Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant

Message from Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant

Forget your knife and fork and settle into an exotic oasis of romance.
  • Authentic Moroccan Cuisine
  • Traditional Belly Dancing
  • Royal Banquet Room (up to 90)

Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant is a traditional Moroccan restaurant that has been serving the Portland area since 1989. As you walk into the restaurant you will feel as though you have entered into a different world. When you enter this cozy oasis adorned with richly textured Moroccan rugs, ornate silver urns and tapestries you will feel like royalty as you are treated like a King & Queen in the Sultan?s Tent. Once you are seated your hands will be washed before & after your five course meal. Your five course meal consist of soup, salad with homemade bread, Pastilea (which is shredded chicken with scrambled eggs and crushed almonds), followed by lamb and chicken, dessert and a tea ceremony. Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant serves a wide variety of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and African dishes, as well as a nice selection of wines and beers. Stop by Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant today.

Editorial and merchant content by Citysearch

Marker Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant

(503) 766-4981

1201 NW 21st Ave Portland, OR 97209
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Editorial Description by Citysearch
In Short
Guests sit on long couches or firm pillow-stools before low tables, surrounded by the room's colorful, ornate patterns. Traditional music forms a soothing aural background as they use bread or fingers to eat. A traditionally garbed server bathes diners' hands in warm water before bringing five aromatic courses: lentil soup, salad, an appetizer called B'stellela Royale (a slightly sweet pastry with meat filling), the main course and dessert of fresh fruit with fragrant mint tea.

93 Reviews of Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant in Portland

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fun restaurant  4 Star Rating - Very good

By Christine M. | insider_guru Insider Guru | Rank: 912

This is a fun restaurant to take a group to. The dishes are served in a traditional style. So you get to eat everything with your hands and sitting low to the floor. I've liked every dish I've tried there. At this point I think I've tried almost everything on the menu. They can even do vegetarian dishes if it is requested. They have belly dancers on certain nights. The drawbacks are that interior is a bit dingy if you see it during daylight and if you see any of the tables moved you'll notice serious clean spots on the carpet where the tables have been sitting.

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Great fun for everyone  5 Star Rating - World class

By A G. | top100 Top 100 Reviewer | Rank: 60

We take all of our out of town guests to Marrakesh for dinner. It's a great experience for everyone, and the food is excellent. We enjoy the belly dancers, too. It's good place to go for a celebration and I tell everyone about it.

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unique and totally entertaining  4 Star Rating - Very good

By Betty R. | insider_guru Insider Guru | Rank: 555

Marrakesh is an experience in unique dining. We sat on the floor on cushions around a round table and we selected a family style dinner and ate from center bowls/plates using our hands and bread. The food was delicious and the experience was unlike any other. You felt that you were truly in an different country.

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Best Morroccan food in town!  5 Star Rating - World class

By Connie C. | insider_expert Insider Expert | Rank: 3,645

What an awesome experience! It's almost like being in Morroco. From the moment you enter with the draped ceilings, floor cushion seating, eating with your hands, and live belly dancers on Wed - Sat ...you'll feel like a Sultan! The food is priced as a package (appetizer, meal and dessert). I love the rabbit and the chicken with apricots. Reservations are recommened and necessary (especially if you have a large group). Come prepared for an exotic, memorable experience!

PROS: Awesome atmosphere and food!
CONS: A bit pricey, but it is priced as a package meal.

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Latest reviews by Citysearch: (read all 89 reviews on Citysearch)

Read the New Year's review! 1 Star Rating - Unsatisfactory

By CourtneyP

The review written by MathGeek13 was spot-on!

