koutoubia restaurant bar

Great atmosphere. The owner is friendly and the food is awesome!
We went here for my birthday. I had the brik, salad, couscous, and backlava. My mother and brother had the lamb and said it was awesome. If you want Moroccan food that is tasty, delicious, and prepared from scratch this is it! I am a vegetarian and found great choices. The veggie plate was terrific. So tender and flavorful. The spicing was just right;a hint of spice that spiked things up.
I went on a Sunday night because my family invited me out for my birthday so I chose this restaurant. They have a beer/​wine menu and a full bar. The décor is very nice, the tables are awesome. Go you’ll love it!!!
I’m not sure why there are some negative reviews here ;there is nothing to complain about as far as I’m concerned. It is a little pricy but the location and food preparation are worth it.

Best Morrocan food in town, owner is very nice, service is outstanding, server took the time to explained each dish. The décor is beautiful and the best of all… we have a 4 course dinner for only $ 35 a person. Definitely I will recommend this place.

So far the food here is magnificent… We were the first ones here on a Friday night so we had the host’s full attention… He was charming and personable… The Cigar appetizer was SO good… Waiting now for the rest of our meal and I have no doubt it will be just as good…

Excellent Service at this incensed and cool, little restaurant with great tea service and amazing lamb dishes and salads. I came here once before with my friend, Benny Amghar. This was many years ago. Yet, the owner remembered everything — the food we ordered and who was at our table. I highly recommend this restaurant and its authentic food and service.

This was my first time dinning at Koutoubia and the food and drinks were absolutely amazing! The only disappointment was that they were out of Moroccan wine and beer. If you’re looking to dine somewhere that isn’t your typical trendy LA restaurant, then I highly recommend trying Koutoubia out.
To start out my wife and I both ordered the Moroccan martini which I can only describe as very original and tasty! For our appetizer we had a mouth watering seasoned goat cheese pastry served over a bed of greens. The main course consisted of chicken and lamb brochette which was perfectly seasoned with steamed vegetables and couscous couscous. We finished out the night with a Moroccan version of baklava served with a sweet mint tea.
I guess I could see how some up tight people would be offended by the service as it wasn’t your typical wannabe actor/​model/​hipster foodie. Our server was the owner with an old school mentality only comparable to something you could maybe find in the mediterranean and very friendly/​helpful.
In conclusion if you want a slightly different (for LA) experience and mouth watering food check Koutoubia out!

The service was excellent. The owner and his wife were beyond friendly. The food was pure honey. The taste of each food selection was hit all taste buds. From the spicy sausage to the honey lamb hit a high point.
Quiet to actually be able to speak in a normal voice to your partner.
Great place!

Before visiting this place, I never quite understood the vitriol behind many Unilocal reviews, but now I do.
I’ll try to be charitable; the décor is rather elegant, if faded and unpleasantly musty, the cutlery and plate choices display residue good taste, and the nice old lady with 70s coiffure was quite helpful (and charming with her French), the one star is really for her I think.
But that is about it, the good bits. Many other reviewers have touched upon the sheer inhospitality of the owner (Michel), and I could only agree with them. Having discovered that we did not care for their overpriced drinks, it was left to the nice old lady to take our orders, while the owner alternately sulked (at us) and fawned over older customers with questionable palate functions. The water was never refilled, and the owner took away our plates/​glasses as if we were unpleasant vagabonds who owed him literally everything… no wonder the place was deserted for a Saturday evening, except for pensioners cooing over the décor, and a couple too busy engaging in inter-​generational necking to care about the food.
As for the food, the meat-​filled pastry was somewhat too flaky, but acceptable, while the lamb pieces were bland, with vegetables sautéed like an English school canteen (or economy class airline, depending on your previous experiences). The old lady was considerate enough to offer us some pieces of slightly stale bread during the meal, but none of the above quite prepared us for the approx. 90 dollar bill (for two). Granted that one is in Westwood, but having ordered a piece of pastry and two medium-​sized main courses sans alcohol (but with a cup of tea), and having put up with the owner’s glare for the entire meal, one couldn’t help but be a tiny bit aggrieved.
As I was waiting for the bathroom (shared with another empty establishment next door), I came upon a review from LA Times raving about the place… in 1995. Obviously things have changed a bit, to say the least, and if the owner’s heart is really not in this trade, then perhaps he should hand it over to new management or shut it down, at least to spare the labour of the old lady, who’s obviously overdue for retirement. But before that, one could also ease her workload, simply by not showing up.

