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✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in
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Founded by Sophia Akbar and Paul Iglesias. It marks their debut Afghan concept and is a celebration of the rich flavors and traditions of Afghan culture, reimagined for today’s world. The restaurant is a tribute to Akbar’s ancestral Pashtun tribe and her grandfather’s last name, honoring the resilience and stories of Afghan-American heritage.
Hours
| Saturday | 5–10 PM |
| Sunday | 5–9 PM |
| Monday | 5–9 PM |
| Tuesday | 5–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 5–9 PM |
| Thursday | 5–9 PM |
| Friday | 5–10 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 422 24th St, Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: (510) 373-7988
Website: https://www.jajioak.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: opentable.com
Related Web Results
JAJI | Jaji: Modern Afghan Restaurant | Uptown Oakland Dining
Jaji is a modern Afghan restaurant in Oakland, CA, serving contemporary Afghan food rooted in heritage and thoughtfully reimagined for today’s dining scene.
JAJI. (@jajioak) · Oakland, CA – Instagram
Everyday 5:00 pm – 9:30 pm …
Jaji | Oakland, CA
Jaji redefines Afghan cuisine, blending traditional recipes with contemporary techniques. Co-owned by Sophia Akbar and Paul Iglesias, Jaji takes its name …
Reviews
Kat Zeta
Absolutely loved Jaji and I can’t wait to visit again.
Booked a reservation for 2 on Saturday evening— no issues. Ordered the triangles and cabbage dish for apps, chicken and steak kabobs, and the lamb as the main dish with some saffron rice. Everything was so tasty and the cabbage dish was out of this world. We ended our night with the saffron ice cream— it was wonderful. I felt like all their food was magic. The flavors were amazing, there was nothing missing from any dish. I wish them much success in downtown oak!
… moreBooked a reservation for 2 on Saturday evening— no issues. Ordered the triangles and cabbage dish for apps, chicken and steak kabobs, and the lamb as the main dish with some saffron rice. Everything was so tasty and the cabbage dish was out of this world. We ended our night with the saffron ice cream— it was wonderful. I felt like all their food was magic. The flavors were amazing, there was nothing missing from any dish. I wish them much success in downtown oak!
Christopher Beaty
This was my wife and my first time experiencing Afghan cuisine, and it did not disappoint.
We are both big fans of Parche, so had a certain level of expectation going into this meal. Safe to say, my expectations were exceeded, as every plate was just as beautiful as the interior design.
We sampled many grilled meats, but don’t sleep on the mushroom pakora! Oh and it’s very accommodating of dietary restrictions, as my wife has a gf diet, which was easy to navigate on the clearly labeled menu. Dessert was excellent too.
5 stars, will return!
… moreWe are both big fans of Parche, so had a certain level of expectation going into this meal. Safe to say, my expectations were exceeded, as every plate was just as beautiful as the interior design.
We sampled many grilled meats, but don’t sleep on the mushroom pakora! Oh and it’s very accommodating of dietary restrictions, as my wife has a gf diet, which was easy to navigate on the clearly labeled menu. Dessert was excellent too.
5 stars, will return!
Amanda Dang
Visited Jaji for their restaurant week menu, which felt like an incredible value for the overall experience. We had the ducktu, shola-qorooti croquettes, branzino and kabobs. Pistachio ice cream was included as the dessert, but we also added the pistachio chocolate cake as an al a carte add on.
Each dish felt notable and well balanced in texture and flavor. My favorite dinner bite was the shola-qorooti croquette (make sure to get a bite with the aoli and caramelized onion) but it’s tough to choose between that and the bold and bright flavors of the chapli wagyu beef and chutney.
My partner really enjoyed the branzino, which was buttery and satisfying when eaten with the sour orange saffron rice and jalebi that came with that plate.
The saffron flavor in the rice was beautiful and, with the subtle layer of sour orange, made for a welcomed contrast against some of the heavier (but not too heavy) dishes in our meal. I can see why the rice is offered as an optional add on to the chapli wagyu beef in their standard menu, and would totally recommend electing it for that order.
