Entertainment in Marrakesh
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Mamounia Casino
As if drinking OJ from re-used glasses in the Djemaa el-Fna weren't enough of a gamble, just down the street is the Mamounia Casino. There are many places in Marrakesh that look like a Vegas version of Morocco, but the casino makes good on the comparison with blackjack, poker, baccarat, roulette and slot machines. Dress to pass the doorman's once-over - sorry, even high rollers don't get by in jeans.
reviewed
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A
Théâtre Royal
Twenty-five years in the making, the Théâtre Royal is a sore subject for Marrakshis still waiting for a completed interior - apparently the work wasn't done to specifications, the money's gone, and the whole legal ordeal's become a monumental embarrassment. Meanwhile regular performances are held in a Carthage-style outdoor amphitheatre with hard seats but terrific acoustics.
Tunisian architect Charles Boccara's Maghrebi monument features Egyptian Art Deco papyrus pillars, a Sahara sand-coloured portico, and showstopping Moroccan exposed brickwork in the domed foyer.
reviewed
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B
Café Du Grand Balcon
The best spot to catch all the action in the Djemaa, with permanent crowds on the front patio to prove it. Older gents hang out inside to avoid the patio jostling and panhandling on the patio, but only families and clandestine lovers actually go upstairs to the quiet 'grand balcon', where service is erratic at best. The OJ here is not freshly squeezed, but there are mean espressos, frothy cappuccinos, and proper tea with mint or steamed milk.
Technically this place serves ice cream, but there's far better around the corner at Ice Legend.
reviewed
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C
Soukara
To kill time in style while waiting for a performance at the nearby Théâtre Royal - or train or Supratour bus around the corner - enjoy mint tea on the patio or a little something stiffer on the terrace. The combination of trendy Moroccan Zen décor and better prices than most Nouvelle Ville bars lures in the young Marrakshi set, who slyly check each other out at afternoon meetings of thinly disguised 'study groups' and make their moves over happy hour.
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D
Actor's
Black, white, and always ready to make a scene, Actor's was recently launched at the Marrakesh International Film Festival to give crowds a place to bask in reflected red-carpet glory. The wall-sized black-and-white photos of pale models with enormous sunglasses, Sofia Loren hats and red lipstick set a kitschy '80s vibe. Midweek it's you and the DJ, but on weekends clubbers descend from Casablanca to revive the last days of disco.
reviewed
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E
Lawrence Bar
One of two bars in the sprawling 350-room Sofitel, this advertises 'exclusive drinks' - meaning, what, your cocktail may be refused entry to your gullet if it's not properly attired? In reality this place is a freeloader's paradise, with access to a decent tapas buffet with a drink, and free bubbly if you cosy up to that diplomat splashing out the Dom Perignon rosé and don't mind the Cuban cigar smoke.
reviewed
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Bô Zin
Ostensibly a restaurant with Thai touches, Bô Zin's real appeal is eye candy, Asian-Moroccan architectural razzle-dazzle, and break-out performances by diners including the likes of Salma Hayek. Go late and on weekends, when it's packed; otherwise, this enormous place is a party desperately waiting to happen. It's not that far from Pacha Marrakesh if you really want to make a night/morning of it.
reviewed
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F
Café Des Épices
Grab a prime spot above the healers and potion-dealers of the Rahba Qedima and watch the magic happen as you sip a reviving caffeinated beverage. The young Marrakshi staff are hip and easygoing, there's free wifi, and if you linger over mint tea long enough, the rooftop terrace offers a sunset view of the souqs. Salads and sandwiches are fresh but bland - all the more reason to skip to the sweets.
reviewed
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Bar du Soleil
Wild raves for the Mamounia's gardens are a credit to its legions of gardeners but also the bartender at Bar du Soleil, who pours drinks extra strong on the patio at sunset to set that idyllic Mamounia mood. This occasion calls for a cognac or a top-shelf Mamounia cocktail of Grand Marnier, rum, juice and champagne, which, at around DH240, gives a double meaning to the term stiff drink.
reviewed
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G
La Casa
Where else will you witness restaurant patrons deliver such a heart-rending, quasi-English rendition of an Usher R&B ballad, followed by double-jointed hip shaking to Jamaican dancehall and Egyptopop? Two-for-one specials on Red Bull and vodka from 19:00 to 22:00 get the dancing started before dinner ends, and give the neon Berber glyphs on the wall a hallucinatory glow.
reviewed
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H
Le Paradise
The dance floor here doubles as a runway for Marrakesh's jet set, and it's taken such a relentless pounding over the years that it recently had to be redone. Now the redesigned two-story club has a snazzy new look, some trippy new light effects, and a 1st-floor bar called Le Before where you can summon some liquid courage before entering the fray.
