Dar Maghreb Restaurant

I’m happy this place closed.
Came here with 30 people. Service was slooooooow. Food was lacking — i paid for 30, but I didn’t get food for 30.
This place only gets the extra star because the dancers were entertaining and friendly.

I love this place! They can’t be closed! WHY???

THE RESTAURANT CLOSED AROUND SEPTEMBER 17, 2012.
I have been eating at Dar Maghreb since it opened 39 years ago and was very sad to see it go. My one-​star rating is only because it is now closed.

I went here more than 3 years ago, before I discovered Unilocal.
This place was so good, that I remembered to give it a great review even though I can’t remember how to get there without a map.
It’s like this; Amazing food, unique flavors, great service, belly dancing.
‘Nuff said. Try it.

Nice décor/​architecture. I felt like I was in India! (yes I know. it’s not supposed to be India.) Food was mediocre. Service was awkward especially the whole eating with your hands thing. They are trying to be really authentic but I really wanted my fork and dining table instead of hunching over the whole time and dropping random food juice on people’s hands and drinks lol.
I think some of the food would actually taste much better when you can enjoy it with your own plate and utensils. Notwithstanding there were some food where I felt like I was a guest at someone’s house in Morocco. A plate of fruits? Really? I don’t want to feel at home when I already drove 25 minutes to be out.
The belly dancer however was very good. She was very captivating and lifted the whole mood.
Overall it’s an OK experience and wouldn’t really recommend unless they change their way of serving and dining.

A co-​worker suggested this place to me because Dar Maghreb delivers not just good food but a unique dining experience.
You sit on blue benches. The waiter is dressed in red ethnic garb. The building resembles a Muslim palace complete with a fountain in the center. Your meal is served family style with a basket of bread. The evening’s entertainment is a scantily clad girl who invites you to dance with her in front of the everyone.
I am glad I experienced this once but given the price and the location, I won’t be back anytime soon. Dinner for two: $ 105 including tax, parking and tip.

This is a place that can make iti BETTER with the people you go with. A nice sized group is the best. DO NOT GO WITH PRUDES or FUN KILLERS.
Okay now that’s out the way lets move onto the good stuff like the FOOD and SERVICE!
The food is wonderful! REMEMBER it’s Moroccan so burgers and fries are not an option (yes a person in my party inquired. what a shame.) It’s family style eating so if you are creeped out about everyone sharing from the same platter this is NOT the place for you.
There are belly dancers and it’s FUN to interact with them. (the Prude people and Fun Killers will shy away at this time)
The bar isn’t a FULL bar (at least when I went, things could have changed) but you WILL/​CAN find something you want to drink.
The service was WONDERFUL!
It’s a PER PERSON price but you get SO much food you WILL be filled up!

I’m really conflicted about what to write about Dar Maghreb.
On the one hand, the food was spectacular. Absolutely mind-​numbingly delicious. Everything was cooked with fruit (a severely undertheorized area of American cuisine) and lots of honey or sugar. Savory and sweet and unbelievably plentiful. The four of us were stuffed to the gills before we even got to the meat course. The dancer that night was beautiful and sweet and very interested in being personable and making sure everyone had a good time, and not at all pushy about tips. The décor was beautiful, and made the whole experience seem just this side of magical
On the other hand, the service was abysmal. We were constantly ignored by waiters who sailed by with the same kind of determined walk people use when they’re trying not to be accosted by solicitors on the street. Given the sheer number of wait staff and the unusually high waiter: customer ratio, it was pretty shocking how little service we got. The dancer actually had to intervene on our behalf once or twice when she happened to dance by and notice we still hadn’t received a course or other item within the time frame she’d normally expect. There was one very frazzled looking waiter who made the rounds periodically who actually responded to our attempts to get his attention. He was probably so frazzled because he was picking up everyone else’s slack. Poor guy!
We were also never shown a menu or had it explained to us. We knew it was a fixed menu, so we weren’t too surprised by this, but we had thought there were at least a couple options to choose from, and were never given the opportunity to do so. The vegetarian in our group had to struggle to get someone to bring her something meatless. We were never told how much the prix fixe was going to be per person, but going off of what we’d read on Unilocal we were expecting $ 40, maybe a bit less. When the bill came in the end it was nearly $ 60/​person, even without ordering any beverages other than water! And since nothing was itemized on the bill there was no was no way for us to know if we’d somehow been given something extra that we hadn’t ordered, or if our bill was wrong. We grudgingly paid and left with our ample leftovers.
Dar Maghreb is going to be under new management soon, it sounds like, and as much as I hate to see the place remodeled, it’s probably time for a clean sweep staff-​wise. I just hope they keep the dancers on! There aren’t too many places to go for that kind of dinner entertainment anymore.

