Great ambiance, The food was moist, and tender falling off the bone. I sat on the Moroccan pillows on the floor to get the full experience, Our dancer for the night was Laila. She came up to me first (I was dancing in my seat) to go up and dance with her. Tots fun, she later came over to all the tables to converse and pass out Bella Dancing cards. She told us about her dancing, and we really had a wonderful time. Glad experienced it. I'll deff be back. Thanks Laila read more

8 of us came in on a Saturday . The owner Mr. . Fadeel greeted us , warm and sincere welcome gave us a big Table on the Floor , we sat just like the Native Moroccans do it nice and comfortable . The place was full of people from all over California. The Arabia 1000 nights and 1 night, music , belly Dancing, live music, food and tea . It was a perfect night that we will always remember. read more

there is a dinner fee of $30 per person to start off. ordered the lamb with a honey sauce. the sauce was very very good, but being that this was the one course i was in love with, it was too tiny. a tease. my friend ordered the hare and we suspected it was not cooked all the way. tricky cooking rabbit. he swapped it for a chicken dish, that they brought out immediately. i envision chafing dishes in the kitchen where the food sits all night. yummy . . . the biggest treat is they rinse your hands with warm water from a pitcher and a bowl before each course. the funny thing is the last course is the dessert. sticky baklava. that you do eat with your hands. before desert they wash your hands and mist them with a subtle perfume. and then you eat your sticky dessert. after dessert, no hand washing. we waited a minute for the waiter to come back and then i gave up. making my way to the bathroom to wash my hands, touching everything on the way. overall, the food was okay, and the show was cheesy fun. $30 each for dinner, more money for drinks, and more $$$ for tips for the dancers. read more

Great food with supper entertainment the staff was really pleasent. Thanks to the Groupon voucher gift that found this

This was not a good experience. The soup and appetizers were good, but the main course was horrible. I had the chicken with veggies--the chicken breast was the driest I have ever had--no sauce and no flavor. Husband had the steak kabob. He said that they must have used the cheapest cut of beef they could find--it was full of gristle. Friend had the lamb--and that is all he got--a big plate of meat and nothing else. Two belly dancers performed and were a little obnoxious. If you don't want to dance, they still bug you. You finally get the first one to stop bugging you and then the second one comes out and you have to start all over again. Not a comfortable feeling. Won't be going here again. Went with a Groupon, and it still quite expensive. read more

Worst service ever. Had 6:30pm reservations. Didn't get our food order taken until an hour later. Food arrived at 8:50pm and we were starving. We had a party of 10 and they gave me a hard time about a gift certificate from Restaurant.com. Plus, very awkward having a talented woman degrade herself by practically begging for dollars at our table. Maybe if they paid the dancers better they wouldn't have to act like strippers. read more

This has been my favorite "special occasion" restaurant for a few years now. I love the ambiance and the service is always impeccable. The food has always been delicious and where else can you enjoy a live show while you eat exotic cuisine? Well, Saturday night I spent my birthday here, like I have for the last three years. A party of 5, we brought a special bottle of wine and they were happy to uncork it for us. As always, the service was wonderful. Everyone here clearly loves their job. We were very excited for our delicious dinner which usually consists of a Moroccan soup and salad course of between 4 and 8 different traditional vegetable medleys arranged on a large platter followed by a tempting Bastilla which is a large puff pastry filled with a chicken mixture and covered with cinnamon & powdered sugar. Guests order their own main coarse & are served Baklava and mint/honey tea for dessert. All of this is accompanied by a full bar and live belly dancing show. This evening, we were sadly disappointed by nearly part of our meal. The soup was delicious. Our salad coarse consisted of only 2 vegetable variations and the platter was filled in with mounds of iceberg lettuce. I had never seen iceberg lettuce in any Moroccan restaurant I'd ever been to, including this one. The Bastilla, which is always made for the size of the group, came out as two small pastries which almost looked pre-packaged. The filling was gummy and bland which I had never experienced before. All of this was tolerable because we knew this restaurant would serve up amazing main courses. We ordered the Hare, Lamb Tagine, Chicken Kamama, Coucous Royale and the Lamb Kabobs. Every single one of us was surprised by how dry our meat was. I didn't even know that lamb could get dry. It was sitting in liquid on my dish. Unfortunately, with the exception of the fairly spicy Hare, our dishes were comparatively flavorless as well. We were sincerely missing the overwhelming spices we had come to experience on past visits. The dessert came out as we prepared to watch the belly dancing show. I always love the honey mint tea and I was not disappointed, but the Baklava was a brick of cinnamon flavored glue instead of the flaky, gooey, decadent pastry I had experienced previously. The belly dancer was working her second night, so we had to give her credit for the performance. She was not as confident as the dancers we were used to, but that happens to everyone when they start out. I hope that she decides to stay and gain more confidence in her performance. I really hope that this review helps El Morocco to understand that we miss the rich, flavorful palette they used to serve. I will try again sometime soon, but if I am served iceberg lettuce as a Moroccan dish, I will not return. read more

