Specializing in homestyle Moroccan cuisine at this beautiful new restaurant in the Gastown neighbourhood of Vancouver.

It’s owned by Chef/Owner Adil Dhilou and Owner Brahim Najem who are both passionate about welcoming their customers into their vibrant restaurant.

These are the items my friend and I tried.

The Sapphire Sunset was a tasty cocktail and it was one of the creative cocktails showcased on their cocktail list. Mogador’s Symphony Salad is a sampler that features some cold and hot appetizers, their warm Zaalouk with preserved lemon, Taktouka, Traditional Moroccan salad, Barba salad, Carrot Musharmeland hummus and Moroccan bread.

Mogador’s Symphony Fish Tagine was outstanding, the Rockfish was tender and flavourful with herbs. We also had the Tanjiya, a unique dish made of slow cooked beef shank; and the Lamb Shank with Couscous – a halal lamb shank with Moroccan spice mix and served over seasonal vegetables. We added the Tfaya (sweet, caramelized onions, raisins and cinnamon).

I loved the unique Seffa Medfourna dish with shredded chicken, cinnamon and raisins with a dash of icing sugar on top, this was outstanding and I can’t wait to have it again.I also loved the Rfissa, another unique dish from the owner’s hometown, that is made with shredded fenugreek seeds, chicken, lentils, and spices.

The Halal Veal Tagine is slow-cooked with Mogador’s spices with green peas and artichokes; and the Seafood Bastilla is filled with savoury spiced seafood, vermicelli encased in phyllo pastry, this was delicious; as was the Lamb Chops Mashwi that featured Moroccan spiced roasted lamb chops with freshly grilled vegetables and a salad all three of these dishes were outstanding. 

We tried a couple of other cocktails, I had the Harissa Heatwave while Kenneth had the Minty Moroccan Mule.

We then enjoyed some hot Moroccan tea before trying some of their desserts.

The Moroccan Mille Feuille was a beauty with  layers of crispy flaky pastry and velvety custard, and rose water. Killing Me Softly (aka chocolate lava cake) was an outstanding warm crunchy chocolate cake that is oozing with warm chocolate inside, and comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Assorted Moroccan cookies featured a plate of the Chebakiya, Kaab L;ghzal, Briwat, Fekkas and Coconut Ghriba.

Now open for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday. They are also featuring belly dancing on the weekends and will soon offer happy hour with weekend brunch to follow in a month or two. Everything is made in-house from scratch and they have a creative offering of cocktails and zero-proof cocktails, along with wine and beer.

This is a gem to add to your must try list and go soon.

Mogador Restaurant is located at 51 W. Hastings Street in Gastown.  You can follow them on Instagram @mogador_vancouver

By: Richard Wolak