Medjool

I thought the food was delicious, though the prices are high for such tiny portions. Great house cocktails. Good atmosphere - large dining room means you dont feel crowded and noise level was good. Rude and incompetent service. Hostess had a serious chip on her shoulder and didnt seem to have any clue what she was doing. When we arrived (on time) for our reservation, she wouldn't even take our name, just ordered us to go to the bar. She refused to come get us when our table was ready, insisted we check back every ten minutes. Waiter slow, couldnt answer basic questions about the wine list, seemed stoned or distracted, forgot part of our order and didn't apologize. Unacceptable for a meal that was $100 for two people.

Pros: Good food, Unusual flavors, Good cocktails

Cons: Rude, Incompetent, Stingy portions

Posted 07/04/05

The space is very cool, although not intimate......the food was very good, although as with dim sum, those small plates add up in cost.....Lamb was outstanding. Service was not impressive. The server was bored, totally uninterested, and half asleep. And very slow. I'll go back for the food, and give the service another chance.

Posted 06/26/05

I went there 2 times once for food & once for drinks & felt I should have been somewhere else. All this place got for it is that it is large in size so any can get a seat. Bartender was weak with my order and others standing around. his dirty martini was olive juice only.
Looking around I thought people who are there simply could not get in in other nicer resturants in the city thus`they settled for this one.... this place is confusing trying to be too many things at once...

Posted 06/24/05

I went to Medjool with a group of friends, and was appalled by the level of service. Our waiter screwed up our order repeatedly (our drink order was botched twice and our food order once). In addition to his lack of graciousness regarding his mistakes, his service was extremely slow. We waited for the check for 25 minutes after asking for it. The food was decent, but not worth the price, and the service was so bad I am unlikely to give it a second chance.

Pros: Atmosphere

Cons: Very Poor Service, Loud

Posted 06/14/05

Wow! The challenge was for my friends and I to find a restaurant where none of us had ever been before ... one with good atmosphere, delicious food and good service. After emailing lists of restaurants back-and-forth to each other we finally chose Medjool and I have no doubt we couldn't have landed in a better spot!

As soon as we walked in we were greated with smiles and shown to our table promptly. It took a few seconds to embrace the surroundings: the restaurant is quite large and colorful with high ceilings, warm, cozy colors and gorgeous lighting.

The food was outstanding with a great variety in the spices and flavors. Our collective favorites seemed to land on the pomegranate chicken, the citrusy-flavored olives and the north african style lamb.

We will definitely, definitely go back!

Pros: atmoshpere, outstanding food

Cons: parking in that 'hood

Posted 05/30/05

We went for dinner last night----The Lamb Tagine and the scallops were the best we've ever had! The staff was prompt and courteous, drinks were fast and well made. Overall the ambience was wonderful! No hesitation recommending this place to anyone! we'll be back!! Roofdeck is INCREDIBLE!!

Posted 05/25/05

edjool restaurant was a perfect place to take my parents that I hadnt seen in 4 years. The restaurant layout was beautiful! The Mediterranean feel was very pleasant. The food had an exquisite taste and the service was prompt and welcoming I will be back very soon.

Posted 05/25/05

I made a reservation for 2 for dinner and when I arrived and explained we had one more guest in our party. The woman at the reservation stand looked at me with a blank stare on her face. It was as though I had asked them to do quantum physics or something. I was told they couldn't seat us, because they didn't have a table for three. We were told the only we could have dinner was to sit in the lounge and basically eat off our laps. Over all I wouldn't waste my time here. The food was good but not good enough to make up for the bad service. There are too many other great places to eat in the Mission. Skip this one.

Posted 05/22/05

We had a party of 10.Spoke to the events manager.Pre ordered all the food!! when we came in...everything was waiting for us!!! Price was around 30 per personThanks Again Andrew. Looking forward to the Grand opening of your roof terrace for brunc. The service was absolutely perfect as well.

Posted 05/10/05

Love it! Located a few doors down from Foreign Cinema, this Mission gem is both fun and tasty. The menu is organized by Mediterranean region with North African as well as southern European style small plates. The Fried sumac-dusted calamari, red onions & lemons with aioli was incredible. The grilled hanger steak with harissa and sauteed spinach as well as the Fig and Lamb Tagine were rich and delightful. And even the pomme frites starter that was dusted with parsley and laced with preserved lemon were possibly the best fries I've has in SF. The wine list is affordable of limited. The cocktails are inventive as well. This is the new mission spot to meet your friends, sit on couches and enjoy sharing some wonderful small plates...