Lucky for these guys they didn't actually get into a fight with that guy. My boyfriend and I did! The time that it takes to get drinks and food is unbelievable! We refused to wait that long (they lost our reservation on top of it!) so we left. That guy came running after us and picked a physical fight with my boyfriend. We did not "dine and dash" because we never had our food!
I stepped in-between my boyfriend and this guy and had to push him away and off of us. Way to go, buddy! Getting into a fight with a girl! Don't fall into the trap of a unique experience. It was definitely unique- but one I could have done without! Do yourself a favor and never go here. You wallet and self respect will thank you later

Pros: nothing
Cons: where should I start?
Posted 06/02/09

My favorite restaurant, hands down 5 Star Rating - World class

By mikeyboypdx

I go here as often as I can afford it. I have to fast all day before I go because you get a LOT of food. The handsome waiters are always very attentive, I love the traditional hand-washing to start off. First you get some great lentil soup and bread....oh my god, the bread is soooo good. Second course is salad marrakesh, which is also incredible. My favorite course is the b'stella royale, a puff pastry stuffed with eggs and chicken, then topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar. This fanciful mix of savory and sweet always leaves me satisfied.....but wait, the entree is still to come!!!

I have tried the braised hare, the lamb m'rouzia and the chicken with honey and prunes.....all of which are great and gamey and authentic. I can imagine an honored guest at dinner in a tent in Morocco, being treated to the very best of what the family had to offer.

Finally, there is dessert....but not before your hands are washed again and aspersed with orange blossom water. Sweet mint tea is always served, and I've had fresh fruit, custard, and tarts for dessert.....they change it up.

For those who had bad food experiences....I honestly doubt it. You probably just have never had rabbit or lamb before and don't understand it can (and should) taste a little gamey. For those who complain about service: here's a hint. I always go RIGHT when they open at 5 pm. There's never a crowd at first, and I have the server's full attention. By the time I finish dinner, the place is starting to fill up, and I really don't like crowds so it's great to be able to leave just as it starts getting crowded.

If I could eat here once a week, I would, but with the current economy I manage maybe once every 6 weeks. Highly recommended, and don't believe the negative reviews.

Pros: Incredible service, atmosphere, best food in Portland
Cons: A little on the spendy side
Posted 04/04/09

We wont go back. 1 Star Rating - Unsatisfactory

By lalelod

WE have eaten at Marrakesh before and loved it. Last week was another story. We were there to celebrate a birthday. All of us ordered the beef kabobs. The meat was inedible. It was so tough and overdone that no one ate theirs.
We called this to the attention of the waiter but he just looked puzzled and shrugged.
We won't be going back.

Pros: It's fun
Cons: The food was awful
Posted 02/28/09

An experience! 2 Star Rating - Wouldn't recommend

By SarahK729

Fun experience and the food was good. It's always fun to try something new. However, we went on my birthday with a large group. I made a reservation, but it was still quite cramped. Perhaps they could try to treat the customers they do have with quality service instead of trying to get as many people as possible into the restaurant! The man on the phone was rude not once but twice when I called. We set up a reservation ensured that we would view the belly dancing, but the dancer started down stairs and never came up stairs. We were there for an hour past the promised time. Our waitress said we could take the kids down to see her and was told, "you are in the way", by a waiter. We ordered an expensive bottle of champagne and was drinking it waiting for the belly dancer to come up stairs and was told by the waiter to go pay by the door because there are people waiting for our table!!! So, great experience, but don't expect good customer service. I won't be going back. Go for something different and take it for was it is...an experience.

Pros: Food and a different dining experience
Cons: Customer SERVICE!!!!
Posted 02/20/09

Awesome food, Awesome service, Good entertainment 5 Star Rating - World class

By MikaylaCork

I love this resteraunt. I was taken here for the first time less than a week ago and had such a good time. It is well worth the $18.50 a person. It included the 5 course meal (which was amazing) and I loved the authenticity of it all. From sitting on the floor to eating with my fingers it was all good, but I have to say one of my favorite parts was the belly dancing. Everyone was involved and had a blast. And don't forget to try the sweet mint tea!!!!

Pros: Good food, fun environment, nice people
Cons: Don't wear clothes that aren't suited for sitting on the floor
Posted 02/05/09