Kenza

Absolutely fabulous setting and interior.
My boyfriend and I went here the day before Valentine’s Day, and rose petals were everywhere: beautiful!
Our meal was a tad late, so we were given free cocktails, and the food was phenomenal.
The only cons were the large service charge at the end and the belly dancers dancing in our faces as we were trying to eat! Maybe best have the dancers later in the evening (not 6pm!) and in the bar area as opposed to the restaurant.

Great atmosphere, good mezes, good meals, bad service. Staff always push you to finish your meal for next customer every 15 mins.

A little tricky to find but once your there it is worth the journey. You are greeted with an arabic styled restaurant with great atmosphere and good food as well as entertainment. Also a lively bar an dance floor on the weekends.

My colleagues and I went to Kenza for our Christmas lunch. I had had very limited experience in Middle Eastern food, so please take into consideration when reading this review.
We ordered the set menu, which included a variety of appetisers, grilled meat/​seafood with rice for main and desserts. Everything was good, though I didn’t feel like anything was a stand-​out. Perhaps, one thing that caught me off guard was the sheer amount of appetisers that were served. I was so full by the second round of them that I couldn’t enjoy the mains to the fullest.
Service was good, and ambience was very spacious and Middle Eastern posh as well. However, it felt a bit awkward when the belly dancer came out in the middle of our lunch. Music was turned up so much that we couldn’t hear each other, and the belly dancer dancing in a largely empty restaurant felt quite uncomfortable. It was very sweet of her to ask some of us to join her, but probably not the best tactic on the restaurant’s part given that we were still eating and we were clearly in a semi-​professional setting.
Overall, a good place but not my top choice.

Very nice atmosphere and place. We had almost every starter on the menu and the falafels are probably the most amazing we had in our life. Lebanese wine was very dry so I would stick to something more conventional. And mint tea with Arabic sweets is delicious. The ambience was pretty good with belly dancers and mixture of Arabic and western music.

Is it Lebanese? Is it Turkish? It is Moroccan? Who knows? Does it matter? The food is generic «Middle Eastern», but none the worse for that. A fun, buzzy place to eat and socialize– although I wouldn’t come here on my own; the experience is definitely more fun in company. Besides, you’d look a bit of a perv sat on your own watching the belly dancers.

Great lunch menu and good size dishes…

Surprisingly good quality Lebanese. Impressed by food and service. Everything seems to be cooked fresh rather than reheated. Good lively atmosphere.

Fun place with great food. What more can you ask for really? As soon as we walked in, we were greeted with loud music and belly dancers. Although some might think it’s a bit over the top, I thought it added to the lively atmosphere and provided fun entertainment. The dancing doesn’t last all night, so you can still just enjoy your meal and conversation with friends as you would at any other restaurant.
The food was delicious! We were a table of 5 and decided to just split a bunch of mezzes and a mixed grill main. Everything was so good. I particularly liked the haloumi and the lamb pastry mezzes. We also had a few dips — can’t have Lebanese without hummous! — and the falafel, mmm. It is a bit pricey for what it is, but then again you are in the City so it’s to be expected.
My only small gripe would be the slow service (but then again, this is London). Our waiter was very nice, but I think he was a bit stretched as it took him ages to check on our table. So I think they might need 1 or 2 more waiters covering the floor on a busy weekend evening.

Beautiful restaurant, attentive staff and excellent food. I really enjoyed myself and the portions were ridiculously huge when we ordered a meal from the Feast menu. If you’re a twosome, don’t do it! We ended up taking huge pots of food home.
Pretty belly dancers and good food, quite pricey but works out okay with a Tastecard. Will definitely visit again.

