Al Hamraa

Delightfully quirky. Wonderful food. Slow service, however, so don’t come if you need to rush. Whatever you do, don’t miss the fava beans.

Went during restaurant week and were some of the first customers of the night. The food was great, nice to try something a little different. Unfortunately the service was terrible though. It took forever to get main courses and even longer to get dessert. There were only two wait-​staff and it genuinely seemed like neither had waited a table before in their lives. We were told we had to keep silverware between starters and mains which was odd and awkward as we sat holding them for a while before just putting them down on table tops. The ratio of two waiting staff to two belly dancers was really unbelievable and it was a fairly stressful experience watching tables be seated and no one serve them

We were waited on very promptly even during restaurant week! Loved the atmosphere! They started us off with bread and olives! My food was excellent but we got the chicken pastry and it was super dry! Our waiter was awesome even for his second day! There was belly dancing so it was the ultimate cultural experience!
I’d recommend this restaurant to people!!!

Al Hamraa is the hidden gem of Cville! They are located in the IX center area of Charlottesville, which unless you know about Al Hamraa, you definitely wouldn’t stumble upon it on your own. When I first walked inside, I felt like I had entered a weird hukkah lounge and not a restaurant, so I checked with the bartender to make sure I was in the right place. The bartender assured me I was in the right place, and I ordered a glass of wine while I waited for my friends. The server/​bartender was really sweet and helpful throughout our entire experience. One thing I didn’t like was the atmosphere, it’s just strange.
It’s small plates style, and we got to try a little bit of everything. I don’t eat meat and another friend is vegan, and there were plenty of option for all of us. We ordered the butternut squash, the beets, the eggplant, the fava beans, the mussels, sardine meatballs, and the hummus. The hummus was the first thing they brought out, and it really, really stood out. It may have been my favorite thing there. I also really enjoyed the eggplant and the fava beans. The sardine meatballs are really, really fishy. I like sardines, but I’d stay away from them next time. The squash was flavorful but undercooked.
I really enjoyed the food at Al Hamraa, and if you’re looking for a different, ethnic dining experience in Cville, I would definitely recommend checking it out.

I was going back and forth between a 2 and a 3 star rating. Based on what the stars actually mean «Meh. I’ve experienced better.» seems to be the more accurate fit.
Went here for restaurant week to try a place we hadn’t tried before. We chose this place out of 6 options that we’d narrowed down as it seemed to be the most interesting.
Starters: The appetizers were all good. Between four of us, we got three different items. I had the beef pastries and they were by far the highlight of the meal. However, the pastry itself was quite bland. After I’d used up all of the sauce that was drizzled over the plate, I noticed how little flavor my second pastry actually had. The other appetizers looked delicious — I was told the mussels were good, but that the artichoke was meh.
Main course: I chose the rabbit. I hadn’t had rabbit in years, the last time being at Al Dente back when it was on the Downtown Mall. First thing I noticed was a dime-​sized baked-​on piece of aluminum foil stuck on the side. It wasn’t exactly hidden, so I’m not sure why nobody caught it, but whatever — I picked it off. Though the flavor was tasty, in a way it was also terribly bland. Each piece on the plate — the caramelized onions, the raisins, and the rabbit all had the exact same flavor — there was nothing to pick out individual items in this dish. Not impressed. Other members of my party had the orzo and lamb, another rabbit, and the couscous. I was the only person who finished the main course — and that’s because I hadn’t eaten since early that day. I sampled the couscous — no flavor at all. It wasn’t worth taking home even though only a few bites were eaten.
Dessert: I had the date and sesame seed truffles. I’m not a huge dessert person, but these were fine. Nothing memorable, but nothing wrong with them either.
Service: Slow. The meal took 2.5 hours. Really? We were the only ones in the restaurant for the first hour and a half. Once others started arriving, we were ignored. Took forever to get the check, then for the check to be picked up (it had to be taken to the server), and then ages to bring it back. Want a refill on your drink? Too bad… that only comes as dessert is arriving.
So, we checked it out. I don’t think any of the four of us would be excited to return.

This is a great little gem of a restaurant. Vegan/​vegetarian friendly. I really liked the bread, butternut squash, and eggplant dishes. Yumm! It’s a fun atmosphere too.

