I often take my friends to this restaurant with my warmest recommendations. I visit this restaurant often. This recommendation is always successful. The the food there is tasty and the team is welcoming and cooperative. Whenever we go to this place we have a pleasing evening. highly recommended.

Great atmosphere, music and food. Highly recommend. Fresh bread. Washed my hands at the table. Belly dance of Thursdays - Saturdays

Fun experience, talk awhile, dance with the belly dancers, enjoy a great time in a super mellow place. We had a great time in our group celebrating a birthday in a unique way. We had the fantasy dinner which was delicious. Tip. Pretend your in a foreign country where meals take their time. Its not a fast meal, but an experience to enjoy your time with great folks you came with, laugh and dance with the belly dancers.

Menara offers a complete Moroccan dining experience. First, the setting is ideal, starting with a lovely open foyer which leads into a spacious seating area. Next comes the excellent cocktails and bread to whet your appetite. The 5 course meal that follows is one of the best youll find in the South Bay. My wife order the rabbit main dish and I ordered the Cornish hen. There is not wrong choice, but the rabbit was to die for. On the other hand, the braised lamb with honey and almonds that adjoined my dish was exquisite. Honestly, everything we tried was excellent, and we tried a lot! Please do yourself a favor and come to Menara for dinner!

Nice and open inside. Ive never dined in a setting like this where the seating is on the floor and the tables are low. I found it very relaxing inside. The had the AC going for majority of the time, and the servers were very attentive and courteous. We had a group of about 20 people and the handled us very well as well as other large groups. The food was great! Ive never had Moroccan cuisine and I have to say it is pretty tasty! From the lamb and couscous to the sweet ground meat and almond pastry to the cucumber salsa type thing in the beginning it was all very good for a new Comer to Moroccan food. The performances were pretty good the ladies were very entertaining and funny at times when the would try to get people to dance. Overall Im looking forward to my next visit!

Fun place to take your friends and family. Food quality can improve a bit but overall a great experience.

The food was good, not exceptional. The ambience was great and the belly dancers were pretty good too. They had nice complementary birthday special dessert as well. Loved the experience over all!

Lovely hidden restaurant! My BFF brought me here for my birthday as we both wanted to try something different than the same ol places we frequented. As written before, it doesnt look like much from the outside but once you walk in its a lovely, spacious restaurant. Service is awesome and always smiling. We ordered the hummus and also garlic prawns for appetizers which were both so good but not spicy. As an entree we shared the couscous bowl with chicken and vegetables, absolutely lovely couscous that melts in your mouth! The chicken was slightly dry but the fresh, moist vegetables helped buffer that! :) We also ordered a lamb kebab which was the best in my opinion... perfectly marinated, not spicy, and very tasty!! We are definitely coming back, especially on a night where the live belly dancing is on!! :)

Very exotic and nice experience in this restaurant! The ambiance is relaxing and fun, and the foods are in big proportions so a single dinner set can easily satisfy two! The pastry is my favorite! Crispy and savory! Will definitely come back for the belly dance nights!

We went here for Valentines family dinner. It was a lot of fun. Food and service were great. Belly dancing was the highlight of the night. I recommend.

The food was truly awesome and the dinners came with way more than we could eat (not complaining!!). Service was luxurious and the environment was really nice too. I would definitely come again and bring a big group! They have a full bar also.

The food was delicious bit the service was very slow. We were here for our company dinner which was nice. We all ordered drinks and they all came at different times, the wait staff was mostly MIA. We had to flag them down.We ordered family style, they serve large portions and we had so much food that we took some home. The cucumber salad was delicious and the chicken dish was great, so was the lamb.Drinks were ok a bit in the sweet side for me.The dancer was fun, very interactive, getting the audience involved. Although, having more than one entertainer would have been fun. She was on for about 10-15 min and that was all.Overall a fun experience but give yourself lots or time and patience.

Food was truly the best tasting experience. Service was friendly but slow though probably because it was a Monday night? It was getting warm and we asked waitress to turn on the ceiling fans to get some breeze going but she gave an excuse why she couldnt but then finally buckled when everyone started asking. Nevertheless, great food and ambience. Great for just friends and date nights.

