The Moroccan Soup Bar

The Moroccan Soup Bar cookbook reflects the atmosphere of the Soup Bar – warm, welcoming and colourful. The recipes prove you don’t need to include meat in a meal to make it taste delicious.

Laced with stories of meetings at the Soup Bar, the plight of women, Moroccan culture, and hope for a more inclusive future, Hana’s book will provide a colourful, spiced oasis in any enthusiastic cook’s recipe book collection.

Drive down St George’s Road in North Fitzroy on the evenings the Soup Bar is open and you’ll find a queue stretching out the door and around the corner. With its brightly coloured interior, refreshing spoken menu, and flavourful Moroccan cuisine, The Soup Bar has become a Melbourne institution over the past 16 years.

More than just a restaurant, the Moroccan Soup Bar is founded on a philosophy, what Hana describes as ‘a vision whose primary objective was not monetary, where everyone who visited, whether a one-time visitor or repeat customer, felt their senses were stimulated…to share experiences, and walk away a little changed as a consequence.’

Hana, head cook and owner, is releasing a cookbook of the wonderful vegetarian dishes served every night at the restaurant. Her devoted customers have sought the secrets of her recipes, in particular the famed chickpea bake, a dish so delicious it’s won awards. Now the public will have the chance to recreate these beautiful, flavoursome recipes in their own homes. There’s even a recipe for the restaurant’s wall paint, passed down to Hana from her father.