Sami’s

it’s okaaaay.
I’ve heard a lot about Sami’s, so was quite surprised that it wasn’t a greasy spoon. Actually that may have been somewhere else…
Anyway, it’s BYO booze, which is fantastic and a rare thing nowadays, so bonus points.
The décor is a bit naff, but I guess is going with the Moroccan theme. I guess.
Staff were attentive and on the ball.
The food was acceptable. Everyone seemed bery happy with their meat kebabs and slabs of meant and the like. I had a vegetarian tagine, that was incredibly filling.
I did react to something that was in it and ended up being quite ill, so wont be going back. Although not totally marking them down as a lot of bugs had been going about :-/​ (disclaimer disclaimer!)

Yeah ! Liked it a lot, all very basic in an earthy authentic sort of way, food was good, atmosphere was a bit lacking, this isn’t a criticism we were the only ones in the place (my visit was in that post Christmas lull time) I’m definitely looking forward to revisiting sometime soon.
The bill was very reasonable, always a bonus to a Yorkshireman!

The self confessed snob in me was kind of dreading going in here. It looks like a greasy spoon after all. Which is all well and good for the morning after, but this was a Saturday night.
And it just goes to show how wrong you can be about a place doesn’t it. Or more how wrong I can be about a place I guess.
The food was fantastic (I plumbed for chicken and lamb in various courses), the service was attentive but not too much so, and the décor (at least upstairs) was faux authentic but well done.
Or course one of my only criticisms should be that they don’t sell wine and you have to take your own in. But with such a small corkage charge it actually works out really well.
It’s not somewhere I’d ever choose to go again for me (snob in me), but it’s a great place and with an invite and push from others is somewhere that I would definitely enjoy a second round of.

After reading the reviews for this place and never having tried Moroccan food, I thought why not, and persuaded similar adventurous friends to give it a go. first impressions are not great, but the friendliness of the waiter put us all at ease.
We proceeded to try different things from the menu to share between us, the food was delicious and the portions generous and everyone commented on the exquisite taste of some of the ingredients that were obviously produced on the premises, the hummus was the best ever.
It is fortunate the supermarket is so near, when we ran out of wine, one of us ran round and bought some more, certainly quicker service than some of the bars in chapel A.

Just been to Sami’s for lunch and thought Unilocal! (In a good way).
What a crazy little place by day! We sat down surrounded by no less than a Moroccan supermodel mum with dreadlocks and the world’s MOST hip designer baby, a rather roomy middle aged lady sitting on her own with a cup of tea staring into space… a space where there was possibly a perfect man made out of pie, or a giant Eccles cake, it was hard to be sure where her mind was taking her. And then in walked the care in the community duo who wanted a cup of tea and a glass of water, then spilled their water and wandered into the kitchen for a towel only to be manouvred expertly out by the chef and generally cleaned up and shhhhed in the sort of smooth professional manner that made me wonder if he had at some point worked in healthcare.
So a rather bonkers mix of diners, but the seats were so comfy and the décor so charming we decided to risk it. Unfortunately we were greeted with a unchallenging breakfast menu of anything you want as long as it’s fried and being slowly murdered by ketchup but once the owner saw our disappointed little look to each other he came straight over with the evening menu and what a GLORIOUS lunch we have ended up having with our strange new friends!
We shared a starter of marinated lamb which was, at £4.95 a little overpriced for what you got, around 6 small slices of lamb with a small serving of slightly hot sauce, a little salad and some hummus… but oh the FLAVOUR! The lamb had just the right about of chilli, the hummus was homemade– thick and nutty, and whatever that hot little dollop of spicy tomatoey sauce was it gave everything that satisfying final little kick without overpowering any of the flavour. My only complaint would be the olive oil, it was tasty and good quality but rather than boost the salad or nourish the hummus it had just been poured liberally over everything and so simply added unnecessary grease to a small tasty dish.
For mains my friend had the morroccan chicken and I had the tagine of lamb. The chicken was lightly flavoured with a hint of sweetness and the sort of sauce that looks simple and is a perfect compliment to the meat and fruit… but you just KNOW it’s a complicated blend of spices in just the right amount that only a skilled hand could turn out so well. A flavour so subtly complimentary you barely know you are eating it, just that every mouthful you take does wonderful things to your tongue. The meat was soft and yielding, the fruit in just the right amount to ensure you can have a bit with every succulent mouthful without overloading you or being used simply to bulk out the dish.
The lamb was exactly how it should be, a heavy dark sweet sauce with plump dates and apricots and wedges of butter soft meat. I love lamb tagine and it’s a dish that can really take all the spice and flavour you can throw in it… so it was fabulous to have one with such competantly bold and layered depths of flavour. I groaned, moaned and savoured every mouthful, even at one point forgetting I was in public and exclaiming loudly to my friend «My tummy is SO happy right now, ALL the way down!!».
We didn’t order sides but were served with a couple of free little portions of perfectly cooked couscous and fluffy white rice, the servings of which really were more than sufficient so it may not be worth ever ordering them specifically as a separate side dish.
To top it off we were given wine glasses with our diet cokes so could sit back and slowly work our way through our dishes whilst drinking our pop like a couple of Sirs.
Lunch for two with one starter, 2 mains and 3 cans of diet coke was £25, a very reasonable price for such well prepared, flavoursome and quality food. I suspect this place is fantastic for an evening meal and will definitely be bringing friends here. The staff are charming, the chef clearly knows exactly what they are wanting to achieve, the food tastes and looks authentic and as soon as you smell those spices you know your insides are in for a wonderful time.
Highly recommended and only loses a star for the rather random clientele at that time of day and the heavy hand with the oil on the starter. I left whilst giving them the full Withnail that I was ‘coming back in here’ and I hope to review again after an evening meal with a full 5 stars.
We were given our leftovers to take home in a doggy bag, well my friend was given his– I had quite literally licked my plate clean. Then to top the whole wonderful meal off we were served our bill with jelly beans. Perfect.
So to conclude, and still after more than 2 hours later… my tummy is SO happy right now :)