For dessert, we were blown away by the dark chocolate pistachio cake. The combination of crunchy phylo and kataifi, cool and sweet semifredo, and rich dark chocolate was divine.
Lastly, the interior was beautiful and the staff were friendly and attentive. All in all, a wonderful experience.
… moreEach dish felt notable and well balanced in texture and flavor. My favorite dinner bite was the shola-qorooti croquette (make sure to get a bite with the aoli and caramelized onion) but it’s tough to choose between that and the bold and bright flavors of the chapli wagyu beef and chutney.
My partner really enjoyed the branzino, which was buttery and satisfying when eaten with the sour orange saffron rice and jalebi that came with that plate.
The saffron flavor in the rice was beautiful and, with the subtle layer of sour orange, made for a welcomed contrast against some of the heavier (but not too heavy) dishes in our meal. I can see why the rice is offered as an optional add on to the chapli wagyu beef in their standard menu, and would totally recommend electing it for that order.
For dessert, we were blown away by the dark chocolate pistachio cake. The combination of crunchy phylo and kataifi, cool and sweet semifredo, and rich dark chocolate was divine.
Lastly, the interior was beautiful and the staff were friendly and attentive. All in all, a wonderful experience.
J G
Ate here last night with a couple friends and would highly recommend. Everything was wonderful. My favorite small bite was the croquettes. The lamb shank was perfectly cooked and the saffron ice cream was delicious. Also had some very good house cocktails and overall considering what we ordered the price was reasonable. I will definitely be returning.
… moreElly Lin
Fun date spot! Food is pretty good. We mostly got bar bites and 3 cocktails. + 1 skewer and rice. Spent ~$125 before tax.
I really enjoyed the bites we got: croquettes and triangles. Green chutney was really good. The eggplant dip was not that memorable.
Cocktails: Mosaic and the tequila & pistachio one were good but def on the sweet side. I didn’t like the sparkles (lychee, vodka, chia seeds) one.
Skewers and rice were not hot when served (warm at best) and didn’t come together, which was disappointing! Wagyu skewer was 4 pieces of beef The rice flavor wasn’t as strong as we hoped and the candied orange on top was good but too sweet for me (pieces too big?)
They really pushed the vegan saffron coconut ice cream when I asked about it. It was unique and good but I wouldn’t get it again – too sweet. Tasted better with mint leaves from my cocktail that I tore up and sprinkled on top. $9 for a cocktail glass of it (it was a lot of ice cream for 2)
Service: We sat at the bar and the bartender was really attentive and helpful. But took a star away because of food temperature.
They have a happy hour where drinks are a few bucks cheaper 5-6:30!
… moreI really enjoyed the bites we got: croquettes and triangles. Green chutney was really good. The eggplant dip was not that memorable.
Cocktails: Mosaic and the tequila & pistachio one were good but def on the sweet side. I didn’t like the sparkles (lychee, vodka, chia seeds) one.
Skewers and rice were not hot when served (warm at best) and didn’t come together, which was disappointing! Wagyu skewer was 4 pieces of beef The rice flavor wasn’t as strong as we hoped and the candied orange on top was good but too sweet for me (pieces too big?)
They really pushed the vegan saffron coconut ice cream when I asked about it. It was unique and good but I wouldn’t get it again – too sweet. Tasted better with mint leaves from my cocktail that I tore up and sprinkled on top. $9 for a cocktail glass of it (it was a lot of ice cream for 2)
Service: We sat at the bar and the bartender was really attentive and helpful. But took a star away because of food temperature.
They have a happy hour where drinks are a few bucks cheaper 5-6:30!
Arjun Vinod
Jaji was amazing. We mostly went with what they recommended and it was really good. The Kebabs were so tender and moist. We enjoyed the food and look forward to going back to Jaji.
