Le Rif in Islington

06/10/2024 **A Fantastic Moroccan Food Experience – Surpassed Expectations!** We were initially a bit skeptical about going to Le Rif Café & Restaurant after reading some old reviews, but we’re so glad we gave it a chance! The staff were honestly kind, welcoming, and made us feel comfortable throughout the meal. In fact, they bought back a Moroccan cook to fulfil the complaints! We had the chicken tagine and vegetable tagine, both bursting with flavour and cooked to perfection. The dishes came with extra slices of fresh bread to soak up all the delicious sauce. The Moroccan tea was the perfect, refreshing finish to the meal. The experience completely exceeded our expectations! The staff are genuine and the food is amazing—authentic, flavourful Moroccan dishes that you won’t want to miss. If you’re looking for great Moroccan food and wonderful service, Le Rif is definitely worth a visit. We’ll be back for sure!

1- if you want to run a restaurant in the UK, have a BASIC grasp of English 2 -any women visiting will feel in a distinct minority. Despite that the place is virtually deserted, the 3 or 4 customers are shuffling men - no female presence anywhere 3 - at least know your menu. A request for the most basic dish resulted in much head-scratching, bespectacled poring over the menu before confused shuffling into the ‘kitchen’. The food -to be honest who cares. If anyone decides they want to enjoy Moroccan/N African cuisine ..just go somewhere else. PLEASE !!!!!! The harira- worm and passable The couscous - dry as the Sahara, (asked for extra sauce - maybe I was speaking Martian. They didn’t have a clue. Lamb- big mistake; huge! as tough as a Doc Marten and the general taste ..,ever sucked your grandfather’s slippers? A lump of warm squash, a lump of tepid carrot - blurrgghhh! It’s an under-populated social club for N African men - NOT - by any stretch of the imagination, a restaurant. They’ve tarnished my love of N African food and I’ll NEVER return. Just awful!!!!! I’m so hacked off with this dump that I don’t care if they don’t cancel my bill. I’d rather eat my own (fill in the blank as you see fit).

Really enjoyed it Great green chilli sauce VERY Friendly service ,,!

I used to come here regularly. I visited today for the first time in many years. Reading other recent reviews (and noticing it was different) it seems it changed hands recently. However, the food remains just as good. We had the lamb tagine, and chicken tagine. They were served quickly with a pot of chilli sauce and a generous plate of bread. We both very much enjoyed our meal and felt it was good value! The chef was very friendly and helpful. Unfortunately they were out of certain items but he offered alternatives. The service from the waiting staff was lacking, but not enough to make it a bad experience. The atmosphere was a bit empty when we arrived, but once they put on some music it improved. I feel the recent flurry of 1 star reviews comes from people being disappointed that this restaurant isn't what it was. This doesn't seem a fair reflection of the main point of a restaurant: the food! So my 4 stars comes from the fact they served delicious food for a good price! Don't expect bells and whistles. Come here simply to enjoy a meal.

I went expecting moroccan food , turns out it become Somalien restaurant , i had couscous but not the same as moroccan, such disappointment

CHANGED HANDS - no longer Moroccan. The new staff didn't seem to even know how to take orders. We left. What a shame! We loved eating here, even a few months ago.

They used to be so good. I think they changed owners, cause this is not the "Le riff" that I have knowing for years. Today we get there at 7, nobody gave us any menu or even realized we where there for at least 10 minutes. Finally when they saw, the man on the front sent a woman from the kitchen, and she told Us that they don't have a menu, only rice or "leftovers". That there wasn't anything. They are selling Costco muffins, wich never happened on the past. This was a jewel and now I don't think I will ever comeback. I don't even think the food is Moroccan anymore. Was such a disappointed since we always traveled 50 mins specially to eat in this place.

I think the recent reviews sum up the direction this restaurant has taken. I visited Le Rif early last year and was very pleased with the food, service, and atmosphere. I returned this afternoon with friends, hoping for some Moroccan tea and rghaif, but was left disappointed. It’s clear that Le Rif is now under new management and has switched to Somali cuisine, but this change hasn’t been communicated at all. The décor remains Moroccan, the signage outside still advertises Moroccan food, and the online information continues to market the restaurant as Moroccan. Despite the confusion, we decided to stay for tea and samosas, but neither were satisfactory. The ‘spiced tea’ was simply a tea bag in lukewarm milk with no spices, and the samosas were undercooked. Although the staff were friendly, they seemed unsure when answering questions about the menu. There were no printed menus available, so it wasn’t clear how to order or what the prices were, which could lead to issues. The glass display had very few options, which is why we just had tea and samosas. It was clear that most customers were expecting Moroccan cuisine, and I can understand how disappointed they must have felt, especially those who might have travelled some distance. If this is a new venture, they urgently need to update their branding, change the restaurant’s name, and improve the cleanliness—it wasn’t hygienic, with sticky tables and crumbs on the chairs. I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt as a new business, but unless changes are made soon, their reputation will likely suffer.

