AMAZING . The food was at a level that I can't describe . Best I can say is , you have to come here . I ordered the orange vegetable dish as my main meal and it was completely out of this world . I can safely say it's one of the top three dishes I've ever had in my life . The flavors were gorgeous . This is hands down my goto when I am in town for work . YOU NEED TO EAT HERE . read more

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It took me much longer than it should have, but I finally completed my "Tara Trifecta." I have a good opinion of all of the restaurants, and I've never had a bad meal or experience at any of them. Though I will give this one a slight advantage because of its ambiance. It's very relaxing, never harried here, and the music fit the mood (who knew you could do a smooth jazz rendition of a Kiss song?). Hot tea, made to order, is provided in a generous amount in a beautiful pitcher. We stuck with more traditional Moroccan chicken dishes for our meals, lemon chicken and chicken in apricot sauce with vegetables. Both came out quickly. All the vegetables in my entree had the perfect combination of crisp-tender plus flavor, and I almost wanted to pour the leftover sauce from the dish into a water glass and drink it (dipping your pita bread in it is the more polite option). Apart from being on a one-way street, the restaurant is convenient to access, and there's usually street parking very close. If not, there's a parking garage across the street. read more

Tara Kitchen - Moroccan Near Me - Troy, New York

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Authentic Moroccan and indian food. Good atmosphere. Friendly chef and staff made our visit a great experience. Highly recommended.

Delicious food in a clean space. Friendly staff. Food is a bit spicier than their Albany location. Conveniently located, too.

This was our first time at the Troy location. We have been to Tara Kitchen in Schenectady several times and the one on Western Avenue in Guilderland was our favorite. We would often dine there with my mother who only recently tried Moroccan food since going with us. On this night we took my mom out to the Troy location since we learned the Guilderland location has stopped dining in service. The atmosphere was quite different, a little darker, very quiet and relaxed. We had no trouble getting a table around 5:30pm on Saturday night. A few of the tables were full and even the counter had someone dining. The staff was very friendly and courteous. We shared a hummus, olive, and beet appetizer. My husband wanted to try the warm fig salad which is usually my favorite but each time I get it it always seems different from the last time. What it lacked in arugula it made up for in olives and figs which was not disappointing for him since he doesn't really enjoy arugula anyway. All three of us ordered vegetable Tagines. My mom and I both got our favorite, the Brown Lentil Tagine which was filled with green olives, preserved lemons, and artichoke hearts. My husband always changed which vegetable Tagine he chooses but this time he picked the Chickpeas and Oranges. The sauces is a little sweeter with the oranges and cherry tomatoes with a prune sauce. All Tagines were served with rice and pita bread and there was no way we could finish so we all had lunch for the next day all packed up to go home. My husband insisted we get a baklava to go which I didn't protest. We are primarily vegan and as honey is one of those controversial items we will just say it is the closest thing on the menu to a plant-based dessert. In all it was an excellent evening and we are looking forward to coming back again soon! read more

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My favorite place in Troy. Absolutely delicious food, allergen friendly, wonderful service, and a great place to spend a Saturday night.

The food is good and I really want to give it a five-star rating, but I've ordered Chicken Rfissa twice now only for it to come with no chicken. I have no idea how this happens. read more

Very tasty meals. A veggie tagine and a lamb tagine were both very nicely prepared. Sides of an eggplanty dip and an assortment plate of hummus and an olive salad were bright and tangy. Pitas were warm and pillowy. Very attentive staff kept our dinner moving and water glasses full. The room had a great feel. Lots of middle eastern decor, old wood floors. Semi open kitchen. Definitely returning soon. read more

I love Tara Kitchen! The Troy location is perfectly located and has a very nice interior. The shrimp with prunes, tomato jam and harissa was delicious. The sauce was so flavorful and came with rice and some pita on the side. The only annoying thing was the shrimp tails were left on, which in a sauce requires some patience! We didn't have room for dessert but the options sounded delicious. read more

