Casablanca

11/11/09

EAT HERE AT YOUR OWN RISK-LITERALLY

by dgurewitz at Citysearch

I bit into something that wasn't supposed to be in my meal (bone, glass, metal?) and broke a tooth! The manager was very apologetic and told me to contact them as soon as I had the tooth fixed. I tried, but the owner, Sari Abul-Jubain, dodged my calls for about 2 weeks before finally telling me, "That COULDN’T have happened here (thus accusing me of lying), and, besides, we don't take responsibility for any accidents like this." He was as unfriendly and unreasonable as he could be. So my group not only spent $300+ for overpriced, average food and drink, but I had to lay out another $700+ to have my tooth fixed. This was REALLY an overpriced meal. You can get better, cheaper Middle Eastern food in lots of places whose owners treat their clients with genuine respect and who wouldn’t dream of not taking responsibility if an accident happens in their establishment.

• Cons: Sleazy owner

Harvard Square's most distinctive multi-ethnic eatery attracts a colorful crowd with tons of history and atmosphere.

by Eric Grossman at Citysearch

The Scene
This subterranean restaurant and lounge has lived nine lives since opening in the mid-1950s, and it currently provides the neighborhood's intelligentsia with a suitably smart place to hang out. Whether eating in the relaxed, red-walled dining room or drinking in the upbeat, high-ceilinged lounge, a colorful crowd of academics make themselves at home, as do proficient, black-clad servers. The bar, with its vividly colorful murals, is a great spot for a specialty cocktail or a late-night snack.

The Food
Casablanca's Mediterranean- and Middle Eastern-tinged menu is as varied and eclectic as the films showed at the neighboring Brattle Theatre. A salad with cornmeal-fried calamari, baby arugula, cherry tomatoes, pickled red onions and orange aioli presents an adventurous contrast in flavors and textures, while a seared striped bass with lemon buerre blanc and black trumpet risotto takes the tongue on a wild ride. Ouzo-scented olive oil cake with toasted almonds, honey crème fraiche is but one of the comforting desserts worth indulging.

07/23/07

Awesome Mural and Great Drinks!!!

by equity6 at Citysearch

Four of us dined here on July 21st and had a wonderful meal. The dining room itself is below street level, but the lighting and artwork make up for the lack of a view. Very creative cocktails here! We had the Basil Martinis, made with Hendricks Gin and infused with fresh basil which were among the best cocktails we've had in a long time. Food is also creative - several interesting salds and tapas to start including golden beet salad, and serrano ham. We had mostly fish and seafood entrees and my diver scallops were great with frisee and other accompaniments like grilled escarole. Service is very good. Prices are in line with the quality. Location is right near Harvard Square

• Pros: Basil Martinis, grilled escarole, wide variety of foods
• Cons: difficult parking

12/12/06

Go to the lounge, not the restaurant!

by zoechance at Citysearch

The only part of Casablanca that takes reservations is the restaurant, but the decor is like a bad hotel, service is poor, and they have a $17 food minimum per person. (This means 2 tapas per person, which is a lot of food - more than my girls and I could eat.) Wait for the lounge instead, hope for one of the cozy basket tables, but be satisfied with a loud table in the middle of the happy chaos. No food minimum, much better ambience, and better service. On the bright side, tapas and cocktails are excellent in either section of Casablanca. We *loved* the grilled portobello. We also enjoyed the Turkish mezze plate, grilled pear, hummus (not pureed - a novel experience), and artichoke crepe. The Moroccan mule cocktail was iffy, but I should have known it from the description. Our spacy waitress took FOREVER to take our drink & food orders, and both the drinks and tapas took a long time to arrive, so bring some interesting friends and relax.

12/18/05

Not worth it

by experiencer at Citysearch

I was very much looking forward to my dinner with friends at Casablanca. However, the experience was much less than desirable. The atmosphere was nothing special although I did appreciate the coat rack near the entrance. My husband's pork loin was average and my stuffed artichokes were lower than average. We finished with the apple tart which, again, was average. I am usually pretty happy with average meals but not when I'm paying $25-29 a plate. If you're thinking about dining at Casablanca, I would recommend trying somewhere else as there are many other great restaurants in Harvard Square.

• Pros: Service
• Cons: Value, Atmosphere

12/02/05

The food is always great!!!

by nbrooks at Citysearch

My boyfriend and I have gone here our anniversary almost 4 years now. The menu changes seasonally and the entrees we've had, have been outstanding. It's not bad service but the waiter is not too much in your face which we liked. Very romantice, even if you sit in the lounge area.

• Pros: Sumptuous Entrees, Creative food, Sufficient Service
• Cons: Could be cheaper

06/24/05

User review by noraaj

by noraaj at Citysearch

Dining at Casablanca turned out to be a very relaxing experience! The menu is set up in such a way that I had the opportunity to try delicous tapas paired with wines from South America to South Africa. I went back for brunch the very next morning!!

• Pros: Jukebox
• Cons: no parking

08/08/04

Great dessert!

by babygenius at Citysearch

My first time there, it was a nice little place. I can't really eat much so I just had an entree, sea scollops, it was pretty good actually, but a little pricey since there were only 4 scollops in the dish that cost me 24 bucks. But anyway, food is cool, but the best comes to the dessert. I had the grilled pineapple with pineapple/brandy ice cream sorbet. Gosh it was sooooo good, especially the brandy one, love it yum yum. I would go there again just for the dessert hehe! Recommend overall though, the chicken dish looks really nice, may order that next time!

• Pros: food(dessert), service, atmosphere

01/25/03

talk about institutions

by sansan at Citysearch

the whole experience is memorable especially if you're fortunate enough the have the owner insult you and then break out in laughter relaxing everyone. Evenly excellent across the board....best hamburger in Cambridge....even if you have to pass through Harvard Square to get there.

12/05/02

Terrible Service, Terrible Owner

by bmoftah at Citysearch

The Owner of the restaurant started shouting at us for asking the waiter to take our order after having waited 30 minutes at the table with only our drinks. It was absolutely the most insulting experience of my life. I was there witha bunch of friends and we all decided to leave because such places shouldn't exist or get your patronage. I predict that this place will go out of business in a few months, or at least I hope so.

• Pros: Location
• Cons: Service/Waiters, Owner, Crowded