Where to eat
Best Restaurants in Morocco
Twenty-three restaurants and cafés in seven cities, from a women-run institution in Marrakech to a fish house in Tangier with no menu, with what to order, how to dress and when to book.
Bessara, lentils, tagine and pastilla on a restaurant table. Photograph: Abdou A. A., CC BY-SA 2.0
- Restaurants
- 23
- Cities
- 7
- Busiest day
- Friday lunch
- Book ahead
- March-May, Sept-Nov
Morocco: A Culinary Destination
Moroccan cooking draws on Amazigh, Arab, Andalusian and French traditions, and each city eats a little differently: slow-cooked tanjia in Marrakech, pastilla in Fes, Atlantic fish in Essaouira and Tangier.
Alongside the old institutions, a newer generation of restaurants cooks Moroccan dishes in a modern way. You can eat very well at a street stall or at a set dinner in a riad.
The 23 places below are grouped by city. Each entry gives the style of cooking, where it is, and anything worth knowing before you go.
Marrakech
Rooftop modern Moroccan, a women-run institution, a medina garden and a set dinner in a riad.
Nomad
Rahba Kedima (the spice square), medina · Modern Moroccan
A modern Moroccan kitchen over several floors of a former carpet shop on the spice square, with a multi-level roof terrace above the medina.
Book ahead if you want a terrace table at sunset; they go first.
Al Fassia
Gueliz and Aguedal · Traditional Moroccan
Run by women since 1987 and cooking the Fassi repertoire. The original restaurant is in Gueliz; the second, at Aguedal, takes larger groups. Reviewers single out the pigeon pastilla.
It closes for an annual holiday in July; check the dates before you plan around it.
Le Jardin
Souk Jeld Sidi Abdelaziz, medina · Moroccan
A garden restaurant in an old riad, about five minutes on foot from Jemaa el-Fna, with tables in the planted courtyard and on a terrace above. Tagines, couscous and pastilla with mint tea or fresh juice. No alcohol.
Lunch is busy: arrive before one o'clock.
Dar Yacout
Medina · Moroccan set menu
A riad in the medina with interiors by the designer Bill Willis. Dinner is a set menu served course after course, with drinks on the roof terrace first.
Dinner only. Book well ahead in high season, and dress smartly.
Fes
A riad dining room, a cultural café, a garden in a ruin and a palace hotel, all inside the medina.
Dar Roumana
Derb el Amer, Fes medina · Moroccan-Mediterranean
The restaurant of a restored riad guesthouse in the medina, serving dinner in the courtyard.
Booking is essential.
Café Clock
Derb el Magana, off Talaa Kebira · Café and cultural centre
A rambling medina house off Talaa Kebira, by the water clock opposite the Bou Inania medersa. Best known for its camel burger; it also runs cooking classes that begin with shopping in the market.
Book cooking classes in advance.
The Ruined Garden
Fes medina · Garden restaurant
Tables in a garden planted in the ruins of a medina house, with a short menu of Moroccan dishes.
Book ahead, especially in high season.
Palais Amani
Fes medina · Hotel restaurant
A restored palace hotel around an Andalusian garden courtyard. Its restaurant, a blue-and-white tiled dining room, is open to non-guests.
Casablanca
Breakfast in a bastion, the bar from the film, seafood on the cliffs and tagines on the Corniche.
La Sqala
Old medina, by the port · Moroccan café-restaurant
A garden restaurant inside the walls of an 18th-century bastion at the edge of the old medina. Best known for Moroccan breakfasts of msemen, harcha, fresh juice and mint tea, with tagines at lunch and dinner. It serves no alcohol.
Weekend breakfast is the busiest time; arrive early for a garden table.
Rick's Café
Old medina · Restaurant and piano bar
Opened on 1 March 2004 by Kathy Kriger, a former American diplomat, in a converted house in the old medina, as a homage to the 1942 film Casablanca, which was never shot here.
Book for dinner.
Le Cabestan
Corniche, by the El Hank lighthouse · Seafood and Mediterranean
On the cliff edge at El Hank, looking across the Atlantic. The site has been a restaurant since 1926 and took the name Le Cabestan in 1965. Seafood is the focus.
Ask for a window or terrace table, and dress smartly.
Basmane
Corniche, Aïn Diab · Traditional Moroccan
A Moroccan restaurant on the Corniche with Arabo-Andalusian decor of carved wood and mosaic, and entertainment in the evening. Tagines are the reason to go; reviewers single out chicken with preserved lemon and olives.
Tangier
A Kasbah piano bar, the café on the cliff, a guesthouse terrace and a fish house with no menu.
El Morocco Club
Place du Tabor, Kasbah · Restaurant and piano bar
Just inside the Kasbah gates: a restaurant upstairs, a piano bar downstairs with jazz nights, and a terrace under an old tree in the warm months. The cooking mixes Moroccan and Mediterranean.
Book ahead for dinner; it fills up.
Café Hafa
Marshan, above the Strait · Café
Open since 1921: whitewashed terraces stepping down the cliff above the Strait of Gibraltar, with Spain across the water on a clear day. Paul Bowles was a regular, and the Rolling Stones came in the 1960s. Come for mint tea, not a meal.
