Taste of Morraco

My first time going to this restaurant and used a groupon deal. The food was very good and savory. Had the chicken Bastilla (wonderful mixture of savory chicken with powdered sugar and cinnamon wrapped in a pastry puff). SO GOOD. Tried the spicy chicken tangine which was quite spicy and very flavorful. Our third dish, Kefta (beef meatballs mixed with tomato sauce and egg) which was also so savory and tasty. I enjoyed the customer service, we had a super nice waiter and he was so friendly with my little niece. Provided great service. However the price of the food is way too unreasonable for for the portion they give. It’s really pricey, which is why I am giving three stars. I would like I give 3.5 but Unilocal won’t allow that. I don’t know if I would go back there without a groupon. And the groupon deal could be better in regards for the price of the food.

This place had great food — I had the spicy chicken tangine and loved it. My boyfriend had the dish that is covered in powdered sugar. He got the medium size but it was so rich that he could only eat half of it but it was really good too. The service was excellent as well. The lack of perfect stars would be décor and price –there was chipped paint and a big bubble on one wall. We had a Groupon so we came to try it since it’s in our area — would go back but it’s a bit pricey. The powdered sugar dish alone was $ 25. Without a Groupon (with only two entrees and water) the bill would have been over $ 45. It’s a bit on the higher end for a typical weeknight dinner for 2.

Frankly, I was a little apprehensive about this place because the outside is a bit in need of some TLC. We had a Groupon that was good for $ 20 worth of food. I suggest getting one of the dinners for 2 because it allows you to try several items and definitely leaves you full! On that note, the food was excellent! I have had Moroccan food before in Alexandria (cant remember the place) and this place out shined them. If you dont get a dinner for two, at least try the bastilla.
I can’t remember out servers’ names, both were excellent, but one was just so attentive and outgoing. He has glasses and is from Morocco… like that helps any.
Parking is close by or there are a few spots right in front. The paid parking lot was Mon-​Sat 8am to 6pm… so maybe go there after 6 for free parking.
To sum it all up, great food, service, and atmosphere. My only complaint is that the bathrooms were very small.

Solid 3.5 star establishment. In the words of the Terminator, I’LL BE BACK.
A friend and I came here because I had a Groupon, and when you factor in that, it was a pretty good deal. Otherwise, the price is a little on the higher side. We were seated quickly in the «well loved» (a little aging, but beautifully decorated) dining area and were surprised to see that at 7PM, there were maybe only four other tables with people at them. Our orders were taken almost immediately, and drinks/​appetizers arrived similarly swiftly. Generally, the service was attentive and polite. There was free bread + olives, and for an app we had Zalouk (a cold eggplant mash with boiled tomatoes and spices.) Slightly bland-​ified for American tastes, but delicious nonetheless, and a good deal at less than $ 5.
For the entrée, I has the vegetarian couscous — again, slightly bland, but the vegetables were roasted to perfection and the couscous flawlessly fluffy. My friend had the Merguez Tergine (a spicy lamb sausage dish), but she commented that it was a little dry. Nonetheless, we were both generally satisfied. We followed this with nibbles of dessert and cups of delicious spiced black coffee. The baklava was TO DIE FOR — not the overly-​heavy-​and-​sticky stuff you find so often in DC, but light, fluffy, and wonderful.
I love its proximity to the Metro station, and the general quality of the food is enough to bring me back. Add in a pleasant atmosphere, spotlessly clean dining area/​restrooms, and great service … and it’s more than worth the trip all the way out the orange line. It’s not going to win any Michelin stars, but it’ll do its job well enough.

It had been, oh, at least ten years since I’d been to Taste of Morocco last when husband suggested I meet him here for lunch one afternoon. Some things never change.
Some things should. Like:
–ToM’s philosophy on cleaning. There should be one. Everything in here needs to be Stanley Steemered.
–ToM’s nap policy. We watched as a couple stood shifting from one foot to the other while the owner?/manager? slept slumped in a banquette. Never heard ‘em coming.
–ToM’s Vegetarian Tagine. Just cuz I avoid meat doesn’t mean I want an uninspired selection of overcooked, blandly seasoned veggies. Carrots? Potatoes? Oooooooh.
Some things can stay the same. Like:
–ToM’s service. Despite the napper, our server was warm and attentive.
–ToM’s Chicken Bastilla, flaky pastry wrapped around a sweet and savory blend of shredded chicken and vegetables, then topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Husband ordered a small, promptly devoured it, then bemoaned the fact he hadn’t ordered a larger one.
So – working nearby — husband will be back for pastilla. It remains to be seen if I’ll be joining him.