Good tasting ethnic Moroccan food, live belly dancing performances. Great for parties and special occasions 🎊

It was a great experienced. The dance was good and entertaining while you eat or waiting for your food. Their set course meat was delicious.

Good food, good price and quantity. They also have belly dancing.

Unique place. Good food

Delicious food and decor. Reasonable prices.

Harira soup is basically a lentil soup in here. This is not the best Moroccan restaurants.

Awesome ambiance and great food. Slightly expensive.

Fun Moroccan restaurant in San Jose with belly dancing shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I was told that a reservation is definitely recommended for Friday and Saturday as this place fill up completely when there are belly dancing performances going on. There is also one belly dancing show on Thursday at 8PM.If you are super hungry or want to try as many varieties as you can, go with the Moroccan Feast menu. We opted for a la carte because the feast just seemed like too much food.We ordered:1) Moroccan salad (tomato, cucumber, meshed grilled eggplant) - everything was cold and it tasted alright. But the complimentary bread was great, super fluffy.2) Bstilla with chicken and almonds (recommend!) - it smelt like a cinnamon butter cookie but the filling inside was savory. The crust was dusted with powdered sugar and was flaky. I wasnt sure what to expect but I really enjoyed it. A small one is enough to share between 2 people.3) Lamb shank with honey and almond - the lamb was tender but was soaked in a super (too) sweet honey syrup. I would choose the lamb shank with onion if you like savory lamb.4) Rabbit (recommend!) - I personally enjoyed the rabbit more. It came with a savory gravy (it was too dark to tell what kind of gravy) over couscous and vegetables. I would also recommend cutting the vegetables into bite-sized before you eat (thats just me, I enjoy food that are easy to eat lol).5) Free dessert - because it was my boyfriends birthday, we got two small pieces of baklava with chocolate syrup for free. They were alright.Overall, food was 3.5 stars. We had great service likely because there were so few people. The waiter brought water to our table for us to wash hands. They wrote happy birthday on the Bstilla and the baklava, so sweet!! I also loved the interior design of this place as it made me feel like I was in Marrakech. The ambiance was chilled and Moroccan music was playing in the background. This environment would be ideal for smoking some hokkah!Tip:1) Buy a Groupon. You can only use the Groupon from Sunday to Thursday, which means you can still watch belly dancing on Thursday. It came out to be about $30/person with the Groupon.2) Let them know if its someones birthday in your party beforehand

Great atmosphere; amazing food and Belly dancers were super talented. Going to recommend the place to my Family and friends!

It’s a unique restaurant where you sit on the floor may be in a Moroccan way To eat the ethnic cuisine. I personally did not find it very comfortable but I understand the lure. It does have the ethnic taste and also has enough for vegetarian. It does have overlap with Indian cuisine but good enough unique flavor. The portions I found were very small compared to the price but I understand the main attraction maybe the performance by the belly dancers around 8 PM and 9 PM on weekends.The restaurant needs to do a better job for creating value for money and also making sure there is enough lighting in the house. Almost every guest was looking at the menu using their phone flashlight. The servers were well behaved but I did not see any particular initiative from them in engaging with the patrons are trying to handle the first timers who may need better help.

The food here is amazing. The ambiance is top-notch, exquisitely decorated, with plenty of cozy tables with cushions to sit on the floor (or on couches, if you prefer). The portions were generous, and the food was fresh and full of incredible flavors. The service was attentive but the pace of the meal was still leisurely. Came here on a Friday night when they had belly dancers, which made a delicious meal an event.

I had to get my Bstilla, as that was my main reason to drive from Fremont to San Jose. I also tried the kebab platter for the first time, and it was pretty good. We also enjoyed the bread, Moroccan salad, saffron rice and vegetables.My brother hadnt eaten here in about 15 years, and he sad the food was good. Mind you my brother is a picky eater.

So so Belle dance, bar and dinner place in Bay area.Decent parking nearby.Dark ambience.Food is nothing to write home about.Ok Belle dancers.

The food and drinks are average, but its really a place to go for a unique dining experience. You sit on low couches or the floor, with hand washing at the table and family style meals. The entertainment (belly dancers) are talented and get the crowd involved - which is fun when someone from your group is pulled to dance. Not in the best area of San Jose, but its been around for years - a somewhere to go for the fun, but not necessarily the food.

