Marrakech Moroccan Restaurant
Tourists and locals escape to this exotic Union Square eatery for traditional Moroccan fare.
(415) 776-6717
419 O'Farrell St
(at Taylor Street)
San Francisco,
CA
94102
37.7859
-122.4116
Neighborhoods: Northeast, Tenderloin
Reviews & Ratings for Marrakech Moroccan Restaurant
46 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 46 reviews
If you are an attractive young female, you might get OK service. Otherwise forget it.
by andreaSauer
September 06, 2008
The waiter spent the whole time trying to seduce a group of pretty young girls that were seated next to us. He pampered them, he brought them drinks, he took care of everything for them.
For us, he did nothing - we were ignored all night. We placed our initial drink order, which he didn't bother to bring to us until an HOUR later.
There was no belly dancer, even though they promised us repeatedly that she would perform.
I cannot recommend to anybody. The service was awful and the food was just as bad. Half of the reason I went was for the dancer, who never showed up. We were there for almost 4 hours before our meal was completed... this was a dining-out nightmare.
We will NEVER go back.
- Pros: Attractive decor
- Cons: Horrid service, gross food, incompetent staff, lied about belly dancer
Very Good by Cathy H. at InsiderPages
Contributor
February 06, 2009
I went here for the first time last week and I really enjoyed the service and environment of the store. The prices are a little much but the food is quite exceptional.
Really Great Experience
by serrafina
November 09, 2008
I've come to this restaurant a few times for bdays and fun dinner parties and my friends and I have always had a great experience.:) The food is really flavorful, prices are reasonable, and the selection is great. You end up wanting to try everything. The atmosphere is unique and friendly. Maybe it's because the waiters recognize us, but I've never had lousy service here. On the contrary, it seems like they want to join our party.:) It can strike some as a bit cheesy, but the belly dancing and music is fun. Especially when you get the guys in your group up and shaking their hips. Anyway, this place has yummy middle eastern food and is quite entertaining.:) Grab a group of your friends and check it out if you're in the mood for some belly dancing action.
Tourists and locals escape to this exotic Union Square eatery for traditional Moroccan fare.
by Contributor
September 30, 2008
This majestic restaurant and banquet hall is furnished with low, copper tables, prismatic rugs and exotic art. The heady scents of saffron, cinnamon and paprika fill the air, along with lemon, honey and spiced meats. Belly dancers perform nightly and live music entertains on Saturday nights. Long a city and tourist favorite in a city enjoying a delicious love affair with the rich, honeyed flavors of Moroccan cuisine.
Horrible service. They don't care about the customer at all.
by chrisS1974
September 06, 2008
I could not believe how little they cared about us. The manager, host, and waiter spent the whole night text-messaging, talking on their phones, smoking, and hanging out with friends - all while our needs went completely ignored. While the waiter was explaining the menu to us, his phone rang 4 times... that was just the start of the unprofessional service. We ordered drinks and they came 45 minutes later after we reminded the server 3 times. He seemed more interested in talking with his friends. Our 2nd drink order took over 1 hour to be served to us - not because the restaurant was full, but because the server simply didn't care.
When we arrived, we were promised that a belly dancer performs all night, every night, and that she would be on within 10 minutes of our arrival. We were there for 3 hours and there was no dancer. We spoke with a local dancer in San Francisco and she said that the Marrakech routinely cancels their dancers if the restaurant isn't full. We asked the host no less than 10 times when the dancer would start, and each time he lied to us and told us that she would be on in "about 10 minutes".
We arrived at 7:00pm and we did not leave until 10:00pm, and that was only because we insisted that when the 'server' brings the main course that he also brought the bill. We could not wait any more. We were sure that if we waited for them to bring us the dessert and tea that our $35.00 was entitled to, we would have been there well past midnight.
I hated every minute I was there because I knew that they didn't care at all about our needs, and I knew they were lying to us all the time about the dancer.
To the credit of their chefs: the food was excellent. But I assure you, it is not so excellent that you suffer their miserable service for the 3-5 hours it takes them to serve you.
