Argana Tree Restaurant

We had dinner for the fourth time at The Argana Tree Restaurant. It is really a hit and miss. Tonight it was a miss. It is clear that this is not a professional chef in the kitchen and that says it all. It is a heroic attempt to put together a Moroccan menu (with a Greek bent to it.)but the efforts fell short on all counts: Presentation, flavor and actual ingredients and disproportionate high prices ($ 18.00 for a 6 piece «grilled «octopus).
Tonight the Argana Tree Restaurant was removed from my iPhone contact list.

4^th time here it is great! Tasty food great prices. Superior service.
Try the beet salad, chicken pastilla and kebabs. You won’t be disappointed. And it’s a BYOB!

We recently ate at Argana Tree Restaurant for the second time. The first time was just two weeks earlier with a group of eight, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. This time we were six and we were looking forward to another very enjoyable meal and had planned to write a great review of this restaurant.
On our first visit the food and service were very good and this second visit started out the same; the waitress was friendly, the service was good and the appetizers were delicious. But problems began with the serving of our entrées.
Two of us ordered lamb chops and were served first. We waited at least three more minutes before the next two entrées (salmon) were served. A chicken entrée was served next (within a minute or so), but our last entrée (scallops with risotto) remained un-​served. One couple was planning to share the scallop and the salmon entrées, so they began eating the salmon while waiting for the scallops.
After some time, we asked our server about the missing scallop entrée. She apologized profusely and said there was an accident in the kitchen and the dish had to be remade. It’s understandable that accidents happen, but she should have told us right away.
The scallop entrée was finally served after we had all finished our meals; in fact, they were starting to clear the table. We complained that this was unacceptable, and we got another round of profuse apologies from the server. Apologies are fine, but we suggested that they might consider doing something to compensate us for the poor service. However, there was no offer of anything such as free desert or coffee, and when we received the check; they hadn’t removed the late entrée from the bill. I should also note that the scallop entrée was one of the specials, and for $ 30 included only three medium-​sized scallops.
We asked our server if we could speak to the manager, but she told us she was acting as the manager since the owner was also the chef and was too busy to come out of the kitchen. We asked why she didn’t at least remove the late entrée from the check, and she said she didn’t have the authority to do that. We told her that we were very unhappy with this experience and would probably never return. We also said that we had already brought a total of ten other customers to Argana who would also never return. She just kind-​of shrugged. We then gave her a card with our phone number and she said she’d have the owner give us a call. It has now been two weeks and the owner never called.
After our first visit, we thought we had found our new «go to» restaurant, but – very unfortunately – we don’t plan on ever returning.

My wife and I like Mediterranean food when we can find it.
I had scallops and risotto. My wife had chicken pastina. For dessert, we shared ekme, which was a Moroccan bread pudding with clotted cream.
It was all very delicious but a bit outside of our normal price range.

We went here for a friends birthday– party of 12.
The restaurant had two doors as the entrance. We were sat next to the door and the first entrance door was propped open (it was broken) so every time someone entered/​left– a cold burst of air came in. We were unable to change seats but they tried to accommodate us with warm water and tea.
Food: Appetizer– octopus was soft and there was a generous amount but it was $ 18. The zaalouk & taktouka was really good. The hummus was also good too.
Entrée– I had the paella — it was really «mushy” — jambalaya like. I didn’t really enjoy it. They were generous with the shrimp though. My boyfriend had the branzino and he thought it was okay, nothing special.
There’s a couple parking spots up front. There’s street parking and a parking lot across the street– pay at a kiosk.

It’s worth trying this place out simply because the food is delicious. I’ve had various renditions of Mediterranean food and was impressed. For lunch I had the kefta kebobs, which was juicy and well spiced with a generous salad and flavorful yogurt sauce accompanying them. The Tall Man got the chicken pastilla, a Moroccan savory pastry stuffed with shredded chicken flavored heavily with cinnamon. So good. He also got a Turkish coffee, which was quite velvety.
The prices, though, are a bit expensive, especially for lunch (in the high teens/​low twenties). We weren’t expecting to spend so much on our meal, so this might be more of a place of occasion. That might also contribute to the fact that there weren’t very many people there on a Sunday at lunch, which is usually a prime time for going out.
The atmosphere is also a bit odd although the space is large and richly decorated. We weren’t even sure if the restaurant was open since the lights were off, but the door opened when we tried it. A family was sitting at a back corner table talking, but they all immediately got up when we entered and someone showed us to a table. Despite this initial awkwardness, the service was quick and pleasant.

Small amazing place!!! Great service byob!!! This place is going to be a staple in our lives. Had grilled octopus, one of the rice dishes with fall off the bone chicken, and chicken kabob. Also had tiramisu for dessert! Out of this world!!!

My wife and I met friends for dinner at Argana Tree last evening. My wife has worked in Jenkintown for years and we frequently dine there, but this was our first visit to this restaurant. On the objective side, there is convenient parking in front, the dining room is attractive and comfortable, it’s a BYOB, and our server was excellent. Subjectively, the food was richly flavored, and, to our tastes, simply delicious.
As an appetizer our table shared a small plate of hummus, probably overpriced at $ 8. The hummus was creamier than what we were used to eating but still tasty. It did not come with enough pita and when we asked for extra they charged us a dollar; a cheap shot I thought.
For our main course, we both ordered the Chicken Tagine with carmelized onions, raisins and almonds which another Unilocal reviewer had found too sweet but we thought the dish was superb. The side of couscous was also nicely done. Our friends both ordered the Elfassi with lamb and were equally enthusiastic. All the dinner portions were generous. None of us left the restaurant hungry.
All told, it was a very satisfying experience and we will definitely dine there again.

