Charming Moroccan restaurant! I had dinner here with my Mom and we thoroughly enjoyed it…read more The decor is warm and cool and you have choice to sit indoors or outdoors (covered outdoor seating). We opted to sit indoors and take in the decor and aroma of the delicious smells coming out of their kitchen. Appetizer: Chicken Bastilla (filo pastry filled with chicken, almonds and aromatic spices) - a yummy 4 stars and a greta way to start our meal. Entree: Mom had the Chicken Tagine. The chicken was cooked in a saffron and coriander sauce, with potatoes, olives and lemon. I tried a bite and the chicken was moist, tender and very flavorful - a delicious 4 stars! I had the Lamb tagine- which was a lamb shank coated with moroccan spices, prunes, apricots, roasted almonds and sesame seeds - it was absolutely scrumptious! Mom liked my dish over hers as the lamb was juicy and not tough at all. Dessert: Mom was too full but I wasn't going to pass up on the Pistachio Creme Brulee I had spied when looking at the menu - needless to say it was delectable. The service was attentive but not imposing and the restaurant has a good ambience. Milestone: 300th Review!

I went to a work Christmas party here and early signs were not good as the manager tried to get us…read moreto move to the other end of the table so that he could squeeze more customers in. Does he not know that people at work Christmas parties choose their seats very carefully? This was dropped soon enough as we were basically all frozen to our seats making silent scream faces. Food wise I ended opting for the more expensive set menu because it featured scallops. I should have saved myself some cash because the scallops were quite small and tasteless. They were combined with smoked salmon which I don't think worked very well - salty/smoky versus delicate/sweet resulted in a bit of a non event. Perhaps if there had been large quantities of both each bite would have made more of a taste impact, who knows. We had a chicken main course which we found a little sour but others had venison which was one of the most delicious dishes I have tasted in a long time. Truly outstanding both in the quality of the meat and the cooking. Venison can be very rich but this was not overpowering at all, it was just tender and full of deep flavour. Desserts were fine, and overall they did pretty well with managing the group. Overall I would say it's not worth travelling here but might be worth a go - I would say don't try anything where they try to be too fancy but do try the venison if it's on the menu!

You'll have to get a reservation in advance but do everything you can to come to this restaurant!!…read moreEverything we ate was so fresh and had such bold flavors. The assortment of salads and vegetables to choose from made for a light, energizing meal (until we got to dessert) and I can't recommend this restaurant enough!! It's not overly fancy and the focus is on the food. You walk in to what feels like a little market with salads and baked goods on display that you're able to order from the table. The menu always changes but honestly anything he makes is delicious so just try to taste as many things as possible!

We wanted to grab a quick bite before leaving for the airport on our last day in London, and…read moreOttolenghi Spitalfields fit the bill. I'd wanted to check out an Ottolenghi while we were in town anyway, and it seemed like a great place to get pastries for my husband and kids and something more interesting for me. We walked over from our hotel at around 12:30 on a Saturday, with the goal of getting back to the lobby by 1:00. Ottolenghi was nearby, tucked into a cute, very British sort of alley. Thankfully, the place was quiet, and we were able to sit and eat a fast lunch. The set-up was a little bit confusing, with a take-out operation in front and a larger cafe area with table service. The cafe seats were maybe not available for take-out customers, but I was able to talk to the host and get a table for a short dine-in situation, with food selected from the take-out section. The boys got croissants, but I wanted some of the lovely savory pastries and deli salads on display. Weirdly, I wasn't allowed to get the first thing I asked for, a tartine with sugar snap peas that was take-out only for some reason I cannot imagine. But I did get a brioche laden with courgette, pitsachio, and mint, as well as a summer deli plate with my choice of three salads. I went with the green beans with roasted pineapple and jalapeño dressing, the roasted carrots with pistachio, lemon, charmoula, and ricotta, and the roasted lemon and sweetcorn tabbouleh. Everything was fresh and tasty, and we were able to eat and leave in like twenty minutes flat. Service was fine, despite the arbitrary withholding of sugar snap peas. Ottolenghi is a London icon well known in America, and while I don't think it's as exciting as, say, Dishoom or St. John, it's also an easy, casual place with multiple locations, where you might get some good food on the go.

Damascu Bite just seems like a place no one should visit unless it's in the early AM and you are…read moremore or less wasted. Not sure it's actually open that late though. I have friends who are obsessed with this place - a must-go for post-drinking affairs, someone always brings it up on the walk home from Hoxton and Shoreditch. And I always end up getting pulled along, order a chicken wrap or something, take two bites, then hand it off to one of my more needy friends. For me, it's never a good idea. But the masses seem to love it and there's usually a line out the door. Except I do love those fries (chips) with ketchup and garlic mayonnaise (which is still kind of a gross concept as a ketchup-born American).... But it's delicious. I've probably finished off a helping by the time I get home and regret it just as quickly. It's a like/hate relationship.

I have searched London, North, South, East and West for decent kebabs for over 20 years and this…read moretiny establishment is heads and shoulders above almost all, and a fine head of hair of the nearest runners-up. The Lamb Shwarma is perfection. Chicken Shwarma is sweet, moist and full of flavour. I always go for a Large Lamb, my partner has medium lamb mix with falafal with extra hummus. Obviously it does burger and chips. Great value, great food. what more is there to say?

