Makla Bistro in Bournemouth

Disappointed. Beef kofta main was nice but I’ve had bigger starters. Chicken tagine was not a tagine; two small thighs with potato and a little sauce. Bread was dry and hard. Nino was not interested in our complaint.

Had a delicious Sunday lamb roast with a Moroccan twist, loads of veggies and gravy. Reasonable prices, service is always excellent and the atmosphere is welcoming and relaxing.

A warm welcome from the staff , a beautiful comfortable relaxed atmosphere. The best aprol spritz I’ve ever had ! Very flavourful authentic food cooked freshly. I’ve only knocked a star off because I had to wait so long for the condiments. Great food and very reasonably priced

Laura was excellent waitress for our visit. She was super attentive, very friendly and looked after us all night. Makla was very atmospheric and served great drinks and food! I would definitely visit again.

Drinks and nibbles. Laura served us. Absolutely the best. Great personality good vibe. We will be back 😊. Really good calamari and the pink gin cocktail was really strong. Wow

Food was great, went for some dinner and drinks, Jess was really lovely and her service was excellent! Will definitely go back

Great service from Sky and great food. The food was served quickly and was delicious. We also made the most of Happy Hour drinks!

Excellent hot and cold veggie options on the mezze section of the menu. The Fetoush Salad is fresh and crispy, Beets and Feta is earthy and very satisfying. The Dolmades are full and firm, the Batata Harra isn't overloaded with paprika and the Cheese Sambousk is a must-have. Good beer and relaxed mediterranean atmosphere with a car park (card payment) just around the corner. It's becoming a favourite of ours.

Food is really tasty and well presented, great flavours. W head a nice bottle of Spanish wine too. Our waitress Jessica was really welcoming and smiley!

I recently had a delightful lunch at Makla, and I must commend Max, our waiter, for his exceptional service. The lunch was delicious, and the coffee was great too. Max’s attentiveness and friendly demeanor made the experience even more enjoyable. Highly recommend!

The food is great here, would 100% recommend. Everything is fresh and tasty, and when delivered, still hot. The Aladdin wraps are super delicious and also huge - there's definitely no skipping with the portions. The skin on fries are also my absolute favourite! Good value for money and never disappointed. Keep up the good work guys!

Very happy with our visit. Tasteful food and drinks. Extra thanks to Adela (I think) for very good service.

This small unassuming restaurant in Southbourne is simply fabulous. We visit every now and again and always start the same way HALOUMI FRIES ..the best I have ever tasted . The menu is simple without too much on it ..just about the right amount of different food types .We had haloumi fries , Humous and 2 x mixed grills ... the flavours are superb .. not greasy and very very flavoursome. The chef knows his stuff.We followed that with some mint tea ...sadly the baklava wasn’t available .Nice ambience , despite the Covid issues , we felt very safe and secure in the restaurant in this day and age .Staff were very pleasant and attended to all of our needs ..special mention to Sumayyah for service for us... thank you

WOW What a find, we only had the meze + hallomi fries but it’s all about quality, Will definitely return. P.S bought one of the beautiful woven bags from display just couldn’t resist

We had the lamb burger and the vegan burger, as well as some starters. All the dishes were delicious and fresh. Adela served us, and she was very friendly and helpful. We will definitely come again!

Lovely venue, excellent food but best of all was Adela’s service - lovely, friendly and gave brilliant recommendations on food and drink! A real asset. Thank you for a lovely night x

Had two takeaway tajhines, one lamb and one chicken. Lamb one was £19 and chicken one was £15. Lamb was quite good-plenty of meat and authentic Moroccan spices but no vegetables. Chicken was very lemony, all thigh meat and only veg was olives. Don’t think I’ll be back. Too expensive.

Enjoyed nice meal in the cosy downstairs restaurant. Food good. Service excellent and very friendly. Special mention to Izzy and Ellie for making our evening so pleasant

Great service in a safe environment. Lunch for two we had BBQ Chicken Wraps and Cheesy Fries. The wraps were crammed full of chicken but light to eat in a griddled wrap, the fries were simply fabulous! Highly recommended.