UMM HELLO hidden treasure of Charlottesville! I went here for the first time the Friday after Christmas. We were hoping for belly dancing but they are only doing it Saturday nights now, not Friday/​Sat (as their website still said). They said they were having a hard time getting their website updated. I was beyond impressed with the expansive diverse menu that catered to meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. AND AND AND all the vegan options have an asterix next to them so you can easily know what to order! AWESOME. This place is well advance compared to most places in Charlottesville when it comes to veg options. There were 5 of us at dinner and we ordered a bunch of food and drinks. Everything we ordered was vegetarian and vegan. We got the spinach, eggplant, bread, bean cake, olives, stuffed artichoke, butternut squash, fava bean soup, mixed mushrooms on bread, and the warm chick pea salad. I LOVED everything (and it was all eaten) except for the warm chick pea salad. The stuffed artichoke were everyone’s favorite. We got beer, wine, liquor, and prosecco to drink among us. The place is tapas style so it can be either cheap or expensive depending on how much and what you ordered. When we got the bill I heard my step-dad’s finance say the tab wasn’t too bad so I guess overall it was a reasonable bill.
The place was dead (there was only one other table) but they said that was because it was just after Christmas and most people in Charlottesville don’t think to eat Moroccan around the holidays. Touché. I guess this place turns into crazy dance party some nights including Latin music, etc. There is only one female bathroom which I can imagine would suck if the place was wicked crowded. I will definitely be back with more family and friends now that I know this little vegan friendly gem is here! The waitress was very friendly and helpful. If you go when they aren’t too crowded and you have a small party they will do the hand washing thing, but they don’t if it’s really busy.
The place is in a very weird area, when you drive you are going to be so confused heading there, but don’t give up — it’s worth it! The owner cooks at the Italian restaurant nearby that he also owns.

Very enjoyable evening out. Food was interesting and subtly spiced. Portions were pretty small so order a good variety.

I was really excited to try this place, and the menu looked amazing. I ordered a range of 6 different items from across the menu.
What a disappointment. All but one of the dishes was bland, bland, bland. I later related this experience to a few different friends who had exactly the same description: bland. It’s a shame, if they stuck by the menu descriptions and made the flavors come out, I think it would be delicious.
Great, friendly service. Odd, empty building. Overpriced.

I spent a week in Morocco – eating nothing but Moroccan food – and this is the closest I’ve ever come to re-​experiencing that cuisine.
Probably the best part about eating in Morocco is the cold and hot salads they bring out before the entrees, which constitutes an entire meal in itself. Al Hamraa replicates that experience in part by offering a tapas-​style menu, with items that are meant to be shared family style. Big thumbs up – this is exactly as it should be.
We ordered 7 dishes to share (between two of us):
the house bread
marinated olives (a must for any authentic Moroccan meal)
zaalouk (eggplant, another must, I think)
grilled peppers
potato and cilantro cakes
seasoned ground beef pastries
sardine meatballs
The olives were top-​notch & fabulous (a good sign), as was the eggplant, grilled peppers, and potato-​cilantro cakes. The other items were also very good. (Watch out for the sardine meatballs, though; you really need to be a sardine lover.)
It’s a great environment for large groups and social outings, with relaxed and considerate service.

