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Marrakesh

Other entertainment in Marrakesh

  1. A

    Dar Cherifa

    Revive souq-sore eyes at this serene late-15th-century Saadian riad, where tea and saffron coffee is served with contemporary art and literature downstairs, or terrace views upstairs.

    reviewed

  2. B

    Aqua

    The most romantic of the cafés ringing the Djemaa, with candles, smart modern decor and service that’s attentive but not intrusive. Stick with coffee, tea and sweets, as salads and mains are oddly flavourless.

    reviewed

  3. C

    Le Sabal

    Days turns into nights spent in this retro-fitted 1925 villa with sunny garden seating and a tent-bar downstairs, and plush, purplish nocturnal lounge upstairs. Now under hip Marrakshi management, the scene is more casual and local, drawn by reasonably priced drinks and an appealing à la carte menu.

    reviewed

  4. D

    CantoBar

    Located behind el-Harti Stadium within staggering distance of Le Sabal bar and Diamant Noir disco, CantoBar completes the night-out trifecta with karaoke and kitsch. Decent mojitos and dark lighting let you quit worrying about going off-key, and afterwards you can collapse on red armchairs shaped like high heels.

    reviewed

  5. E

    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

  6. 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).

    reviewed

  7. F

    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

  8. G

    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.

    reviewed

  9. H

    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.

    reviewed

  10. I

    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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  12. J

    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.

    reviewed

  13. K

    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.

    reviewed

  14. 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

  15. 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

  16. L

    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

  17. 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