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After a two-year renovation, the highly anticipated Mazra San Bruno has finally reopened.
The causal Mediterranean restaurant was founded by brothers Saif and Jordan Makableh in 2020 and quickly gained a reputation for its affordable, high-quality dishes and stunning ambiance. Mazra earned a spot on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in 2021 and 2024, and the brothers were semifinalists for a James Beard Award last year. They expanded the restaurant to Redwood City in 2024 and opened their first cafe, Zörek, last year.
On March 7, the Makablehs reopened the restaurant that started it all.
“We’re just so excited to be back in San Bruno, a place that we’ve been since 2008 when my dad had his grocery shop here,” Jordan Makableh said. “It really is just such a heartwarming feeling.”
The Makableh brothers grew up in San Bruno, founding Mazra as a way to revitalize their father’s struggling grocery business. The renovation, originally predicted to finish by December 2024, took longer than expected due to lessons learned at the Redwood City restaurant. Mazra San Bruno’s kitchen is linear, as opposed to Redwood City’s L shape, which messes up the flow, according to Jordan Makableh. The brothers also decided to move the restrooms outside of the dining room, which took additional time. Each tweak led to more permitting, inspections and approvals.
The fully renovated restaurant has an open kitchen, where guests can see the shawarma spinning in the front and a 17-foot indoor wood-fire charcoal grill to the left. Giant windows bring in ample natural light, and the 155-seat dining room features different seating styles, including corner booths. In Mazra’s signature style, there will be plenty of indoor plants and tilework.
The San Bruno restaurant has a much more Mediterranean feel than the Redwood City location, Jordan Makableh said, noting that they incorporated arcs and geometric shapes reminiscent of architecture in the Middle East.
“I hate to say it, but even while my brother and I were here the other night, I remember him and I specifically saying, ‘Damn, we might have made this one look too good,’ and that it might make great Redwood City not look as good,” Jordan Makableh said. “We definitely need to go spruce Redwood City up, is all I’m saying.”
While Mazra’s ambiance has undergone big changes, the menu has remained the same. Expect Mazra’s signature plates piled with chicken or crispy beef shawarma, fall-off-the-bone tender six-hour lamb shank braised in roasted pepper sauce or succulent garlic rotisserie chicken ($22-$36). For drinks, find housemade lemonades ($6) and complimentary self-serve hot mint tea.
The Makablehs recently purchased a commissary kitchen in Colma to streamline operations now that they’re managing two restaurants. For now, the focus is on perfecting the current menu before adding new items.
Jordan Makableh said that while they’re not in a rush, he and his brother are always keeping an eye out for the next Mazra location.
Mazra, 504 San Bruno Ave. W., San Bruno; 650-225-9027, Instagram: @eatmazra. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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