Cybel Opens in Kenwood with French Moroccan Fare

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Cybel Opens in Kenwood with French Moroccan Fare

French and Moroccan cuisine are two genres of food that we currently do not have enough of in the St. Petersburg area. Because of this, it is no surprise that the community has welcomed the newly-opened permanent location of Cybel French Moroccan Restaurant on 5th Ave N. in Kenwood with open arms.

The sign on 5th Ave N. for Cybel
The sign on 5th Ave N. for Cybel

Cybel is actually the only French Moroccan restaurant in the area. Chef Touf, who we had the pleasure of meeting during our meal at Cybel, is the mind behind the operation. Chef started his professional cooking journey in LA as a private chef for a number of athletes and celebrities. This operation then transformed into a catering company. In 2023 Chef Touf brought Cybel to life as a ghost kitchen located at Foodie Labs, which acts as a culinary incubator. After eight months at Foodies Labs, Chef Touf announced in July that a new home for Cybel would be coming soon. On November 1st, their brick and mortar location opened to the public. Why French Moroccan fare? Chef Touf’s inspiration behind serving French Moroccan in his restaurant stems from his years spent in Morocco as a child. During this time, he grew very fond of the cuisine.

The front entrance and outdoor dining area of Cybel French Moroccan Restaurant in Kenwood
The front entrance and outdoor dining area of Cybel French Moroccan Restaurant in Kenwood
Mini tagine pots
Mini tagine pots
Beef kabob pita, chicken shawarma plate and the French taco
Beef kabob pita, chicken shawarma plate and the French taco

Currently, Cybel is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday beginning at 5:00PM, however, they just announced on November 19th that brunch would be debuting this weekend (weekend of November 23rd) from 11:00AM – 3:30PM. The brunch will be in collaboration with Brewed Awakenings, which operates out of Cybel’s restaurant Wednesday – Monday from 7:00AM – 3:00PM. The brunch menu will feature dishes like Tagine Shakshuka, Za’atar Avocado Tartine and Merguez, just to name a few. Intriguing coffee beverages by Brewed Awakening include cold brew lemonade, a thai latte, matcha latte and an oat latte with your flavor choice of lavender or cinnamon banana bread. Reservations are now available.

As for Cybel’s standard dinner menu, you’ll find an array of shareable items, vibrant salads, mouthwatering entrees like tagines, kabobs, shawarma and a must-order French taco, a selection of pitas and various sides that are not to be overlooked. We tried to order something from each section and what made this easy is the fact that a number of the entrees offer some of the sides and salads. This was ultra convenient and allowed us the opportunity to try some items that we otherwise may have not ordered on our own.

Cybel's menu
Cybel’s menu

Because Cybel does not serve alcohol, they encourage guests to bring their own. That’s right – BYOB. When you’re planning your visit to Cybel, make sure to bring along one of your favorite bottles to enjoy along side your meal. For their new brunch, I suggest a bottle of delicious bubbles to complement your leisurely weekend dining experience.

Cybel is BYOB
Cybel is BYOB

As I mentioned earlier, when talking about their new brunch, Cybel encourages reservations. These can be secured via their website here. We arrived at Cybel on a Friday night for our 6:00PM reservation. Because we checked in before the rush, we had our pick of sitting inside or outside. The interior of the space has approximately ten tables and the exterior offers a handful more – we opted for a two top inside. Around 6:30PM, the restaurant was packed both inside and out. It was bustling which kept the staff quite busy. Our server was so attentive, especially considering how busy they were. After we placed our food order and received our appetizer, she informed us that the mains may take a bit longer than expected, but that’s never an issue for us.

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The back dining area of the restaurant
The back dining area of the restaurant
Inside the front area of the dining room at Cybel before the Friday night rush
Inside the front area of the dining room at Cybel before the Friday night rush

We really wanted to try a number of the items from the starters section of the menu and the Un peu de tout was absolutely perfect for that. It is great to share between a few people and includes falafel, labneh, hummus, Moroccan ratatouille, tabbouleh with zaatar pita bread. Each element of this platter was delightful in its own way. The falafel had perfect texture and was great with a dollop of labneh for a premium bite. Ratatouille isn’t usually a favorite of mine, but this rendition was a loaded hit of flavor that surprised both me and my husband. I highly suggest ordering this app, regardless of how many folks you’re dining with, because it is just enough to enjoy before the mains, you get a variety of bites and is as wonderful as it sounds.

