Absolutely PHENOMENAL. Owner is exceedingly nice and is cooking all the meals. Service was great and the flavors of the food were extremely unique and delicious. Wish I found this place years ago? read more

Tara Kitchen - Lamb - Moroccan Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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Tara Kitchen continues to deliver with delicious, complex flavors. We enjoyed the intimate atmosphere of the Schenectady original location. Our server was personable, attentive and sweet. She gave us recommendations and she wasn't wrong. My Lamb Tagine Tangia was so good. The lamb was tender with a mix of sweet and savory flavors. I was able to enjoy some the next day too. Others got Chicken Tagine M'Chermel and Lamb M'Kwara. All were appetizing and tasty. For appetizers we had some delicious orange flavored hummus, pickled cauliflower and harissa olives. I especially loved the hummus. Ground Lamb Cigars were also appealing. Two had homemade mango lassi. It was a wonderful night out. Our clothes smelled like Moroccan food as we left. None of us complained. read more

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Recently tried Tara Kitchen to go and it was a great experience. I got the golden chicken and my husband got the chicken m'chermel and both were fantastic! The ordering and pickup process was easy and convenient, there is a parking lot right across the street and our order was ready at its scheduled time. The chicken in both meals was tender and flavorful and the rice was a perfect side for both. The pita was soft and pillowy and a great way to soak up the sauce and broth! The staff were friendly and attentive as soon as we arrived. We also tried the baklava for dessert which was delicious and not overly sweet. Can't wait to try it again! read more

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Happy to say that Tara Kitchen continues to serve up delicious and flavorful Moroccan food in a cozy spot in Schenectady. The chef/ owner is often at this location cooking your meal herself, and her passion and attention to detail clearly shows through. For a unique and delicious dining experience, don't miss out on Tara Kitchen! read more

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I was excited to try Tara's Kitchen as our friends just love it here. I arrived for dinner and it was quite packed. We were warmly greeted by the staff and were told that it would be a few minutes wait. The place was small and cozy but rather inviting. After being seated we had some cocktails with our roasted eggplant dip appetizer served with warm pita. For our main we had a chicken tagine with pomegranate, olives and almonds. Also a ground lamb kebab plate that was served with a nice mixed green salad and seasoned rice. The dishes were exotic and tasted amazing. Everything was cooked to perfection and was brought to the table in a timely manner. The service here is impeccable and they are attentive and genuinely caring. Their attention to detail shows that they really love what they do. This was a 10/10 for me and I can't wait to return and try some of the other dishes on their menu!! read more

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There's a lot to rave about this local gem, but it's the food that deserves love the most. As far as i know, Tara has another location in Troy which I haven't yet been to, but based on the experience so far at the Schenectady location, I don't feel a great rush to. The setting is a cozy, charming townhouse converted into a meandering multi-level venue complete with outdoor seating in the backyard and covered seating on the back patio. The restaurant didn't have its own parking but there are plenty of parking nearby in downtown, so parking has not been an issue so far. How's the food? 10/10! Grilled fish is incredibly tender and the subtle seasoning brings out the delicate flavourof the fish. Olive tapenade is an exotic mix of spices that goes perfectly with freshly made pita bread. Vegetable couscous pretty much explodes with flavours (I never thought I'd say that, ever). The complimentary mint tea makes me want to roam the streets of an open Moroccan market. During our first visit we got to chat with the gentleman who owns the place. He was friendly and generous, offering us extra pita bread. The only question on my mind is: when should we go back? read more

Tara Kitchen is excellent, especially if you want to break out of your food comfort zone. They offer delicious unique food options. In the past I've gotten various tangines. This time I got chicken Mandi which is an Arabian dish. It was perfectly flavored with spices, not heat just flavor. The Schenectady location is small but it has a great ambiance read more

Tara Kitchen - Mandi - Moroccan Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Absolutely delicious! Came here last night and had a wonderful time. It's small, but absolutely adorable inside, plenty of seating. Our waiter and the hostess were so nice. Our waiter gave us a complementary cup of green tea upon seating and it was delicious. Flavorful food, good drinks. Would highly recommend! read more

