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
"Highs and lows as per our previous visit 5 years ago. Bread and starters, girolles (on toast-why?) and chicken livers with cherries, were great, lamb main was beautifully tender perfectly cooked but no flavour except too much salt and paprika, tomato sauce across the grain accompaniment was strong and bitter, the yoghourt sauce on the potatas bravas was vinegary with unpleasant shiny texture. The cookery book recipes (first one), which we use regularly, are better than the restaurant. Ambience was a bit rushed and noisy, feels like a lot going on but no particular focus on the customer.It's a shame, we really love the idea of Moro but not the reality."
"Great seasonal menu. Excellent Spanish wine list and always relaxed but efficient service. "
"Reliably exquisite & creative Mediterranean cuisine by Sam & Sam & team. Special Menu offering of a Truffle Sunday Lunch was a delicious experience. Regrettably, I always find the noise level somewhat difficult for easy conversational sharing alongside the very pleasurable gastronomic experience - thus my relatively low rating for 'ambiance'. "
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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