Hey !
After reading the past reviews I have to agree with some, and agree to disagree with others… So this review is possibly a little biased, because I think it’s been unfairly judged.
This place feels actually like some kind of genuine oriental place from far away. My wife being Moroccan, I am used to eating out in places like that, and believe me, some places in North Africa and the Middle east ARE very tacky in essence, it’s part of the style !
That being said, though it’s true that the middle-​east and north Africa are very distinct locations, Kenza’s menu offers dishes from both, in a very nice manner.
We went for water and fruit juices, which went very nicely with the meal.
The mezze platters are very good value for money, and I’d say, all of the other dishes are. My wife would complain that Tagine are served with Couscous, but on the other hand, so it is in many countries, and they are pretty tasty.
The meat was very tender, in my chicken dish and the shish kebab plate of my colleague, and the sides were delicious !
The only slight disappointment was with the dessert, which were too «western» to my taste, although the mango cheesecake was the best my colleague had ever tasted, and the pancake «packets» were very sweet and tasty, yet not too heavy.
Finally, for a lunch in the middle of the City of London, the price was extremely reasonable.
I have not yet been there when belly dancers are performing, but it’s something I’m looking forward to. And honestly, I’d say that if you’re not ready for the belly dancing, then it’s best to stay away from such restaurants. Otherwise just embrace the vibe :)

I’m torn between positive and negative in this place, so I’ll just list them and let you decide! Positive: Belly dancers! And they are gorgeous!
The atmosphere (sometimes)
Very nice cocktails Negative: When the belly dancers are out the music is way too loud. So loud you can’t have a conversation
It’s deep underground so can get stuffy
The atmosphere (sometimes)
It’s expensive I don’t think I’d go there again. They’ve put in a good effort but it’s in a weird location. It might be better on weeknights but I was there on a Saturday and it felt dead as a dodo for most of the evening!

A stroll through Devonshire Square from Liverpool St Station, past the covered plaza area where a post-​work crowd noisily smokes and tries to look important with their drinks, and down an alley reveals a hidden doorway to a plush and sultry underground oasis.
To gain entry to the «New Moroccan» restaurant, one must first descend a spiral staircase that just keeps going, leading my mother-​in-​law to joke «we’re going on the Tube now!» But eventually what was revealed was not the grimy, fluorescent glow of a smelly tunnel, but a beautifully tiled interior, with brass and gold accents, candle-​lit sconces, fresh cut roses and daffodils, trickling water features and prints of rich and warm colors. The opulent décor was reigned in by a DJ spinning upbeat tracks you’d expect at an after-​hours art show, bringing an edge and overall trendy young vibe that did not distract or detract from the luxurious space.
It was a seriously nice first impression, that was then hampered by spotty and forgetful service. Twice we had to remind the server about a forgotten order (a bottle of wine and a cup of coffee). And call me picky but I hate when waiters arrive and announce «who ordered this? and who ordered this?», interrupting conversation and awkwardly placing plates.
The price ranged from £13-£15 for vegetarian mains and up from there to £23-£36 for lamb and seafood dishes. We ended up with the chicken tan jin (£15), the baked aubergine stuffed with veggies and cheese and served with couscous (£13) another veggie dish (there are only two, so the other one) and an item from the Grilled section: minced chicken, packed back together and speared and grilled, served with wild rice. The aubergine was fantastic, with loads (but not too much) of gooey cheese and fluffy, perfect couscous with a touch of lemon. The chicken tan jin was also incredible, perfectly cooked chicken swimming in a delicious sauce with slow cooked veggies (perfect for the less adventurous to exotic cuisine/“meat and potatoes” fans). The other veggie dish looked unappetizing and I don’t think the orderer cared for it, but I thought it was great, a mystery veg encased in a thin doughy wrap and sprinkled with pine nuts and drizzled with an earthy sauce. The skewered chicken looked pretty plain and unexciting next to the other orders, and the orderer of that dish seemed as unimpressed by its taste as by its looks.
I was in the bathroom so am unsure how the forgotten items came to the manager’s attention at the end of the meal, but he came by with a heartfelt apology and an offer to make it right the next time we came in. I am so used to fair-​to-​poor service in London (even from expensive restaurants) that our experience simply registered as standard, so this gesture was much appreciated.
I realize the belly dancers are obligatory, but their interactive show was too long and accompanied by too-​loud music that made conversation impossible for about 20 minutes (in fact, even without the loud show, it’s pretty noisy in the place). As well, the dancers should be a little better at reading their audience, as some groups were clearly delighted and joined in the dance, while other tables (couples on dates, mostly) at first awkwardly smiled at then eventually tried to ignore the writhing and scantily clad women who were jiggling all up in their nice romantic meal.
This space is a good mix of modern, traditional and luxe.