We thought we were at a Moroccan restaurant. It turned out to be under new management, They weren't open about this, told us to read the reviews, and didn't serve us what we had ordered, but instead the nearest approximation with, randomly, a banana (for the first course, along with broth, not vegetarian, and chapatis). The vegetable tagine was not tasty. On ordering a mint tea, I was served a Somali chai-type drink (nice, but not what I had ordered). When we arrived the place was full of customers drinking tea. When they all left, we were the only people eating. It felt chaotic, and I can't recommend the place as it is. I hope when they get the new menus printed they will find their feet as a restaurant. If not I don't think they will last as a going concern.

Not a moroccan restaurant anymore, changed management recently apparently. There is no menu, no customer service, rude and unwelcoming staff. Avoid.

I’ve been to this Maroccan restaurant many times and I loved it and loved the staff! I was shocked to arrive and find a rude Somalian woman who told me there is no menu but they still serve “Mediterranean food” when I asked her why there is no menu and the sign outside still say Maroccan restaurant she asked me “ are you Maroccan”? So rude! Such a shame this amazing and authentic place has changed management

I travelled long way to visit this restaurant. I was looking for to taste a nice north African cuisine. This restaurant is not Moroccan cuisine anymore it looks like but Somalian. I have the feeling that is under new management in transition to Somali cuisine. What a disappointment.

Fraudulent business. Apparently, our bank card was charged 2 days ago for £350 and £1980 by them! Then, when I locked the card within minutes, they tried to charge our card again for another £1658, but this time it was declined. These are fraudulent criminals stealing people’s credit cards and putting through their business. The police will be informed shortly!

Really enjoyed my lunch today 👌

Google doesn't take suggested changes without photos. For anyone tempted to come here (like we were, based on mouth to ear recommendations), beware that the management and the cuisine has changed - it is now (since July 13 2024) a Somali restaurant, which will hopefully be reflected in new menus and website (what name they will go by I don't know). Assume it will still be non licensed (didn't ask about BYOB). The food is delicious. The service, will hopefully be sorted in due time.

Came here on recommendation from Google Reviews and it was not good. The food was very basic and the atmosphere cold as the wide windows were open and the door as well. They pandered to the coffee drinkers out front somoking their cigarettes and their smoke blew in my direction. Ordered a lamb tagine which was bland and paid shockingly £14 for this below par dish and mint tea in a small cup £2.50. The toilets were atrocious in the way it was built and unclean generally. (Dusty sideboards, floor and sink.)

What an amazing place. Food is delicious, staff is friendly and prices are reasonable. Loved it.

We passed by accidentally and decided to stop for a meal. That was an excellent decision as the food was delicious and affordable, the service was a joy and the general atmosphere very pleasant. The menu offers a rich variety so we are definitely going to be back

Very authentic moroccan food. Very fresh and tasteful. Reasonably priced and good value for money. A gem of North Africa in London. Highly recommend

This is one of the best Moroccan restaurant in whole uk very tasty food fresh food very friendly owners i will come back soon

We ordered a chicken and a lamb tagine. The meat on both was juicy and just fell off the bone. Lots of tumeric and spices running through the meat. The portions were very generous and prices were reasonable. Some of the best lamb I've had in a long time. Pleasant interior with nice lamps adorning the ceiling . A short walk from Finsbury park station. Recommended

Food was OK but very small portion for the price hardly any beef with my meal. Also I told them I do not want to pay service charge after they added £7/8 without permission so the white waiter lady said it will be adjusted and came back after saying they have removed the service charge for me to see my bank balance after that they still charged an extra £2 after saying no to service charge. My bill was £32.40 they charged me £34.40 so the filthy scammer girl still charged me £2.40 extra without permission. THEY ARE THIEVES AVOID AT ALL COSTS. £2.50 for a can of coke when you can go next door and get it for 50p/£1 THE PLACE IS A RIP OFF.

