Naranj Libanese — Restaurant in Marrakesh Prefecture

This restaurant had caught our attention as one of the "best restaurants to try in Marrakesh" that we had researched prior to our trip. Conveniently, it was located just a few steps away from our riad.

Since we hadn't made a dinner reservation, we missed the opportunity to dine on the terrace. However, given the chilly evening (and the fact that we had already enjoyed several terrace dinners throughout the week), we were perfectly content with a table on the first floor.

The restaurant had a modest decor and a relaxed atmosphere, which immediately set a comfortable tone. The menu, while relatively simple, was a breath of fresh air compared to many Lebanese restaurants we had visited in the past (and I mean that in a good way).

For starters, we opted for the origin meze, which included Aubergine Burghul and Fatet Djaj (Chicken with Rice and Yogurt), accompanied by refreshing drinks. The origin meze was decent, offering small vegetarian tasters served with thin pitas. The standout dish was the Baba Ganoush, while the rest leaned towards the sweeter side. Adding some more spices and warming up the pitas would have elevated the experience dramatically.

The main courses, on the other hand, were both outstanding and generously portioned. The aubergines were beautifully cooked and the bulgur was delightfully adorned with almonds and peanuts. A touch more spice, particularly salt, would have perfected the dish. As for the chicken with rice and yogurt, it was a flavor explosion, thanks to the mild cinnamon, toasted almonds, and fresh mint. The virgin mojito we ordered also proved to be an excellent accompaniment.

To conclude our meal, we indulged in traditional mint teas. While we would have loved to try something sweet, the options available seemed a bit too heavy for our liking.

Overall, our experience at the restaurant was excellent. While some minor adjustments could be made to elevate it to an "absolute must," it certainly left us satisfied...

Food is great - we got the mezzo platter for 2, shawarma plate, octopus, and 4/5 of their speciality drinks. The octopus with hummus was excellent and everything else was above average for Marrakesh. Our bill came to 700 MAD for 2 people.

Despite the good food, we are only giving this place 2 stars because of our experience with our server. The other servers working there seemed happy (one even singing while he worked), but our guy, unfortunately, was borderline mean. He gave us the worse table possible - right by the washroom and on a high table which was difficult for me to access. When we asked to be moved, he said it was fully booked. Then a couple walked in immediately after, said they did NOT have a reservation and he gave them a nice table in a quiet corner; which he told us was not available earlier. About 15 mins later, another couple came up and said they wanted to check out the terrace first. After looking around, they decided to stay and asked if there are any tables available. Our server showed them to a table by the edge of the terrace. Point: he had tables and selected whom he wanted to be nice to.

After we were seated, he ignored us when we tried to order. Another server (singing guy) noticed us and told him TWICE to take our orders, but he pretended not to hear. Our server finally took our order after he was reminded a third time by another colleague. Had we known that this restaurant allowed their servers to selectively choose who they want or do not want to serve, we would’ve gone elsewhere. If the guy needed he a mental health day, he should’ve called in sick instead of taking it out on us.

When we left, we gave another server the tip that was meant for our guy. This other server was the one who tried to get our guy to take our order. When I dropped my tissue, this guy came over quickly to pick it up and gave us some new ones. If he had been our server, we would’ve rated this place...

Casual restaurant with dressed waiters, clean interior, and really great rooftop seating. Ask for a seat up top of the weather is good!

This was an AMAZING restaurant, would highly recommend going here (and make a reservation for an upstairs table ahead of time if you plan to go at a busy hour!). The food and service were both top notch.

Latte - milk heavy but the espresso beans were delightfully. The milk foam was not bitter at all!

“Mojito” - tastes like a Virgin mojito. Too much lime.

Ginger tonic - light ginger taste with tonic water. Pretty good because the ginger wasn’t overbearing

Origine Mezzes plate - I don’t think I can describe how the dips tasted. Each one (red muhammara, white hummus, and green baba ghanug) all had their own unique flavor and taste really authentic — not that I have a way of checking. They were all really good!

Falafel wrap and salad - the falafels were very crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The pickled onions (or radishes?) on the inside really complemented the flavor.

Harak Issabou - this was pasta with crispy pita chips on top, a light sauce, and nicely cooked lentils. Earthy and herby flavor.

Aubergine bulgur - pilaf with lentils and eggplant with cabbage on the side. Too much turmeric in the pilaf, but the eggplant was cooked well (baked I think). The shredded cabbage had a garlic drizzle.

My favorite dishes were the falafel wrap and the...