La Menara

My colleagues and I attended this restaurant last night for our Christmas party. We were a loud and noisy group but the staff made us feel very welcome and provided excellent service. The staff had decorated the tables and were organised with their service and how quickly the food came out. The atmosphere was lovely and very comfortable.

The food was very tasty and I recieved lots of messages about how much everyone enjoyed it! Huge portions and real value for money.

I fully intend to have more office parties there.
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Unnati
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, December 17, 2011

My husband and I went 5 years ago to Morroco, and loved the food. Yesterday we went hoping to have a really good dinner, but that wasn´t just DELICIOUS ( I cant understand those bad reviews about the food), the hole experience was amazing!

We had a tagine and the chicken bastille.... wow!! Suddenly I felt like in Morroco... The place is beautiful and cozy, but we cant forget the service... I felt home.

Oh and portions for Main courses are BIG so be carefull, or just go very hungry! HA ha!

Words are not enough to explain what I want to, you just have to live it.

TOTALLY RECOMMEND IT!! :D
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Abi
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, October 21, 2011

It's never been so difficult to write a review for a restaurant, as even after a while we are still a bit uncertain about the experience we had in this place.

We went there to celebrate my birthday, as Moroccan cuisine is one of my favourite, plus I really enjoyed the pictures I saw on La Menara's website.

The restaurant is located in a nice area, though during the night it seems to be in the middle of nowhere: streets are dark and empty and there's absolutely no one around. As you enter inside, it seems to be magically projected onto the warm and hot atmosphere of a typical Moroccan cafe, with its colourful pillows and carpets, the yellow light of candles and lamps, the beautiful curtains falling down from the ceiling, and some aromatic perfumes all around... Being enchanted by the spectacular atmosphere might help to swallow and digest the tasteless food. Besides some saffron potatoes we had as a started all the rest was absolutely bland, and very far from typical Moroccan flavours. Prices would be ok, but not comparable to the microwave meal we had. My vegetarian tagine and my cous cous were insipid and plenty of butter, which, being Italian, as far as I know of Mediterranean cuisine, is not exactly a typical ingredient, it has nothing to do with the aromatic extra virgin olive oil and can really spoil the meal.

Staff was nice and polite.

Nothing more to add. Just go there to have a good cup of mint tea and to enjoy the ambient, but absolutely avoid the food!
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Ritchies - View all reviews by this user
5 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 3
Saturday, October 15, 2011

This restaurant is well worth trying.

I brought my work colleagues to la Menara restaurant for a team night out, there were 18 of us, we had a great evening from the start.The restaurant is in the heart of London located within 2 minutes walk from Goodge street station off Tottenham court road. As we walked in, we felt as if we were in fez or Marrakech, the decor was outstanding, beautiful and traditionally Moroccan. The staff were very attentative and very helpful, especially the Manager Rachid a kind and friendly person who made sure we had a wonderful experience. The food was freshly cooked, full of flavour and truly divine, we had a selection of delicious mezze for starters followed by a variety of tagines, to name a few, lamb with prunes cooked until tender enough to be pulled apart and eaten with the fingers. Meat and fish can be ordered grilled, stewed, or cooked in an earthenware tagine. We finish off our meals with delicate Moroccan pastries followed by a soothing cup of sweet mint tea. Not to forget the great entertainment such as the tradional moroccan music and the belly dance, easy to forget you are in central london.

We were all really impressed and it was simply fantastic. We would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for authentic moroccan cuisine and fine entertainment.
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Sam M.EV
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, October 03, 2011

There is a secret doorway in London that leads straight to Morrocco - La Menara.

i decided to take my wife here after reading both positive and negative reviews. I felt there were a few tell-tale signs in the negative reviews.

If i want massive portions and fast, I go to the chip shop.

The atmosphere is amplified by the decor. The eating areas are on two levels the upper with a skylight, star-gazing glass ceilling, the lower level is fitted with both couches and high back seating. Adorned with weaves, fabrics and artifacts.

We ordered Harrira soup and Halloumi cheese starter with Tagine shank and Brochette Lahem mains.

The Tagine shank is so moist you can eat it off the bone with a spoon and the garlic sauce that came with the Brochette is the best garlic sauce I've ever had. The starters came within 10 minutes and the waitress was not fussing over us just natural.

The overall feeling was that this is not a restaurant that is attempting to impress you as a london punter. This place could survive if it opened in Cassablanca or Marrekesh because it is authentic food.

