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Moroccan Castle
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
6 reviews for Moroccan Castle
6 reviews in English
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Review from Moez T.
Calgary, AB
10/31/2009
Moroccan Castle is the first Moroccan restaurant I've ever been to. My fiance & I went there for dinner once and it was her first foray into anything truly ethnic. We both enjoyed the food and experience so much, it has become a regular stop for us.
I find that Moroccan food doesn't vary much from restaurant to restaurant. I suppose the same can be said of any ethnic restaurant, but perhaps most notable here because of the small selection of Moroccan restaurants. The food is fantastic, has always been prepared and served exactly as we want, and really rounds out the evening.
I really like the decor and atmosphere here, more so than any other restaurant in Calgary. It's not as authentic or lavish as their main competition, but I really appreciate the subtle tones and comfort. I find the seating to be a lot more comfortable than other Moroccan restaurants too.
As with every Moroccan restaurant I've been to, the food takes a long time to prepare. In short, don't go hungry! We have waited upwards of an hour for our main dish and half that for our appetizer. It's certainly worth the wait, but if you're starving I would suggest going somewhere else for quicker meals. Definitely my favourite restaurant in Calgary! -
Review from Doug L.
Calgary, AB
1/1/2011
6 of us went here for New Year's Eve and it was fantastic! Prepare for 3+ hours, get into the "slow food" mindset and chill out in comfy couch-like booths. A little trouble having the server keep our water glasses filled, but the wine filled in nicely so not a huge deal. More ambiance than Sultan's Tent I think, though it was good too last time I went. Actual Moroccan people at this one added a lot.
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Review from Alena J.
Calgary, AB
7/12/2011
My experience was not a good experience here for my second time.
I was left with a sugar-rotted feeling to my belly, hungry, an empty wallet, and an over-all feeling of unimportance.
The atmostphere is quite nice with the main dining room leaving the impression of an authentic Moroccan tent. My dish came out, on suggestion of our server. It was beyond sweet. I couldn't have eaten this dish as a dessert, much less a dinner meal. After waiting on my server to come quality check my meal for 15 mins + (there were two tables) I went up to the front to let her know that I really didn't like the meal. At this point I stood there awkwardly as she asked the kitchen if they could make me another dish - that I would pay full price for, without any credit towards the sweet one I couldn't eat.
Without alcohol, we spent $60 a head on food that I didn't even like. We didn't get that extra dish, we didn't get any credit towards our next meal, I was still hungry, and not even once was it aknowledged that the experience was unsatisfactory.
What I would recommend: The bastilla (mmmm!) The tea, lounging table side
What I wouldn't recommend: Going (there are other, better morrocan places in town), the couscous with the honey in it, dealing with the service. -
Review from Jen B.
Calgary, AB
10/22/2008 8 photos
Imagine a dimly lit, romantic, Moroccan restaurant. Woven rich colored fabrics draped from the ceiling. Intricate patterns of light dancing on the walls from the fancy lanterns. This is what you're greeted with when you first enter the Moroccan Castle.
Our server was extremely patient and friendly as we mulled over the menu over and over. We finally decided to start with the Briq of Shrimp ($7.50) This appy is a light phyllo pastry filled with shrimp, spiced with coriander and a touch of ginger. This appetizer is served with a wedge of lemon. Just a squeeze of it gives it a nice kick and it pulls the flavours together.
For our main dish, we had the Couscous Royal for Two. ($42.00) This amazing dis is cooked with lamb, beef sausage, chicken, shrimp, and cabbage all wonderfully spiced with saffron, ginger, and other magical ingredients that gave this dish its robust flavour. The mild spiciness sneaks up on you but not enough to distract you from the dish itself. The lamb and chicken are kabob-style cut and is surprisingly tender with the flavours running throughout each bite.
I strongly recommend this place as the perfect place for a romantic evening out and/or to get away from Calgary without leaving the city. The staff pampers you throughout your stay - including rinsing your hands with rose water before your meal. They encourage you to eat with your hands or, if you're too shy, you have the options of using utensils.
This place is exotic enough for the unadventurous and just plain delicious and refreshing for the rest of us. -
Review from David H.
Calgary, AB
6/24/2011
3 STARS. Food - Good to Very Good. Portions - Smaller Portions. Decor/Ambiance - Kind of Cool. Service - Average (only one waitress for entire restaurant; not her fault; also about 33 C in the house with no fan - who would want to work in that?) Windows - None. Light Levels - Real Low. Air Conditioning/Ventilation - None. Prices - On The Pricey Side $$$. Nice place to kick back and have some fun. The food is good and the service is friendly and nothing to write home about. There is no ventilation or ceiling fans nor air con so any hot days or evenings are going to met with a lot of stale air and sweat. Large groups will be charged 18% gratuity. As with the food (average dish - $23 per plate/bowl), the alcohol is average to expensive depending on your POV. Additionally, some customers will take their sandals off and place their stinky, sweaty feet on the very nice, long and comfortable couches. Sorry, totally Yuck! To those customers, thank you for thinking of only yourself! 4 or 5 stars for this place? Sorry, this is an Impossibility. There is no compelling set of reasons to return to this castle. Save yourself from lowered expectations upon arrival and head to the Casbah downtown - much nicer and the food is a total knockout - for real and not cheap.
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Review from Trish L.
Calgary, AB
10/18/2008
I went to Moroccan Castle last night for the first time. This was not the first time I've had moroccan food however. I've been to the Sultan's Tent once many years ago when it was still on 17th Ave. The decor and atmosphere was quite nice at the Moroccan Castle. The service was quite good as well. However, the food was mediocre. I was surprised at how busy the restaurant was as I didn't find the food to be great. I ordered the chicken kabob and it was served with coucous and vegetables. The saffron-flavoured chicken was pretty good; nice, juicy and tender. However, the coucous and the vegetables were lukewarm. My friends had the savoury lamb tagine(lemons & olives) and the merguez sausage tagine. The merguez sausage was very spicy, which was expecting.. but I didn't find the spiciness to be all that flavourful.. it was just like eating something that had LOTS of pepper in it. The lamb tagine was flavourful. Again, I wasn't crazy about the other items that were in the tagine, such as olives, peas, and potatoes. It seemed like they didn't actually cook the food in a tagine. They just placed the cooked food in a tagine just prior to serving. So frankly I don't see why they'd even bother with the tagine. I was also surprised at how they gave us utensils. I didn't think eating with our hands was an option. Years ago at Sultan's Tent, I remember eating the whole meal with our hands. That was part of the whole experience which made the meal memorable. The only thing I really enjoyed was the flat bread that came with the tagines. After having tried the Sultan's Tent in the past and also the lamb tagine at Chambar in Vancouver, I'd definitely say the food at Moroccan Castle was "Meh!". I doubt I'd be returning any time soon.
