A friend of ours recommended this place, and I wasn't sure whether they had special banquets or whether it was something that you order when you arrive. Well, it turned out the be the second option (the reason I say this is because our first outing involved an organised banquet). Anyway, this place actually stands out from the pretty typical and standard restaurants that we encounter around the place, and offers a style of dish, which is vegetarian in nature, that I haven't encountered previously. It simply seems that most restaurant strips are basically made up of a standard collection of restaurants, so finding one that differs is actually pretty cool. Certainly worth checking out. read more

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Tired? Famished? Indifferent? Venturesome? Come here. You'll have no control of what, where, or how much you eat, but you know it'll be warm and vegetarian and while likely highly delicious, it won't likely be served with a smile. You'll sit, you'll be fed. You'll be told how much to pay, you'll leave. Picky? Sensitive? Opinionated? Like to be in control? Turn and run. Immediately. read more

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The word 'Bar' here is a slight misnomer. Every time my girlfriend suggests we go to Moroccan Soup Bar for dinner my heart drops. But why? I say. I mean, there's heaps of other good stuff around and we can make soup at home. Then, every time she makes me go I say 'why don't we come here more often lady, this shit is delicious'. Invariably this is followed by my beloved informing me that I am in fact a cock brain and not worthy of being granted licence to function as a regular human being. But c'mon, soup for a dinner out? It hardly gets the juices loose does it? This place puts the excitement back into soups with a fine array of soup variants and all manner of spicy delights. An added advantage is that you can take your own (extra large) takeaway container and they'll heap it full of steamy goodness. Believe me, don't doubt the power of this joint. They do pretty much one thing, but they do it pretty much better than any other fucker in town. Yum. read more

Moroccan Soup Bar - Restaurants Near Me - Fitzroy North, VIC

Mmmm. My friend and I could barely move after this meal, it was so good! I came here while on vacation, on the recommendation of a sales girl on Brunswick St. It did not disappoint! My friend and I showed up at about 6 PM on a Wednesday (we were told to come early!) and there was already an hour and a half wait. They took my name and we went to the bar next door for some wine and to wait (I think it was called Monkey Bar - it was cute and a nice place to wait). We came back at 7:30 and our table was ready with a napkin with my name on it (spelled "Jenner," which was hilarious to me - I guess that's "Jenna" with an Australian accent!). My friend and I both got the dinner banquet for about $20, and it was SO delicious an SO much food. I can't tell you exactly what it was, but lots of flavorful veggies and this delicious hummus-type dish with pita chips mixed into it. It also came with dessert and coffee. A great value for $20 and a cool, laid back atmosphere! read more

Moroccan Soup Bar - YUM - Restaurants Near Me - Fitzroy North, VIC

Ok. So let me start by saying this place is an institution. It's about more than the food. Plus I've been here a dozen times before and it's been great. But....BUT! I think MSB has slipped. Big time. I went last week with a friend and we had to plan around the fact if we weren't waiting outside at 6pm we wouldn't get a table. I soon discovered they've hiked up the price of their dishes. $25pp for a vegetarian meal is pretty ridiculous. They still serve large portions (too much food in fact and much is wasted). But the taste was....well tasteless. So bland. Even the chickpea bake which has always been the bomb, was very very average. What a huge disappointment. I came prepared with takeaway containers but in fact apart from saving the food waste I shouldn't have bothered. All 3 dishes were a chore to eat as leftovers (the chickpea bake does NOT keep). It was actually yukky! Gasp!! As for dessert, it was commercial Turkish Delight and stale baklava I couldn't finish. Now I'm really disenchanted with MSB. The standard has really dropped and I can no longer justify the hassle of scarce tables and queuing for below average, overpriced food that doesn't even make for a good leftovers lunch. Past its heyday. What a shame. At least the mint tea was nice. read more

Just do what the lady tells you. The lady of the house that is. All you have to do is turn up, sit down - if you can find a seat, this really is the hardest part...not the seat itself, but finding one - and she'll take a look at you, size you up, and she'll still serve you. It'll be delicious and there will be more of it than you can eat, even if you're a complete pig. I'm still trying to figure out what's in that chickpea dish, other than chickpeas of course. I had aspirations of going home and creating the same magnificently flavoured dish for loved ones, but if I truly loved them, I'd just bring them here. read more

