Medjool

(Mission)
2522 Mission Street  
415-550-9055 Map it
www.medjoolsf.com

E + D Award Winner
$$
Middle Eastern
bar scene, dine at the bar, family style, good for groups, outdoor dining, private dining or party space, romantic, singles scene, valet parking

2008 EAT + DRINK AWARD: Best Celebration Spot

SCENE: You can dine inside, in a high-ceilinged room sparely decorated with bare wooden tables, warm orange walls and a stained-glass chandelier, or you can do as the insiders do and head up to the roof-deck, where the real party is. There, beneath heat lamps or the bright banana belt sun, you can sip cocktails and sample Mediterranean-inflected dishes.

EATS: The menu, like Caesar’s Gaul, is divided into three parts: North African, Southern European and Middle Eastern. Although they’re all touted as tapas-sized, some dishes are more substantial than others, ranging from the robust venison tenderloin with spinach and baby carrots to the vegetarian stuffed grape leaves with a refreshing cucumber-radish salad. Don’t miss the flat, almost potato-chip-like pommes frites, which are tarted up (literally) with preserved lemon. Up on the "sky terrace," order lighter snacks, like spreads, skewers and burgers to accompany your cocktails, but come prepared—it's cash only.