- Start with Moroccan dips and zaaluk to share.
- Choose a tagine for a slow, rich braise, or couscous for something lighter.
- Dada's dishes, like the 7-hour lamb shoulder, are worth saving for a special night.
- Finish with fresh mint tea and a Moroccan pastry.
Moroccan food can look unfamiliar on a menu, but it is some of the most welcoming food in the world. It is generous, fragrant and made to be shared. If this is your first time, here is how we would guide you through the menu, from the first dip to the last glass of tea.
Begin with something to share
A Moroccan meal starts slowly. Order a selection of Moroccan dips with warm pita for the table, and add the zaaluk, a smoky grilled aubergine pâté with Moroccan vinegar, garlic and pimentón. If it is a cold evening, the harira is a comforting soup of lentils, chickpeas and coriander that many Moroccan families make to break the fast during Ramadan.
Feeling adventurous? Try the pastela, a crisp filo pastry filled with quail, chicken, almonds, saffron and cinnamon. Sweet and savoury at once, it surprises almost everyone the first time.
Tagine or couscous for your main
This is the big decision. A tagine is a slow braise cooked under a conical clay lid, rich and tender. The lamb tagine with prunes, walnuts and almonds is the classic place to start. A couscous is lighter: fluffy steamed semolina with vegetables, meat and a bouillon on the side. The couscous royal, with lamb, chicken and merguez, is the one to order if you are properly hungry.
Want to know more about how tagines work? We wrote a whole guide: What is a tagine?
Save room for Dada's dishes
These are the plates we are proudest of, and the ones regulars come back for:
- 7-hour slow-roasted lamb shoulder with a 12-spice ras el hanout blend, €35.95
- Baked monkfish with saffron, dates and walnuts, from a 12th century Moorish recipe, €32.95
- Oven-baked lamb shank with apricot, almonds and saffron, €30.95
If you eat plants
Moroccan cooking is wonderful for vegans and vegetarians. Try the roasted cauliflower in red chermoula served in a tagine, the sweet potato and marinated carrot with cinnamon and chickpeas, or the seasonal vegetable tagine with preserved lemon. Every menu marks vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes clearly.
How spicy is it?
Less than you might think. Moroccan food is about warmth and fragrance, cumin, cinnamon, saffron and ginger, rather than fire. Our food is gently spiced, and our house-made harissa is there on request for anyone who likes it hot.
An easy order for two
| Dish | Price |
|---|---|
| Selection of Moroccan dips | €13.95 |
| Zaaluk | €10.95 |
| Lamb tagine with prunes | €27.95 |
| Braised chicken with preserved lemon | €25.95 |
| Couscous with olive oil | €4.95 |
| Two fresh mint teas | €11.80 |
| Total | €95.55 |
Bring your own bottle and corkage is €6. Prefer a set price? The Early Bird gives you two courses from the full menu for €29.95.
Finish the Moroccan way
End with a pot of fresh mint tea, poured from a height so it froths in the glass, and a plate of Moroccan pastries or baklava. Any tea with a Moroccan pastry is €7.90. It is the best way we know to make an evening last a little longer.
Quick answers
What should I order at a Moroccan restaurant for the first time?
Start with Moroccan dips and zaaluk, then share a lamb tagine with prunes and a couscous. Finish with fresh mint tea.
Is Moroccan food spicy?
Moroccan food is aromatic rather than hot. Harissa, a chilli paste, is usually served on the side so you can add as much as you like.
