Bistro Du Soleil

I went alone for dinner and ordered the veggie couscous to see how it compared to the recipe I make at home. It was delicious! Filled with butternut squash, carrots, garbanzo beans and carmelized onions, the flavors delighted my palate. The serving was quite large.
I also enjoyed the ambience of the place, with the Mediterranean theme décor.
I would definitely return.

My husband and I have been coming here since we were engaged. One day we saw the unassuming green awning, and were like «let’s check it out…» Samir takes care of us every single time.
Ever since that visit, Chad and I had our «Welcome Party» the night before our wedding here. Samir got us a DJ without us even asking. He was completely flexible and just needed to know the head count a couple weeks before the event.
I also bring a lot of my coworkers here. We’ve had work happy hours here. I always get texts or ping’s when I have coworkers/​friends coming here. Samir always takes care of them too.
Dishes to get: patatas bravas, calamari, beef empanadas, fez tagine beef, get the baked Brie for dessert or the tres leches.
Drinks: sangria sangria sangria!!! They also have amazing coffees and great selection.
Samir just opened a new side of the restaurant for hookah so I highly recommend to give that a try. He apparently made his own hookah too.
Samir treats us like family. He’s introduced us to his wife (also works there) and my husband and I are all about supporting local family businesses. I highly recommend this place for group events or good happy hour.
You will leave having amazing food and a great experience overall.

We came here for New Years Eve and were very disappointed! I will be fair though and start with a list of what they did get right.
Pros:
— The greeter was gracious and welcoming.
— The band and belly dancer were entertaining.
— The appetizers and dessert were tasty.
— The décor is nice and they added balloons which made the dining room festive.
— When the waiter got my order wrong another person (waiter? manager?) brought it back to the kitchen and brought me the correct entrée quickly.
Cons:
— The entryway smells like an old building and not in a good way.
— Our server was terrible. His timing of each course was extremely slow. He didn’t come to refill our drinks even when we tried to flag him down by waving and asking another server to have him come over. He brought out the wrong entrée for me. He got the bill wrong, like really wrong.
— My Moroccan chicken entrée was edible but overcooked. I’ve had better from a pre-​made slow cooker packet from the grocery store.
— My boyfriend’s lamb was okay but very fatty.
— There is a code to get into the restroom which they share with the office building they’re located underneath. At no point did anyone explain this or give us the code.
— The New Years Eve package included a champagne toast at midnight but we didn’t stick around for it because we were so disappointed. But that means we were out that portion of the fixed price menu which kind of adds insult to injury.
With all of that said, we will definitely NOT be back to Bistro du Soleil ever again!

Just visited VA. price is cheap for the location, but food is just meah. The have no idea about medium rare filet mignon, nor about Greek salad and Paella. Lamb chunk was the only one that worst the money. On the top of not so good meals they don’t care about new visitors. It is maybe just for their regulars, who knows what time to come to see the show and what kind of food to order. not the fanciest place around JMO

Came here on Saturday the 25^th, its 8 pm. We come to the bar area which its empty and we sit down. The bartender that was right in front of, came to us after 10 mins. We inmediately order the sangria and some appetizers. Dont order the sangria, its just wine with fruit in it. Its awful. The bartender said he was going to replace the sangria and bring us bread and he has dissapeared. 20 mins later no appetizer and no bread. So since we already have this pitcher of bad sangria that we cant change, we decided to finish it up. 40 mins later we get our appetizers and bread. We ordered de camarones Cadiz and the Piri Piri shrimp. Both were overcooked and in a watery broth. Honestly what is up these days with customer service. As a previous waitress I know keeping your customers happy is the most important thing. Another F in my books.

The Calamari is the best I have ever had. The atmopshere is wonderful, comfortable, and moroccan hospitality at its finest.

It’s got a Moroccan vibe. Very chill place. The food was fantastic. The hummus trio with pita points and lamb tagine. The lamb was tender, cooked perfectly, delicious sweetness from the nuts and honey. I paired a blood orange beer that went well with the meal. Very friendly and knowledgeable waiter. It’s a little further down King St and away from some of the hustle and bustle of the touristy area, but well worth seeking out. Great food. Will be back of I’m in Alexandria again.