Lovely Moroccan restaurant with nice food (tagine with prunes in are delicious) and reasonably priced - people are having birthday parties and such there! One of our friends favourite neighbourhood restaurants 👍

Love this place! Staff are all really lovely, service is great. Haven’t been for food yet but always go for atay (mint tea) and sweets and we LOVE it. Also the msemen with butter and honey wowww delicious!! Everything is so fresh and delicious. I need to go for dinner soon though because the menu is amazing and has so many great dishes on it. Will update the review but for now it’s a 5/5 and I’m almost certain it’ll stay that way.

Beef couscous very good and light. The girl who served us was very kind. Super moderate prices for being in London and above all for the quantities offered, very generous Recommended, we will be back

It was my first time visiting this amazing spot and I am definitely coming back The service was 10/10 the staff is so amazing and welcoming , I have finally found somewhere to come and enjoy my Moroccan mint tea and will definitely be trying the different dishes . 🩵🩵

A traditional restaurant that's both pleasant and welcoming with nice authentic food and great service.

Authentic Moroccan cuisine, which was so tasty and offered at an affordable price! I tasted the soup, the meatball tagine, and Moroccan delight, and they were delicious. Everything my group of friends ordered was amazing. This restaurant also offers tasty Algerian specialities. Also the staff is really welcoming and the service was great for a busy ramadan iftar. If you are looking for proper tasty Moroccan & Algerian cuisine in London, I strongly recommend this place !

The food was 100% authentically Moroccan tasting. I had the chicken tagine and it tasted just like home. The borek pastry was lovely as well as the Moroccan soup. The tea was on point, sweets and Moroccan milkshakes , smoothies and pancakes. The setting is like an old school Moroccan cafe with the focus on the food and drink. My friends had the meatball and lamb tagine and all said how authentic it was. Will definitely go back.

Very good ! Very good quality/price ratio! We spent a week in London and our rental was just a few minutes' walk from this restaurant. I went to eat there 3 times in a week, I loved it so much! The fact that the restaurant is open until 11 p.m. (maybe because of Ramadan) is very practical. You can also take away if you wish. I highly recommend this restaurant, you will eat tasty dishes there!

Just had Moroccan tea and sweets, amazing place to chill. Shout out my Moroccan brothers. I sat on my own.

Traveled a long way for some authentic moroccan food and was not disappointed. I was sat down straight away. The staff were lovely. The place was very busy as it was iftar (time to break fast). I was served quickly and the food was amazing. Authentic moroccan food! I had chicken tagine then some mint tea and moroccan sweet biscuits. All delicious, all 10/10.

Great local spot, really balanced and delicious tagine (from a person who's usually not mad on the concept)

The service is great! The waiters are very enthusiastic! Will heat your drinks The food is also exquisite and delicious

Amazing - one of the best in London

We went to this place for dinner tonight and the food was absolutely delicious! We ordered the chicken and lamb tagine, the hummus and also took away some of the traditional desserts they served at the counter! The service was also incredible. 10/10! ❤️🇲🇦

The food is so tasty! And the staff are so friendly. The place feels very Moroccan and authentic. My favourite dish there is the chicken Tajin. I also tried the meatballs and it was good!

Fab local place everyone is lovely in there and the food is great :)

My favourite morrocan restaurant in London, I haven't been to one that compares.

Incredible value for money - delicious!

Honestly the restaurant staff is very lovely. We felt welcomed, and the restaurant very kindly offered us complementary green mint tea and dessert as we ordered these.

Really good moroccan dishes,pretty place,big portions,and nice customer service Greetings from Budapest🇭🇺🤗

Incredibly delicious food at really fair prices. We shared starters as a group then each had a tagine. Every single one was so delicious - and not too heavy. Highly recommend the fish tagine. Great find!

Six of us dined here yesterday. We had a few of the starters to share and then all had tagines and couscous. The whole group was really impressed with the food and attentive service. The mint tea was lovely too.

Delicious authentic moroccan food with wonderful staff. Dessert and mint tea were delicious too. Great value for money. Will be returning for sure

We ordered chicken tagine, lamb tagine, beef tagine and steamed coucous. Meat was all tender and flavourful. Even the hot bread that came with the tagine were nice. Delicious and very reasonably priced.