Very interesting if you are adventurous. Wonderful food and experience. Rather limited menu but a nice variety with the dinner selection. Chose entrée, wash hands, bread with spreadable salad, shareable enries with sides and sauces, desert and mint tea. Can do single, more fun with group. Not a rushed event. Not typical American dining. The decor and environment is what I would expect as stereotypically Morrocan. I had fun both times Ive gone.

I want to give this place 5 stars but the service is way too slow for that. Everything else about this place is a 5 star experience. We went with a group of 11 for a birthday with 645 reservations. They bring a water pot so you can wash your hands at the table. Started with sangria and hummus appetizers that were really good. Then we ordered individual plates ($20 a plate) because the 5 course meal was pricey ($40 per person). I got the chicken kabobs with cous cous and veggies, it was outstanding. The belly dancers were great and made the night fantastic. They just need more staff cause they wouldve made so much more on drinks for our group.

I spent a lovely evening here taking in the beautiful atmosphere and enjoying the incredible food. The paneer was so fresh, and the lentil soup seasoned to perfection!The staff was so kind and attentive. Fair prices and top notch quality. Such an enjoyable dining experience, thank you!

Simply the best!

Exotic, Unique, Fun, Delicious

We came here for our seventh wedding anniversary. This place was my husbands choice. I was intrigued by the ambience. We enjoyed the food and had a wholesome Moroccan dinner.

Google said they open at 4:00pmSign says 6:00p.m. I was there at 4:00PM no one anywhere very disappointed just drove 223 miles for Moroccan food I called the reservation number on sign, left message, was called back immediately by a gentleman who apologized but then said he would call people and open up for us which he did within 30 minutes over the top service amazing! Thank you! Food and service once inside was excellent

This place is huge! The food is delicious. Some servers are incredibly friendly while others are not so much. The service is really slow, but its designed that way, so dont go if youre in a hurry.

The stars are for dinner on a Wednesday. So keep that in mind.The food was OK->good - on the table we got the Rabbit (not me), Fish with Green Chermoula, Moroccan Salad (with eggplant). For the price the portions were small, even the salad.The ambiance may be better on weekends, on our Wednesday it was very dim in the corner we were seated in. Our phone flashlights did their job! The place was empty most of the time, when we left around 9 pm 3 other corners had diners.Your mileage may vary - avoid Wednesdays, perhaps.

Great ambience..good food. The artist performing belly dancing was able to really engaged the patrons. It was a good overall experience.

We were there with a large party for a birthday celebration. Food was bland and greasy served in very small portions for the type of sharing normally done with this cuisine. Extremely expensive, and we were overcharged on top of that. Service was not great but not terrible. The belly dancers were great and fun. Unfortunately the high price and quality of the food will keep me from returning.

This great restaurant was originally recommended to me by one of my teachers back in 1979. The food and the bellydancing performances were wonderful then, and they are wonderful now. Plan on taking a couple of extra greenbacks to tip the belly dancers. Most people tip with five dollar bills. A wonderful place to go to celebrate a special occasion.

Fun atmosphere and pretty good food. The night we went they had live music (I think typically its recorded) and two belly dancers (which is a typical part of the dinner and show on weekends). Service was slow but youre there for an evening of food and entertainment, not to eat and dash out. Its not in the best part of town, being by the airport, so plan on not leaving anything tempting sitting in view in your car. They do have a shared parking lot that is just past some apartment buildings which is sort of lighted at night. Try to park near the street entrance.

My preferred location for delicious moroccan food. This place is absolutely one of my favorites. Fast, efficient, and courteous service. The place has a great feel to it.

Great food. The Rabbit is awesome

This place has been here for decades. Eat with your right hand and enjoy the belly dancers. Our boss brought us here, and he is Lebanese, so we got a good introduction to the food. Im not big on sheep, but the rest of the food was good. An enjoyable cultural trip.

I wish I had an option to give zero stars to this place. Service was so slow that just for the appetizers, they took around 30 mins. We were pretty much waiting for our food the whole time instead of enjoying it. The area looked very shady. Inside it was dirty and it was smelling weird. The food was uncooked and it tasted stale. So bad that we couldn’t eat it. Overall it was a very bad experience and we paid for it. Won’t recommend this place to anyone.