A very intimate experience.
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Steve
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Sunday, August 28, 2011

If only the review scores went into negatives! I have never had such terrible service at a restaurant before. Not only was it slow and unapologetic but the manager was extremely rude and very aggressive to our group. It was certainly not saved by the food which was poor with very small portions.

There is no way I would return
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1 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Friday, July 29, 2011

This was a truly dreadful, upsetting and TERRIFYING experience!!

I went there for dinner with 11 colleagues and on the journey home felt utterly embarassed having been the one who suggested we go there after finding it on a simple google search.

At first things were pleasant, the waitresses were polite, although service was rather slow despite there only being 3 other customers in the restaurant besides our own party.

When the food started to arrive, the manager brought over a main dish that no one at our table had ordered. When we politely said that it didn't belong to us, he insisted very forcefully and aggressively that it must do and that his chef would not have cooked it otherwise. When we continued to politely decline the dish he slammed the plate on the adjacent table and stormed off, leaving us looking on in awkward disbelief.

Eventually the dishes we had ordered arrived, however one of my colleagues had to wait more than 35 minutes for his food, despite only having ordered a starter. His food finally arrived, after having to ask two different waitresses 4 times, by which time the rest of us were finishing our mains. Even then his food was cold and the waitresses began to hastily clear everyone's plates whilst some were still eating--something I found highly unprofessional.

I ordered the mixed grill, one of the most expensive dishes on the menu, and was disappointed not only at the small and mean portions and how overcooked/dry and poorly flavoured the food was, but also disgusted at the quality of the salad, whose lettuce leaves were brown and withered-looking. Needless to say that I did not finish my meal.

As if the evening was not bad enough already, when the bill came, we had been charged for 3 extra mains which we had not ordered, and had only sneakily given a 3% discount rather than the 15% discount we had been guaranteed when booking by phone. When we questioned the manager about this, he became even more aggressive, rude, and downright frightening. He insisted that we had ordered the 3 extra dishes, and that they must have arrived at the table. When we insisted otherwise and asked him to stop shouting, he demanded an apology. After 30 minutes of going through the bill with him he realised that the 3 mains should have been charged as the halloumi starters, and he rather grudgingly replaced them. When we asked about the discount he began shouting again and said that it only applied if we had ordered a certain amount off the menu: This was NOT stated on the website or over the phone when we confirmed. He then demanded an apology from us for "disrupting his business.."

Needless to say we did not pay the optional service charge.

To add salt to the horrible gaping wound that was this evening, he then followed us outside the restaurant and started shouting that we were "cheap" for not paying the service charge. We replied saying he did not deserve the tips considering the fiasco that he had created. He then claimed that the service charge was compulsory, at which point one of my colleagues corrected him and said it was voluntary, IF we had been satisfied with the service. He told pointed a finger at her and told her to "Shut up" and shouted at the rest of us to "never come back" as we walked away from this horrendous place.

If it is small portions of overpriced and mediocre food that you are looking for, finished off with a large helping of aggressive, rude, and threatening behaviour, then I would highly recommend this terrifying and utterly disgraceful place.

If it is a pleasant evening you are after, go elsewhere.
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1 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Friday, July 29, 2011

La Menara restaurant has been one of my favourite places for the past 5 years, every time I have to order Harira (soup) full of flavours, the menu is quite exciting and caters for all tastes, the Moroccan wine is very good also, the place brings back nice memories from previous christmas parties and my bachelor days, never been dissapointed. I definitely recommend this gem.
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Mr XXX
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, July 28, 2011

The food was average, and a little expensive. The manager was rude and aggressive to us when there had been a mistake on the bill and would not give us a 15% discount when it was agreed during booking. Service charge is optional but they had already added it to the bill automatically without giving us a choice.
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Anonymous
5 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Thursday, July 28, 2011

To describe this place as a complete rip-off is an understatement. A group of us had a horrible time, service was terrible and terrifying and food was mediocre. No apologies to the delay in food.

Stated on their website that a 15% discount is applied if booked over the phone or internet, which we only received less than half of that offer. When complained, the waiter's intimidating and angry approach was to say that we did not order the set menu or drinks, which is not stated on their website so therefore this offer did not apply. We refused to pay for the service charge of 12.5% and paid only half of that (feeling sorry for the poor waitresses having to deal with that man) Then he came running outside the restaurant to abuse us even more.

DO AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE A PLAGUE, there are much better restaurants around the area!!
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Lyn
2 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, July 27, 2011