Tara Kitchen - Drinks - Moroccan Near Me - Troy, New York

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I've been wanting to try Tara's for ages and finally got the chance! I went here for dinner on a Sunday and was sat immediately. The waitress brought over complimentary tea, which was delicious. For appetizers, we started with the dip sampler - eggplant, parsley, and olive tapenade - and Moroccan Cigars - Phyllo dough filled with ground lamb. Both were fantastic! The flavors of the dips were great, and the warm Pita bread was so fresh. For entrees, we ordered the Chicken with pomegranate, molasses, olives, almonds, and Harissa, and the Lamb with honey, prunes, apricots, almonds and Harissa. The chicken tasted sweet at first but had a spicy finish. It was a touch too sweet for my taste. The lamb, however, was outstanding. The prunes and apricots were not too sweet, and the dish had excellent flavor. Overall, the service was excellent, as was the Moroccan decor. The menu is extensive, so I'm looking forward to going back to try more things as well as their all you can eat lunch buffet! read more

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This review is for the $15 buffet, which is only available at lunch and also the only dining choice at lunchtime at this location only. My initial reaction was that this was just OK. There is a nice pilaf, some chickpeas, a veggie combo, two chicken dishes and some kind of grain patty, all with mild flavors that were a far cry from the variety served on Tara's regular menu. But the three hot sauces (spicy but not punishing, and just different enough for you to try them all) kicked things up a not. Do not sleep on these. Also, on my second visit to the buffet I discovered there are artichoke hearts! and some intense olives lurking among typical salad bar ingredients. Extra points. More points for the free pours of mint tea and the fruits and guilty-pleasure brownies for dessert. Surroundings are peaceful and lovely. Check out the lavish floor to ceiling tile in the bathroom. read more

The dip sampler with the warm Pita bread was good and as well as the Moroccan Cigars. The chicken tagine included tender chicken but the pieces were too large requiring you to slice them with a knife or fork. The tagine sauce was good but was lacking almonds which were supposed to be included. read more

I was told to try here but honestly wasn't that impressed. The best dish was the rice - very good! The bowls however weren't my favorite but i'd definitely try a different kind next time. Small building and nice staff. read more

Tara Kitchen - Moroccan Near Me - Troy, New York

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Well, Tara's kinda ruined Moroccan food for me... anywhere other than here and possibly Morocco. The flavors are SO exquisite. So nuanced, so authentic. All of the tagine dishes are to Moroccan standards - all sorts of Mediterranean ingredients, not always what you'd expect to see together as a Western Hemispherean, but that's part of the magic. Anything you order with pita, the pita is magically soft. Even the side of rice has subtle flavors all through the grains, infused in every bite. Truly magic. Into the foods: My friend got the eggplant, roasted garlic & tomato dip. The dish honestly tasted like none of those as much as it tasted like all of those. It all comes together in such a unique way that if you had it blind, you couldn't identify a single ingredient. But it was slightly sweet, smooth, rich, creamy, totally delicious. Magic. I didn't sample his dinner but I got the chicken tagine. After asking between the tomato jam and pomegranate molasses tagines, I went with the tomato since I was told pomegranate comes across a bit sweeter. Man, if that wasn't the perfect move. I have NEVER before had a tomato sauce this amazing that I actually want more tomato sauce. And there was plenty. Plenty of meat, vegetables, fruit (figs!), nuts (almonds!), spice (harissa) - they added extra harissa to give me more heat in my meal! So excellent. So exquisite, seriously. I've never tasted anything like this and it was just the perfect balance of all five senses (yes, umami is in there with so much flavor/spice depth to the sauce). My appetite has decreased, the tagine is deceptively large, and I still would've dived into a second tagine of this dish when all was said and done. I wanted a little bit of dessert, but they admitted the baklava and cheesecake are not homemade. So I asked for the most dessertlike appetizer and received orange salad. The oranges are a flavor offset from the tomatoes and almonds, and then mix in salty olives and, well, this is technically not a dessert so I forgive that. The pomegranate molasses dressing is not thick like molasses but has that sweet touch to it and sweetness depth from the molasses. I will note here that a few orange seeds made it in - clearly a fresh fruit was sliced, but the ONLY caveat of the night was for them to look for seeds when preparing this. This dish was not really my thing. Authentic definitely, but the warm fig salad that I was leaning toward was PROBABLY the right choice in the end. Service: Attentive, friendly, personal. The whole staff will chat - the chef even came over to say hi! Atmosphere: Cozy, a nice place to date or bring the family, anything from casual to formal. Verdict: Tara's Tagine 4 Lyfe. read more

