After ~AZIZA~ chef-owner Mourad Lahlou’s plans to open a Jackson Square restaurant fell through, it was just a matter of time before a new location would present itself. Scoop shares that Lahlou is going to open a project in the fabulous Art Deco Pacific Telephone Building in SoMa. (Yelp is also in the building, which is currently undergoing a massive renovation that is scheduled to be finished in September 2013.) Whether it will be called Aziza or something else, that remains to be seen, but Olle Lundberg is the architect behind the 6,000-square-foot project, which will feature 19-foot ceilings, 12-foot street-facing windows, 110 seats inside, a bar and lounge area, private dining, and a garden courtyard. As for the food, there won’t be a tasting menu, and the cuisine “will likely be more approachable than what’s currently served at Aziza.” The Outer Richmond location will remain, but the concept could also change. Expect more details in coming months; the projected opening is a year out (fall 2013). 140 New Montgomery St. at Mission.
Meanwhile, Grub Street posted a rumor that the other restaurant to open in the second downstairs space (2,400 square feet) may be a project from Bar Agricole—no confirmation on this yet.
The interior of Aziza. Photo via Facebook.
