Take-out: Yes Accepts Credit Cards: Yes Good for Kids: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
1 review
Gertrude Mayweather
Don't fooled by the generic name – and the lack of information online – The Grill House actually stands apart from the dozens of Arab restaurants on this strip by being owned and operated by people from Morocco rather than the Levant.
Well, not everyone there is actually from the country, as I found out my first visit, around an hour after sunset during Ramadan. I asked the waiter if they serving the Iftar special, advertised in a half-English/half-Arabic banner on the front steps. "Nah, that was at like 8:25 p.m. – we don't have that now," he said. As we headed out he added that he was just a black man, not a Muslim and didn't even know what iftar was.
Confused, I decided to come back later in the week with another friend, and make sure to arrive right at sundown. This time we were greeted by a waitress, who was from Morocco and brought us the iftar plate. What they served was different from elsewhere in the neighborhood in that the iftar was just a small snack designed to break the fast, not an entire meal. We had to order off the regular meal to supplement what we offered (at $5 each, it really was more like an appetizer).
The iftar (only available seasonally of course) contained several Moroccan sweets, some tastier than others, along with a date. Pretty much everything was new to me, and they didn't seem to be on the regular menu.
About 10 minutes after the iftar, we moved on to an oversize chicken tajine and a plate of couscous, each with tender pieces of meat and juices the come from slow cooking. While neither rose to the level of my favorite Moroccan place in the city (a now closed establishment on 4th Avenue in Brooklyn next to a masjid), they avoided the biggest potential tajine problem – too dry meat.
There's also a range of salad and more traditional Arab food on offer, most of which comes from a glass deli tray placed in the middle of the restaurant. I might suggest sitting in the back to have a more 'dine in' experience, as you aren't paying takeout prices. And make sure to get a knowledgeable waiter.
Don't fooled by the generic name – and the lack of information online – The Grill House actually stands apart from the dozens of Arab restaurants on this strip by being owned and operated by people from Morocco rather than the Levant.
Well, not everyone there is actually from the country, as I found out my first visit, around an hour after sunset during Ramadan. I asked the waiter if they serving the Iftar special, advertised in a half-English/half-Arabic banner on the front steps. "Nah, that was at like 8:25 p.m. – we don't have that now," he said. As we headed out he added that he was just a black man, not a Muslim and didn't even know what iftar was.
Confused, I decided to come back later in the week with another friend, and make sure to arrive right at sundown. This time we were greeted by a waitress, who was from Morocco and brought us the iftar plate. What they served was different from elsewhere in the neighborhood in that the iftar was just a small snack designed to break the fast, not an entire meal. We had to order off the regular meal to supplement what we offered (at $5 each, it really was more like an appetizer).
The iftar (only available seasonally of course) contained several Moroccan sweets, some tastier than others, along with a date. Pretty much everything was new to me, and they didn't seem to be on the regular menu.
About 10 minutes after the iftar, we moved on to an oversize chicken tajine and a plate of couscous, each with tender pieces of meat and juices the come from slow cooking. While neither rose to the level of my favorite Moroccan place in the city (a now closed establishment on 4th Avenue in Brooklyn next to a masjid), they avoided the biggest potential tajine problem – too dry meat.
There's also a range of salad and more traditional Arab food on offer, most of which comes from a glass deli tray placed in the middle of the restaurant. I might suggest sitting in the back to have a more 'dine in' experience, as you aren't paying takeout prices. And make sure to get a knowledgeable waiter.