Al Farid in Exeter

really lovely food, great vegan options, a bit expensive but good value for the quality.

Excellent staff, fast and efficient service, the set menu was excellent far more than you could eat!

Had a great meal, overlooking the square. Really friendly helpful staff, and the widest of choices I have seen for Meza plates too share. Everything cooked and tasty. Yes the stairs are awkward, but the place was built is 1540, so what do you expect. If we are ever in Exeter again, this would be our first stop.

Had a spectacular dinner there last week - food was so delicious & flavourful, we had the Meze platter. The waitress Poppy was brilliant, very attentive & warm, and she helped to make our evening really relaxed and enjoyable. The decor is wonderfully atmospheric albeit a bit tired (nothing a few touch-ups & staple gun won’t fix!). Try the mint tea with black tea after dinner it’s a perfect ending to a scrumptious meal. Definitely worth a visit - such a unique building too - I think it used to house the people who made the stained glass for the cathedral…beautiful stained glass in the restaurant- keep your eyes open for that!

Amazing atmosphere and great food. This place never disappoints!

I came here today and it was so beautiful decorated, the people were so so lovely. I was really struggling with anxiety and the man who was serving was the most lovely man, he was so so helpful. Will definitely return ❤️

Really tasty food! The tanjines were amazing, really well cooked ingredients, with many to choose from, including a variety of meat and vegetarian choices. The couscous was delicious too but for those gluten intolerance or those who doesn't want couscous, you can choose rice too. The desserts are very nice too! The place is very cosy, filled with colourful designs and hanging lights. We had to wait a little for a table but totally worth it! The staff are super friendly too. We had a truly wonderful experience and definitely enjoyed the food!

What a fantastic restaurant! Incredibly accommodating as we wanted to go later on a Sunday Night after the Jasper Carrott Show at The Northcott Theatre. The food was sensational, service impeccable and the welcome we had was second to none! Would definitely recommend and would definitely go back!

We had a really lovely meal, the staff were fantastic ! I am Coeliac and made them aware of this. They treated us so well and took extra care when preparing and ordering the food. It was a very nice and authentic environment too. Staff could not have been friendlier. Top stars. Thank you...

Lovely food and friendly staff. 100% recommend.

Food absolutely delicious, such a lovely quirky place, staff very friendly and good service. Felt like stepping into Morocco! Will definitely be returning thank you for a lovely evening

This is one of the nicest places I have been to in Exeter the staff are so friendly , food is very nice and atmosphere is amazing .. and the service speed was amazing … it was great meeting Moody too who’s friendly manner made the experience exceptional

Fantastic authentic little restaurant, a treasure in Exeter

Terrible experience, service was awful. We ordered gluten free as I have an allergy. The food then came out sandwiched in two massive bits of bread which they didn’t even replace. We also found two massive black hairs if our food which was disgusting. We were then charged £130 for 3 people. Absolute rip off. Avoid

Very busy, excellent food, friendly staff

Amazing service, great food, good portions. Decor and vibes were great too! it was my birthday dinner and they got me a birthday card and a baklava with a candle, super sweet of them

Space is tiny and uncomfortable. Carpet , chairs,look dirty . Cheap decor that most certainly needs upgrading. Please do not use the excuse of the building being listed to justify decor. Tables are far too small for the amount of dishes ordered if you are 2 people. Everything is cramped. Food was mediocre at best . Very uncomfortable sitting And prices on the high side of things. First and last time here. As someone who has dined in many places in several countries including North Africa, no idea why the restaurant gets such reviews on their food. It was eadible , nothing more. Not impressed either with the defensive and aggressive responses from the restaurant to clients who commented negatively on it.

Splendid service and sumptuous food! We always frequent Al-Farid when in exeter. The meźźe wins overall 😊

Great service from all the staff for sisters birthday and great food thank you for having us

The lamb shank tagine is sensational (the homemade lemonade with rose water and mint is a perfect palate cleanser with this meal!)

Amazing service and delicious food, really appreciate that they accommodated us despite the late hour. Definitely coming back next time we are down this way.

Amazing place! Atmosphere and interior is brilliant. Food very tasty and fresh. Big portions and affordable prizes. Service is very good. Highly recommend. Great location . Hidden gem .

Been here three or four times now. Favourite restaurant when we visit Exeter. Unique surroundings. Excellent food. Really good value. You won’t be disappointed!

Great and fresh good. Amazing atmosphere and interior. Big portions and affordable prizes. Great location and very good service. Hidden gem. Must to go

20 years since our last visit, and why did we wait so long? A delicious light lunch of a few mezes, my favourite the little fish cakes! Mint tea, the perfect accompaniment. And all served by a wonderfully friendly and efficient Jacob, who it tuns out, is THE MANAGER! He made it all seem so easy.