Tara Kitchen - Chicken tagine with tomato jam, harissa, figs, almonds, perfection - Moroccan Near Me - Troy, New York

I went to the $15 buffet lunch. It's my first time trying Moroccan food, it was really good! There were a couple of vegetarian options, rice, pepper fish, and a grilled chicken option. The super sweet server told me all of the names but I forgot what it was. Everything was really good but that pepper fish was my favorite. And make sure to try all of the dips too. The brownies were a nice touch at the end. If my husband wasn't so super picky I'd take him here for a romantic dinner. read more

Ambiance, food, location...I'm sorry there aren't more reasons to be open later. Love it read more

Tara Kitchen - Baklava and Rose Cheesecake - Moroccan Near Me - Troy, New York

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Staff was super friendly. We had Casablanca platter to start. Especially liked the harissa olives. Main courses were Shakshuka and chicken mandi; both were delicious. read more

Amazing food. Friendly service and delicious mint, green honey tea. It all hit the spot! Highly recommend!

I came here for lunch with a coworker. The location is in Troy and it's near my office until we had a short three minute walk over quite convenient. If you're driving over there is a lot of parking on the street there I s also a parking garage nearby. The location is in a beautiful old brick building which they've kept up very well. The restaurant had ample stating it was spaced out it was socially distant. The menu had many choices. One of the dishes I wanted was not at that location it was at Schenectady location so I wasn't able to get it so I ended up getting the chicken with mixed vegetables and apricots and prune sauce it was delicious the flavor was excellent the right amount and mixture of spices along with the apricot and prune sauce. The meal was quite large for lunch so I was able to save half of it and take it back with me for dinner so they give an ample supply of food. The service was also excellent they were a bit slow but I think they were down one person and that person came in the service picked up. I will definitely be back read more

I'm a huge fan of the original Tara Kitchen in Schenectady. I've been trying to get to the Troy location for quite some time and finally made it last night. The space is larger than the original but still has the open kitchen concept. The four stars is primarily for the food - it's wonderful. Fantastic flavors for every dish. The only issue that we ran into - they don't seem to be ready for busy nights. If they can figure out service issues (there was only one server for the entire place and the table turnover took an extraordinarily long time), I'd give them five stars. They don't take reservations. Next time I hit this location, I'll make sure to: -arrive significantly earlier if I have a show to attend -dine here if I don't have anywhere to go after dinner The food is terrific. read more

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Tara Kitchen is our place for enjoying wonderful Moroccan food. We had never experienced the cuisine before; never had food prepared in a tagine. It was a new and delicious experience. The tagine and an earthenware pot where flavors, spices, ingredients marry. I had the chicken with black olives, potatoes, peas & carrots. Hubby had the chickens with pomegranate molasses, olives, almonds and harissa. Both were delicious, and full of flavor - sweet, savory, crunchy, chewy. Marvelous! Portions are generous. Entrees come with rice and warm pita. Menu includes a few Mediterranean and Italian choices so there's something for everyone. read more

Dinner was spectacular and the people are extremely nice. The aroma greets you at the door and you are not disappointed. read more

Tara Kitchen - Lamb with Mixed Vegetables Tagine Dinner - Moroccan Near Me - Troy, New York

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This place is tucked on a bad street in old downtown Troy. And once you enter it's just a small dining area maybe 12 tables total with the kitchen nestled in the corner and it's open to the view of guests. I love watching the kitchen and the flow! Our waitress was young and seemed inexperienced. She did however know the menu which is great because it's traditional Moroccan cuisine and she was well put together and friendly. The food on the other hand was simply amazing. We all had different tangines and had some starters that were great too. And most everything can be vegetarian or vegan which is great for inviting friends who roll that way. I would honestly recommend this place to anyone who's looking for something a bit different. Just make sure you leave yourself plenty of time because the food doesn't come out quickly. read more

Fantastic Moroccan food. Great drinks, interesting fun menu. Hip little joint - highly recommend!

