A Moroccan restaurant has popped up in the “Zona Minerva” on Lopez Cotilla just west of Avenida Union in Guadalajara.
Tucked in among Italian, Indian, fusion and, of course, Mexican eateries, Morocco Kebab, although small, stands out with its lively interior — quiet Arabic music, photos and paintings of Moroccan culture and colorful, goatskin lamps and mosaic tables designed by owner Fouad Lakhdar.
But the interior is not all that Lakhdar designed. There is also the menu, which is, again, small but carefully crafted. As its name implies, the restaurant focuses on kebabs, a Greek-gyros-like preparation of spiced meat roasted on a skewer and served on pita, accompanied by french fries and lettuce. There are several varieties of kebabs, priced around 70 pesos, and all are served with four of Lakhdar’s excellent sauces (yogurt, cucumber, cilantro and hot chile).
Lakhdar rattled off the numerous ingredients in each sauce or dish — turmeric, cardamom, cloves, white pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cilantro seed, garlic, etc. — yet underscored that “you shouldn’t be able to identify the flavors of condiments. If you can, it’s an error.” (Indeed, I found the spices in everything I tasted there subtle and difficult to pinpoint.)Besides the meaty kebabs (ground in-house from 60 percent veal, 40 percent lamb and no grease, Lakhdar said), another specialty is falafel, which is served in a sliced presentation I had never seen.
Morocco Kebab has a selection of salads that cost from 54 to 84 pesos, including hummus and another called zaaluk, made from eggplant. There is also a respectable selection of wine from Mexico, Chile and Spain, artesanal and local beer, and a handful of interesting juices, as well as desserts, including the classic baklava.
For 104 pesos, the restaurant will also serve to the reckless a shish — a water pipe filled with flavored tobacco.
Perhaps the best part of a meal at Morocco Kebab, should you be lucky, is a discourse from Lakhdar about the history and culture of Morocco and environs. Having worked at the Moroccan embassy in Mexico as well as in his import business, Lakhdar knows what he is talking about and cheerfully imparts information to anyone who shows interest. He finished up by explaining that Guadalajara is an Arabic word meaning “river between stones.”
Morocco Kebab, Lopez Cotilla 1931-A between Ruiz de Alarcon and Francisco Javier Gamboa, (33) 3615-6326, www.kebabgdl.com.mx.