Casablanca Moroccan Restaurant
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: None
10 Reviews for Casablanca Moroccan Restaurant
It is a bit expensive, but what you're really paying for is the experience. Going as a group is a must. This is a restaurant that is meant to be shared with more than just one other person.
As stated, the owner is a joker and really tries to make sure your group is having a good time. Music, belly dancers, and the overall decorations might make you believe you're actually in Morocco until you step out of the restaurant.
The food is great, if you don't plan on getting the Sultan's feast...you haven't brought enough people. I won't describe it all because everyone else has done a great job. Bring your own liquor, or walk next door to the liquor store and buy whatever you want.
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This is a great place to go with a group - girls' night out, birthday party, out-of-town guests, that sort of thing.
Why?
Well, there is the obvious: from the moment you enter, you are transformed far away from the weird complex housing a liquor store and "Goodwill Express Drop Off" you walked in through, the belly dancer is fun and nice (not raunchy and awkwardness-inducing like at Kasbah), the music is cheery (but not so loud you can't talk), the owner is warm and silly, the food is delicious (who knew powdered sugar and meat could go together in a dish?), and it's about $25 for the Sultan's Feast - a multi-course extravaganza.
And the less obvious: There is no corkage fee! You can bring in as much alcohol as you want - wine, beer, hard alcohol, and they do not charge you a penny to drink it there. This makes the aformentioned celebrations much less expensive than going to a mid range restaurant and buying your drinks from the bar.
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TAKE ME TO MOROCCO! NOW!
When I think of some of my best dining experiences this place is definitely on that list!!
Romantic, great group dining and FUN FUN FUN! I mean come one you sit on the floor to eat on really plush pillows and eat with your hands and if you are lucky you'll get a little side of belly dancing to go with your full on moroccan feast!!
An extremely relaxing place to eat with nice background music puts you in the mood to feed your girlfriend or boyfriend by hand or maybe even your other party guests (even though in some cases that may be awkward.....hmmmm) For a 5 course meal for around $30 and the environment covered with moroccan flair and decor this place is definitely a steal! And I think it is still kind a secret place in sac-town because it is in this TINY little strip mall next door to a shell station so from the outside I am sure it doesn't look like anything great, but their food is tasty especially their lamb and chicken and you will leave full, happy and entertained! And you really do feel like you are in morocco when you are there...until you exit and see that shell station on your left...damn back in sac again ha
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I have been wanting to try this place for a while. I walked into a big, carpeted tent and was confused before realizing that the room is just one big box. Customers line the edges on benches and sit on the floor on cushions. It's very communal and promotes a feeling of unity with other people in the restaurant. It feels more like a living room than an isolated table. We chatted with our neighbors, who were there for the first time as well.
We began with a ceremonial washing of hands. While you don't exactly eat with your hands in the food like I was imagining (you are provided a spoon), you won't have a plate or anything. We all had to order the same thing because it is served family style. We agreed upon the sultan's feast - a 10 course meal!!! It consisted of:
1) Lentil soup
2) Pita bread with: beet salad, carrot salad, and hummus (all cold)
3) A phyllo dish filled with a mixture of almond, egg, and sprinkled with powdered sugar
4) Meatballs with spicy red sauce
5) Lamb with honey syrup (my personal favorite)
6) Couscous w/ veggies
7) Lemon roasted chicken
8) Chicken kabob with yellow rice
9) Beef with peas
10) Moroccan pastry (similar to baklava)
Between the 5 of us girls, each of us found a different favorite amongst the courses, but all of us enjoyed the night. There was belly dancing and a general feeling of camaraderie and fun. Great for groups!
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Is it cheap......no...
Is it worth it .....oh hell yea
Lets go for a ride.
#1 you get the soup..... it's like minestrone... only like God himself made it.
#2 pita bread with hummus and this crazy carrot stuff that you can't stop stuffing your face with
#3 filo dough stuffed with only God knows what and powdered sugar on top......makes you question your own mortality and how you've lived without this stuff.
#4 lamb....(you get whatever YOU want..its my review)....spiced...tender....honey induced food coma..there's some vegges so you feel better about yourself...also good
#5 hot tea and baklava......real good
#6 the check....man it hurts so good!
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I went there many times over the years when I lived in Sacramento. The previous review about the "owner's bedroom" made me laugh out loud. The owner loves to joke around and that sounds exactly like his sense of humor. The restaurant is small, but that is what makes it fun and intimate--my guess is that if you're focusing on other's conversations your date must not be going that well...
