After a week of stews and fish and chips I was craving something more familiar so I popped in here. I'll start with the good. The decor is on point. The space itself is small and intimate, and this venue isn't a place to go if you have more than 6-8 in your group. It's dimly lit and the perfect date spot atmosphere wise. Service itself was pretty good, and the food presentation was perfect in the traditional cookware. The best part of the entire dinner for me was the Moroccan mint tea I ordered at the end. It also was served in traditional glassware and the waiter refilled it several times. Now the not so good. The main dishes themselves...didn't even come close to tasting authentic Moroccan or Arabic. I ordered the lamb tagine with the couscous as a side. I'm not saying the dishes themselves were bad. They weren't. But if you're coming here for a good authentic Arab dish, I didn't find that. If you want a more western fusion on Arabic dishes then you'll more likely be in luck. It just needs to be advertised as such to consumers. read more

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A gem of a restaurant! You must climb two flights of stairs after walking into the restaurant's front door to reach the dining room. It's a cozy room but with enough space to be quite comfortable. It seems like a great place for dining with a significant other - date, spouse or whatever works for you. Tonight, the food and service was outstanding. My wife and I had the mezze for two. We had a Moroccan red wine. It was our first Moroccan wine. It was good. It was slightly sweet, and paired nicely with our much sweeter main courses. From the pre-appetizer olives and wine through desserts and mint tea, we savored every bite. It was only my third time eating Moroccan food, so I cannot speak about "authenticity" but I can tell you that every dish was delicious. I highly recommend giving Moroccan food a try, and i don't think you can go wrong trying it here! read more

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I had the most excellent experience here - one of those ones that just leaves you feeling great about life. It's a surprisingly tiny little place but it doesn't feel cramped - "cozy" is more the word. It stayed nearly empty from when we walked in at 6:30 until maybe 7:30 when a few more groups started trickling in. The staff really make the experience for you - they've got fabulous recommendations and if you're stuck between two dishes they'll actually be helpful in recommending one above the other (which is great when you're as indecisive but hungry as we were)! We ended up ordering the Mezze for Two which turned out to be a great deal, and their house (red) wine is a really excellent Montepulcciano d'Abruzzo. Perfect for the lamb tagine and rabbit bastille we had as mains. Both the waiter and the host were very attentive and warm, joking and laughing with BOTH me and my boyfriend, but striking the perfect balance to not be overbearing. Since we were there on one of the nights the belly dancer performs (Friday and Saturday) we got to experience that which was a lot of fun! I say "experience" because despite being the whitest person in the restaurant, she insisted that I stand up and do my darndest to belly dance with her - woe to those watching I'm sure, but it was highly entertaining. Last comment before I go - the food was absolutely scrumptious. I've only been to one other Moroccan place and that was good but nowhere near the quality of this place. The staff obviously enjoy their jobs, the food is delicious, the entertainment is great, the atmosphere is just about perfect... why are you still reading?? Get there! read more

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Had to walk hecka far to reach this spot... But once I walked in, it was awesome. We were seated immediately, by this very friendly and professional guy who pretty much waited on the entire restaurant the whole time we were there --- and did it freaking well. Not to mention looking really good in a very tight pair of pants haha. I felt like I was very definitely in another time and place. Awesome decor, our table had what looked like inlaid gold, seats were comfy and velvety, everything was cluttered in that sort of Arabian exotic way. Music was awesome too. Unfortunately, I can't give five stars because I wasn't gushing about the food. This, may I add, could be a personal failing. Got the Tangier couscous -- wish they had used some other part other than the breast (sorry, I'm sooo not healthy) but the sauce really was pretty good. My friend had the Mhancha bastille, which is a LOT more than it looks when it gets down to your tummy. It was way too dry for me though. And finally, the not-cool thing: there was a €16 minimum per person. Now me and my girl... we were not too hungry and wanted to share. So we ended up having leftovers that we didn't really wanna take home. read more

El Bahia - Moroccan Near Me - Dublin, D

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I happened upon this place with my friends. Incredibly welcoming gem in Dublin. We walked in off the street and they gave us a private room. The waiter worked with us on what to order. The Mezze was excellent, particularly the Auvergne. Everyone ordered a different Tagine, and no one was disappointed, from the rabbit to the lamb, all was very nice. Over all a very nice place to dine. read more