I love El Morocco! Great food, great entertainment!! Go see the belly dancers and enjoy a tasty meal.

After living in the Bay Area for most of my life I had never heard of El Morocco. I found out about it after searching for locations in the Bay Area that are good for birthdays. An elite yelper had a list of places for Bay Area birthdays and this one stood out to me so I made a reservation for my birthday for a Saturday night at 8:00PM. I invited friends and family. We pulled up and found a huge parking lot with plenty of spaces. After living in Los Angeles for several years ample parking has become a luxury. Upon entering the intimate, tent-like, room with low lighting we were instantly transported across many miles to El Morocco. There was a belly dance show going on as we were seated on our bench booth and poofs at a knee height table. We enjoyed the music, and dancing as we perused our menus. The experience includes a five course pre-fixe dinner which began with hand washing at the table. The server pours water over your hands and offers you a towel to dry them with. In Morocco it's traditional to eat with one's hands but forks are provided. Our first course was Harira, a savory and delicious Moroccan lentil soup that instantly won over my best friend though she is a very unadventurous and sometimes even picky eater, followed by Moroccan salad which was a salsa-like appetizer served along side bread and lettuce, then a sweet course called Bastilla with chicken, scrambled eggs, almonds, baked into a flaky pastry crust and topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar. It may sound strange but after you try it you'll swear chicken, scrambled eggs, and cinnamon were always meant to go together. At this point we started to feel full but still hadn't sampled our entree which came out next. I ordered the lamb tagine which was braised lamb that was both tender and juicy with green olives, raisins, garbanzo beans, carrots, and other vegetables. Others in our party ordered the Couscous Royal, Beef Shish Kabob served with couscous, Lamb with Eggplant, and Chicken with almonds and honey. Everyone raved about their dishes! We also ordered Moroccan Magic which the server described as a sex on the beach type drink. It was incredibly strong but still tasty. Dinner is completed by Mint tea and Moroccan pastry for the guest of honor/ birthday celebrant and finally rose water for the hands which smells amazing. Throughout the night guests are invited up to the microphone to serenade their guest of honor with their own rendition of "Happy Birthday," and also to learn dance moves from the belly dancers. The belly dancers are beautiful, talented, and make you feel at ease, facilitating the fun and one-of-a-kind experience provided by El Morocco. After a night of music, dancing, drinks, and delicious food everyone was more than satisfied and vowed to come back for more. El Morocco is not just a restaurant but an experience and a true feast for the senses. Not one complaint from even my most discriminating guests. read more

Go for the belly dancing and fun because food is average at best.

SO MUCH FUN haha I'm in some of the pictures posted because we all went for my best friend Brianna's birthday last Sunday night. We went with over 20 people and they made great accommodations for us, including giving a free fez, little dessert, and bottle of wine to the birthday girl! The foods amazingly delicious, don't be afraid to eat it all! I'm sure we'll all be back. They didn't mind letting one of us *coughs*DeMarion*coughs* have a dance off with the belly dancer Tabitha. ROFLMAO hilarious... read more

