Restaurant Al Maimouni — Restaurant in arrondissement de Tanger-Medina طنجة المدينة

English review: We ordered the lamb tajine, chicken pastilla, and chicken skewers(pinchos). Both chicken dishes were a little too dry(the chicken) and I wouldn't order them again. The lamb was good but it didn't have enough meat. I'm not an expert in lamb cuts, but this part of the lamb had a huge bone, so it's a gamble with this dish. Again, good flavor just not enough meat. The pastilla seemed old and dry. We're familiar with "Bastilla" which seems to be the more full, complex version of Tangier's inferior and disappointing version "pastilla." I find it strange that we had incredible experiences eating Moroccan food in Mexico City, and in Morocco we have a very average dining experience. Though, I shouldn't be surprised because Mexicans do everything better when it comes to food. Immigrate Mexicans to Morocco to work in restaurants and the food will be instantly better.

They take credit cards but the waiter said the machine was broken; I've heard this excuse in many countries, but I have cash so no big deal.

They sale alcohol but it's not on the menu and it's at a premium price under the table. MAD60 for my beer; it was a little warm but at least it was big(500ml Bavaroise). The very sweet waiter asked me to pay for the beer separately which is fine; I hope they're making a little extra money with this hustle. MAD 320 was our total for 2.

Strange floor plan. The entrance is the kitchen, then a walk up a narrow set of stairs which is where we sat, and above there's a rooftop area with tables but in January it's very cold for this option. We sat on the 2nd floor and even that was a little too cold.

The owner needs to invest in a deep clean. There's mold all over the bathroom wall and even mold on the menus(see photos). If I'm seeing this filth, what is going on behind the scenes in the kitchen? Also, the owner needs to invest in a upgraded bathroom; this was our first restaurant experience in Morocco, and I thought we were in a tourist area, but the toilet doesn't have a toilet seat? I've seen this all over South America, but I guess I should be expecting this...

We went to this restaurant because of great reviews and it was a disaster. First of all, we wanted to dine on their outdoor terrace, so we had to wait. We were told the wait would be just few minutes but it turned into what seemed forever. The waiter never acknowledged us and almost discouraged us from waiting (red flag). Once we got a table we realized that they actually had one available (not in ideal spot but still an empty table). The terrace is really small and congested, metal seats were without cushions (we had to ask). Took forever to take our order, stale bread arrived without oil or olives (traditional Moroccan “free” appetizers). The waiter took an order wringing it on a dirty piece of tissue he used from a dirty table. Then, it took us FOREVER to get the food. My last straw of disappointment was the Moroccan soup that I tried and totally hated it. It almost tasted like a bowl of vomit. I know, I cannot find a better description and I tried it because it was recommended. Fine, understandable, different taste buds. However, when asked by a waiter how was the soup and when I told him I didn’t like it, he literally said “everyone loves it, it’s not the soup, it’s you”. 🙄 OK. Tourist trap....

We had a wonderful experience at this restaurant! The staff was incredibly kind and welcoming, treating us more like friends than customers. They always greeted us warmly whenever we passed by, asking how we were enjoying Tangier and helped us with all our questions.

The food is delicious. The meal started with a fantastic appetizer—fresh bread, flavorful lentils, and tasty olives. The homemade lemonade was perfectly balanced. The highlight of my meal was the swordfish tagine, which was cooked to perfection with amazing flavors. For dessert they had homemade traditional Ramadan pastries and marrocan mint tea which was very tasty as well.

The rooftop terrace is another great part of the experience, offering a beautiful view of the old town and the Harbour.

It is such a lovely spot to enjoy a nice evening.

We will definitely be coming back the next time...