From the folks that brought us Sahara comes Le Souk, a dim, atmospheric spot that looks like the perfect lair for shisha, hummus and harems. Realistically, you can only get the first two—you’d have to hit up Lockhart Road for the latter.

Jewel-toned lanterns and tinkling music make for a romantic setting, but on a recent evening the real highlight was the meat.

The starters—hummus, a salad and pan-fried haloumi cheese—were yummy, as was the house signature cocktail, a combination of champagne, mint and other booze. But when the main course—an enormous platter of sizzling meat, doused in delicious Moroccan sauce—arrived at the table, our latent carnivores perked up. Generous portions of cous cous and vegetable stew came alongside the tender, flavorful chicken, beef, lamb and sausage.

At $290 for two people, the mixed grilled meat platter is a little steep, but what else would you expect? It’s SoHo, after all, and you have to resign yourself to SoHo prices.

The service was friendly and attentive, with the head waiter sporting a long tunic and a turban. At the end of the night, we delicately asked if it was traditional attire worn out of observance or a costume. He answered that it was just for fun—and he’s right, it was fun to see a restaurant in high-falutin’ SoHo poke fun at itself a bit.

The small restaurant filled up after 8pm, with patrons ranging from couples out for date night to a group birthday dinner. If SoHo’s your neighborhood of choice for a meal out, head to Le Souk for a fun, solid meal.