Amazing food and entertainment. Been going here for years!

Nice ambience. Good food bit on expensive side. Belly dancing show was amazing and engaging. Good place for spice lover !

First time going to a restaurant where you eat off low tables and lounge on the floor on pillows! This place is a great experience and the food and service are wonderful. I am not sure if it’s always warm inside in the summer, but I would dress lighter (jeans and a T-shirt were still too hot), and ask for ice for your water to cool down

I cane here twice. Very nice atmosphere and decor. On my first visit I was pretty happy with food and overall experience but the second time was a whole different story. The food was of a completely different quality, service a lot wide and the dancing was also pretty bad... In addition to this they tried to automatically charge us 30% tips as our credit card receipt came filled out already. After the second visit I would definitely not recommend.

We had a great time... we got the Casa Blanca dinner and the chicken and fish were great... really like their baklava and mint tea dessert, ordered extra baklava... the show was really nice also, both of the dancers were really talented and fun... make sure you bring lots of $1 bills but gentlemen allow you wives to put them in the dancers waist bands... thank you had a great time...$60 bucks a person for two people.

My top site for quality Moroccan food. its so delicious. will surely make a return trip. the place has a cool atmosphere. this place has great reviews for a reason.

Moroccan food and the feeling here is better than most. Good place to hang and eat some good food. Staff treated us so kindly. Prices were appropriate.

Good experience, delicious food

Great decor, fun seating on the floor but also some benches for people who can’t sit up for a long time. Belly dancing was good, the dancer was having fun with kids and was pretty talented. More importantly, we had a peanut allergy and wanted to split a bunch of stuff and the manager was very accommodating and came by to check to make sure everything was alright, very nice and didn’t mind at all. Food was very tasty, lots of good stuff to try.

Its a unique, fun night out. Foods good, staff friendly, environment unlike your normal dinner... And some nights you get belly dancer entertainment. All good and priced right.

Wow...been to Morocco a few times and was excited to try this authentic Moroccan food. Unfortunately nothing about it was authentic. For the price, I would think they would at least have a decent olive. Instead, it was right out of a can. About the same quality as the olives on the pizza at the 7-11 down the street. The baklava was probably from Safeway. They were out of every authentic Moroccan drink. To top it off, the credit card reader “stopped working 5 minutes ago”. I was told to go down to the atm at the 7-11 to get money to pay for the whole table. After tax was more than $45 per person for a meal that I could literally make with canned ingredients from the Safeway. Worst experience at a restaurant in San Jose ever. Avoid this place and get the pre-made sushi from Safeway.

Decent food. The olives were delicious. They had a dancer around eight at night who was really fun and interactive! The atmosphere is best for friends to come chat and eat with. Really easy to find. The staff were all super happy and friendly. They even bring water to your table so you can wash yourself before you eat. It wasnt terribly expensive.

This was such a breath of fresh air! This restaurant tries to provide a full Moroccan experience. The decor has a unique Moroccan decor and even includes a little water fountain in the middle of the lobby.In the main room, guests sit on the floor on pillows surrounding small low tables, and the servers are fully dressed in what seems to be Moroccan-style clothing.For food, you basically choose one of the half a dozen multi-course dinner sets (the one with rabbit meat seems to be the most popular one; a vegetarian set is also available). The food was very delicious and very different from the usual. I really enjoyed the salad that you eat with bread and your own hands (no worries, the remaining parts of the menu is served with silverware).Throughout the evening, belly-dancers also perform (one at a time) and oftentimes interact with guests by inviting them to stand up and dance along. This can be a fun (or embarrassing) experience, but most guests play along.The one thing I really dont like about this is that guests tend to tip the belly-dancers by putting dollar bills on the belly-dancers clothes. I am not sure if this is custom in Morocco or not, but here I cringe seeing this as one cant help thinking about the image of a strip-club. The belly dancers dont seem to mind, but I wish that guests wouldnt do this.

