Message from Menara Moroccan

A Moroccan Oasis in San Jose

Menara blends Moroccan elegance with warm hospitality. Our award-winning menu offers authentic multi-course feasts for all senses, prepared with only the finest spices and herbs. Try something different by having your own romantic adventure in Casablanca. Relax on pillowed couches, sip a Moroccan Magic, dine on delicious Moroccan food and be mesmerized by the traditional belly dancers. Our award winning menu--featuring lamb with honey, orange roughy in Shermula sauce and vegetable couscous--offers authentic multi-course feasts for all senses, prepared with only the finest spices and herbs.

MarkerMoroccan Restaurant Menara

(408) 453-1983

41 E Gish Rd
San Jose, CA 95112

Editorial Description by Citysearch
You haven't really lived until you've eaten lamb kababs while watching belly dancers.
Rated 8.7 out of 10 by Citysearch.

2 Reviews of Moroccan Restaurant Menara in San Jose

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fun dinner place  4 Star Rating - Very good

Take your time, grab a cushion, and get ready for a treat. The food is delicious. The belly dancing fun and the atmosphere truly different. This is a great options for going out with your friends. The kids loved it too because they got to eat with their hands, sit on the floor and take part in the dancing.

PROS: great ambiance and food
CONS:

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Transport yourself to Morocco  4 Star Rating - Very good

I just LOVE this restaurant. The ambience simply transports you to another place. You sit on the floor and eat with your hands. Some nights there is belly dancing. They have a special cocktail that is very refreshing. The bread is heaven. All dinners come with a kind of ground veggie salad that is more like a dip and is fabulous. The chicken pie that comes with everything is another unusual and delicious dish. You will get a big towel instead of a napkin and they bring hot water to wash your hands.
The entrees run from chicken and lamb to beef, all so tender and flavorful you won't believe it. Fresh fruit is for dessert served with Spearmint tea. The whole experience is relaxing and enjoyable, if you haven't been, you are missing a great evening.

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5 Reviews by Citysearch: (read all 6 reviews on Citysearch)

The worst food ever ! 1 Star Rating - Unsatisfactory

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 !!

Pros: NONE !
Cons: FOOD, PRICE, SERVICE...
Posted 06/16/07 at 12:17pm

Overpriced and Unauthentic 2 Star Rating - Wouldn't recommend

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.

Pros: Good for groups, ambience
Cons: Unathentic Food, Expensive
Posted 03/04/06 at 11:10pm

The Best of the Best! 5 Star Rating - World class

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.

Pros: Food, Service, Entertainment
Posted 06/08/05 at 12:00am

best moroccan food and ambiance out of morocco 5 Star Rating - World class

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

Pros: great food, you are in morocco, great dancing
Posted 05/26/05 at 12:00am

Overpriced for the service and food 2 Star Rating - Wouldn't recommend

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.

Pros: Roomier, good entertainment, easy access
Cons: , mediocre food, disappointing service
Posted 06/06/04 at 12:34am