After giving this place a second chance, I’m sure I won’t be going back. The night we were there, we were the only table in the deserted restaurant, but it took about an hour for the food to come out– when it did, the order was all wrong. No one seemed to care much. And a chicken kabob with a little rice for $ 20? The whole menu is overpriced. Can get the same meal, faster and better, in the city for about half that.

The food was immaculately prepared and the flavors were rich and delicious. We had the hummus, falafel and beet salad to start and they were the perfect combination to begin our meal. For our entrees we had the chicken tagine and chicken kababs — both were delicious.
Would highly recommend this casual spot for dinner.

Has a lot of potential. The wait staff certainly tries hard but the food somehow falls short of that divine Moroccan flavour. Maybe an off day so I’ll certainly be back to try it again.

Unfortunately, I have to give them 1 star without having eaten there. This review is based solely off the experience of walking in there and interacting with one staff member.
Upon parking, when my wife and I walked in, there was a family eating, or at least finishing up their meal.
After waiting for about 2 minutes a guy walks out from the back area and sees us standing there. Without so much as a hello, he looks at his watch and says, we’re closed for lunch. It was 2:35 pm. The front door was open, the open sign was on, there was a family eating in there!
I said, oh, okay, thanks and turned to leave.
I looked up the website and looked at the hours posted on the website and neither there nor on the front window of the restaurant was there any indication that they were closed. In fact, the open sign was still lit up and their website said they are open at this hour and that there should have been a Moroccan buffet until 3pm. Hmmmm… something is amiss.
Sorry, but I won’t go back, yet, and I thought you should be aware of the shady work ethic.

Came here tonight for dinner and loved everything from the appetizer to dessert. Service was excellent — our waiter made great recommendations which we took him up on. Loved that everything was fresh and seasonal. Highlights of our meal were the Roasted Beet Salad, Zaalouk & Taktouka Combo Spreads, and the Chicken Tagine. Will definitely be back with others in tow!

we had a pleasant lunch. enjoyed the Zaalouk & Taktouka appetizer which had nice flavors to put on pieces of pita. My «main course» was the roasted beet salad, which had great flavors including pistachios and grapefruit.
There were no other diners when we were there (which is kind of weird), but maybe this place is a bit pricey for Jenkintown.

Cute little Mediterranean BYOB in the heart of Jenkintown with a few parking spots in the front which is so appreciated and outdoor seating in nice weather. The Baba Ganoush was fantastic and served with perfectly crisped pita. The hummus was creamy, delish and beautifully plated. Again, served with perfect pita wedges. Grilled enough to hold a big heap of dip, but not chewy or hard. The Greek salad was fresh, crisp dressed just enough and a nice size for sharing. The falafel was a little hard for my liking, but still very flavorful. The spring rolls with three dipping sauces were great. Very reasonable and the service was great. We got a bunch of small plates and split which was just enough and my favorite way to eat. Will came back with a large group. Again, no wait, great service and everyone enjoyed their meals. Definitely a go to option in the area.

Very nice, quite place to have a meal. Out waiter was very attentive and knew the menu well. The hummas was probably the best I’ve ever had (we spent a good portion of the meal trying to figure out what the «secret ingredient was to make it so good). The falafel was good as well, just wish there was more of the yogurt to dip them into (you basically only get a small drizzle, but, like the hummas, it was very well made and we wished we had more). We ended up splitting the chicken pastilla, which has a very unique taste (cinnamon and chicken with powdered sugar on top, it wasn’t bad per se, just too sweet for my personal preference) so be careful when ordering.
Over a pleasant and inexpensive dinner experience.

A comfortable and relaxing B.Y.O.B restaurant. The owner and staff are extremely friendly. They were knowledgeable and accommodating about my gluten free dietary needs. Our food was fresh, full of flavor, and delicious. The green mint palate tea and pita with olive dip was a nice start to dinner. The homemade hummus and soup was outstanding. The pasilla dinners were good. We ended dinner with dessert. A good time was had by all.

This is one of the best restaurants I’ve been to lately.
For the appetizer, we shared a beet salad with some fruit and cheese, it was very fresh and good.
The chicken pastilla was incredible, and so was the lamb burger.
Strongly recommended if you’re in the area.

I was so excited to visit this place for dinner. The locations is great, the ambiance is nice, easy parking and it’s byob! How can you go wrong? When we got in there it was totally empty (that probably was a sign I should have paid attention to.) It was a Thursday evening at 6:30 pm. It stayed empty until we left. Another couple walked in around 7:30 pm-​ish. The place has a very cozy feel to it. The server was excellent. The tea, bread, and dip were great. We enjoyed the Zaalouk & Taktouka appetizer. But the main dishes were very disappointing. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t good either. We were looking for a regular date night place and I hoped that Argana would be it. I really wanted this place to be great!
I ordered the chicken tagine with caramelized onions and raisins. My partner ordered the grilled baby lamb chops. The chicken tagine was too sweet. The meat lacked seasoning. The rice was bland and over cooked (both of ours). It was just disappointing. My partners lamb chops probably the best item. And they were okay, at best. To add insult to injury, the portions were so small. For the prices they charge, their portions should have been larger at least.
Honestly, we won’t go back unless something drastically changes. There are plenty of other places we can get authentic Moroccan or Mediterranean.
I am giving three star for the service because she was excellent.
Sorry Argana. Please step up your game and invite us back to try.

Came here a month and a half ago for my birthday. Food recommended by the server was excellent. We got the Baba Ganoush to start and the Grilled Chicken Kabob and the Lamb Elfassi (SO GOOD) for entrees. A little on the pricier side but the portions were huge. Definitely will come back for the Elfassi. Oh, and its BYOB!