My all time favourite for work nights out and I live at the opposite side of Leeds! The food it’s self is delicious and comes in decent portions. As they have no liquor licence, you get to take your own wine or beer. Another advantage is that it’s halal so everyone who want to can eat meat; I have a couple of Muslim friends who often become vegetarians on nights out. It has a great atmosphere and we never feel rushed.
An evening at Samis is often followed by a few drinks at the 3 Hullats and for certain people a visit to Raj take away because they can’t have a night out without a kebab to take home!

All too often I seem to find myself leaving it far too late to eat dinner, and relying on good old Just Eat to sort me out. I’m not complaining, per se, but I’ve noticed the habit. I’ll just have to sort this before all my fresh veg starts to go off… Anyway, driving through Chapel A on a few occasions I’d noticed Sami’s and often wondered about their food. Last night was the night!
In stark contrast to the other offerings on Just Eat, the menu actually seemed rather more special, but perhaps that’s because it’s Moroccan food which is a leap and a bound from kebabs, burgers and curry. We opted for a goats cheese filo pastry and bourak minced meat filo pastry to begin, followed by a tagine of lamb and tagine mechoui for our mains, with potato dauphinoise and chips!
The potato was delicious, with melted cheese, and it was lovely and creamy. The marinated lamb and chicken in the mechoui definitely stole the show as it was perfectly spiced and cooked and went wonderfully with the mushrooms in sauce, which came separately. The lamb tagine was also delicious, with huge apricots and prunes marinated in the sauce, and the amount of food was phenomenal.
We were also given small pots of houmous, chilli sauce and olives and a large dish of rice free and so, all things combined, there was never going to be enough room in my stomach for all that we had. It was a feast, there’s no doubt about that. All things considered, this was a lovely take away meal and certainly of a higher quality than most offerings on the website.
That being said, I think to feel the full quality it’s probably best to go to the restaurant. There were a few small things that made it feel more like a take away than a gourmet meal, perhaps it’s because we bought chips, but it felt like that special something was missing. If I could go three and a half stars, that would probably be more appropriate, but over all I really enjoyed the food. Special mention definitely goes to the tagine mechoui and the potato dauphinoise, and certainly the free extras were a real treat! Overall, cost wise, it’s a little pricier than most and came in at just shy of £30 for two starters, two mains and two sides.
Next time I’ll have to dine in and see if that ups the experience. But if you’re after something beyond the usual in worldly cuisine, certainly give these guys a go!

I first stumbled into this place a while ago when I intended to have dinner at Seven Arts Centre down the road only to find they stop doing food after 9. Sami’s looked inviting with its beautiful tiles on the wall and promise of Moroccan food. I had a really good tagine with apricots whilst my friend had one with a different dried fruit, raisins or dates? Anyway, both tasted great at the time and if I was still into lamb or any meat at all, I would definitely go back for more and maybe they do veggie options that are just as good quality. There was friendly service and it didn’t come to an extortionate amount at the end.