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Second time around! Really enjoy Indian, Mediterranean, Greek, Italian, and Turkish. Food/Drink: Entrees were amazing, everything tasted fantastic. The flavors and the smells were intoxicating! I had the lunch buffet. Bread and Apps: The garlic naan mmmm mmmm! Small dish of the samosas were to die for. Dinning Area: Pretty Small, and cramped. A little drafty. Prices: Relatively cheap. Wveryhing included for 14.99 plus a drink. Parking: street parking stinks. Bathrooms: Bathrooms were clean and smaller in size. Atmosphere: During the weekday Dinner rush, pretty busy, but not unmanageable. I did not wait long. Staff/Attendants: Staff overall was Great, family owned and operated I presume. Extremely authentic, deep accent. Awesome experience I will be back! 7/10 read more

The Feast of the Seven Fishes --Moroccan style-- was outstanding! My daughter, SIL, and two grandsons enjoyed it very much. Favorites were the Salmon, Scallops and Lentils, fish soup, crab cakes. Actually, there were accolades from at least one of us for each dish. I am posting a photos of the menu and the courses. The Feast sold out. It was $100. for two. Worth every cent! There was a lot of delicious food and lots of leftovers! Please check out my photos to get a sense of our culinary experience. read more

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We went to their weekday lunch buffet recently and were so impressed. Every single dish was so flavorful and perfectly made. The staff was also extremely nice and the environment is really lovely. It was definitely a food highlight for us and we look forward to returning. read more

WHEN: Thursday @ 6pm Fairly busy evening with 25% tagine dishes on Thursdays. We were able to grab a table for 3 upstairs right beneath the AC. The restaurant gets very hot from the hot tagine dishes and the 85 degrees weather outside. WHAT WE ORDERED Fish & mixed veggies tagine Chicken & potatoes tagine Chicken vermicelli tagine Baklava Every dish was very flavorful, full of spices and blends. It was my first time trying out a Moroccan dish, everything was so interesting. From the mint tea that the server pours in the beginning of the meal to the pita bread that can be dipped into the tagine to eat. The tagine portion was fairly large, I had a good amount of leftovers to consume the next day. The baklava dessert was delicious, it was a large slice so I shared it w 2 other ppl. read more

Tara Kitchen - Tagine Thursdays - Moroccan Near Me - Schenectady, New York

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Fantastic Moroccan restaurant close to city walk in downtown Schenecedaty. Food was authentic & service was just as spectacular. They start you off with a warm mint tea for free with refills. The Moroccan red wine is a unique red blend & a must try. We had a delicious eggplant, roasted garlic, & tomato dip that was served with warm pita bread, cigars (phyllo dough filled with ground lamb), & lamb, tomato jam, & caramelized onion pizza. The food was fresh & the seasoning was amazing! This is a must try place. I can't wait to return! read more

Tara Kitchen - Eggplant dip w/ pita bread & Moroccan wine - Moroccan Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Even on an evening when things didn't go as well as they should have, the food, and the experience, were wonderful. As you walk in, both the aromas and the staff are welcoming. It may not look large inside, but they have seating upstairs too. Larger groups will probably be seated up there... be patient, as they can only bring a few dishes at a time up the stairs for you. We visited on a Friday night when there was clearly a larger than expected turnout for dinner, and they were not prepared to handle it all. Even so, we received wonderful service. There were a few speed bumps along the way, but by the end of the evening, we did receive everything we ordered. The lamb dishes are especially popular here, wonderfully seasoned (even though I ordered a chicken dish, I got to sample some). This is not a place to come for a quick dinner. This is a place to visit to savor an experience. read more

Cannot recommend this place enough! Chef Aneesa Waheed is an absolute genius and so nice and informative! We have been here several times, slowly trying to work our way through the whole menu. Everything that we have ever tried has been outstanding. Here is a list of everything we have tried so far (all of which I would recommend): Eggplant, harissa, and olive tapenade app platter Warm fig salad Moroccan cigars Mixed vegetables with figs in spicy date sauce tagine Chicken with tomato jam, harissa, figs, and almonds tagine Chicken with pomegranate molasses, olives, almonds, and harissa tagine Lamb with honey, prunes, apricots, almonds, and a touch of harissa tagine* Lamb with smen, saffron, potatoes, and preserved lemons tagine Baklava *this is my absolute favorite dish here! Possibly my favorite in the whole capital region. The tagine style of cooking really makes the lamb so unbelievably tender and the fruitiness from the prunes and apricots mixed with the spiciness of the harissa is truly the perfect combination We went at the end of the night one time and Chef Aneesa was kind enough to show us the tagine cooking method and answer our questions. So happy to support such an awesome woman and have this restaurant in our community :) read more

