We decided to drop by the Barclay Farms complex to see what they had to offer for dinner on a weekday, saw Couscous, and thought, "Mmm, Moroccan! Haven't had THAT deliciousness in a while!"
We sat down in a dimly lit space that smelled of sweet hookah. The food was excellent and delicious, but I supposed that they expect most customers to indulge in hookah to pass the time, because it seemed at bit slow to come out. Maybe our server was new, though. It was a weekday, after all, so they probably weren't planning on having a lot of customers. The place certainly seems as though they intend for customers to smoke hookah; the "tables" are more like couches surrounding knee-height coffee tables.
Prices for portions were well done. Great place to share food. I loved the Moroccan salad sampler and the couscous dishes. The salmon tajine was great, moist, pink with just a bit of char on the edges. The salad sampler came in varying levels of pickled-ness, but each dish was distinctly different from one another. There were three dishes, including a spicy eggplant pate, vinegar-marinated chopped soft carrots, and cucumber & onion Greek-style lemoned-vinegared-olive oiled salad. We really loved the Harrira soup that came with our entrée! Had I known how much I would have loved that spiced tomato goodness, I would have ordered TWO servings!
Well ventilated, which is important considering it's a hookah bar. We didn't smoke, but the next day, our throats were a bit sore.
On the real, Moroccan food isn't the most common in these parts, and the quality was delicious in spite of the wait. Check it out if you want some quality couscous and tajine.
HOOKAH REVIEW: Pricey.
You should expect your bill to be around $17-$25 per person. Of course it's more if you want better shisha. Also, they take forever to change your coal!
The atmosphere is nice though. Also they have great ventilation. Make sure you reserve in advance!!
They do have belly dancers, I'm not sure if it's every night though....(all of them are nothing above average looking though). Call & find out!
The shisha: nothing special. It's not harsh, it's not the most flavorful either. Average.
Overall, you can come here once in awhile, it gets pricey if you come here often though. Also, make sure you reserve to avoid delays.
Interior was a nice surprise; very well decorated and cozy. Â We were the first ones to get there for dinner, and our waiter was very accommodating and attentive. Â We first ordered two iced teas, which were deliciously fresh. Â The harrira soup (tomato, parsley, onions, lentils, chickpeas, cilantro) with a squeeze of fresh lemon was an explosion of flavor. Â We ordered the appetizer sampler which included Hummus, Baba Ghanouj, Tabouli, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Marinated Feta And Falafel. Â Everything was very fresh and the flavors were vibrant. Â The waiter recommended the honey lamb, which my date said was very good, and I thought my couscous with lamb was absolutely delicious. Â My chunks of lamb were spiced perfectly and fork tender, atop a delicious bed of couscous and roasted vegetables. Â We will definitely make the trip back, as it was a very nice experience. Â I recommend giving them a try!
Review Source:I've been coming to this place for a few years now and never thought to yelp about it until my last visit a few weeks ago. Â I had really good service and the food I had was way better than I expected. Â I was waiting to meet friends and decided to get the lentil soup because I was starving. Â Wow! Â Really impressive and hot and comforting. Â They've upgraded their menus, and hopefully the same will happen with the furniture soon.
Our waiter was really attentive and that makes a big difference. Â My friends and I had a great time and we all thought he did his part in making sure we had everything we needed the entire time.
"Impressive mechanical engineering!" is the best thing I can say about Cous Cous.
I didn't hate it, but I surely didn't love it either. My companions ooo'd and ahh'd at the fanfare, but I thought the presentation was kind of bland. I've assembled tastier Middle Eastern/Moroccan platters with take-out hummus and veggies from the supermarket. The lighting is dull and the seating is cheap and uncomfortable. I felt like I was sitting on a cardboard box with new mismatched pillows from TJ Maxx.
I suppose the real draw of Cous Cous is the hookah. I quit smoking a few years back and have no intention of resuming the old bad habit for a place like this. Again though, my friends were head-over-heels with delight for the hookah/dessert part of the show. To them, this thrill is as close as they'll ever get to smoking pot in public. I enjoyed the baklava.
I will say though, I was thoroughly amazed with the air circulation system they have in place there. Inspiring engineering!! We could not smell the hookah smoke while we were eating. Exhaled fumes were sucked straight up and across the ceiling away from the diners. I have never seen anything like it. It's a decent basis for arguing pro-smoking in restaurants again, not that I really want that, but that's just how remarkable the system is.
In conclusion, I've had better. Much better. CASABLANCA *cough*cough* New Castle, DE *cough* oh, excuse me.
Pretty good. The half chicken with lemon sauce was unbelievably moistt and yummy ($18 with enough to take home a second meal for lunch the next day). Appetizer sampler suitable for 2 or 3 people and enough variety for everyone's tastes ($16). Honey lamb was a big hit with everyone remarking on how un-gamey it was.
The philo dough wrapped chicken went un-enjoyed by all due to its dryness, prompting one of us to ask "anybody want more powdered chicken?"
Decor was suitably middle eastern but could use a quick spruce up. The front desk seemed to tilt precariously to one side and some drywall patches awaited completion in the hallway to the restrooms.
staff was attentive and since it was a birthday party they tolerated the belly dancer we brought with us.
We didn't do the hookah bar but a neighboring table seemed to be enjoying their hookah as they bemusedly looked on at our antics.
A nice night enjoyed by the entire party of twenty.