The interior of this restaurant is reminiscent of a warm night inside a beautifully decorated tent. The round wood inlay tables are surrounded by couches and pillows and stools. I wish the candle on our table had been lit. Our pork sausage appetizer was delicious, loved the spicy tangy dipping sauce. My grilled chicken plate was alright, there were a few bites that felt really fatty or something unpleasant. The cuscus was light and delicious and we ended by sharing a delicious baklava. The owner was very friendly, although be prepared when he tries to get you to order more.

I came here last Saturday night with two other people for their version of a seder dinner. It cost about $ 50 a person including a glass of wine. The meal was five courses and every course was delicious. The haroset was the best I’ve ever had, mixed with currants and fresh wine. The morracan salad was a mix of pickled and roasted vegetables, which were very complimentary. The fish course was served with grilled peppers that produced this amazing rich and buttery flavor. The lamb was soft, tender, and succulent. In short the food was excellent. We had to ask for water and refills for that water several times but otherwise service was good.

I am giving this place one star because I can’t rate zero. The owner is rude and pushes you to order more than what you want. He was upset when my wife and I only wanted water and didn’t order wine upon arrival. When I told him that we didn’t want a starter, he snapped back and at me and asked my father if he wanted one. He was visibly upset when none of us elected to eat anything but our meal.
The meals were bland, boring and sooooooo overpriced. I ordered a couscous dish with chicken. There were two small fatty chicken legs, a huge mound of unseasoned couscous and a small quantity of steamed veggies. I can’t emphasize enough that there is no seasoning, no spice, no pepper, salt, garlic, no heat, no anything. A couple pieces white bread would have given me the same amount of satisfaction.
The check came out and nothing was itemized. We ordered a bottle of wine when the dinner came out and we calculated that he charged us about 45 dollars for a bottle I could have picked up at Trader Joes for $ 8.
I have never made an online recommendation or complaint about a restaurant in my life, but this experience was so bad I had to make an exception.
Please save your money and go elsewhere.

First off the attitude of both the old man here and the“not a joined“west end bartender were ridiculous. I understand why there were very few patrons in both places. Food not so great, wait for drinks or food too long and the attitudes horrible. Would never recommend this place. There are far better places with food and service.

We ate here on a Sunday evening and it was not at all crowded.
PROS:
The second thing that hits you as you walk in the door is the elaborate décor. From the floor to the ceiling, including walls and furniture, you’ll find yourself in a whole different world.
Although I can only report on one dish because neither of us could pass up the lamb dish, I can say it was superb. The lamb was tender, moist, seasoned perfectly and just fell off the bone.
CONS:
The first thing that hits you upon entering is the really strong incense smell. Although we got used to it, it sure seems stronger than necessary.
The Moroccan tea was hot but weak. I’ve had better elsewhere and would not order it again.
Some reviews complained about the service and our service was a bit impersonal at the beginning. But he warmed up and we kind of liked him.
BOTTOM LINE:
Although we’ll skip the tea, we will definitely plan to eat here again.

The atmosphere was very relaxing and the food was very tasty. The drinks were good as well. My wife and I came on the weekend and for a Saturday night it seemed empty. We were surprised because the staff seemed very friendly and the atmosphere relaxing. We gave it 4 stars because the mixed salad appetizer wasn’t as good as other Moroccan restaurants in LA. Oh and the belly dancer was amazing!