Wonderfully immersive experience with sublime tasting food, although portions were small and prices…read morewere...huge. One-of-a kind underground experience and great ambiance. Lovely experience but overpriced.

This a great place to have a nice fancy dinner. Loved the ambiance and decor. We got here pretty…read morelate so missed the belly dancers. The place could be a little hard to find though. The food was equally wonderful. We were a large group and ordered quite a lot of food. I tried little bit of everything and everything was great. Definitely try the mint tea, if you are into teas. Would definitely recommend this place if you're in the area and want to have some wonderful ethnic experience.

Service was so bad and that is why for the low rating. Food was all average for my first Turkish…read morefood experience which you could say is basically Greek food. Meanwhile the place is filled with employees walking around everywhere but I was eating alone and not wearing a turban so maybe that's why.

had lentil soup and cheddar pide. Both of them were so delicious. And the owner is an Arsenal fan,…read moreso amazing!

I really, really wanted to like this place. The staff in there are very friendly, the decor is…read morereally comfortable, and it's pretty close to my work. I ordered the mezze royale for two with a friend. When it came, I got really excited as the portions were huge. The problem is, it really lacked flavour. The lamb kofte was really bland and tasted more like a dull European meatloaf. The chicken one was a little better, but still lacked the flavour I was hoping for. The humous was actually pretty good, but the rest of it just lacked flavour and spice. If they just added some parsley, mint and more sumac and other spices to everything, it would be significantly better. I left feeling a bit let down, which was a pity, as otherwise it was a great value, friendly, comfortable place.

Is more a 3.5. Been there for a late dinner…read more The place is nice and the staff has been very kind, we arrived late and they have us served anyway. The vegetarian mezze is tasty, with goig food portions of hummus, felafel, couscous and a huge greek salad. Felafel were a bit overcooked but the overall was good and the price was fare.

Sahara has awesome lunch specials - you can get half a baby chicken with rice and salad for £5 or…read morechoose five items from their mezze selection for £4.95. Luckily I was with a work colleague so suggested we get both. The chicken was really delicious and it's deliciousness seeped into the rice beautifully. The salad was almost a dish itself and was also delightful - it featured little cubes of beetroot and some other kind of vegetable that we couldn't identify but enjoyed greatly. The mezze selection was also pretty good - it's nice to be able to have such a variety and there were a lot of appealing options. The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the falafel, which was a bit dry. In any case between the two I'd definitely recommend the chicken.

What I like about Leon: + The overall concept: fast food but…read moredifferent from your normal options and fairly healthy too. + The design and layout. + the food itself which is imaginative and different (somewhat small portion sizes though). Eg. Grilled meatballs, aioli chicken with either brown rice and slaw or salad which were very good. + There is a good range of options but the menu is slightly confusing since there is a lot going on. + Service was quick and friendly. What I don't like: - the high prices. We paid £18 for two small lunch specials with a small lemonade and small 'baked fries' for fairly meagre portions. A bit too steep I think. - If you just get the small sandwiches they never seem enough. Hey, guys need to eat when we are hungry! So 3 stars since the food was and the concept is great but value isn't that good. If they just upped the portion sizes and/or reduced the prices a bit that would easily move it into 4 star territory.

As a general rule I'm wary of anywhere, anything or anyone advocated by the odious Giles Coren…read more Leon, however, is the exception to the rule. A restaurant that excels in serving genuinely healthy fast food with a relaxed atmosphere, a bright, if slightly cliched ambience and veeery friendly staff. The Spitalfields branch is spacious inside and out with generously apportioned outdoor seating which lends itself well to a glass or three of wine during the warmer months. Leon's fresh homemade lemonade is a snip at £1.50 and its Grilled Chicken Superfood Salad with broccoli, peas, quinoa and other saintly ingredients achieves the nigh-on impossible: rendering seemingly fast food resolutely virtuous.

This was my favorite lunch place when I was working in the area. It's a small space, almost…read moreexclusively takeaway, so it often looks like there's a long queue, but don't let that discourage you, as the staff are quick and efficient. They're also really nice and polite. Over the course of several visits, I tried the sirloin special, the coronation chicken, the chicken escalope, and the chicken/bacon/sweet corn sandwiches. I also tried the scotch eggs. My favorite was the coronation chicken, which I'd never had before (I don't think we have it in the States), but everything I tried was tasty and I'd be happy to have all of them again. The sandwiches are pretty reasonably priced at under £6, which is nice for an area where it's easy to spend the same amount on a cup of coffee and a muffin. I've always been in and out of the shop in just a few minutes, even when it's busy. Their prime lunch traffic seems to come around 12:30 and later; it was pretty empty the 1 time I went at 12. I've always been able to pay with my American bank card without any issues. Definitely recommend this place if you need lunch in the area! They also have breakfast, although I've never tried it.

Best sandwich place around here. Their chicken escalope on granary bap is my personal favourite…read more Worth the walk if you are further away but lucky for me it's on my doorstep.