The place has changed. The food is still very good but their focus has shifted to retail and catering. Waiting for a lunch menu to be developed read more

Food is absolutely tremendous! I called for pickup and brought back to Marriott. Lamb dish with a spicy molasses sauce and pita and rice and a excellent arugula salad. All for $44. Worth it big time. As I waited for my food I was served awesome tea multiple times. Great place for food!!! read more

Excellent dinner in a very cozy informal restaurant. Service was very good. So many wonderful choices. read more

Tara Kitchen - Chicken tagine with green olives. Assorted dips with pita. Wonderful refreshing salad. - Moroccan Near Me - Schenectady, New York

Food was good . Staff was nice . Downfall not accessible to me anymore to eat the food inside

Date picked the place and I have to say, was pretty impressed. Couldn't have chosen a better spot. Loved the esthetics and atmosphere. Food was amazing! I highly suggest ordering Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Green Olives Tagine. Cuisine was authentic, great service, very attentive and friendly. Highly recommend! read more

A hidden gem in the Capitol district. We had a lamb taglne with pomegranate molasses, raisins and olives that deliciously blended sweet, sour and spice. They also have a limited selection of Indian classics. Service was prompt, pleasant and excellent. read more

Check out Tara Kitchen and expand your horizons by expanding the your palate. Where to begin? I could stop at the appetizers alone - the tapenade, the orange salad the food wakes up the sleepy tastebuds. I love the Chicken with Preserved Lemons and can't seem to stop ordering it every time I'm there! Excellent service, as well! read more

A different take on flavors, very delicious. Friendly staff, cool outdoor seating area. Great place to try something new. Fast service. Date night Meetup with old friends read more

What a little surprise in this part of town. This restaurant, which apparently used to be a house, served me one of the best Moroccan meals I've had. Although the menu doesn't specifically state they offer tagine for lunch, I was able to still get the tagine meal. I had the lamb meat balls with poached egg. This dish was served with a generous serving of tomato sauce, rice, and green beans. All the flavors were so savory- lots of cumin and coriander. I had a bite of my sisters fish plate and it was a more mild flavor but still crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside. Our meal came with complimentary tastes of warm Moroccan tea. Service was great- quick and friendly. It's a small place and it appeared they had a nice lunch crowd. Definitely make a reservation if you plant to come with a larger party. read more

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I had seen this restaurant featured on spectrum and have been wanting to try for a while. Last night was the night. First it is a very cramped space. The entire restaurant is narrow. It was busy when I arrived. Every table was taken so you'd expect it would be good. We ordered the potato cakes. They were good enough. Then I ordered the chicken piccata and my friend ordered chicken and lentil tagline. The meals were really underwhelming. The tagine was supposed to come with rice and pita and did not. The place was very dark and cold no matter where you were sitting. I don't mind a good dive place but not this one. read more

I love everything about this place. The coziness, the staff, the service and of course the food!! I ordered the chicken with mixed vegetables in apricot and prune sauce. Couldn't finish the last few bites but because it was so good I had to take it home...with the rice..and the pitas. The leftovers were just as good and tasty as the day before. Being at Tara kitchen is like being at a restaurant in NYC. Impeccable food and service. I can't say enough good things. read more

This was my FIRST time trying Moroccan food! Cute little restaurant in downtown Schenectady. They have a deck and outdoor dining which is a nice touch. We sat outside. All of the cocktails are wine based, absolutely OUTSTANDING. For appetizers we got a few of the dips including eggplant and olive dip. I'm not an olive fan, I do like eggplant, but I didn't love either of them. The eggplant was tasty but not something I would order again. I do not remember the name of what I ordered but it was one of the lamb dishes. The menu is overwhelming, especially not being very familiar with moroccan food, it was hard to order. What I can say is that the ingredients are amazing. It's a very earthy, fruity, spicy, herbal mix of ingredients in almost every dish. It was very very delicious. CARB OVERLOAD THOUGH between the pita bread, rice, etc. Moroccan food is even better the next day as leftovers though. Def worth checking out if you're in the area. Exceptional service. It is a Family owned and operated restaurant. My cousin is a regular here and they know her by her first name. #supportlocalbusinesses !!!! read more

After dinner and appetizers for our party of four, I was blindsided by two checks: one if paying cash and a second 5% larger if I was paying with debit or charge card. First, there should be advance notice of the pricing. Second, who carries that much cash these days? The food was decent and the service was adequate, but no pleasantries were exchanged on a rainy and rather slow evening. read more

Super food, deliciously seasoned. We three were very pleased. Definitely would order again. And soon!

