, we finished the meal with mint tea .
Lots of people do not know this place. Try it! Absolutely amazing!
You will not be disappointed.

This was the greatest choice ever! Glad we decided on this place! A small family operated restaurant. Personal touch. The hummus is so creamy! The Chicken B’Stilla sure is the «Pie from heaven»! So delicious I wanted to buy one to go! Najib was very friendly. We will return soon for sure! Thank you!

Café Zitouna catered the most amazing lunch for 50 people. The owner is very accommodating and easy to work with, and very generous. You can tell how much passion and care he puts into his cooking and even gave us some delicious mint tea to go with the «Basboussa» cake — which everyone was amazed by, because the cake made in this authentic and delicious way is a treat. All of the food was prepared very fresh, with care and detail with the most authentic and delicious ingredients, all of our guests raved about every dish, We had a few dishes including the Tajine Jilbana lamb stew, Merguez sausage over couscous, Chicken Kebab, and Basboussa cake for dessert which is a semolina cake with almonds, flavored with orange blossom water topped with pistachios. Absolutely amazing!

Ok food, mediocre management!
— You can never know when they open or close
— They have an A Sign that reads «yes, we’re open» that tells you how messed up their hours
— way over priced for the ingredients quality, location, décor and service. The menu on Unilocal has wrong prices on it, current prices are $ 3-​$ 4 higher
A $ 15 sandwich+fries is not ok, they carry no Organics, no grass fed beef, no free range chx or eggs, nothing special!
— The older man in charge is so greedy, he wouldn’t get help on the floor to keep all tips, which is fine if he could keep up but he can’t. One time I sat there fro 30 mnts before he was able to make it to my table then 15 minutes later I gave up on my water and walked away.
— they close for extended periods regularly which makes me worry about the freshness of their food
— Due to poor managment they have a very high employees turn over, it effects food consistency
— If they want to stay in business, they must figure a way to have respected hours of operation, have enough waiters on the floor or simply be a counter service, and refuce prices or up the food quality.

This is a regular spot that we hit up at the office, about once a week. I’ve had the lentil soup which is amazing and comes with a half of a baguette that you can dip in the soup or use to slather their delicious harrissa spread on. My fav though has to be the Chicken Shawarma though. It’s really, really good. I get it without cheese, because honestly you really don’t need it and I think it might be american cheese, it just doesn’t mesh for me. The prices are a little steep, $ 12 for a shwarma? The wrap itself does seem fresh, has a great sourdough like taste and chew, plus they do cook the protein to order. Once a week I will make an excuse to have a $ 15 lunch. The hours are a little odd, I believe just plain closed on Monday but the owner has been known to just shut it down whenever because he’s the boss, that’s why. Check this place out if you are in the neighborhood after 12pm Tuesday-​Sunday

Bastilla!!! OmG, what an amazing entrée! Sweet & savory combo delight :)) Slow service but worth it!

Stopped in here for a late lunch on a Thursday. Service was quick and speedy. I got a chicken kebab, a simple dish. Two skewers of chicken very nicely cooked, nicely seasoned and flavorful. Side of salad and fresh from the fryer French fries. Portion sensible and just the right size. To begin some nice French bread and a spicy tomato paste that they leave on the table. Would repeat.

This is one of my favorite spots in San Francisco and WOW the food is so delicious!
High quality ingredients are used. Najib is sweet and attentive. The mint tea was incredibly aromatic. Our food was well seasoned. We really enjoyed our meal here and can’t wait to go back.
You are doing a dishonor to yourself ordering «to go». Sit down and humble yourself. The presentation is so beautifully plated, why would you rush off with a box?
You definitely will not be disappointed. :)

Moroccan mint tea, veggie tagine and pomme frites to die for! Very causal and authentic. What a great place!!! I’ll be back. I want to try the lamb!

This is as authentic as it gets !! It’s just how my mom makes it back home. And the service was great.

This is one of my favorite casual places to visit in San Francisco. It’s in a lovely neighborhood (Lower Nob Hill) and has a humble exterior, but the food is so great. Walk in, seat yourself, and prepare for lots of food. I had the hummus as a starter, and the owner was happy to bring more bread. Try the mint tea — it’s my favorite part of any Moroccan meal. The Super Falafel is so great, and very filling.
Don’t expect table service here and you’ll be just fine. Lots of options for vegetarians, and small plates to share. The prices were extremely reasonable. Two people can easily get a large dinner for under $ 30.

Get the b’stilla. It’s like a flaky meat pie with some powdered sugar on top. Everything was fresh and the leftovers tasted great the next day. Veggie dishes are filling as well.

Delicious Harira (lentil & chickpea soup) and Super Falafel Sandwich. I used to come here a few years ago and then it seemed to close for a while, but they’re back to a pretty regular schedule now. They run a lean operation, so service can be a bit slow, but as long as you’re not in a rush, it’s fine. I almost always order ahead and take out, which works great.
The prices shown on Unilocal appear to be out of date, but I think the prices are fair for the quality and generous portions. (The Super Falafel Sandwich is about $ 10.50, I think, and if I’m not feeling two biggy, it’s two meals.)

If I had an extra stomach, I would’ve ordered 5 more dishes. Everything we ordered was just perfect. It was a tad bit pricy but for flavors like this and all the love that went into it, it’s totally worth it. We even got a free dessert in a to-​go container. Lovely service.