I always enjoy my meal at Tara Kitchen. I have tried many dishes over the years, but personally love the Fish with preserved lemons and green olives. If I am in the mood for spicy, I go with the Lamb with honey, prunes, apricots, almonds and a touch of harissa. I have had the pleasure of taking a cooking class with Chef Aneesa who is friendly, kind and creative! I have used Tara Kitchen to cater a birthday dinner or two, and when I want to attempt this deliciousness at home I purchase their sauces, preserved lemons and Ras-el-hanout. read more

It has been years since I first tried the lamb pizza at Tara Kitchen in Schenectady. Back then, I said that it might be a bit of a stretch to call this dish pizza, but whatever you call it this is a delicious dish. And it's only available at lunch time. What has always left me scratching my head about Tara Kitchen is why the lunch menu is so reasonably priced, while the dinner menu seems to add about $10 to every entree. Maybe it's because at lunch the plates aren't served in tagines. I can't imagine it's about portion sizes, because the lunch portions are more than adequate. At lunch with a friend we split a starter of harissa dip, one of the lamb pizzas, and a plate of lentils with artichoke, preserved lemons, and green olives. We couldn't finish it all. Seriously, after one slice of that lamb pizza after noshing on the harissa dip, I was no longer hungry. That ground lamb on top of bread, with tomato jam, and baby onions is fantastic, but it's heavy. Really, I'd suggest going for lunch with four people and splitting it, so everyone could get a piece. My only regret is that we didn't have time to grab dessert of moroccan oranges. I saw that on the sidewalk chalk board, and it made me excited about the prospect that this could be a seasonal treat of imported specialty fruit. This Troy location is relatively new, and I like the bright and sunny room. It's more spacious than the original spot in Schenectady. But it's also missing a bit of that coziness that comes from being in close quarters to the kitchen, and feeling like you've stumbled into a hidden gem. Tara Kitchen in Troy is still a gem, but it's definitely a different experience. For those who have been dreaming of more elbow room, your dreams have been answered. I'm not entirely sure why it's not slammed every day at lunch. Maybe it's because people don't realize what a value the lunch menu actually is given the prices at dinner. Still, the best bet is to bring a group, so you can share a few different things, and get as many of those delightful flavors as possible. read more

Tara Kitchen - That lamb "pizza" is delicious. But find someone to share it with you. - Moroccan Near Me - Troy, New York

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Really nice selection of dishes, and the service was excellent. Food was well seasoned and piping hot when served. A nice visit in every respect. read more

This was my first time here and I was not disappointed. Very unique flavor profiles- I've never had anything with pomegranate molasses before. The meat was incredibly tender. The olive tapenade and the "cigars" were great, and I loved the toasted pita on the side of everything. I think the rice served on the side was forgettable, and the baklava was just okay. Overall, I'd recommend this place to folks looking for something different or for those looking for flavorful vegetarian food. read more

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A small, cute restaurant in the Antique District of Troy, New York, an up and coming neighborhood in this old mill town. The food was so spectacular, authentic and flavorful. The server was so polite, welcoming and helpful. Her knowledge of the cuisine was amazing, explaining every dish and its ingredients. I highly recommend this wonderful place to everyone. read more

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Loved the food. Best restaurant food we've had in a while. Desert was awesome. Everyone was very friendly. Servers help each other so you never are waiting for "your server".Nice atmosphere. Parking was easy. A little pricey, but worth it. read more