Moroccan Soup Bar - Restaurants Near Me - Fitzroy North, VIC

It's a great place A mix of Arab food Presented in a beautiful way original flavours Nice Modern/Moroccan decoration and friendly professional service In addition to extremely good prices read more

I am not a vegetarian but I do enjoy venturing out and accepting my hippie side sometimes. They don't take bookings for less than 6. but when we rocked up at 7.30pm on a Friday night, we only had to wait 30mins. There is a cool bar next door where we had pre dinner drinks (WIN). I must admit the service was not the friendliest, but the food was amazing and good value for money. There is no menu and there are 2 options to choose from. A $20 set menu or a $25 set menu. $5 more - what the heck. Oh and if you don't like sharing your food, this ain't for you. Food comes out and they don't tell you what anything is, so you just pick and hope for the best. They also ask for intolerances and allergies, so don't panic. We got the $25 set menu. They serve you complimentary peppermint tea when you sit down. TIP. It's very sweet, ask for a no sugar option if you feel so inclined. Started off with dips, breads and some spicy starters. There was a hommus like dip, tzatziki, some capsicumy/almondy dip, crunchy falafel tasting things, some very hot chilli, an eggplant type dip that was so smoky you felt like you were eating a flame and some other tasty things. Mains were a chickpea bake - amazing. To die for. But you couldn't just eat that all night - too rich. For me anyway. Some chickpea curry thing, roasted veges with cous cous and lots and lots of rice. Cooked in different ways. Dessert was a few little (and literally, it's pretty small - but you're so full by this point you don't even care). Some donuts, baclava and some fruity/nutty thing. And dessert is served with Moroccan coffee. STRONG and SWEET. The best thing? If you can't finish your food, you can take it all home. On one condition you bring your own takeaway container. Smart? Weird? Your call. The other interesting thing I saw was people coming in with pots and pans, ordering food and taking it home in their own containers. A different experience but I think I like it. We did not know about this little quirk so we didn't bring our own containers and ended up leaving nearly half the mains. All in all, although I had to roll myself out of the door, the food was great, lots of different flavours and I love small plate eating so this one was a win! read more

Moroccan Soup Bar, I have tried it a couple of times now and I think I have figured it out. People love the flavours they use and the little quirks that come with this little Fitzroy eatery, however this particular joint, aint that fab' and I'll tell you why. They are tricking us into thinking the food is awesome with texture and the overuse of olive oil, besides those two things Moroccan Soup Bar is actually quite bland, with terrible service and worse atmosphere. On the particular evening I shall write about, it was a Wednesday night and we decided to call ahead as we all know with this particular venue, at times the overhype can lead to lines down the street. I called to book a table for three and was abruptly told that "bookings are only taken for groups of six or more, you will have to take a chance." This instantly put me off, but my friend was eager to see what the fuss was about so we chanced we did. We walked right in and got a table outside. The table was rickety and small, a stretch for two people surrounded by three hessian covered stools that were the height for children. We sat down, the waitress came and spoke to us about the menu and ordering procedure advising that we could order off the menu or select the Banquet which was much recommended (a $22 and a $28) as it gave you a good sample of everything and was filling for everyone. We chose the $28 Banquet as we were hungry and it apparently had more sides. As we were seated outside, it was hard to get our servers attention, we really wanted water and we weren't given any until our food came and we requested it, that probably wouldn't annoy most people but it seems like service 101. Our meals definitely came out in a reasonable amount of time, I really commend the kitchen on that, especially taking in to consideration how busy they were. Our first course, had a generous amount of flat bread, multiple dips, salads, couple of olives, two pickled carrots and this delightful sweet cheese dish. I really wish I had access to the menu so I could be more detailed, I tasted labneh, hummus, taziki, potato salad, eggplant, parsley, cumin, tahin, papricka, chickpeas, lentils and lots of garlic through out, oh and of course olive oil and grilled flat bread. Moroccon Soup Bar, very cleverly has placed grilled flat bread throughout their mezze plates to add surprise crunch and adorned every dish with silky, olive oil. You dip your fresh flat bread in and love it, because you know it's mezze and who doesn't love mezze and then start realising- what am I actually tasting? Where is the flavour? Where is the toasted spices? Where is the salt? They are absent? But they are dips and salad, maybe I am being silly.. Until the mains come out.. Listen these mains have made such a little impression I am struggling to recall what they were.. I remember one because it reminded me of a dish we ate growing up..but you know, with no flavour. It was a yoghurt chickpea dish on a bead of crispy flat bread and a pool of olive oil...very similar to Mante Yoghurt sauce. There was also misc rice, qunoa and lentil dishes, all incredibly over cooked and under seasoned. I have to say the strangest dish of the night was the Roast Potato on the bed of Quinoa, I guess it was trying to emulate a roast beef dish, however it had zero flavour. My friend was feeling nauseated and enjoyed the startch to settle her stomach, so that was nice. The third course was Moroccan Coffee or Mint tea and an assortment of sweets. I opted for the mint tea which was lovely, it was served in an authentic little glass tea cup, with a gorgeous gold rim. The deserts were middle eastern pastries eg. baklavas that tasted a week old and completely stale. Massive disappointed. I grew up making the sweets and eating the sweets they served so I guess I maybe have high standard on what they should and should not be. These to me, belonged in the bin. At no point throughout the evening were we checked up on, not even when my friend broke the glass jug of water by accident or when the three of us kept standing up because our legs were dead from the incredibly inappropriate seating. I really do not understand why people love this place or why they keep going back. It is not great, it is not even great, it does not even meet the medium standards of services you expect from a local chain restaurant. I don't consider "good food" to be drowned in olive oil and be thinned out with cheap bread. So disappointed. read more

