Morenito – Gemmayzeh

Morenito has the chance to be at Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael at the same time. In addition to its great location, the place is very nicely decorated with modern vivid colors and a lot of wood. When you enter the restaurant, you’ll find yourself in the pub section, the restaurant is two steps higher in front of you.

We visited the place on a Saturday night, the atmosphere was great with a latin beat in the background. We were welcomed and seated courteously, the menu arrived quickly after. The menu is original with specialties from different latin American countries like empanadas, tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas,  ceviches, chili con carne… Prices are very affordable. No wine menu was available, so the waiter kept making backs and forths from the kitchen to show us what is available and at what prices.

We ordered a selection of empanadas, gazpacho (cold soup), chili con carne, vegetarian tacos and skewers of meat. The chorizo and ham empanadas were good, the beef ones had no flavor and the vegetarian empanadas were filled with spinach without special addings or spices to give them taste. The chili con carne came in a very small portion served with tortilla chips, the meat was not very present in the dish,  and the taste was weird and not like the authentic dish. The gazpacho was OK but a little too strong. The vegetarian tacos were flavorless, I added sauce from another plate to eat them. The grilled skewers and pork steaks were very well presented, good but very overcooked. The waiter didn’t ask for the cooking of the meat anyway.

The service was friendly but not organized. Two of us were served 15 minutes after the two others. When the manager visited our table, we complained about that. Instead of apologizing, he made a joke about not letting the others eat your food.

Morenito is very well located, the concept and the place are cool, but a lot has to be done for the cuisine.