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Un peu de tout starter with falafel, labneh, hummus, Moroccan ratatouille, tabbouleh and zaatar pita bread
Un peu de tout starter with falafel, labneh, hummus, Moroccan ratatouille, tabbouleh and zaatar pita bread
The Un peu de tout is a great way to start a meal at Cybel
The Un peu de tout is a great way to start a meal at Cybel

Our entrees didn’t take as long as expected and arrived in a timely manner. The French Taco (more like a burrito) is a must-order in my opinion. It has its own menu where you select your meat, vegetables, sauce and type of fry (the fries are served in the taco) – regular or gourmet (gourmet = extra crispy for texture). After some deliberating, we decided on the jerk chicken with onion, tomato, shredded lettuce and the six sick sauce. The six sick sauce (additional $3) is a blend of all six of their sauces in one which makes for an incredible sauce that hits all of the notes (I know, it sounds like a lot,  but you have to trust me here). This item could definitely be split between two people, as it is very large.

The French Taco - this one is with jerk chicken, onion, tomato lettuce and six sauce
The French Taco – this one is with jerk chicken, onion, tomato, lettuce and six sick sauce
The French taco menu at Cybel
The French taco menu at Cybel

The next entree of note that we ordered is the Chicken Shawarma. It comes with marinated shawarma that is sliced thin and served with garlic sauce (Toum), Mediterranean rice and parsley salad. This was my entree of choice and I’m so glad that I selected it as it was light, fresh and chock-full of savory flavor and I couldn’t get enough of the garlic sauce. It was like a build your own bite experience which also makes this an entree that could easily be shared. We had the leftovers the next day with some pita and that whole experience was equally as tasty as the first.

Chicken shawarma plate with slow roasted and thin sliced chicken, garlic sauce, Mediterranean salad and parsley rice
Chicken shawarma plate with slow roasted and thin sliced chicken, garlic sauce, Mediterranean salad and parsley rice

We really wanted to give the beef kabobs a try and the pita as our kabob vessel with a side of fries and it was a home-run. It arrived dressed with pita sauce, tomato and lettuce and was a memorable bite from the evening. Other pita options include falafel, chicken kabob and chicken shawarma. At only $14, this entree is quite the steal.

Beef kabob pita with a side of fries
Beef kabob pita with a side of fries

If you still have room after your meal, Cybel has a case full of desserts that are made in house for you to devour. Be sure to ask which ones are available as they vary.

Desserts made in the Cybel kitchen
Desserts made in the Cybel kitchen

As we were finishing our meal, Chef Touf made his way out to the dining room to ask us about our dinner and to introduce himself, which was a great touch – especially given how busy they were. He pours his soul into each dish that he creates and it shows. I have no doubt that Cybel will be well received within the community. In fact, it was plain to see that they have already gained a healthy customer base. In addition to their regular service, Cybel also offers catering, which you should definitely keep on your radar for your next event. Their catering menu can be found on their website. Additionally, we were briefly informed that A Good Human hosts regular cooking classes in their neighboring space – there was actually one going on while we were having dinner. Be sure to keep an eye out for upcoming classes.

Cybel French Moroccan Restaurant
  • Readers Rating
  • Rated 5 stars
    5 / 5 (1 )
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  • Cybel French Moroccan Restaurant
  • 727-437-8166
  • French, Moroccan, Mediterranean
    • Tue - Fri 5:00pm - 11:00pm
    • Sat - Sun 11:00am - 3:30pm
    • Sat - Sun 5:00pm - 11:00pm
  • View menu
  • Take Reservations: Yes!
  • 2735 5th Ave N., St. Petersburg, Florida 33713, United States

Casual Mediterranean restaurant for comfort food such as chicken tagine with vegetarian options and late-night hours.

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DISCLAIMER: Kevin, Lori, Abby, Haley, Lindsey & Mahika do not dine anonymously (this would be impossible) and we sometimes get free food (though never expected). However, we dine with the locals and we support our own. You will always get honesty in a respectful manner. We do not include any large national or regional chains in our ratings and reviews. We focus on independent locally owned eateries exclusively.

PLEASE NOTE: Reviews reflect a certain moment in time. Some restaurants stay extremely consistent over many years, and some change for the better or worse. Some things that may change are: chefs, recipes, food suppliers, ingredients, philosophies, ownership, etc. We always hope that you have the same good, or great experience we had.
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