The food was delicious but the service was lousy and tainted my tastebuds’ judgement (food probably deserves 5 stars).
Poor service started when making a reservation - I was asked if I’d be celebrating anything special… i indicated that it was my wife’s and my wedding anniversary. I don’t expect anything for free but If an establishment asks and knows there’s a special celebration I do hope that they at least say “congratulations” or acknowledge it with a card, many places send out a small appetizer, a little bubbles, or a classic dessert… Staff at Movida did absolutely none of that. I thought it was odd but I wouldn’t have left a poor review solely because of that…
Our server’s name was Jeremy. We asked him for water 4 times before he brought any. He took our order and never checked up on us, I saw him at other tables but not ours. Then, he just disappeared. I found out from the other staff that he had finished his shift. He didn’t tell us and no one else stopped by. We had to flag people down to get any service. And the host and/or manager tried to help but I asked her for something and she said “wait” and walked out of the building for various minutes. We didn’t get to order the extra plate we wanted and got my second drink way too late.
Very disappointed. I might be back because food was good but I’d sit at the bar in hopes that the bar staff is more attentive.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Riddhi Jain
Decent food but not Michelin level.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Jonathan Zarrouk
Ruined our Night. Wife made a reservation in advance. Forced to order from a Prix Fixe menu with no indication that there would be one on their website. Manager had a bad attitude. Do not recommend.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Sarah Macias
As a diner of both heritages, I approached Movida with anticipation, viewing the restaurant’s concept as a celebration of my own identity. We planned a weekend trip to San Francisco and confirmed dietary accommodations a month in advance, specifically inquiring about menu flexibility. Unfortunately, what promised to be a culturally significant evening devolved into an exercise in disrespect. Despite explicit assurances from staff that vegetarian options would be available, we were blindsided by a mandatory prix fixe menu that had not been previously disclosed online nor over the phone. While operational miscommunications can be forgiven, the conduct of the owner, Shima, was truly egregious. Rather than addressing the confusion with grace, she approached our table with palpable condescension, treating our polite inquiries as a nuisance and speaking down to us with a hostility that has absolutely no place in the hospitality industry.
It was evident that our patronage was undervalued—perhaps due to our younger demographic—as the owner’s demeanor was dismissive and impatient until we signaled our intent to leave, at which point she shifted to a performative benevolence that felt entirely disingenuous. It is telling that the party adjacent to us also departed prematurely due to similar obfuscation regarding the menu. We slected Movida for its unique cultural fusion; sadly, the management lacks the warmth and respect inherent in the very cultures it claims to represent. I cannot in good conscience recommend an establishment where the ambiance is so thoroughly overshadowed by the management’s disdain for its guests.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Chisom
The drinks were nasty and all the food was flavorless. The waiter was nice and the ambiance was beautiful but those are not nonnegotiable for me when I eat out. For the amount of money we paid, the food should've been spectacular but it severely missed the mark. We will not be back unfortunately.
Nadya H.
We had the dips (guacamole and eggplant), wings, pasta and skewers. Nothing was outstanding, but not terrible either. It leans more toward the milder side even for dishes that you would expect to have a little more heat such as the habanero wings and the habanero pasta. Service was ok. The tres leches dessert, was the highlight of our meal.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Dilmohan S .
We had a very good experience. Everything was as we would expect from a restaurant like this. Food and service was excellent.
jyoti
While the food was good I felt that they brought it out too fast. you have to give guests few minutes to socialize and taste the food before bringing out the next entre
Heather
What a cool space. Drinks were really creative. Some food items were better than others (hello chicken tinga taquitos - wow!). And the space would be great for a private party!
Isabella
Food tasted authentic and true coming from a middle easterner. Drinks were so delicious and cute. Some even had a little Persian twist on them which we loved. Staff was welcoming and fun. We went on a night they had a DJ and the vibes were great and lowkey. Will visit again when back in SF.
The saffron chicken was not cooked at all and we had told about gluten allergy but they still got a bread that was not gluten free. Too noisy. Would not recommend
Lynn
Drinks and food were excellent. However, service was slow and the acoustics were terrible. The music was too loud and I could hear the tables next to me better than the person I was dining with.
Emily
Delicious mocktails - like worth it to go back just for that! The food was very tasty and the interior very chic but my Persian dining companion said the ‘fusion' wasn't very imaginative.
phoebe
Wonderful service from the waitress to the owner. Delicious food with so much favor and lovely setting. Would go again and recommend to my friends.
Alan Garvey
We went here for my wife's birthday after reading a few reviews it felt the perfect place , we picked up some late warrior tickets so didn't unfortunately get to avail of all this experience had to offer . That said the setting is pretty cool, the food is beautiful and quite contemporary, we had a selection of sharables but should have choosen more. The pomegranate chicken wings were Devine. Mains chilli and lamb dish was as good as I have eaten and all other in the party loves theirs. Topped off with delightful and helpful staff, the lady front of house is very invested in her work Shima or something, 1 regret sampled more of the sharables....