Lovely food & great service from Mahdi. We sat in the new downstairs area which has been decorated beautifully & authentically. Great choice of food. Will return.

Staff were lovely. Our waitress Issy was very attentive relaxed and cheerful. Food was very good. Basic but tasty. Will definitely be returning. Social distancing was easily achieved. Cocktails were great very reasonably priced too.

First time eating here, was a really nice Evening, food was great service was equally great. Thanks to Mardi Will go back for sure.

We did a spontaneous visit to makla and we did not regret it. Mahdi did an excellent job in welcoming us and in explaining the Vegan friendly meals. The food was really tasty although more pricey than it has been in the past. The ambience downstairs was an enjoyable experience.Mahdi and the girls gave us a great service. We would definitely go back again.

Had a wonderful time at Makla with an amazing starter with a delicious hummus. We were served by Issy who was lovely and made our stay even better !!! Thank you so much

We had a lovely dinner out on Saturday night. The restaurant was very Covid safe and the food was excellent. We enjoyed the chicken tagine (with the delicious preserved lemons), meatball tagine and the sharing platter to start.Ellie was brilliant and looked after us very well. We especially loved the Arabic coffee!

Delicious lamb tagine. Downstairs was really cosy and atmospheric. Our waiter Mahdi was lovely and friendly - thanks for a great evening!

Both my self and partner visited after a friend recommended. Wonder cosy ambiance, very authentic great for a picture or two! Food was tasty and dips and flat bread very goid. Young watress issy very polite with good knowledge od all the foods and ingredients which we found very helpful. Wise head on young shoulders, thank you issy and thank for the authentic feel of morocco.The lamb shank was nice but the gravy was in need of mofe prune flavour as it was the dominant ingredients. The mint tea with original morrocan sweet was to die for... Lovely end to a huge feast.thank you

The food is very tasty.We really enjoy the family platter.Moroccan chicken and rice+4 side dishes.The baba ganoush is delicious.We were served by Izzy who is always very attentive.we like eating downstairs which is very Cosy.The whole experience was very enjoyable

Excellent food, brilliant service from the lovely Issy. Will be back often. Good value as well and feels Covid safe

My husband and I had a lovely meal, staff were friendly and helpful especially Adela, tasty food (we scoffed the family platter!), attractive decor and good ambience. Would definitely go again :)

During proper lockdown we visited to have takeaway vegetarian mezze which was very dissapointing, dishes had no flavour and served with dry bread etc.We visited during eat out to help out, they made space for us without a booking and the service was great. The food was brilliant and totally different to anything else around. We had a simple grill dish with rice and it was perfect.

Lovely food, attentive service and , most importantly, I felt safe. The tables were well spaced and all precautions had been taken regarding cleaning of the tables, cutlery and service. The food is fresh, tasty, immaculately served and the portions generous. A lovely, comfortable evening.

Very expensive, chicken and rice cost £12.95 usually and the rice was stone cold and without any seasoning. ‘Chicken breast’ for the price should be a seasoned grilled chicken breast, instead I got pieces of chicken breast. There was a cheap plastic pot of possibly sriracha mayo on the side which didn’t really fit the meal - mayo and rice, anyone?! The dish was somewhat redeemed by the salad which isn’t saying a lot. Tables were outside but very closely spaced, social distancing clearly wasn’t possible. The high street was busy and so expect people to bump into your table as you dine. Overall, there are many better restaurants in the area which better serve their particular cuisine at a better price.