The chick pea bake is so delicious that I often find myself thinking about it 6 months after I ate it! Simply Scrumptious!!!!

I will start this review with a disclaimer that I am about as vegetarian as the legendary internet pirate Maddox (if you don't know who this is, google it) But somehow I was "convinced" to going to this place by a friend of mine who thought I should just try it and *maybe* I would like it. Never the one to disappoint, I decided to brave it so there we found ourselves for dinner on Saturday night. I've been to two other non-meat restaurants before in my life - Enlightenment and Lentil As Anything but neither of them was as annoying as this restaurant. My first thought upon sitting down was why don't they have a meat eater's menu inside these vegetarian restaurants? As they didn't bother providing a menu, I glanced around to look at what other diners were eating in the hope that my eyes would spot something that may look even slightly appetising but unfortunately my spirits were unable to be lifted. There didn't seem to be any variety as the dips and other vegetables all looked like they were prepared with the same ingredients and with the same consistency. I must repeat, there was no variety of flavours at this place. The 4 dishes we had all tasted the same although only increased in spiciness. With each dish as unmemorable as the next, I looked around annoyed at myself for not stopping by and picking up some wicked wings. The decor was the kind of cheap-but-we-are-trying-to-look-funky look which was boring and left me uninspired. We had 4 on our table and all of the dishes remained half-eaten so I don't think I was alone in my opinions. After dinner we were met with unedible desserts that consisted of 99% sugar. Vegetarian food is supposed to be healthy. Vegetarian food is supposed to be tasty. This place was neither - the food was poor but not only that, it was also heavy and my parting wish was that they adopted the Lentil as Anything policy to pay what you think it was worth. Sorry, but I don't think $25 per head for a bunch of vegetables is anything close to good value. read more

I just went to Moroccan Soup, and they kicked me out after 40 minutes from I got there with the excuse that somebody else wanted the table. (We wasn't told before, for sure, and we waited to get this table 50 mins). Nice? at all. I had a big expectation, i've been reading and hearing so much about this restaurant. I went with a friend, and we couldn't finish what we were talking about because they asked us to live. And I tell you, we were fast, and is not easy to digest chickpeas+lentils+broccolis+ yoghurt and 15 more ingredients in a record time. But I didn't expected to leave and take my bike 2 mins after having my last bite. Was very displeasing. The food was good. But I didn't feel a drop of charm, or moroccan essence, even any try for being nice with the clients! Nobody told us nothing, nothing about the plates, what we where eating, how was it, absolutely nothing. everyone looked very busy, and serving and serving more of the same sampler plates (is the same food for every table because everyone gets the banquet). We had some tea or something, and we were served more and more and it didn't feel special or actually didn't know what was it really. They just had a lot of that for filling more and more cups. Anyway, if you are looking having a nice dinner, don't go there. And if you are looking for a dinning experience and meeting another country through the food, go to Rumi's. A little bit more expensive, but much special, and you will have time for eating!!!!! (and drinking, yohou!) read more