Posted 05/08/05

This experience marked a new low in customer service. We chose Medjool because it met the "goup dining" search criterion. Our party of nine arrived at 7pm on Wednesday night. The place was practically empty, and I happened to notice there were only 5 or 6 reservations. After some waiting we suggested that we simply be seated separately. Denied. Meanwhile a large table remained empty. After almost two hours of confusion we were given the option to eat on our laps in the waiting area or leave unserved. The large table had remained open during our entire wait. We decided to stay and make the most of it. The food was good - but they mean it when they say "small plates"; after eating a full smorgasboard we all had to get burritos at Pancho Villa (the only place still open) to kill the lingering hunger pains. Boooo!

Cons: small plates

Posted 05/04/05

After reading the review from Michael Bauer I decided to check out Medjool Restarant for myself. I had dinner with a group of close friends last Saturday at Medjool and I was thoroughly pleased. The atmoshpere was invigorating and the menu was well prepared. Between the six of us, we were able to taste many of the dishes. My favorite was the hanger steak on the North African portion of the menu, and the bacleo fritters. My evening at Medjool was excellant. Thank you Medjool.

Posted 04/07/05

My wife and I went to Medjool on the recommendation of my boss--We were happy we did! The food is great, and the atmosphere is like a place that takes you away from the hub-bub of every day life!----The food was excellent, as was the price, and the service!!
You must try this place!!!

Posted 04/05/05

After the great review, I was expecting fabulous food, but it was all too heavy and I felt greasy afterwards. Grilled vegetable B'stilla with goat cheese felt like cream cheese (don't get this). Pork tenderloin and sea scallops were tasty but oversalted. Medjool sampler was alright but nothing stood out. Fried calamari was rather greasy and the sauce was too creamy. I'd go once as the decor is unique but don't go for a special night out; you'll be disappointed.

Pros: decor

Cons: food

Posted 04/04/05

The hostess didn't speak English and made us wait while other people got seated before us. After ordering two plates--the hangar steak was only 6 small bites/pieces and the baba ghanoush tasted like stale cigarette butts, we were still hungry and ordered the chicken. We waited 25 minutes and it never came. We finally got the bill, only to be charged for the chicken. We had a private party upstairs when Medjool first opened and the wait service was SO poor that all our guests complained. This is a nice space but don't expect anything in terms of service.

Posted 03/27/05

My wife and I love this place! The food is unmatched---And we eat out a LOT! Atmosphere is the greatest----Funky, sexy, and classy!!-----In a town that has become boring with its restuarant formulas----Medjool has a spark that we'll keep coming back for!--------Try the hangar steak!!----my personal favorite!!

Posted 03/22/05

I recently went back here with my girlfirend & we had a wondeful evening. The food is still great and the place is beautiful. We love the mellow ambience and the service has REALLY improved. I really like the food and my girlfrined loves the cocktails. I appreciate the value becaue we can both eat great food and get a couple of drinks for around 25 bucks a piece. It's a great place to hang out oo because we started out two of us and then had three more friends join and the place has enough space that were able to accomodate the larger group without too much trouble. We'll be back.

Pros: food is great, lovely place, great location

Posted 03/22/05

The restaurant looks like it was picked out of an IKEA showroom. The restaurant is way too big. We were the only people dining in the place and it felt really awkward. The food is okay but the kitchen is a little slow at times. As for the service? I felt like the staff were all amateurs. Save your money.

Pros: food?

Cons: service, decor, wine service

Posted 03/19/05

Went here a few weeks back, with a large group. Despite a very busy friday night, we were catered to hand and foot, and loved every minute of it. Great space, good vibe, beautiful decor, and a hip crowd. The food good, but the service and atmosphere were the highlights. will go there again

Pros: space, music, service

Posted 03/18/05

Been twice-- once for a date, another time with a group of six. The food was excellent. The bigger the group, the more tastes, the better the experience. Pommes Frites, spick salad, goat cheese/fruits, chicken, lamb, choc torte are highly recommended. Atmosphere and lighting are great enhancements to the experience. Good location for bar hopping.

Pros: inexpensive, tasty small plates

Posted 03/07/05

My husband and I had dinner at Medjool---We were beyond impressed...The food was incredible! The service was excellent...Ambience was the key---We felt as though we entered a different world when we had dinner!----It made for such a wonderful evening, I would recommend Medjool to anyone! We felt that the attention given to us was extra special, even though it seemed that everyone we could see had the same excellent service!------If you go there, you'll go back!!

Pros: Food, Service, Ambience

Cons: None, None, None

Posted 03/03/05

Food was really average, only the prawns stand out. Too many cheese dishes, calamari ok and didn't like the deep fried lemons. Cocktails decent though! Seems like a great place for groups but $$ a little high. Great vibe for drinks and apps as the setting is really cool.