You won’t eat tastier, fresher Moroccan food for ... many miles! We had a brilliant meal sat on the outside pavement. Really great prices. The food is properly delicious. Go! 👌🏻

Had a fantastic value mezze salad box for lunch. Feta, Baba Ghanoush, hummus, dolmas, carrot salad & other yummy bits and pieces. So tasty! Will definitely return next time I am in the area!

pop in there with my friend we both had lamb tagine omg it was beautifully cooked meat fell of the bone Amazing service

obviously first meal out since lockdown ! Very welcoming absolute fresh food was the best place to experience new! Really made our first outing memorable! We had the double cheeseburger spicy wrap and Moroccan chicken with rice !all of it was fresh tender and I will be returning and for a teenager to actually say he loves it says it all ! Please go well worth every penny! Thankyou very much !

First visit to Southbourne since lockdown and was really pleased to see Makla open with a great takeaway set up. Ordered the spicy chicken wrap and peri peri fries to takeaway. The wrap was full of so many fresh and delicious flavours and was so big I took half home for my husband.. he couldn't stop talking about how good it was! It was seriously, seriously good.. Thank you Makla!

Popped in on a walk with the kids , very impressed , super friendly staff , my wife is french and super fussy when it comes to pastries and highly rated the product, milkshakes were superb , baklava was lovely and my youngest went for the rocky road tray bake , it disappeared rapidly so all good , very tasty , we will be back to try the chicken wraps , they looked fantastic , many thanks

Luvly takeaway....grilled chicken rice and bits and bobs...oh and the place even sells yum produce to stock your fridge with

Yum. Wandered by a few weeks ago on my socially acceptable food shop on our amazing Southbourne High Street and altho we've had delicious take away dinners didn't realise they were doing take away lunch! They also offer a lovely selection of pre-pickled / cooked goods instore and some amazing bread and the best chicken wraps! We've since had 2 takeaways of delicious chicken and beef kofte kebabs and more take away lunch and now addicted and can't wait for them to be able to open again to have a proper meal. OM. PS - I'll be back again next week!!

Great restaurant, delicious food. I had a pleasure to eat slow cooked lemon chicken, chicken wrap and grilled butterfly chicken ( take away) and I can't recommend them highly enough. Good to know that during corona-virus outbreak you still can order lovely food...

We had never tried Moroccan food before, and seeing how great the reviews were, thought we would give it a try- we were not disappointed!! The food here was absolutely delicious, just divine! Wow! The service was also excellent; as soon as we arrived we were welcomed by Issy, our very smiley and attentive waitress who took care of us for the evening. We would absolutely return again, and cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough! The food was outstandingly delicious!

We are regulars, but every time service food and atmosphere is spot on. Izzy was very friendly and attentive. Loved it!

Moroccan cuisine, lovely restaurant, pleasant staff. Food attractively presented and flavoursome. Fez hats for fun and photos on all tables.

Very nice food and service thanks to Izzy who was very attentive. Food had nice flavour. Nice atmosphere

They were really busy, but made room for us and the food and service was fantastic. Issy served us for the evening and was polite and fun. Thank you

Enjoyable relaxed atmosphere with friendly helpful staff.Very busy on a Saturday night so need to book.Good choice of menu but portions quite small Plenty of serving staff but only one chief so had to wait a bit for food

Came in for my dads birthday, booked a table of 5 and thoroughly enjoyed our selves issy and Megan were incredible and made our night, to top the night off we all went belly dancing!! Highly recommend amazing service and the food was sublime

What a great find. Lovely little restaurant with great reasonably priced food, attentive staff (our server Izzy was great!) And an amazing atmosphere. So nice to find somewhere independent and with character. Our daughter loved it, but would happily come back with friends or for a romantic dinner too.

Another lovely meal in a relaxed environment. So glad this is on our doorstep. Special mention to both Kahlo and Vicky for looking after us so we’ll. highly recommended.

Lovely atmosphere, amazing food and friendly staff; our waiter Izzy was really welcoming, friendly and helpful. Definitely going there again!

