Isn’t it wonderful how the Mission continues to surprise? Tucked away between Pork Store Café and a tiny, new (to me) ramen place on 16th Street, is a Palestinian restaurant called Freekeh, named after the nutty, ancient grain popular in the Middle East. Owner Arafat Herzallah told us he is half-Palestinian and half-Jordanian, and that he and his family hail from Gaza.
Despite all the truly horrifying events of late in that region of the world, or perhaps because of it, food culture runs deep for Herzallah; he ran the coffee shop/hookah bar that used to be in the same space, and catered on the side for 25 years. But in 2022, he converted the space into a full-service Palestinian restaurant. It’s lovely inside, serene and inviting, with patio seating in the front and back. And the food is across-the-board excellent.
We took advantage of a good-weather day and sat out front. On the house, our server brought out a small trio of starters to share:
All good and interesting, and none of which I’d ever tried before. We ordered the beautiful house sampler, too: Hummus, baba ghanoush (a fantastic rendition), falafel, muhammara (also excellent), and tabouleh. The freshness of these well-known mezze was what made them stand-outs. Instead of blending into each other, as so often happens, all the flavors and textures were vibrant and distinct.
One of our party got the shish tawook (chicken kebab):
The juicy chicken came served off the skewer, nicely charred and redolent of turmeric and cumin, sided by the namesake freekeh, as well as grilled veggies, and muthawama, a divine frothy garlic/potato mixture also known as toum. My friend found the sauce a little rich for her taste, but I could have inhaled it and gone back for more.
Her husband got the shish kebab.
It also came with the freekeh, grilled veggies and a spicy tatbili sauce made with hot peppers and walnuts (which actually has its origins as an Israeli dish). I appreciated that they served an entirely different sauce with his dish. And again, tender meat, with lovely smokey flavor from the grill — someone knows what they’re doing back there.
We also split a small bowl of zahara bil tahini (fried cauliflower with sumac and a tahini sauce).
Crisp/tender/creamy, rich and lemony, with the familiar nuttiness of tahini, this was another inhalable dish.
For my main I ordered mansaf:
Our very informative server told me this was Jordan’s national dish: Spiced ground lamb is mixed with saffron rice and yogurt sauce, and rolled in a flatbread. It is then sliced and topped with toasted almonds. All the sauces are made in-house, and this one had a makrut undertone beneath the tahini/yogurt. Enough to share with the table, these were delicious and light, but still, by this point, I was dangerously full. And yet.
We somehow found room to split a baklawa o buza — essentially, a baklava sundae with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Other desserts included a kanafeh — a cheese-stuffed shredded phyllo pastry — and, especially intriguing, a quatayef — a baked crepe folded over walnuts and cinnamon.
I also had a good, properly boozy cocktail, an old fashioned with a Lebanese nectar and orange bitters. Freekeh has an original cocktail list, playing off the classics but made with house-made nectars, and a small but enticing selection of Palestinian and Lebanese wines I’m definitely going to try next time.
There is so much more on this menu that calls to me: Fried salty white cheese, ful (a fava bean and garlic mash), grilled salmon, shrimp, the well-known fattoosh salad, lentil soup … such a cornucopia of delectables from the aptly named Fertile Crescent.
We all know that there is such a cross-over when it comes to the cuisines of the Middle East, an area rich with history, diverse people, and exuberant culinary flavors. Would that all its peoples could dwell in such harmony. We can do our small part to help by supporting all our small businesses.
Freekeh
3126 16th St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
Toum is not made with potato. Please look up dishes and ingredients if you are unsure 🙏. This feels like a common trend in your reviews.