The only reason I am giving this 2 stars instead of one is that in spite of the awful food, hasty service and creepy, old and somewhat flabby belly dancers, I still managed to have a good time thanks to my awesome friends.
I am disturbed at the reviews on Unilocal… based on the reviews I thought this was going to be like Tagine… classy, awesome food and just about a perfect night.
The restaurant is nice enough… I liked the open courtyard once you enter and the fountain. We were 9 of us, so we had our own private sitting area (reminded me of the restaurants in Dubai which have private tents like this). After this everything was downhill.
For the amount of money you pay, the food was pretty mediocre. The chicken was flavorful and pretty tender but the lamb was chewy and did not taste good at all. I preferred the phyllo dish at Tagine as the one we got here was stuffed with really dry ground chicken. Some of the other courses lacked flavor altogether, one of friends ended up requesting hot sauce in order to eat the food.
I also did not like that they ran out of hummus and without letting us know for our last course, we were served some grilled veggies instead. There was no explanation, no apology… just grumpy service.
Overall, it’s a nice and fun concept but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The mediocre food and abrupt service make me doubt I’ll ever be back.

food was better than expected. but i wasn’t expecting much.
the dining areas are sectioned off and each section has 4 tables in which i think 5 people can sit comfortably. each section is probably good for about 20 people.
they first make you wash your hands which soap. they bring a teapot and a bowl that you can use to wash your hands.
you get to pick what you want for your 5 course meal but you have to choose for your whole party with the exception of vegetarians. they bring out separate dishes for them if you request it.
the food is not bad. had a lot of the popular dishes. there aren’t utensils really so you have to eat with your hands. some of the items are hard to eat with just your hands.
then the belly dancers come around. you should tip them.
it was a pretty interesting experience.
i think everyone has to experience this once in their lifetime.

Came here for my birthday and I knew I was in for something special when I was whisked through their golden door (yes, a golden door) and greeted by a gentleman dressed in what kind of looked like Aladdin attire (nothing street rat about it. He looked charming). The décor was kind of cool — like a 70s Moroccan palace, nothing too modern or stylish but exuding a simple old world type of charm with the mosaic tile, pillars, and whatnot.
The server came over and explained the menu to us (they don’t have menus so it’s all done verbally) where we picked our entrees from our 7 course meal and then washed our hands at our table (don’t worry, the server doesn’t TOUCH your hands, but pours the water over them while you lather them with soap).
The food was delish and the portions pretty big. This is the order of the food and how it tasted:
1) Harira– Yummy lentil soup! Made me want to whip up my own lentil soup at home
2)Salades Marocaines w/​bread — The bread was sooo good! Moist and fluffy, and the Salades Marocaines was a plate of delicious «toppings» for the bread; marinated carrots, pureed eggplant, and roasted bell peppers
3)B’Stilla — This was my favorite. It was like a flaky puff pastry with savory meat inside and the top of the pastry was dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Super fragrant! It was like a dessert chicken pot pie!
4)Brochette de Cailles — Delicious and moist little quails on a kabob!
5) Lahm Mrouzia– A super tender, moist, fatty lamb cooked in honey. Sooo good, it just fell of the bones!
6) Cous Cous Aux Legumes — Cous Cous with cooked raisins and vegetables. It was good, but nothing spectacular. The veggies were mushy but I think they’re meant to be that way.
7) Corbeilles de Fruits Frais et Noix and a la Menthe et Sh’bakilla– Basically a standard fruit basket with whole apples, whole oranges, a little bit of strawberries, and some almonds still in the shell (with a nutcracker for opening them). Talk about a lot of work for your dessert! We just took the fruits home. The mint tea was tasty (sweetened with honey?) and the Moroccan cookies were inedible because they were dripping in grease. I can’t believe it’s even called a cookie. More like puff pastry dough fried in oil in the shape of a pretzel! Wish the dessert was better!
Bill was around $ 100ish (we also got two drinks) and we had leftovers for the next day! All in all it was a fun experience. There was a belly dancer that danced for each table. Some people were uncomfortable with that, but since I never worry about embarrassing myself, I was easily coerced into belly dancing with her (since she insists on teaching you the dance moves!).

