Al-Farid — Restaurant in Exeter

My hubby and I ate here last night on the recommendation of a friend who enjoyed it and also based on our love of Middle Eastern food and desire to eat in independent restaurants. We ordered olives and then 6 meze to share, we often share as due to stomach surgery I’m not able to eat much so sharing meze means we can order and standard amount and hubby can pick up the slack. Maybe it’s what we ordered....We went for olives and 6 dishes for £33 The olives were amazing! We then had Lamb sambouseic, Koftas, Chicken pastilla, Moroccan lamb shish, Teen (fig and goats cheese parcels) and tabouleh. 50-60% of all but the tabouleh and koftas was lettuce, cucumber and tomato salad garnish...the ‘hero’s’ were so so small! I had 50% of what we’d ordered and ate it all. Hubby tried to fill up by clearing all of the salad...unheard of as he normally avoids salad at all costs. The food was tasty, not incredible but decent. Two decent appetites would need to order at least 10-12 of the mezes we chose to sate their appetites without needing to eat salad garnish which they didn’t want, just making you aware so you can order appropriately. If you decide to go, I’d recommend the lamb shish, koftas and teen in particular. The service was okay. From a Covid safe point of view it wasn’t great, had our table seating 6 had another could on the end (which is was laid for) they would have been within a very easy touching distance of us. There was a lovely touch of hand sanitizer on the table which was great, but I was stunned that the staff enthusiastically clean the tables with window cleaner - surely not anti bacterial but it left the glass topped tables gleaming. I wouldn’t not recommend, if you want meze, love Moroccan and don’t mind paying lots of money for salad you’ll be happy. The decor was lovely, very evocative of the country. Incidentally, we ate at another independent today for lunch, had a la carte- different cuisine with a similar, if not larger, amount of deliciously incredible meze food - that bill was £22 for the same drinks as opposed...

Our journey home to Birmingham from Newquay led us to Al-Farid in Exeter, a restaurant we'd chosen based on its strong online reputation as a top halal establishment. Unfortunately, our experience was far from satisfactory. Upon arrival, despite having a booked table, we were told to wait for our seat. While the waiting area was pleasant, it was an unexpected delay. We were eventually taken upstairs to our table. We ordered the set menu, selection for 2, specifically asking if it would be enough for the four of us (2 adults, and boys aged 7 & 9), and were assured it would be. The starter didn’t take long to arrive, and it both looked amazing and tasted very good, giving us a genuinely pleasant surprise. However, the main course, a mixed grill, was a massive letdown. It looked amazing like the starters, but its taste was awful. The potatoes were undercooked, and all the meat was overcooked and tasted burnt, as if it had been grilled for far too long. We hardly finished the main, marking it as a total disappointment. We found it difficult to get a server's attention to highlight this issue. When we finally spoke to the manager, he was very apologetic, but he didn’t offer to replace the mains. Even if he had, we likely wouldn't have accepted, as the meal was taking longer than we expected. We simply asked for our Baklava, which was part of the set menu, and ordered a couple of coffees. When the bill arrived, we were expecting a percentage would be taken off due to the inedible main course. Instead, only the coffee we ordered was taken off the bill, which was a little disappointing. The total bill was £86, a sum we felt wasn’t worth what we ate. Regarding the restaurant's ambiance, the deco was very authentic, although it felt a tad tacky. The tables were very close together, making us feel slightly uncomfortable with other diners very close to each other. Overall, our visit was a disappointing experience for a place that was recommended highly online. We found it to be overpriced, overhyped,...

My wife and I recently had the pleasure of dining at Al-Farid, and I must say, it was an experience like no other. "Good food is the way to the heart," and Al-Farid has certainly won my heart with its culinary magic.

From the moment we stepped inside, the atmosphere was enchanting. The decor was a masterpiece, a symphony of colors and textures that transported us to a different world.

The staff and manager were the true gems of this establishment. They treated us with warmth and hospitality, making us feel like royalty. "Service with a smile goes the extra mile," and they truly embodied this saying.

"You can't have your cake and eat it too," but at Al-Farid, you can have your cake, and it's the most heavenly cake you'll ever taste! Every dish was a work of art, a symphony of flavors that danced on our taste buds. I dare say, the taste was so extraordinary that it defied the boundaries of imagination. It was a culinary adventure that left us speechless.

In a world full of restaurants, Al-Farid is a shining star, a true gem. It's not just a dining experience; it's a journey into a realm of flavors and ambiance that you won't find anywhere else on this planet. If you're seeking the extraordinary, Al-Farid is where you'll find it. They've turned the proverbial "icing on the cake" into a reality.

Thank you, Al-Farid, for a dining experience that transcended expectations and left us with memories we'll cherish forever. You've truly mastered the art of fine dining, and we can't wait to return to your magical oasis of taste...