I’ve been here twice, and both times had the Walima Feast. Doesn’t get much better than soup, an appetizer, chicken bastilla, two tagines (we had chicken and lamb), and Moroccan mint tea. Good prices and good service, too. Not sure why this place does so little business (it was quiet both times that I was there).

I’d really like Unilocal better if I were allowed to rate this place with ZERO or NEGATIVE stars. Don’t ever go to this place, will destroy everything.
To be specific, the price was high and the food was tasteless, plates were so small and the food inside those tiny little plates were even smaller. Although the food take forever to prepare, don’t expect anything hot and tasty, I had some beef meatballs and bastilla, they are all just between warm and code, the rice was even colder.
I tried my best to tolerate with the food and I almost threw up half way finishing their disaster things. When check out, that was a $ 50 dinner for two small plates and 1 pot of tea.
Don’t ever go in there!

Taste of Morocco is definitely the right name for this place… emphasis on the word «taste» as in «just a taste.»
It is a great replica of North African cuisine, but comes across a bit watered down for Western tastes. If you have a coupon however, you will get tons a lot of food for a pretty decent price.
Ate the usual suspects… Lentil Soup, Royal Salad, Bastilla, Chicken and Lamb Tagine and the mint tea.
The salads were tasty, but they did not seem freshly made. To their defense, I did show up right before the mid-​day close, but still… hmmm.
The Chicken Tagine was seasoned well, and of the things I ate, this was my favorite. On the Lamb Tagine, there was way more bone than meat, but the meat that was there was tender and fell right of the bone. It was a little less flavorful than the chicken… not bad, but less tasty.
Bottom line: there is a little «kick» missing from the food that I have found in other North African restaurants, but again, that could be because I went late in the day.
Last thing to note… despite my late arrival, the service was wonderful, and you know how it can be when you show up when staff are trying to leave! Many kudos to the staff for that!

Awesome bastilla, mint tea & royal salad. Waitress was so forgetful & not friendly. Felt like she hid from customers…
Overall, owner was super nice & attentive, atmosphere was good, but not fancy. Food outweighs any negatives. Would go back for the food.

I’ve been going to Taste of Morocco on and off for years. When I first started going, it reminded me of dinners I’ve had in Tangier years ago when I spent some time in the Kingdom, and I enjoyed the familiar rich flavors and spices that danced on your tongue. The Bisteeya was once a delight of puff pastry and richness. Now the puff pastry remains, but the seafood version tastes more like they used canned tuna.
I had the lamb tagine with almonds and raisins for my main course. My wife had the chicken couscous. My lamb tagine was a braised lamb shank with some raisins and slivered almonds tossed in, but not stewed with the lamb. The dish was completely unseasoned. Not only was there no salt or pepper, there was not the slightest hint of cadamom, cumin, cinnamon, timeric or cloves or any of the other spices that make Moroccan food so memorable. What it did have was so much fat that by the time I trimmed the shank, there was more fat than meat.
The chicken couscous consisted of a couple of chunks of boneless skinless chicken breast, some carrots, potatoes, onion and squash over couscous. Like the tagine, it was completely unseasoned. My wife ate a few bites, then we took the remainder home where I made it into a proper Moroccan dish.
The only reason I’m giving it two stars is because the warm bread served with oil cured olives brought back some memories of north Africa.
Once this was a wonderful place. Now it’s sunk so far that I have no plans to go back. It’s sad. I used to love this place.

Review is on behalf of my family.
Three people went to Taste of Morocco tonight with a groupon. All of them are now sharing a bottle of Pepto-​Bismol to alleviate heavily upset stomachs resulting from food poisoning via uncooked chickpeas. Any chefs reading this, please don’t ever forget to properly cook your chickpeas when making hummus or anything else. I can’t properly comment on their service experience as I wasn’t there, but as I’m hearing stomachs rage in this room after the fact, I most assuredly can comment on the horrendous quality of the food. If it gets any worse, I’ll amend this review with appropriate information.
The other groupon will be returned for a refund, with food poisoning to be referenced as the cause.
Edit: Per my promise, here’s a status update (10-​16-​2012). By the end of the next day (10 – 14), everyone seems to have recovered without any issues. Still, it’s worth noting again that chickpeas must always be properly prepared. Strong stomachs will be unpleasantly affected, and weaker stomachs risk a hospital trip with uncooked chickpeas.