Late afternoon gives the best light.
Dar Nour
Rue Gourna, Kasbah · Guesthouse restaurant
A guesthouse in the Kasbah with a split-level roof terrace over the city and the beach, and a small restaurant.
Ask ahead whether the kitchen is taking outside diners that night.
Saveur de Poisson
Escalier Waller, old town · Set fish menu
No menu and no choices: everyone gets the same run of fish soup, skewers or a tagine, grilled fish of the day, fruit and juice, at a fixed price per person.
There is often a queue, and the hours are irregular, so check on the day.
Essaouira
Lunch on the sand, seafood in a stone warehouse and a drink above the harbour square.
Ocean Vagabond
Boulevard Mohammed V, on the beach · Beach restaurant
On the sand south of the medina, with wooden decking and deck chairs. Fish, salads and international dishes.
Daytime is the main service; it opens in the evening only on some nights, mostly Fridays and Saturdays, so check before planning dinner.
La Table by Madada
Madada Mogador, medina · Seafood
The restaurant of the Madada Mogador hotel, in a former carob warehouse with stone vaults. French and Moroccan cooking with the emphasis on fish and shellfish.
Dinner only; book ahead.
Taros
Place Moulay Hassan · Rooftop bar and restaurant
Roof terraces above the square, looking over the ramparts, the port and the ocean, with a cocktail bar downstairs and live music some evenings. Go for the view and a drink at sunset more than for the food.
Rabat and Chefchaouen
A medina dining room, a boat on the river and tea in the Kasbah; and one small kitchen in the blue town.
Dar Zaki
Rue Moulay Brahim, Rabat medina · Traditional Moroccan
A small tiled dining room in the medina, behind a recessed doorway with a small sign that is easy to miss.
Dinner only and cash only; book ahead.
Le Dhow
Bou Regreg quay, Rabat · Boat restaurant and lounge
A converted wooden boat moored on the Bou Regreg below the Kasbah of the Udayas, looking across to Salé, with a restaurant, an open deck and a club below.
The open deck at sunset is the reason to go.
Café Maure
Kasbah of the Udayas, Rabat · Café
A terrace café beside the Andalusian Gardens in the Kasbah, looking over the mouth of the Bou Regreg. Mint tea and almond pastries such as ghriba.
Bab Ssour
Chefchaouen medina · Moroccan
A small, popular restaurant in the medina with a terrace over the old town. Reviewers praise the tagines and the soup.
It is small: expect a short wait at busy times.
Essential Dining Tips
Book ahead for the well-known places
Restaurants such as Nomad, Dar Roumana, Dar Yacout, Le Cabestan and El Morocco Club fill up in high season (March to May, September to November). Book by phone, WhatsApp or social media.Smart casual works everywhere
Most Moroccan restaurants are relaxed about dress. Avoid shorts and flip-flops at upscale places; some rooftop bars prefer smart dress in the evening.Tip in cash
Around 10-15% at restaurants for good service; round up at casual places. Check whether service is included at upscale venues, and tip in cash even if you pay by card.Friday is couscous day
Traditional restaurants serve couscous on Fridays, and Friday lunch is busier as families eat out.Alcohol depends on the licence
Licensed restaurants in tourist areas serve alcohol; traditional medina restaurants generally do not, and hotels do. Moroccan wine comes from the Meknes, Guerrouane and Boulaouane regions.
Questions
Restaurants in Morocco: questions
What are the best restaurants in Morocco?
Well-known picks include Nomad and Al Fassia in Marrakech, Dar Roumana and The Ruined Garden in Fes, La Sqala and Le Cabestan in Casablanca, El Morocco Club in Tangier, La Table by Madada in Essaouira and Dar Zaki in Rabat. Between them they cover traditional cooking, modern Moroccan and Atlantic seafood.
How much does a nice restaurant meal cost in Morocco?
It varies widely. A medina restaurant or a street stall costs a fraction of a set dinner in a palace riad or a seafood meal on the Casablanca Corniche. Menus and prices change with the season, so check a restaurant's current menu before you go.
Do I need to book restaurants in advance?
For popular places such as Nomad, Dar Roumana, Dar Yacout, Le Cabestan and El Morocco Club, book ahead in high season. Casual restaurants and cafés generally take walk-ins. Many restaurants take bookings by phone or WhatsApp. Friday lunch is always busier.
What is the dress code at Moroccan restaurants?
Most restaurants are relaxed, and smart casual works everywhere. Avoid beachwear at upscale places. Traditional restaurants have no dress code; places such as Dar Yacout and Le Cabestan expect smart dress.
What should I order at a Moroccan restaurant?
Tagine; couscous, traditionally on Fridays; pastilla; mechoui; tanjia in Marrakech; and harira soup. To drink: mint tea, fresh orange juice and, at licensed restaurants, Moroccan wine.
Is tipping expected at restaurants in Morocco?
Yes. Around 10-15% is usual at restaurants; at casual places, round up or leave a few dirhams. Check whether service is already included at upscale venues, and tip in cash.