Fun place– Diverse food, and great service! The Spanish wine we were served was light and made our food even more interesting. We enjoyed the live band and even sang along from time to time. *Some things seemed moderately priced while others seemed high, but we all enjoyed our food.

Delicious food. Definitely plan to return. Service was good-​no complaints. Staff very friendly. Ordered patatas bravas and piri piri shrimp to start. I wouldn’t order either again. They were just okay. I expected something totally different based on dishes I’ve had previously. But my chicken & lamb sausage. Deeelicious! Loved the atmosphere and décor. Wonderful Spanish music playing. Then the band came on. Eh– could definitely do without them. A bunch of oldies and Elvis covers. They were just out of place. I will return, I just hope the band isn’t there on that night.

I don’t know how to say this without sounding overly full of superlatives. That being said: words fail me. I’ve consistently had good food here.
I went to a cooking demonstration the other day here, and learned how to make food better. I can make a mean steak, a great homemade bowl of soup, and a killer dessert. However, Samir (the owner) is operating in a class of his own. I’m surprised he doesn’t have more restaurants under his belt. Maybe it’s a good thing, because the results coming from his kitchen are incontrovertibly incomparable to the rest of the offerings in the area.
Nearly three hours of teaching and demonstrating cooking for us resulted in food that was … Look. I had a filet mignon 25 years ago that was so good, I have compared every steak against it since.
Samir handily beat that memory. The puff pastries, the soup, the accompanying food… ahhh. Consistent head and shoulders better than anything else.
If anything, his prices are too low for the caliber of the food he serves.
Come here, come often, and you’ll be happy.

Excellent food, service and atmosphere. The owner and chef are wonderful people. Loved my lamb dish and beverage.
The menu is filled with healthy well naturally seasoned ingredients and served with wonderful presentation and a smile.
Many selections are excellent and bought daily buy the owner himself. Also very reasonably priced.
Bön Appetite!

There are a few Mediterranean places in the area and most of old town is overpriced touristy food. However, this spot is not one of those restaurants. They staff and owner are super friendly and the place feels like you are in another country or someone’s kitchen. They have these huge arc booths that give you an amazing amount of privacy lining the central tables and dance floor that must be used for the belly dancing sometimes. Also a bar on one side that looks nice.
We ordered a few apps including a tasty hummus (I like how they fry the pita points), a version of falafel that had se different ingredients and a great sauce (more sauce please), as well as my favorite a bastilla. Kind of a sweet and savory pot pie. Some shredded chicken and a flaky phyllo dough outside that cuts like a pie for the gooey inside. Order this at any Moroccan place you go.
For entrees we liked the paella a lot, good flavor and ingredients with all the veggies.

I went back recently and loved it again. I don’t understand why it wasn’t busy, at all. I was there on Sunday evening at 8 and it was almost empty! The food is great, the staff is very nice, the décor is fabulous and the seating is very comfortable. Romantic or for a small or large group, it is ideal. Love it and want to visit for a Friday night when they have a DJ and dancing or Saturday night for live music.

Looking for a place for supper close to the hotel, I again consulted Unilocal not knowing what I wanted and I came across Bistro du Soleil and its Mediterranean cuisine.
Since I love this kind of food I decided to make an online reservation but when I got there 10 minutes later (7:00PM on a Monday evening) I noticed this largish restaurant was essentially empty — great! I was immediately seated by a charming hostess and shortly after a very friendly waitress showed up and took my order. The ambience was great — music was Mediterranean and the décor was what I would think Moroccan /​Middle Eastern would be, with cosy booths each its own «alcove» type arrangement for added privacy. Nice.
I chose the Seasoned Fried Calamari with Banana Peppers, and Assorted Moroccan Salads as my appetizers and then got the Salmon Tagine d’Agadir as my entrée. Not only were the portions decent and the price reasonable, but all three dishes were delicious, althought come to think of it the calamari did not come with the banana peppers (–1 star). I left the restaurant opting to not get dessert since I was pretty stuffed but my stomach was certainly happy!
I definitely recommend this restaurant and may even return if having dinner by myself again on this trip.

