Kous Kous Moroccan Bistro

Middle eastern fusion. Very unique dishes that taste great but still taste traditional.

Great place for a date

If you miss this place and are craving Moroccan food, chef Moumen has re-opened in Baja California, specifically Valle de Guadalupe. It is a beautiful open air setting in the vineyard with the same delicious food. Highly recommend making the trek across the border! Only about 1.5 hours from Tijuana.

We came here on a Thursday night in January 2020, before COVID and Shelter in Place mandates hit.

I was with 3 friends. The restaurant was not crowded for our 7pm arrival. We were seated right away.

It's a beautiful and welcoming space with seating both inside and on the patio out front.

We ordered the following:

Zaalouk
Hummus
Potato Salad
Veggie Tangine
Chicken Tagine
Rice

We shared everything. Zaalouk, hummus and tangines were amazing. Everything was delicious and full of flavor. I didn't try any of the potato salad though. My friend ordered it and she liked it.

The service was well paced and food delicious. The next time I'm in SD, I would like to come back!

The downstairs room at Kous Kous has a clandestine aura as you descend the steps from busy Fourth Avenue in Hillcrest. The dark atmosphere of the main dining room far at the back, with its tapered white candles and lounging banquettes, is the place to sit.

I like the service by Brazilian Isabella, who is so kind, upbeat and friendly. Some of the other staff members, on the other hand, have been slovenly and not so good, so ask for Isabella when you go. There is even sometimes Brazilian music on the soundtrack, which is fun. The 4:00 p.m. opening hour of the restaurant is a plus for early diners [I go right after a 3:00p.m. on hour workout at the Hillcrest 24 Hour Fitness], as most nearby restaurants open at 5:00 p.m.

I have ordered the various tagines---beef, chicken, and at my visit last Friday, the halibut. They are all good. If you want fish, go on Friday, because it is not always available on other evenings. Braised carrots are a pleasant little nibble before, and you can even order a small spicy lamb "gumbo" for $1.00 at happy hour anywhere in the restaurant---not just at the bar or front patio.

I want to return to try the B'stilla. Isabella says at Kous Kous it is a simple puff pastry placed on a plate with the ground meat and spices inside. I remember with fondness the superb B'Stilla in the 1970's at Dar Mahgreb on Sunset Boulevard at Stanley in Hollywood. There, it was like an upside down pigeon pie topped with confectioner's sugar, that one ate by grasping a slice of the "pie" with one's hands. It seems the Kous Kous version is nothing like my ethereal memory, but we will see when I order it next time if some of that magic is present in a bite.

Mint Tea is a fitting ending, poured with ceremony by Isabella, two feet above the glass.

We celebrated my birthday at Kous Kous and it was such a treat! Isabella was a delight and full of great suggestions. There are a lot of vegetarian appetizers and shareable plates and two entree. One is the slow cooker type that I got and another a couscous dish. My soup was delicious and is going to be a number one favorite for a long time to come! Isabella was sweet enough to split it for us. :) The fresh breads and pita were so fluffy, warm and hot the right spot! My veggie entree was hot and flavorful and tasted quite a bit likeindian food but minus the heat. They gave an in-house hot sauce to spice things up and that brought some solid heat.
Absolutely perfect way to end the meal is the rose mint tea. A must have!!

The love I have for Morocco, for Moroccan people and the food brought me here to Kous Kous. I often find myself missing the life I had in Morocco but I am glad I finally was able to try a little bit of Morocco here in San diego.

I missed Moroccan food so much, I wanted to try everything. Even bought some harira soup to go since I knew I would be so full from the main dishes. Definitely was amazing the next day. I love harira. Start off with Moroccan mint tea. The tea is delicious. We opted for Moroccan feast 1. The cucumber and tomato salad hit the spot. One of my favorite to eat before the main entree in morocco. I missed tagine and couscous so much. It was amazing especially the beef tagine. The flavoring and sauce was so good in both tagines and brought me back to meals with my host families in Morocco. Only thing was the khobz (bread) was so tiny. Should take away everyone's forks and just eat with the bread. My Moroccan Mama would definitely make everyone eat the Moroccan way. Khobz is life!

Lmakla bnin bzaf. Shukran!

I came here with my gf for our two year anniversary and they treated us like stars!

The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was great and the service was warm and empathetic. Rarely do you get a combination of all three. It's truly a great place to dine. Thank you for the experience!

We went for dinner earlier this week, to celebrate a special day, and Kous Kous was the perfect spot. This was our 6th time dining here and I thought it was a bout time I took a moment to write a review of how wonderful this restaurant is.

The food at Kous Kous has always been fantastic and authentic; service has always been very good and attentive. However, the customer service was extraordinary this last visit. Our server, Jacqueline, was very attentive yet allowed a lot of privacy for our "date night" dinner. She has a genuine personality and connects with the diners and makes you feel truly welcomed.

We got our usual dinner, the Moroccan Feast II. It's served family style and gives a great variety of the delicious choices off their menu, not to mention a large amount of food. As delicious as the food is, we can never finish everything, which was perfect for adding an order of Kous Kous to-go for the next night's dinner!

We were pleasantly surprised with the fact that Jacqueline waited, until we finished our dessert and paid our bill, before she brought out our boxed leftovers and order of Kous Kous. The simplest detail of not bombarding your table with a bag of takeout while you're still enjoying the dessert and conversation. Another small detail that left such an impactful impression was that Jacqueline labeled each box of leftovers, sparing us from having to open each one to figure out what it was. She is an amazing server and obviously goes above & beyond the norm - what an asset to the restaurant she is!

Looking forward to the next dinner there. Make sure you order the Moroccan Feast II and a bottle of the Moroccan red wine!

atmosphere..very authentic
food..execellent..so flavourful..got the sliders and veggie platter. Moroccan mint tea.
service..fast and friendly

Continues to be my favorite authentic Moroccan eatery south of LA. Food is consistently delicious and service always top notch. My only wish is for them to open earlier, maybe 3pm?

Carrot appetizers are addicting. So flavorful.