This Eastern Mediterranean restaurant draws inspiration from numerous cultures.

Dalida, located in the Presidio in San Francisco, opened in 2023 by husband and wife team Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz who describe their restaurant as “a little Turkish, a little Greek, Armenian, Jewish, Arabic, and Persian”. I actually learned about the restaurant by watching chef Laura compete on the iconic cooking competition Top Chef a few seasons ago! Their extensive menu has a wide range of seafood and meat dishes and it was genuinely difficult to narrow down the options.

Inside Dalida.

Octopus and Sujuk (8/10).

We had to try their signature appetizer where thinly sliced tender octopus was dressed with olive oil and topped with an olive caper mixture and an pork sujuk sauce (typically a type of sausage made with beef but their version used pork).

Breaking Bread: Hummus, Muhammara, Smoked Yogurt,
Pickles, Marinated Olives, and Pita (8.5/10).

Another signature appetizer is their warm pita served with an array of dips. Of course muhammara (a red pepper spread with walnuts and pomegranate molasses) is my favorite.

Heirloom Melon & Halloumi (8.5-9/10).

I’m so glad I ordered this salad because Tommaso wasn’t convinced but it turned out to be one of my favorite dishes of the night. The key was the pristine honeydew and watermelon, both bursting with flavor and juiciness, paired with grilled Halloumi cheese. The anise dressing and fresh herbs really tied everything together beautifully.

Kayseri Manti (7.5-8/10).

These lamb dumplings were solid and I liked their petite shape. The tomato sauce could have been richer in flavor but the garlic yogurt with urfa spice added a nice richness and a slightly smoky note.

Stonefruit Lamb Kebab (7/10).

This was my least favorite savory dish of the night; I wished the lamb had been more charred on the outside. The pepper za’atar pine nut relish with the stone fruit added some complexity but something about the dish fell flat for me.

Saffron Tahdig with Barberries (9/10).

I had to get the tahdig and it was excellently prepared. This beloved Persian dish featured a perfectly crispy golden crust of rice with fluffy grains in the middle. Truly comforting and delicious.

Layered Baklava (7/10).

While the flavors were delicious, it just couldn’t compare to traditional baklava with its sticky syrupy layers. If it had been called something else, I might have appreciated it more but in my head I was expecting classic baklava. Between the layers was a pistachio crémeux and on the bottom of the dish was a raspberry sauce. Since there was quite a bit of sauce, the bottom layer got soggy which defeated the purpose of the crisp layers.

Visnelu Ekmek Tatlisi (7/10).

I also enjoyed the flavors of this dessert but the execution was slightly off. The sour cherry cake was overly soaked in some sort of liquid though the white chocolate anise cream and almond liqueur ice cream were tasty.

The ambience at Dalida was lovely, making it a great date night spot. While not every dish was a hit, the overall experience was wonderful so I’d rate is a 7.5-8/10.