We came here on a weekday during lunch. It was very empty… so empty that we weren’t sure if they were open when we first walked in. This is a neat little place with absolutely beautiful decorations. We sat in a booth that felt like its own little room, so we felt like VIPs!
Our waiter was very attentive and provided great service the whole time (though that probably isn’t too hard when you’re the only table). It was a little awkward when he would try to upsell us on the $ 20 appetizer, but he made great recommendations for our entrees.
Our food was amazing. We had the sliced feta appetizer, and the pita chips they served with it were addicting! Our waiter kindly brought us some more after we devoured the first round. The bread basket was also yummy, having that wonderful rosemary flavor baked into it. Our waiter also brought a complimentary sample of hummus, and it was pretty good. My entrée was the Monaco Ragout (recommended by the waiter) and I thought it was excellent. Even the rice that came with it was good. We were running out of time during our lunch break, so we didn’t get a chance to try dessert, but we were already pretty stuffed anyway!

Since my original review in July of 2014… I am pretty sure we have been back here 3 or 4 times…
Every time we come it is spot on! The service is great, very friendly and the food is always, always very good. We really enjoy this type of cuisine and having tried other Mediterranean places in Shirlington and DC, this is by far the most authentic and tasty you can find.
The alcohol is priced nicely and the music with the dance floor is always good on a nice summer evening. It’s located very close to the King Street Metro so that is a plus. If you are in town and looking for some really good, authentic Mediterranean cuisine, this is your place.
We will be back!

Bistro Du Soleil looked interesting ever since they opened, and when they offered a groupon deal it gave us the perfect reason to try it out for a weekday dinner. I liked the ambiance. The decorations inside are cool, and although there were only two of us, we were seated in a huge booth.
Food was a mixed bag. I really liked the bread basket — it was a flatbread with oil and garlic on it, and was great. We started off with the Hummus Trio. Although the appetizer didn’t really come with enough pita for all of the hummus, the bread basket filled in the gap well enough. The hummus selections were decent, and I particularly enjoyed the traditional hummus.
For our entrees we got the Monaco Ragout and the Paella Andalucia. I liked the Monaco Ragout. Think beef stew, but with zucchini, red peppers and eggplant instead of carrots and potatoes. The vegetables worked well, and the beef was nice and tender. The paella came with seafood and chicken in it. I thought that the seafood was cooked well, but the chicken was on the dry side. Overall though, the dish had decent taste.
We finished our meal with an order of Baklava. I love all kinds of baklava and thought that Bistro Du Soleil’s was passable, but I have to say that this was not one of the better ones I’ve had. It tasted just the way it should, but was a little gummy and hard to eat, and didn’t have the biggest portion size.
Service was fairly good. Our waiter was friendly, and the waitstaff did a great job keeping our waters topped off. One thing to note is that it’s a more of a leisurely service. They’re on top of things and I’m sure they can hurry things along if you need to, but otherwise there’s plenty of time between dishes. Overall, not a bad dinner experience. Good ambiance and service with so-​so food gets it somewhere around a 3 – 3.5 at normal prices, but with visit with a groupon, or maybe their Monday/​Tuesday dinner special and it would be awfully close to a 4.

