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The Moroccan Soup Bar isn’t a bar - they don’t even serve alcohol - apparently seldom serves soup, doesn’t have a written menu and doesn’t serve meat. However, I’ve known about it for a while and was very keen to try it out. Fortunately, last week I got the chance with my husband and another couple.

After a pleasant half-hour wait at a nearby bar for a table we managed to get in (this was a Friday night). The usual routine at this restaurant (unusual everywhere else) is that the staff talk you through the menu options, preferences for ingredients and dietary requirements. We didn’t mind being surprised so instead we asked for the banquet and I made sure there would be gluten-free options. I was told this wouldn’t be a problem.

And it wasn’t. The Moroccan / Middle-Eastern food, familiar to me from Lebanese cuisine (my sister-in-law is Lebanese) was delicious and I was given separate gluten-free alternatives to the ones that usually aren’t. Being vegetarian there was nothing we didn’t like and it wasn’t too heavy.

On arrival we were greeted with a cup of fresh mint tea. The meal started quickly with flat bread and dips (with carrots for me to dip with), moved on to an array of tasty rice, lentil and split-pea based dishes and finished with a cup of their strong, delicious coffee. We polished everything off and left with full, satisfied tummies and money still in our wallets (the banquet is a bargain at $17 per person).

This restaurant has won many awards, including from the Cheap Eats Guide. I definitely recommend to anyone, with any dietary requirements, to try it out.

183 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North, 9482 4240