Authentic Moroccan food, we had the Dinner Special w/several courses and left happily stuffed! Try the drink with the Fig liqueur...Yum! Belly dancer was nice, but not very good and out of shape. Good and friendly service, if slightly uneven. Love the feel and decor. We will return when in town.

Most of the food was good. The lamb with sugar wasnt appealing. Fairly empty on a Sunday evening. The location isnt great. They open at 6, not one minute earlier, which is odd if your reservation is at 6pm. Its not like its located on a walkable part of town.

Nice cozy place for authentic cuisine. You will not get a lot of option in appetizers, as many of us will think some appetizers could be desert as well. But saying so you will be really impressed with the main course food. Very few options for vegetarians. If you like lamb then I will suggest this place. There are some pretty good Lamb shank items with a good portion of food.If you are planning to go, try to find a spot in the evening as you might get to some dancing items. Daytime the true ambiance of the place do not get reflected, so not my favorite time. But end of the day good place for Moroccan food!

Went here for my birthday and absolutely enjoyed the experience. Be careful when parking, though, as I noticed a shady male figure make eye contact with me as he was looking into vehicles to potentially break into outside the restaurant.

Just stop and eat. We were driving to another restaurant and saw Menara and decided to try it out. It was amazing. The decor and ambiance is perfect and really sets the mood. We got the kebab starter and the prawn couscous bowl. Both were a lot better than expected. The waitress said the kebabs were really good...like any good waitress should, but these were easily the best we have ever had. The lamb, chicken, and prawns were cooked perfectly. The white yogurt sauce combined with the lamb was the best bite. The prawn couscous was also delicious. My wife and 18 month old ate most of it before I could try too much....the didnt want to share. This place was so good even the coke tasted good to me and I am a pepsi person. When we got done eating, we had to post a review. It is going to the top of our list of restaurants we brag about.

Lovely ambiance. I loved the arts and seating arrangement too. Beautiful and friendly belly dancers on Friday.The only downside is that they close by 10 PM which is too early to be honest for a weekend. They serve drinks but NO HOOKAH. That was a great let down. The staff said that they are waiting for the approval of the same. The staffs were nice.The restaurant is a bit on the expensive side.

Nice ambience! Belly dancers are amazing. Food variety could be much more.... The morrocon tea served at the end is the best part

Fine scene for delicious moroccan food. It was so savory. Ill return friends next time. The place has a nice atmosphere. Menu is like a place in Miami I enjoyed

The food here was pretty good. Most of my party liked it better than I did.The decor here is very unique and fun as you sit on cushions on the floor around very low tables. The upholstery and walls could use revamping though.The belly dancers made for a unique and entertaining evening.

One the best restaurant Ive ever eaten at. Customs service was good the food was tasty. what more could you ask for.

Place was good, food were delicious, service was amazing, and friendly, we had a baby with us who wanted to crawl around, it was very fun for him to crawl on the carpet, which was very clean. And the staff didnt complain they were very nice and tolerant. Definitely going back their again and recommending this place to friends and family.

Large space, traditional settings, Vegetarian tagines were good. One suggestion - please warm the bread in winter.

The belly dancing is lots of fun, and what most people come for. Food was decent value overall, vegan & veggie options, but brought out sporadically so not quite as enjoyable. I appreciate what theyre doing but you dont feel as relaxed and luxuriant as the atmosphere theyre trying to portray, skimping on each serving, not leaving the pot of tea or offering more servings of it.Great for groups, work socializing etc.

A favorite location for quality Moroccan food. Prices that wont break you. Reminds me of a place in New York I loved to visit.

First time being there very nice place good food definitely will go there and recommend everyone

Great place, environment and food. If you’re around this area it’s the best place to grab good food and mindtravel to Morocco. The prices are good too!

What a great place! The food was delicious and the atmosphere was excellent. The tables are all low to the ground, and there are cushions to lounge on. The nice surprise of the evening was when a real belly dancer came out to entertain the crowd.

Wonderful ambiance from the beautifully decorated space. interesting good food. will be back!

Nice food. Great ambience. Nice service. Must visit for dinner.

Wonderful place with a delightful experience and of course with delicious food! Staff was very friendly and went out of the way suggesting items to order etc

Very nice experience with the belly dancing and good food :)

Moroccan food and the scene here is super good. This place has a cool atmosphere. This place has many reviews for a reason.

