Marakesh

Moroccan restaurants, especially good ones, are thin on the ground in Abu Dhabi 7 Reviews

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Moroccan restaurants, especially good ones, are thin on the ground in Abu Dhabi. Marakesh has the fortunate position of being one of the few decent Moroccan establishments in the capital, and it wears its crown proudly.

The interior is pink and palatial, with banquettes lining the back wall and tables around the dance floor, which plays host to a belly dancer come 10.30pm.

The chicken bastilla is a suitably unusual and back-to-front place to start; the sweet pastry case for the chicken and dusting of icing sugar making it seem more dessert-like – but it’s interesting nonetheless. The Moroccan vegetable soup is a simpler affair: a warming chunky broth with a whisper of sweetness and scented with coriander.

There is no shortage of that Moroccan staple, tagine; the pick of which is the lamb with dates and pearl onions simmered in a date and honey sauce. The fish is lighter, with two succulent hammour fillets bathed in a lemony, tangy jus.

Morocco does sweet very well, but with giant portions like these, it may be a struggle to take on the pudding menu. A plate of pastries is the least challenging option if you can, and provides more crumbly sweetness, which you can wash down with mint leaf tea before staggering to the door. Marakesh still sets the standard in the capital for an impressively authentic taste of Morocco in an opulent, dramatic setting.

By Time Out Abu Dhabi staff
Time Out Abu Dhabi, 30 December 2008

• Previous reviews
  • 31 October,2012- reviewed by Time Out staff
  • 10 July,2012- reviewed by Time Out Abu Dhabi staff
  • 02 June,2011- reviewed by Time Out Abu Dhabi staff
  • 22 December,2009- reviewed by Time Out Abu Dhabi staff

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Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.

User reviews:

Posted by: JEanine on 30 Oct ' 11 at 14:52

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

as an fyi, this is not the city's only moroccan restaurant... while the decor is nice, the food and bellydancing for that matter are far from the mark when it comes to morrocan food.
Meknes has better tagines and couscous, plus a great moroccan breakfast menu.
maybe I'm just picky from having the real thing, but the ambience was nice, but shouldn't have to compensate for the authenticity of the food.

Posted by: T Suthro Rassdeen on 18 Oct ' 10 at 14:28

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Romantic
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Posted by: T Suthro Rassdeen on 18 Oct ' 10 at 14:28

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Romantic
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Posted by: T Suthro Rassdeen on 18 Oct ' 10 at 14:28

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Romantic
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Posted by: T Suthro Rassdeen on 18 Oct ' 10 at 14:28

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Romantic
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Posted by: Tom on 03 Feb ' 10 at 16:33

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Romantic
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

This place was amazing. We showed early for the Tuesday night buffet and had the whole fresh line to ourselves for almost an hour before anyone else showed up. The reasonably priced meal came with free beer or wine and offered a mind-blowing array of meals. All of the chicken and lamb dishes were spectacular, but the chicken pastilles and the lamb with prunes and almonds stood out. The waitstaff was quick and helpful and the setting was just transformative. The only two lacking points were that the two seafood dishes were terrible (fried hammour and grilled shrimp) and the dessert bar was flavorless and not worth eating.

Posted by: Jo on 06 May ' 09 at 06:27

would really help if Time out displayed the correct number - GRRRRRRR