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Hours
Tue
11:00 am - 2:30 pm6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Wed
11:00 am - 2:30 pm6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Thu
11:00 am - 2:30 pm6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Fri
11:00 am - 2:30 pm6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Sat
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
Travellers' Choice 2024
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
Learn More
PRICE RANGE
$14.00 – $48.00
CUISINES
Moroccan, Mediterranean, Spanish
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
meals, features
Does this restaurant offer highchairs for toddlers?
Details
About
Moorish Café is adorned with exotic aromas, local artistry, banquette seating and a new modern look with exquisite tables and comfy chairs to truly savour the ambience. Darwin's ten-time Gold Plate Awards winner is also playing with more vivacious flavours from Spain and North Africa. The fascinating menu, features fresh local ingredients, hosts over 30 different tapas with edgy additions like the Grilled sumac spiced NT barramundi with bloodless bloody Mary and the King Salmon and Sichuan pepper pâté with fennel confit. To compliment a drop from the acclaimed cellar of older vintages try the Baharat spiced kangaroo fillet with pickled beetroot, smoked chat potatoes and goat cheese sauce, grilled NT Goldband Snapper fillet with roasted cherry tomatoes and chunky chips, sumptuous slow-cooked tagine or Dukkah crusted Black Angus eye fillet on sweet potato mash with bone marrow and red wine reduction. From private function feasts to intimate dinners for two, Moorish Café creates something delectable for every taste.
PRICE RANGE
$14.00 – $48.00
CUISINES
Moroccan, Mediterranean, Spanish
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours
FEATURES
Reservations, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service
Contribute
4.5
915 reviews
Excellent
505
Very good
271
Average
82
Poor
33
Terrible
24
Goldie2108
Perth42 contributions
Jul 2020 • none
This is a tapas type restaurant. We had 4 very different dishes which were all a bomb of taste in your mouth! It was amazing. The waiter recommended we try their Mango Margarita, so we could place a vote in the Darwin competition. The drink was also amazing! Well done to Moorish. It became very busy, so we had to wait a little while for sweets, but the chocolate cake was divine and they also make a range of affogato coffees with or without liqueurs. Overall a MUST
Written 8 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marla-Tiye V
Phoenix42 contributions
Mar 2020 • none
This elegant and upbeat eatery is so nostalgic. My brother: Hassan Ansah is a published author who has lived in North Africa and it reminds me of my trips to Morocco, Portugal and Spain. The service is upscale; the food is visually appealing and tastes spectacular. It brings North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula to the Australian Outback. My waiter inquired about the T-shirt I wore which read Tarifa. He was from Southern Spain. He was so kind and professional.
Written 22 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mazzaintazza
London306 contributions
Nov 2020 • none
Cinco Estrellas! A lovely restaurant with an authentic Spanish look and feel. We had some excellent vegetarian tapas; patatas bravas, a dainty grilled aubergine with yoghurt dressing, a lovely pumpkin, pomegranate and honey dish, good bread and very good service. They have an impressive wine list too. Soft drinks were a little pricey but this restaurant is a Darwin standout.
Written 16 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lovethisplanet2014
Palmerston225 contributions
Sept 2020 • none
They even serve wheat beer and Sangria and the food was nice but what they charge is ridiculous. 3 mushrooms with cauliflower purée $19? Mediterranean food needs bread. It is a given in any Mediterranean country and of course it should be FOC. Here you get dishes that cry for bread without the bread. You have to order it extra and you get 2 slices ($5) of the homemade type.
Someone also needs to give the management a lesson in "atmosphere". Having nice tiles on the walls is not enough. How about some Mediterranean music for a change and maybe even candlelight?
Written 19 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wendy W
Alexandria68 contributions
Jul 2021 • none
This restaurant was recommended to us. It was difficult to get a reservation as it is popular. We were offered 5:30 or 8:30 and we went with the earlier choice. We were told we had to vacate the table by 7:00pm. We didn't have an issue with that but no one took our order until 6:00pm so not sure that was really fair to us. The tapas plates were great and we had no complaints about the food. I would have given this place a higher rating if they had a better customer service vibe. Around 6:45 we asked the server if we had enough time to order a dessert and she said yes if we ordered certain dishes. The owner/manager? rushed over and asked the server (not us) what we were ordering and then came to us and said we only had time for the house special which was a "mousse" that tasted more like a fudge/ice cream. We were rushed out the door so that they could get their next customers in. Perhaps they are trying to make up for COVID revenue and I understand that. I'm not a snob but I am a bit of a foodie and I spend time and money finding great eats. This was one of the most unrelaxing atmospheres I've been around in a long time. I would recommend this place for food but not atmosphere.
