Absolutely is the best Byob Moroccan food restaurant in Chicago! My Fiancé and I come here all the time. Waiters are super nice. Has a great romantic ambiance. The "Chicken Bastilla" is my favorite.. Make sure to save room for a taste of their tender lamb with couscous. This place is amazing!
Review Source:This is a great way to enjoy Moroccan food, especially if you are new to it. The dishes are mild enough to be appeasing to the newcomer, yet traditional and close to authenticity for it to be a genuine experience.
Our waiter was helpful and seemed to be available when we needed him. The atmosphere is intimate and dim, which makes for ease in having a conversation - an ideal for date night. However, the seating space is a little cramped so if you like to have lots of room, you may find yourself a little tight.
The Lamb Casablanca is a must, as are the Bastilla and Ganache! Dishes are good enough for one person only (but appetizers can be shared). Would definitely go again, but tight seating and CASH ONLY earns this place a 4 solid stars.
Just a quick note. This place is definitely one of the hidden gems of the area. After driving past the store often enough for 4 years running, it finally caught my eye one day. After reading some reviews, we gave it a try.
All in all, it is an excellent ambience. Decor, service, and food is all top quality. There are many Mediterranean and Persian options in the area, but for Moroccan this is definitely the place to go!!
This was our first taste of Moroccan food and I have to say it was not what I expected at all. Â The flavors were all very familiar, milder than expected and yum yum yummy. Â The Chicken Bastille and Lamb Fez were stand-outs. Â The best dishes had an extra sweetness to them.
What I loved about coming here for the first time is the staff's passion for newcomers trying Moroccan food. Â We don't have much of a Moroccan presence in Chicago I guess, so they were so excited to see us enjoying these new flavors. Â Everyone was so nice. We'll definitely be bringing friends and family back to try these dishes.
A couple of tips:
-BYOB
-Cash only
-You should make reservations on a weekend night
-Very dark, cozy and romantic. Â Good for a date
-Get the Moroccan sweets/cookies and green tea at the end of the meal! Â Perfect ending.
-Plan on being full and sleepy at the end - lots of warm comfort foods.
Love, love this place. The Shokran waitstaff are unbelievably kind and sweet-natured, and always accommodate every request with a smile. They are never annoyed by an order of a bunch of appetizers and no entrees, though even the entrees are ridiculously well priced, creative and beautifully presented. BYOB makes this place even more affordable.
This is not your average Mediterranean joint - even the veggie sampler is loaded with unusual treats like marinated spinach and carrots rather than hummus and baba. Its frontage on Irving near the Kennedy makes it undeservingly low on pedestrian traffic, even though it's  steps away from the blue line. Please support these guys if you have a chance. If I were a contestant on Check Please, this would most likely be my place!
I came here last weekend with my girlfriend. We did not make a reservation until just a few hours before we arrived at the restaurant and had no problem getting a table.
When you walk into the restaurant, it looks pretty small. There is a small dining room area near the entrance. Luckily, there are additional dining rooms in back of the restaurant. The ceiling looked like we were covered by a traditional Moroccan tent. It was kind of cool. They were also playing Moroccan music, but it was not loud enough to disrupt conversation.
The food was simply fantastic. This was the first time that we had Moroccan food and will definitely not be the last. As an appetizer, we had the Chicken Bastilla. It consists of chicken and egg wrapped in filo dough and covered with sugar and cinnamon. Definitely an interesting and good taste. They also give you some black olives with a spicy sauce and pita bread as an appetizer. I normally do not like black olives, but when combined with the spicy sauce, it was pretty good.
For our entrees, my girlfriend ordered the salmon and I ordered the mixed grill. It took about 20 minutes from when we finished the Chicken Bastilla until they brought out our entrees. To make up for the delay, our waiter provided us with another appetizer: Zaalouk (consisting of roasted eggplant and tomatoes), on the house! Now that is excellent service. The zaalouk was also good.