Delightful, just delightful. There is a reason why every raves about this place. Because it is just that good. Cheap, quick, tasty and a good night out. Gaurenteed to have you rolling out the door with the amounts of food you recieve. The food is done in a banquet style menu. So you have a couple of options which is the basic $23 pp and then you can add a few extra dishes to the menu for $28. The best part about it, regardless of which one you choose they make sure you are well looked after. For big groups they adjust portions and dishes. Very friendly and all vegeterian. The food itself was great, some real good authentic taste here. read more

Before I begin, let me highlight that the name is a misnomer; the Moroccan Soup Bar isn't a soup restaurant. The food at Moroccan Soup Bar is really good, and it seems quite healthy. The dining experience is a little like a degustation menu: they choose the dishes that they serve and you have no choice over what you get. What you do get though is richly flavoured and diverse. read more

The set menu was well priced and plentiful. It was ridiculously delicious I was dreaming of the food all night! Although the restaurant is small, the atmosphere and busyness was brilliant. There are some tables outside and the staff are really attentive. The food is so tasty I would highly recommend this place. read more

Do it. If you're unfamiliar with the Moroccan Soup Bar, you just need to go - reasonably priced, generous portions of tasty food without any pretence. It's noisy, it's crowded, the staff are rushed off their feet and you won't get an intimate dinner for two that feels like the world has disappeared around you. But it's a restaurant that has stuck around for years with no fancy design or menu gimmicks, and is still packed on a tuesday night. Not to mention a wonderful attitude towards shared dining and takeaway-by-volume in BYO containers. You can even google "that chickpea bake" and the internet knows what you want - recipes will pop up so you can try (and probably fail) to recreate That Chickpea Bake that you'll get here. Stumble out (or be pushed out so they can use your table!) full of food and happy with the world. read more

Had my first experience here tonight and loved it. We arrived at 5.45 so enjoyed a drink at the bar next door while we waited for them to open at 6pm. We ordered the set menu and were stuffed at the end. Very satisfying food. The chickpea bake was a highlight as were the dips to start. I also loved the little dessert bites at the end with some more tea. For $23 each it is a steal! Will most definitely be back. read more

Food is singular and always high quality. Soups, only served if you ask, are really good. But, well, it can be noisy for some and the takeaway process is painful. And the proprietor is just unpleasant. Takeaway: you bring your own containers, then wait 15 minutes or more. No phone orders. Went three consecutive weekends and each time ordered the same -- food for four. First time, what a deal! Only $30. Second time, $40. Tried to pay the additional $10 from the previous week, but was told not to worry. Then, the third time, the owner/proprietor seemed not to like that we waited the last few minutes indoors, looked at the containers, said this was enough food for eight, and charged us $60. And we actually had less food than previously. And when she checked the number of containers, she replaced them in such a way that the lid to the bottom container broke. Yes, three weeks, same food, three very different prices! And this was not the first encounter with her and each has been rather unpleasant; for me and for my friends, even separately. Go for the food, not the service. Or hope that you avoid her. The rest of the workers are pleasant. read more

Booking a table for 8 was very convenient and although they we're closed for remodelling or something, I had a reply the next day! Boyfriends birthday so brought a cake and they offered to put it in the fridge, but I was happier that they didn't mind it was on the table. They really take care of everything, table service is great, all courses were delicious and diverse, so there is something for everyone. (Except meat lovers, obviously). Would have liked explanations of every thing since it was the groups first time here. But we sussed it just fine and dug it. Not much was left ;) All other patrons were very friendly; we had the whole restaurant singing along. There was another birthday there too so we all joined in again. Good times had by all! Cheers and see you soon, Moroccan! XX read more

