Al Fassia

We visited Windsor for a bicycle tour of the city last week and wanted to experience a meal at a local fixture rather than on the high street. Al Fassia piqued my interest: it is awash with positive reviews online and I am already an aficionado of Moroccan gastronomy. My boyfriend took a bit of cajoling, but the decision was ultimately mine and I was confident that he could be persuaded by a authentic tagine .
We made a reservation, but the dining room appeared to be very quiet when we arrived. Upon first glance through the window, Al Fassia appeared to be slightly more upmarket than what we anticipated and we felt self-​conscious because we had spent the afternoon cycling and were laden with our bags. Too exhausted to reconsider our options, we committed ourselves and were warmly greeted as soon as we passed through the door. Our table was waiting for us, adjacent to the front window and offering ample space. There was a dish of plump olives on the table and service was attentive and swift without being brash. The drinks menu offered Moroccan beers and wines and the food was comprehensively presented with a decent selection of meats, fish and vegetarian options. Other diners were enthusiastically greeted as they walked into the restaurant; many of them were evidently regular faces to the owners and staff. Our waiter was gregarious and asked whether we were local or visiting Windsor and what we had seen in the city.
I had the Al Fassia salad to start, the house selection of dips that featured zaalouk, taktouka, carrots, mangoub, salsa and houmous served with pitta bread. There is an option to order it as a single serving or as a sharing platter, but the individual size is very generous and I was satisfied that I had a good sample of each of the flavours. The houmous arrived as the largest serving and was creamy and well-​balanced, avoided being greasy or overpowered by garlic tones. I particularly enjoyed the zaalouk and zesty taktouka. My boyfriend opted for the mergas– a plate of thin, spicy Moroccan sausages– and he devoured these without complaint. For our main courses, we flipped between the tagines and the grilled dishes, but both settled on the former after some deliberation. My boyfriend felt vindicated when he ordered the lamb tagine with sweet onions and raisins because he was advised that it was the waiter’s favourite dish on the menu. I picked the chicken tagine with vegetables. Each tagine came with either steamed couscous or saffron rice, so we ordered one of each to divide between us.
The main courses were magnificent, each coming out in a individual portion-​sized tagine which allowed the waiter to lift the lid and reveal the contents inside with some bombast. The sweet and earthy smells of the spices immediately hit our noses and we greedily dug in– my chicken was tender, plump and flavoursome and my boyfriend’s lamb fell from the bone with a feather light touch. My tagine consisted of quartered potatoes, vibrant wedges of red bell peppers, carrots and a medley of finely chopped assorted vegetables alongside a good helping of chicken. My boyfriend’s lamb was dressed in a mound of softened sweet onions and juicy raisins and he was converted from his first mouthful– he was skeptical of the balance of sweet and savory in principle, but savored it in execution.
The main dishes were generously portioned and I was unable to finish my couscous after making a greedy start on my tagine, so we declined the offer of a dessert menu. We left Al Fassia feeling gratified; the food was wholesome, yet refined, and the service was impeccable. By the time we left, the restaurant had filled up, indicating that the locals were already in the know.
This is a lovely find in Windsor and I would ardently recommend it to anyone looking for fantastic value and a filling meal in a warm, professional and intimate setting.

I can’t praise this restaurant enough. Food was delicious. Service was accommodating. Price was a steal! Try the Moroccan wines which are surprisingly excellent.
Sardine starter was a revelation. I loved my chicken tangine with preserved lemon. We had the bastille de glacé for desert… the perfect ending to the meal.
I understand it is family owned and run. It shows in the food and welcoming atmosphere. Definitely will be going back soon!

The Moroccan dishes offered up here are much more than the usual tagines and couscous dishes that you often see, and are very well done. We had a selection of salads to start, all very nice, and a small bastilla (chicken with sugar and cinnamon in phyllo) that was excellent. For the mains, we had three tagines (not my choice…) and they were all pretty good, but one in particular stood out – chicken with lemon. The chicken was very tender yet still moist, and the sour lemon contrasted nicely with the meat. We did not order any dessert, but we were given mint tea that was far superior to the usual mint tea you find in typical restaurants. A great choice for a night out in Windsor.