My girlfriend thought that the salmon was very good. The mixed grill was also very good. It was a nice mix of different meats, all of which were very tasty. The serving sizes are very large, so we left there nice and full.
As for the service, it was outstanding. Not only did they give us the free appetizer to make up for the delay in bringing out our entrees, but the waiter also regularly checked in on us to make sure that everything was going well.
After dinner, they provide you with tea so that you can just sit by and digest afterwards.
This is a great place to come on a date or with a group. The food and service are outstanding. We will definitely go back.
I'd been looking for good Moroccan food in the area for a while now and was pleasantly surprised when this place popped up in my neighborhood. I would highly recommend the Chicken Bastilla, Merquez, The Royal Couscous, and the Lamb Couscous as well. The portions are large, though pricey considering most of what you get is couscous, not meat. But it is a place I would, and have, returned to from time to time.
Review Source:We went to enjoy some Moroccan food, a cuisine my ladyfriend talks about often after spending a couple weeks there working with children in hospitals. She got to step down memory lane and talk about the good and the bad she saw, people with hope and an ability to find joy in the smallest things to families who had to travel 10 hours or more to reach the nearest hospital and then unable to find an affordable place to stay while their loved one received medical care.
Sorry for the tangent, our waiter was Moroccan and was more than happy to talk about his native country, he also had a passion for soccer. I drank probably 3 whole teapots of the Moroccan mint tea by myself. Fun fact, you are supposed to try and pour into your cup from as high as possible without spilling to create bubbles and show the proper color of the tea for maximum enjoyment.
I had the lamb cous cous, the lamb was braised  to the tender point where the meat fell off the bone with the slightest tug. The almonds, carmelized onions, and raisins were all really good together. My girlfriend got a vegetarian cous cous and it was light on the vegetables.
Really good, affordable food from a cuisine I love more every time I experience.
This is a great place for a chill Friday night dinner. Â It's quiet and cozy, and since it's BYOB you can eat well and not spend too much money. Â We usually get the hummus or the sausage appetizer, then split one of the mixed plates. Â This is more than enough for two hungry people. Â I always leave feeling good, sleepy, satisfied and full.
The waiters are really nice, too. Â They love to talk soccer.
Tonight, on New Year's Eve, they had a $30 prix fixe menu. Â What a great value this was. Â It's BYOB, and the corkage is a mere $3 per bottle. Â We had a Spanish white that was a blend of Sauv Blanc, Muscat, and Gewurztraminer. Â It went great with the dishes, I must say. Â
For the appetizer, we each chose the harira soup, which had a tomato broth, chickpeas, lentils, and lemon and chili paste on the side. Â The next dish, which stole the show tonight, was the chicken bastilla. Â This was a savory chicken pastry covered with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Â I had the lamb shank for my main, and my wife had the veggie tagine for her main. Â Nothing was going to top the chicken bastilla, but the mains were certainly nothing to sneeze at. Â Dessert was a cookie assortment which featured almond cookies, some baklava, and a signature Moroccan cookie which looks kind of like a take on a fortune cookie except it is filled with marzipan and the dough is soft. Â Mint tea accompanied the dessert. Â The pot was extremely hot, even 15 minutes later. Â The tea was delicious.
Service was outstanding. Â Definitely a place worth checking out. Â I'd really call it four and a half stars, but I've given four stars to much less deserving places than this, so I am bumping it up to five.
Just had a horrendous experience. Takes forever to even order. Two orders of the same appetizer came out 15 minutes apart. Food was average. The grilled items had decent flavor. Rice pilaf tasted like it was made last week.
The real kicker: they only take cash. Bring cash or prepare to hunt for nearby ATMs. This is a mystifying return to the 70s.
I've been to Shokran a couple of times and thought it was delicious! Both times I had the Chicken Casablanca, a tagine dish. The chicken and potatoes were very tender and the sauce it was cooked in was very flavorful. The pita bread they bring out before the meal is also very good. Tonight I tried the mint tea with dinner, and it was great.
