Tagine Dining Gallery

09/17/09

Overpriced, overpriced, overpriced. Yeah, and not worth it.

by BringHeat

I tried this place for a pre-Broadway meal with a friend. We'd seen the reviews and decided to try Tagine anyway b/c I'd bought a $25-off certificate from Restaurant-com or something like that, and thought it would be a nice bite beforehand and way to try a new place.

We ordered a tray of three mezzo appetizers ($18) that wasn't bad, but wasn't worth the $. She had a glass of Argentinian red wine the waitress suggested ($12), I had a bottle of Moroccan lager ($8) - both unremarkable. She ordered the lamb tagine ($23.75) which had decent texture but was incredibly bland; I had a pheasant pie ("Bastilla" - $22.95) which came out delicious and sweet although smallish, an almond and confectioner's sugar-topped cross between baklava and a meatpie.

The service was adequate, unlike that of some other reviewers here, although that may have been because we were the only diners in the restaurant shared by three staff at 7pm on a Thursday evening.

The bill came to $80.30 even WITH the $25 off; they also included (get this) a built-in 25% tip!!! ($64.30 + $16 tip). The bill came with no mention of the included gratuity from the waitress or written on the credit card slip, but it did have a line for me to add a tip.

For the food we got, I definitely do not intend to return. Too bad, as I live less than 4 blocks away.

• Pros: Decor, nice to have a upscale restaurant near Port Authority
• Cons: Price, bland food

06/22/09

our large group was treated generously

by tonitagine

unlike the other reviewer, we booked a birthday for 20 diners and a larger party for drinks. We were seated immediately and I had spoken with Toni and organized a prix fixe family style dinner which was a great idea. The portions were large and generous. More importantly the cuisine, every dish, was absolutely mouthwatering yummy. The drinks were generous, strong and well priced as compared to other restaurant where I have hosted parties. The dancers were great fun and made sure we were given these jingly scarves. The service was great, and it was so helpful to have Toni hosting the party and directing every last detail, she also introduced the chef to us...sooo cute! We were given complimentary ROUNDS of shots and the bday girl received a bottle of Moroccan wine. I was so happy that I made the reservation and ignored the negative reviews...will return again and again. Thank you Tagine

• Pros: delicious food, generous drinks, comps, great service
• Cons: none

05/23/09

Extremely Pricey. Large Groups might get overpriced.

by Vidville81

I have been to this place 3 times. 1st two times took a friend and had a great time, we just went for a couple drinks and hookah (which are $25 each). My 3rd time I recommended it for my friend's Bday party. And service was not attentive, we were grossly overcharged! Be very careful and read your bill carefully if going in large groups. On our receipt we had 2 Watermelon martinis for $90, after my friend complained, a new receipt was generated which showed 2Watermelon martinis $60. Their menu said Watermelon martinis were about $14. We did not want to argue our bill, but all in all it was in the $450 dollar range for about 8people. I was a little embarrassed for my friends and the huge bill, since I had recommended this place. I am now hesitant to come again. After my last dissapointing visit.

• Pros: Cozy. Cool Atmosphere. Romantic
• Cons: Overpriced

Editorial Review by Citysearch Editors

by Contributor

Lively, colorful Moroccan restaurant and downstairs lounge features regional wines, belly dancing, nightly live entertainment and art on display.

11/17/08

Nice Atmosphere but Disappointing Tagine

by skbrum

This was a very cute and atmospheric hole-in-the-wall place and overall we had a very enjoyable evening. However, the food (the tagine especially) was a great disappointment. I had the lamb tagine and my husband had the other lamb (the classic, I believe). My dish consisted of 20% meat and 80% fat, bone and gristle. The sauce it was cooked in was little more than oily water with a few boiled vegetables floating in it - not very tasty (and actually mostly inedible)- all this for $23 and I was left feeling still hungry. We also ordered the mixed mezze appetizer to start and that was also very bland. It says you can choose 3 of the cold mezze, which we did, but then in reality, they actually chose the 3 they wanted to serve us- and brought our other "2 choices" that weren?t in the mezze trio as additional plates- rather misleading. The desserts were good - but only really because they were covered in chocolate sauce, which isn?t very authentic.

The 2 belly dancers came out at about 10pm, danced for about 10-15 minutes and left and that was the whole show.

There were 7 of us in our group, which was a good size for this small restaurant, and the feedback was pretty consistent - cute, fun little place, but disappointing, bland and overpriced food.