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Vip
Head through the '80s fuchsia neon entryway, and you'll find two venues for the price of one: a disco that gets the party started with high-energy techno, and a cabaret where musicians pound out raucous Rai-Gnaoua-Chaabi fusion. The crowd is gay-friendly and fashion conscious, though some bar lurkers are working more than a look.
reviewed
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J
Café les Négociants
Watch all of Marrakesh stream past over espresso or nus-nus (half coffee, half milk) at this prime corner location across from the tourist office. The crowd is mostly male, but women are increasingly taking over the tables on the Blvd Mohammed Zerktouni side.
reviewed
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Restarant/Bar du Grand Tazi
Raucous but not sleazy, serving Dh25 local beer to throngs of travellers and Marrakshis just off work in the souqs. The tales take a turn for the outrageous as the evening wears on, but then some of us enjoy that kind of thing.
reviewed
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K
Piano Bar Les Jardins de la Koutoubia
You won’t be the first to tell the pianist ‘Play it again, Sam’, but he’ll gamely play ‘As Time Goes By’ anyway. This is a classy joint, from the natural cedar ceilings to the plush Berber carpets, and the terrace restaurant serves a decent Indian curry when you get the munchies.
reviewed
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Pacha
Pacha Ibiza was the prototype for this enormous clubbing complex that’s now Africa’s biggest, with DJs mashing up international and Magrebi hits for huge weekend influxes of Casa hipsters and raging Rabatis. The complex includes two dazzling restaurants and a pool to lounge away afternoons until the party starts. Since they charge big for drinks, savvy clubsters smuggle in water. Pacha doesn’t come close to hitting its 3000-people occupancy during the week, so bring your own entourage and you might get in free.
reviewed
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Théâtro
Don’t bother schmoozing the bouncer for entry to the boring VIP area, because the dance floor in this converted theatre is where the action is: packed, sweaty, carefree, fabulous. Saturdays are white nights, with white-clad clubbers grooving til dawn on the signature mix of house, techno, R’n’B and Morocco-pop.
reviewed
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Comptoir
Never mind the restaurant downstairs; the flash lounge upstairs is the place to be for dashing diplomats, visiting fashion designers and married Casa playboys to mingle over cocktails or bottles of wine. There’s no avoiding the belly dancers, who descend en masse every other hour like scantily clad chaperones to break up all that flirting.
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M
Kosybar
The Marrakesh-meets-Kyoto interiors are full of plush, private nooks, but keep heading upstairs to low-slung chairs on the rooftop terrace. At the aptly named Kosybar you can enjoy wines with a side of samba as storks give you the once-over from nearby nests; skip the cardboard- tasting sushi and stick with bar snacks.
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N
Jad Mahal
Through the restaurant at the far end of the courtyard, the Jad Mahal’s bar is a local favourite spot to linger over cocktails by the bronze elephant until staff crank up the volume on a catchy song, the house cover-band arrives or diners break into spontaneous dance moves over an ‘80s tune, whichever comes first.
reviewed
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Diamant Noir
For its rare gay-friendly clientele on weeknights and seedy charm on weekends, the gravitational pull of ‘Le Dia’ remains undeniable. The dark dance-floor thumps with hip hop and gleams with mirrors and bronzer-enhanced skin, while professionals lurk at the shady end of the upstairs bar. Cash only.
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P
Cinéma Eden
The crowd here is rowdy, local and all-male, and where Bollywood sing-alongs reign supreme. Films are usually dubbed into Darija, except for the songs.
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Q
Café Arabe
Gloat over souq purchases with cocktails on the roof at sunset or a glass of wine next to the Zen-zellij courtyard fountain. The pasta is limp and bland, but the lamb tajines are tasty, and wine prices are down to earth for such a stylish place.
reviewed
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L’Abyssin
Stay cool and look cooler lounging in white canvas pavilions set in the garden of the Palais Rhoul villa and spa. Once you’ve made your grand entrance down the reflecting-pool runway, you’ll want to make an evening of it here, and the Mediterranean and Moroccan food will see you through dinner (try the duck).
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R
Le Colisée
The plushest cinema in town, Le Colisée is plenty comfortable, with great sound and a mixed male-female, Moroccan and expat crowd. Films are sometimes in the original language (including English) and subtitled in French.
reviewed