Both times I went with a small group of friends and appreciated that the restaurant accepts reservations and that food is served at a leisurely pace, so that we didn't feel rushed. The service was good and the servers are very friendly.
I also like that there is plenty of metered street parking on Irving Park. One thing to keep in mind is that Shokran doesn't accept credit cards.
I highly recommend Shokran and look forward to going back there soon!
This is one of my favorite Moroccan/Mediterranean place. I was there last Friday for dinner and as always the food is delicious. I cant resist the chicken bastilla and the hummus as soon as I go there. Their entrees are good portions and very tasty. Best is its a BYOB place!! I would have given 5 stars but sometimes their service is slow and they kinda miss out on appetizers or things that you have ordered until you remind them. Overall its a winner!
Review Source:The wife and I decided to be adventurous on this, our 3 year anniversary. All credit first and foremost goes to said wife for picking this little local gem!
For those not living in the city, I come to you as king of suburbia. Crossing the great barrier reef that is I94 from the south suburbs... in order to get to Shokran, indeed it was a bit of a hike. Add this to the fact that there's only street parking, this was perhaps an evening that could go very wrong very quickly. But fate would have other plans. We pulled off the highway, and within 30 seconds had a spot in front of the restaurant. I don't know if this was a fluke or not, but hell... we'll take it!
Shokran is a very small, very homey restaurant that celebrates the culture and cuisine without fear. Bright autumnal colored walls, devoid of windows, would normally feel claustrophobic to me. But here? It only serves to immerse you into this very foreign place. The service, while sporadic, felt familial. Here, we were attended to by no less than 3 people. But I digress. Let me not get ahead of myself.
We started with 1 hot and 1 cold appetizer. On the hot side we had Briwats--little 'egg roll' styled shrimp puffs. I will say for 5 dollars one gets a pitifully small plate. Lucky for Shokran? They were piping hot, flaky, and immensely flavorful. While we were unhappy to find out the kitchen was without hummus, we opted to try the Zaalouk--eggplant with tomatoes, olive oil, etc. It had the consistency and flavor of a mild salsa. To the table, they also provided us with amazing pita pockets. They were piping hot, and went wonderfully with the Zaalouk, and the accompanying hot relish (a melange of peppers and spices served with black olives).
For the entrees: I opted for the Merguez over cous-cous. My wife had the Lamb Fez. The sausage was flavorful, and surprisingly not over-spiced. It was in fact very tame, and enjoyable. The cous-cous was very fluffy, and a bit dry; but an accompanying sauce meant to be draped over it elevated it significantly. The roasted vegetables had all be roasted to the point of fork-decimation. Suffice to say, while decidedly less punchy than I anticipated? The entree was fantastic. My wife's lamb fez (roasted bone-in lamb served with a prune and honey sauce with roasted almonds) was eaten with complete veracity. When the dish was being pulled away? The only thing left in the tagine was a bone-polished clean of any meat particles. In addition, my wife ordered Morrocan Mint Tea. I had a sip myself, and boy howdy it was good. So good in fact I used a terrible term like 'boy howdy'.
We ended our meal with a slice of coconut-mango cake. It was beyond reproach. Light on the palate, but rich enough to be perfect for 2 to eat. Had I the smarts to have ordered a cup of coffee or cappuccino with it? I might have left even happier.
The only reason I'm being a meany and reserve this as a 4 star meal was the ending. It took a solid 5-6 minutes after all plates had been cleared to receive the check. The restaurant is also CASH ONLY, which I was glad to see prior to making it there.
Ultimately Shokran was an amazing experience... one I intend to enjoy again. So long as the traffic clears up!
Been here twice now and have yet to find anything to complain about, not even a whinge. You have incredibly friendly and helpful service, amazingly tasty food, and it's BYOB. Win, win, win. Â So I'm basically here just to add my 5 star review to the masses. If you haven't gone yet, what's stopping you?