Booked a large table for a birthday meal. Place is tastefully decorated. Service is fantastic. Very attentive service and they catered for all our weird and wonderful dietary needs. Food was fantastic. The lamb shank was divine. Given the huge amount of food and booze we had, the bill was so reasonable. Will definitely be back again when in Southbourne.

Good atmosphere, tasty food, reasonably priced & caters for a variety of palettes (including vegans) - Issy was especially helpful, friendly and knowledgeable about the various menu options.

2nd visit tonight to this really cute but authentic restaurant. Moroccan food a real must to try (especially if you love Greek food too). Atmosphere is really relaxed and the whole feel is homely. The staff are welcoming, friendly and nothing is too much trouble. Tania very helpful tonight. This is going to be a favourite restaurant for us. Thank you.

I came here for a friends birthday meal and it was a perfect choice. As soon as we walked in the we knew we were in for a treat. We were shown to our table in the basement which was decorated with Moroccan colours and very cosy The menu was great with good selection of Meze, kebabs, tagines etc. Our waitress was friendly and very helpful. All in all a great night and we will definitely be back again soon

Delicious tasty food but what makes it even nicer to go back to is the wonderful staff specifically Izzy! Absolute delight and friendly. Thank you very much Izzy !

varied selection of foods - unfortunately no fish available on the evening we went - happy decor is a combination of ethnic and pop - music a bit loud to begin with, but no trouble to turn volume down - music suited the ambience - service by Issy first class - she has a natural gift for handling customers well, while remaining focused and business-like

Love this place! A little slice of Morocco in Southbourne! Great menu - ‘masin mezze & tasty tagines. Cool decor And really friendly service too, one of our favourite places in Southbourne.

What a friendly, welcoming place! And the food was delicious. We had been rudely turned away from Casa Carlos at 8.45pm on Friday evening as apparently there was no more food so we ended up here instead and it was lovely. Highly recommend for a tasty dinner with friends - we will be back!

This was my second visit. We popped in early Saturday evening and were given a table. The food is excellent and it’s nice to have something a bit different. The staff are very friendly. All made for a very enjoyable evening.

Booked this to cheer up a boring weekend. Certainly did, how lovely is this easy going gem? Lovely attentive staff, helpful and honest when ordering. Decor is warm quirky and relaxed whilst fresh and cheery right through to sparkling clean toilets. Loved the menu selection, rich flavours made me feel so contented and full. It all felt great value for money as i found the house red delicious. Though cost for other bottles are too pricey for us, otherwise i would have given Makla top marks as i really couldn't fault anything else. Looking forward to returning with friends, exploring the rest of the menu and hoping the fish is on.

visited with a friend, we both really enjoyed the food. will definitely go back, highly recommend. affordable prices too :)

Great place for vegetarians and carnivores. I'm veggie and the options are amazing. Cooked by a Moroccan chef. Loads of choice. Healthy and very tasty. Best halloumi fries in Bournemouth. Pleasant atmosphere and at weekends they open the cellar bar and restaurant.

Excellent in all aspects.Very warm welcome from the waitress excellent and a quick service.The waitress new the menu and a very tasty food

My friend and I came down to Bournemouth from London to attend an event and we wanted a quick bite to eat by the beach before it started. We called up and pre ordered and they were so helpful and accommodating for us. When we picked up the food we were amazed at the decor and were sorry to not stay and enjoy the cosy and fun atmosphere they’ve created. I had to buy one of their special Moroccan beach bags before we left.

Went last night and despite all the good reviews I was not impressed. My lamb was salty, flat bread was dry and falafel were overcooked. Service was inattentive at best bordering on rude. This was our 3rd visit, won't be going back.

Makla bistro heeft ons aangenaam verrast. Een mooie ambiance en zeer vriendelijk personeel. (Thank you Issy for the nice welcome ).