I give them a F+. The only reason I don't give an F- is because the food was quite delicious. Bottom line: Horrible, horrible service with good food.
- Pros: Nice decor.
- Cons: Horrible service. Claim of daily dancers is a complete lie. Overpriced. Very very very slow. Dining there takes over 4 hours. Incompetent bar staff.
Awesome Exotic Atmosphere~!
by samera
January 06, 2008
My friends and I came to Marrakech not knowing what to expect, we were just looking for a hookah bar. They were extremely helpful before we even got there- i got lost several times and had to keep asking for directions. The atmosphere was really exotic and relaxing... it was the ultimate experience for me. We happened to go on the night they had dancing, so after we smoked some hookah and ate some food, we danced to some belly-dancing beats and some hip hop beats. We actullay were expecting it to be expensive, but the prices were very reasonable. It was a perfect night out.
- Pros: Best ambiance ever
- Cons: none
Great food, horrific service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by bailando30
December 03, 2007
We paid over $400 for my mother's birthday dinner at Marrakech and the service was horrible. There were a total of 12 guests and we were seated in 2 different sections of the restaurant. Then, they only brought drinks for the table my mother was sitting at. When, I asked the waiter for our drinks he got upset and began yelling as to why we didn't all place our orders at the same time. I tried but it is hard to tell a waiter what you want in 1 second before they run off. This is not the first time this has happened here. This is our second time here and I noticed on other reviews, it took them a loooooong time to bring drinks to the table. The servers are rude and the restaurant is understaffed. Then, when we went to pay for our dinner they overcharged me $20 on my credit card. When I looked at the receipt, there was no dollar amount indicated and I did not notice until I checked my bank account at home. Make sure they give you a printed receipt with the dollar amount! They are a bunch of swindlers! When I complained to the owner, he told me he would send a new waiter, but it must have been our waiter's TWIN freakin' brother, because it looked like the same waiter (which it was) but this one actually had a fake smile this time! I loved the food and the decor, and the belly dancer, but I will NEVER return here again. They're not the only Morrocan restaurant in town. Next time, I think I will try PASHA restaurant.
Good eating!
- Pros: Good food, excellent show, great decor
- Cons: terrible service, overpriced servings, overcharging
Very Average!
by lisahazarika
November 08, 2007
This Moroccon place was just average for us. We were around 8 of us and had reservations for the night. After being seated promptly, we started off with the drink menu which took forever to come and especially for the second round; we had almost completed dinner when it was served. We decided on the ?complete dinner? for us. Started with the lentil soup which was good, and then the salad followed, which had eggplant that was very tasty. The Bastilla which is chicken and nuts filled fillo dough topped with powdered sugar which came out pretty well. Finally the dinners came, according to our taste platters. Most of it were average, like lamb with honey, chicken with lemon and olives, Cornish game hen etc etc. Finally the mint tea to finish off the evening.
Overall, we were not very happy with the service as it took them forever to bring our drinks, and finally to bring the check. The food was average and overprices. However the highlight of the evening was the belly dancer who performed at some point of time in the evening and the music started!
- Pros: Belly dancing every evening
- Cons: Overpriced, poor service, average food
Waste of money and time.....
by kakrak
June 14, 2007
It was not fun at all....The service was very bad, the place was a rip off, food was not good. They charge $10 at the entrance, I couldn't understand what was that charge for...The service needs alot of improvement.....
Fantastic experience!
by jimblair
May 26, 2007
Our dinner at the Marrakech was just AMAZING! We enjoyed the 5 course meal from start to finish. We particularly loved the Bastila and our Lamb dishes. Their bread is also out of this world delicious. The belly dancer was fun and all the staff members were very friendly and helpful. We had our hands washed on the table with this special orange blossom scented water and they also gave us some at the end of our meal to keep our hands smelling nice. I highly recommend this restaurant for a fun, warm, romatic and delicious dinner.
- Pros: Food, entertainment, service.
- Cons: None