Been here once, and can't wait to go back! One of the most flavorful restaurants I've been to in a long time, and I don't care if it's vegetarian or not, but it's gotta taste good. This soup bar is very Fitzrovian with mismatched furniture, feeling like you're in a large living room of a bed and breakfast. As two, my partner and I were seated promptly at a communal table and provided moroccan mint tea with sweetener in it. For free!! And Lord knows we all love free stuff. We were told we had about 90 minutes to eat before the table was reserved for a large party. There's a set menu for the day, and you're allowed to order a regular or deluxe feast for $20/25 per head. With my high metabolism, I hear "deluxe" and I know I have to go for it. The appetizers were served as a large plate with plenty of pita bread for dipping and grabbing roast cauliflower. My partner was full after the appetizers, but I was ready for more! For the mains, we had a roast veggie curry, a plate with lentils/rice/hummus/yogurt, and a big bowls of chickpeas in yogurt with fattoush on the bottom. AMAZING, especially when it's topped with toasted almond slivers. I pretty much ate the two servings. Fun fact: the larger your party, the larger the bowl! For a party of six, the bowl was larger than my head! To top off the deluxe feast was more hot mint tea and lemon panacotta/tarte sprinkled with pistachios and honey-glazed donuts. Delicious. With the set menu, you don't really know what you're going to get, but it will taste amazing. In my opinion, it lives up to the hype and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves moroccan food. read more

Yes. Yes. Yes. We went with a really large group, which was great since we got to try so many dishes--so many that it was hard to pick a favourite, but if pressed I would say the chickpea bake. The food was great and by the time dessert came, I could not eat one more bite. Pro tip: There's a supermarket just up the road which sells takeaway containers if you think you'll have any leftovers you want to bring home. read more

This place has been on my list for ages. Last night I finally went and boy was it worth the wait. On my way there I bumped into a friend of mine who was telling me that people queue out the door before they have opened to get a table. As they don't take bookings, depending on how long the line is, you will either be told that you have a table or you have to come back at in an hour or two. Although I arrived 5 minutes after they opened the place was already packed and everyone was eating. This place is efficient! I was told to come back in an hour so I went next door to Monkey Bar for a drink whist I waited, wondering if the cult that I have been following really knows what they are talking about. Within moments of sitting down one of the very friendly staff serve the table mint tea and let us know how the restaurant works. We all ordered the banquet and the feast began. The highlight of the meal for me was the Moroccan style nachos. Crisp pita bread smothered in sour cream, chickpeas, roasted peanuts and a sauce that can only be described as liquefied peanut brittle. I hope I'll be able to get a table again tonight! read more

This is the perfect place to take your vegetarian parents out to dinner and to offer to pay. Why you may ask? Well A) the food is absolutely delicious B) there is a strictly no alcohol policy at this place (so your food bill will be just that and you won't get embarrassingly drunk and tell your mum that you tried on her high heels when you were five years old) and C) the food is delicious (and cheap). So at this stage you are probably thinking I am a miserly cross dresser for suggesting this dining option. But you would be mostly wrong. You see there is an element of social justice to the Moroccan Soup Bar that will impress your folks and make them realise you turned out alright despite the fact you were inquisitive as a young child and may have grown up to be a bit of cheap bastard. You see the owner Hana Assafiri started this place with a bit of woman's refuge in mind, which is the reason why she tends to help out woman who have come out of difficult relationships by hiring them and most likely the main reason why alcohol is not welcome in this place. For $18 you will get a three course banquet of very very tasty Moroccan food, which will make you forget you ever even needed either meat or alcohol to accompany a good evening of dining. They also do take-away meals, where they basically fill up any container you give them with as much food as will fit for your $18. read more

You know a restaurant is good when there's people on the street waiting for a free table. The ordering and seating system is a bit haphazhard, your reservation is scrawled on a napkin with everyone else's and then your table is reserved by another napkin. The menu is a spoken menu, which works quite well if you want the banquet, which I think most people just go for because it's easier, it's relatively cheap, it's what everybody recommends and it's what the staff suggest. It's good to. For $20 you get entree, main, a sweet and coffee at the end. Incredibly filling and delicious to boot. The chickpea bake is great but the tagine is fairly bland, like most tagines in my experience. Strangely there's no soup. A really good place if you get in early or don't mind a 20 minute wait or so for a fantastic feed. read more

I'm not vegetarian (because I like making good food choices) but I am 100% willing to say there is delicious vegetarian food out there - but this ain't it. If you are an Australian vegetarian and thus accustomed to paying ridiculous amounts for bland disappointing food - then go for it. Moroccan Soup Bar is just a bunch of Fitzroy recycled tire shoe sole wearing yuppie hipster hype and not nearly worth the money you have to spend and the frenzied service you receive. read more

