Morac Restaurant Lounge

by Cole I.

The food here is to die for.  I had the combo platter: chicken, beef and lamb with rice and some other side dishes.  The lamb was just okay but the beef was the most flavorful tender meat I've had in a long time.  The chicken was wonderful as well.  I liked it so much that I ordered a second one to take home with me.The server was a bit overbearing and a little too friendly and talkative for my taste but overall the service was very good, and when it comes to service I'd much rather have too much than too little.  He recommended drinks for us - their "signature" cucumber drink was nothing special but I had a pomegranate drink that was divine.The atmosphere is chic but not pretentious like some of the upscale mission restaurants *cough Medjool* and I loved the entrance with the big door that looked like it had been carved from a tree trunk.I am planning to come back here for a big party on my birthday.  Just one thing... no sign?  We circled the block 3 times before we finally spotted it.

by Joshua C.

I've been wanting to try this place out as a potential venue to host my birthday dinner. I finally made it here on a Friday night. The place was practically empty (it was around 6pm) yet they were hesitant about seating us. Apparently they had several larger parties expected that night. We ordered the sampler plate, cheese crisps and grilled shrimp. The sampler plate was YUM! I loved their hummus! I like how they serve their dips with both pita chips and fresh pita. The cheese crisps were also good and interesting. Think of it like an open faced grilled cheese, except with lavash. The shrimp was okay, but we were stuffed off the sampler plate and the cheese crisps.I had the lemon cucumber cocktail that they are known for. It was really good and refreshing. Fresh lemon juice, vodka, cucumber and a little soda. Very nice drink for a hot summer day.The hookah wasn't the best I've had. It was pretty pricey ($20) and after a while it started to get harsh. Every hookah I've had always remained smooth, but at Morac it wasn't bearable after a while.So I've decided not to have my birthday dinner due to what I experienced here. The staff seems to not know how to run smoothly. I realized this because we were sitting at the bar and I could hear the owner and bartender talking to the waitresses. They don't have their sh*t together as far as the operations of the place. This is not the type of stuff you want your customers hearing because it exposes your weakness. If I had not overheard all their conversations, I probably wouldn't have noticed that the service was off. Also, it's a bit overpriced for what they offer. Overall I spent about $80 bucks for a sampler plate, cheese crisps, grilled shrimp, two cocktails, a beer and hookah.They have a good concept here - restaurant/bar/hookah lounge. The city needs more like this. BUT, you need to have a flawless staff in order to pull this off. I think, in time, they will figure it out. Once they do, I'll be back. But in the meantime, I'd rather go to Cairo Nights for my hookah needs. It's cheaper and you can bring your own booze. Holler.

by Kristy M.Alex B.YumYum S.Denise Q.Angela H.

How often do you get to sit around on plush cushy couches smoking mango and guava flavored tobacco while sipping on the most delicious and refreshing cucumber cocktail all the while sitting outside under heat lamps people watching in the Mission? If you answered not very often than I recommend doing so....SOON! I have yet to try their food but I will say their service is excellent. The manager went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable, that our drinks never went empty and our coals for the hookah were replenished every 8-10 minutes. Great lounge spot to enjoy with a group of 5 or less (get's a little crowded otherwise) or for a hot date.Perfect for four. Great wicker furniture and open air vibe. We were taken in well after the posted closing hours, without so much as the bat of an eyelash, and thoroughly enjoyed a mixed peach/mango hookah. Our server attended rather fastidiously to the coals, and the pipe never lost momentum.A rare melding of quality, cleanliness, and service for a hookah bar, in my estimation.I would give Morac 2.5 stars, because ultimately the food was pretty good and we had a decent server (Natalie).This will be a long review because I think Yelpers should have an understanding of the service we received.On Thursday 11/19, I called to make reservations for my friend's birthday. Someone had suggested Marrakech, but after some Yelp research, I chose Morac because it seemed the classier choice. Ricky took my reservation and assured that my party would be taken care of on Saturday, 11/21.Saturday, we were on our way to the city from the South Bay. We literally left at 5:15pm so that we would be on time for our 7pm reservation (and we were on time). Out of courtesy, I called Morac on our drive to tell Ricky that we wouldn't be ordering drinks anymore but just having dinner and smoking hookah. A moment later, Ricky called back to tell me that by the way, they only do hookah inside after 10pm, so our party would be sat outside. In San Francisco. In November. But I agreed because 1. there were heating lamps and 2. we were already on our wayWe get to Morac and Ricky shows us to our patio area. He says he's got another party coming a little larger than us ( we were 5 ) and tried to sit us on a 3 person couch/ in a straight line! When he saw we weren't feeling it, he told us to hang out and then we'd get things figured out when the other party came. Hmm. Okay?Ricky came back 5 minutes later to tell us actually, he overbooked and that other party was bigger. I guess he thought we should bear the brunt of that because he asked us to move back to the smaller/awkward area. By this time, things were just plain awkward. I was really embarrassed that I even chose Morac. To smooth things out, we decided to eat inside and take care of Hookah later.As I mentioned, our server Natalie was pretty good (was late on refills once or twice but over all decent) and the food was better than we expected. However, there were people smoking at the bar that was literally 4 feet from us, divided by an open curtain. When we asked the server, she said that out of courtesy to other diners, Morac doesn't do hookah in the eating area until after 10pm. Understandable, but no other party sat on our side of the curtain (because the dining are is split into 2 with open curtains) throughout our entire meal. They saw we skipped hookah (took our business somewhere else, Da Hookah Spot in Palo Alto), so they gave us some complimentary frou frou shot/drinks? A nice gesture, but it came too late. We left more than double the tax tip but only because of Natalie.On our way out, the birthday girl recognize the "larger party" that gained priority over us on the patio. It turns out, they're friends with the owner and requested the whole patio to themselves at the last minute. I am all for keeping long-time customers happy, but not at the expense of new customers that also made reservations. For the record, Ricky and the staff at Morac were very polite and respectful throughout the whole evening, but their actions were not. I was extremely disappointed with the lack of organization and respect. I definitely wont be coming back. If anything, I will dissuade anyone seeking Middle Eastern cuisine from giving business to Morac.Flavored hooka's, drinks, food, outside patio in back, lounge type seating............All of it is great!Need I say more?Cucumber drink is delicious.Though, it was strangely hard to get our drinks. We tried to order at the bar, but they told us to sit down and wouldn't just make our drinks and let us pay up front at the bar. Weird...So we sat down, and then it took them forever to come to us even though it wasn't that busy.They got our orders and finally came out with our drinks. Delicious! Except we waited about 20-30 minutes for our hookah...In conclusion, really weird service (maybe it was just an off night for the staff) but really tasty cucumber drinks.