I had to stop by before my Specialious coupon ran out, so the boy and I stopped by around 8:30 on a Friday night for some couscous and tagines. We were surprised by how small it was on the inside — all the tables were pretty close together and once they started the (loud) music for the belly dancer (more on that later), it suddenly seemed even smaller!
I asked for a house chardonnay to start off, and our poor waitress thought I asked for (harissa?) soup, so we started off a little rocky. We tried some hummus as an appetizer and while it was a little runny for my liking, the extra bread they brought along made me forget about it!
My chicken tagine with vegetables was a little smaller than I expected, but I loved the giant pieces of carrots and potatoes that were fork tender. The chicken fell easily off the bone. My boyfriend ordered something with raisins and dates — which I was skeptical of — but found that just one bite had a really nice sweet (and endearing?) quality.
And the belly dancer! Once the (v loud) music began, the lady began shimmying from table to table, her chest getting uncomfortably close to our tagines. The second time around, she had some fives stuffed in her bra — we wondered if diners put them there or if she put them there herself. OH well. Water under the bridge…

I’m confused.
I’ve never had Moroccan food before, but I live in Clarendon and I have walked by Taste of Morocco a million times so when there was a Groupon available… I went ahead and purchased it.
My boyfriend and I split a small chicken bastilla (which other Unilocalers seem to love) and I was not impressed. The powdered sugar was overwhelming and I found that the nice, warm chicken inside was actually kind of dry and the filo dough was kind of burnt.
I had the chicken with olives and lemon, while Julian had lamb with raisins and almonds. The lamb was much better than the chicken, but that may be just because lamb is a much more interesting meat. I don’t think my meal had enough spices and the olives tasted like they just came from a bottle. We both had Moroccan beers and it was nice to have a nice, cold lager with our meals.
However, our waitress was nice and I liked the bread/​olives that they gave us when we sat down. I wouldn’t suggest coming here if you are in a hurry and I think it was overpriced.
I look forward to trying Casablanca in Old Town… so that I can make a more educated review.

Given all the negative reviews here, I admittedly felt from trepidation going to Taste of Morocco with my friends last night, but I can say the negatives are definitely overstated in those reviews, because there’s a lot of positives. First off, just to confirm some of the positives that I got from the other reviews, the bastillas really are excellent, (I got the vegetarian one) and HUGE! I got the small, and that was more than enough as an entrée. Though if I were to get it again, I’d ask that they go light on the confectioner’s sugar sprinkled on top, that was a bit too much for me. From my friends, I also learned that the Moroccan mint tea was also really good (I’m not a mint tea fan so I passed on that. Other foods to try: the merguez tagine and the lamb couscous. A dish to NOT try: the kefta. I will be trying other dishes on subsequent visits, and will be able to opine on more then.
As far as the service and ambiance, I thought it was a pretty nice-​looking restaurant, though a little on the worn-​in side, but that just makes it more comfortable and casual. They brought out baskets of bread warm from the oven, with dishes of Moroccan olives, which I love. The servers were polite, and there’s a belly dancer who makes an appearance after 8, for maybe an hour or so? She was very friendly with my table, and a few of my guy friends got up and danced with her, which was fun. I love Moroccan music, though it was a tad loud and made conversation with anyone not next to or across from you a bit difficult. My one major complaint was that the bathrooms are completely unheated, which is NOT fun on freezing nights in the winter.
Overall though, definitely a good choice with some great food options (best to not be too adventurous if you’re picky) and a lot of fun to check out with friends.

Absolutely the best in NoVa! From the tasy royal salad, Moroccan bread, chicken bastilla and the tender and juicy lamb cous cous — this place will make you craving for more the next day. Finish your meal off with a delicious cup of mint tea. Worth every penny!
Also a very short walk from the Orange line metro.

