It was worth the journey.
Morocco is one of the most beautiful pavilions you’ll find in Epcot, with beautiful buildings covered in tile and quiet courtyards with fountains decorate the 1984 add on to the World’s Showcase. The pavilion is home to three restaurants (Spice Road Table and the Tangerine Cafe, the latter of which we also sampled...but that’s another post) but our first foray into Morocco was in Marrakesh.
We started with an appetizer, opting for the Beef Brewat Rolls, which are comprised of beef and eggs wrapped in a pastry and sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar. I had not been given a reason to complain about dessert before dinner and the brewat rolls allowed this trend to continue. The pastry was light with a bit of a crisp and the sugar paired excellently with the saltiness of the beef. Our server could have brought a platter filled with them to our table and left us to happily die of appetizer overdose — the entree made me glad he didn’t.
Emily and I shared the Lamb Couscous (the national dish of Morocco, according to our menu), while Jonathan tried the Chicken Kebab. My general dining philosophy is that if lamb is offered on a menu, I’ll order it. We were not disappointed. The lamb shank was tender and delicious, the sauce was absolutely incredible and the pasta was soft without being mushy. If lamb is what you’re after, this is the dish I would recommend.
If the idea of eating an adorable animal spoils your appetite, the kebab is a reasonable, if tame, option. The chicken was tasty and well-seasoned and the accompanying vegetables added plenty of flavor (and some “nutrition” or whatever) to the meal. The mushrooms in particular were splendid, as they served as sponges for all the flavor in the dish.
The only Moroccan beer offered in the pavilion (at least, that I could find) is Casablanca, which is better than Bud Light but nothing spectacular. I don’t know enough about wine to actively recommend going in that direction, but you won’t be missing anything if you decide to skip the beer at this restaurant. Alternatively, you could save $9 and get a water, which I suppose is the responsible thing to do.
While the food is enough reason for me to recommend Restaurant Marrakesh, the atmosphere doesn’t hurt my argument any. The open space in the restaurant wasn’t filled with loud, clattering noise, but rather a perfectly acceptable din that was at times punctuated by great music by a live band. It’s easy to neglect the Morocco pavilion at Epcot, but even an easy mistake is still, well...a mistake. Go eat some lamb.
Rate and Review:
Tweet
I think the menu is very accessible, but a bit on the bland side if you've had real northern African cuisine. Most people walking through this pavilion will be naturally drawn to Spice Road Table along the lagoon (I have yet to eat there, but it's getting some mixed reviews), so I wonder about the future of this solid restaurant.
We thought about trying Spice Road Table (the views appear to be great), but Marrakesh being on the top-10 resort restaurant lists on this esteemed website is what won me over. I'm glad it did.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
I really like your writing style, by the way.