Festive, alive, unique, vibrant, exotic, entertaining and different to be sure once you step past the front door. Our family came here to celebrate a love one’s birthday and thus for the aforementioned adjectives we chose Dar Magreb. It’s mosaic tile laden entryway feels like you could be at a joint in downtown Casablanca not on Sunset in Hollywood.
I noticed the varying reviews and for good reason. The place is starting to feel a bit long in the tooth and a refresh is in order, the couches and flooring in the dining rooms are in need of some attention (important when you are seated so low to the ground). The food itself, while unique seems to rely a bit heavily on gimmick and the presentation vs. the actual quality and taste. The window dressing of belly dancers coming out sporadically during the dining process can be entertaining or annoying, depending on your mood.
They offer 3 menu pefix menus and our group opted for menu number 1. Plan on being hungry, the courses are plentiful and filling.
The food comes out in swift order starting with lentil soup and a Moroccan salad, (marinated veggies you scoop up by hand with fresh bread)
Next is B’Stilla a flaky pastry stuffed with ground meat and dusted n powdered sugar and cinnamon. You are not gonna find this just anywhere, it’s unique flavor and spices make this a treat.
Couscous with vegetables in a spicy broth is eaten with a spoon and offers some great flavors.
Shrimp and Beef kebabs along with a slow cooked chicken (meat falling off the bone) was the protein fix for the meal.
The last two servings are a fresh basket of fruit and pulled tea.
Dar Mahgreb offers a memorable and transportive experience, especially when coupled with a special occasion. They are definitively worth a try when the ordinary just won’t suffice.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!
We were lucky enough to reserve a small, private room which was drop dead gorgeous and happened to lock from the inside for some strange reason. Hello! Our waiter was oh so charming, the food was amazing (even accomodating a vegetarian), and the belly dancer was a goddess! She was so sweet and fashioned a 60’s vibe with her amazing costume. To die!
Get the right group of people together and it will be worth every penny.

Reading the Unilocal reviews I was not too sure about this place, but my BF took me there for my birthday. I also invited my neighbors along. We got there at 5:15pm for reservations at 6pm, we live fairly fair and traffic in the Hollywood area is bad. The place did not open till 6pm, our fault so we waited. There was no parking on the street just metered. However, at about 6pm the started the valet service which is $ 6. That is cheap compare to Pasadena Old town, the meter parking was only good for 2 hrs, I recommend you pay the $ 6 unless you want to run out and feed the meter. Parking tickets are a pain to pay (I’ve had my share).
They greeted us and sat us down. We took at look at the wine menu, the prices were very good compare to other places we have been at. We options for drinks and a couple of bottles of wine, there were 6 of us.
The courses then came out, there was a lot of food! Each plate was very good, we were shocked on how good this place was. The décor or the restaurant was great! I love this place, the price for it being at $ 37.00 was worth it. I have been to places like the Cal Tech Ath that the price is set at $ 60 per person and it was not as good as this experience.
You must try this place out, it is worth the experience. The food was soo good I can’t wait to finish my left overs. The services was excellent the belly dancer was not pushy or embarrassed anyone. There were kids in the dinning area so I guess it is safe to say you can take family.

You have to go to Dar Maghreb at least once. Its an experience.
The place is beautiful and fun. The belly dancers are friendly (although the eye contact is too much … do I maintain the eye contact? Do I look at my soup? Do I check my blackberry? Something, anything… because I can’t keep up with that eye contact while she gyrates closer to me!)
The food is fantastic. My favorites are the lentil soup, salads/​bread, and the shrimp. It comes out in courses, so you can just relax on the couches and eat whatever is put in front of you.
Get a big group together and go!

What a great dining experience! The interior décor of the restaurant was taken from a building in Morocco and reconstructed in this building. If you look closely at the wood carved archways, you’ll see the cuts in the wood to make them easier to transport. It’s the most authentic Moroccan interior that I have never seen recreated outside of Morocco. You sit on couches with pillows. But the tables are low and sometimes uncomfortable to eat over.
The food is very good. You’re going to eat with your hands, but if you really insist, they will give you utensils. Some of the dishes already come with spoons like the B’Stilla and the cous cous. I didn’t like having to scoop up some of the food with bread– too filling. I would have rather had a fork at times. It’s so much food that you’re not going to be able to eat it all.
The belly dancers come around, and they are not that sexy. It’s more of a novelty and they will ask you to stand up and dance with them. You don’t have to dance, but you should tip them anyway.
There is a fixed price per person for a 7 course meal: $ 37 (not including any drinks). This is a bargain considering how much food you get, the atmosphere, and the entertainment.