Absolutely love the food and the service was very good. Friendly and prompt service. All round great place to eat. Went at lunch time so was quieter hence atmosphere was quiet.

Lovely atmosphere and the food was brilliant. The staff were attentive and professional. Our first visit and it won't be our last. Our American friends that were staying with us absolutely loved it. Thank you.

Really outstanding service last night! Will definitely pay this place another visit. Best restaurant I've been to in Exeter

We have been here several times before. The ambience and furnishings are lovely, and the staff are welcoming and friendly. There is a huge choice in the menu, everything we’ve tried so far has been delicious! It gets busy so we always book. Centrally located in the heart of Exeter.

I've been to this restaurant twice, and each time the food was delicious, the service was great and very nice. We will definitely go back there and recommend this place to our friends

Lovely Moroccan in the centre of Exeter, all the food we tried was amazing. Very extensive menu so lots of choice for vegetarians too.

My favourite restaurant! Went there again today, 22nd January, absolutely wonderful food, lovely staff

Very nice food 10* Very good service 10* staff was very nice and friendly 10* I would recommend it to everyone

This was my first visit and wont be my last. It was an important first date lunch and it was a great venue for it. The decor, the vibe and the whole place was intriguing. The food was lovely and for a wet January Saturday there seemed to be plenty of regulars attending. There was only one negative, the lady that greeted us, lacked any pleasantries and her whole customer service manner was severely lacking. Thankfully, this was countered by a very nice young man, who was attentive and could see our joy at being in the restaurant. So a big thank you to him for great customer service, hopefully we will be back and I certainly would come with friends. Thank you...

One of my go-to restaurants in Exeter that does amazing Moroccan cuisine. Their mezze of 6 dishes and their shish platter never disappoints. Portion sizes are big too which is great value for money. The only thing I'd wanna say is your food is so good that it often gives my boyfriend pungent flatulence, but that's a sign that he had a good meal!

was bloody epic food however the waiters insisted on watching me go to the toilet

Hidden delight! Save on the airfare and come to eat here as it feels like you step into a Morocco! Beautiful food with loads of choice and great service.

Came here for a weekday lunch. Really enjoyed it. Service very efficient which was particularly appreciated as we were on lunch break from work. The food was fantastic. I had the lamb tagine, so good! Great atmosphere. Lovely comfortable place.

Reasonably priced food. Lots of different choices. Came here as a family and enjoyed a number of mezes.

Absolutely stunning food! I rarely take the time to write reviews, but i was so impressed with the flavours and quality of food i just had to this time!! I will 1000% be back to this restaurant! Fantastic food/atmosphere and service!

The food here is amazing. The service is efficient and the staff are friendly. Because the restaurant is situated in a Georgian four story townhouse the atmosphere suffers as a result due to the amount of stairs involved in getting to the upper floors which are limited in their capacity. Don’t be put off by this if you’re fit enough to climb the stairs as the quality of food more than makes up for the upper floor experience.

After losing any hope of finding somewhere to eat, where the customers aren't shouting across the tables at each other to be heard. We fortunately stumbled across this delightful place. We were seated quickly, even though they were very busy. The service was very attentive and the food superb 👌 We enjoyed 3 courses and thought it very good value for money. Would return and recommend.

Great food and fantastic service every time!

Cracking food, but unfortunately had a troubled stomach for 3 days afterwards... Guess it's authentic!

Excellent experience! Delicious, super tasty dishes. Definitely a recommended place for a great meal. Congratulations to the chef! Great service too!!

This is my favourite restaurant in Exeter! I've been going since I was a child, and the food is always fab, and the atmosphere is lovely. The stairs are a bit tight but the staff are very friendly and they've got the most amazing quirky vibe!

We had the group deal and I can't explain how full we were all after. The food was exceptional, you got a great range and could ask for specific items if you wanted anything. It comes out in three "courses" - dips, more vegetarian centric, then meats and cheeses. Make sure to give yourself enough space for the "last round". If you're still hungry after all the "set" items come out, you can order more! It was really worth the money. I wouldn't say you need the tagine, unless of course you fancied it

Great find, interesting menu, lovely.

Wow, where to start? Lovely location with a cathedral view, quiet, and in an an historic building. Consequently, mind your head as you ascend to the first floor eating area. Is this Exeter or Morocco? The decor, furnishings, and ambience are superb. We were greeted by waiter who explained it was his first day. He needn't have explained, his service was excellent, polite, attentive. We had the lamb tagine. I'm salivating writing about it, one of those 'falls off the bone cooked to perfection' experiences. The accompaniment was delicately spiced, pomegranate be-jewelled rice. Beautiful. So special to have food brought to table in authentic morrocan pottery too. Well, we washed it down with a jug of their signature rose petalled gin cocktail. Bliss.

