He Opens an 18-Seat Restaurant in the United States; Two Years Later, This Moroccan Has 120 Seats
Two and a half years after opening a tiny 18-seat café in Philadelphia, Moroccan Soufiane Boutliliss is moving to a completely different scale. His new restaurant can accommodate around 120 customers, with cuisine that remains deeply connected to Morocco.
The journey has been swift. In autumn 2023, Soufiane Boutliliss and his business partner Christophe Mathon opened Sofi Corner Café, a small neighborhood establishment with just 18 seats. It notably serves the dishes the Moroccan grew up with in Tangier: tagines and couscous. Last May, the two men opened a second establishment five streets away, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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This time, the dimensions are completely different. Soufiane at the Morris has around 120 seats spread between an indoor dining room and a courtyard, in addition to about a dozen seats at the bar. The restaurant is located next to the Morris House Hotel, in a historic Philadelphia property whose house was built in 1787.
His grandmother’s recipes from Morocco
But as he expanded, Soufiane Boutliliss did not abandon what had helped define his first restaurant. His cuisine draws on two family histories: his grandmother is a cook in Morocco, and his father is a chef in Paris. “My grandmother is a chef in Morocco and my father is a chef in Paris,” he explains to the American channel ABC 6 Philadelphia.
Soufiane’s grandmother had already provided the recipe for melouza (mlawaza), Moroccan nut biscuits served at his first café. For the new restaurant, she passed on other recipes, including the one for chermoula used with fish and vegetables. “She is happy to be famous, and she gave me more recipes,” the Moroccan restaurateur recounts.
The menu now reflects both worlds. French classics such as onion soup, coq au vin and duck confit are joined by couscous, tagines and Moroccan flavors. Even the cocktails feature ingredients such as orange blossom, dates and North African spices.
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For Soufiane Boutliliss, the goal goes beyond simply running a restaurant. He wants customers to feel as though they are entering his home: “I don’t want you to feel like you’re in a restaurant. We are in my family home.” From 18 seats to around 120, the setting has grown considerably. The recipes from Morocco, however, have remained.