Anyway, I've had my share of Moroccan food but Casablanca has always remained supreme in my mind. The Sultan's Feast is really the only way to go, and make sure you order tons of mint tea to wash it down with, as it really makes the meal. You'll leave neither uncomfortably stuffed nor hungry, even after several courses and dessert.
As for the experience? The service is supreme...the owner has sung and danced for me on many of my birthdays, he's always friendly and he's the only person who I've had wait on me. The bellydancing is always interesting too. Basically it's an amazing place...oh yeah, and remember to BYOB--not too difficult with the store next door. Parking can be a bitch too but it's worth the hassle.
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How could anyone give this place more than two stars? This place was a TOTAL rip off! For starters, I know they are trying to give people an "authentic" moroccan experience, but do you think you could at least give us chairs to sit in? Secondly, this is the type of place where you'll go with a group of people and easily spend $40 just on yourself for a meal. Not only that, you'll most likely be looking for a jack in the box on the way home because even with the "sultan sized meal" or whatever they call they're largest portion size...it's still not very much food, and especially considering the price you pay for it. Lastly, I don't know about you, but I much prefer talking to the people at my table that I came to socialize with rather than being forced to get out of my "pillow" and dance with some fat middle aged woman while ABBA comes blasting through the speakers. However, the reason why I give this place two stars instead of one was because what they did give us was actually pretty good, there just wasn't enough of it to fill up an underweight toddler.
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This is a great place to take a bunch of friends to have a good time. A group of us recently hit this place up and it was one of the more pleasant experiences I've had recently.
The owner greeted us at the door and was very friendly. He even remembered a member of our party from his last visit 3 years prior. From just chit chatting with the owner I found out the place has been around for 15 years or so.
Like most Moroccan places we sat on leather pillows placed on the floor with some of us sitting on the bench like couched thing against the wall.
We ordered the set course menu and just enjoyed the atmosphere and the belly dancing that was going on that night. We went on a Wednesday night so I'm assuming the belly dancer is there on a nightly basis.
The food itself was very good and flavorful. We had a sweet yet savory pastry as an appetizer, soup, couscous, and several lamb and chicken dishes. Forsaking silverware we dove in with our hands, partly because everyone was more than a little drunk by the time the main dishes came out and because it was more fun that way. Everyone agreed the food was top quite good.
As for the booze component, like the prior review said they don't provide any wine or beer. But the wonderful part is there is a liquor store literally next door to the restaurant. Its about 15 feet from the front door of the restaurant to the entrance of the liquor store. The owner will open any wine or beer and provide you with all the glasses you need free of charge. If you think about it for a large party it definitely saves a lot of money to just bring or buy your own booze without paying the inflated wine or beer prices found in most restaurant.
This place is best with a group of friends however there were several other parties of 2-4 people there and from the look of things they seemed to enjoy themselves as well.
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Great Moroccan Food. Like most Moroccan restaurants, there is a 5 course menu and you choose the main course. The owner is pleasant and comes to the table to greet you. I usually get the lamb kabab and couscous with grilled vegies. The chicken with lemon and honey is great too! Don't come here on a first date. You eat with your hands and look like a slob. Pricey, but you will leave full and very satisfied. 2 day food coma afterward.
Having been to many moroccan restaurants in Sacramento and San Francisco, this is my favorite of the ones currently open. Marakesh Restaurant on O'Farrell in San Francisco used to be very good, but has either changed hands or just gotten worse over the years. Not as good as this place now.
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Wonderful little hidden gem of a restaurant!
The owner is a hoot and very friendly. He will ask that you call him "conehead" after the style of headwear he is wearing.
The food is ordered as a multi course meal and there is a wide enough variety that our party of 12 carnivores and a few vegetarians were all happy and full at the end of the night. In classic Moroccan fashion, most patrons were sitting on leather pillows around big, round brass trays that serve as tables. Fun, interactive and it has the added bonus of having a belly dancer who comes out to dance a few times during your meal. Patrons are encouraged to join in if they feel the urge (and we did!).
Only one caution, they do not have a liquor, beer or wine license but you can bring your own with you and they will gladly serve it. If you run out, like we did, you can purchase more at the liquor store next door.
Parking is a bit limited.
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