Sami’s is another one of those places that moonlights as one place by day and transforms by night in to something else. Day time presents to you a greasy spoon, serving up some of the unhealthiest food in Chapel Allerton, the fry up, mind don’t let this detract from the taste, once in a while every red blooded carnivore likes to tuck in to this kind of food, don’t they? Anyway, by day it’s a café, complete with full English breakfasts, butties and sarnies of all the usual varieties, tea and coffee to go, typical morning café food to satiate the tastebuds of those in need of a hearty fayre before a hard day’s graft. By night the moonlight transformation is… a Moroccan cum North African restaurant. Not the first thing that comes to mind, but both options work for their intended subjects.
It’s fairly inexpensive, and with a bring your own beer policy, prices are driven down if it’s the beers and booze addition to your menu that drives the bill up. A few meals here can be hit and miss, but I haven’t met anyone who didn’t enjoy the tagines, especially the lamb and apricot. Yum.

Hot Steve is the oracle of breakfasts. He knows all the good places to get a proper fry up, and scores them out of ten. Also, he’s well hot, and that’s why he’s ace. So we’re thinking of moving to Chapel Apple and on our tour of letting agents on Saturday we got hungry and I remembered coming here a few years ago with a hangover and being pleasantly surprised.
Two giant breakfasts (2 sausages, 2 rashers of bacon, black pudding, hash brown, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried bread, egg and toast with a mug of tea) for £9.98. Steve gave it an 8.5 out of 10, which I think was a bit on the tight side, on account of there was black pudding, but he knows best.

With Chapel Allerton now such a fashionable place to live and socialise and countless shiny bars, cafes and delis springing up all over the place, it’s comforting to see a good old greasy spoon like Sami’s still going strong. The reason for this impressive longevity may well have something to do with the rather unusual transformation that Sami’s undergoes by night, evolving from local caff into full-​blown Moroccan restaurant. As you do. During the day, the cheap-​as-​chips breakfasts and sandwiches are popular with local workers and young professionals-​in-​the-​know, while by night the tables quickly fill with enthusiastic parties bringing along their own booze for a cheap and tasty evening meal out. Ignore your first impressions, which suggest this place is a good a venue for a proper meal as a city centre chip van, and give it a go — you won’t be disappointed.

Sami’s is good wholesome cheap Morrocon food. The ambience is friendly, however, it is not licensed but they are happy for you to bring your own. My only criticism and it is significant is that the kitchen staff (they are not professional chefs) serve the rounded ends of tomatoes as garnish. In fact I got two rounded ends, did not eat the starter, they did not query it and charged me for it. It has put me off going, its true what they say, presentation is everything.

My friend asked me how many stars I was going to give Sami’s (usually I wouldn’t give more than 3 unless really good) and I said, 3. But then she asked if I was going to mark it down a star because our friends who had ordered breakfast before us still hadn’t got it by the time we had finished and left. I said no, because I had got mine. Apparently that’s a sign of being sociopathic or something as long as you’re ok how others are treated doesn’t affect you. Ok, maybe a bit over the top (she is a psychologist and it was only breakfast and I had been very hungry) but in a way it made me want to mark it up. 4 stars it is. And how was it? It was great. A fiver for a giant full English complete with tea. Fried bread can go so horribly wrong but here it was piping hot, and crisp and greasy at the same time. I even had cravings for it later in the day. Big rashers of bacon, cheap sausages (they weren’t gourmet but did the trick!) Toast wasn’t quite cooked enough although I do like it very well done. And they only butter half of it, which is strange, but in this context was good as ‘butter’ is actually evil margarine yuck. Plenty of room for you and all your friends. Just make sure you order at the same time and if your friends have got food first, complain immediately!

I’d love to give Sami’s a bit more than 3, after all, I am, as you know Qype readers, a bit generous with the stars. However, a couple of things let this, undoubtably good value Full English down. The first gripe was using cheap sausages. Now, I know you can’t actually buy decent sausages for not much money, but I’d at least prefer the option to have non-​processed ones. But then, by giving that option, you’d infer that your normal sausages were crap. So, catch-​22 really. (Well I think it is, I never could finish the book)
Anyway, they had a real problem with mugs too — but, fair enough, we were about 15 hungry hungover layabouts.
The rest of the breakfast was excellent, really nice black pudding and what have you. And only GBP 4.99 for a load of stuff.
Apparently this place is actually a Moroccan restaurant at night! But that would be another review

Sami’s is a small cosy café/​restaurant whether you want an all day breakfast or a special evening meal this is the place to go for good food at affordable prices .If you like the odd vino with your meal you can take you own as they dont have a drink licence but dont let this put you off. Large groups would need to pre book on an evening as gets quite busy.