Even though we're currently on quarantine, I saw a familiar friend the other night. She snuck in to the house with my takeout order from Tara Kitchen, sweetly tucked into a to go container at the bottom a delicious stack of tagine dishes. Was she invited? No. Did we let her stay? You bet. No, the visitor wasn't a contortionist or an imaginary friend, but rather a giant square of sticky sweet baklava, heaven sent. Praise be! A granddaddy-sized slice of Baklava was everything this quarantined cutie needed: a rich, sweet pastry constructed with the confectionary tools of the Gods: layers of filo filled with chopped walnuts, sweetened and held together with honey. Coincidentally, the same crucial ingredients needed to hold me together during Coronavirus quarantine, weird. After inhaling my tagine with chicken, tomato jam, spicy harissa, figs, and almonds, I couldn't bring myself to switch gears and tear into the baklava, too; I wanted to savor the flavor experience, not collect a hazy memory halfway to a Moroccan food coma, so I waited. And it was worth the wait. When I finally dove in, it was a full sensory overload, with textures and flavors combining for a flaky, buttery, nutty, sticky, and sweet experience that was just what the doctor ordered. If you have the craving or the means, I encourage you to order takeout from Tara Kitchen during the Coronavirus closures, and don't forget to splurge and add piece of baklava to your order. You walnut regret sneaking one into your diet, or to go bag. read more

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Tasty food here in a pleasantly cozy, crowded atmosphere. I liked everything that I tried, especially my fish stew, though I did notice that things tended to err on the side of salty (and I'm someone who cooks with a heavy salting hand). The free Moroccan mint tea was a nice touch. I didn't order a drink, partly because the cocktail menu was a combo of confusing and hilarious -- no ingredients are listed, just vague descriptions using phrases like "sea air," like the names of scented candles. My dining companions seemed to enjoy their wine, though! Cheesecake for dessert was nice with the rose syrup on top, though the cheesecake itself didn't seem like anything too special. Overall I enjoyed this meal, and I'd happily eat here again the next time I find myself hungry in Schenectady. read more

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So much love goes into the food here. The tiny kitchen is bubbling with taijines and mouthwatering aromas. We waited minutes for prime seating at the window table, making our meal feel even more special. Service was impeccable. read more

Delicious! So glad there are restaurants like this in our area. Great ambiance also. We loved the eggplant dip and warm pitas. Highly recommend. read more

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Food was excellent and service wonderful. It is a small restaurant but that was not and issue for us and made it cozy.

How was this the first time I have ever been?! Amazing food and service. Had the scallops and tomato jam with green beans for lunch ($13). So good I forgot to take a picture. Hot fresh tea, knowledgeable and pleasant staff, and a great place to spend the first nice day of Spring on the patio. Dinner is pricey, but I will definitely be back for lunch again! read more

Tara Kitchen - Moroccan Near Me - Schenectady, New York

I have really enjoyed my experiences dining in or grabbing takeout from Tara's Kitchen. The food has been amazing. Everything I tried was flavourful. It is a great option if you are looking for something different, I am so happy to learn they have a restaurant in Wildwood NJ which is one of my favorite places to vacation! read more

Great service, overall good soul food and reasonable prices! Would definitely visit again!

So much flavor and such friendly service. I will be back! Absolutely delicious. Just a heads up, if they say spicy...they mean SPICY! read more

Tara Kitchen - Eggplant Tagine Dinner - Moroccan Near Me - Schenectady, New York

I have been here a couple of times and have enjoyed the food quite a bit. The service is ok. Probably the thing I like best is I found fussy have some unique food items that a really pretty good. read more

Tara Kitchen was a delicious find. Excellent service, delicious and varied tagines (we tried two different lamb options). I love the hot mint tea that was offered. read more