One of the best restaurants in its kind. We had a great experience by the staff and the owner our first time there, we were passing by to go to the Emirates Stadium to watch Arsenal game as we passed by Le RIF the smell of the amazing food was coming out the door :) so there was no way we weren’t gonna stop and have some of the most delicious Mediterranean food. Everything was spot on from start to finish The welcoming, the service, and the most important thing the FOOD was beyond our expectations. I just wanted to say thank you for your hospitality and amazing service, I will definitely be back again when we visit the emirates stadium again. Well recommended and must visit place. Regards Bobby

Delicious food, welcoming people.

Lovely restaurant, great food reasonably priced, friendly helpful staff and really nicely decked out inside. Would defo recommend!

We ordered food to feed 20 people for NYE, the tagines were delicious!! The le Rif team really kindly gave us huge portions and loads of extras. We were so pleased with the service and would highly recommend if you're feeding a big group. Thank you le Rif!

Absolutely delicious food... felt like I was at my friend's mums house easting her fine home cooked cuisine... very reasonably priced... Great customer service... defo recommended...

Delicious and cheap ! Thanks for the tea.

Excellente adresse cuisine goûteuse et généreuse, accueil au top, je le recommande vivement.

I've been coming here for a few years now, and the food and service has always been impeccable! Every person, friends and family that I've taken here has loved it and gone on their own accord after the fact. The variety of the menu means that there's something for everyone. The staff are attentive and extremely welcoming. Overall one of my favourite places to eat in London with fantastic pricing for the quality of the food and entire experience. 10/10!

One of the places to get Moroccan food in north London, very friendly staff and great prices

Beautiful delicious food with a lovely host ! Will definitely come back !

Visited tonight 25th November 2023. Warm welcome from the friendly staff. Starter: Hummus platter £5.95 Mains: Meatball Tagine ( with backed eggs) £11.50 & Beef couscous £10.50 Drinks: Moroccan Mint Tea ( medium) £6.00 The food was first class, amply portions, freshly made and pipping hot. The atmosphere was warm and relaxed. Highly recommended. Thank you for a lovely meal and experience. Mike & Helena

Very noce place and the food was amazing. The food portions are too large for 1 person. It was very good specially the couscous. I would definitely go again.

The food and service was great! I'll definitely be going back

Good food, great value for money

We ordered Couscous Lamb with vegetables, Lamb Tagine with prunes, and Harira soup. The soup is not something special, but I liked it as it was very delicious. Couscous is something I will try again. Its meat was well-cooked and the portion was big enough. I didn't like the Lamb Tagine prunes as i generally don't like sweet foods. All of these cost £30. Reasonable price for two people.

Very delicious food, good vibes, host is very welcoming! Definitely recommend

Great cozy atmosphere and the staffs are welcoming and friendly.

Clearly labelled vegan options! Multiple tagines to choose from, authentic and flavourful starters, and delicious Moroccan mint tea. Very friendly service and clearly loved by locals. Food came out quick. We were so happy to stumble upon this place and will definitely be back.

Le bon régal , menu excellent.très savoureux.bon appétit.

Very good and tasty food, staff super fast and really quiet environment. First time for me at a Moroccan restaurant. I enjoyed all dishes and the staff was really friendly too ✨

Food was goooood Service amazing. They were so kind and welcoming. Highly recommended! Prices were affordable as well :)

Amazing food (the lamb and prune tajine is to die for), amazing service and super friendly staff!

We had very good food and the service was fast and professional. I will come back 100%

All the food was delicious, loved the mixed veggie tagine!

As good as people say. Delicious food, friendly staff. It’s a late night cafe and not really a restaurant, but I like that. The regular customers are always coming in and out to say hi to the owners. Relaxed surroundings.

Delicious food especially the beef tagine with veg is my fav , this is the fourth time visiting this place so far and it’s been always 👍 I would highly recommend this place great food and very nice customer service Especially from majid

Delicious but not authentic- ‘why?’ You wonder- I’ll tell you why- there’s no way you get food this good in restaurants in Morocco- you have to go to family’s house to eat food this good and taste the love

Three of us went there for drinks on the blistering hot Saturday during the heatwave. We ordered drinks, sat at a small table outside while talking with our drinks (freshly squeezed juices) for a couple of hours. This was spoiled when the head waiter made us feel that we had out stayed our welcome by making up a ridiculous excuse about needing our small table (that could only seat 3 people) for a party of 8 he said that he was expecting. The place was almost empty with only a few outside and noone sat inside. Why? I will NEVER go there again and will tell everyone about my disappointing experience there.

