True, it’s not York’s fanciest restaurant.
There is no bar, no swish furnishings – and, come to think of it, no walls and no roof. But Los Moros has triumphed over places with all these mod cons and more to become York’s number one restaurant.
Los Moros, the name of a street food vendor in Shambles Market, is now listed as the top eaterie in TripAdvisor’s list of 694 restaurants in York.
It is one ahead of one of the city’s star new restaurants, Skosh, with stalwart of the fine dining scene Melton’s in third place.
One of the first to congratulate Los Moros was York Food and Drink Festival, run by Melton’s owner Michael Hjort.
“Big congrats to Los Moros for their number 1 position on TripAdvisor. If you haven’t been yet, get down to Shambles Market and visit!” it posted on Facebook.
‘Worth more than money’
With an ‘excellent’ rating of 93% from 131 reviews, Los Moros deserves its top spot.
It is run by Tarik Abdeladim. Originally from Algeria, Tarik has now lived in York for 20 years. He came to visit with some friends in 1997, and never left.
If you’ve not tried Tarik’s blend of North African and Levantine street food, you’ve missed out.
He told YorkMix: “I love York, it is a home from home and I could never leave!
“When I started Los Moros in 2015, the idea I wanted to bring was traditional Berber (indigenous North African ethnic group) food that has a mixture of Middle Eastern, Moroccan and Arab influences.
“All together this combination of rich culture and heritage is found in all of the dishes here. These cultures have created foods such as cous cous, harissa and tagines and I use these dishes combined with herbs and flavors in my authentic dishes.”
He said the positive feedback from customers is great.
“It is worth so much more than the money when someone will come and tell me how much they loved my food, and when they are coming back for more! It is what you need to make the day worthwhile.”