Babakish - Restaurant Libanais et oriental Marrakech — Restaurant in Marrakesh Prefecture

The reviews are right on! Tasty, fresh, precise, thoughtfully prepped and presented; responsive, friendly, accommodating service; and clean, welcoming, open environment with a bit of ambiance.

I'm so glad I tried again: I was told somewhat harshly to leave the first time I came here at 9 pm the night I arrived in Marrakech though Babakish closes much later according to Google. I didn't understand what the ladies were yelling at me (other people were seated and just starting to eat - was the electricity out? did they think me a beggar? were they out of food? did the stoves fail? was there a rat infestation?). They just waved me away somewhat vigorously, and shook their heads frowning when I tried to ask why. I still don't know what happened - I'm still waiting for management to reply to my email - but came back a few days later anyway because I am staying nearby, and the reviews and pictures looked perfect for the casual quality workday dinner I craved.

I'm happy I did: I had a great experience! I went early for dinner and was warmly welcomed, seated, and fed by a young, friendly and accommodating male server. I opted vegetarian, and ordered the eggplant charmoula, which was carefully assembled if a tad underdone- a little more cooking, softness on the inside and char, moistness and richness, and maybe fill out the plate a bit more with something saucy, something substantial, something fresh and something airy, and this "casual" dish would pass for fine dining! It was preceded by chips, fresh pickled beets, and a tangy sweet orange mini-glass of... juice? dip? shot? I did all three :) These were helpful palate cleansers throughout my evening.

The mint tea was distinctly fresh and perfectly balanced, served immediately with two big enjoyably performative pours by the server so as to aereate and mix the liquid - it was a perfect balance of fresh mint and astringency, just the right color and palate. It was memorable enough - that I'd come back here over other similar places, just to have the tea.

Still a bit hungry, I ordered the dessert, a thick custardy milky yogurt-based dish straight from the fridge right in front of me, that was topped with super fresh warm just-roasted pistachios. It was not overlly sweet, and finished filling me up.

I had wanted to try the cold mezze as well, but on the advice of the kindly server, was told it was really big (it was!) - so ordered it to take home for my lunch the next day. As you can see, it was expertly packed, and was provided with overly generous baggies of thin pita. This order (for 120 or around $12) provided me with so much food - two days' worth of lunch plus some scoops for snacks and my morning eggs - actually! I especially appreciated the creamy, complex red pepper and eggplant - Mourhamara and Moutabai, and generous, fresh and perfectly balanced Tabbouleh salad.

I'm planning to go back before I leave - for a long lunch of tea and cold mezze, and maybe to try that big, rich, delicious...

I was there super early for dinner. The place looks tired and unappealing with very low energy. 2 “floors” but upstairs had heating on to the max. My server was warm, friendly and delightful and helped me choose so I was excited!

The food.. well, it’s not the best Lebanese food I’ve ever eaten. Hummus.. can’t really describe this as such.. HOW can you claim to be a Lebanese restaurant and serve this? You have great chickpeas, you have tahini, you have incredible garlic, you have zesty fresh lemons.. HOW? Zero flavour and gritty. No.. Lebanese hummus is smooth, rich and full of flavour.

I was served 2 mains (I’d asked for one and then changed my mind, but was served 2 and paid for 2 cos I felt sorry for the team, who all looked fed up!)

The exact same meat was used on my 2 meat mains even though one was meant to be a superior cut of beef shawarma on bulgar wheat, which was very tasty, but there was no way I could eat 2 mains here. The portions are generous. Presentation is good.

All in all, not bad, but not great. (For great, compare this to Naranj in the Medina and you would never consider eating anywhere else!!)

Fine dining this is not, and didn’t see the falafel or the vegetarian dishes which my server said were her favourites, so perhaps I’d give those a go next time, but from the other reviews, I think I just came at the wrong time and...

As a fan of Lebanese cuisine, I chose to visit this restaurant where I could order whatever I wanted from their Lebanese menu. Unfortunately, I had an unpleasant experience. Although the falafel and hummus were tasty, the fattoush salad lacked pomegranate sauce, and the manaqish lacked salt. When I enquired about the pomegranate sauce, they stated that it was "finished unfortunately." When I informed them that the manaqish was fully unsalted and tasted nothing, they did not offer to make it again; instead, the chef simply stated that, yes, we usually ask if they like it with less salt. I fid not ask for an unsalted manakish! I didn't eat it, but I did pad it. Never gain, and if you are used to this food, avoid it.

Writing this section, after that the restaurant reacted to my experience: Part of my family is from that region, and I travel there frequently, so I understand what I'm talking about. I don't make assumptions based on my Moroccan food...