Review Source:This place was delicious! I went there last night with my girlfriend and here's the best way to judge a place - if a vegetarian is tempted by the chicken bastilla and Sweet Lamb Couscous, you know the food looks, smells and tastes amazing.
We had the owner stop by our table several times explaining various dishes and talking about some of his Moroccan upbringing.
This place is BYOB and has a $3 corkage fee.
The one thing I will complain about - I think we ended up having 2 waiters for our table, so while we were eating and talking, they would ask us if everything was fine way too frequently. This was especially noticeable when we were slowing down and just enjoying our time, but still had more than half of our food on our plate and they were asking if we wanted things boxed and if we were done.
First, full disclosure: the manager is my friend, and a former colleague - I will refrain from reviewing the service provided (though it was fantastic) and stick to the food.
My girlfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed everything about Shokran.
I wouldn't normally review the pita bread and hot sauce, which apparently was called "harissa," or as I called it, "Moroccan salsa," but I must - it was damn good. I really can't handle much hotness in my palate, but it was just enough to have a bit of a kick and not overwhelm me. Normally I hate olives, too, but these tasted fantastic in whatever sauce they'd been dipped in. When combined, they tasted really great. I probably ate too much of those for my own good.
We then shared an appetizer of chicken bastila - this thing was unbelievable. It was kind of like a big puff pastry with dough, filled with one layer of chicken, one layer of egg, and one of sweet ingredients. The top of the dough was dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar in lines which continued onto the plate - the presentation was very impressive. Â The egg part sounded pretty disgusting to me honestly, but I really couldn't taste it. When you took a bite of the pastry with all three layers combined, it tasted amazing - and it was huge! It was probably enough for a meal for one person - we were both surprised by how large it was for an appetizer.
Then we had some Moroccan mint tea - and that was the second best cup of tea I've ever had (only surpassed by Bedouin tea, in Israel). I liked it so much that a picture of me holding the glass is now my facebook profile picture.
For the actual entrees, although by this point we were both stuffed, we both had lamb stews, called "Tagine" - the lamb Fez for me, and the lamb Casablanca for her.
The lamb Casablanca was described as a kind of everyday dish, with olives and potatoes, and of course, the lamb, still on the bone. I only took a bite of the potato, but that tasted great with the sauces on it. She said the lamb was incredibly tender, falling right off the bone, tasted perfectly spiced, and was extremely filling.
The lamb Fez was sweeter, with prunes, cinnamon, and almonds. There were a few hardboiled eggs on the outside of the dish, which the girlfriend ate and enjoyed, as she's a less-picky eater than I am. The lamb similarly was extremely tender, and the sweet components balanced the savory taste far better than I ever could have hoped. I ate the prunes separately, and holy crap, those were the best prunes I've ever had, words will not do them justice - the girlfriend agreed.
Finally, we had a small portion of dessert, a baklava-like pastry that you could hold between forefinger and thumb comfortably. I don't know it's name, but I do know it was super sweet, rich, and I want more.
I am definitely going back as soon as possible, and I highly recommend it.
My brother used to live in this area and he had recommended Shokran to me awhile back when I was looking for something up this direction. Needless to say, we didn't make it that night, but it's been high on my list of places to try since I moved to this neighborhood last month. We finally went last night and all I can say is - why didn't we go sooner?!
The food was delicious and the owner was incredibly friendly and helped us pick out some dishes (which didn't disappoint). Â For appetizers, we had bokala (a spinach salad), briwats (Moroccan style egg rolls), and chicken bastila (a chicken/phyllo dough/cinnamon/almond combination of deliciousness). I would order any of those again, but I think our favorites were the briwats and chicken bastila.
For dinner, I ordered the lamb fez and my fiance ordered the sweet chicken couscous. Â I wasn't sure what to expect of the lamb fez, as it's described as lamb in a Moroccan stew with prunes, cinnamon almonds, and honey - it sounded more like dessert than an entree. Â Wow, was I in for a treat - it's a sweet yet savory dish, and I'll definitely be ordering it again - yum! Â My fiance was also happy with his dish, and extra happy that the serving portion was large enough to have some leftovers for lunch today.