I could never tell if this place was open or closed for several months, but good Moroccan food is worth seeking out in a city as diverse as ours. Competition is surprisingly fierce in this ‘hood since solid Moroccan comfort food can be found at Aicha up a block on Polk. Their Artichoke Heart Salad is the bomb, and I have to say Zitouna doesn’t quite have anything comparable in flavor. Jamie W. and I came by one evening to see what else might draw us in. It’s not a very atmospheric place since its open space and corner location at Sutter and Polk made the city traffic feel all the more immediate.
The menu offered most of the items you would expect — kebabs, couscous, shawarmas, tajines. We started predictably with the 46.25 Homemade Hummus, which while creamy enough, seemed awfully paltry in portion with only six pita wedges on the plate (photo:
). The spicy tomato-​pepper spread they offered with their bread basket, however, was a nice addition to the table (photo:
). Jamie decided to start with a $ 5.75 bowl of Traditional Harira Soup, which was a hearty red lentil soup with chickpeas, celery, cabbage, broccoli and a tomato base (photo:
). It was a good vegetarian starter though not as unique in flavor as we were hoping.
For his entrée, he ordered the $ 17.95 Lamb Kebab Couscous which struck us as a bit expensive for what struck us as a pretty straightforward dish with just two large chunks of lamb, chickpeas, potatoes, carrots, a grilled jalapeño pepper, a few more exotic vegetables and quite a bit of couscous (photo:
). It was again hearty and flavorful but not quite a standout. That honor belonged more to my main dish, the $ 18.95 Chicken B’Stilla, which they proclaim as «The pie from heaven». It’s basically a large savory pastry made of phyllo-​like warka topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon to sweeten the dish.
Inside is shredded chicken meat, scrambled eggs in fresh herbs, roasted almonds flavored with saffron, ginger and honey (photo:
). Quite a sight to behold, it could almost get away with being an indulgent dessert were it not for the poultry factor. Yet, the precarious balance between a sweet and savory combination does manage to work. We ended our meal by sharing the $ 3.95 Tunisian Pudding, a parfait glass filled with a light milk vanilla pudding, geranium essence, ladyfingers, pistachios and almonds (photo:
). A tasty close, but I have to admit Aicha is still my favorite of the two Moroccan culinary contenders in the ‘hood.
FOOD — 3 stars… decent albeit pricey Moroccan fare with the b’stilla the one unequivocal winner
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… awkward layout with the windows offering too much visibility to the outside world
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… reasonable though not energetic
TOTAL — 3 stars… middling Moroccan is better than a stick in the eye

This place makes the one, the only, the amazing SUPER FALAFEL sandwich. Which is really a wrap with falafel, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, tahini sauce, avocado, and feta (if that’s your thang). It outranks any other falafel experience I’ve had (and I used to live in NY, where falafel can be kind of a religion).
I can’t explain how delicious the grilled wrap bread is – I’ve seen their kitchen staff meticulously roll the wrap over to ensure even grillage, and even stand the wrap on each end to make sure pretty much all of that bread gets done grilled. DELICIOUS.
The basboussa cake (pistachio-​geranium-​orange, I think?) is impossibly sweet, moist, and delicious, and a MUST. Trust me.
Opening hours are a bit iffy, but hey, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

My friend has been hyping this place up for a while. We tried to visit it a few weeks ago and found out it was closed during Ramadan. Quite a bummer but it’s also a good sign for authenticity.
We tried again a week after, and man, I have to say this is the best lamb shawarma I’ve ever had! The spice gave the shawarma lots of flavor but it’s not heavy at all. The house-​made harissa (a red bell pepper based chilly paste) is also amazing.
My table ordered a pot of mint tea as well. It’s a bit pricey but really adds to the overall experience.

Came here with my friends on their binge for Moroccan cuisine. We got hummus with pita (naturally), lamb kebabs, kufta tajine, lentil soup and chicken bstilla. Hummus was really creamy and lots of flavor. Soup was a tad bit bland. Kebabs and Tajine were really tasty and full of flavor. The chicken bstilla was definitely the surprise of the night. I never had it before so to find out it’s like a savory/​sweet combo.
The owner (i think) was super nice and helpful. The place is simple and the food is good.

Current Hours are:
Tues-​Thurs: 11:30am to 9:00pm Fri: 2:00pm to 9:00pm
Sat and Sun: 11:30am to 9:00pm Closed Monday
We stopped into this light and airy corner restaurant for lunch and were amazed at the wonderful flavors of the various «fait maison» dishes served. We ordered a delicious spread of appetizers, including the Breek (Tunisian crêpe), the Moroccan eggplant and pita, and the perfectly spiced merguez sausage. The fresh mint tea (lightly sweetened) was a very refreshing accompaniment to the meal. Finishing off the lunch was a homemade pudding featuring essence of geranium and topped with ground pistachios. Excellent end to a perfect lunch.
Within a day, we were back at Café Zitouna this time for dinner. We ordered the Mosaic of kebabs (lamb, chicken and merguez) and the lamb stew couscous, both served with a basket of fresh French bread. Once again, chef was spot on with the dishes.
Unlike many of the city’s other restaurants, all of the dishes at Café Zitouna are made in house (including the owner’s excellent Harissa sauce). Both times the welcome we received was warm and genuine.
Thank you for two excellent meals, Chef! We look forward to our next visit to Café Zitouna. A bientôt!

Okay, when my friend suggested this place with no one in it, I began to laugh.
After I ate their delicious food, it was my friend who had the last laugh.
Delicious Lamb Shawarma ($ 8) and mint tea.
I was expecting the crappy food I usually get when I order in downtown SF near my office where everything is 3 stars at best.
Hence, my so many 3 star reviews.
Yet, this place brought it.
A little slow on the service, especially since we were the only 2 people there during lunch at around 1pm.
But hey, if I’m ever in this area, I’ll definitely stop in for a quick bite.