This place is a bit difficult to get to unless you’re familiar with Charlottesville and the IX building.
I’m not very familiar with Moroccan food, but was very excited to try this spot even though I’m not a fan of small plates. We got there early and were the first ones there for dinner. We were greeted and seated immediately and given plenty of time to look over the menu. The waiter (cutie) answered any questions we had about the food and even took care to make sure things we ordered were gluten-​free since my friend has celiac.
After our order was placed, our drinks (pomegranate martinis) came quickly and were soon followed by a hand rinsing… kinda like a finger bowl, but only poured from a pitcher. Very cool! The first dish that came out was the Tamgaraat (butternut squash with olive oil and cilantro) from the $ 4.90 section. SO delicious, and just the right-​sized portion for sharing. The second plate that came was from the $ 8.90 section and was the Kefta Belbaid (savory beef meatballs topped with egg). Unexpected (in a good way) flavors that were good, but not outstanding. Last came the Hout fi el Farran (baked whole trout, ginger, tomatoes and carrots) for $ 15.90. This dish also had some unexpected flavors… and once again good, but not outstanding. Maybe I just have a thing against whole fish with head, tail and bones in it?
We actually ordered Rfissa (Moroccan spiced chicken with lentils and fava beans over special bread) from the $ 15.90 section as well, but either our waiter couldn’t see our mark on the paper (they do it like Japanese order sushi) or he forgot. I think he didn’t see the mark, because he seemed totally surprised when we asked about it. We were both full, so it wasn’t a big misfortune, though it was THE thing on the menu that I wanted to try most.
By this time, the restaurant had filled up, and our waiter did get a little sidetracked with other customers. We had to flag him down a couple times, but we were leisurely eaters, so it didn’t make much difference. The hostess (Puhi) brought us our check, and was as nice as she could be. She told us about the bellydancing and live music on weekends and Latin night on Thursdays. We told her it was our first time and that we enjoyed the meal, and she ended up bringing us a complimentary dessert! When my friend went to the restroom, I ended up making small talk with Puhi and left feeling that the staff were genuinely nice, friendly people. It seemed like everyone there were regulars and were enjoying themselves.
Four stars is probably a bit generous considering the forgotten plate, sidetracked waiter and good but not delicious two (out of 3) plates. But the décor, atmosphere and warm service more than made up for it. Oh, I forgot to mention they also have absinthe… well, it’s on the menu, but they were out of stock. That was a bit of a disappointment, too.

This is a great spot tucked away in one of the many corners of Charlottesville. The atmosphere is pleasantly interesting – open and spacious layout, dim crimson lights, moroccan motifs everywhere, couches around a coffee table-​style seating, and a server who pours a kettle of warm water so you can wash your hands.
The food at this restaurant is uncommon and delicious. Our group had nine dishes brought out in a well-​paced succession and with every dish came an «ohh» and a «mmm, wow that’s good.»
My favorite of the night: Rfissa (Moroccan-​spiced chicken with lentils and fava beans over special bread) – savory, tender-​as-​it-​gets with a lot of subtle and aromatic flavors you haven’t had much of before.

We lived just up the hill from this place for a year and made a few trips down to eat here. We were very glad we did. They switched from the traditional menu to their tapas format between our first and second visits, and we really like the change. We ended up going back with friends and having a blast with the different dishes.
I saw the 1-​star review, and though we never had service issues like that, I’ll admit service can be slower than expected, especially since it was never packed when we were there. But the food was great, and their martini menu is a lot of fun, so we took our time, relaxed, and always had a great meal.

I thought I had discovered something new and amazing. You walk into this beautifully decorated room and you smell the spices and the bar looks ancient, like it has seen a thing or two. There is a stage for a belly dancer and pillows around the room for sitting and dining. Basically everything looks in order for an excellent night.
But that’s when it starts to go all wrong. The food here is tapas style and a lot of it would not be familiar to the average diner. The waitress who took care of our party really didn’t know the menu and did a poor job of answering questions regarding the food. She may have been new but it made decisions tougher.
The alcoholic beverages are unique and tasted very good. They took far too long to get considering we were one of three parties in the restaurant.
The food started to arrive and we shared a bit of each dish. The Boustaila was an interesting fusion of flavor. A sweet chicken pastry with almonds and maybe cinnamon. It was cold probably from sitting waiting for other dishes to finish in the kitchen. The next dish was the Kefta. Another pastry with ground beef. It was fried and it was obvious that the oil was not at temperature. The pastry soaked up a lot of it making for a messy situation with oil dripping from every piece. All of the hot dishes that followed were about the same. Looks great sounds great but just not well prepared.
We finished with hot tea and a shisha (hookah) while watching the belly dancer. This part of the evening was the best and closest to my memories of many trips to the Middle East. The atmosphere is awesome so I must say I was disappointed that the food was such a letdown. I give this restaurant two stars based on location alone.

It was deserted when we arrived at 6pm for dinner, except for the birthday party in the private blue room. The bread was tasty, but a bit tough. I enjoyed the Harira soup, and the fusion Fig paste, blue cheese, green apple, and sesame seeds was definitely worth the $ 6. The Mussels were also really good. Enough that I used the leftover bread to sop up the juices. I think we ordered one or two other things, in addition to the cocktails. I didn’t like my moroccan mint cooler as much as the Lady’s black widow. minus one star for making me sit up instead of lounge on their cushions.

