8 Best Street Foods in Casablanca

The Habous (or New Medina) is a planned 1930s neighborhood built by the French in traditional Moroccan style — a grid of tree-lined streets with arcaded shops, designed to be a cleaner, more organized version of the old medina. The Habous is Casablanca's pastry and bread capital: the bakeries along Rue de Fes and surrounding streets sell every Moroccan pastry tradition alongside French-influenced creations. The highlights: kaab el-ghazal (gazelle horns, 3–5 MAD — the Habous versions are consistently excellent), chebakia (3–5 MAD), ghriba (2–3 MAD), briouats (3–5 MAD), and cornes (horn-shaped pastries filled with almond cream, 5–8 MAD — a Casablanca specialty). The bread is superb: fresh khobz from wood-fired ovens (1–2 MAD), batbout (pita-like rounds, 2–3 MAD), and harcha (4–6 MAD). The Habous also has excellent olive shops (dozens of varieties, 10–30 MAD/kg), spice vendors, and traditional clothing stores. The architecture is beautiful: whitewashed arcades, tiled fountains, and a human scale that makes it one of Casablanca's most pleasant neighborhoods. The Royal Palace is nearby — the neighborhood has a stately, well-maintained atmosphere. Mornings are best for the freshest pastries.

Casablanca is Morocco's sandwich capital — the city's fast pace demands quick, portable food, and the bocadillo stalls deliver. The sandwich culture here is more developed than anywhere else in Morocco: more filling options, better bread, and a competitive market that keeps quality high. Fillings: kefta (10–15 MAD), merguez (10–15 MAD), chicken shawarma (15–20 MAD), tuna with olives and egg (10–15 MAD), fried fish (15–20 MAD), and the "complet" (everything plus fries and egg, 20–25 MAD). The Casablanca innovation: some stalls offer "tacos marocains" — a recent street food phenomenon featuring a folded flour tortilla filled with meat, fries, cheese sauce, and harissa. Controversial among food purists but hugely popular with young Casablancais (15–25 MAD). The best sandwich streets: around Place des Nations Unies, Boulevard Mohammed V, and the areas near major tram stops (where the commuter crowd demands speed and value). Late-night bocadillos are a Casablanca institution — the city's nightlife sustains sandwich stalls that stay open until 2–3 AM. The quality is surprisingly consistent even at midnight.

Casablanca's harira is influenced by every region of Morocco — the city is a melting pot of migrants from across the country, each bringing their home recipe. You'll find thick southern harira, lighter northern versions, spicy eastern variations, and fusion styles that combine elements from multiple traditions. A bowl costs 5–8 MAD with bread and dates. The soup stalls in the old medina (near the port) are the most traditional. The working-class neighborhoods of Derb Sultan and Hay Mohammadi have the cheapest and most authentic soups — harira (5 MAD), bissara (4 MAD), loubia (5 MAD), and lentil soup (4 MAD). During Ramadan, Casablanca's harira scene is Morocco's largest — the iftar moment, when 4 million people simultaneously break their fast with harira, is an overwhelming sensory experience: the city goes quiet, then erupts in the sound of spoons on bowls. Year-round, the soup stalls near the Hassan II Mosque serve harira with a view of the world's tallest minaret — dramatic at sunset. Some upscale cafés in the Maarif district serve "harira gastronomique" — elevated versions with premium ingredients (15–25 MAD) — but the street versions are often better.

Casablanca's breakfast street food reflects its status as Morocco's business capital — the morning rush requires fast, portable food. Msemen (3–5 MAD), baghrir (3–5 MAD), sfenj (1–2 MAD each), and harcha (4–6 MAD) are available at stalls near every tram stop and major intersection. The Casablanca breakfast pace is faster than other cities — the msemen women work at industrial speed to serve the commuter crowd. Fresh orange juice (5–8 MAD) from carts along Boulevard Mohammed V and near Place des Nations Unies. Coffee culture is stronger in Casablanca than most Moroccan cities: espresso (nous-nous — half coffee, half milk — 8–12 MAD) at the dozens of café terraces along Boulevard Mohammed V is the Casablanca morning ritual. Some stalls near the Habous serve a "petit déjeuner complet" (complete breakfast): msemen, egg, cheese, olive oil, honey, and tea — 15–20 MAD. The modern bakeries in the Maarif and Gauthier districts offer French-style viennoiseries: croissants (5–8 MAD), pain au chocolat (5–8 MAD), and mille-feuille (8–12 MAD). Casablanca's breakfast is the most cosmopolitan in Morocco.