I am a pretty fussy eater, but the food here is really good, especially the chickpea bake (like a lovely cousin to nachos). I will definitely eat at the Moroccan Soup Bar again, but in the future I will get it to go. "verbal menu" - If it's your first time, the staff will explain to you that they don't have traditional menus, just a verbal menu. The "verbal menu" however, is really just them explaining that you can either pay $25 per person for three courses, or $30 per person for three courses with a little more food. Then they stand there expectantly until you have to ask, "so....what's the food?" They ask if anyone has any food allergies which is great, but by no means do you get to pick what you'll be eating. You just agree to $25 or $30 and then they bring you what they've got. Ambiance: The door handle was sticks so you'll struggle to get in. Once inside the restaurant is very small and very loud. It's a family style place so they'll put your party of 3 at a table for 8 and then seat a ton of people with you, which is fine, just doesn't help with the noise. And the entire time you're there people stream in in a long line to order food to go taking up the only free space in the place and further increasing the volume of noise. To go containers: Just as a heads up (by no means a complaint), ya gotta bring your own. read more

Great Vegetarian restaurant. They don't have a printed menu, but if you order the banquet for $20-25 per person you won't be disappointed. First there is a plate of dips and a mint tea, then they'll bring you a few different plates for your table to share. The chickpea is the best, so is the lentils one. For dessert there is Moroccan coffee or more mint tea and little bites of Moroccan desserts. Lots delicious food, you won't go hungry, and all for $20. The only draw back is that they don't accept bookings unless your party is more than 6 people. If not you'll need to be really early (they open at 6) because the queues are long and the space is very small. read more

My first visit to this Fitzroy North institution was on a Friday night. Having researched the venue prior, I was aware that the place was extremely popular and to expect a wait for a table. I was also prepared for the "verbal" menu which I must admit, had me feeling rather tentative! Upon arrival, we were unsure of the protocol for waiting to be seated. We encountered some staff attending to the outside tables and so stepped inside the door and waited for someone to acknowledge and/or attend to us. After many staff walked past us whilst avoiding eye contact or giving us any direction whatsoever, and seeing two tables unattended for the duration of the time we were left standing there, we assumed that the protocol was to seat yourself and wait to be served. Shortly after being seated, one of the friendly staff approached and asked if we had been served and proceeded to tell us the menu options for the night. There doesn't seem to be the option for ordering dishes separately, but only the option for one of two banquets. We decided on the more basic of the options, which included dips and bread to start, three main dishes and then dessert and tea and coffee. It wasn't advised to us at the time, but the basic option was $25 per person - more than reasonable for the amount of food that was provided. The same waitress delivered our bread and dips in no time and then returned shortly to the table to question if we had a booking. It turns out we had both gone against the protocol as the table had been reserved for a party that was due to arrive shortly - which was indicated by a napkin on the table (that was upside down) with a name and time on it. Thankfully the table next to us had finished and was preparing to leave at that very moment so they would have the space, but it seemed the waitress was also new (it was her second night) and so seeing us new to the table had taken our order when we should have been asked if we had a booking. She was more than friendly, however it seemed we received the bare bones of service from the other staff due to our mistaken jumping of the queue! We had to chase someone for water whilst people who were seated opposite us 10 minutes later were offered both tea and water without anyone so much as even enquiring as to whether we would like the same and having to seek out one of the staff for even some water to go with our meal. However, the issue with the seating aside, the reason we attended was obviously for the food and I can tell you, it was more than worth it!! The three main dishes we received were the chick pea bake, roasted vegetables with cous cous, as well as an eggplant dish, along with a plate of rice and yoghurt. These three dishes, which followed the consumption of many pieces of bread and dips was more than enough to fill our empty bellies and it was not possible to finish all the dishes. I have seem many people rave about the chick pea bake and whilst I agree that it was delicious, the eggplant dish was by far my favourite. This said, all three mains were full of flavour and fabulous. The meal was finished off with some tea (finally we were offered some delicious mint tea with our dessert) and some Turkish delight (which I can confirm was delightful) and whilst it was a struggle to fit anything else in, the touch of sweetness was the perfect way to finish off the meal. I would definitely recommend a visit here, but because there is no sign to tell you and the staff don't seem to want to tell you, know that you should proceed to the counter to put your name down for a table - and expect a wait! read more

The chickpea bake...just do that. There is no real need for the other delicious things because this is the superlative, the thing that you will come back for and the thing that you will dream about. read more

