Michelin Guide-recognized restaurant Berber, a destination for Moroccan food and live cirque entertainment, is facing eviction. The Russian Hill restaurant was served an unlawful detainer notice by its landlord due to allegedly owing more than $96,000 in past-due rent, according to a lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court on Nov. 1 and first reported by the San Francisco Business Times.
Berber’s landlord Polk Street Associates alleged in the lawsuit that the restaurant at 1516 Broadway owes rent dating back to July 2023. A few weeks ago, Berber also received a three-day notice to pay rent or quit, which expired at the end of the day on Oct. 23.
Despite facing eviction, Berber is still posting on Instagram about its San Francisco Restaurant Week deals and advertising its Thanksgiving takeout boxes. The Michelin Guide has previously praised Berber for its friendly service, “swanky North African-accented cabaret showcases” complete with live music, acrobats and aerialists, and “a prix fixe that boasts the bold, complex flavors of Moroccan cuisine.” Dishes on the prix fixe dinner show menu include carrot ginger soup, duck confit bastilla, lamb tagine with berber couscous and baklava.
Berber first opened in 2018 in a 4,000-square-foot space formerly home to the Killer Shrimp, according to Eater. It was co-founded by Borhen Hammami of Tenderloin restaurant and hookah bar Marrakech and first-time restaurateur Tony Garnicki. SFGATE did not hear back from Berber or Polk Street Associates’ lawyers in time for publication.