I had a wonderful meal here last week. The bread was freshly made and warm. The lamb was cooked perfectly and delicious. I’m happy that I gave it a chance despite some of the other reviews.

Food:
You MUST start with the veggie dish. Delicious carrots better than any carrots I have ever had. I don’t like beets, but these beets are mouthwatering and delicious. The peppers and eggplant are good as well, but the beets and the carrots are the stand outs. The honey prune chicken is absolutely delicious, if you like chicken on the bone. The lamb, or the chicken with the couscous is scrumptious as well. The Baklava and the Bastille are a good finish to the night.
¹⁰⁄₁₀
Atmosphere:
A nice moroccan setting. Not too crowded whenever I go. Relaxing music.
¹⁰⁄₁₀
Service:
Michel and his wife are nice, and while the food sometimes takes a while, it is totally worth it.
⁹⁄₁₀

Totally agree with –I Love Lucy Y.- walked in the restaurant and saw at least five available tables. Old lady came up to us saying all tables were already reserved and waiting time is about an hour. I didn’t mind waiting so we were at a next door bar just chatting., not realizing 30 mins passed! We were starving by then so we checked the dining tables again finding out that it was still empty. Old lady came up to us recommending us to get drinks but we already told her we wanted to eat first for our empty stomach. She frowned and left. Couldn’t wait any longer.
Walking out, overheard the bartenders saying «Uh oh…» i guess we weren’t the first ones to leave unsatisfied.
I guess they don’t open up a table if you don’t order alcohol. or Is this a racist thing.
Left the restaurant hungry and letting go of hangry customers are not good for your business.

Love this place, family friends with the owner Michel and the food always is pleasurable. Would recommend for a first date or a group of friends or anything in between! Always satisfied and would ALWAYS recommend the Baklava for dessert. It’s to die for.

BEWARE, IF YOU DONT ORDER ALCOHOL the owner MICHEL WILL GRUNT N ROLL HIS EYES AT YOU AS YOU PLACE YOUR ORDER N MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE WASTING HIS TIME.
My husband and I were in the mood for Moroccan on Friday night so we decided on this place since it’s close by.
We go on and we are «greeted» by his equally unfriendly wife n seated at a table. The place was empty at 630pm so that should have gave it away. Bad start if a restaurant is empty at that time on a Friday. Michel comes and asks us what we would like to drink and is quick to give us the wine menu. We decline n politely ask for 2 mint teas instead.
To which he replies «no wine? Why no wine? Just tea…*SIGHS*»
He starts speaking French to his wife n I tell my husband I don’t feel comfortable because MICHEL STARED US DOWN since we didn’t order alcohol. He noticed that too. Then we order 2 tasteless bastilles and a couscous with lamb that had 3 pieces of lamb and a mountain of couscous… btw couscous is cheap! And we ended up paying $ 100 before tip for a plate of pasta, 2 dry overly sugary bastilles that confused me. I didn’t
Know if it was dinner or dessert. It was too sweet. Completely not worth it.
Btw, Michel you over charge for your bland food. And quit forcing alcohol on your customers. I don’t know how you are still in business you rude old stinky fart!!!
You are a thief!!! The prices for the garbage you serve is downright thievery.
Try being nice next time so when u swindle ur customers at least it would soften the blow. DO NOT GO UNLESS YOU WANT TO FEEL LIKE GETTING CRAPPED ON BY THESE LOWLIFE THIEVES!
Never again will I go!

