Jannah Reviews

Chef Yahya has been a fixture in San Francisco for decades. Jannah is his latest and greatest restaurant. He is a master at combining traditional Iraqi recipes with California tastes to create a one-of-a-kind dining experience. Tucked away in a beautiful space off Fulton and Masonic, the pale blue cloudy sky painted on the walls and ceiling is a preview of the heavenly cuisine. There are plenty of options for vegetarians (a falafel-crust pizza, delicious dolmas) and for carnivores (same dolmas stuffed with perfectly spiced lamb, perfectly-cooked kabobs--the salmon is especially exquisite). I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant! I was lucky enough to live a mere three blocks away, and it was my go-to place. I had my Master's graduation party there, my birthday, dinner with friends and family, and I have never been disappointed. I cannot say that about any other restaurant, and I lived in SF for 25 years. Do not be daunted if you see the restaurant is not crowded. It is one of the best-kept secrets of San Francisco. Now that they've been featured on "Check Please Bay Area," I imagine you might want to call to make a reservation! The secret is out!

Friends had recommended this Iraqi restaurant. Reading the menu takes time: various dishes are not only unusual but are nicely detailed in terms of the unique combination of ingredients. Unique, that is, for us, anyway: these are apparently not unusual dishes in Iraq. However, in talking with the waitperson (who was EXTREMELY knowledgeable about all the dishes and how they are prepared), the chef has adapted traditional Iraqi dishes. So we started with the Mama Ganoush: Baba Ganoush flavored with pomegranate molasses. The waitperson explained that there are different kinds of pomegranate molasses, and they vary from region to region: this had a combination. I never thought I would favor a pomegranate version of Baba Ganoush but we scooped this up greedily: it came with pita bread that was delicately thin. There was an accompanying sauce on the side, but the Mama Ganoush didn't need it. There were a range of soups, salads, and appetizers, but that's all we tried. For the entrees, there were three sections of dishes: I chose one of the filo dishes. Normally, I never order a filo dish because it's too much pastry, but the description -- filled with chicken, nuts, and spices, in a sauce of dried apricots, golden raisins, and a few other things -- intrigued me. Like the pita bread, the filo pastry was delicately thin, with plenty of filling inside. The presentation was elegant. It was, again, a savory/sweet dish, but neither dish was too sweet. For dessert we had mint tea and baklava, which is served on "rice pudding" that certainly is rice pudding but looks like a vanilla sauce bed. The rice pudding, again, softened the sweetness of the baklava. To me, this sounds like a heavy meal: what's amazing is that it was not. I ALWAYS take home half my meal: here I didn't stop eating, I think because I didn't need to stop. These were dishes that sound indulgent and heavy but they were so thoughtfully and delicately prepared that they were neither indulgent nor heavy. Hearty, maybe: healthy as well. Was this the genius of Iraqi cuisine or a skilled chef? I don't know Iraqi cooking well enough to judge. My husband ordered a lamb/salmon tikka kabab combination with mixed vegetables and rice pilaf; there was a delicious (and once again sweet) tomato onion sauce on the side.

Whether you are a local or a visitor, don't miss this restaurant in the NOPA area of SF! We went for lunch and were seated immediately. The menu is interesting and the food was sensational. As said by others, the portions are large and we were happy to scarf up every last bite. We had the chicken/veg/barley/lime soup and "Burma soup" with lamb, both were yummy. For entrees we shared the Kuzi: Phyllo dough filled with shredded lamb, rice, almonds, golden raisins, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger, served with pomegranate-rosemary sauce (don't miss it!) and split one chicken breast kebab with a fabulous salad. Both were excellent. My husband liked his pomegranate drink, my lime drink was a little sour but delicious; the waitress did warn me it is different than American lime drinks. Cost: $40 for 2 soups, 2 large entrees, and 2 beverages. Our dishes had well-developed flavors, served in a lovely room. I highly recommend for lunch or dinner.

We met a dear friend for our first visit to Janniah and we're not disappointed with all the flavors put in front of us. My chicken kabob was very moist with an obviously long marinade and my husband's lamb was very good and tender. He felt it was " grilled perfectly." The portions are very generous. The owners are very friendly and obliging. The space is large and quiet enough to converse. We will return.