Overall, we really liked Shokran and were happy to find such a delicious restaurant within walking distance of home. Â We'll definitely be back!
Shokran, I thank YOU!
Because of your lamb fez, I am once again inspired by the sweet and savory tastes of the Moroccan world. I have been experimenting cooking with dried fruits like raisin, apricots... maybe not prunes yet, but what you did with the lamb fez was amazing. The sauce is absolutely delicious, I promise you'll lick the bowl. Â I've taken my family here before and still fondly remember the sweet chicken couscous and flaky chicken bastila.
It's just as delicious as I remembered, plus walking in gives me that cozy and a bit out of this world feeling, it makes me want to buy a ticket to Marrakesh and take a magic carpet ride. I wish the portions were just a bit larger and that ordering a tagine to go will include some sort of carb like pita bread or rice.
Roasted veggie side, I thought would be more along the lines of fire roasted eggplant and red peppers, but it was mostly steamed zucchini and broccolli - a little disappointed with that one. It's still crispy which is good.
A weeee bit pricey for a regular night in or out, so remember to have enough CASH or order online - I did it through Living Social to get it paid via CC.
My cousin and I bought the groupon on a whim last night because neither of us had ever had been to a Moroccan restaurant (GASP!).
It was SO GOOD. She got the chicken kabobs, I got the steak kabobs. It comes with rice pilaf and sauteed vegetables. Everything was flavorful and just so yummmm. Â I wish we had room for dessert.
I really enjoyed the authenticity of everything, from the decor to the music. Oh and our waitress was so helpful and sweet.
YAY!
If you blink as you drive past you will miss seeing this place but it is the last business on that block, just before the expressway. The front of the building is small but as you enter the place, you step into a medium size dining room with a view of Irving Park Rd. And if you keep going, the place opens up into 2 more dining rooms. The first you come upon is their most asked for room as it has an intimate setting: the Blue Room. Room for 4 tables and when I went, we had 2 tables and another group had 2 Â tables. Why blue? It has blue material draped from the center of the room back to the edges of the ceiling. One expects an Arabian adventure to unfold. The other room is fairly large with red and gold draping material.
Our group had hummus and Moroccan eggrolls for appetizers. I like hummus, not love it, yet this was obviously freshly made and the texture was smooth like butter. Very good. For our meals we had shish ka bobs and a lamb dish with couscous and vegetables. These root veggies were cut into large, I mean LARGE pieces and there was enough food that everyone took home a doggie bag.
Shokran by far is the best Moroccan restaurant in the city. From appetizers to entrees you can not go wrong with anything you order from this menu. The Zalouk appetizer which consists of roasted eggplant and fresh tomato tapanede will wake up any palette. Try the carrot salad which is delicious and sometimes an  overlooked item. The chicken bastilla is certainly a signature dish. All of the couscous dishes are flavorful. Finally,  my favorite tagine is the Moroccan Chicken, moist and a nice blend of savory and salt from the green olives. For the more conventional diner, try any of the grilled  beef or lamb kebabs. Absolutely heavenly! Â
One final note, I have been to Shokran numerous times and never had a bad meal. I have tried almost all the dishes on the menu. I'm sorry the reviewer below had a bad experience but I can assure all you foodies out there you will not be disappointed in any of your entree selections. Shokran has definitely earned its fine reputation and 5 star reviews! Â Bon appetite!
I wanted to try out this place after seeing pictures of their food on yelp. I was happy that the food is actually authentic and exactly how they would make it in Morocco. I've given this 3 stars because at the time I was there, the place wasn't packed and I had to get up three times myself and walk over to the counter to ask for things. I stayed there for more than an hour and the staff never checked on our table to see if we needed anything or to fill up water.
Now to the food, I would recommend chicken over lamb. Lamb was cooked good also, tender meat but it seemed like the chicken item my friend ordered had more taste to it. The lamb didn't seem to have much taste to my buds, maybe because I'm used to eating meat cooked with spices and whatnot.