Looking at past reviews it seems my negative experience here last night (Oct 22 2011) is relatively common.
We were seated relatively quickly in the ¹⁄₃ full restaurant, although the manager (?) didn’t remember our 7:30 reservation or number in party, which caused some initial confusion about the Groupon Now deal and should have been red flag number one. Being an avid grouponer/​livingsocial customer, I’m aware that many deals are marked «limit 1 per table.» However, these instant deals were clearly marked «limit 1 per person,» which was the reason we chose to try Taste of Morocco in the first place. The waiter REFUSED to accept all the groupons and NEGOTIATED with us that we could use a maximum of 3 for the table of 8 people.
It took us about 20 minutes to finally place a drink order because the manager (?), who was also our waiter, seemed to have forgotten about us. When the drinks arrived, our order was incorrect, likely because he did not write the order down when we made it. In another 20 min, we finally ordered food (which he also did not write down).
While waiting for the food, they cranked up the music without warning and brought out the unattractive belly dancer that other reviewers have mentioned. This would have been nice, however the music was deafening and the woman danced around the entire restaurant about 5 times awkwardly getting customers to dance with her. She had money hanging out of her bra and grinded up on customers until they either gave her clear indications to go away or gave her a small donation. By the way, this woman doubles as the restaurant’s bartender.
The food finally arrived after about 30 minutes of belly dancing. It was mediocre at best. Sure, the bastilla was ok, but it was really nothing to write home about. I had ordered the Chicken and Dates, which consisted of one regular sized piece of chicken (with bones) and 4 dates in a bowl. It tasted good, but not $ 16 good! After another 45 minutes, we had finished eating and finally got the check (which took some effort on our part to track the guy down).
We got the bill and, as expected, had another round of negotiations regarding the use of the Groupons. This time he would only accept 1 for the entire table (the total bill was about $ 180). We reminded him of his prior commitment to 3 groupons and he accepted after launching into a story about how the restaurant is not doing well financially and how the staff works for free and they can barely keep the lights on, so «if we accept all your groupons, what do we make? Please, let us make some money.»
However we noted that the reason our bill was so high is that our waiter took the liberty of adding 22% gratuity! We all took pictures of our signed receipts with the correct amount on them and I recommend you do the same if paying by credit card. The guy reeks of being a wheeler and dealer and I would not put it past him to add additional money to the tip.
In good conscience, I cannot recommend anyone try this restaurant.

We never knew this restaurant existed. We love Mediterranean cuisine, and Arabic food in particular always gets my attention.
This restaurant is surprisingly easy to locate, right on Washington Boulevard in Clarendon about 2 miles off 395. We found parking right outside. The only hazard is the extraordinary number of souses meandering the streets contrary to the lights.
This was a spur of the moment get-​together with a friend we hadn’t seen in a decade. Entering, it’s like any small restaurant but you notice there is better artwork and even Arabic language television on one wall.
It’s pretty obvious this place is popular with groups. We were a group of eight, and there was a group of easily double our number at the next table. This presented no problems — even with me, Mr. Gluten Free and my new friend The Vegetarian.
We did go with what the owner and host recommended for the table. After speaking with him, he told me not to eat anything he didn’t bring me. That’s a level of personal attention you don’t get in many restaurants these days. I had the soup, vegetables, the bastilla (made specially without pastry) with rice and vegetables on the side. Two the two entrees, chicken and lamb were fabulous. The lamb was extraordinary and tender. The cinnamon? That never would have occurred to me.
It was delicious. Comparing this to Aladdin’s in Shirlington would be ridiculous: they are completely different cuisines.
The belly dancer was good and very nice. My concern when such shows start is whether it’s going to be something vulgar or whether it’ll represent the culture in a positive light. She was gracious and very good with children.
The most telling sign was that later, we saw Muslim families coming in. That’s certainly reassuring, but what we experienced was as good as what we’d expect at Marrakesh Next time, we’ll bring several Arab friends with us. We’re quite certain they’ll enjoy it as well.

It pains me to see negative reviews from people who did not know what to expect from Moroccan food, such as complaints that they didn’t get a fork with the bastilla. It’s just not fair.
We have been going to Taste of Morocco for years. It is a great place for authentic Moroccan food in the heart of Clarendon, without the glitzy show that comes along with more expensive Moroccan places like Marrakesh in DC.
The bastilla is definitely the highlight. If you like Moroccan, and long for an intimate, casual, neighborhood place where you can enjoy a bastilla without all the show, this is the place for you.

Music was awful. Food was awful. Service was awful. Food was not even hot it was lukewarm. Restaurant was very small and not very inviting.
Do not go here!!!

I LOVE THIS PLACE!
I visited Morocco in 2008 and stayed with a family where I had home cooked meals every day. This is the next best thing!
Service was great, food was delicious and full of flavor. Would recommend to everyone!