My first review of this restaurant a couple of months ago was glowing. This recent visit made less of an impression. I brought friends who listened to my raves and although they appreciated the introduction they were not impressed. I must say that the service was excellent. However both this time at dinner and the last time I went for lunch the tables were mostly empty with only a few diners. I can't help but wonder why. Of what we ordered the mini appetizer of Safeehat Felafel pizza was OK but not memorable, the baba ghanooge and hummas were excellent, The Kuzi lamb filled pastry that I raved about the last time was overly sweet for my friends as they felt the cause masked the flavor of the lamb. I had A vegetarian dish of mixed vegetables served upside down on a bed of rice and swimming in an overly thick cause that I found terrible. Very disappointing I have to say.

Nice, simple restaurant with great middle eastern food. The kebabs are especially nice and the sauces and dips terrific.

The website referenced here, as well as the one on other social media show that the restaurant is open for lunch, so we drove 15 miles to eat there, and they are closed. I called and tried to explain that the website was misleading so the owner could change it, and was told I was wrong -- there was no mention of lunch.

The mama ganough was fabulous! Started a new infatuation with pomegranate molasses. It was a great place for conversation with friends (not too loud)

Saw this restaurant featured on check please Bay Area and came over to try. We had the salad, lamb shank, chicken kebab, and for dessert, kelecha ravioli. Everything tasted fresh, aromatic, and delicious. They give you pita bread and a delicious sesame oil dip and it's ok to ask for a refill. We had a great dinner here and we will be back.

If you want a very unique experience in exotic well thought out and delicious Iraqi food, Jannah is your place. Chef Yahya Salih creates dishes that are inspired by his mother's cooking of food that is specific to the city of Mosul to the north of Baghdad and at the same time influenced by his many years of cooking California cuisine. The restaurant itself is beautiful and has seating area in the back that consist of benches with throw rugs and pillows where you feel that you are in the Middle East. There is a full bar with a great selection of wines and beers. If you are tired of the old typical Middle Eastern food of falafel and gyros, you will for sure be taking a different journey into a side of Middle Eastern food that not too many restaurants dare to venture into. The Safeehat Falafel is unbelievable and all the dishes made with phyllo dough have that crispiness of the flaky phyllo which wraps the perfectly spiced rice and meats. These dishes are served with different sauces that are perfect compliments to the combination of phyllo, rice and meats. I make sure that whenever I am in San Francisco for business or pleasure and with whomever I am with, to have at least one meal at Jannah.

The food is delicious. Had the pizza with fresh veggies and lamb sausage. Yum. And the eggplant in a pomegranate and cream sauce. OMG this was so delicious. After these two appetizers, my wife and I were full, and we still had the lamb shank entree coming. We tasted a little of the lamb shank, and took the rest home for a separate dinner the following night at home. This food is very delicious. Hightly recommend.

Wonderful, delicious different, friendly, funky and welcoming. What more can I say. This restaurants suggested by a friend who lives near the restaurant and is a favorite place and frequented often. So I decided to give it a try for lunch. Stepping into this restaurant is like stepping out of an airplane and walking on top of the clouds, The walls and ceiling of the dining room are painted to look like blue sky and clouds. The service was efficient but friendly. The menu was very interesting and everything sounded delicious. The items ordered at my table certainly were. We ordered the vegetarian eggplant and Feta wrap which came with a bowl of red lentil soup. A bowl of lamb Chile and a dish of several individual phyllo bundles filled with rice, ground lamb, almonds, raisins and spices. These little bundles were piled in the center of the plate in a delicious semi sweet sauce with small cubes of carrot, and other root vegetables...wow is all I can say!! The portions are large and impressive given the relatively modest prices on the lunch menu. Two of us had no room left for dessert after an appetizer and an entree each. The bill with tax and tip came to $42.

The food here is quite good. Chef Yaya has added his own flair to classic middle eastern food. You will recognize most of the dishes but subtle changes add a "California twist." For example, Dolmas are made with Swiss Chard instead grape leaves. The are kabobs made with Salmon (in addition to traditional chicken, lamb, and beef.) And the carrot ganoush, while not traditional, is a must try. There is also a pizza apatizer with a crispy crust made from falafel that was excellent. And end your meal with the excellent and quite traditional balaclava, and Turkish coffee. Both are fantastic.

At the end if a long day sightseeing we were glad to find Jannah nearby to our accommodation on Fulton. The welcome was warm without being fussy and menu had a number of good options from mezze to full meal. The food was excellent and we can see why this place has a loyal following locally. If you like middle eastern food, it is a one to look out for.