This was probably one of my favourite restruant to dine at, I loved the food quality and the presentation. Customer service was amazing and delightful, loved the Morocco vibes and the cultural vegan friendly food with bursting flavour. Waitress was so friendly and so many friendly staff that are quick to be at your service ! I'd love to come back as I loved the food!! So much , surely will be coming back :). read more

I'm not gonna be coy about this. I fucking love Moroccan Soup Bar. I want to make friends with its sister so I have a reason to go to its dad's Australia day barbeque. I want to make eyes at it across the room, catching its eye then looking away, only to return my gaze to it a moment later, half-smile dancing at the corner of my lips. I want to spend two hours agonising over what to wear on our first date, then to take MSB's breath away as I walk into the room. I want to have mindblowing, passionate, unprotected sex with it on the first date and then have like 10 million of its babies. It's that good. Just for something different, I'm not going to list all the awesome things that the Moroccan Soup Bar has, instead I'm going to list the things they *don't* have. 1. Soup. Weird, right? 2. Bookings. This means you might have to wait, and you might have to wait a while. . Plan ahead for this, rock up, put your name down and go for a walk. My friend Apollo and I waited 45 minutes for a table for two, at 7pm on a Wednesday. But you know what, it's worth the goddamn wait. Even though.... 3. ...they don't serve alcohol. It's Moroccan, those dudes don't drink. I have some great stories about trying to get drunk in Marrakech, but that's for another day. OR IS IT? No, it is. But hey, that doesn't matter, because while you wait for a table, you can drop in to Monkey Bar next door, or Deco Bar one block up the road. See? It's all coming up Milhouse. Furthermore, instead of grog, MSB serves traditional mint tea and Arabic coffee, and while I'm not going to try to tell you that's as good as a nice chianti (it's not) , they're both pretty damn nice. 4. There's no menu. Ever. Nope, not even on the wall. Not even verballed. The waitress just rocks up to your zellij table and asks if you want the $20 per head menu or the $25 per head (this one gets you some extra snacky stuff to start but unless you're starving, you wont need it). The $20 menu gets you a plate of dips and bread with some picked veg and stuff, followed by mains and dessert. 5. No meat. No, wait, don't go. Let me finish. There are 3 mains dishes, one of which blows my mother fucking mind, more than that episode of American Dad where you think Stan is obese but it turns out he's anorexic. It's a bowl of chickpeas and fatouche chips, smothered in yoghurt and drizzled with melted butter. I have no idea what this dish is called, but it's the most insanely buttery, dreamy, crunchy, spicy thing on the planet. Eating this dish is kind of like listening to Lana Del Rey cover Stairway to Heaven live in your private Cote D'Azur mansion while you bathe naked in a pool of puppies. On cocaine (you, not the puppies). FLAVORGASM. In case you still give a shit about what the other two dishes are, there's a mix plate of lentils and tagine, and some chunky braised veg on spiced couscous. I know, sounds dull, but its not; after describing that first one I know there's no point trying to make anything else sound interesting. Then some baklava and a tiny cup of viscous, grainy Arabic coffee that will keep you awake long enough to write a 600 word review on the experience. Decor-wise it's not trying overly hard to be über-Moroccan, which I count as a good thing: trying to be über-anything is typically über-embarrassing (I'm looking at you, Ke$ha). They've stuck with a tasteful assortment of photographs of Moroccan places and faces, and thrown in a bit of chilled out Northern African tunes to add to the vibe. Nicely done. One more thing: if you don't wanna wait for a table, bring a six pack, a few good sized Tupperwares (they don't supply take away containers) and get your feast to go, and take it across the road to the Edinburgh Gardens. If you can think of a better way to spend a summer night, there's a good chance you have Lana Del Rey covering Stairway to Heaven live in your private Cote D'Azur mansion and a pool of puppies. And cocaine. read more

Bad service, and unfriendly welcome from the owner. You would expect warm and good service especially from Moroccan place like this, but they don't seem to care,as long as more people keep flocking to this place. Food is average and can be found in other friendly, welcoming places. Don't get the hype about this place! read more

Have been here many times and enjoyed it however the last teethe food was lack Ng flavour and very bland, chickpea bake was like warm to cold, and overall it lacked zing and flavour. Very disappointed. Price has gone up, although still good value, it not sure if we will be back. read more

If you love marocan and vegetarian food this is a great place to visit. The food is excellent and very delicious. Once thing that was not very enjoyable is the waiting time for a table. read more