Pros: great space

Cons: only average food, waitstaff slow

Posted 02/23/05

I am not sure what is going on with the reviews that I read about this place. Based on the reviews I read I was really excited to eat at Medjool, hoping it might be on par with Aziza. The food was just so nothing, tasting like it could have come from the deli counter at Whole Foods, or maybe a little worse. We had cod fritters that tasted exactly like overly salted Van de Kamp's fish sticks, a bastilla that was nothing special, stuffed cabbage that had an unpleasant mushy texture, and oxtail stew that was mostly bone and very little meat and had an strange bitter flavor. Eveything lacked the kind of marriage of spices in a dish that are usually pesent in well prepared Meditteranian food. I was just so surprised at how unspecial this place was based on all that I have read about it.

Cons: Boring food

Posted 02/06/05

Dining at Medjool was food transformed pleasure. A friend who has been there more than once recommended and we decided to give it a try. We waited 10 minutes for our table in the lounge, where we sipped on delicious martinis and lounged comfortably. The dinner was delicious, at every bite, you heard the word, "wow" from someone sitting on our table. The service was very helpful and recommended great and extremely well priced wine to go with our dishes. Even hours after we finished dinner, we could not stop talking about it. This is a place to return to time and again.

Pros: food, ambiance, inexpensive

Posted 01/19/05

We arrived at 8pm, there was much discussion about our 8pm reservation - they had us on the wrong night. At the bar - it took 20 minutes to get the bottle of wine we ordered. They weren't busy, mind you. When our table was ready at 8:45, more confusion about settling up the bar tab we'd been told we could run - we weren't allowed to leave the bar until we'd paid that tab Finally at the table, service was fine, food quality and portion sizes were good. The prawns w/ tomato relish were mismatched - relish would be better paired with a pork dish, and the prawns were rather bland. The breading on the calamari was too salty. Overall, they have a good idea. Good atmosphere and food. Once they get their service worked out, this place will be amazing, but my first experience there was rather lackluster.

Pros: Ambience, Good Parking, Reasonable prices

Cons: , Service

Posted 01/14/05

While this was my second time at Medjool, they really made my birthday a night to remember. The restaurant is in a very appealing space -- high ceilings and vibrant colors. The bar area is spacious and there is a nice cluster of sofas to get comfy on. The staff at Medjool blocked off an area of the lounge for my guests and it was perfect. Everyone got to chat in a relaxed, fun atmosphere without having to shout. And then there's the food. Simply delicious. Add to that an extremely helpful staff and this place is one to return to time and again.

Pros: Atmosphere, Service, Food quality

Posted 12/12/04

I dined at Medjool Cafe and found the place to be very welcoming. Great new addition to the Mission. Service was friendly, and helpful. I ordered a French panini sandwich with yummy fries, which was delicious and for the price of $6.50, a great value. I had to wait about 12 minutes, but the sandwich was worth the wait. Wine list had good variety. There is a great open space available to hang out upstairs, they have free wireless internet, and the coffee wasn't watered down like at other places. It depends on the day, sometimes they're packed and sometimes the place is empty, but it's a great place to hang out and eat. I like that I can order breakfast or lunch all day long. Good mimosas. I'm definitely going back.

Pros: Big plate/small price, Fresh, Tasty Food, Great Service

Posted 12/07/04

This is truly a new gem in the city. The food is amazingly exotic, the blend of the spices and creativity of the food fusion is great. The decor is fabulous. and the prices are even better! this definitley a place to go to whether for dinner or drinks. i highly recommend you pay a visit.

Pros: food, inexpensive, decor

Posted 11/04/04

I have been to medjool 3 times in the last month and a half for dinner. Everytime has been better than the previous. The decor of the place compliments the food, it is very well done and thought out. I love the central chandelier of morrocan lamps. the place is perfect for groups and for a romantic dinner as well!! the lamb tagine and hanger steak have been a must for me since the first time...they melt in your mouth. Although the service was not the best the first time I went, the last time was a very pleasant experience. The bartender makes great cosmos!

Pros: great food , lovely decor

Posted 10/25/04

What an unexpected surprise to find such a fun, relaxed and inviting place in the mission. Their breakfast and lunch are pretty damn good and priced well and a good alternative in the neighbothood. I really enjoyed the free wireless access and no preassure to get going from the staff. The dinner I had was great, pretty good value for the small plates, lots of food, great flavors. The place is big, but still cozy, so there's no clostrophobia like most place new places. I really liked the decor, beautiful without trying to be too hip. I definitely be back!

Pros: great food, nice space, good value

Posted 10/25/04

This is a new beautiful, wide open lounge next door to Foreign Arts Cinema. Few places have mastered the "lounge" as well as Medjool. The downstairs features intimate candle-lit tables while the upstairs has tons of couches PERFECT for relaxing over drinks. With no loud DJs to scream over, large groups and couples fit perfectly into this space.

Although the food is not very vegetarian-friendly and the ambience is not geared towards a boisterous group, the overall appeal of Medjool is classy, social and progressive. Along with Monkey Club, Medjool is my favorite lounge in the Mission.

Pros: SPACE! great decor, food served til 11, ambience

Cons: , staff not very warm

Posted 09/29/04