Went here with family who lives in the area and recommended the place. We were not disappointed! The food was excellent. I recommend the beef & rice wrapped in phillo dough: biriani. The spices and nuts make it memorable! Japanese eggplant appetizer was also excellent. Babaganouch was too smokey flavored. Good service. Reasonable prices.

We were looking for something with vegetarian options and found this listing with great reviews. Very generous portions, delicious food and attentive service. We will definitely return!

Tried this place not knowing what to expect, and both the food and service were outstanding! Fav dish at the table would have to be the biriani.

Yaya has been in various locations over the years. I knew when I saw he had opened Jannah that I had to eat there. The same wonderful dishes and some new ones made for a memorable dinner. If new to this cuisine, try ordering a number of appetizers and sharing them. Do not miss the fattoush -- Yaya's version is special.

This place is truly a gem. I've been at it's predecessor "Yaya's" and it always seem better than the time before. The lentil soup was awesome and so was the lamb shank with sultan. The service very personal and efficient.

Jannah is one of those most authentic Middle Eastern restaurants in the US at which I have eaten. The staff, all family members, is not only knowledgeable, but also wonderfully accommodating. The atmosphere is friendly, the neighborhood is quiet, and the parking is on the street, but not difficult to find. There is no way to describe the food that comes out of that kitchen without making it all sound trite, simply fabulous, outstanding, full of flavor, delicious, super, etc., etc., ad infinitum. As rich as the English language is, sometimes it doesn’t make the grade. Let me tell you, no one with taste buds in their mouth will not want to not return to Jannah to enjoy the food and the excellent Lebanese wine many, many, many times. Jannah has become a destination food extravaganza for me. One of the treats at Jannah is that several of the dishes they serve contain pomegranate syrup in the preparation. Yummy, yummy for the tummy. You simply can’t go wrong by dinning at Jannah. Highly recommended restaurant!

When the owner of the restaurant not only deletes the corkage fee cause the table bought more wine, plus gave us an extra portion of ratatouille as it looked skimpy otherwise in our take home box--such gracious gestures require 5 stars. And first--and ohhhh--the food is so good. Don't miss the Eggplant--the most succulent preparation I have ever enjoyed. Wow. Many items on the menu are not to be missed. Like the falafel pizza--Safeehat. Out of this world....and the dolmas, usually an appetizer that I skip but these were tender, succulent and a taste that was far beyond other dolmas. Same with the hummus which usually leaves me blase but not here. Cardamom crops up as a flavor in a few dishes making magic of ordinary ingredients. We had a table of six and enjoyed 5 appetizers and 3 large entrees, along with 2 desserts plus two bottles of Lebanese wine. Including a generous tip we spent $60 per person. The family based staff (mom-dad-son) made the place seem like home. The neighborhood here is lively and parking was readily available. A great night out and especially fun to share with a group.

We chose this place to eat before attending a concert at St. Ignatius. We made a reservation for 6:30 p.m. When we arrived, the staff was busy moving tables around to create seating for more diners. (I don't think they were expecting a crowd on a rainy Sunday night.) In any case, there was no open table for us, so we were invited to sit at the bar. This wasn't what we had in mind, but there wasn't a whole lot of choice in the matter. Bottom line: We're glad we stayed. Management treated us to a glass of wine, and the staff won us by being extremely warm and friendly. My wife noticed that one of the dishes on the menu contained a spice she hadn't been able to find. A few minutes later, our server brought out naan with a dipping sauce that contained my wife's "missing ingredient" and she was also given a small plastic container of the spice to take home (as well as being told at what market she could find it). The food was also very good, both my lamb and salmon kabobs and my wife's puff pastry dish exceeded expectations. One night when we have a bigger appetite we want to go back for the house specialty: a lamb shank that can be prepared four different ways. No table turned out to be no problem. We were joined at the bar by three or four other couples, and the bar wasn't being operated as a bar -- it was just used for overflow seating.

This is one of our favorite spots in our neighborhood. It really should be more popular. It used to be Ya-Ya on Van Ness many years ago. They moved to the panhandle a while ago. The food is always consistently great. The falafel-base pizza with feta, olives and tomato is a unique dish you have to try. The biryani is amazing. Their chicken kebabs are excellent. It’s hard to go wrong. The atmosphere and decor is nothing special, but the food and nice service keeps us coming back

This is a seemingly undiscovered gem in the NO PA area. Our group ordered different dishes, some vegetarian and some meat based, and we found all courses to be fresh, appropriately prepared and uniquely flavorful. Portions were ample and service was comfortable. We did not need reservations on this week night and the place was empty at the time, but it was very early. We tasted each other's dishes and we loved everything! Highly recommended and an easy walk from Haight or Divisidero.