by Jenny W.

So sad that I missed the yelp event here and I was beyond ecstatic when my cousin recommended we hit it up for dinner as she NEVER wants Moroccan food, which happens to be one of my favorites. I arrive to find my cousin sipping a cocktail at the lovely outdoor area, which brags nice leather couches, tables, and heat lamps.  We go inside to find a nice sampling menu as they haven't yet finished their main menu and are still using the sample menu.  We decided on a roasted red pepper and chutney dip, which was served with pita bread and pita chips.  We also ordered a chicken and couscous dish that came with this amazing yogurt sauce, a lamb/beef entrée with couscous, fried cheese squares, and a shrimp and asparagus entrée.  I would have to say my favorite was the chicken.  The service was impeccable as well.  I, of course, informed the owner that I was sad to miss the elite yelp event that was hosted there a couple weeks ago.  He came back with a few yelp pins and nail file for me :) He also gave me a second glass of vino for dessert (for freeee) while I sat outside with my cousin for our nightcap after the meal.  I can't wait to go back!

by earl g.

The design and intimate layout or Morac make it a good location for a 30th birthday type celebration. Mediterranean flair make it more of a girls night out type of deal. . I knew it wasn't going to be a good stop when we stopped in as a group of guys and their bouncers asked if we wanted to sit at their bar or one of their tables.

by Tyler W.

Holy amazing this is the awesomesauce.Rock the patio. Get the pita bread things with the chicken on it. I don't remember the name of it, I think it had q's in it, and maybe some x's and l's and a p.BINGO!

by Kristy M.

How often do you get to sit around on plush cushy couches smoking mango and guava flavored tobacco while sipping on the most delicious and refreshing cucumber cocktail all the while sitting outside under heat lamps people watching in the Mission? If you answered not very often than I recommend doing so....SOON! I have yet to try their food but I will say their service is excellent. The manager went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable, that our drinks never went empty and our coals for the hookah were replenished every 8-10 minutes. Great lounge spot to enjoy with a group of 5 or less (get's a little crowded otherwise) or for a hot date.

by Ashley M.

I went here for a Yelp Elite event and it was awesome! I had trouble spotting the restaurant at first, there was no 'MORAC' sign in the front to the place so it took me a few walks back and forth past the crowded bar before I figured out that the happening party was for yelp. I met great people, who I still talk with to this day, and I had a blast. There were hookahs everywhere, great food, free drinks and a henna bar. The ambiance of this place might have seen dark but the atmosphere was up beat and fun. I will definitely be back to Morac and I will definitely be bringing more of my friends.

by Angela H.

Cucumber drink is delicious.Though, it was strangely hard to get our drinks. We tried to order at the bar, but they told us to sit down and wouldn't just make our drinks and let us pay up front at the bar. Weird...So we sat down, and then it took them forever to come to us even though it wasn't that busy.They got our orders and finally came out with our drinks. Delicious! Except we waited about 20-30 minutes for our hookah...In conclusion, really weird service (maybe it was just an off night for the staff) but really tasty cucumber drinks.

by Tea B.

I was really impressed with this place. First: the food was really quite wonderful. We had the sampler, and all four of the dips were notably good--really flavorful. Also had the musakhan--spiced chicken and caramelized onions in lavash bread. That was also great; the spices were interesting, almost kind of smoky, and the meat was tender and flavorful. For dinner, my companion had the shish kebab (just the basic beef one) and, in response to my query, has just informed me that it was "tasty." I stole a bite of the beef myself and it was, in fact, tasty--also really tender and flavorful. Of note: the menu mentions that the kebab is topped with a hot sauce. It's marinated in the same sauce, but they top it with fresh sauce as well. We asked for that on the side, which I think was the right call. It was hot--not in the way you feel on your tongue, but more in the way you feel in your respiratory system. Kind of like a much milder version of that one time I ordered delivery with some dish that had wasabi sauce on the side--it arrived and I opened the sauce just to smell it, took a deep whiff, and promptly stopped breathing. But that's a story for another review, I suppose. I had the vegetarian kuba, which the menu describes as eggplant, tomatoes, and goat cheese "topped with vegetarian cakes" or something like that. It's actually the reverse: vegetarian cakes on a bed of eggplant, etc. because the veggie cakes are kind of huge.  But it was delicious, and it came with saffron rice studded with roasted almond slivers that was fantastic. I finished it for breakfast this morning.I would recommend this place. I'll definitely be coming back.