The only reason I am giving this place 1 star is that our friends raved about their food and the place has great atmosphere.
We came here with a group of people on a night that was not packed. However, the service was the worst I have EVER experienced. In the hour we were there, my husband and I weren’t even offered drinks. Our group actually asked for a different server and the service didn’t get much better. We had to give up and end up leaving the rest of the group, before food came because we had to get home for our child. Our friends didn’t make it home for another 3 hours. 4 hours for dinner seems a bit much when the place wasn’t that packed. In fact, we weren’t the only ones who walked out-​so there really should have been no excuse as to why we weren’t being helped. But, our friends did say the food was great.
Tapas isn’t traditionally Morroccan, but this place apparently makes it work. However, despite the great ambiance and rave reviews of food-​we will NOT be back.

Loved it! The food was great and I have eaten there several times and tried all of the dishes! I wasn’t really sure if I would actually LIKE all of the dishes, but every single one was excellent! Highly recommend it!

My girlfriend and I visited Al Hamraa for a different, Moroccan dining experience. We were both very pleased! Granted, we were the only two customers at the time we went in, and by the time we left, there were two other parties, so the restaurant (at least on a snowy, winter night) isn’t crowded on Saturday when you’re hungry for something different.
We ordered three dishes to share — it works like a tapas bar. We got a beef pastry dish, a mussel soup and finally a large plate of chicken with lentil and fava beans. Everything was delicious, especially the soup. I highly recommend it!
They had a list of cocktails that I didn’t try, but they do have a full bar. The cocktails looked around the $ 8 range. They also have a wide variety of beer, about $ 3.75 per bottle.
Lastly, you have to use your hands to eat. They pour water for you as you wash your hands and dry them off with a towel. They DO give you silverware for things you can’t eat with your hands, such as soup.
Everyone who likes a little bit of Middle Eastern culture should definitely try Al Hamraa for a great experience.

First my disclaimer; a friend of mine does own this restaurant. But this review is based on EATING there with my family and their reactions too.
Walking in is an experience in itself. The decorations are just amazing. Lanterns, pillows, fabric draped around, a copper top bar. It really takes you to another place when you step inside. It used to be a warehouse space so I was pretty eye popped to see what it had turned into.
We sat on the cushioned benches with pillows all around us. They washed our hands with the basin and warm water, too cute.
I ordered a starter which was sweet and savory flaky dough with meat, egg, and powdered sugar. Mom was a little apprehensive about finding something she would like but she was pushing me out of the way to eat this dish. Dad really enjoyed his lentil soup to start and he usually doesn’t eat much bread but really liked it.
I had goat meat with Moroccan orzo and a side of couscous and ate it all with my hands, as it’s a utensil free meal! (ok, for you pansies there are spoons)
Mom had the chicken with veggie couscous and roasted peppers on the side and really liked it and said about 5 times how tender the chicken was and just fell off the bones.
We didn’t even see the sardines pops ordered cause he devoured them so fast.
Our server was sweet and friendly. They do have bellydancers perform who weren’t there that night but I’ve seen them perform and are awesome (I guess another disclaimer since I took class with them, sheesh, shoot me, it’s not a big town)
under 100 $ for dinner for three with apps and wine is good yes? I kind of wish I hadn’t moved away but it will be nice to visit and eat here again!

After a drive down to Richmond from the ‘ville to check out the renovations on a friend’s new property, we settled on Karim Sellam’s new restaurant for dinner.
I felt transported to Morocco upon entering. I wanted to take off my shoes and lie down to order my food or something. I don’t know if that’s what they do in Morocco, but that’s what I wanted to do, y’all.
I’m not a big fan of family-​style or small plates for dinner, as you can tell from my reviews. So I was a little nervous about getting enough to eat, and feeling like I got a value.
I had nothing to worry about.
First came the hand-​washing with warm water poured from a pitcher… very nice.
The meal was great. The entrée we had (spicy meatballs topped with egg, mmmm!) was delicious and plenty for two people when augmented by the accompaniments ($ 3 each). We had butternut squash, salty beets, spinach with preserved lemon, potato and cilantro cakes… and these small dishes really made the meal. So delicious. Kept wondering what spices were used.
The waiter was handsome, soft spoken and attentive.
Highly recommended! And I hear they have live music and belly dancers? Wish I could have been there for that!
Make the trek to the ridiculously named Ix building. You will not be disappointed and indeed it’s quite the getaway!