El Mansour Restaurant San Francisco

An entertaining and unique experience in the city. Came here on a whim on Friday night and were lucky to be seated (reservations really recommended.) Loved everything about our experience; the cushioned seating, the music and entertainment, the hand-washing service, we felt really pampered and taken care of. Lest you think this is just some gimmicky place, rest assured the food was excellent. We started off our 5-course meal with their silky lentil soup, followed by their salad plate, and the delightful bastilla. Our entrees — chicken with lemons and olives, and couscous with vegetables — were great. We ended the evening with knafeh, fried bananas and mint tea. Definitely a place to check out!

Wow. What a fun night! The room had tons of charm. A lot of authentic touches. The food was amazing and the staff was great. I asked what meal was recommended and they suggest family style (we had four of us). Do it. We got to try many great dishes. This place is a must.

Al Mansour is the perfect place for a fun cultural night out. This place can be found deep within San Francisco with a relatively modest but culturally evocative entrance. First of all, the food is very good and original to this restaurant or to the Moroccan cuisine that is its specialty. The five course menu won't disappoint with plenty of options for everybody. There is also a separate prix-fixe menu if you don't want the full menu. The lentil soup tastes really really good, I also enjoy dipping the bread in it, it makes for a nice savory combination. There is a pistachio and beef specialty pie as one of the appetizers which is very unique and tasty to boot. I think all the options on the menu are good, but I especially enjoyed the lamb with honey and almonds, or the Moroccan seafood dish, but I think all seem very good. The belly dancing performances definitely added a lot to an evening at this place, it really turned everything into an experience. We were lucky that we went through two full sessions of dancing cuz we stayed long enough. The lady fit in many different styles and trappings as part of her performance. The atmosphere is very well done, once you step through that front entrance, you feel you are in a Moroccan tent in the desert with comfortable pillow seating and small tables. The decor is very sumptuous and expressive. The evening is topped off with a delightful dessert with deep fried banana and baklava, and some nice mint tea. The service was always excellent and they often checked to make sure we had everything we needed.