Great atmosphere. Crappy food. Especially the bastilla. Yes, it IS possible to have it soft and moist inside with a crispy shell. I’ve been to Morocco many times so fortunately (maybe unfortunately?) I know what excellent Moroccan food is. I can’t believe they would serve such crap @ Dar Maghreb when it could be SO MUCH BETTER! I feel bad for newbies to Moroccan cuisine who come here and think this is what Moroccan food really is.
Get a new chef!!! This place could be so amazing if the food was up to par.

The food was fair. If not for the price, I would say 2 – 3 stars.
The dessert was the kicker: Washington apples in a bowl with the stickers still on the apples. Thanks but I could have gone to Vons for that.

Dar Maghreb was the latest stop in my group’s ‘ethnic Friday’ dine out. Our coordinator made advance reservations for our group of 20, although we arrived to find it wasn’t very busy.
The golden front door and open-​air center court made a great first impression — perhaps to offset the blah of the dining rooms. The ceilings were impressive with intricate wood carving, but so high and poorly lit, it lacked luster. Our server began by pouring water from a kettle to a bowl on the table for us to wash our hands. A necessity, considering you eat entirely with your hands from a community plate.
(At this point I ordered a bottled beer — which I found out later was $ 9.)
The price-​fix dinner is $ 37 per person. We were given our choice of appetizers and asked to pick an entrée. We had a veggie platter for our cold appetizer and chose the quail for our hot appetizer followed by an unusual (dry & sweet) chicken pie. For our main entrée we chose the honey lamb based on a recommendation.
About halfway through our dinner we were entertained by an attractive and talented belly dancer. That was nice. All-​in-​all Dar Maghreb was definitely unique, but honestly I wouldn’t go back again. In my opinion the food taste ranged from fair to good — not really anything to write home about.
NOTE ON PARKING:
Basically, you have no choice but to valet park. At the end of the night every guest in the restaurant walks out to get their car about the same time. It took 15minutes just to give the valet our ticket and at that point I just asked for my key and walked to my car. Friends waited 40 minutes just to get their car that was parked a block up the street.
As I was waiting (in the rain), one of the valet’s pulled up a guest’s new BMW coupe, parked it in the center of the side street and, left it running with the door wide open for a good 5 minutes. Some nice people told the valet to at least close the door, but he never did. I left before the owner came out. Would have been interesting for sure. The two valet men couldn’t handle the 25 or so cars, and as I left a few people started to get hostile towards them.
I’d give the place 3 stars, but I had to take one off for the sheer horror of the parking situation.

Went to Dar Maghreb with a group of 5 for a new dining experience and overall, it was a good experience.
The ambiance was authentic and sterile. The server was very friendly and had a sense of humor. For example, when we washed our hands to start the meal, he jokingly reminded us,“don’t drop the soap!“
The food was plentiful and pretty good, although I wouldn’t say it was to die for considering how much it cost.
The lentil soup was delicoius, the bread was buttery and fresh, the dips (carrots, eggplant, etc) were tasty. The sweet meat filo-​dough concoction was not my thing. The lemon chicken and honey lamb were incredibly TENDER and really tasty. The couscous was moist and tasty but we were pretty full by the time that dish came out.
Finally, we finished up with tasty, but VERY sweet mint tea and fresh, WHOLE fruit.
Conclusion-​7 courses plus drinks, tax, & tip will run you ~$ 50-​$ 75 per person… not something to do often, but fun every once in a blue moon.

Ahhh the belly dancing was so cool, I got picked to dance along and believe it or not, it was really fun. I never thought belly dancing was so «easy» :P
I came here with bunch of friends trying out new restaurants and this was one of them. Parking was valet and the service was great. I believe we did 7 course meal, the foods were huge. We were very full when we walked out. The restaurant was built in a nice morrocan design and we’re seated like in a circular sofa with like the coffee table.
Food-​wise I was amazed, it’s actually great and the belly dancers came right about the 4^th course so it provided us with breaks after that crazy 4 meals. Some food were better eaten with hands :), therefore they provided the bowl to wash hands afterwards. The belly dancer also taught us how to shake our booty correctly :), my friend, a guy, kept laughing when she was teaching him how to shake his big fat *ss, it’s so cute and fun nite. I totally recommend this place if you want to have some dinner and entertainment. Food may not come cheap, it cost us about $ 30 per person, but the experience was awesome.