Baraka

This is a great local restaurant. I love the owners and staff - and food! It has a limited menu, but what can you expect in a small restaurant. Each dish is carefully prepared and once you find your favorite, you will come back over and over just for the one dish. Mine is the seared ahi. more

I?ve been here before and each time, I have had a very pleasant dining experience. On top of that, did you know this restaurant is teaming up with StreetSmart4kids? It?s actually really cool what they?re doing. I just heard about how SS4K is a nonprofit organization that helps underprivileged teens stay healthy. They are running their ?Dine Out and Donate? campaign here (as well as approx. 70 other restaurants in SF) during October and early November. After having a fabulous dining experience, just fill out the donation form when paying the check (minimum donation $3). This is perfect for people like me, who love to eat out all the time and also like to give back to the community. Check it out for yourself on the StreetSmart4Kids website! more

We used to love coming here for the lamb tagine and friendly service. Both are gone now from this restaurant. The new menu is trying too hard, and fails to be anything other than mediocre. The new lamb dish is not nearly as good as the tagine was. The chicken is greasy, bland, and served with a sauce that tastes like Campbell's canned cream soup. The polenta has some nice flavors, but is soupy and has some strange white foam that is maybe trying to be fancy, but really is just kind of gross. Pros: good lighting Cons: mediocre food and service more

Very small portions. The food looks good but taste flavorless. Pros: Apealling menu of Morrocan Food Cons: Very small portions, Overpriced more

It was our choice to wait at the bar instead of being at our ready table because the table that was available for us was right next to the blustery entryway and the hostess gave us the option of another warmer spot that was soon to be vacated, so we waited. Here are the series of mistakes. While at the bar we wanted to have a drink and the bartender was completely distracted and absent. So we are waiting patiently and courteously not complaining. The manager I guess comes over mind you not to apologise but to say you know we had a table for you but you wanted the warmer table so deal with it. I was confused and just loooked at him and said OK can we please get some wine. Anyway table vacates and we order. Wine list is ripped off Safeway but to our rescue comes our very nice waiter who offers a great suggestion. Food arrives, for starters we ordered the goat cheese crusted with pistachio, bone marrow and dates with prosciutto. For the main we shared the Skate. Overall, food is good but just a couple of steps from being wonderful! Too sweet or too salty. Before I forget here are the 2 faux pax, hummus with focaccia and mojito with orange wine!? I want to encourage the creativity but the type of food and presentation, reflected someone trying too hard. Keep it simple and non-pretentious as it is not in keeping with the ethos of ""Baraka."" Will still visit because I think the entrees have potential. more

New ownership recently took over and have kept the same food and atmosphere, but the wine list is dramatically improved. Great selection of Calfornia wines in addition to the Spanish and French wines they carried before. Pros: Easy parking and good food Cons: Make reservations - can be a long wait on weekends more

We just returned from attending my niece's wedding in SF. For our final meal we made a reservation at Baraka on advice from Chez Papa for a family group of 8, including my two brothers. The food was excellent, when it finally arrived, though the order was delivered in a slovenly fashion, one order was forgotten, couscous arrived late, small plates should be called tiny plates, etc. In the restaurant's defense, a new servitor was being trained, and our very charming server apologized for what he termed ""sh-tty"" service, comping my brother's meal. However, our evening, while not ruined, was compromised, the celebratory mood spoiled. Service as beyond slow. The kitchen was disorganized. The restaurant has no sense, or policy, for recovering from mistakes. The comp was nice, but everyone at the table was affected by the glacial pace and lack of attention. When the dessert menus arrived, and we continued to wait, and wait, naturally everyone passed. We just wanted to get it over with. Here are some suggestions. Get bread on the table quickly and put more than a couple of teaspoons of the very good hummus in the tiny cups. There wasn't enough there to wet a portion of the bread (good bread that it was). Explain what constitutes a small plate so that we can order better. Failing to do that, make sure that the items in the plate are evenly divisible. Three meatballs split between 8 people doesn't work. 4 meatballs won't bankrupt. If the meal is delivered poorly, offer complimentary coffees, or teas, and get a couple of desserts out to the table, also comped. Don't add injury upon injury. Get your kitchen straightened out. It is too easily overwhelmed. Would I come back? Yes, because everyone has an off day. But you need to know how to recover a fumble, not perpetrate it. My girlfriend, who had made the reservation, was thoroughly embarrassed by the experience. Great food, but not a restaurant in the classic sense of a place to come to be restored. Pros: Great food Cons: disorganized kitchen, poor at recovering from errors, decor could use some polish more

Ok, this has to be my favorite restaurant in the city. Staff is fantastic, food is even better. I have never had poor service or bad food. I go to this place at least once a month for the past two years. I take anyone that mentions they have never been there. It always pleases my guests. Pros: Food, Service Cons: Small Place more