It always intrigues me when I see a broad dispersion of reviews on the same restaurant (lots of 4s and 5s and few 1s). In this case, though, I think there is a pattern … this is probably not the best place to go with large groups (that seems to be a common thread on many of the bad reviews).
Fortunately, we came in on a slow night with a group of 4, and had a wonderful experience. Since it wasn’t too busy, Michel had the time to talk with us, and was pleasant and interesting. We ended up comparing notes on our favorite Moroccan restaurants in Paris (anyone been to Le Timgad?).
The meal was very good … traditional Moroccan (very different from, say, Tagine not far away). We started with the Moroccan Mezze, the classic assortment of Moroccan salads, which was very good, and the brik, which was a huge pastry filled with cheese and herbs (very reminiscent of spanikopita). Have never had this one in a Moroccan restaurant, but it was also very good.
For the main, the table shared the bastilla (in my book, you simply can’t have a Moroccan meal without bastilla), the couscous merguez, and the tagine aux olives. The bastilla was good but not my favorite — I like more egg inside, and it was a tad dry, but we had no problem polishing it off, and our friends who had never had Moroccan loved it! The tagine as well was good but not great. The lamb was very tender and there was a nice contrast of textures and tastes, but I have to say I have had better.
I admit, as much as I like Moroccan, I generally don’t like couscous, but this particular one was particularly good (what isn’t good with some grilled sausage on it?), and just might convert me to the couscous crowd.
It was a bit surprising that as traditional as the interior is, and as traditional as Michel seemed, I was surprised that they didn’t have the ceremonial aspects of the meal, the washing of hands, etc., and that we had silverware instead of eating with our hands, but it was still a very enjoyable meal!

One of the most memorably bad meals ever! Read this if you’re planning to go with a big group and be warned! Went there last night as part of a group of 18 to celebrate a friend’s birthday and left feeling sure I’ll never return.
I have spent time in Morocco and eaten at many great places there that locals frequent. The food here is what I assume is served in Morocco to tourists who don’t know any better. Or, as a friend out it, perhaps what is served on a Moroccan airline.
As people drifted in to the party, we tried to order appetizers but had to wait well over an hour until Michel would even talk to us about food. Seemed to be a tactic to get us to drink more, although we had few drinkers in the group (which Michel seemed visibly upset by as he pushed the drink menu into the hands of each person). I wanted some mint tea once we were seated (because the vent above our table was blowing out an arctic blast… which continued throughout the night on and off) but was told I couldn’t have it until after the meal. He basically lost me there, and the experience only got more interesting/​comical as the night went on.
When our food order was finally taken, Michel didn’t even bother to ask some people in the group what they wanted, and walked away before they could place orders from the limited fixed menu of options he gave us. We had to flag him down to finish ordering.
The soup finally arrived after most of us had been there for a solid two hours. It tasted like Campbells veggie soup. I’ve had amazing harira soup in Morocco and while this was called harira, it was nothing like harira. I only ate it because I was starving and cold.
Next salad — beets appeared to be from a can, and while a few salads were decent, we were all scratching our heads at the «Moroccan mango salad». Hmmm.
When our main dishes arrived there was nothing but disappointment. The fish had no flavor (and neither did the chicken according to friends)…it seemed that absolutely no spices were used. The lamb was okay, but nothing special. The best thing of the night was probably couscous, which was light and fluffy. But the portion was small and could have at least been twice the size. Each meal was accompanied by bland, uninspiring steamed veggies.
The mint tea finally arrived after we finished the main course, but tasted nothing like Moroccan mint tea. For that matter, it didn’t taste anything like mint. It smelled of jasmine and even though we were told it was all herbal, I think it contained some caffeine. I think it was jasmine tea with some kind of non-​mint herbs added. Totally disappointing. The almond cookies were okay but nothing special.
The biggest disappointment of the night was when the bill arrived. We were given a check on which a total was scrawled, but no itemized breakdown. Since we’d never seen a menu, it seemed like a total had just been made up and slapped on a check. The biggest shock was that things worked out to $ 66/​person with drinks, tax and tip. Outrageous for the quality and portions. I would maybe have valued the meal at $ 25 a head.
Throughout it all, Michel seemed annoyed and disgruntled. It seems like maybe running this place was a novelty for him at some point but now he just appears tired and cranky. He could definitely use to hire a couple servers or at the least a food runner and busser. He was rude to several people at various points and would not have earned a good tip had we not been such a large party.
If you want an authentic Moroccan experience, this isn’t the place to go.