Spacious and well laid out. The ambience is awesome and the service impeccable. The belly dance topped off a wonderful evening family dinner

Wonderful food in a very cool atmosphere. I thought price was reasonable. The location was fine no problems. I have no idea why some reviews have been low, i will come back when in town again.

No wonder this place always gets great reviews. They serve large portions and the food tastes great. Not sure how they make the hot sauce, but I loved it so much I just bought some to take home!!! I travel a lot, and eat Paleo all the time, and bottom line, the meat they serve here is excellent. The guy.

Wine by the glass was stale. Food was not worth the money. Service and ambiance was the best part of the experience.

Food was absolutely delicious. I never review places but I went out of my way to review this place because it was so good. They wash your hands, you can sit on a cushion on the floor if you want and they give a free desert. Great place.

This place was very elegant. The food was great and the crew are very attentive and friendly they always made we had everything what we needed. Must go back again soon.

We went with a group of people, and basically tried most items on the menu.Everything was very good and different.The only reason I dont give them a perfect score is that they force you to eat with your hands. Now, I know, I know, thats the traditional way. But for me, no matter how you cut it, eating with your hands is difficult.I wish they would bring a set of courtesy cutlery, just for the less cultured among us.Other than that, it was a great experience.

What a great spot! We were staying at a local hotel for the weekend and just ran across this place by accident. We hadnt made a reservation (highly recommended on Friday or Saturday nights) and were happy someone had cancelled shortly after we arrived. The atmosphere was very inviting. Seating is primarily pillows on the floor around low tables. Though they do have padded bench seating near most tables. We chose the course based dinner in order to have a variety, and were happy we did. Belly dancing started at 8pm, so arriving just after 7pm gave us ample time to get started with our meal before the dancing started. Staff are wonderful, like others have mentioned. Love the opportunity they provide to rinse your hands at the table, almost like receiving a warm towel before a meal. The food was good. My partner likes lamb, but Ive never been a big fan. She really liked it and in surprising myself, so did I. Again Im glad we did the course based dinner for the first time. But we would likely do al a carte next time, as we know more of what we prefer.For us it was such a pleasure to run across this place. We had a great time, and were probably there almost 2 hours. Looking forward to next time for sure

Went with Mediterranean friends & they approved Menara’s authenticity!

Was extremely well serviced and the food was good too. The place is also very neat. No downsides.

We have gone to this restaurant for many years and loved the food. HOW Ever, the food lacked the taste of years gone byWe moved away and come back every year for the food. A-side for the money, everything was different. The chicken dish was cold . The rabbit was good but very little meat on the bones. Even the bread was not as good. I guess we will move on, and go elsewhere for our special meal from now on.

Authentic place with delicious food and pretty nice service. Especially thanks to Cynthia.

This restaurant was a big disappointment. The food was incredibly overcooked and dry, the service staff was pleasant but poorly trained. For example, the woman who brought the large water basin spilled it on my leg and blouse so that I was wet through most of the meal. She didnt even offer a cloth to stop up the water until we ask. Staff did not communicate between them well at all and we had to correct several orders they got incorrectly. And to top it off theyre meant tea was Dreadful with no mint whatsoever in it!

So yummy and the Moroccan beer is pretty good too. Also the grilled zucchini is FANTASTIC.

Charming ambience with delicious food. Loved the belly dance performance and the service is great! Highly recommend!

My first Moroccan restaurant experience! I was not disappointed in the service, food, or drinks. It was a really neat experience and the decor was exciting. We missed the belly dancers, but that in itself sounds like a fun addition.

Had our wedding brunch here. Amazing food and service from the Menara team. Very happy we had the brunch here.

Extremely slow service. We were there for over 2 hours and didnt even finish our full meal. The ambience is nice and food was alright.

Great Food. Get the lamb with honey and almonds for sure. Customer service was great, actually fast.

I had a wonderful diner here last week end. It was full of great ambience, the music and the dancers were excellent. I had some middle eastern specialties and it was delicious. Ive enjoyed it and had load of fun

Its restaurant has a great and awesome food; great ambiance and service. It’s very entertaining because of their belly dancers. Hopefully, will be back!