Delicious, innovative food with attention to the blends of tastes and spices - abosolutely fabulous. The meal begins with warm bread and hummus - and after one taste of the hummus we knew we had made and excellent choice. f you are a couple, share everything and order in courses from the small plates. Shrimp ceviche, crispy chorizo stuffed dates, pistacio-crusted goat cheese, pesto linguine with fava & peas, roasted beet salad with frisee. We also shared a bowl of the soup of the day - which was vegan. The soup was pureed asparagus, fennel and lentil. It was so smooth and creamy we thought there was cream in it. The service was so attentive, but not annoying. The hostess, also acted as the order taker - recommending serveral delicious dishes, all of which we tried. The desserts were also fabulous - we had the chocolate fondant and the creme brulee. Not crowded at all for a Sunday evening - a MUST go. We will be back. Pros: Food, Service, Wine Selection Cons: NONE that we could see more

Had a very nice meal here. The dates stuffed with chorizo, the dungeoness crabcakes and the meatball appetizers were especially good. The service was attentive and the Sancerre served by the glass was delicious. Parking was easy to find. more

I went to Baraka for a girls' evening out and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. The food was incredibly favorable, the restaurant had a cozy and friendly atmosphere and the service was impeccable. This was my first experience with Moroccan food and the waitor guided us through his recommendations - small plate of pistachio-crushed goat chese with a side of flat bread and the seared ahi with chocolate tart for desert. Everything was delicous and left us vowing to come back and try the rest of the menu. We shared a pitcher of sangria between the two of us, which paired great with each of the food plates. We ending up being the last people in the restaurant but they kept insisting that we could stay as long as we wanted and made us feel comfortable in their restaurant. Overall - great restaurant, fantastic food and service, highly recommended! more

Cozy and well lit to set the mood for enjoyment and make everyone look good. The food is exotic and beautifully served up. Not much of a bar to sit at to dine, but the atmosphere in this place is most certainly not at the bar, it is at the tables. From the moment you walk in you are transported to another world. Pros: The ambience and the possibility to close the restaurant down and smoke. Cons: No reservations and you may have a long wait. more

Went to Baraka in Potrero Hill for their prix fixe menu. We waited **45 minutes** for our 8 pm reservation. This was ridiculous! We were extremely annoyed but after apologies from staff and a free appetizer we were mollified. Pros: Goat cheese and stuffed dates Cons: LONG wait (even with reservation) more

Service is very attentive, friendly and helpful. The Moroccan decor of the restaurant is both pleasant and warm. The appetizers are very tasty, my favorite was the Stuffed Dates, others in my group liked the Goat Cheese with Onion Jam. Also the Beet and Tangerine Salad was very refreshing. Among the entrees, the Lamb Kebab with the Salsa Verde was delicious, perfectly cooked, but the Israeli Couscous that comes with it was a little bland; the Beef Short Rib was well prepared but nothing special; and the favorite among the group was the Prosciutto wrapped Monkfish. We all had an enjoyable dinner, definitely a place worth trying. We'll be back. Pros: Helpful service more

on Potrero Hill. THe parking is easy and the restaurant is fabulous. The service and attention to detail is spectacular. We were treated as if we were the only customers there in terms of attention and service, even though the place was full. It was truly a wonderful dining experience. Pros: Easy parking, delicious food Cons: Cannot think of a single one more

My friend who took me here said this place was really quite good - so I was excited to get a chance finally at Baraka. Unfortunately, it was one of the most miserable dining experiences I've ever seen. My friend ordered a fruity non-alcoholic beverage that sounded tasty - but, when delivered, came with ANTS! We quickly pointed out the creatures floating in his drink to the waitress, who apologized and brought it back again - STILL WITH ANTS. No really - the ants were still there. Again she apologized and returned a third time, finally ant-free. Cons: Ants, Food, Service more

I have been to Baraka a few times now and each time was a wonderful dining experience. The staff is so pleasant and attentive to your needs. I will go back and often. more

Excellent food and very attentive staff. All of the food was fresh & very tasty. The stuffed dates are a must! This is a great date spot, I wouldn't recommend the dining room for a large group. Setting looks best for couples or groups of 3-4. All around I think this was an excellent experience & well worth visiting again. Pros: great service, parking is easy Cons: small space more

We had such a great experience at this restaurant. The dining room is beautiful and very comfortable. The light from all of the candles creates a real intimate and comfortable atmosphere. Everything we ordered was done to perfection. The ceviche was so delicious and refreshing. The restaurants version of french fries are by far the best fries I've had. The service we received from everyone was excellent. They are so attentive and pollite. My only complaint, too warm in the restaurant. Great wine selections. Great place! Pros: food , ambience, service Cons: too hot inside, small more

I dinned here the other night and after all the advertising and hub bub I have to say the food is nothing great. It seemed nothing came out in the right temperature. The pre-courses were a medley of complication in spice that were overworked and turned out uninteresting. My entree tasted like dog food (the most expensive dog food entree in potrero hill), this is not an exaggeration. We did enjoy the flan as a dessert, but I think 150 dollars for flan after dog food is not a good selling point. The service was excellent, thank you for working with the customer. Pros: sevice, amience (so so) Cons: food or horid food more