Had a fantastic first visit here. Very authentic Moroccan dishes (it all looks and tastes exactly like what I have experienced in Morocco itself) and the atmosphere and vibe is also very good in here. First place I have ever encountered Moroccan wine which was also actually very enjoyable. Great value for money and the staff are particularly impressive here - very engaging, friendly and professional it’s some of the best customer service you will get anywhere. Overall it was all exceptional and we will without doubt be returning. They even have a little downstairs lounge/bar area which isn’t obvious when you first walk in. Karim was a very nice chap who helps serve, explain dishes and ensure it’s all going smoothly. One of the better places around and very much worth a visit.

Been here a few times and always special the food is cooked with love and care. Service is spot on, Vicky and karim care about your experience and make it special for you. Only improving with ever visit.

My second visit and will definitely not be my last. Makla have a great menu and all is very fresh and tasty.

Visited last night with a group of friends, from the moment we walked through the door the service was faultless - very friendly and welcoming. We got a mixture of starters to share and every single one was amazing. The main courses were all also really good and the Moroccan pastries were delicious! We ended up staying on several hours after we finished our food having a few more drinks as the atmosphere was so good. Highly recommended and can't wait to go back!

I had heard many good things about this restaurant and it definitely lived up to expectations. The staff were lovely, the restaurant was busy and vibrant and the food was fantastic. There are good vegetarian options. I will return soon.

My first approach to Moroccan cuisine and must admit that I love it. Starting from platter which was very nice and finishing on Lamb Shack Tagine which convinced me to lamb as I really thought I don't like lamb until I have tried this dish at Makla. The spices and probably way of cooking in this special dish made this meat so soft that it melted in mouth - real masterpiece. Also my son loved chicken wrap which we thought he won't even touch as you could feel mint there but he ate everything! Really nice place for family dinners and for dates.

Lovely bistro local to us, tried it for the first time and will definitely be going back soon. Great food, especially mezze and tajine. Good service and relaxed atmosphere. Can’t recommend it highly enough. Probably need to book at peak times, our visit was early on a Wednesday evening.

Had been to Makla restaurant with my husband and little girl ten days ago to have a diner while being in holiday to visit Bournemouth and I can say that the lamb shank we hade was delicious perfectly cooked and flaking with just a fork

Really good vegan options and filling food, quick service and very healthy. Want too expensive and was rather quiet and friendly

Nice people, great food, good ambience. Fez hats are provided if you want to embrace the culture or do a bad Tommy Cooper impression. Whilst we were there the age of customers ranged from about twenty to ancient, and it was clearly popular. I would happily return. Oh, and nice baklava to finish but best to share as it is a tad sickly.

We went to Makla for dinner in a group of 5 adults on Friday. Have walked past loads of times and not been in before. The inside is just as I hoped... nicely decorated with a cosy feel.

Have eaten at Makla once before when the food was great (service was satisfactory), I recommended to a friend that 8 of us go for her birthday. I wish I hadn't - the service was really bad and we were there for almost 3 hours... we only had two courses. When we ordered drinks there was at least 3 drinks they'd run out of (it was only 7pm on a Saturday night). We had to ask for tap water 3 times and when our starters were served, one dish didn't arrive and when we queried it, the waitress told us that soup wasn't actually available that day, so whoever ordered it went without a starter.

The food seems to be a bit of a hybrid, the taste was rather dull, did not taste truly Mediterranean. The service was excellent the decor very tasteful.

Amazing food, lamb Tagine gorgeous, lamb koftas fantastic, best falafels I have ever tasted and amazing deep fried halumi , mezzo starter so filling!! Friendly staff and gorgeous atmosphere and decor

We tried Makla with a friend when she came to visit and were definitely impressed with the standard of the food and cant recommend it enough, we arrived about 6.30 with just a few people scattered within the restaurant but within half and hour the place was brimming and people were being turned away, so make sure you book, special mention has to be made of the Halloumi fries, which were so delicious we asked for another portion! try this place, you wont be disappointed!

My partner booked this as a surprise evening out as we were visiting Bournemouth for the weekend. On arrival thought the venue was quaint ,authentic ,busy and the food smelt great.

