Marrakech

A gem worth seeking out! The walk up Fisherton Street away from the town centre is well worth it. We enjoyed a pre- theatre meal here having tried other nearby N African / Middle Eastern restaurants previously. While some were excellent this is easily the best! Don't expect swish, stylish decor or super slick (impersonal?) service...this place is family run with a care that touches everything. The food is excellent. The cooking here is meticulous with everything taken to exactly the right point - from spicing to plating. Delicious, earthy, autumnal warmth without depending on heat from chilli. Subtleties of flavour to enjoy and savour. Portions, too, were just right. There is a wide choice of starters and mains with many veg only dishes (can't comment on vegan though). The food seemed very authentic to us and this appeared to be confirmed by the number of diners from its native region. There is no alcohol on sale here but they are happy for you to bring your own if you wish, and the conveniently located off license across the road makes things simple! But stay dry...the home made lemonade is to die for! Cloudy, sour with preserved lemons which is then beautifully balanced with sweetness and then spiked with mint....all the taste complexity of alcohol with no side effects! A good selection of mocktails are available too. Our hour and a quarter really wasn't enough to fully enjoy what's on offer and we plan to drag our extended family here for a evening shortly to further explore the menu. Don't pass this place by - its too good to miss!

I had seen Marrakech in town and advertised on different ordering apps, and really wanted to try it as their location has always had great restaurants and their North African food seemed different from the typical takeaway offering. The menu sounded delicious, my partner and I chose a variety of hot and cold starters and a main each. We ordered the food through one of the delivery apps and I chose to collect it. After ordering, they called me to say that they did not have the desert we wanted. I asked the chap if they made their own deserts and he assured me they did, so I asked him to replace it with his favourite one, his confident instant response reassured me it was going to be good. When I arrived I met Yusef the owner who was warm, welcoming and friendly. We chatted about how his business was going and he was positive and optimistic, clearly having great faith in what his team is trying to achieve. As a side note, I asked Yusef and he told me that takeaway apps charge him 25% for every order and the well known delivery app that uses cyclists charges him 60%. Something to bear in mind if you want to support local business. I got the food home and our high expectations were matched. We could tell it was all made on site and it was delicious and fresh. The chicken shwarma was a little dry but that is often the case. Overall I was really pleased and will be making time in the future to visit the restaurant. Yusef has some good deals on eating there and it is currently BYOB. This place is a hidden gem.