… moreDaniel Bodner
Our second visit to this lovely restaurant was for their Valentine’s Day prix fixe dinner. We had a truly lovely time. One of the best date night dinners either of us can remember. Through four courses, which were paced perfectly, we enjoyed interesting and unique flavors including a fresh salad that was a feast for both the eyes and the taste buds, an excellent steak tartar with a quail egg that we were invited to mix in to the tartar, and a whole cornish game hen stuffed with a lovely spiced rice. The game-hen was especially fun as it came with gold-plated shears to help us divide it between the two of us. Dessert was equally delicious, again with unique flavors and a beautiful presentation. It was an exquisite and fun meal. This is a beautiful restaurant with excellent service and truly artful food. It’s top notch.
… moreSouman Rahimi2024
I had a very disappointing experience at this restaurant last night. Despite paying full price, the food had absolutely nothing to do with authentic Afghan cuisine. They had changed the Afghan menu, and the changes were completely wrong and tasteless. The dishes lacked flavor, quality, and any sense of authenticity.
The service was also extremely slow. Our order took far too long to arrive, leaving us frustrated and uncomfortable. The staff and management showed no concern for customer satisfaction or timely service.
On top of that, there was no parking available. We had to park our car in paid parking lots, which added extra cost and inconvenience. For a restaurant charging these prices, not having proper parking is unacceptable.
Overall, this place is not worth the time, money, or frustration. I will not be returning, and I do not recommend it to anyone.
… moreThe service was also extremely slow. Our order took far too long to arrive, leaving us frustrated and uncomfortable. The staff and management showed no concern for customer satisfaction or timely service.
On top of that, there was no parking available. We had to park our car in paid parking lots, which added extra cost and inconvenience. For a restaurant charging these prices, not having proper parking is unacceptable.
Overall, this place is not worth the time, money, or frustration. I will not be returning, and I do not recommend it to anyone.
Joanne Yuen
Gorgeous restaurant with great service. I haven’t had much afghan food so I enjoyed trying out some of the dishes at Jaji. It is definitely on the pricier side in my opinion, but there were a few memorable dishes.
We ordered the duck dumplings, fried mushrooms, wagyu skewers, trout, and finished off with basque cheesecake as dessert. The dumplings were alright but gamey and we felt that the consommé was a bit bland and didn’t add much to the dish. I was surprised at the price of $30 for 5 small dumplings. Fried mushrooms were the standout, great lentil sauce that comes with it. Wagyu skewers were tender. Trout was also on the pricier side and the saffron rice didn’t have as much flavor as expected. The crispy thing on top was delicious though, I would definitely eat a whole bowl of that. We had asked to pack half the fish to go, but I think there was some misunderstanding because we never got our food back, so bummer that basically $30 of fish went to waste.
Overall worth the try, but not sure if I’ll come back since I wasn’t completely blown away by any dish other than the mushrooms and the pricing was a bit steep for what we were getting.
… moreWe ordered the duck dumplings, fried mushrooms, wagyu skewers, trout, and finished off with basque cheesecake as dessert. The dumplings were alright but gamey and we felt that the consommé was a bit bland and didn’t add much to the dish. I was surprised at the price of $30 for 5 small dumplings. Fried mushrooms were the standout, great lentil sauce that comes with it. Wagyu skewers were tender. Trout was also on the pricier side and the saffron rice didn’t have as much flavor as expected. The crispy thing on top was delicious though, I would definitely eat a whole bowl of that. We had asked to pack half the fish to go, but I think there was some misunderstanding because we never got our food back, so bummer that basically $30 of fish went to waste.
Overall worth the try, but not sure if I’ll come back since I wasn’t completely blown away by any dish other than the mushrooms and the pricing was a bit steep for what we were getting.
Zachary Scioli
Best dining experience I’ve had in years. Ambiance was contemporary yet warm and inviting. Extremely friendly and competent staff. Clare was wonderful. You feel right at home. Every step of service was touched on. Food was new and exciting, yet incorporated traditional elements. The lamb shank and saffron ice cream were phenomenal.
… more