Jaji

We were so happy to try out this new restaurant on Valentine's Day and it met every one of our expectations. I still haven't been to Parche, but I knew this restaurant came from that team. Now I'm even more excited to go check it out!The interior or beautiful and the staff were on top of things. Our waiter explained the family-style menu and suggested since we were a party of two that we order 4-6 items to share. He was right on the money with the portions because we almost didn't make it to dessert.We tried the My Jigar which was our favorite and had a fluffy brioche and had a great mix of flavors and textures, the Sabzi Galet, Shalo-Qorooti Croquettes which were crunchy and flavorful and so so good, and the Tikka Wagyu Steak Kabob. We topped it off with the Basque Cheesecake which had a fantastic complex flavor with green cardomom. There were definitely other things on the menu we were eyeing and we had a great time so we'll definitely be back!

We came here for Valentine's Day dinner. They were only open for two weeks at this point, so I'm sure they're still refining service. We ordered the chapli wagyu, mushroom pekora, ducktu, and lamb. The chapli wagyu felt so overcooked, it felt like it could have been any piece of meat. It felt super tough and difficult to eat. Pekora, I don't think we'd order again. The flavor of the mushroom didn't come through, but also because it's deep fried. This was the only dish we ordered that actually had greens / citrus notes in the dip. We used the dip for other parts of our meal to beak it up a bit. The ducktu dumplings were good, but as a whole -the dish wasn't very hot? This dish felt very delicate, I enjoyed how the leeks were used and that it wasn't too salty. Finally the lamb- great presentation and it was delicious! The meat fell off the bone so easily. Our favorite on the menu. We were on the fence about dessert, but I was please surprised about the green cardamom basque cheesecake. Every bite was delicious, and not too sweet. The drinks ordered were ok, mine felt super strong on first few sips. It didn't feel like it was mixed well, and I let it sit for a while for it to taste better. Overall, I think this place has a lot of potential to do well.

My husband and I came here for a late Valentine's Day dinner. Made reservations for 5pm on a Saturday which they were able to seat us right away. A plus. The menu contains contemporary Afghan food. Ambiance is really nice. We ordered:Squash Bolani 5/10 squash was mushy like baby food with not really any flavor, dough was good Sabzi pastry type of dish 8/10 was good, but couldn't taste the Sabzi, the cheese and pastry over powered it. Something I would have for breakfast or brunch not for dinner, it didn't mash well with the other food. Lamb with mastawa ( sticky rice) - 6/10 mastawa was good just like any other traditional Afghan mastawa, the lamb was cooked very nice but it was lacking spices and garlic. If they can add more spices and garlic to it this dish will easily be atleast a 9/10.Wagyu Chapli kabob 4/10 - I honestly couldn't taste the wagyu and the chapli spices needed to be crushed I could literally taste chunks of spices in my mouth and it was hard chewing it. Non alcoholic white wine - 1/10 just no Mocktail that had pomegranate - 3/10 flavor was nice but they served in such a small cup for $15 dollars not worth it in my opinion. Overall this place is ok...it's not something the blew me away. It's just Lacking flavor. But if you don't mind that, you might like it. Idk, I really wanted to like it due to it being the bay's first modern Afghan restaurant and the ambiance was very nice. But for them to get return customers they need to improve the taste, because in the bay we are blessed with such great food.

This is one is the most difficult reviews I had to write about. The restaurant is tastefully decorated . The service was good but not great. Our server who took our took our order was visibly unhappy that we weren't going to order alcoholic beverages. They didn't offer Diet Coke either. I ended up ordering a sparkling water and my wife stuck with regular water. The other server that was bringing the food was friendly and responsive while the first guy would simply disappear. I get that this is a fusion and it takes some of the Afghan dishes with a new twist to make it an elevated dish, but the twist are not adding to the dish instead taking something away. The Bolani triangles was tasty but give that you can can 10x the portion in any afghan restaurant, that was over priced. The kebab is best described as yakitori, it definitely lacked the spices that make Afghan food unique. I also questioned It if it's truly Wagu. The Ducktu is a variation of Mantu. What makes Mantu uniquely Afghan is the yogurt and meat sauce otherwise it's a wonton, and the miso ginger definitely took away from the dish. The Chapli Kabob was very dry. The kabuli with the Cornish game hen was the most authentic and best dish of the menu.The trout looked great but at $70 we skipped it. I like that they are trying something new but it must add to the dish. Like the Chutney which with a hint of sugar had been elevated to a new height.

The ambiance and space is airy and stylish. We sat at the bar and liked the bartender / waiter's friendliness and suggestions. For small bites we got the liver toast which wasn't too liver-y and had a nice combination of flavors. We also got the croquettes and they were nice and soft on the inside and crunchy outside. We got the tikka kebab and that was cooked just right and meat was juicy. We got two desserts - basque cheesecake and flourless chocolate. Both were delicious, and both had dense parts paired with other textured components making great bites. The plating for desserts was pretty.

Jaji is outstanding! Besides the breathtaking interior, the staff is friendly and efficient. I sat at the bar with some of my girlfriends and we were able to try a decent amount drinks and food. Although I only got a picture of dessert which was a decadent dark chocolate and pistachio cake. It was incredible but I recommend sharing because it's so rich! The kebabs were a crowd pleaser and easy to share. The croquettes were perfectly crispy. Definitely want to come back to try more!

The ambiance is warm, lively and classy! I started off with a saffron martini. It was not sweet at all btw! Loved it. The bolani and kabobs I tried were very well seasoned and flavorful.

Instagram brought me here lol After 5 total disappointments of restaurant recommendations from foodie influencers. I had given up on trying their suggestions, I thought I should expand my horizons with a fusion cuisine of Afghan delicacies. Never had I ever had such flavors I started with the Bolani, the fried onion on top added amazing flavor. I also had the Tekka WAGYU kabob, I don't know if I can ever have regular kabob again lol I thought I was done till the party next to me ordered a mushroom pekora dish that looked good, so I had to order that too. Service and ambience was great too, all of the staff were very knowledgeable about the food too! I can imagine this place with a Michelin or

What a stunning restaurant! The ambiance is beautiful and you can tell a lot of thought was put into this restaurant. The service was outstanding - different folks were coming in to check on us and everyone did a fabulous job at presenting each dish. It did feel as if they were a few too many interruptions by the various servers but I appreciated the attentiveness. We ordered the bolani triangles, the chapli wagyu beef, and the chocolate pistachio cake. The food was incredible - so flavorful and beautiful presentation. The green chutney was so yummy, definitely keep an eye on that. We also ordered the duck confit dumplings which were a huge letdown - the meat was dry and flavorless. I was honestly shocked since everything else was so good - definitely a menu item to skip. The highlight of the night for me was the chocolate pistachio cake - the textures of the phyllo and semi freddo were divine and I loved the combination of chocolate and pistachio - it was also served on a gorgeous plate. My main complaint is that everything is expensive which I understand considering it seems they're going for an upscale vibe - would come back but only for a special occasion.

Early Valentine's dinner tonight at Jaji in Oakland. In a word fantastic! The space is elegant and beautiful, but the food and service are what made our experience so great. As chefs ourselves, my husband and I love to try as many things as we can when we go out. That said, we sampled a good portion of the menu, including specialty cocktails from the bar, and we thoroughly enjoyed every dish. I highlighted the items we had on the menu pictures attached to this review. We will be back to try the rest soon. I definitely encourage everyone to come try Jaji, the food and service are spot on.