Casablanca Cafe — Restaurant in Denver

☆☆☆☆ If I could leave zero stars, I would. I’m not writing this out of desperation for a job — I’m writing this so people know the truth about how this owner treats people, especially Muslim women and reverts like myself.

About a month ago, I went to this restaurant and asked the owner if he was hiring. He took my number and told me he’d call if anything opened up. Yesterday, he called and told me directly that I had a job and that I’d be starting on Wednesday. I asked if he wanted to do an interview. He said no — it wasn’t necessary. I offered to come in that same day just to talk about hours and duties. I want to make it clear: I wasn’t showing up to work, just to have a short conversation before my first day.

From the moment I arrived, his attitude was cold and condescending. He kept repeating things like, “If you don’t think you can do the job, just say so now,” and “It’s a stressful job, I don’t think you can handle it.” He also said, “We’ll give it a day or two, and if it doesn’t work out, you’ll go.” His tone made it obvious he was trying to get me to back out — even though he was the one who said I was already hired.

I calmly explained that I had restaurant experience, and although I hadn’t worked for him before, I just needed to be shown how he does things. Every place is different. I wasn’t asking for anything unreasonable.

Instead, he dragged me into the kitchen like it was a training shift. That’s where I saw serious food safety issues: • He was not wearing gloves at all • He handled raw meats and vegetables with bare hands • No handwashing or cleaning between touching ingredients • Obvious cross-contamination • The food was frozen — not fresh. He sometimes started it on the stove but finished most of it, including rice, in the microwave

That should concern anyone who values cleanliness, halal preparation, or basic food safety.

But what really broke me was how I was treated. He never commented on my appearance, but I felt extremely judged. I’m not a skinny girl, and he made it clear he had already formed an opinion about my ability based purely on how I looked. He spoke to me like I was beneath him.

I told him, while fighting back tears: “You don’t know me. I’m a smart girl. I learn fast. If you teach me something once, I remember. I know by Allah I can do this job.”

And his response? “I know for a fact you can’t. It’s a stressful job.”

I left and got in my car — and had a full-blown panic attack. That’s how emotionally damaging and humiliating this experience was.

I also asked about pay. He said he’d “see how I work first” and decide after — which is illegal. Employers are required to tell you the wage before work starts. When I said I made $19/hr at my last job, he suddenly said he couldn’t afford me and used that as an excuse — even though I told him multiple times I wasn’t asking for that rate.

Later, a friend told me he only pays $8–$12/hr, which is below minimum wage. He’s also known for being rude, underpaying, and mistreating workers.

And this isn’t just about me. A close Muslim friend of mine who worked for him had similar treatment. She once told him she was looking to get married. He told her to focus on herself and basically dismissed her goal of marriage. When she asked, “Don’t you want your daughter to get married?” — he had no answer.

I’m a white American revert Muslim. My friend is Portuguese and Muslim. Based on how he treated both of us, I believe he carries serious bias against reverts and women in general.

This man may be a Muslim from Morocco, but he doesn’t treat fellow Muslims — especially women — with respect or fairness.

This whole experience left me feeling humiliated, judged, and disrespected. I was already told I had the job. I wasn’t begging. I wasn’t unqualified. I showed initiative and professionalism, and I was met with cruelty and dismissal.

If you care about dignity, lawful pay, clean food, or even basic human decency — avoid this place. People deserve better. I...

Alright I’m not usually one to write a review of a place based solely off their takeout but this one was worth the rule break + absolutely worth the 5 stars.

I ordered from GrubHub because it’s cold and raining and they were advertising $10 off. Even with this discount it’s worth noting I paid nearly 2x what I would have in the restaurant based off prices posted online. But alas, convenience at 10:30 on a Wednesday.

Kofta Kebabs are always my go to and that was what I was craving tonight. Best I’ve had in town and possibly ever. Very flavorful, good balance of the beef and lamb (evident in the tenderness and juiciness of the kebabs) and a wonderful grilled flavor. Like over a wood fire? Dunno what they did but they nailed it.

Falafel was tasty. Needs salt but when doesn’t it. Tahini dip like like a remoulade sauce got freaky with some tahini but tastes good. The silly little salad that always comes with the meal was surprisingly tasty as well albeit a tad bit soggy, im sure it would be top notch in the restaurant. Hummus is solid, nothing spectacular but it certainly wasn’t bad. Pita I’m unsure about but I’m giving them the benefit of doubt as Grubhub guy got a little lost.

Oh, the baklava is tasty. One pitiful little triangle that I’m sure was appropriately priced before GH tacked on their 20% making it a $7 piece of filo dough.

The portions are humongous. Like overflowing couldn’t really fit it in my takeout container huge. The bag weighed...

Awful Service. Ordered today through UberEats to try it out, that part was pretty good, the driver picked the food up and delivered promptly, the the rest was a mess. Ordered 2 sandwiches and placed comments in 3 spaces about putting sauces on the side (which they don't fully disclose in the menu item description), sure enough it came soggy & full of sauces I did not want. Called them and the gentlemen who answered was very nice, apologized and offered several resolutions, I opted for re-delivery in 2 hours since they were busy with lunch rush, he started to take my info down and said he needs to help someone and passed the phone to another guy. This person was rude, claimed he was the owner, that he was too busy to take care of just one customer now and said next time they will get it right. I told him this doesn't help me and asked him to contact Uber and send out another order, he refused, said he can't help and eventually hung up. So I'm down $15 and am very hungry. Disgusting, I will never give them money or recommend them again. Foodwise: I gave out my sandwiches to work colleagues who were both very unimpressed with quality of food, one person suggested that the meat was spoiled and toss the entire thing. Fries...