Marrakesh Restaurants

  1. a El-Fna Food Stalls

    Around sunset, donkeys descend on the Djemaa hauling gas canisters by the cartload and all the makings of 100 small restaurants. Within the hour, the restaurants are up and running, with chefs urging passers-by to note the cleanliness of their grills, the freshness of their meat, produce and cooking oil, and their aromatic spice mixes.

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  2. Al Ahbab Fast Food

    The awning boasting 'recommended by Lonely Planet' must be 25 years old now, and still we stand by our initial assessment of the around DH25 shwarma (meat sliced off a spit and stuffed in a pocket of pita-type bread with chopped tomatoes and garnish) accompanied by four sauces and just-right French fries, though the avocado milkshake is best avoided.

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  3. Al Fassia

    Thank goodness Al Fassia is a la carte, if only to save gourmets from our own gluttony. The array of nine starters alone is a proper feast, with orange-flower water and wild herbs raising even the lowly carrot to a crowning achievement. But there's no resisting the legendary mains, cooked Middle Atlas style by an all-women team who present the dishes with a heartfelt b'saha to your health.

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  4. Alizia

    Al fresco dining that's sort of French, sort of Italian, and quintessentially Marrakshi. Good food and even better people-watching: in one corner of the garden, local internet daters attempt to impress one another, while in another chic Moroccan girlfriends out of a long-lost Marrakesh episode of Sex in the City dish over dinner and drinks.

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  5. Amandine

    Upstanding Viennoiserie without the dreary weather and with less angsty company: Amandine is every Northern European expat's dream come true. Observe local internet daters lingering over their coffee or knocking it back in record time at the marble-topped espresso bar, then pop over to the sunny dessert salon for deceptively light chocolate mousse cake studded with raspberries.

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  7. Ben Youssef Food Stall Qissaria

    Just around the corner from the Koubba Ba'adiyn is a labyrinth of qissarias lined with stalls serving tagines, steaming snails, and the occasional stewed sheep's head hot off the Buddha gas burner. Tourists at food stalls in the Djemaa el-Fna may think they're being adventurous, but the qissarias are where the real action is. Eat whatever looks fresh and tasty, even if you have to wait for a free stool.

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  8. Beyrouth

    The best possible Lebanese response to Morocco's claim to be the supreme southern Mediterranean cuisine is the smoky, silky baba ghanoush at Beyrouth - one bite and you'll want to take some to a hammam and bathe in it. Bright, lemony, Lebanese flavours are the latest foodie trend to hit Marrakesh, and this intimate restaurant serves up the best in town at reasonable prices.

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  9. Café 16

    This double-height storefront of delights is an overnight sensation in the otherwise awkward, vast brick plaza of Place du Novembre 16. Crowds of fashionable Marrakshis queue up for fantasy versions of cake and ice cream: deliriously light multilayered raspberry mousse cake, or velvety chocolate coffee cream cake topped with gold leaf, and ice creams in such palate-waking flavours as lavender or basil and lemon.

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  10. Dar Es-Salam

    This restaurant was featured in Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much , and it still specialises in surprise endings. The unexpected twist comes around , when a woman in a spangled unitard emerges bearing a tray of lit candles on her head and proceeds to perform callisthenic dance manoeuvres like a pyromaniac Romanian gymnast. But the night's not over until the Berber band breaks into a rousing bar-mitzvah chorus of 'Hava Nagila'.

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  11. Haj Mustapha

    As dusk approaches, several stalls that serve mechoui (slow-roasted lamb) at lunchtime feature a Marrakshi speciality: paper-sealed crockpots of tangia, lamb traditionally slow-cooked all day in the ashes of a hammam fire. This 'bachelor's stew' is a bit messy as a takeaway order, but Haj Mustapha offers the cleanest seating despite dire bachelor décor (think faded photos in shattered picture frames).

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  13. Ice Legend

    Your saving grace on scorching afternoons: fresh, locally made ice cream in modern facilities. Go with the tantalizing (if alarmingly bright) fruity varieties - the lemon sorbet here is legendary. To compensate for the male dominance of cafés, women have the run of ice-cream parlours in Morocco, so men should be prepared to surrender their seats gallantly or suffer icy stares.

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  14. Kechmara

    If you can tear yourself away from the white and chrome décor, eye-candy waiters, and fashionable locals discussing affairs in Saarinen chairs, you might find the menu of interest. Respectable sandwiches and salads can be had for under around DH100 , not to mention excellent cappuccino and aperitifs upstairs on the roof terrace.

