Marakesh....or not?

[lucysdad]

I love middle eastern food and have always wanted to try Marakesh, but there are so many poor reviews about the service and the so-so food being overpriced. What to do, what to do? We're not on the dining plan and, although this restaurant has fabulous atmosphere, we don't want to spend gobs of money on rude waitstaff and mediocre food. Has anyone been there lately? We'll be there in May, but if I want to change our ressies, I'd better get going on that soon or it'll be counter service for us(not my favorite option). I love the Moroccan village and have always wanted to eat in this beautiful establishment. I just don't want to be disappointed.
Lucy's Mom

 

[FFXDSNADDICT]

Marrakesh is one of my families must do's for every trip. My DH and I ate there over Christmas and we had a great experence. While it was busy and you could tell the wait staff was rushing around they were all very plesant and made sure we had everything we needed. Both DH and I had lamb, but it was prepared it such a diffrent mannor. Mine literaly fell off the bone it was so tender. If you are planning on making a reservation during the time with the bellydancer is performing I will warn you it will be loud, and there are many times when she pulls children out of the crowd. So if you are looking for something a little more quiet this may not be your place. Ive eaten here over 5 times and I have never had anything less then fantastic. Plus how can you go wrong with chicken in phyllo type dough covered in cinnamon and sugar!!

 

[cheermom4ever]

I really like the food and entertainment here. I will be dining at Marrakesh this Friday night with my DD15 and DS7. We plan to order the Lemon Chicken and Vegetable Cous Cous. I have never had a problem with the service. Enjoy!

 

[blueangel]

I've had good service and bad service here, but the restaurant is always beautiful. Think hard though, it's not the most authentic middle eastern food I have ever had. Don't get me wrong - I've haven't had anything really bad (in the last twenty years--I choose to ignore that ill-fated 1986 visit). I'm just weird and adore the chicken bastilla and beef brewat rolls!

I'd also suggest you try it for lunch if you are worried about the prices. They have some lower priced options not on the dinner menu (Sultan's Sampler, for sure...)

 

[Baileymouse]

It is one of our absolute favorites! We go there every trip.

The staff goes out of their way to accommodate people, the floor show is great, and they get the family members involved. If you have kids who aren't shy, expect them to be pulled up by the belly dancer.

 

[Punkin's Mom]

When does the belly dancer perform? I have an ADR for 5:00 which is pretty early. Do you think I'll catch one of the shows?

 

[Baileymouse]

They cycle the shows, so you'll probably catch the belly dancer. They know enough to have an early show because of kids.

 

[Chadsgirl44]

You may want to consider a late lunch - menu items are less expensive and usually it isn't very crowded. We did this in July 2006 and it worked out great! Loved the food - had a lunch special with several of the specialities. Then we just snacked around World Showcase later in the evening - with a few adult beverages as well.

 

[JeanfromBNA]

Our dining experience was pleasant. The food was good, and I had a chance to try Moroccan wine, which was new to me. The belly dancer was fun.

Guess it's possible for any restaurant or server to have an "off" night. Let's hope it won't be your night.

 

[tomandrobin]

We had lunch there recently and loved it. The show was good, the food was great and the staff was pleasant. I would highly recommend eathing there.

 

[desertbloom]

The restaurant is visually beautiful but the food is really blah. Especially if you eat a lot of Middle Eastern food and are knowledgeable about how it should be. I have eaten there every trip with the exception being the trip I just came back from. (Though I did eat at the cs cafe instead of the ts restaurant). The hummus tasted like chickpea and water paste. Completely flavorless. The Belly dance show is fun but a little shorter than most shows at ME restaurants. If your going for the atmosphere then I would say try it but if your looking for good ME food your not going to find it there. Your better off going off site. There are several ME restaurants in Orlando that have belly dancers and much better food.... though not as great an atmosphere.

 

[lucysdad]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences with me. I think I'll have to give it a try, if only because I have wanted to eat in that beautiful restaurant for so long. I'll keep my fingers crossed about the service and the food. I'll never know if I don't give it a chance, right?! I'll post a review when I get home. (Yikes, I hate to think about being back when I haven't even gotten there yet!!)
Lucy's Mom

 

[TammyAlphabet]

We enjoyed it on our last trip. I have my favorite photo of my son (14 at the time) dancing with the belly dancer.

 

[MICKEEP]

Absolutely Worst restaurant on Disney property. Bad food, horrible service and if your timing is off, non-existent entertainment.

We have eaten at almost every restarant at WDW and Marakesh stands head and shoulders above the rest for being the worst.

And what makes this difficult to accept is that years ago Marakesh used to be one of our favorites.