Mmmmmm. My sister and I scope this place out for a bit of a culinary world adventure. We were not disappointed. The food was soooo good. Kinda like  Mexican restaurant, we were started with some pita bread and spicy chutney thing that was quite tasty. Our waiter even brought over a small plate of hummus for us too. Â
Then there was the Bastilla that I split with my sister. I had the opportunity the try a taste at a Yelp event last year, and it was the main reason that Shokran ended up on my 'to try" list. Well, let me tell you. It was delicious. A sweet, flaky pastry stuffed with chicken . I had to restrain myself from licking the plate. Easily on the top 10 list of best things I've ever eaten. I could have had 5 of them.
We finished with a Tagine each for our main course. Â My sister had one with little meatballs and mine was with a big ol' leg of lamb. Both were delicious, and after a cup of tea, we were happy and full. This is the kinda place where I'd gladly come back in order to slowly eat my way through the entire menu.
Great food, lovely ambiance, very friendly service.
A friend of mine wanted to try something new so I decided upon this place. From start to finish our meal was perfect.
First of all the hummus was EXCELLENT and I want to preface by saying that I don't even like hummus! Theirs is so creamy, and nutty and just really GOOD!
We also ordered the Chicken Bastilla as an appetizer, which was different, but also very good. I enjoyed how the server was so excited to explain how the dish is served in his country, and how it is made for special occasions. Very nice touch!
Also, the tea that they serve is AWESOME. I still find myself day dreaming about it at home. It has mint, and orange flower I believe, and honey, and they bring it in a really fun silver pot with fancy little cups. I felt like I was at a tea party. Fun! My friend and I drank two pots it was so good.
The atmosphere of this restaurant is really executed with perfection. When you walk in the restaurant is warm and inviting. The decor is rich and interesting to look at. The staff was also very welcoming and patient with my 2 year old daughter. At the time, she was the only young child in the restaurant and I was completely mortified when she dumped my ice water all over the table... and all over the floor... but our server could not have been KINDER about helping me clean it up! He just kept reassuring me that they love kids and not to worry about it. Wow!
At the end of our meal they were out of the dessert that we wanted, so our server brought a complimentary plate of homemade cookies. They were SO GOOD. I am normally chocolate obsessed, so the somewhat plain, tan little cookies didn't look exciting to me. Wow, Was I wrong! They were DELICIOUS!
I will definitely be back to this restaurant. This would be a good place to take the family when they come to town.
What i thought was a tiny place - turns out to have almost 3-4 rooms of exclusive seating. Ha ha so unassuming.
Ok so more details on one of my favorite restaurants ...(I have two - Shokran and Kabul House at skokie)
so.. I start off always with the Chicken Bastilla. you have got to try this..
We all tried Kefta which comes in a tomato based curry - tangy and spicy...Really good!
While sipping my moroccan tea, I make a sure shot entree order of Lamb Fez.
The most succelent and tender Lamb Shank served to you in a Tajine - a special earthenware where the meat is cooked slowly.
My friend ordered the Merguez which is Gourmet spicy sausage which she really liked.
Tried Lamb Atlas, which was on par with the Fez...
Have yet to strike off more things from the menu..but I am so content it's not funny.
The server I particulary liked - yet to find out his name - gives a lot of tidbits on Moroccan culture, which I think is perfect hospitality when you are experimenting with a new cuisine.
Also they don't sell alcohol - so BYOB.
Cheers!!
Lovely decor, good ambience, friendly service, & yummy food!
My husband learned about this place from the advertisements playing on the TV in a back of a cab. That's right, the back of a cab. He was really excited by it and, since we love Mediterranian, Persian, Moroccan, and pretty much anything along those lines, we decided to head over.
Be forewarned, it is difficult to park over there! It's also a small place (we drove past twice) so keep your eyes peeled. Public transit is probably your best option.