The interior is hip with pieces highlighting the Moroccan influences. It's brightly lit and has a bigger seating plan than it's first location. You can see into the kitchen where the lovely tagines are warming up and the bread is carefully charred. We were seated quickly and served hot cup of tea. The dinner menu alone had over 15 different tagine options. Your pick is served with a side of rice and pita. Warm pita is a gift, so eat it! However, the baklava is good, so save room for dessert or take it home. Upon reviewing the menu, I was a bit skeptical of the additions of dried fruit like prunes and apricots and honey with the proteins. My partner ordered the chicken with pomegranate molasses, harissa and almonds was fantastic. From the few bites I managed to have, the spice and sweet is balanced well. My (safer) dish of the chicken with eggplant in tomato jam was delicious. However, some of chicken pieces were dry. The tagines are piping hot and the pieces near the bottom unfortunately could not handle the heat. Next time, I'm going for a dish with prunes or one of the lamb dishes I kept seeing fellow diners order. Tara Kitchen was able to open a second location because they know what they are doing. This is the closet I'll be getting to Morocco (thanks school) for a while, so my tastebuds will do the exploring. Be sure to check out their retail selection. Their sauces found in a number of the recipes are available for sale. Your kitchen needs a bottle of their tomato jam and spicy date marinade. P.S.- They make for delightful presents. read more

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So good. First time eating here and everything was great. Loved the tea. Pomegranate Harrisa chicken was sweet, sour and spicy. Very interesting and tasty. We will be back read more

Flying in from Houston for an overnight stay and found this restaurant off the Hudson river. Superb! read more

Tara Kitchen - Front of restaurant - Moroccan Near Me - Troy, New York

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This restaurant introduced me to Moroccan food, which I now love. The dishes are exotic and flavorful. My favorite is a seafood tagine.

My hubby and I have been meaning to try Tara Kitchen for quite some time but for some reason, it's taken us several years to make it out and boy, we sure wish we had tried sooner! We LOVED everything we ordered...from apps to dessert. Service was great and food was phenomenal. We started with grilled scallops and a warm fig salad. Both were amazing. Our entrees were so flavorful and cooked to perfection. I NEVER finish my entree and always have enough for a box to take home, but I ate everything on my plate and it was not because it was a small portion size. It was just that good. We enjoyed the baklava for dessert as well. We will be back- with our vegetarian family members as the options for vegetarians are pretty solid :) read more

We were warmly greeted as we came in from the rain and were seated at a table for four while we waited for our remaining party of two to arrive. Menus for four were provided, but place settings for only two. Servers are young, attentive, possibly family members, and help to contribute to the feeling that this is a more homey dining experience. During the ten minutes before the rest of our party arrived we were served warm honey-mint flavored tea. While they do not serve alcoholic beverages at the Troy location, I assume they have future plans for a beer and wine license since that is what they sell at their Schenectady location. While staff inquired whether we wanted water, no effort was made to see if we might have wanted something else from the beverage section of the menu, such as iced tea or flavored Pellegrino water. I'm not an expert on Moroccan cuisine and have no way of knowing what it is supposed to taste like. I enjoy trying different flavors and textures. I can only tell you if I enjoyed the food and experience at a restaurant. With that disclaimer out of the way, here are my comments on dinner at Tara Kitchen. We started by ordering three appetizers for the table - the Eggplant Dip ($5), the Olive Tapenade ($6), and the Warm Fig Salad ($6). Plenty of warm and delicious pita slices were provided with the apps and happily replenished as needed upon request. The Fig Salad, with a honey-harissa vinaigrette, also included white beans and olives. One member of our party who does not care for beans or olives, was pleased to discover that she enjoyed the combination of the two in this salad. It was a very nice mix of textures and I, who is also not a big fan of olives, refilled my plate with multiple servings as I especially enjoyed the sweet and tender figs. While the others at the table thought the Eggplant Dip was the highlight of the apps with its roasted garlic and tomato dip, I was not overwhelmed. Similarly, as I've already said I'm not a big fan of olives, the Tapenade did nothing special for me, but it was well received by the others at the table with its artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes. For my entrée I decided upon the Lamb with pomegranate, molasses, black olives, almonds, and harissa ($24). Harissa, I understand, is made from a series of peppers along with herbs, garlic, coriander, saffron, caraway, and possibly other ingredients. In spite of the various peppers, this was not a hot spicy sauce. It was actually mild. The lamb was very tender and its flavor had blended in the soupy sauce of my dish. The rice provided with each entrée helped to soak up some of my sauce, but I had to request a spoon, otherwise I would have been left with a plate full of liquid that the delicious pita was unable to absorb. None of the other dishes served to our table had this level of liquid sauce. Overall, the dish was pleasant but it did not wow me. My wife had the Scallops, Fish, and Shrimp with black olives in tomato chermoula ($26). The fish was swai, a white fish that is very mild in flavor. While chermoula is described as being a marinade commonly including such ingredients as dried parsley, cumin, paprika, pepper, and salt, both my wife and I thought this dish was somewhat bland. It just seemed like it was missing something in the flavors category. Of the three fish, the scallops were the tastiest and cooked perfectly, and we appreciated that the kitchen removed the tails from the shrimp. Both of the other diners in our party were pleased with their meals. One ordered the chicken with the same pomegranate sauce that I had with my lamb, while the other ordered a lamb dish with honey almonds, prunes, apricots, and harissa. Noise level in the brightly lit dining room is noticeable and slightly above average. It didn't necessarily prevent table conversation, but it did create a constant awareness of its existence. read more