The food was delicious but the service was lousy and tainted my tastebuds’ judgement (food probably deserves 5 stars).
Poor service started when making a reservation - I was asked if I’d be celebrating anything special… i indicated that it was my wife’s and my wedding anniversary. I don’t expect anything for free but If an establishment asks and knows there’s a special celebration I do hope that they at least say “congratulations” or acknowledge it with a card, many places send out a small appetizer, a little bubbles, or a classic dessert… Staff at Movida did absolutely none of that. I thought it was odd but I wouldn’t have left a poor review solely because of that…
Our server’s name was Jeremy. We asked him for water 4 times before he brought any. He took our order and never checked up on us, I saw him at other tables but not ours. Then, he just disappeared. I found out from the other staff that he had finished his shift. He didn’t tell us and no one else stopped by. We had to flag people down to get any service. And the host and/or manager tried to help but I asked her for something and she said “wait” and walked out of the building for various minutes. We didn’t get to order the extra plate we wanted and got my second drink way too late.
Very disappointed. I might be back because food was good but I’d sit at the bar in hopes that the bar staff is more attentive.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 1
Decent food but not Michelin level.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Ruined our Night. Wife made a reservation in advance. Forced to order from a Prix Fixe menu with no indication that there would be one on their website. Manager had a bad attitude. Do not recommend.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
As a diner of both heritages, I approached Movida with anticipation, viewing the restaurant’s concept as a celebration of my own identity. We planned a weekend trip to San Francisco and confirmed dietary accommodations a month in advance, specifically inquiring about menu flexibility. Unfortunately, what promised to be a culturally significant evening devolved into an exercise in disrespect. Despite explicit assurances from staff that vegetarian options would be available, we were blindsided by a mandatory prix fixe menu that had not been previously disclosed online nor over the phone. While operational miscommunications can be forgiven, the conduct of the owner, Shima, was truly egregious. Rather than addressing the confusion with grace, she approached our table with palpable condescension, treating our polite inquiries as a nuisance and speaking down to us with a hostility that has absolutely no place in the hospitality industry.
It was evident that our patronage was undervalued—perhaps due to our younger demographic—as the owner’s demeanor was dismissive and impatient until we signaled our intent to leave, at which point she shifted to a performative benevolence that felt entirely disingenuous. It is telling that the party adjacent to us also departed prematurely due to similar obfuscation regarding the menu. We slected Movida for its unique cultural fusion; sadly, the management lacks the warmth and respect inherent in the very cultures it claims to represent. I cannot in good conscience recommend an establishment where the ambiance is so thoroughly overshadowed by the management’s disdain for its guests.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The drinks were nasty and all the food was flavorless. The waiter was nice and the ambiance was beautiful but those are not nonnegotiable for me when I eat out. For the amount of money we paid, the food should've been spectacular but it severely missed the mark. We will not be back unfortunately.
We had the dips (guacamole and eggplant), wings, pasta and skewers. Nothing was outstanding, but not terrible either. It leans more toward the milder side even for dishes that you would expect to have a little more heat such as the habanero wings and the habanero pasta.
Service was ok.
The tres leches dessert, was the highlight of our meal.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
We had a very good experience. Everything was as we would expect from a restaurant like this. Food and service was excellent.
While the food was good I felt that they brought it out too fast. you have to give guests few minutes to socialize and taste the food before bringing out the next entre
What a cool space. Drinks were really creative. Some food items were better than others (hello chicken tinga taquitos - wow!). And the space would be great for a private party!
Food tasted authentic and true coming from a middle easterner. Drinks were so delicious and cute. Some even had a little Persian twist on them which we loved. Staff was welcoming and fun. We went on a night they had a DJ and the vibes were great and lowkey. Will visit again when back in SF.
Restaurantji Recommends
The saffron chicken was not cooked at all and we had told about gluten allergy but they still got a bread that was not gluten free. Too noisy. Would not recommend
Drinks and food were excellent. However, service was slow and the acoustics were terrible. The music was too loud and I could hear the tables next to me better than the person I was dining with.
Delicious mocktails - like worth it to go back just for that! The food was very tasty and the interior very chic but my Persian dining companion said the ‘fusion' wasn't very imaginative.
Wonderful service from the waitress to the owner. Delicious food with so much favor and lovely setting. Would go again and recommend to my friends.
We went here for my wife's birthday after reading a few reviews it felt the perfect place , we picked up some late warrior tickets so didn't unfortunately get to avail of all this experience had to offer .
That said the setting is pretty cool, the food is beautiful and quite contemporary, we had a selection of sharables but should have choosen more. The pomegranate chicken wings were Devine. Mains chilli and lamb dish was as good as I have eaten and all other in the party loves theirs.
Topped off with delightful and helpful staff, the lady front of house is very invested in her work Shima or something,
1 regret sampled more of the sharables....
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loading...