Other restaurants in Marrakesh
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Les Terrasses de L’Alhambra
Shaded balconies offer a prime view over the storytellers and potion-sellers and respectable Italian espresso besides. The pizza is flimsy and under-seasoned, but a serviceable carbo-load for your next lap of the souqs.
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Bougainvillea
Recharge for your next lap of the souqs in this centrally located, arty fuschia riad with fresh-squeezed juices and serviceable sandwiches near the wall-o-water zellij fountain.
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Villa Flore
Dine in an art-deco-fabulous black-and-white riad on reinvented Moroccan salads and aromatic, meltingly tender lamb and duck, all presented in neat circles by stylishly suited waiters. Pull up a sofa near the French doors or sit in the sunny courtyard and unwind with a glass of wine, right in the heart of the souqs.
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Tobsil
In this intimate riad, 50 guests max indulge in button-popping five-course menus with aperitifs and wine pairings, as Gnawa musicians play in the courtyard. No excess glitz or bellydancers distract from upstanding mezze (salads), bastilla, tajines (yes, that’s plural) and couscous, capped with mint tea, fresh fruit and Moroccan pastries.
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Plats Haj Boujemaa
A reliable option where you can grab a stool under a sidewalk umbrella and trust the Haj to cook the meat of your choice to perfection. But be advised that even when properly cooked until golden, sheep’s testicles have a floury texture that’s hard to get over, not to mention stringy bits that stick in your teeth. That said, the chips are fantastic.
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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 parlour premises for 50 years, and while the seasonal fresh fruit varieties are admirable, it’s the pistachio that inspires repeat pilgrimages.
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Nid’Cigogne
Get up close and personal with the storks across the way at the Saadian Tombs in this rooftop eatery. The grilled kefta (meatball) sandwiches, light salads and tajines are passable, but the view is memorable and service pleasant considering those steep stairs.
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Narwama
Opposites attract at Narwama, true to its name (fire and water) with unconventional combinations: Thai green curries and almond-and-cream bastilla (pastry), a DJ spinning Brazilian/Italian/Arabic tunes, and the best Moroccan mint mojito in town, all in a 19th-century riad with 21st-century Zen decor. Alcohol is served here.
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Mechoui Alley
Just before noon, the vendors at this row of stalls start carving up steaming sides of mechoui (slow-roasted lamb), as though expecting King Henry VIII for lunch. Point to the best-looking cut of meat, and ask for a ‘nuss’ (half) or ‘rubb’ (quarter) kilo. Some haggling might ensue, but should procure a baggie of falling-off-the-bone delicious lamb with fresh-baked bread, cumin, salt and olives (though you’re better off picking out your own across the souq).
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Le Chat Qui Rit
Come here for proper pasta: al dente, tossed with fresh produce and herbs, and drizzled with fruity olive oil. Corsican chef/owner Bernard comes out to ask about everyone’s pasta with the delight of a chef who already knows the answer. Seasonal seafood options are also a good bet, with fixings just in from the coast daily.
reviewed
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Haj Mustapha
As dusk approaches, several stalls set out paper-sealed crockpots of tangia (lamb slow-cooked all day in the ashes of a hammam). This ‘bachelor’s stew’ makes for messy eating, but Haj Mustapha offers the cleanest seating despite dire bachelor decor (e.g faded photos in shattered picture frames). Use bread as your utensil to scoop up tangia, sprinkle with cumin and salt, and devour with olives.
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Café 16
The blonde-wood decor and the prices may seem European, but the welcome is Marrakshi and so are intriguing ice-cream flavours like mint tea and kaab el-gazelle (almond cookie). The home-made gold-leafed chocolate-coffee cream cake and raspberry-mousse cake are standouts.
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Beyrouth
Bright, lemony Lebanese flavours, with a mix-and-match mezze that’s a feast for two with tabouli, spinach pies and felafel for Dh160. The smoky, silky baba ghanoush (eggplant dip) here gives Moroccan eggplant caviar serious competition for the best Middle Eastern spread.
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Amandine
Observe local internet daters lingering over their coffee or knocking it back in record time at the marble-top espresso bar, and then pop over to the sunny desert salon for flaky croissants or velvety chocolate-mousse cake studded with raspberries.
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Samak al-Bahria
The best option along this stretch of sidewalk stalls, al-Bahria serves fresh fish and perfectly tender fried calamari with generous chunks of lemon, plus salt and cumin.
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Restaurant Place Ferblantiers
Plop down on a plastic chair in the courtyard, and have whatever’s bubbling away on the burner. The meat and produce are fresh from the Mellah Market across the street, and the chef whips up dishes in front of you.
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Fast Food Alahbab
The awning boasting ‘recommended by Lonely Planet’ must be 25 years old now, and still we stand by our initial assessment of the Dh35 shawarma accompanied by four sauces and just-right French fries, though the avocado milkshake is best avoided.
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Pâtisserie des Princes
This is one of the city’s most famous patisseries, and with good reason. The seductive array of local delicacies, cakes and ice creams will sate any sweet tooth. The small café at the back is a welcome respite for women, or anyone in search of a quiet coffee.
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Al-Fassia
Glassy-eyed diners valiantly grip morsels of bread, scraping the last savoury caramelised onion from what was once a Berber pumpkin and lamb tajine. The mezze of nine starters alone is a proper feast, 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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L’Annexe
French lunches in a mirrored café-bistro setting, handy to all the ville nouvelle boutique action. A welcome switch to light, clean flavours after the umpteenth tajine: duck confit (duck slowly cooked in its own fat) atop salad, tuna tartare and a mean créme brulée.
reviewed
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Le Foundouk
An enormous, spidery iron-chandelier lit with candles sets the mood for offbeat à la carte choices, including beef with wild artichoke and orange-carrot soup. When the food lives up to the decor, it’s fabulous, and when not, well, at least you got your money’s worth for atmosphere. Terrace seating is scenic but chilly, and you’ll need to call well in advance for sought-after downstairs seating.
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Dar TimTam
Head through the dim restaurant and into this 18th-century riad’s innermost courtyard, where rejuvenating mint tea and a generous assortment of salads makes a fine light lunch amid the songbirds.
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Ryad Jama
À la carte lunches at realistic prices served in a family-run riad restaurant. Generous lamb tajines with prunes and almonds are graciously presented in the leafy garden for only slightly more than you’d pay for a skimpy version shoved your way in the dusty Djemaa.
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Chegrouni
You’re expected to write down your own order, but your server could probably guess it anyway: you’re either a foodie here for the classic Dh50 tajine with chicken, preserved lemons and olives; a vegetarian in for flavourful vegetable-broth-only seven-vegetable couscous; or a tajine-weary traveller in dire need of a decent omelette with superior chips.
reviewed
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Dar Moha
Chef Mohammed Fedal gives tastebuds a tweak with clever variations on Moroccan ingredients: a ‘zellij’ of grilled seasonal vegetables with Berber herbs, a pear topped with saffron sorbet and toasted almonds. The set Dh220 lunch menu is a more traditional feast, with dish after irresistible dish of orange-flower scented cucumbers and spice-rubbed grilled lamb chops. Alcohol is served here.
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