Chez Zak — Restaurant in Essaouira

we came to this restaurant because of the amazing reviews on all platforms. However, when we arrived at 7 PM, we were shocked to see that most of the building was empty and instead we decided to have dinner on the rooftop terrace where there was only one other party of three dining Other than us. There are maybe two other parties, including the one on the terrace. We ordered our food pretty promptly upon arriving. The menu was small, which was not a problem until we discovered that they did not have any shrimp or fish, which were about half of the seafood items on the menu. When we went to a better restaurant later on in the night, this restaurant had both shrimp and fish, so it was definitely not a problem with whatever was available at the market that day. We ordered grilled calamari and the signature grilled lobster which put us at a bill for about $21 per person (very expensive for Morocco and tiny portions). The food took over an hour to arrive at our table Even though the preparation was very simple and grilled. Unlike other restaurants, we have experienced here in Morocco. We did not receive any free bread, olives or tea, despite the high price of the restaurant. When the food arrived, the portions were much smaller than we anticipated. Especially in comparison to other restaurants , we have been to in the area with substantially lower prices. The grill octopus did taste good but in total, it should have taken less than 10 minutes to prepare given the preparation style, especially since there were very few other parties in the restaurant. I personally was not a fan of the lobster Although that could have been my personal taste. Overall, I would have enjoyed this restaurant 20 times more if we were not required to wait over an hour for food that takes less than 10 minutes to prepare on a grill. The waiter also failed to inform us that it was cash payment only And when we went downstairs to pay, they demanded that we give them a tip when we did not believe that they deserved one given the very poor service, untimely food and lack of free goods that we have experienced at other Moroccan restaurants. This was the single worst experience we have had in our trip to Morocco so far and we are very shocked that the reviews are so high despite insane prices and...

We decided to go here because it had such a good rating (4.6 at time of post) from other google reviewers and even from Youtubers "Chris Kermis" and "Hungry to Travel". My wife and I had high expectations. Sadly, we were disappointed.

Upon arrival and throughout our stay at his restaurant, the owner was super friendly and accommodating. Good start.

The restaurant is very small and simple, which we do not mind and actually prefer. Though given the price of the food, it would imply a more sophisticated space. We didn't care about that as long as the food lived up to the hype.

We ordered 1 lobster meal to share. It included the largest spiny lobster that he had available that day, a small morrocan salad, a loaf of khobz bread, a small bowl of french fries. A small bowl of dipping sauce. Cost 560 MAD.

The salad was nice and fresh and tasty. The khobz was nothing special. The french fries were soggy. The lobster was tasty, but undercooked in parts, making the meat either chewy or in some parts of the lobster simply inedible. The dipping sauce was good. Overall, it was an underwhelming meal.

For reference, 560 MAD is nearly 3x more expensive than any other restaurant we ate at in the 2 weeks we have traveled throughout Morocco. Comparing this experience with all of our other dining experiences throughout the country, I would go elsewhere if I had to do it...

We are in Essaouira for a couple of days and saw this place was recommended on google maps, so we decided to go on Sunday.

The restaurant is a tiny building with 3 floors and an intimate rooftop terrasse (4/5 people max) with a view on the Medina.

The guy running it is super friendly and makes you comfortable. The wait is a bit long but then you realise that the guy is cooking everything from scratch and by himself so that makes sense. We ordered some meat and fish tajines. The food is simple but tasty, does the job.

We came back tonight and had the 'special Zak' dish which is a fresh langouste /spiny lobster that he cooks on the go with some veggies and purée. I like that it's simple, affordable and no 'chichi' as the French like to say (not overcomplicated but honest food).

For anyone looking for a spot in the Medina it might be...