Our first experience here was great, so we went back with friends, and tried new dishes. Everything was very good!

Local favorite. Wish they were open for longer hours...this place is amazing. Super fresh ingredients, and even delicious middle-eastern pizza's.

Food was pretty good - not the best ever but above average. I’ll try some other neighborhood ME spots before coming back, but I’m sure I will. Really good dried lime tea beverage I’m forgetting the name of...Our server did the best she could but was being run pretty ragged due to the number of tables and minimal help.

I've been to this fantastic restaurant a few times now. Both the food and service are excellent. The flavors, presentation, originality, freshness and portion sizes all stand out. A wonderful neighborhood gem that satisfies time and time again!

From the appetizers to the main dishes, we were all thrilled with the food. The portions were generous and the Jannah family were very attentive. The mezes plates were colorful and very tasty. The kabobs had excellent flavors and were more than expected. The Fatoosh salad was perfect with the meal. We will return as will our guests.

I recently joined a group of over 40 guests here for a private party buffet. Thanks to fellow/sister-reviewers, I took a leap of faith and hosted this party without ever having gone there myself. Yikes! Suffice to say - reviewers: you were not wrong. This is a wonderful restaurant. Mr. Yahya Salih and his team were assembled in the main area to greet us when we arrived. I felt like we were entering someone's home, even though this is obviously a restaurant. Perhaps these are long lost relatives from the formerly unknown Persian side of my family :>}. We were instructed to make ourselves at home and sit wherever we wished as the restaurant was only open for our little party on this particular Sunday at lunch time. And, as we were seated, 2 young men at the bar efficiently wiped down individual chilled, bottled waters which were handed out to each of our quests at the tables, while a very kind woman [? Mrs. Salih?] finished setting up the food on the buffet tables. On the buffet tables were: very large, pretty plates, white linen napkins, silverware and big trays of chilled soft drinks. This was followed by: baskets of pita bread, homemade hummus sprinkled with za'atar and olive oil, baba ganoush, crisp middle eastern salad tossed with a light vinaigrette, stuffed grape leaves and at the end of this particular table - the magnificent Kuzi. This is a specialty dish of cooked and shredded lamb which is mixed with basmati rice, nuts, fruits and spices. It is then encased in just a few layers of phyllo dough and baked in the oven. It is then dressed with a beautiful sauce that I suspect has pomegranate molasses. Suffice to say - I could just eat the sauce with a spoon and be VERY happy. On the next buffet table there was a falafel pizza topped with feta, black olives, onions and red peppers; wood-grilled & marinated salmon and chicken kabobs; rice pilaf and a sauce of caramelized onions, red peppers, and other spices for the kabobs and rice. I think you could best describe this sauce as a Persian ratatouille. There was so much more food than our group could reasonably eat - and like the good hosts they were - they encouraged us to eat more and more until we could no longer move. There was still food left over. These gracious people did not skimp on the food and could not have been more gracious and hospitable to our group. Even 2 dietary issues were addressed easily with not a sigh or scowl. Frankly, I cannot remember the last time I had such a good feeling about a restaurant. The food was truly delicious and it is even reasonably priced. The rest rooms accommodate 2 people each and they were very clean. The patio in the back of the restaurant is heated. There is a full bar along the front side of the restaurant, to the your right, as you enter. And, I was told they could accommodate about 130 +/- people and still be comfortable. There is on-street parking but it does not look too challenging to find a space. Mr. Salih has had 8 different restaurants in SF, he told me. It is easy to see why he has such a following and such a good reputation, and why his guests want him to be successful and remain in the business. If you are looking for a tasty meal, at an appropriate price, hosted by gracious people - this might just be the spot for you. I, for one, can't wait to go back. Thank you Mr. Salih and team for such a lovely lunch.

There was a bit of a mix up on seating when we arrived, and the staff went out of their way to make it up to us. I expressed an interest in a certain spice mentioned in the some of the menu descriptions (sumac) and they not only brought a dipping sauce made with it for us to taste, they also gave me a small container of sumac to take home. We felt so welcomed and so well cared for, that we plan to be back within weeks, in spite of the long journey.

Friendly staff, good food and with a modest selection of wines. Family members enjoyed their first taste of zaatar with delicious bread. شكراً