Taghazout & Tamraght — Surf, Coffee & Smoothie Bowls

A generation ago, Taghazout was a sleepy fishing village north of Agadir, known mainly to surfers chasing its long right-hand point breaks. Today it and neighbouring Tamraght form one of Morocco's most distinctive food scenes: a laid-back strip of cafés, juice bars and casual restaurants along the coast road and the beach. The change has been driven by surfers, yoga retreats and, increasingly, remote workers.

As of mid-2026, Taghazout is recognised as a leading global destination for digital nomads, and the food has evolved to match. Alongside traditional Moroccan tagines you will find açai bowls, avocado toast, specialty coffee, vegan menus and international dishes aimed at a long-staying, health-conscious crowd. It is unlike anywhere else in the country.

The two villages sit only a few kilometres apart and blur into one scene, though Tamraght is generally quieter and more residential while Taghazout is busier and more built up. Both are easy to explore on foot, and both reward wandering until something catches your eye.

If one dish defines the modern Taghazout coast, it is the smoothie bowl: thick blended fruit topped with granola, banana, seeds and honey, eaten after a dawn surf. Cafés here have embraced healthy eating with enthusiasm, and poke bowls, salads, wraps, fresh juices and vegetarian and vegan menus are everywhere, reflecting the wellness and surf culture that fills the villages.

This is a rare corner of Morocco where vegans and travellers with dietary restrictions are genuinely well served, with dedicated menus and staff used to the questions. Portions are generous and produce is often local, drawing on the fruit and vegetables of the surrounding Souss region.

It all makes an easy break if you have been eating tagine on the road for a fortnight. That said, the healthy scene sits happily alongside heartier options, and many cafés will serve you a green smoothie and a plate of eggs and msemen without blinking.

With the influx of remote workers has come a proper coffee culture. Specialty coffee shops and café-coworking spaces have opened along the coast, serving flat whites, cold brew and espresso to a standard you would not have found here a decade ago, often paired with reliable Wi-Fi and plug sockets.

These cafés double as offices for the nomad crowd, so it is normal to see laptops open over a long lunch. Some are dedicated coworking spaces with a café attached; others are simply relaxed spots that tolerate a few hours of work between meals. Either way, the coffee is taken seriously.

For travellers, this means it is easy to find a comfortable base to catch up on planning, upload photos or linger over a good coffee, all a few metres from the surf. The wider surf-and-resort development along this shore is covered in our Taghazout Bay beach resorts guide.

Just south of Taghazout, Tamraght has its own character. The village sits back from a wide beach and is fringed by banana plantations, watered by the valley behind it, which give the area its nickname of 'Banana Village'. Roadside stalls sell the small, sweet local bananas, and a thick 'banana juice' is a local staple worth trying.

Tamraght's food scene is a little more low-key and residential than Taghazout's, with surf lodges, small cafés and family-run eateries. It attracts long-stayers looking for a quieter base, and prices can be slightly gentler. The two villages are close enough that you can easily eat breakfast in one and dinner in the other.

The valley and plantations also make a pleasant walk to work up an appetite, a reminder that this stretch of coast is as much about slow living as it is about surf.

For all the smoothie bowls, the Moroccan roots of this coast are never far away. Local eateries and family-run places still serve tagines, grilled fish fresh off the boats, harira and brochettes at prices well below the trendier cafés. Eating where the surf guides and fishermen eat is both cheaper and often more memorable.

Fish is a highlight, given the working harbours nearby: simple grills of the day's catch, sardines and calamari are excellent and inexpensive. For the wider picture of Atlantic coastal cooking, our Essaouira seafood restaurants guide covers the region's fish traditions further up the coast.

Breakfast is a good moment to eat traditionally, when cafés serve msemen, harcha, eggs, olives, amlou and mint tea; our Moroccan breakfast guide sets out the classic spread. This is argan country too, so the nutty oil and amlou you taste here are the real thing, as our edible souvenirs guide explains.

The rhythm of the coast is worth understanding too. Mornings belong to surfers and dawn patrols refuelling on bowls and coffee; afternoons are for long, laptop-friendly lunches; and evenings bring a gentle scene of shared plates, grilled fish and sunset watching rather than late-night bars. Sundays often see a produce market in the villages, good for fruit, olives and the local bananas, and a chance to stock a self-catering apartment cheaply. Because so many visitors stay for weeks rather than days, there is little pressure to rush, and the same faces reappear at the same cafés. Settle into that rhythm, alternate healthy cafés with local fish grills, and the coast quietly becomes one of the most livable places to eat in Morocco.

Because the villages have no single dining hub, it helps to think in categories rather than addresses. Here is a quick orientation to the kinds of places you will find, and roughly what to expect from each.

Eating here is easy and relaxed, but a few local realities are worth knowing. The scene is seasonal, busiest through the cooler surf months, and prices at the trendier cafés run higher than a traditional Moroccan meal, though still modest by European standards. Agadir, about 20 km south and a 2030 World Cup host city, is the nearest airport and full-service town; see our Agadir family resorts guide for the wider area.