My fellow Unilocaler friend Kendal Ann M. and I had the pleasure of discovering Bistro du Soleil as part of our recurring weeknight dinner meet-​ups. Kendal Ann suggested we dine in Old Town, and we narrowed it down to Bistro du Soleil as both of us were craving Mediterranean, and she had never had Moroccan food. Feel free to make an OpenTable reservation on a weeknight, as we did, but you probably won’t need one. This restaurant is a great last-​minute spot for dinner, even with a larger party, as they seem to do their big business on late weekend nights and with special events, as evidenced by the dance floor and advertisements for their belly-​dancing nights.
As we enjoyed a near-​empty and very customer-​focused dining experience, we relaxed in a large, cushioned banquette that invited cozy conversation and was accommodating for a party of two, but would also be really fun for a group of 6 or so friends; it’s like your own semi-​private dining tower. Our waiter, Hasib, was very passionate about the menu offerings and the traditions of Moroccan cuisine.
We started out with the hummus appetizer, which was super-​tasty, and at $ 6, a steal to boot. As a lover of exotically-​spiced teas, I opted for their house made Turkish-​style tea, with a deliciously strong mint infusion. The tea will set you back $ 3.50, but Hasib wasn’t shy about providing us refills.
Out entrees were carefully chosen from the expansive yet specialized menu. I figured I’d go for the Paella Andalusia since I was indecisive among all of the seafood entrees; the paella allowed we to have a mixture of seafood. Thankfully, the portion was perfectly-​sized — and not too «Americanized» in its portioning. For only $ 14, I was pleased — the rice was well-​seasoned without being salty, and the amount of seafood was perfectly-​proportioned. I didn’t need all of the rice, but it’s better than not enough.
As mentioned, I wanted to introduce my friend to a dish served in a Tagine, so I pushed her to order the Tangiers Chicken. Habib egged her on by stating that he would «buy her dinner» if she didn’t like the Tangiers Chicken; he was THAT passionate about its quality. Convinced, Kendal Ann ordered herself that $ 13 dish and was wowed from its authentic presentation to the buttery richness and juiciness of the fall-​of-​the-​bone chicken and perfectly cooked vegetables. Although some reviews have bemoaned the lack of couscous (which can be obtained as a side), the amount of chicken and vegetables and flavors were plenty, in our opinion.
The only odd thing about the restaurant’s atmosphere was that their restrooms are located outside of the restaurant itself and are shared with the office building, so you have to take a key with a passcode. At least this prevents non-​customers from using the facilities, so I found them to be very clean, just a bit of a walk away.

WOW, talk about a diamond in the rough!
I am so surprised this place has so few reviews and most of them being negative. Now knowing that Bistro Du Soleil is right across the street from my office and so darn good, I won’t be able to resist myself and I foresee becoming fast and furious friends with everyone who works at Bistro Du Soleil.
Naturally, it’s a Thursday evening on King Street and I was meeting a friend friend for dinner, so we made reservations. Reservations were very unnecessary, but they’re on OpenTable so why not make reservations? We were told we could sit anywhere we wanted, our options were endless. We sat in a huge lounge style booth. The booth was filled with ornate pillows and blankets with a low table in the middle. The décor in this restaurant is beyond beautiful.
Our waiter was prompt and immediately brought us water, told us about the daily specials and his suggestions. We both ordered the Turkish (hot) tea. If you are a tea drinker, this will change your world even if you aren’t this stuff will change your whole outlook on the tea world. I am unsure of what type of tea leafs were used, but he said it was infused with mint and sugar.
I was going to order the Chicken and Artichoke dish, but the waiter asked if I liked spicy, chicken and sausage so he suggested the traditional Moroccan Tangiers Chicken & Mergeze Sausage. He said, if I didn’t like it he would buy my meal. I figured I had to try the traditional dish so I went for it, after all when in Rome, right?!
Wow! Was he ever right, the Tagine was amazing. I am so happy he talked me into getting something new and traditional. Beware, if you are not an olive eater there are olives in this dish, but they don’t overpower the flavors.
Everything about Bistro Du Soleil was awesome. I am still in shock and awe that so many people aren’t fond of this place when the service was outstanding, the meals are incredible and they even offer salsa and belly dancing classes on the weekend.
Just a note on their hours
OPEN SUNDAYS TO THURSDAYS 4:30 PM TO 11:00 PM.
LUNCH MONDAY TO FRIDAY 11:30 AM TO 2:30 PM.
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS 4:30 PM TO 1:00 AM.

(4.5 stars) We struggled to choose a restaurant for dinner in Old Town and ended up here. And thankfully it turned out to be an excellent choice. Given how good the food was, it’s shocking how relatively cheap the menu is with each meal hovering around $ 15. They could readily have been a few dollars more and I would have been neither surprised nor upset. Bottom line, you get great value and great food.
We ordered a hummus appetizer to start and it was a nice beginning to the meal. It didn’t come with much pita but the hummus itself was really good. For my main dish, I got the salmon tagine d’agadir and it was delightful. The salmon was fresh, well-​cooked and topped with a savory tomato sauce. Normally I wouldn’t pair fish with a tomato-​based sauce but it actually worked quite well with this dish. The yellow rice was nothing unique but was good and served as a nice base for the salmon.
Definitely a restaurant I’d return to when in the neighborhood!