Moona - Cambridge

Contemporary middle eastern delectables served in an intimate setting. Recently took a visit to experience another middle eastern hype in Cambridge. The highly-praised za’atar bread was unfortunately no longer served, but their menu still seemed to feature a good amount of creative middle eastern cuisines. Instead of getting the large plates, we decided to try as much mezza starters as possible. While some dishes like the dips plate and the grilled squid were mediocre, other dishes had interesting factors that I liked. Cooked in coconut milk, the Moon mussels had just the right amount of creamy flavor that beautifully complemented the small pieces of merguez. The apricot sauce for the chicken bastilla was also amazing, and the feta fritters with honey glaze were executed flawlessly. My favorite was the eggplant fatteh which had a delightful interplay between the yogurt, pita crisps, eggplants, and other spices. Hallawa cheesecake was also an excellent way to finish off our meal. Sprinkles of pistachio and grape molasses were unique additions that paired nicely with the chocolate cheesecake.

Moona had been on our list for a while and we finally were able to pull the trigger it did not disappoint! Moona has a wide array of dishes available, we opted for many of the smaller ones, and went at it family style. While it would have been nice to have these dishes spread out (rather than all at once), all of them were wonderful. We especially recommend the “dips” dish, which includes hummus, baba ghanoush, pickle beets, olives, etc. It was one of our favorites. The grapes leaves were also excellent. In all, Moona was an excellent dining experience.

I had a great time trying out a lot of the small plates at Moona! Would definitely recommend the Falafel and Lamb Burgers for starters as they were quite tasty. The Dips Plate was good, but I would only recommend the hummus. The other two dips were interesting, but they didn’t stand out. I will say they provide a healthy amount of Pita with the dips so that was nice. In addition to these starters we got the Mashawee 'Mixed Grill ' entree. All of the meats and vegetables in this dish were expertly cooked and tasty. One thing I would maybe change is the amount of BBQ sauce for the steak tips. It was good, but could be overpowering. I think if you’re going with a large group you could just get starters and be happy, but the Mixed Grill was easy to split so definitely consider it.

I’ve been three times, and I loved it the first two times but was disappointed with my visit this week. The dishes were lukewarm, including the falafel which I get every time. Hopefully just a fluke. Cute spot with great cocktails and Mediterranean dishes. I love, love the eggplant fatteh and the fezcal and korkom&carrot cocktails the latter feels like you’re drinking a health juice.

Wow, this place is incredible. The food was both delicious and hearty, and the staff is absolutely lovely. The chicken tagine was perfectly tender and rich, and the knafeh dessert was standout. The cocktails also looked fab, can’t wait to come back to try them!