Took my son here and had such a lovely time! Friendly service, amazing food and great atmosphere! Thanks for a great night 😃

Des plats délicieux, un couscous au poulet savoureux, un sandwich merguez comme au pays, bref allez y les yeux fermés. En plus, un accueil très chaleureux et un décor cozy. Nous y reviendrons avec plaisir.

We unfortunately turned up during staff holidays, so the full menu wasn't available, but we had an excellent meal nonetheless. The wraps were tasty, coffee delicious, ingredients fresh, and the staff charming and helpful. Hope to come back and try some more dishes soon.

Algerian restaurent, serving blend couscous under “moroccan food” all the team is Algerian. 1 item to choose on the moroccan menu “ chicken couscous” with a curry flavour! I won’t deny it, the service was nice, very friendly welcoming staff! but I went there for the food not for the service only! I m really disappointed, I was at least expecting to be in a real Moroccan restaurent! No offend to the owners but please be more specific about the origine of the food you are serving people!

Cannot say enough how good customer service is! Food was also really good and reasonably priced. Would definitely recommend you try it, I’m certainly coming back

mixed veg plate was delicious (vegan friendly too) - highly recommend for beautiful, unfussy moroccan food x

It is rather rare to find tasty Moroccan food in London, so Le Rif changes the game completely. Welcoming, homely but most importantly delicious food cooked by passionate people!

Food was excellent and authentic. I shared a lamb tagine and a royal couscous as main, and I tried morrocan bread with honey and butter as dessert. The portions were pretty big, the price ridiculously low for London standard. The guys working there were friendly and the service was good. Very good surprise, highly recommended if you wanna try north African cuisine in north London

On seven sisters road there are many restaurants. Not many seemed inviting to a woman travelling alone, except Le Rif. It was cosy, inexpensive, the food was delicious, it arrived reasonably quickly and it felt safe and welcoming.

This place is banging. Get the chicken tagine with chips, grilled aubergine and the cheese and spinach pancake thing. It’s nice to sit outside to get a humble and gritty dining experience on Seven Sisters Road. They don’t automatically tip- so makesure you do separately - they will happily accept no service! Food is straight up delicious- best Moroccan food in London a family member has said (who is Moroccan). Also dine in - don’t take away- food doesn’t travel as well in my opinion.

Probably the best meal I’ve ever had in London. Best quality and so cheap!!

Loved the lamb tagine with prunes

As a fussy foodie, I have to say "This is legit!!!" Amazing lamb couscous and tagine beef 😍😍,soft, juicy and full of flavours😋😋 Best traditional Moroccan food ever!Staffs are really friendly as well. Whoever read this review, please come and try, you won't disappointed 😉

Freshly cooked delicious comfort food. Great and attentive service in a casual atmosphere. You won't be disappointed.

Had a wonderful meal here. The chicken tagine was really tasty and very resaonably priced. Staff were lovely; really friendly.

I have recently had lunch there with a friend and the food was excellent. I have had a couscous royal and my friend a chicken tajin and was agreeably surprised by the quality and the generous quantity without forgetting to mention the authentic homemade taste. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a proper Moroccan restaurant!!

Amazing and authentic food! The staff is kind and caring and it's extremely cheap!

Good honest tasty Moroccan food at affordable prices. Lentils, soup, bread, tagine, lamb to satisfy your soul.

At Le Rif, the fresh and tasty Moroccan cuisine, excellent service, and authentic ambiance never disappoint! The food is consistently delicious and the prices are very reasonable. I can't fault this place - highly recommended!

Amazing people, amazing food and amazing service.

Authentic Moroccan food and atmosphere. Great food for a fair price. The lamb tagine was excellent. Highly recommended

I recently checked out this cool Moroccan restaurant, and wow, it was awesome! Their lamb tagine with prunes was super tasty – the tender meat and sweet fruit were a winning combo. The best part, though, was the top-notch customer service. The staff were super friendly and made me feel right at home. If you're looking for some legit Moroccan food and a chill atmosphere, you've gotta give this place a try!

Excellent vegetarian tagine. Aromatic and full of favour. It’s because of places like this that I love London

One of my favourite places to eat in London. Le rif is totally unassuming, the food is absolutely incredible and the people who work there are so hospitable and lovely. Brilliant restaurant!

Delicious affordable Moroccan food with generous portions. We tried loads of different options from the menu and were impressed with every single one. The service was efficient and friendly, all for under £20 a head

Went for dinner recently as I was crazing Moroccan food. Really authentic and delicious food. The staff were super accommodating and really lovely. Will definitely be visiting again!