It's my second visit here, and while there's potential, some issues are really disappointing. Starting with the positives: the decor is lovely, and the food itself is generally enjoyable. However, I did notice that quite a bit relies on mixed salads and what appear to be shop-bought sauces—perhaps a bit more originality here would go a long way. Also, a small but impactful detail: those plastic containers used as decoration feel cheap and out of place. It would make a big difference to remove or replace those with something more polished. Now, onto the more concerning aspects. The attitude of the staff didn’t give the impression they’re particularly invested in the customers’ experience. I even overheard management saying they were “full,” which was confusing and off-putting since, as shown in my photo, I was the only one on the ground floor. It left me feeling unwelcome, as if they didn’t care about additional guests. What truly crossed the line, though, was when I asked for the bill. My card was taken upstairs to tap on the machine without me, leaving me out of the process entirely. This is highly uncomfortable, as it raises questions about transparency and trust—how can a customer be sure of how many times the card was tapped or what amount was charged? For customer confidence, payment should always happen in the customer’s presence. With some adjustments, I believe this place could really improve.

Fantastic Wheat, Gluten, Dairy & Soya Free options. We couldn't decide on what to eat, so we asked the chef to choose with my food allergies taken into consideration. It was all absolutely delicious. The staff were all friendly & knowledgeable. The choice of food is amazing & we will definitely go back. The restaurant is tucked away at thexfar side of Exeter Cathedral green. The decor is eclectic, but works.

We had a delicious meal at Al Farid - a brilliantly quirky setting with great service and a tantalising array of mezze plates. I wouldn’t usually use three adjectives in one sentence but it was that good! Book!

Absolutely delicious food and lovely restaurant. We got the 6meze for £40 between the two of us and were both stuffed. So so tasty, perfect lunch on a first visit to exeter

Not my cup of tea, I'm sure some people must love it but I found it rather boring and! I didn't like any of the dishes.

The food was excellent, very tasty and a decent amount, although I would have expected some bread with the soup starter. I would definitely recommend this place

Delicious food, great service and wonderful atmosphere. The stairs are VERY steep FYI and you need to book in advance.

This place is kind of crazy but in an entirely good way. Somehow they have brought a touch of the Bedouin to a 4-storey 16th Century building overlooking Exeter Cathedral. Al-Farid provides excellent Middle Eastern / Moroccan food in a fun atmosphere with relaxed but attentive service. Portions are generous. We went for a set menu for two, shared between three of us, with a couple of additional Mezze dishes. There was plenty for all with food left over that we took home in a doggy bag. Prices are very competitive, we spent £100 on a 3 course meal for 3 with a couple of drinks. Very impressive!

Loved it! The tagine is perfectly cooked. A bit pricey but worth it.

Best middle eastern food. Very wellcoming staffs. Food coming little late but worth to wait. My personal fav was cocktail

We had a table on the 2nd floor and the stairs need some care when going up and coming down. A lovely welcome and good service though the evening. The food was delish and plentiful.

One of the best kept secrets in Exeter, Al-Farid is a gem of a place, delicious mezze and amazing meats. Great staff who were knowledgeable and welcoming. I will be going back.

This is such beautiful restaurant I have ever visited, I went on very busy night, Everything specially the service was so good, highly recommended to book in advance, it was the most beautiful restaurant and food I ever had in very long time. Thank you to Al Farid team Definitely coming back.

The food and people were very good, way too many stairs ,toilet below ground floor, very snug

Fantastic experience! Mouth watering food xx

Fab, authentic, tasty food and good service. Ask for a downstairs table if stairs are tricky for you.

Beautiful decor and so quirky. The staff are attentive and very friendly. The food is the crowning glory, a great selection and cooked to perfection. Must be the best houmous I have ever tasted. Just the best.

fabulous, delicious food and drink with friendly staff

Thought we would try this place while family were visiting. What a good choice! Everyone loved it. Between 6 of us we chose 18 meze dishes, all of which were excellent. Could not be faulted. Staff were really friendly and helpful. The ambience is great - very Moroccan. Service is good, with everything freshly prepared and cooked. We’re planning more visits with friends already.

Hosts were fantastic, wonderful food myself and my dad could have stayed all afternoon lol. Will definitely go back again.

found this restaurant on a very busy evening in Exeter and had to wait about 10 minutes for a table, lovely ambiance, staff extremely friendly and food was excellent

Booked in advance. Food is amazing but a meal is more than just the food. Building not suitable for many people with disabilities as over 3 floors and toilet down stairs to basement area accessed by narrow tightly winding stairs. Food was lovely but on arrival told only 3rd floor available and we would be on our own or could sit in the upstairs extension with others. Opted for the last option but people were just leaving when we got there so might as well as gone to 3rd floor! We were shut out in this poorly decorated room with perspex windows. We could see everyone else inside in opulent surroundings but every time staff left us they slammed double doors shut behind them leaving us isolated and cold. There was a table available after we arrived but before we could ask to move- someone else arrived and sat there-an obvious friend of the female waiter! Think they should treat customers equally. Shame as food was very nice!

