Whether you’ve been to Morocco and eaten well there, or you’re new to this North African cuisine, you’re going to love the restaurant Milah. It’s at 16 Flask Walk in Hampstead, replacing the French restaurant La Cage Imaginaire.
A month after its September 2026 opening, I ate at Milah with a friend who was having a tagine for the first time. Angela doesn’t like very spicy food and was delighted to discover that authentic Moroccan cuisine – as served at Milah – won’t have you waving your hand in front of your mouth with every bite!
The manager Jawad told us how their chef from Casablanca naturally uses a wide range of spices to bring warmth and flavour to dishes but not to overwhelm them. Interestingly, whilst the meat, fish and vegetables are all bought from local markets, the spices (and most of the crockery!) are imported from Morocco.
“We want to offer diners nutritious meals,” said Jawad, who is one of the family members involved with Milah. The Morocco-loving owners have experience with Hampstead locals and tourists. In 2024 they opened the Lebanese restaurant Oliviya on Hampstead High Street which is doing well.
“We’re listening to our loyal customers to make sure that Milah suits them,” continued Jawad. In this respect, as of 22nd October, Milah introduced a longer and more explanatory menu.
When Angela and I ate there in mid-October, we were choosing from their launch menu, which, for example, didn’t include grilled sea bass and marinated lamb cutlets grilled with Moroccan spices.
The new menu also has more salads, starters and desserts to choose from. Now there’s a Pumpkin Kibbeh starter which is a twist on the popular Arabic kibbeh usually made from spiced lean ground meat and bulgur wheat.
We started by sharing Aubergine Zaalock – smoked aubergine, slow cooked with garlic, coriander and tomato. Marrying the aubergines with fresh Moroccan bread which reminded me of focaccia, we wiped the bowl clean!
We also opted for Fish Pastilla – a perfectly round parcel of paper thin, filo-like pastry with a lovely crispy texture, packed with small prawns, cod pieces and ever so skinny vermicelli noodles. Both starters accompanied with a bottle of Casablanca beer – very nice!
For mains, we decided to divide and conquer. So Angela ordered the traditional lamb tagine which was topped with caramelised prunes, apricots and almonds.
The menu offers three types of tagines with lamb, and a slow-cooked chicken one with green olives and preserved lemon. I suspect it was preserved lemon which gave my fish tagine, served in a tomato sauce with garlic, coriander, slippery-soft bell pepper slices and potato cubes, an irresistible tasty zing. If you’re vegetarian, instead of a tagine, you might order one of the meals where fluffy couscous is the base.
Although the wine list is international, a glass of Maroc wine – “rich and plummy with an earthy tone and a little spice,” said Angela – paired well with both our tagines.
Before our mains, we also got to sample the heartwarming traditional Harira soup. The barely visible lentils and chickpeas combined with herbs and spices sent my body an internalised message – ‘This must be good for me!’ Chicken soup is also on the menu, and I’d like to experience the Milah take on that.
Our meal finished with teaspoons over a moreish pudding called Mouhallabieh. It’s actually a Lebanese recipe but all the Milah dessert options speak of the Moroccan love for ingredients such as honey, almonds and orange blossom water.
With the size of the venue, Milah is an intimate restaurant. Yet the layout allows you to feel bubbled in your own table’s world.
The interior design – marble tabletops, plush cream chairs, delicious beiges and browns, precise lighting – made me feel like I was in a cocoon of comfort and chic.
All their lives, Jawad’s family have had Moroccan friends and Milah is proof that the owners know about Morocco’s trademark hospitality. Without any overt fussing, our waiters deftly ensured we felt looked after, even as the restaurant filled out from about 7pm onwards.
As we began our fifteen minute walk back to Belsize, Angela said she is going to return with friends who would love to eat at Milah. And if I’m choosing with my friends where to eat out, or I’m missing Morocco! – Milah is a beautiful choice.
Milah, at 16 Flask Walk, Hampstead NW3, is open from 10am (serves breakfast too) until 11pm.
To make a reservation book online or phone: 020 7916 0899
Cover Photo: Inside Milah Restaurant