Pricey for what it is, nice belly dancers, vibrant and lively atmosphere. Good for large parties and drunken suits.
Really strong garlic/​onion taste that stayed with me for a few days. We have been there twice and the first time was a top table thing so was significantly cheaper than the second time.
Worth a visit, but won’t go out my way to go again.

I went to Kenza recently on the Toptable offer that’s doing the rounds for a «Feast» style menu for £42 for two. We also splashed out on some of the drinks which are pretty expensive (Cocktails around £10 each).
The place is really nice inside, the decoration, the vibe and so on. On the night we were there, they had a fortune teller set aside in one area as well as the usual belly dancing that seems to happen every hour or so (you’ll most likely see it if you dine there).
So, a really good atmosphere and good service, but I wasn’t impressed with the Food. Small plates of various treats to start with, which were good but often in my view underseasoned. A single main dish was brought which was again small and this was a selection of different meats, well seasoned but very similiar to each other, it was served on I think a bed of rice, well done, but I wouldn’t pay for it as a main on its own. The desserts were good, fruit, small puddings and some great turkish delight.
I would have liked better tastes, while it might be defined a ‘feast’, if they cut down on a few small dishes at the start and really concentrated on flavour that would be good for the remaining dishes.
Overall, it’s not going to be a regular, not affordable on a regular basis and you can get as lovely cocktails (they were very good) elsewhere for £6 or £7, instead of £10, a sizeable saving :)

Yes this place is expensive but its definitely an experience. If you want a nice quite meal out… maybe go somewhere else.
I really liked the décor… there was a lot of little detail that gave you the «atmosphere» of being in Morroco or somewhere like that. I thought the belly dancers were fun. but i guess it depends on what you are looking for in your dining experience. on the bad side. it is located downstairs so a lot of people couldn’t get cellphone service.
I thought the food was very good, but you could get something similar on edgware road for cheaper. But one thing that did stick in my mind was the mint tea they served after the meal. its the best mint tea i’ve had in a long time.
So in conclusion. it was a fun experience, but going once was probably enough for me.
I think this is worth it if you have the Top Table 50% off thing…

A veritable oasis of unexpected Middle Eastern opulence in the City. The ambience and atmosphere is great and the place takes you far far away from the humdrum world of finance just outside.
Food is only slightly above average though, and my Moroccan friend says it’s tolerable but not quite as authentic as it could have been. Judging from the taste alone, I have to agree, but it is not at all bad — just that it could have been better.
The service is quite good, even though there are a lot of discreet cabins, and I heartily recommend a visit just for the experience.

This little place is well tucked away, but worth looking for if your in the area and fancy a visit to Ali Baba’s cavewell, it can feel like that: underground, dark, middle-​eastern vibe, belly dancers, gold, etc.
Food and cocktails are good, but pricey (we are in the city after all).
Had a work function here once, which worked pretty well. Decent crowd food with the mezzes

Overly cheesy and tackily extravagant. As soon as you think it can’t get worse, here come the belly-​dancers to dance at your table.
The host told us it was Lebanese and our waiter told us it was North African. Those are two very different places. Regardless, there is far more seating than people who actually eat here.
The food is mediocre at best, and horribly overpriced. I would certainly recommend avoiding this establishment at all costs.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Kenze, where belly-​dancers distracted me from eating food, a welcomed distraction, a distraction I would be happy to be distracted with at any time, anyways.
It is a middle eastern restaurant which has meals throughout the region, but I believe is Moroccan owned.
It is amazing inside too, a great décor and a dark atmospheric lighting arrangement, it is simply a great vibe to have good night out, not the simple, dine pay and dash.
I had the signature dish, which was a whole shoulder of lamb roasted with figs, which was brilliant, I have had the same meal before elsewhere and this was far superior.
After eating, we moved to a lounge area and had a few cocktails, it was a real good night out, though after paying the bill, and on the tube home, we thought that they over charged us, whether they took advantage of us being tipsy or an honest mistake, we don’t know, either way, it was great!