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DATE NIGHT SUCCESS! my fiance and I decided to do a Capital Region food tour day when we decided to make Tara's Kitchen one of our stops. We both have never had Morraccan food before so we were ecstatic to experience the culture and different flavors. When we went inside, we immediately fell in love with the decor. The draped sheets by the windows gives the space a majestic feel. We got there on a Saturday at around 5 pm and it became increasingly busy. We ordered the eggplant dip as an appetizer and LOVED how soft the house made pitas came out. We ordered the chicken with black olives and the flavors seemed to melt in our mouths. The chicken was cooked perfectly. It came with rice and pita. We loved their harissa which added a special hint of spice to all the entrees. We are SO pleased and cannot wait to come back! I highly recommend stopping by. read more

Tara Kitchen - pita , rice, Spicy Harissa dip, Chicken with Black Olives Tagine Dinner - Moroccan Near Me - Troy, New York

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There should be a Yelp rule,"don't Yelp while drunk". Actually, there might be, but I don't care. Tara Kitchen is just SO DELICIOUS. The service is good, the wine is good, the plates (try the ones with molasses and spicy harissa!) are good, too. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to finish my wine, my chicken with saffron and vermicell, and my significant other's chicken with okra and HOW IS IT SO GOOD? read more

Tara Kitchen - Moroccan Near Me - Troy, New York

Very delicious, authentic-tasting Moroccan and top-notch hospitality in a setting that could use an interior decorator to disguise the sterile box-like office building enclosure. But it's pleasant enough, just not exactly cozy, settle-in category. Tables for 2 or 4; they also do a busy take-out business in short dinner hours. The tea is outstanding. Fava bean salad: superb. You want the Tangines for authentic, delicious, soul-satisfying Moroccan dishes. I can attest to two outstandingly delicious lamb tangines. (There are adaptations for I suppose more timid tagalongs called "dinner plates" -- you probably want to skip over them). A wonderful culinary experience, and I definitely intend to return. I am only envious of people who live nearby and can get takeout from there oh, whenever! It seems the tangines should transport home for takeout fairly successfully. Enjoy this gem that has opened an eastern location from Schenectady! read more

Moroccan at its best! Flavorful and fantastic at the same time. As soon as you enter, the aroma of spices and flavor hits you immediately! You know right away that you'll experience an amazing meal. Plenty of dishes to choose from and something for everyone. Don't pass by the opportunity, if you can. read more