Local joint and have been going there for many years, have to disclose I am a local bellydance student and instructor, and I know and love the staff and fellow patrons. I read all the reviews before I posted my own. Love the food. This is a full course of meals, not one, two but 4 or 5 courses. This is not a "order one sandwhich from the menu" and a drink kind of resturant. This is middle eastern food. Rich and flavorfull. To answer the post that the food was taco bell with a bad glass of wine. El Mo has a full bar and bottled wine, so I dont know what that post was about. Best night to go is every night, in fact you can ask for a fork and will get one with your dinner, dont know why people were saying they could not get a fork...again, read bad reviews with a grain of salt. Yes, you do get a fork... Best time is once a month at Dancers night. Usually the First or last Sunday of the month, to see a whole catalog of dancers. Have fun, expect to get a ton of food and remember this is not American Junk Food read more

I have been to El Morocco a couple of times and each time I like it better and better. I went there about a week ago with my wife, the last time was a couple of years ago. I love the atmosphere of the restaurant, sort of campy Arabic or Northern African. The staff is very attentive and friendly. The strip mall it is in doesn't reflect the inside of the restaurant. When you walk in the doors, you are immersed into another world and you quickly forget the outside. The food is very good and now they give you folks to eat with, which wasn't the case before. The last visit found us there on a Saturday night, with the restaurant about 3/4 full. Mostly with folk celebrating some occasion or good sized groups. Everyone was having a good time and the food was great. We opted for the five course meal for each of us, ample food and bread, plus a great middle eastern wine. There isn't really a kids menu that I saw, so the kids might have to put up with some different foods. Now to the entertainment, yes there is live belly dancing that starts around the half hour mark in the evening. The first belly dancer was good, but the second one much better. The dancing goes on for about 1/2 an hour for each dancer. We stayed about two hours and saw two shows. Just remember to bring some smaller bills to tip the dancers. Overall, I will go back to El Morocco again, hopefully in the near future. read more

Went for dinner at El Morocco, $29.95 for the complete Dinner was way overpriced, it included desert which was a 1 x 1 piece of Moroccan pastries. They also charged $32.00 for the bottle of house wine (WAY to much) And when the bill came, we were 4 people, they added 18% gratuity even though the website tells that 18% will be added for 6 or more. read more

I came here for my anniversary and was very pleasantly surprised. Although we got there about 45 minutes after they opened, it was a bit awkward that staff was still setting up the dinner area. Nonetheless, everyone was extremely pleasant and service was great. For $29.99 or so, you pretty much get a five course meal, and the good is really good! Soup, salad, an appetizer, entree, then dessert and tea. We went on a night that a popular group of bey dancers were performing, although they have dancers every night, plus live music so the place was packed! Very good ambiance and vibe all around. read more

Came here with a groupon that my lady got as a gift for her birthday. We were super excited to try something new. Made a reservation and we were off to the restaurant. Upon arrival They would not accept the groupon and started handing us cheaper menus as if we could not afford the regular menu without the groupon. They treated us as if we were poor and could not afford to eat at their run down establishment. I will not be returning and I would advise you all to stay away. read more

Great meal, and even greater belly dance entertainment!!! Very relaxing atmosphere and mood lightning

This place is awesome love love love the happy vibe that you get here!! And let me tell you the staff is awesome, you feel just right at home with great food and don't forget the great belly dancers. Thank you for making our anniversary dinner special. Definitely will be coming back and bringing our family with us. THANK YOU read more

The food was really good, our servers were really nice and made sure to check on us periodically, it is really comfortable whether you sit on the floor or bench. The best part is the belly dancers they're pretty good and they pull you up to dance with them, lots of fun. read more

What a pleasant surprise! We walked into an empty restaurant at 5:45 p.m. and they asked if we had reservations. We didn't, and they sat my husband, 2.5 year old and I in an intricately decorated room off of a strip mall setting. The ceiling looked like the inside of a tent, with colored stained glass lights, hammered bronze low tables with cushions on the inside and benches on the inside. This was great for the people watching as the place filled up (a lot!) and to watch the belly dancer who showed up later. We ordered the price fixe 4-course meal and were not disappointed. The staff was friendly, and there were a lot of birthdays and people on date night. It is totally a place worth keeping on the restaurant rotation. read more