Once you taste the food, your commuting woes, whatever they are, will be well & truly behind you. The food is very good. Though they are a little light on vegetarian entrees, there are enough itemsoverall to make it work. The carrot salad is really tasty. The lentil soup (always a favorite for me) was also very good. My husband had the kefta tagine, and loved it. He truly savored every bite. He had enough for a small doggy bag, and re-savored it all again the next day.
It's defintely a nice place worth checking out.
why not five stars? Â Just didn't try the dessert. Â Loved the back room decor, food, service, and attention to details. Â Try the tagine (especially the Fez) which featured tender lamb. Â As a mostly vegetarian diner, I had the vegetarian couscous while my dinner companions had meatballs and lamb tagines. Â Appetizers were good especially a chicken (ground) baked in phyllo dough. Â Sweetened with confectioners sugar which actually worked. Â Mint tea at the end was sweet and flavorful. Â
Aimit (aim it), manager, is from Morocco, so added some travel advice and history about his native country.
Go enjoy and it's BYOB if you are so inclined. Â cash only.
If you are looking for a delicious mouth watering Moroccan cuisine that's the right place. Everything I tried was tasty. We were there on new years eve. The place was busy but we got served unexpectedly fast. Our waiter was nice.
We had Kefta and Harira soup as starters. I'll give each a 5/5
I tried the Royal couscous which is made with chicken, lamb and vegetables. My wife tried the Lamb Tagine. Both were to die for.
And finally a green mint tea with some Moroccan cookies made our day.
I would recommend this place for friends and I'm definitely going back there.
Walking into Shokran I was afraid that we were not going to find a place to sit on a busy Saturday night with no reservations. When you walk in, it looks like a tiny place, but after a moment or two the friendly staff walks you past the front section into the large back rooms. There are 3 rooms here really. The front which is where I would want to sit on most nights, a tiny little room that looks like it would be great for private dining. Just a neat room. Then there is the back dining area which is larger and is where we sat. Families, couples, and groups of friends filled the place, and we heard people speaking French as they walked through the dining area. This was just a fun blur in a welcoming spot.
We had a play to see so wanted quick food and we ordered the veggie sampler which was amazing. The carrots were great. The hot sauce here is hot by the way, and the pita bread was yummy with the olives the server brought out as we decided. We ordered meat: the chicken bastila, and some sausages. The bastila is a sweet-savory item so be aware of this if you are not used to the sweet-savory mix. It was wonderfully presented and prepared. I liked it even though I am not a fan of all sweet-savory concoctions. We ordered bowls of the lentil and tomato soup which was good. If we had had more time I would have tried the stews which looked and sounded amazing.
I could see returning with a large group for a festive meal in one of the two back rooms (I would reserve the cool blue/green room) or a date in the front section.
Parking can be difficult since the area is so busy. We found a place across the street on the side street which had about 1/2 a block of non-permit parking for free.
For a weekend night with a small party I would call in and make a reservation and ask for a table in the front room.
This place is such a hidden gem! Â I love taking my friends out here because people have low expectations of restaurants in this area and then are floored by the five-star taste!
One of my favorite things on their menu is the Sweet Chicken appetizer. Â It's a beautiful pastry stuffed with chicken and sweetend couscous. Â It's delicious. Â It *should* probably feed four- but I can conquer that thing no problem. Â The pastry is really light and flaky and the sweet couscous is a perfect complement to the saltiness of the chicken. This could easily be considered a savory dessert.
I always get the lamb couscous and the heaping portions guarantee I have leftovers for a few days. Â The prices are extremely reasonable when you consider it's like 3 meals of food for every entree.
Nothing is bad here! I've tried almost everything in some dosage and it's all good- the soups, the surprise desserts after the meal, the entrees... you can't go wrong!
If you're going on a date, call ahead and request a table in the back room. Â It's extremely intimate and very romantic. Â With pillows on benches and full tummies, it's almost impossible not to do a little cuddling between delicious courses.
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