We arrived around 19.00 on a Saturday, it was pretty empty. Mid week I would expect this but on a Saturday, it didn’t strike me as a good sign. That said, our waitress was very nice and we had good service through out.
My starter was a lovely mix of different Moroccan items with pitta bread. You can never go wrong with home made humous, very tasty.
My main was a chicken tagine. It was tasty, but nothing I felt I couldn’t recreate at home.
My partner had the Al Fasia cous cous, and a sausage starter. He said it was ok, but again nothing special.
Overall it was a good evening and worth a try, but I won’t be heading back. Oh and tip, avoid the rosé, it’s very bland.
Lots more Windsor restaurants to try.

TL: DR version — OK food for an OK price, nothing remarkable enough to make me want to come back.
Moroccan cuisine hasn’t really been on my radar but with the opportunity to have dinner in Windsor we turned to Unilocal and thought this looked interesting enough to give it a try. We arrived early (according to me it was early, Izy disputed this but I’m always right as was the case here) At around 7pm and we were the only people in the restaurant.
The interior is quite homely, we has passed a new Moroccan restaurant on our walk down Peascod Street to get here which looked a lot more modern. Upon arrival here I felt the setting seemed much more authentic for a Moroccan restaurant (note: actual number of restaurants I’ve visited in Morocco = 0). There is nothing flash about it, but the carved wooden door and friezes along the walls coupled with the traditional Moroccan music playing in the background created a nice ambiance.
The menu choices were quite varied, with a decent selection for vegetarians as well. I started with Mergas, billed as Moroccan spicy sausage with salad and pitta bread. The sausage was good although I thought it was a bit over priced at £6.95, Izy chose the Al Fassia salad which tasted good and seemed better value to me.
For main I chose Couscous Al Fassia, this was my biggest let down of the meal. The lamb was good but the chicken was plain and worse still rather dry. I’m never normally one to leave food on my plate but the dry chicken defeated me. As a signature dish I was really hoping for more. I thought Izy’s chicken maghdour was better but likewise she wasn’t blown away.
Our meal with a bottle of light and delicate rose wine (read that as bland and lacking flavour) totalled £60. We left not disappointed, just indifferent towards the idea of going back. It was about 9pm when we left (no longer early ;) and the restaurant was almost full.

Oh, so good! Service was very friendly and the food was yummy! If I ever get back to Windsor (and I plan on it), I will be hitting Al Fassia up again. Wish I could transport myself across the pond to eat here once in a while.
Was a nice option and an easy walk from the train station where we arrived from London for the day. If you are a tourist like myself and my husband and here to see Windsor Castle and have never had Moroccan food, I definitely recommend it.

Absolutely one of my favourite restaurants in Windsor. I try to go there a few times a year, but I recommend you book as it can get busy especially in the summer when it is warm (they have a massive front window that they open to cool the ground floor). Also, if you have a good sized group, I recommend the round seating area upstairs.

Probably one of the best restaurants in Windsor. Eaten here quite a few times. Décor may not be to everybody’s taste, but food has been very good each time I’ve been, highly recommend trying it if you like Moroccan food.

Small restaurant with outdated décor. Staff were friendly but could have been more attentive. We had to wait a while to order more drinks. For starters I had the mixed savoury pastries. They were similar to Indian Samosas. However the filling were saturated with oil so they were very greasy, I don’t think they sealed the pastry well or should use higher heat and less frying time. My wife tried the spicy beef sausages which were nice.
For Main I had the Lamb tagine which was very nice and pleasnt with mellow flavours. The veg had soaked up the juices so were nice too. My wife had the Chicken skewers which were OK, nothing special. Overall an average restaurant, a little different as there not many middle eastern/​north african restaurants around here. Worth a try but i won’t be going back.

slightly scary waitress (not terribly tolerant of our procrastination over the menu but it was a very busy friday night– and she did get much more friendly and relaxed at the end of the night when we were the last in the restaurant and ended up sharing a drink with the owner and other staff)
but other that that a WONDERFUL restaurant.
I have traveled in morocco and all i can say is that the food is authentic, but even more delicious than i remember!
Very small, so always book in advance.