• Pros: the atmosphere, the belly dancers
• Cons: the tagine, the mezze, the service

Response from this business

82861– December 03, 2008 at 17:20:15 PST

We apologize for your experience and were shocked as we have been in business for 8 years and rarely have had complaints on our Tagines. However, we trust your judgement and would like to offer you a 40% gift certificate toward trying our tagines or any other menu item. We hope you will return and leave with happily quenched appetites

Warm regards,

Toni Marisa

06/23/08

Lush environment & tasty food

by jkuffer

It is rare that in midtown Manhattan you will find a place which is able to remove you from the noise and stress associated with the heart of NYC. Tagine, however achieves this with ease.

Their main dish (for which the restaurant is named after) is tasty and comes out sizzling with a great home-cooked taste. Be aware, since so much goes into preparing this dish it takes a bit of time to prepare. The lamb version is my favorite... the meat melts on your tongue and is so tasty you don't even dare to swallow it.

Waiting for this dish is certainly worth it. Once you sit down, you loose yourself in comfort by sinking, and getting up is very hard. Thats ok though, as the service is snappy (and cute!).

To top it off, the dancing is great, and when they have live music it'll be the only time you want to get on your feet and groove with the bellydancers. They have a very interesting list of special events as well.

As far as I am concerned, this place is highly recommended. Perfect to get away from the stress and hustle & bustle of the city. An awesome place for a date as well.

• Pros: Ambience, home-cooked gourmet style foods, music, comfort
• Cons: Not a huge place, so large groups must make reservations or risk waiting a long time

03/02/08

Excellent Dancer, mediocre food

by LGB13

I had made reservations for Tagine for a friend's 49th birthday, interested in seeing a belly dance performance. The space is rather small and funky, but cozy, with lots of paintings on the walls and interesting lamps - in these days of upscale chic it was refreshing to experience a more eclectic environment - more like 1970's-1980's East Village. A rather curt waitress/hostess seated us and gave us menus. We were promptly given water and then our wine, but the appetizer took some time. When it did come it was very tasty, and, encouraged, we were looking forward to our entres. But the main course was extremely disappointing. Both dishes were rather bland, and (as it turned out) I was served something I did not order (since I didn't really know what to expect I didn't question it...). Given that the prices are not cheap (average was about $20.00 and the meal, with tip, for two was over $100) I had really expected something better. But the wine was good, and the belly dancer was great. The second waitress that served us was much friendlier (which helped), but I think if I am ever inclined to return I would just stick to the appetizers and wine and pass on the main course.

• Pros: atmospheric, great dancer
• Cons: pricey and mediocre food

08/19/07

Budget Friendly, It Is Not!

by rigbe_green

I will start by saying that this restaurant was surprisingly small. I was there to attend a birthday celebration that had a guest list of about 20. Entering the restaurant, I was concerned that the cozy environment wouldn?t sufficiently accommodate such a large party. Luckily none of us had to eat out on the sidewalk or in the kitchen.

The next bit of shock came when we took a look at the menu. This place is pricy! And although the food was okay, the portions were pretty small.

Things perked up a bit when the belly dancers began to perform. Incredible performances! Very enjoyable! However, you will be charged a cover fee of about $5 per person for the experience. I don?t think this bit of information is mentioned on the online menu.

Overall, it was an okay experience. Although I don?t think I will be returning anytime soon.

• Pros: Personable wait staff
• Cons: Small, pricy, added fees

08/15/07

Entertainment, good food.

by nishnish2000

The food here is pretty good, it is different, if you aren't into trying new things, this may not be the place for you. chicken was very tender and well cooked, comes in a tagine (cone shaped) p*t.

entertainment is great, have belly dancers.

this place is quite pricy, but definitely worth a visit.

• Pros: Food , Entertainment.
• Cons: Cost.

08/03/07

Great Service and Food

by manwater

I just held a surprise party and it was fabulous. From my first meeting with Toni (which included a food tasting!) to confirming the menu and drinks everything went smoothly. She didn't mind me calling several times to ask a variety of questions. The space was great - the service terrific! We ended up using the downstairs area - it was extrmely comfortable with the different seating areas. At first I was unsure how people would react to the bellydancing however, it ended up being one of the highlights of the evening. There was even someone available for henna tatoos. The food was great - everyone enjoyed their meal. We truly had a fabulous and memorable evening! I would highly recommend Tagine- either for an evening out or a special event.