Lots of healthy vegan food with protien. Most food here is also naturally gluten free. Very helpful friendly staff, fantastic location.

Went last month to try some Mediterranean food during our first visit to Exeter. The decore was beautiful and prestenting the culture. Staff was friendly and helpful. Some wall frames do explain that its a halal food place but it does sell alcohol and no where it says halal. Limited vegan options and only fish cakes are available. Located in city centre and close to park. No onsite parking available

The food here is incredibly good. The hummus, the baba ganoush, the pastillas…all of it excellent

We had a great lunch here. I had meze which was so flavoursome and my husband had the beef tagine which were both incredibly lovely and delicious. We had a homemade tropical drink which was lovely and refreshing.

Wonderful dinner, great selection of food, will definitely visit again!

The decor and food felt very authentic, and overall the experience was ok. The food was nice, if not amazing. I think the mezes are poor value. One our mezes was calamari, which is rubbery and inedible - we left it and gave feedback, but no recompense was offered. The service was superb; very polite and quick. Shame though that the waiters’ attire is street casual, rather than something more in keeping with the restaurant decor. Clean carpets wouldn’t go a miss.

We had a lovely lunch, tasty fresh food, efficient service and good options for both vegan and gluten free diners. Highly recommend!

Excellent restaurant in the heart of Exeter. Ask for the first floor table near the window for the best experience. Food was excellent and staff very friendly and efficient. A true taste of Morocco. Don’t miss the cardamom coffee and baklava for dessert.

This restaurant has become a favourite when we visit Exeter. We had a selection of Mezes and they were all good

An amazing restaurant, service was amazing and food was spectacular.

Well, the food is good, but the portions are very, very small in relation to how expensive they are. Charging almost £50 for 6 small portions and a coffee and a drink is absurdly high. If I then convert that to the euro, that's almost €60. For this money I can get much, much more elsewhere. The food was still good, but that aspect really hurt. I'd rather go to the 1st in Vienna and eat a schnitzel there and at least be full.

Shared a Meze selection here in this historic old building, everything i had was delish & authentic, including the Arabic coffee afterwards.

Lovely little gem of a place with great food .

Fantastic place, superb food and a brilliant atmosphere. Great service. Highly recommended

Lovely restaurant situated on the Cathedral green. Friendly staff and the food was excellent. I'd also recommend trying the home made lemonade.

Great menu and delicious 😋 Easy to find, beside Exeter cathedral. Reservation recommended.

Party of 9, all had Meze which everybody really enjoyed. Too many good dishes to pick a favourite but I'll deffo go back to try some more. City centre, on Cathedral Green so a great location too. 5-8 min walk from Princesshay car park.

Close your eyes and order you will love everything in there… friendly very thoughtful stuff. The only thing is everything in there is very squishy. I’m guessing because that’s an old building.

We travelled to Exeter from London and someone recommended Al Farid to us. We were pleasantly surprised and loved the food! Maddy our waitress looked after us so well and gave us very good service. Set in a nice old building in cathedral square with good Moroccan theme decor!

As always, Excellent food and fantastic service

It felt like I was back in Marrakech so I give the atmosphere 5 stars. The food is okay, I felt like it was slightly pricey for the portion size and it took a really long time for it to come. Overall we enjoyed our meal and staff was friendly. - We really enjoyed the home-made lemonade. It tastes intensley of rose water, so just be aware of this if this is not your thing. - I felt like the babaganoush could of been smokier, as this one was bland and lacked texture or flavour. - Our main the aubergine gateau was fantastic and I highly recommend ordering this. - the meatballs mezze were also very very tasty

A portal to Morocco in the heart of Exeter. This is a real business staffed and run by real people. I heartily recommend a visit.

Been there a few times now and it's been great every time. Amazing and friendly staff, also generous (they gave me a baklava on my birthday)! Food is incredible, with lots of options for vegans and vegetarians but great meat and fish dishes as well. The tapas/mezze gives you so much choice and allows you to choose a bit of everything. It's also a gorgeous building with a lot of history - built in the 1400s if I remember rightly? This place is absolutely one of my favourite restaurants.

Amazing food, lamb tagine was one of the best meals I've had for a long time!

Amazing all round!! Been a few times now and has been very good every time! Especially nice the staff are still there!! Shows it is a good place to be ! Both customers and staff!!

Food was over cooked and to dry.very disappointed?

The staff were amazing, the vibe was wonderful and the food delicious 🤤

Had an amazing meal at this place. Food is delicious and the decor is absolutely gorgeous. Slightly on the pricier side but totally worth it.

Very good place to eat .. food is great ..would recommend trying them