It's all about the chickpea bake. Great for take away and the staff are awesome. Busy so get there around 6 for a table. They don't serve alcohol but there's a cute bar next door for pre/post dinner drinks. read more

I'm new to the area and asked what was good. This was recommended by a housemate. Although she loved it, I failed to see why. Queues line up at 6pm, proving it's popular among locals. Those who didn't get a table settled for takeaway, filling up their own tupperware. The menu was verbal, only 2 options were presented; Standard $23 or Special Banquet $27. We went for standard. The service was odd. Drinks came out at different times, some people, inc us didn't even get our teas or water at all! Some people were also waiting for cutlery about 40 minutes after being served the first course and they had no water or tea either. The staff were few, only 3 for the whole place, rather stressed and unhappy to be there except the manager. As a result, the staff were rude and inattentive. We couldn't get anyone to ask for our teas throughout the night. Our first course finally arrived from a rude member of staff who had failed to see that we didn't even have our teas, water or cutlery yet (and it remained this way until an hour in when only our water arrived); plate of very cold hummus, yoghurt, small piece of eggplant, mashed brocoli, potato salad and lemon pickled carrots with some olives accompanied with cold cheap pita bread you can get in Woolies. It was disappointing. The bread should be warm and lightly toasted, but it was cold, tough and chewy. Everything was either too strongly tart from the lemon (carrots and potato), too salty (brine stored olives) or bland (everything else). The only thing I enjoyed was the cheap Greek style yoghurt which I get $3 for 1kg at my local Greek store. It was however, presented well. That's all I can merit sorry! Our table was cleared by another member of staff (more friendly and younger) and our main came. There was a bowl of tagine style vegetables in tomato based sauce over couscous; this was quite nice and it was warm, we liked this dish but it didn't blew our mind. The second was a plate of rice, eggplant, yoghurt and some sort of lentil tomato stew. This was also quite nice but a little bland. We liked the rice though, it was well cooked. The third which looked like a kitchen disaster trying to be disguised as 'new' and 'different' was a bowl of chickpeas and overcooked filo type pastry crisps covered in an insane amount of cream. We could only have 1 tablespoon before feeling a bit nauseous so couldn't eat that at all, it was awful! The idea was interesting but less is more! Lastly, dessert which was basically a tiny plate of 4 truffle sized blobs of: a date and walnut ball (too strongly spiced and texture was wet), a doughball which was tough, dry and chewy and, two mini pancakes filled with a blob of cream. The pancakes were quite nice as the cream was flavoured but the pancakes themselves were doughy, soggy and laced with syrup so was overly sweet. We had a tiny bite but couldn't finish it. Finally, our tea came but it had sugar added to it already. It's traditional to leave sugar on the side so that people could add. I was also surprised to see they didn't use fresh mint leaves, but instead dried packaged mint which they've strained into the cups (because it's cheaper). Overall, it was a very disappointing experience. The food is not entirely Moroccan (I have spent 2 years in Morocco) using incredibly cheap and low quality ingredients charged at a silly price of around $25. If you're looking for a great food experience from Morocco, this isn't it. However, since there are very few vegetarian places around Melbourne that offer interesting and tasty food, this place would impress some.The variety, presentation, atmosphere (not counting the staff) and amount is good but the quality fails to impress. Certainly, I have had more delicious food at Lentils as Anything or the cheap Indian and African places on Swanston street or Lebanese on Sydney Road for less than half the price and double the flavour. Would I recommend it? Definitely not. I came out feeling rather ill and ripped off; the food was full of salt, sulphates, overly cream in places and too acidic. read more

I really enjoy the vibe of places like this. Despite being crazy busy and sometimes a little "you'll never know what to expect", I come here often for team orientation things in addition to just with friends. Great service, excellent food and brilliant culture. read more

Two words: CHICKPEA BAKE. Omg. This was one of the best meals of our lives. The chickpea bake was so good that we asked the waitress for the recipe and she showed us the cookbook! Do the banquet, worth every penny. From the dips and spreads to the savory main courses and mint tea with desserts, we thoroughly loved each bite!!! read more

Great surprise veggie food. The place can be very busy so go early. To me the best option is the take away.

This place is great! Make sure that you get there early though or book a table because it gets very busy with lineups out the front a regular occurrence! But with how good the food is i'd be lining up too! ;) read more