Kevin Zeng

P Alright, gather 'round, folks, because I've found a place that's practically a portal to another culinary dimension. My last visit there was nothing short of a revelation. The food? Oh. My. Gosh. It's not just good; it's mind-blowingly amazing and unlike anything else you'll find in the area. You can taste the high quality, the love, and the sheer effort poured into every single dish. Seriously, it's like tiny edible works of art. And the service? Top-notch. They're like ninjas of hospitality – attentive without being intrusive. Plus, I remember a glorious Thursday special with buy one get one. I'm crossing my fingers it's still valid, because a deal like that on food this good is practically a public service. Now, let's talk about the ambiance. stepping in feels like you've been whisked away to a vibrant marketplace. The Moroccan design is absolutely stunning. It's so pretty, you'll probably spend half your meal just admiring the intricate details. So, if you're looking for an incredible meal in a beautiful setting, stop reading this and go. Now!

+18

Courtney Shea

I got a gift certificate through the WTEN be our guest program. My boyfriend and I went to this location because we live in Troy. The restaurant is small and intimate and well decorated. The staff was very kind and accommodating and asked us if we had any questions about the menu. They told us most of the dishes that we picked were very popular across all three restaurants. The food was well seasoned and very flavorful. We shared an order of the Moroccan cigars, while my boyfriend got the lamb pepper fry and I got the hyderabadi wedding chicken. A nice gentleman ended up paying for our dessert, we chose baklava, our favorite. Would definitely come back sometime, especially with the restaurant so close !

PHILLFS

Pretty cool decor to match authentic Moroccan cuisine. They have a lunch buffet, which is a perfect primer or introduction to Moroccan cuisine.

+1

Ryan Barrett

Moroccan cigars and tagine chicken with tomato jam, harissa, figs & almonds were big winners. Note the warm fig salad has green olives that the menu doesn't mention

+7

janice

Excellent food! The service is excellent, always coming by to see if she can refill our sweet tea (free) and water. Her recommendations are excellent and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously. Will have to go again soon!!!

+18

helia mojtabavi

Great quality, delicious food! Lovely wonderful staff. It is a great place to try out new flavor combinations i got pomegranate malaise marinated and it hit the spot

Zeeshan Nelson

We indulged in a bountiful buffet, savoring the exquisite flavors of a diverse array of dishes, including health-conscious options. Our culinary experience was truly gratifying.

Paul Cicchinelli

This was a first time there. Service was excellent from the time we walked in until we left. Our server was fantastic. He was very polite, explained the food item and recommendations for us. Everyone is given a glass of water and also house tea. We started out with 2 appetizers, grilled scallops. 5 large scallops, only needed a fork cooked perfectly. Also had the eggplant plant dip. Excellent choice, do not let the name fool you if you are not a eggplant eater, you will never know it is in there. One dish was shrimp, scallops, fish. This is in a tomato chermoula. Comes with side of rice. Second dish was chicken with tomato jam, spicy harissa and figs. Desert was Baklava, very big piece, slightly warm. Would recommend going here.

+1

Shubhi Gautam

The flavors and aromas of the dishes at Tara's Kitchen are intoxicating. The food is authentic, with incredible flavor combinations and a diverse menu! My favorite entrée has to be the tagines—stews cooked in traditional pots. The lamb tagine with chickpeas, parsley chermoula, and tomato jam is a must-try, along with the lamb tagine with vegetables in spicy date sauce. Their lamb is always so juicy and tender that it literally melts in my mouth (low-key drooling right now). The portion sizes are perfect, and I love their pita bread—so soft and warm. It’s wonderful that they have a dedicated "Vegetable" section for vegetarians, which made it so convenient when deciding where to take my aunt for dinner. The appetizers were very good too; we had a sampler of all three dips, Moroccan cigars, and potato patties. I also appreciate that the food comes out steaming hot, and you can see them making it fresh in the kitchen. The baklava was also fantastic. Everything about the ambience feels so Moroccan, from the music and paintings to the cutlery and placemats. The staff were nice, serving food quickly and answering any questions we had. However, on one visit, one of the staff members was very sick and coughing a lot, which made me a bit nervous, especially with a little baby with us. I hope the restaurant can be more mindful of that in the future. I also wish they had their Moroccan wines in stock; every time we've been, they never seem to have it. Tara's Kitchen is a wonderful spot that captures the essence of Moroccan cuisine. I’m looking forward to returning and trying more of their delicious dishes!

+3

Maya’s Recs

Decent restaurant with good quality food. In the pricier end, with most dishes costing $25+. However, the flavor is great and the portions were decent. Comes with unlimited rice and pita. The good: great wait staff, cozy ambiance, and friendly owner. Rice is tasty on its own and even better mixed with whatever dish you desire. Consistent refills on water and house made tea, which was delicious. The bad: pita bread tasted store bought and not fresh like others I’ve had. Served cold. However you get an unlimited amount. The prices for the dishes were very high and half the menu wasn’t offered when I was there, so I was forced to get a $25 entree. It wouldn’t had mattered since the other entrees were $22+. The food tasted good, yes, yet it’s definitely on the pricier end and you can find similar cuisine for much less expensive. I believe it was the owner but he came and spoke to me and my friend. Overall this place deserves a 4/5 stars. My recommendations would be to increase portion size to reflect the prices or knock a couple dollars off. The price tag is the only reason why I wont be coming back here in the near future. Otherwise, great place and I recommend to give it a try at least once.

Jun Simons

Edit: After recent visits have had worse quality, I no longer recommend Tara Kitchen as a must visit restaurant in troy, though its still an okay dinner spot. Months ago i visited and had poor service (which i understand was due to a new waitress, but yikes it was bad). Most recently, the menu has been changed removing the spicy options (including the spicy date sauce) and many of the best dishes. The lamb with smen also was worse during my last visit. I dont think the food at the troy location was ever up to par with Schenectady, but this seems like a disappointing direction. If i enjoy my next visit more, then I will update my review accordingly. — my original review below — Have been to the schenectady location many times, and am happy to discover the troy location is also delicious and flavorful, with the same tea, rice, pita, and menu options. I love the tagines, particularly the lamb with smen, chicken with oranges and spinach, and the spicy date sauce which is quite spicy. Always also order the eggplant dip Ive only come here for lunch once and it was good but the dinner selection is better. The staff were kind and helpful, and i like the larger open space in the Troy location. The food is also presented beautifully.

+3

Isabelle Prak

They don’t take reservations. On Saturday evening, the waiting time was about 30 minutes. Once got our table, they were so busy that we were waiting almost 20 min with an empty table (no drinks, no plates..) until everything (our ordered meals, glasses of water, tea, ustensiles) arrived in the same time. I ordered the chicken tagine. The meat (chicken breast) was overcooked, so hard to chew and the tagine was too sweet. I can’t finish it. I love their rice and bread, I would come back and try other specialties in different timing.

+3