Tell me about Restaurant Marrakesh, please...

[CathieArms]

So I understand there's a belly dancer. Just one? And, is she on a schedule?

How's the food overall?

How's the "experience"? If the food isn't anything special, does the experience make up for any of it?

I'm trying to come up with a lunch our last day at WDW and figured that this might be a unique experience. It'll be myself, dh, dd15, ddbff15 and ds6.

 

[rrbar]

I don't have any answers but would like some information too about this restaurant.

 

[ChristaDeVil]

We had dinner there two years ago. We had an ADR at Coral Reef for 5:30, and decided at the last minute that we didn't want to eat that early. So, I called Disney Dining to see what we could get at the last minute and there was a Marrakesh opening at 7:15. The restaurant itself is beautiful. We were able to see the end of one bellydancer performance as we were seated (there was another performance before we left). The food was really good. I don't remember what we ordered exactly, but I remember there being a ton of food. The only problem we had was with service (really attentive in the beginning...not so much after awhile), but that could happen anywhere. Great atmosphere, good food, good entertainment...I can see us going back in the future.

 

[HeidiLowe]

Hi!

We ate there for lunch as a walk-up during the week of January 22nd.

The ladies at the hostess station were VERY nice, my two boys, 3 & 5, fell in love with them. They even got lipstick kisses on their cheeks which they loved. The atmosphere is great, our server was overly efficient but not terribly friendly. On to the food......

It is good. And I'm VERY glad I tried it. My dh got some entree sampler which he liked but didn't love. I got a cous cous special with some type of short rib meat in a raisin/fig sauce. It was kind of sweet but very good. For our apps I got an "eggroll" type thing with ground beef inside what seemed like a crepe wrapper and powdered sugar sprinkled on top. It was REALLY good, but i didn't get much of it because my boys devoured it. I could have eaten five of those alone for my meal, lol.

My boys got "moroccan spaghetti" (the only "ethnic" meal on the menu, the rest was regular kids stuff, we tried to get them to order something different than pizza & nuggets if it was offered) which I thought tasted a little wierd, it was like a thin spaghetti sauce but it was kind of brownish and tasted almost like a beef broth from a vegetable soup, and then a little sweet. However, they inhaled it and said it was their "favorite." Can't go wrong there, hey??

For drinks I got a soda, but then halfway through the meal the people next to us got some tea which had fresh mint leaves in an empty glass, then the server pours it and lifts the pot up really high so it's like a little production. I asked to have some of that right after I saw it, but since it was included in the meal it would have been nice to been offered that right away. I could have drank 9 cups of it! And it's served in little clear water type glasses, not a tea cup. It was neat since we don't have offerings like that in my town.

The belly dancer started just as we were about to leave so we stayed for an extra 10 minutes to watch her. She looked bored and didn't really "shake it" like belly dancers I've seen on movies or tv. But maybe she was more of a "real" dancer and what I was expecting was a Hollywood version of it? Who knows, lol. So it was nice to see something different, but nothing I would go back to watch. But it's like the Kilimanjaro Safaris. Our first guide was amazing, wanted to take him home with us, the next driver seemed half asleep and didn't have an ounce of excitement in her narrative. Maybe there are better belly dancers and we got one on an off day?

So my review is this. I'm VERY glad that we went once to try it and experience Disney's version of a Moroccan restaurant and entertainment. However, being there once, I would not go back. BUT, I would still recommend for anyone to try it if the menu sounds like something they would enjoy.

 

[marmalade]

We ate there a few years ago as a walk in. The staff was spectacular with our DD4 and DS2 (at the time). I ordered a half carafe of their house wine for around $10 and I swear they brought out an entire bottle. We did see the belly dancer and she was good. I remember not liking the food too much, I think I ordered lamb or something.

All in all it was a good experience but I will most likely never make an ADR for here.

 

[Mrs. Sojourner]

We have been there 4 or 5 times over the last 6 years (and I am pretty sure only one of those times did we have a reservation the rest were walk-up with parties ranging from 8-12 people) and have had good experiences every time. We like the atmosphere, food, and service. All of the times we have been to eat there we have not had the DDP and have paid OOP. Usually DH and I would split a meal and get an app to share. My girls were disapointed that couscous was not an option for them on the kid's meal the last time we went, but they too liked the spagetti.

 

[CathieArms]

We have been there 4 or 5 times over the last 6 years (and I am pretty sure only one of those times did we have a reservation the rest were walk-up with parties ranging from 8-12 people) and have had good experiences every time. We like the atmosphere, food, and service. All of the times we have been to eat there we have not had the DDP and have paid OOP. Usually DH and I would split a meal and get an app to share. My girls were disapointed that couscous was not an option for them on the kid's meal the last time we went, but they too liked the spagetti.

Uh oh...that wouldn't be good. My ds6 loves couscous and would freak if we all got it but he didn't.

 

[jabead]

I got this info from the Steve Soares WDW entertainment website:

Traditional Moroccan music and dance inside Restaurant Marrakesh.
Daily at 12:50, 1:50, 2:50, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00 & 8:10pm
Belly Dancer begins 10 minutes after show begins.
Length of show: 25 minutes

 

[CathieArms]

Thank you! I need to go back and look at his website...I had forgotten it existed!

 

[si-am]

Uh oh...that wouldn't be good. My ds6 loves couscous and would freak if we all got it but he didn't.

You could always give him some of yours.

We've only eaten there once but I thought it was great! I got some kind of lemon chicken dish (if I'm remembering correctly). Service was attentive.

 

[tuesday1]

We during free dining in September and the food was poor quality. Both my DH and I got sampler platters that were priced in the $40-$45 range. If we had had to pay OOP for the meal we would have been very upset. We love the CS in Morocco and eat there every trip, so much better food than the TS. The restaurant was very crowded, seating very close. The belly dancers performed in the center of the restaurant on the first level. If you go when you check in ask to be seated near the stage. I think the experience will be better. I notice the last two trips we have taken during free dining the food quality in almost every TS restaurant we ate at was very low. Also, I looked at the regular menu and it seems the sampler platters are lower price than during free dining. I would never eat here again. We enjoyed Coral Reef much better.

 

[mountdew1]

We have eaten there several times. We really enjoy the food, and the service is usually good. Tea service is always a real pleasure to watch. The belly dancer/music can be a bit loud, but is a nice touch. We strongly recommend either Marrakesh or the Tangerine cafe. Both have solid food. Nothing is too outrageously flavored, but is enough of chance of pace for most people to enjoy.