Once they’re gone, it’s rare for a restaurant to re-open. But now, at a time when we could all use a bit of nice news and something comforting to eat, one of San Francisco’s old favorite restaurants is back for seconds; and tbh, we couldn’t be happier about it.
The reopening of Aziza — Mourad Lahlou’s Michelin-starred Moroccan restaurant in the Outer Richmond, first opened in 2001 — is the happy result of a seriously epic delay. In May of 2016, Lahlou closed the restaurant for renovations; the process, which was estimated to take two months, dragged on for more than a year thanks to the city requirements that kept piling on.
Eventually, the chef got restless and envisioned an all new project. Aziza, he decided, would make way for a Mexican-meets-Moroccan concept called Amara, which would blend the cuisines of his Moroccan heritage with the Mexican background of Aziza’s then-chef de cuisine, Louis Maldonado. Another year passed without the new restaurant’s unveiling, and Maldonado departed to take the toque at Gibson. Amara’s much anticipated opening would never be. And then came the surprise twist.
Today, if you find yourself standing once more at the corner of Geary Boulevard and 22nd Avenue, you can open the heavy wood door, cross the tiled threshold, and find yourself again in the small Moroccan-style oasis that feels like it has always been meant to be Aziza.
The refreshed interior is Instagram-ready. Architectural designer Kristen Mayberry Simmons spearheaded the relocation of the bar to the back of the space, creating a glowy cocktailing haven that feels like an occasion; as well as the addition of more windows for better light.