Popped in around 6pm on a Thursday, (was only one other person eating in there) with my son, so we thought we would try our luck...by 7pm however the place was completely full; and they were needing to turn people away. On completion of our meal we knew why! and counted ourselves lucky to have tried early and not popped to pub first!

It was my turn to arrange the monthly work 'Ladies Night'. Southbourne was the chosen location and, as I live there, I know most of the eateries. However, I hadn't been to Makla before, but as the reviews were so good, I took a chance. They happily accepted our booking for 8 people via email. The welcome we received was warm, the atmosphere cosy and relaxed. We all had the 'Wednesday' cocktail deal, which was fabulous value. The food was divine, came out reasonably quickly (but not too quickly) the service was astonishingly friendly and of a very high standard and it's excellent value for money. We stayed for longer than 2 hours and were not rushed, just offered more drinks and deserts. What a wonderful find!! I will definitely be back. The 'Ladies' were impressed too! We all had a great evening.

Finding good restaurants to keep vegetarians and omnivores happy isn’t always as easy as it sounds. My 18 year old daughter is a picky vegetarian but we both loved Makla when we tried it last night for dinner.

We had supper at Makla recently and had a great meal. Amanda efficiently served us whilst maintaining oversight of the whole busy restaurant. Delicious food and relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Thanks to all the team.

My husband and I came in on Saturday evening at 6pm - I recommend booking in advance as it got busy pretty quickly. We had Amanda serving us, she was really attentive and recommended the lamb and halloumi burger (which was amazing) my husband had the mixed grill. The portion sizes are generous (and we eat a lot!) Definitely give this place a try, the interior design is amazing as well!! We stole some ideas for the house :-)

Great find in Southbourne, food was excellent and great service from Amanda. Will be back for sure..

So after recently coming back from Morocco a friend wanted to go out for a Moroccan meal to see why I love it so much. We found Makla! What an amazing little gem it is....

5 of us for my mums birthday. Atmosphere was absolutely lovely and the food was amazing and piping hot. Menu and choice was fantastic as well. Small things to improve on - the wine wasnt cold and we had to chase them for a jug of water and flatbreads. It was very busy and the staff were very enthusiastic and friendly. Amanda was our server and she made some excellent recommendations from the menu

Had a lovely last-minute meal here with my partner. Really friendly service, made to feel so welcome and the food was so tasty, I would definitely be back. Thankyou!

Lovely service great food and great atmosphere, we came in 9ish and asked if too late. Not a chance greeted with a warm welcome. :)

Had a meal for two on Wednesday night. Really good food and a great atmosphere. Very decent price. Would thoroughly recommend.

Fab food - especially the halloumi fries and little spicy potatoes! Fab cocktails & fab atmosphere! The staff are super friendly & attentive and menu is reasonably priced! A diamond in the heart of Southbourne!

Cancel your flights to Morocco this place is fantastic. Fed up with run of the mill restaurants serving same old same old. This place was atmospheric the food was exquisite. Don’t let the Relatively spartan interior and limited menu put you off its fantastic. Good staff but the food does the talking. We had pink gin and a wonderful evening. Truly a gem.

We went for a few options on the menu to try them out and the food was delicious. We were looked after and made to feel welcome. One small suggestion- the mixed mezze with hummus, falafel and a few other bits was a bit on the small side for 2 people and we did go for the bigger one. Other than that, amazing!!!

Came here with our daughters after we searched for a veggie friendly local restaurant. Arrived at 7:30 and restaurant was quiet but within minutes it came alive. Staff were super friendly and helpful. Food is delicious and the mezze makes a great started. Friend haloumi also a big thumbs up. Certainly coming back with friends. Thank you for a wonderful meal.

My husband and I went here on a weekend getaway. The food was amazing , the service was impeccable, the staff were so friendly and welcoming! One of the best places in Bournemouth! Dels was our waitress and she was literally the sweetest!