This is one of my favorite Restaurants when coming to Pleasant Hill. It is such a gem with the amazing food and entertainment. So owner is very nice and the food is delicious. It's a fun place to have a birthday and with big large guests as well. I highly recommend it and you won't be disappointed at all checking it out. read more

Great night out, most entertaining dinner around by far. If you're looking for a fun time out with friends or family, kids, give this place a try. The belly dancing is awesome, and they do not force you or push you to dance like some places. This is important, I like to watch and laugh, but I want to eat my dinner and not be part of the show! But, if you do want to go give it a try, you're free to get up and dance along. The food was pretty good, set you back around $20 a person. Big portions, plenty of food, not spicy at all. This place is great for birthdays, party's, group events, great for a date night also. read more

Food below marginal ( all of us needed a few days to recoup - we think it was a meat), Service Way Below marginal. The Dancer was great - aka 2 stars. Asked for tea to be served with dinner, had to ask for it 4 times when it finally arrived we were told it is not customary to have your tea with dinner as it is an after dinner drink. Hello! I am a customer and I want my tea WITH dinner! The owner was friendly, but the stuff needs some training. NOT going back ! read more

Giving it 3 stars because the drinks were stiff. We ventured here for a date night on a Friday night and left disappointed. We have had good Moroccan food before, but the food here was a major disappointment and we ended up going to another restaurant to eat after paying the $95 bill. Sad to say that the dancing and overall atmosphere was awkward and the vents and stuffed animals on the wall were caked with thick dust. Yuk. read more

El Morocco saved the night before my wedding...seriously. What is a bachlorette who is trying to find a good time for her eclectic coed group of friends to do? Not a fan of getting drunk or strippers (and I also nixed the idea of the inflatable sheep, although my best woman offered), I decided a night of belly-dance and cozy goup eats would fit the bill...and did it ever! The food was great and probably the best bastilla I've ever had (often the food suffers at a place that includes entertainment) and good veggie accomodations for 1/4 of our group. I was greeted with a fez as was my best woman (who's birthday was the day after). Later I was given a bottle of wine and she a flaming drink. The owner was so nice and even slipped me a dollar bill in my shirt when I got up to belly-dance. I am very familiar with belly-dance and was impressed that the dancer (who was gracious and inclusive) did a sword dance. My friends all had a good time and no one got hungover for the next day! Yay! Only one caveat; while good for groups, I have no idea how it would fair as a couple place. Which is a shame, since I can hardly wait to take my new husband! read more

Family took me here for my birthday! What a wonderful, fun, family friendly place. The owner was so kind and proud of his establishment. My kids danced and he put a dollar in their sleeve. cute. Food is yummy! read more

I don't understand how anyone from the Contra Costa County area can knock this place? I mean, we are not exactly living in a culturally rich neighborhood and moving out here from Oakland, there is such slim pickings out here for genuine ethnic food that doesn't cost my first born son, its not even funny. My BF and I came here to change it up for Valentine's Day instead of doing the whole pretentious white tablecloth thing. I was SO glad we did. We had such a great time between experiencing a new cuisine and culture to laughing at the drunk people get up and shake their stuff with the belly dancers. Food was deelish, service was great. Our server took time to explain each dish to us and how to eat it, which was very nice. I was afraid that this place might be a little too corny and cheesy for me, but it wasn't that at all. It was truly entertaining in a way that you laugh at everyone around you until one of those dancers come and pick u off the floor and then all of a sudden its not that funny anymore. But just be a good sport or kindly refuse and they leave you alone. Though it may not have been the upper class type of Moroccan Cuisine like some people might expect (if such thing exists), I'm sure that this was pretty close to home and it was like a breath of fresh air to come and have dinner and enjoy it without having to worry about any of the other Fine Dining etiquette BS. Awesome place. However, their little special cocktail drink, was EXTREMELY strong and didn't taste far off from a shot of rum, but I let it sit for a minute and it was much better and in no time I was up dancing like a damn fool. Like its not called, Moroccan Magic or whatever for nothing, but hey you can't win 'em all, I guess. Great place, with great people and great food. When you wanna get past the tight ass pretentious scene of WC, come here and you'll remember how much fun you can have at dinner again. No offense to the tight assed of course =) read more