LOVE IT! Â If you are planning a meal here on a weekend...make a reservation at least a week in advance...and plan to be there for at least two hours...longer if there are more than four people! Â It is an experience. Â Sooo well-paced. Â That is why it is a long meal. Â If you get the "feast," the courses are amazing. Â You have a choice of vegan or regular. Â Everything is delicious. Â It ends with mint tea and baklava. Â If you want to try Hookah, this is your chance! Â They even have traditional dancers! Â BYOB and reasonably priced. Â It is a lot of fun---go with a group and have a great time!
Review Source:This place is passable as a Moroccan joint. The decor is pretty low-budget but it fulfills the middle-eastern vibe you'd expect from a hookah bar/restaurant. The waiters are friendly and helpful. Unfortunately thats the extent of the positives.
On paper this place looks great. A hookah bar? Cool! A Belly dancer? Why not. A live DJ? Sweet. A 10 course ROYAL FEAST? OH HELL YES.
Don't get too excited though, for things are not as they seem. The hookah bar fulfills its role, the shisha is a bit expensive ($20-25) but the waiter was pretty generous with it so I'll let that go. The belly dancer though is quite the trip. We were there over the course of 4 hours, from 7-11, and the dancer came out twice for 10 minutes each. Sure she danced with a sword for part of that time, but COME ON, if you are advertising belly dancing in big capital letters I'd expect a bit more. The DJ however was as promised, and he played, and he played, and he played. Think loud trance music, nothing middle-eastern mind you, just trance music. LOUD. Now I've been known to get down every now and then, and I enjoy the trance, but when you are trying to chill out with a hookah by your side its not what you want to hear.
And finally we come to the royal feast. On Fridays and Saturdays, as mentioned by previous reviewers, you are required to order the feast, you have no choice in the matter. Again, on paper the feast sounds amazing. For 25 dollars you get 10 courses, thats a sweet deal by any standards. Unfortunately the sad reality is it is not 10 courses at all. A few of the dishes are combined into 1 dish. So even though the baklava is separate from the fruit salad on the menu it is in fact just a small pastry that sits on top of said fruit salad. But hold on, it gets even better. 3 of the main courses of this feast are combined on 1 plate. So instead of 3 separate savory delicious dishes you have a plate with a couple sausage bits, 5 or 6 pieces of lamb, a few veggies and a sprinkling of couscous .. FOR 4 PEOPLE. Thats right, the real kicker was we had 4 people who had ordered the feast and we shared 1 central plate. So in reality that small plate of meats and vegetables had 12 courses on it. It blows the mind, really it does. On the plus side, the food had substance to it, and even with the small portions it was rather filling and tasted fine. I should also mention that based on the quick turnaround and lack of heating I suspect the food was cooked in advance, although I have no way of confirming that.
Overall it was an OK experience. Not horrible, not great. But I do wish they would be clearer on what they are offering, I feel on some level that they misrepresented their menu.
Great place that offers cool atmosphere, good (and very reasonably priced) food and amazing deserts!
The King's Feast sampler-style 10 course meal is simply outstanding!
On Friday and Saturday there is a belly dancer which is definitely interesting and you can always shop at the little store next to the restaurant to bring home some goodies...
I'd never had Morrocan before.
This was a great place to try it.
The belly dancing was a blast, the dancer had fun with us--we learned a few moves!
We ordered the 10 course meal.
Plan to stay a few hours if you order this!
Each course was tasty and different.
By the time dessert came out, I was over-stuffed.
But I sacrificed comfort for the baklava...;~D
The decor felt authentic and I enjoyed the evening.
The service was a little slow, but may be due to re-creating the laid-back attitude towards dining in the real Morroco?
I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a fun and different dining experience.
A COZY change of pace. Freshly prepared Middle Eastern cuisine complete with Belly Dancing on the weekends. If you want to try something totally different, this is the place to take some friends. If you remember the interior of "I DREAM OF GENIE'S" bottle, this is it. Cushy couches and veils. Middle Eastern music with the optional after dinner HOOKAH. Really Cool. Try the Sultan's Feast.
Review Source:If you're a shisha aficianado like me, you'll be disappointed by this place. The service is always really bad, the shisha is always harsh, neglected, and OVERPRICED.
Service. Maybe I have high standards, because I'm always disappointed by bad service on the East Coast. (On the other hand, I am used to shisha houses in Astoria, Queens where real Middle Easterners sit and watch Al-Jazeera and the shisha costs $6 and is well-maintained by coal-changers. I understand Cous Cous is far away from Queens, NY, and I can adjust my expectations.) Still, every time I've been to Cous Cous, I've waited too long to meet my waiter, to order my stuff, my get my stuff, to get more coal, and then to pay. I also vow each time to never return.
Cost. Short and sweet, it's way too much money for good shisha let alone Cous Cous' half dead and never-refreshed shisha. $17?? Come on.
Still waiting for a good shisha place in the Philly-South Jersey area.
Outstanding, outstanding, outstanding! Â We started off with the Mezza sampler consisting of hommus, baba ghanouj, tabouli, marinated feta, and falafel. Â Delish! Â Next we had Harrira Soup which (again) was outstanding. Â For entrees we both ordered the Couscous with Stewed Moroccan Vegetables. Â To finish off the meal I had a small bite of baklava. Â Oh, how I love baklava!
From what I understand, Friday and Saturday nights are busy and require a reservation. Â Also on those nights, diners must order the Royal Feast, which is a 10-course Chef's Sampler for a set price per person. Â During the week, though, everything is a la carte. Â Veggie and Vegan friendly! Â Oh, and don't forget about the hooka! Â BYO.
From the exceptional cuisine, to the outstanding service and the enchanting ambiance, a visit to Cous Cous is a must.
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