Harden's survey result
Summary
“Still going strong (after all these 25 years)… the only downside is that it can feel noisy when full” – that’s long been the classic view on Sam and Sam Clark’s “old favourite” on Exmouth Market, where an “interesting range of tasty”, “Spanish/Moorish-influenced dishes” are provided alongside an “oenological tour of Spain” from the extensive Iberian wine list (which has an “exciting selection of wines by the glass”). Its ratings have been drifting south, however, over a period of years, due to the minority who “really want to like it, but find the food lacking punch” nowadays. Top Tip – “on a weekday, at lunchtimes, Moro sets up a stall in the street outside the restaurant, and sells tagine with couscous to take away: some of the best street food in the UK!”
Summary
“A firm favourite for years” – Sam & Sam Clark’s Exmouth Market stalwart helped put the area on London’s foodie map and maintains a huge fan club with its “vibrant” and “deliciously spiced” Spanish and Moroccan influenced dishes, “alongside an excellent list of Spanish wines and sherries!” That there’s “nothing poncy about the place” is much of its enduring appeal, although “what with all those hard surfaces, it’s always a bit noisy” (sometimes deafeningly so). There is a small minority who feel the experience here is “not quite what it was” in days gone by. Even they can feel it’s “still worth patronising”, though, and most reporters would go much further – “Every time I go, I vow to go more often!”
Summary
“Still going strong twenty years on…”, “still stylish…”, “still needing acoustic engineering…!” – Samuel & Samantha Clark’s “unflashy” Exmouth Market legend has maintained an enormous loyal fanclub over the years. The draw is its “consistently excellent cooking, with distinctive Spanish and North African flavours” (“so fresh and vibrant”); plus “a great list of sherries and wines”, all delivered in a “relaxed and buzzy” (“always noisy”) setting. But, for a growing minority of regulars, it’s “not always as good as yesteryear”: service “if well-meaning is sometimes patchy”; and “though the old-favourite dishes are still cracked out with aplomb, they’re not as adventurous as they once seemed”. Such reservations tend to be quibbles, rather than full-on complaints, however, and the overall consensus is that it’s “still a real favourite!”
Summary
“Still going strong twenty years on…”, “still stylish…”, “still needing acoustic engineering…!” – Samuel & Samantha Clark’s “unflashy” Exmouth Market legend has maintained an enormous loyal fanclub over the years. The draw is its “consistently excellent cooking, with distinctive Spanish and North African flavours” (“so fresh and vibrant”); plus “a great list of sherries and wines”, all delivered in a “relaxed and buzzy” (“always noisy”) setting. But, for a growing minority of regulars, it’s “not always as good as yesteryear”: service “if well-meaning is sometimes patchy”; and “though the old-favourite dishes are still cracked out with aplomb, they’re not as adventurous as they once seemed”. Such reservations tend to be quibbles, rather than full-on complaints, however, and the overall consensus is that it’s “still a real favourite!”
For 32 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Moro?
Restaurant details
Moro Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Great seasonal menu. Excellent Spanish wine list and always relaxed but efficient service. "
"4 of us for Sunday lunch. Excellent wine recommendations from the waitress at several stages (very interesting sparkling wine for example). Chestnut and chorizo soup was absolutely stunning; braised lamb shoulder with lentils, Savoy cabbage and anchovy & paprika butter very satisfying but not quite as wonderful. Cheeses solid. Ambience was dragged down by what was obviously a very large family get together which took up nearly half the restaurant and within which they’d parked half a dozen young children on their own table, largely unsupervised! "
"Excellent launch of new book recipes"
"Have to admit to being rather disappointed with the food - the rabbit starter was exceptionally garlicy (and I love garlic!) so it felt it took away the taste of the rabbit. My main included 'wrinkly potatoes with mojo'. This again is a favourite of mine from the Canary Islands but boy were they SALTY!! Too much. The worst aspect was the noisy restaurant - we left before coffee etc as we were struggling to hold a conversation against all the background noise from other diners. A real shame."
"I really wanted to like Moro and the service was the best I have ever experienced. Unfortunately the food was on the whole quite ordinary with a lack of punch to the dishes."
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £32.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 12.50% |
34-36 Exmouth Mkt, London, EC1R 4QE
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 5:15 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 5:15 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 5:15 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 5:15 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 5:15 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2:15 pm, 5:15 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑3 pm |
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