Despite the ravings of my friends, or perhaps because of, I found myself underwhelmed by El Bahia. Certainly there is a nice atmosphere in the place and the decor and way of serving means that your meal does feel like more of an experience than a lot of other restaurant meals. The food here is quite good. Certainly it's fresh stuff and it's cooked well and it's reasonably priced. So I can't quite put my finger on why I don't rave about it like my friends... but I suspect it's something to do with my lamb tagine tasting and looking remarkably like irish stew, so maybe the exotic surrounds led me to expect the food to be more exotic than it is! read more

El Bahia - Moroccan Near Me - Dublin, D

Every dish was distinctive in flavor. We tried rabbit, lamb and fish -two tagines, one couscous and a spinach starter. Wonderful! Atmosphere authentic, small, welcoming and friendly. One cook comes out as the belly dancer and was lovely and it was Thursday! We had a great time. Skip dessert but Mint tea was delicious. read more

Food: fine. Service: terrible. We had dinner here on a very cold mid-Winter evening. The area we were seated in (we had booked in advance and the restaurant was hardly busy, barely half-full) was as cold as it was outside. We asked if we could move to a free table which was next to a heater, but we were told we couldn't as it was reserved. For the hour and a half that we were in the restaurant, no-one came to be seated at that table. We ordered starters, mains, and mint tea. The starters and tea came after about 10 minutes, and were quite fine. However, after finishing these, we had to wait for 50 minutes for our main courses, during which time we saw other diners seated and their orders taken (after us), and we watched them receive their main courses at least 20 minutes before we received ours. When our food came, there was no acknowledgement of the delay, and however good it might have been (it was fine - certainly not good enough to justify waiting so long in a freezing cold room) it was barely enjoyable. It's very hard to believe that anything happened with our order other than they just forgot to put it through. The service in general being consistently curt and no warmer than that icy room confirmed this as a thoroughly dreadful dining experience. We will never go back. There are many other restaurants in Dublin city specialising in Middle Eastern / Moroccan cuisine, so we can only completely recommend against this one. read more

Woah. Good. Really, really good. The location -- in the middle of everything, tucked around on Wicklow St, up a flight or two of stairs. The decor -- beautiful. The ceiling, the floor, the tables, the walls, everything is attended to and is warm and inviting. If you book with a group, you might even get to occupy the tent room, which is just as awesome as it sounds -- eating, in a tent, in a room. The service -- just fine. The food is cooked to order so takes a little while (so order an appetizer or don't arrive starving). The food -- delicious. Full of flavor and spice. I got Assilah Tajine (chicken) and my boyfriend got Elham Bi Tmar (lamb). We both said it was some of the best, moistest meat we've had... each in a stew with vegetables (chicken) or figs and dates (lamb). We also got Kobiza, the spinach appetizer (fantastic, and looks small but is quite filling) and Briwat (a dessert of two little pastries stuffed with almonds and dates, good ice cream on the side). Again, all of it, so very good. The prices -- they're not terrible, but they're up there. The dessert, especially, was pricey (8.50euro). Between the meal (no drinks aside from tap water) and tip, we dropped a 50euro note. Note that El Bahia does not accept American credit cards, though our waiter said he expects them to by July 2010. read more

Moroccan food is not easy to come by, so I was quite happy to find that the Moroccan food at El Bahia was quite delicious. I ordered the tajine with tongue and it was great. The tongue was so tender and flavorful that I just couldn't get enough of it. Unfortunately, the food took a long time to come, but I realize that this style of food cooks for a long time. Our waiter was quite the conversationalist and it was really interesting exchanging discussion with him. Good craic here! read more

El Bahia is a small restaurant where you feel far away and at home- if home was a bedouin tent in the desert that is. The staff and owner make you feel welcome and the food is authentic and delicious. Morocco in a plate (even though mine was vegetarian). Well done. read more

I'd never eaten Moroccan food before so I was fairly excited about going to El Bahia. Just walking into the restaurant I felt like I'd been transported straight into a restaurant in Marrakech. It took me a while to decide what I wanted to try because everything on the menu sounded so tasty- there are lots of different types of couscous on offer, Tagine's and Vegetarian meals- but I decided to try the Chicken Bastilla- Chicken and almonds in filo pastry with cinnamon and sugar on top. It was amazing! And Moroccan coffee as dessert... The food is a bit pricey, but it's great for a treat when you fancy something a bit different. read more