The best place for a group!! Next time I head here with my peeps we are going to belly dance!! I went there with two friends and we were starving so we let the dancer know we were there to grub not dance but the dancer did inspire us to learn this beautiful style of dance. Food was very good and this was my first time trying Moroccan food. We drank the tea all night and were surprised that they charged us for 11 teas but it was only a couple dollars. For a much needed girls night out we all had a great time!!!! read more

We came here for a bday dinner. We had fun...the show was interactive and we even got up and got some dance lessons. The owner was nice and they made the bday girl feel special. Nice atmosphere and decor. The food was good but I wish they would tell us it's only fixed price for dinner especially since some people did not want dinner other than that, def a nice place read more

This Place is the most Authentic Restaurant in the East Bay. We sat down in a room decorated in exotic persian Rugs. It was as if we were in an oasis in the desert. We were served our moroccan cuisine of fine braised lamb and chicken with shish kababs. We were entertained by a beautiful bellydancer live at no extra charge. The Waitstaff were very accomodating and family like. The owner is the Nicest owner I have ever Met. He makes you feel welcome. 5 stars for this place If I could Give 10 Stars I would I will Bring My family here In the Holidays because its so cozy. read more

This is my favorite place to eat - dinner and a belly dance show. True Moroccan culture and food. I have been coming here for two decades and they same host still seats us. The drinks are fantastic - the atmosphere works for family, romantic dates - birthday and more! The food is so quality it melts in your mouth! The flavors are far superior and they wash your hands with essential oils and warm water before you eat - this place is a class act! This place is a favorite when the weather is bad and I'm looking for a fantastic Friday night ! read more

What a nice surprise. Had never heard of El Morocco before I saw a Groupon. Decided on a family birthday dinner there. It was something fun and different that the whole family enjoyed, even moody teenage girls who are never happy. If you have one you know! lol. Nice touches make it stand out. Washing your hands in the beginning and the cool way they pour the really good hot mint tea at the end are just a couple nice touches. Had never had this type of food nor had the picky eaters in my party but everyone enjoyed it. It was fun to try new things and the entrees did not disappoint. We had our two daughters split the chicken kebab dinner and they brought us two lentil soups, one for each of them and they both got a full plate with vegies, kabob and couscous. Neither one of them finished their 1/2 entree. The dancing was unique and a lot of fun. It is just a great entertaining night and a nice alternative to Benihana if you have already been there-done that. Give them a try. You won't be disappointed!! read more

Great place for a party good food & great belly dancers I would highly recommend to anyone

Good food, fun experience! Had the Lamb Shish Kabob and it was delish. Magic drink had me feeling great. Only downside was the creepy lady telling me to dance for the cook and move like I'm having sex....WHA?!?! read more

Had a wonderful Moms Nite Out with 13 Moms. We all came from 4 neighboring cities of Contra Costa County

They now sell ala carte, so your budget is saved!

The food is delicious and the belly dancers are a lot of fun! The owner is very friendly and chatty, she recognizes us even though we've only been there twice. My only complaint is it's kind of expensive. The reason that I'm giving 4 stars, however, is due to the noise level. Apparently one of the owners is hard of hearing so when it's time for the belly dancers to come out the restaurant quickly goes from a quaint dining scene to a blaring loud music scene. After many complaints they usually turn down the music a little bit. I'll still come back, but I find this part to be really frustrating at times. read more

Excellent food! Service was beyond exceptional; i love Moroccan food!

We went to El Morocco last night for a friends birthday and I must say I was very impressed. The dancers were great, the servers did an amazing job, especially considering we had a very large group of 15 people, and the food was outstanding. I had never had Moroccon food before so I didnt know what to expect... but needless to say, the food was great and I'm definitely hooked! I highly recommend this for families, groups of people celebrating a special event, or even a fun night out with your pals! read more

It was my first time trying morrocan food and it was pretty good. My favorite part of the meal was the side orders. I would have been happy with just bastilla and mint tea. The ambience of place was fun and comfortable. It's great place to celebrate events and learn a little belly dancing :) read more