As told by Meg Rahner
In 2009, Yahya Salih and his wife Wafa opened Jannah, and it quickly became known as a hidden gem tucked inconspicuously on Fulton Street. Jannah is Yahya’s second restaurant; in 1998 Yahya opened Yaya Cuisine (in SOMA) which quickly earned him attention for his culinary prowess. In the early 90s, the SF Chronicle's food critics rated Yahya one of the top five chefs in the city, and he received rave reviews in national magazines like Travel and Leisure. NOPA neighbors are certainly lucky to have Yahya and his delightful blend of Mesopotamian and Californian cuisine right down the street.
Take it from me—I have lived in the neighborhood for 10 years and hadn’t tried Jannah until I had already been here a few years. “You have to try their falafel pizza,” a neighbor enthusiastically told me. How could I resist? The Safeehat falafel pizza is a flattened, baked garbanzo patty topped with pesto, roasted eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes and feta—and it’s well worth the hype. Other favorites include the kuzi (phyllo dough filled with shredded lamb, rice, almonds, cinnamon, and ginger underneath a pomegranate-rosemary sauce), and the baba ganoush, a classic that’s been artfully transformed into many variations: mama ghanoush (eggplant and pomegranate), hudhud ganoush (turnip with date syrup), and zuzu ganoush (carrot with tamarind).
A true family establishment, Jannah is run by not only Yahya and Wafa, but also their three children—two sons in their 20s and a teenage daughter—who help with the restaurant where they can. Before the pandemic broke out, the restaurant had several employees. Now the family is working closely together to keep the business afloat, relying on takeout orders to get them through July. They are extremely focused on safety, cleanliness, and continuing to delight their customers with soul-warming cuisine as we all navigate this pandemic together. “We greatly appreciate and thank all of the neighbors who have been helping and ordering from the restaurant,” said Wafa. She thinks about other neighborhood establishments, asking “please support as many small businesses and restaurants as you can during this time.”
Jannah is available for takeout on Tuesdays-Sundays from 4 - 9 p.m. Gift cards are also available.