Written 17 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John P
2 contributions
Apr 2021 • friends
The food itself was quite nice but the service was terrible. They told us when we ordered that the food would come out when it was ready but we thought that would mean a few dishes would come out then the rest together. We ordered 5 tapas dishes to begin with and the first came out straight away then one every 15-20 minutes! Normally we order 5 tapas dishes to eat at once then a few more every so often, this the normal way to eat tapas. Over an hour just to get the first 5 dishes is so ridiculous that we left and won't be going there again which is a pity as the food itself was a bit expensive but delicious
Written 11 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marc W
Please see our response above to your dining companion. Respectful interactions with service staff, without bullying and foul language is key to resolving miscommunication. It is a shame that it came to this. Again, we wish no ill will. All the very best.v
Written 26 April 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ashley M
Glasgow8 contributions
Oct 2021 • none
My partner and I stopped in for a light bite in the afternoon as we were booked in at a restaurant and knew we would be eating a lot in a few hours. We only ordered the hummus dish to share which was delicious. The staff made us feel quite uncomfortable about ordering 1 dish without any drinks and we very much felt like they were annoyed. Would recommend the food, but not the service. All customers should be treated equally regardless of how much money they are spending.
Written 12 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie-Anne J
Melbourne49 contributions
Feb 2021 • none
We had an early dinner (Friday 6.30 pm) at Moorish and by 7 pm the restaurant was packed. Too noisy for conversation but go there to eat, not chat, and you'll be happy. Nice assortment of tapas dishes: some basic (bravas patatas, chorizo) but good enough; some brilliant -- the peppery seared kangaroo with punch tomato jam was a standout. On the raciones menu, the portobello mushrooms with almonds and cauli puree was superb. I'd go back to Moorish for that dish alone. (Well, maybe with the kangaroo.) Drinks service was erratic, so be persistent as you'll be competing with the rest of the busy crowd to catch someone's attention.
Written 5 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
C797
Adelaide102 contributions
Oct 2020 • friends
We had a table for four on a Friday evening, and shared tapas which were brought to us over the evening, not all at once. Good wines, Albariño my favourite. The tapas were really good and our waitress was from Spain , and really helpful
Written 19 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
subarudood
Sydney7 contributions
Aug 2022 • couples
Firstly the clever waitress with heaps of attitude told me the chef only cooks the steak medium rare. Suprised? I was. I ordered medium, it came medium rare, had to leave half of it.
The lamb starter was a cheap chewy cut, the seared scallops weren’t seared and were served up in a dodgy looking liquid that resembled dishwater. Had to leave them. I think they had microwaved them straight out of the freezer.
Barramundi main was way too salty and not nice.
Don’t be fooled by all the hype and certificates displayed on the walls, as we were.
All in all ruined what should have been a good experience.
They did refund the cost of the steak after I complained thankfully, but still paid over $100 for a very poor meal.
Steer clear, we’ve had much better on the waterfront and harbour.
Written 2 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tasstraveller
Brisbane95 contributions
May 2021 • family
Friendly service and very good food. We originally had a booking at 6pm, they could only fit us in seated at the bar. At 5pm we dropped into the restaurant and asked if we could dine then. They were happy to seat us on the proviso that we would vacate the table by 6.30pm. The 2 of us enjoyed 3 tapas: NT Jewish in coconut and line, marinated eggplant and kangaroo with tomato jam. We then had Spanish mackerel and fennel fishcakes. We tossed up whether to have dessert but decided on another racione of lamb mince, hummus and flat bread. To drink we had Sangria which was the only disappointing item of the night. Highlights were the eggplant and lamb mince dishes. Service was friendly and prompt and we were finished by 6.15pm, the restaurant was starting to get busy by this time and we left happy and well fed.
Written 30 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Linda M
Townsville202 contributions
Oct 2022 • none
Our group of 8 dined at Moorish Cafe, because of the size of our group we were advised that we had to choose from one of three set menus. The tapas style food was tasty, however the quantity was limited. Each time a dish came out and was placed on the table we had to ask for serving utensils. The service was OK, however a couple of the wait staff were a bit surly.
Written 15 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
107bernardw
Rye23 contributions
Aug 2021 • couples
Have dined here twice in the last 2 weeks. Food is of high quality but the service leaves a lot to disappoint the overall experience. On both occasions we requested the tapas dishes to come out two of a time and a 10 minute break between servings. First visit which was a very busy night. Second time was a Saturday lunch which was far from busy. On this occasion I requested the dishes be drip feed along with a break and made the request very clear only to have dishes arriving whilst we were still eating. Got the feeling they want you out quick. Front of House was aware of the situation however didn’t have the guts to come to our table. Btw, don’t give a tip to a serving staff if they have worked there less than 6 months as they won’t receive it.
Written 23 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ian L
Berkhamsted472 contributions
Sept 2020 • none
It was hard to get a table here but we persevered, managed to get one on our last night and it was worth it. Better to book ahead. The food is a kind of middle east meets Spain tapas style. so you can have as many dishes as you want. all of our eight dishes( yes we were hungry ) were great. Very tasty. We were the last ones to leave and the staff were really friendly and helpful in explain what was in each dish. It isn't the cheapest place but you get quality and variety for your money. We will be back the next time we are in Darwin.
Written 14 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Henryadams1
Melbourne160 contributions
Oct 2022 • couples
We have been to this place on previous visits. It was a culinary delight previously and this visit did not disappoint.
We had several small plates and the tagline. All were excellent.
There is an extensive , if expensive wine list. The service was friendly, informed and helpful.
Darwin dining is expensive but this establishment is a highlight not leaving you regretting the price.
Written 1 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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