As he promised back when his new downtown restaurant Mourad opened in early 2015, chef Mourad Lahlou is closing the Outer Richmond restaurant where he made his name, Aziza, for a long overdue renovation. As Eater reports, that renovation is set to take two months, after which a new version of Aziza will open though it's unclear what might be changing along with the interior.
Sunday, May 22, will be the last night of service at the current Aziza as we know it.
Back before he opened the bigger, second spot on New Montgomery Street, Lahlou had pledged to give the place its own identity, apart from the more formal, romantic nature of Aziza. The plan all along had been to renovate the 15-year-old restaurant, and that was originally supposed to happen last year, but it appears he wanted to keep it open an extra year before making any changes.
Lahlou earned his first Michelin star at Aziza nearly a decade ago, which the restaurant has maintained ever since. For the 2016 guide, he picked up a fresh star for Mourad as well, in that restaurant's first year in business.
We'll update you as we learn more about Aziza 2.0 in the coming weeks.