El Bahia - Moroccan Near Me - Dublin, D

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The food is good, but he service was horrible. The waitress didn't give us water when we requested multiple time. She didn't write down the orders we ordered and for some of our orders. The food is bit pricy. read more

El Bahia - Moroccan Near Me - Dublin, D

It was more just OK than A-OK. 2.5 out of 5. The decor is nice and the staff very polite-friendly. The food was fine, albeit a bit basic for the price paid. The sides were extra too. The presentation of the food was very good. Their house white was very poor, almost to the point of undrinkable, but not quite. Thankfully I only ordered a glass of it. We were not offered any water or asked if we wanted more drink when we were empty. I'll be trying other Moroccan restaurants I've not been to, before I would go back to El Bahia I am completely honest. read more

Delicious food for a great price. The restaurant is very cozy and the staff is so friendly. Definitely will come back again! read more

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I have been to Ireland a few times and was getting tired of pub food and stumbled on this fabulous Moroccan restaurant! The food was so heavenly, each course was better than the last. We are from Texas and are so sad that we don't have this restaurant back in Dallas! Had the meatballs as a starter and then I ate a rabbit dish (Mhancha Bastilla) that was amazing and my daughter ate the braised beef tongue with couscous (Lissan), which was also divine. Joseph, our waiter was also very helpful and attentive! I'm so glad we found this place, but sad we leave for Scotland tomorrow and then off to Dallas. read more

El Bahia - Fabulous party room for celebrations! - Moroccan Near Me - Dublin, D

One of the best restaurants I've been to in Dublin and I'm not exaggerating. The place was beautifully decorated and all the dishes reminded me of my holidays in Morocco. From the pepper in olive oil as starter, to the lamb tajine and the amazing typical desserts, everything was perfectly cook, tasteful and full of flavours. The staff was welcoming and nice. Highly recommend it especially on a cold winter evening. read more

El Bahia - Dessert and tea - Moroccan Near Me - Dublin, D

I am a huge fan of Moroccan food and I am so glad I got to have some in Dublin! We ordered the Casablanca Knia and Elham Bi Timar Tajines and the Tangier Couscous. Everything was delicious and cooked perfectly. The rabbit was good and I am not a big rabbit fan. The lamb in was so tender and succulent. With the sweet date and fig sauce, it was perfect. And the couscous was absolutely perfect. The chicken was a bit on the dry side, but overall, it hit all of my favorite sweet and savory notes. We did ask for some harissa, which is not as spicy as I have had in the past, which is a good thing. It complemented the couscous very well. The restaurant is located on the second floor and we went without reservations. It was around 8:30pm and the place was still packed on a Saturday night. It's a small but cozy place. The service was the only average part of the meal. Water was never refilled, my order was wrong the first time (but it was fixed), and the server was very dismissive and abrasive about every request. Despite the service being average, I'd still go back for the delicious food. read more

Cosy little restaurant My favorite dish is their Tangier CousCous Mouth-watering chicken breast cooked with sweet sultana, caramelised onion and chic peas ~ It is delicious Super Bon : ) read more

We are 4 friends Moroccans We spent the worst night of our lives because of this restaurant. We are all sick after consuming dinner Saturday, October 25 evening. when you came into the restaurant you are welcomed by a waitress with a fake smile, she will spend the evening you say "brilliant" but nothing was "brilliant". sparkling water not sparkling. Coca-Cola not sparkling Bastilla 20euros the goal size is a size of a dessert Waitress lying (Said que la drinks WAS coming After 20 minutes, we Abebooks web sites and she Said she can not give us Reviews another coca cola Because it cam from the Sami up and if one sparkling They Does not Does not all sparkling, so we think. it's just a bottle of coca cola and They serve the customers with it) Couscous with couscous and a little of a lot of vegetables. read more

First of all, you feel pretty cool walking into this place. There is a tiny sign outside and you walk in and up two flights of stairs to the restaurant. I went here with a large group so it was fun to sit on couches for our meal. The atmosphere is cozy and fun... definitely moroccan feeling. The food has a ton of flavor and I was definitely not disappointed. This is probably the best food I've had in Dublin the whole time I've lived here. Most of the group had tangine meals but I had the chicken bastilla. Yum! My dish was like a savoury dessert and delicious main dish all in one. Plus it came with a salad. The prices were higher than some restaurants but I'm not complaining. I'd happily pay 20 euro for a meal that actually tastes good. I will be coming back here to eat again and again! read more