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  15. Ksar Essaoussan

    For seasonal fixed-price feasts and good values in an 18th-century riad, follow the lantern-carrier here from Rue Ksour. Meals start at around DH350 , including an aperitif, wine and mint tea. Enjoy your aperitif by the rooftop fountain, almost eye-level with muezzins at neighbouring mosques. On weekdays you may have this romantic spot to yourself, but on Saturdays (reservations recommended) you'll get to know neighbouring tables intimately.

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  16. La Maison Du Couscous

    With its marble fountain shaped like a conical couscous, '80s-era love of mirrors, and arctic air conditioning, this place seems like a tourist trap - but the couscous is fluffy and properly infused with fragrant smen (seasoned clarified butter). The Atlas chicken is sweet-savoury with onions, and at the risk of inflaming local rivalries, the sneakily spicy Tunisian with Merguez sausage and meatballs, is even better.

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  17. La Sultana

    So this is what it means to be spoiled for choice. Do you dine in the intimate cloisters, or on the roof overlooking the Saadian Tombs? Would you prefer the French duck that's more tender than your last love affair, or the Moroccan bastilla (pigeon pie) so light it could blow away in strong breezes? Prices are high and service is slow, but the food and setting are sublime.

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  19. La Table du Marché

    Chef Christophe Leroy remakes his St Tropez market menu Marrakesh-style: succulent filet mignon crowned with a slab of seared foie gras and Coquille St Jacques slipping into a silky pear fondue. The outdoor villa setting is convivial, the plush seats comfy and the music groovy. When the surprisingly modest cheque arrives, you'll be quite pleased with yourself.

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  20. Le Chat Qui Rit

    Plenty of other places in Marrakesh serve pasta, but this place does it best: al dente, tossed with fresh produce and herbs, and drizzled with fruity olive oil. Seasonal seafood options are also a good bet, with fixings just in from the coast daily. Happy locals throng the rustic dining room and patio, and Corsican chef/owner Bernard comes out to ask about everyone's pasta with a gleam in his eye: he already knows the answer.

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  21. Le Grand Café de la Poste

    Once a French colonial hotel and favourite café of the dread Pasha Glaoui, this place has recently been restored to its flapper-era, potted-palm glory. Mediterranean chef Cyril Lignac and Moroccan Sana Gamas create a seamless blend of cuisines in signature dishes: roast chicken with wild Berber thyme and olives, and a stellar salad with local goat cheese and citrus-herb vinaigrette that will have you smacking your lips for days after.

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  22. Le Pavillon

    Just when you think you've taken a wrong turn, a lantern-bearer appears to guide you down the long alley to this lovely riad and its fig tree-filled garden of Gallic delights with Moroccan touches. The duck breast with peaches is especially tender and juicy, and the fish is flaky and delicately scented with local herbs.

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  23. Lolo Quoi

    Step into a deep-red inner sanctum with gilded poetry shimmering on the walls and mood lighting in tin buckets. Of all the restaurants where you're paying for the ambience in Marrakesh, Lolo Quoi delivers - but the food holds up its end of the bargain too. Now under the same ownership as Le Grand Café de la Poste, this place is jumping with a new alcohol license and a more daring seasonal menu.

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  25. Mechoui Alley

    Around lunchtime, the vendors at this row of stalls start carving up enormous steaming sides of mechoui , as though King Henry VIII might show up at any moment. Step right up, point to the best-looking cut of meat and ask for a nuss (half) or rubb (quarter) kilo. Some haggling might ensue, but around DH30 to around DH50 should procure you the freshest, most delicious falling-off-the-bone lamb you'll ever have.

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  26. Narwama

    Opposites attract at Narwama, true to its name ('fire and water') with winning combinations that defy convention. It's all in the mix here: a Bangkok chef who tops tasty Thai green curries with almond-and-cream dessert bastilla (flaky pastry), a DJ spinning super-cool Brazilian/Italian/Arabic tunes, and the best Moroccan mint mojito in town (alcohol is served), all in a 19th-century riad with 21st-century Zen décor. Word has it the royal princesses up the street get takeout from here.

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  27. Niagara

    When Catanzaro is packed to the rafters, do what the locals do: head to the north end of town for wood-fired pizzas at an even better price than Catanzaro. Marrakshi families crowd in during the day and early evening, and hipsters flock like homing pigeons to the covered roof terrace as the evening wears on - reservations are a good idea here too.

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  28. Nid'cigogne

    This rooftop restaurant lets you get up close and personal with the storks across the way at the Saadian Tombs, and offers serviceable grilled kefta (spiced meatball) sandwiches and light salads, and nothing-special tagines. Service is slow, but pleasant considering those steep stairs.

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  29. Oliveri

    Thermometers aren't necessary in Marrakesh; all you need to gauge the heat are the lines at Oliveri. Ice creams have been made on these premises for 50 years, and while the seasonal fresh fruit varieties are admirable, it's the pistachio that will inspire you to get in line all over again.

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