Menara Moroccan

Recommends

atruereview

Joined 4 years ago

Great Ambiance. Food is good but pricey. I like the atmosphere and took my friends there and they had to dance as well as my kids who loved it! If you're shy, be aware the belly dancer will ask you to dance and join the party!

Doesn't Recommend

honeybunch

Joined 8 years ago

Food is ok but really come for ambiance. I've only been to one other Moroccan place in SJ but this did not compare. Amount of food was rather expensive for what you get even if there are multiple courses. The best thing was a chicken dish, the name of which escapes me at the moment (shows how good it was) but the rest was just so-so. It's definitely a place for special occasions but other than this birthday party I went to, don't see another reason why I would eat again. Not enough to draw me back. Belly dancer was fun, especially when pulling people from the audience. For $35 min per person, at least you get a show.

Doesn't Recommend

lisahazarika

Joined 8 years ago

An average moroccan venue!. We had a birthday gathering with more than 10 people at this morrocan place. The place, the belly dancer as well as the menu seemed very moroccan and similar to most other moroccan places in the bay area. However I did not find the food very appealing. Specially for the price that was charged. It is a very expensive place and the food is not really worth it... I'll rather go to other places for moroccan food.

Doesn't Recommend

moroccan

Joined 6 years ago

The worst food ever !. There is nothing authentic about the food served at Menara ! I am a Moroccan, so I know what I am talking about. The food is rediculously expensive for both the quality and the quantity you get. The couscous was the worse I ve had in my life and had nothing moroccan about it but the name, the lemon chicken was swimming in a watery sauce ( definitely not moroccan), and the bastilla was just dry and inedible. AVOID !!

Doesn't Recommend

rainy_dayze

Joined 7 years ago

Overpriced and Unauthentic. My fiance and I walked in without reservations and were seated with no problems. The ambience was Moroccan like and we sat on pillows on the floor. However, we were really disappointed with the food. It was $30 per person and wasn't flavorful. Everything tasted "Americanized", nothing new. The chicken was average and overcooked. The lamb kabob came out and tasted like gyros I get from shop that is 1/4 of the price. I could have justified by saying I was paying for the entertainment, buy even the belly dancers performed unauthentic dances. One of the belly dancers used a gold cane and was doing some kind of broadway dance and another did a belly dance to a Moroccan version of "My Heart Will Go On" from the movie "Titanic". It's a place where you need to go with a large group of people and have many drinks to enjoy.

Recommends

ashivam

Joined 8 years ago

The Best of the Best!. Menara Morroccan Restaurant is the best of the best, and I have been dining there for the last 13 years. The decor, food, service, and entertainment are unlike any other you've seen around. Everything is unique and brings out the true Morrocan culture. The food is exquisite, the service is undeniably gracious and the entertainment which is belly dancing blows you away. No matter if you are on a romantic date or a large group, your dining experience at Menara Moroccan Restaurant is one you will never forget.

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bhagirath

Joined 8 years ago

best moroccan food and ambiance out of morocco. i have been traveling around the globe , menara is truely moroccan experience. was recommended by my friend who is with tourism department of morocco.food , decor,and service was very good. no wonder they have been there for 27 years is land mark and deserves that and hoping to continue the same

Doesn't Recommend

blondwahine

Joined 9 years ago

Overpriced for the service and food. My husband and I have been to several Moroccan restaurants...many of the offer the same atmosphere of belly dancers, floor-cushioned seating, the authenticityof eating with your hands.

This restaurant offers this, however we were disappointed with both the food and service. With a reservation it took 15 mintues to seat us. Our order was taken and the only time we saw a server is when they brought our food. We like to keep the drinks flowing and to have the courtesy of asking how our meal is...we received no such service at this restaurant.

Having been to several other Moroccan restaurants in the Bay Area gave us a foundation to compare Menara's food. Their meats were over-cooked, and the supposed Lamb Kabob that was a part of our meal was actually a meat ball...not served in the traditional kabob style. For the price of around $30/person we expected much more.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

You haven't really lived until you've eaten lamb kababs while watching belly dancers.. The Food
The menu at Menara is what you'd expect at a Moroccan restaurant--lots of chicken and lamb dishes and plenty of couscous--with only a few Mediterranean diversions like baklava and a phyllo dough chicken pastry. The catch at Menara is that they offer four different multi-course dinners, including a vegetarian meal, and everyone at the table eats the same thing. This means that if your mouth waters for rabbit, you'll have to talk your date into it, too.

The Scene
Like all traditional Moroccan restaurants, diners at Menara lounge on pillows around low tables using their hands as utensils, which gives the place a very relaxed, laid-back vibe. If you get there at 8:00pm, you can catch the Menara's stable of belly dancers in action--an interesting sight indeed.

Doesn't Recommend

birby

Joined 11 years ago

Rude service, high prices. Prices are very high and the service was RUDE. The owner (not the waiter, the owner!) first got snippy when I asked about wines by the glass, then downright angry when I asked him to explain the pricing. The atmosphere is also terrible for a date, with the music way too loud to have a conversation.