I was locking my bike up just outside on Wicklow Street when I paused to take in a heavenly smell. I turned around to find a tiny door leading up a long flight of stairs that looked as if it was a portal to Morocco. As I stared at the menu a stranger recommended it as one of the best restaurants in Dublin. Then I looked down to see a 4 course early bird special for €20 from 5:30 to 7:30 and I was sold. We went the next night and were treated to professional service by the maître d' who took our jackets and bags and walked us to our table in the beautifully decorated dining room complete with a cozy, albeit electric, fireplace. The first course was a chickpea soup that was a bit cool nevertheless tasty. The main course was an essaouira tagine served in a beautiful clay dish with a funnel shaped lid. The chicken was so tender it literally fell apart when I gently jabbed it with my fork. For dessert I had Moroccan sweets that reminded me a bit of Greek pastries and a Moroccan mint tea; a great way to top off the meal. I also sneaked I taste of my wife's baked cheesecake, very tasty. The food was very good overall and I will definitely go again, especially if they continue the early bird special. read more

This was the best food we had in Dublin! In fact, this was the best Moroccan food I've ever had! Everything was so flavourful and fresh. We ordered Mezza for Two and it was great deal because you get to try different dishes for a reasonable price. The portions are perfectly sized, no overeating. Highly recommend to order Casablanca rabbit, it will blow your mind. The sauce is not too sweet and the meat just melts in your mouth. Monkfish was exotic and tasty as well! For dessert, we had an assortment of baklavas and fresh mint tea. Delicious! A special thanks to the owner of the restaurant who was very welcoming and told us many interesting things about Morocco! read more

They rip you off by charging an extra 10 % "for groups". Why getting punished for eathing together in a group of 6 or more? Ridicolous.

Had dinner here. Got the Mergues for starters and Mhancha Bastilla. Great value for the cost. Absolutely stuffed afterwards. It was delicious, sweet and tender. Best lamb if ever had. read more

A fussy eater at the best of times, I found myself suffering with a hangover and wanting nothing but McDonalds on my long awaited visit to El Bahia! I decided to soldier on and ordered the Moroccan Sausage for my starter and the Chicken Bastilla for my main. The starter left me unimpressed (can't blame them for not pleasing an Irishman with sausage) but the main was absolutely great! The sweet, sour, spicy, crispy and saucy tastes and textures were absolutely perfectly balanced. My girlfriend (less hungover, but still not quite right) ordered soup and a lamb tagine and she was pleased but jealous! I can't wait to go back. The decor has an authentic feel and service was spot on, however I found the small water glass that had to be constantly refilled a bit of an annoyance. read more

Good Moroccan Food in a convenient location, if you're shopping. I'd eat here again.

Really authentic feel to the place, lovely food (I had the cow's tongue) at a good price. Menu has a large selection of different dishes. Will definitely be back. read more

We ordered a dish of traditional savory lamb and a dish of rabbit with raisins. Food was very good. The waiter was exceptionally polite and interactive. The atmosphere was great for a date - nice music, not loud, dimmed light. Wasn't impressed with house wine, but maybe i'm spoiled by californian wines. Definitly recommend this place. We ordered a dish of traditional savory lamb and a dish of rabbit with raisins. Food was very good. The waiter was exceptionally polite and interactive. The atmosphere was great for a date - nice music, quiet, dimmed light. Wasn't impressed with house wine, but maybe i'm spoiled by californian wines. Definitly recommend this place. read more

One of the best place in Dublin to have a dinner in a really cool atmosphere. The food was awesome and the friendly waitress helps you a lot while choosing a nice Moroccan dish. I will go again for sure because this place deserves the most. read more

So glad I found this place as it is now a favorite! I love everything about El Bahia: the food, atmosphere, decor, and service are all well above average. Ok so first the food. Really full of flavors, lemony, spicy, olive-y. I think it would be a challenge to find anything bland on the menu. I have tried the lentil soup, grilled eggplant, and cooked spinach starters and all are brilliant. For the entrees I have tried both the vegetable tajine and vegetable couscous and they are delicious!! Really slow cooked and spiced, these dishes make you slow down and savor it all. My boyfriend had a lemony chicken tajine that he raved about. The slow cooked chicken pieces were so tender they cut easily without a knife. It does take about 30 minutes to get your main, but it is very worth it. The place is beautifully decorated and fun raï music plays. The guys working there are very friendly. Can't wait to go back! From 5-7 there is an early bird menu to get a starter and main for 14.95. Make sure to ask for that, it's on a separate menu. This is the best value. Also, I think that the really negative review on here is unfortunate. Obviously that patron was upset he bought a crap deal voucher without checking prices first... not really a fair review of the food or establishment. read more

Great food and awesome customer service. We also enjoyed the ambience and decor.

