SAJJ Mediterranean (SF SoMa) — Restaurant in San Francisco

Another disappointing SF foray into the world of Mediterranean food.

I feel like my quest for good, affordable Mediterranean food in this city is never ending. Admittedly, I've been spoiled growing up on the East Coast and spending time on the Mediterranean, but... it just shouldn't be so hard!

The cheapest meal you can get here will run you $10 for a falafel sandwich/salad/bowl plus a soup, ranging up to $13/14 range for a combo of shawarma and falafel. All meals come with soup, which seems like an excuse to charge more at very little cost, but I guess you're in SoMa, so hey?

Let's start with the soup - it was half-full at best and leant nothing to the meal. Mostly broth, it tasted strongly of pureed onion and celery, and when I got to the bottom of the bowl, there was actually some of that there. There was a layer of oil, however, on top of the broth, which turned me off fairly immediately. I'd love a dollar off to avoid the soup altogether.

I got a shawafel, the mix of shawarma and falafel, over salad. The first thing the server did was ask if I wanted all three lettuces (kale, arugula, mixed greens), but then promptly ignored my answer of "no kale". She grabbed a huge hand full and threw it in, piling arugula on top of it before I count right the wrong. I'm not one to throw a fit so I didn't say anything, but why ask if you're not listening for the answer?

I was served two pieces of falafel and some steak shawarma, then asked which veggies I'd like. Again, it felt like the answer wasn't truly valued... the server kind of moved at her own accord, starting to add things before I asked for them or hesitating when I asked for more of a single ingredient. Small things were the downfall of this salad... not draining the garbanzo beans or Israeli salad before adding them, such that a puddle of water was gathering in the bottom of the bowl, or piling on way too much of the strong garlic sauce yet not enough of the almost flavorless hummus. It was a bummer because it just didn't set this meal up for success.

Upon eating it, I found each ingredient somewhat hit or miss. The steak shawarma was tough and gamey. The falafel were very crispy on the outside, and the perfect consistency inside, but lacked any depth of flavor. They were on the brown side instead of a bright green, and it was clear from color and flavor that they lacked the right balance of herbs. The hummus was all tahini, completely missing the flavor of chick peas, and was more like a thick paste than a creamy delight. The tzatziki was on point from a flavor profile, a bit of tangy tart yogurt with chunks of fresh cucumber, but it needed to be thicker in its consistency. The garlic sauce was overpowering in its flavor and dominated the salad ingredients around it. The Israeli salad and pickled onions were as expected. The eggplant brought dark and roasted flavors, a little soggy but otherwise pleasant. The pickles were crunchy but not flavorful enough to stand up to the rest of the salad. The spicy tahini was lacking spice, which I thankfully found in the chili sauce (unclear if homemade or not).

Overall, it seemed a mess of small imperfections that at large totalled to an unsatisfactory meal. I'll continue to keep my search going for the perfect spot, and if you know any,...

Man I wanted this place to be good. I live five minutes away and have an affinity for Mediterranean cuisine. Unfortunately it was mostly horrible with only a few bright spots, which I will identify. This is our experience:

My partner and I were having friends over but we were too tired to cook, so I went to Google Maps as usual to find some well rated takeout. Sajj was very well rated and I recognized the name from riding by the restaurant almost daily. I placed the order at around 6pm to be delivered between 7-7:15pm because our guests were due to arrive at 6:30. I went down to the lobby at 6:30 to retrieve our guests and to my surprise, there was the delivery driver with our food already. So now instead of mingling and getting settled prior to the food arriving, we were forced to start serving immediately so that our food could be served hot. I began to serve and was immediately confronted with the fact that the pomegranate chicken was cold and we had no pita bread. Let me reframe this to show its absurdity: We live five minutes away and the order was delivered 30 minutes early yet the chicken was still cold. Unfortunately those aren't even the biggest culinary sins. I will tolerate a whole lot of nonsense so long as you give me some tasty food. This food was BORING and had ZERO FLAVOR. Nothing was seasoned. Here's the list:

Pomegranate Chicken: cold, flavorless Falafel: hard as a rock, strange flavor Rice: boring as can be Lentil Soup: no lentils or lentil flavor, tasted only of consomme Pita Bread: I wouldn't know, they forgot it

The good:

Cucumber and Tomatoes: fortunately for us this was too simple for them to screw up. Had a fresh taste and acted as a palette cleanser. Hummus: tasted fresh and seasoned Baklava: on the dry side but had a pleasant taste.

In summation: Choose another restaurant to save yourself the time and displeasure. Sajj is a culinary insult to a magnificent City full of...

I live up in the Sacramento area and had never heard of Sajj until my husband brought me a bowl home when he was down in SF for work one day. I have not been a huge fan of Mediterranean food...but OMG! I am now reformed!! Their selection of meats/toppings/sauces is extensive (far more options than anything I've found around here) and the food is fresh and beyond delicious! Don't even get me started on the lentil soup....it's so delicious I would take a bath in it!!! It's so simple, but the flavors are complex and come together perfectly! I really could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

I now ASK my husband to go to his company's SF office (which requires him to be gone for the full day, leaving me to take care of the kids ALL day...including distance learning) JUST so he can bring me home a bowl!

I would give this place 10 stars is it was possible! My only request is...PLEASE open one up near us (specifically Roseville/Rocklin area) so I can eat here all the time.

If you haven't tried Sajj before...what are you waiting for?! Go there...