I was here once for dinner, I ordered Elbahia Couscous, was very tasty! looking forward to visit it again

The Lissan (beef tongue) is amazing! I highly recommend trying it. The Harira soup is also very nice.

Terrible. Service took forever, food was flavorless, salty, and overpriced. I love middle eastern and Moroccan fare and was enticed by all the positive reviews on Yelp. I cannot stress enough how bad this food was, let alone how expensive it was. read more

Excellent food! The chicken tangine was so tender. I also loved the cute and cozy atmosphere. I would definitely recommend this place. The food was so flavorful. I will definitely be going back before I leave dublin. read more

I was there for a hen party. The decoration was nice. The waiter was very impolite and flirty with everyone while he thought he's being funny. The food was OK. Boiled chicken and potatoes! The price was too expensive IMHO compared to many other restaurants out there. read more

I was there on saturday 6pm with my wife, we had an voucher from Deal Rush worth 67 euro, for 2 starters and 2 main courses + wine. We ordered : Kobiza-5.50, Choice of Sardine 7.50euro (extra chrge 2e) main course Mhancha Bastilia (filet rabit) 20,00e - did we get leg of rabbit !!! ,Marrakech Tajine 17,50e (lamb) did we get pork !!!! and we a get two HALF glasses of red wine !!! main courses without side orders, so we a order pitta bread x1 total diner worth 60e. but we had to pay extra 7e for 2x bread and 2e extra for fish and service!!! All of this is one big scam, it didn't taste that bad but they're cheating on their dishes. I am really annoyed, I feel cheated,!!! read more

I won't go back again. I used to go to this restaurant years ago. The decoration and the atmosphere certainly match the Morrocco theme, and one could go and see a belly dancer performing years ago while having a delicious dinner. I went out with friends so I suggested to go to this restaurant. Really bad idea! - Two of us ordered starters, but my friend didn't. I understand that the kitchen prepares starters first, and main courses after; however, when this is the case, an efficient waitress usually asks if we would prefer to get all the food together so nobody needs to be waiting starving until the others finish their starters. This wasn't the case! - When the starters arrived, trouble again! I ordered beetroot salad. When the waitress brought us the food, one of the starters had beetroot, another was a tiny portion of couscous with some vegetables. We were confused by what was what, so we asked; one of the waitress told us that the orders where correct so We started eating which we thought it was our starters; we still weren't convinced so we asked another waitress. It turned out that I was eating my friend's salad, and my starter wasn't what I ordered. I finally got my starter, beetroot salad, which was my starter as part of the early bird menu for 20€. The salad was a cooked beetroot, quite cold, possibly from the fridge, seasoned with a salad dressing, and decorated with tomato wedges and drisseled oil. - The main courses arrived. Mine was fish catch of the day. A small mackerel, I think, in a tomato sauce, olives, herbs and approximately one baby potato. It looked a bit like mackerel in tomato sauce like that one you can find in a tin in a supermarket, but a lot fresher. The fish had quite a few bones. My friend, who had to wait until we finish our starters, got her main course. This was completely dry and tasteless, even though she didn't order food from the early bird menu. -One of my friends ordered the coffee, which is a shot, short of like a espresso with spices. She was advised to have it after her dinner; however, another waitress came over and served it while she was having her dinner. By the time she finished her meal, the coffee was cold. - Dessert was lovely. I had chocolate cake (part of the early bird menu). - After we finished our desserts, my friends were conversing, chilling out as a lot of people do after dinning. It didn't take long for the waitress to come over to our table vand tell us that he needs the table and asks u to leave. APPALLING! I have never experienced such a bad dinning experience in a restaurant before. I don't have enough words to describe how bad it was. read more

Absolutely lovely food. id recommend you buy something on the pricey side which isn't much in this place.byob aswell. lamb tagine was lovely. decor is beautiful and staff are nice. read more