Entertainment in The Mediterranean Coast & The Rif
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Tanger Inn
Tangier was once a gay destination, but that scene has long since departed for Marrakesh, leaving no establishments behind. Concierges report that the Tanger Inn and some of the bars along the beach attract gay clientele, particularly late on weekends.
reviewed
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Café Hafa
With its stadium seating overlooking the strait, you could easily lose an afternoon lazing in this open-air café, but you need good weather. Locals hang out here to enjoy a game of backgammon.
reviewed
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Bar Oum-Rabiá
While it’s easy to find kif in Chefchaouen, it’s hard to find a beer. One freestanding, and very masculine, option is Bar Oum-Rabiá.
reviewed
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Le Marocain
The rear bar of this decidedly louche nightspot is where the city’s working girls tout for trade; their male colleagues are usually found preening in the front bar. The band and resident chanteuse aren’t likely to be appearing in a concert hall near you in the near future, but they’re fun to listen to before you take to the dance floor. Well-priced drinks (beers Dh15) come with tapas-like snacks.
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Hotel Batha
There are a couple of options for drinks in this handily located medina hotel. Inside the hotel proper, the bar by the pool catches the overspill from the Churchill Bar, and in winter even features a log fire to warm yourself by. At the back of the hotel (side entrance), the outside Consul Bar is a more relaxed place for late-night drinks, and has its own disco until midnight (closed Monday).
reviewed
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Beach Club 555
You pass through airport-like security run by SWAT team guards, and find yourself on a faux tropical lagoon, replete with bridge and tiki huts. Inside, waiters dressed in white satin and fake afros serve visiting mafiosi. Unlike most anywhere in Tangier, the place is crawling with young women, known locally as geishas, who work freelance for the house.
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Nejjarine Museum Café
On the roof terrace of the museum, this café serves drinks only (everything around DH10) and is a great place for gazing out over the rooftops of the nearby Kairaouine and Moulay Idriss Zawiya. Sit outside, or in an air-conditioned room. Not cheap with the museum entrance fee as well, but it's worth it for the friendly service and clean toilets.
reviewed
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Caid’s Bar
Welcome to Rick’s Café, or at least the real model for the bar in Casablanca. Long the establishment’s drinking hole of choice, this el-Minzah landmark is a classy relic of the grand days of international Tangier, and photos of the famous and infamous adorn the walls. Women are more than welcome, and the adjacent wine bar is equally good.
reviewed
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Café de Paris
Gravity weighs upon the grand letters of the grand Café de Paris, reminding us of its age at the crossroads of Tangier. Facing the Place de France since 1927, this is the most famous of the coffee establishments along Blvd Pasteur, most recently as a setting in The Bourne Ultimatum. In the past it was a prime gathering spot for literati.
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Crown Palace Fes
When it comes to glam nightlife, Fez is no Marrakesh. Cashed-up locals usually end up partying in the downstairs piano bar or upstairs cigar and cocktail bar at the Crown Palace. When these bars close around 1am, the crowd sometimes relocates to the basement nightclub – the ‘VIP’ – that has a DJ between midnight and 3am each night.
reviewed
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Dean's Bar
Hardly a Westerner of any repute has failed to prop up this bar at some time. Founded in 1937, it's a bit dowdy now, though ceiling fans and B&W photos retain the colonial air. Now firmly a locals' drinking hole, it's worth investigating for its historical links, but don't expect heads to go unturned when you walk in.
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Loft
Easily Tangier’s premier nightspot, this world class, state-of-the-art club holds 2000 people and feels like an enormous silver cruise ship, with upper-storey balconies, sparkling metal railings, billowing sail-like curtains, spot lights cutting through the artificial fog – and no cover. Go after midnight.
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London's Pub
A Tangerine dream of Olde England, this theme pub has a reassuringly long wooden-and-brass bar, and a good host of beers that try to deceive you into thinking you're within earshot of the chimes of Big Ben. It almost succeeds. A bar singer belts out a song or two, but sadly not 'Roll out the barrel'.
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Americain’s Pub
Don’t be fooled by the name: this pub is outfitted as an authentic part of the London underground, with white tiled walls, ubiquitous red trim and signage far more authentic than the Bobbies would appreciate. It’s the perfect place to hide: there’s no street number, and the phone is out of order.
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Pilo
A party atmosphere pervades these two floors of local colour, underscored by some high-energy music (‘mo-rockin’?) and festive lighting. Women can feel comfortable here, as the management has figured the rest of us out: ask them to show you the Freudian poster entitled ‘What’s On a Man’s Mind’.
reviewed
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Pasarela
This Canadian-owned seaside venue is a large complex with several bars, an attractive garden, an outdoor swimming pool and a comfortable vibe. Music is mostly Western and fairly up-to-the-minute, with live music, although the coloured lights on the dance floor are screaming for an upgrade.
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Café Central
Conviviality reigns in this sophisticated bar/coffee lounge, with subdued music and an art-deco entrance. The bronze statue of an arm lifting a tankard over the bar – a working beer pull – is an eccentric touch. An excellent place for coffee, brandy or ice cream (or all three) at any time.
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Les Musicales du Palais el-Mokri
Traditional music concerts held in the salons of the Mokri Palace: feast your eyes on the spectacular surroundings and imagine yourself a pasha of old. See the website for the program of events and groups performing (except in August). The entrance fee includes tea and Moroccan pastries.
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Café Central
The premier people-watching site in the medina, newly renovated. See the local Mafiosi arrive in his new Benz, watch odd specimens of humanity drift past, hear the strange shouts echo down the alleys, and wonder what is going on upstairs. It’s the perfect place to sip your coffee.
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L'alcazar
The owner-architect designed the new courtyard with plasterwork copied from the Alhambra. This bar, at Riad Fes , faces a decorative pool and it's all very modern, with a Moroccan twist. Wine is available by the glass in this relaxing environment, as well as other tipples.
reviewed
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Hotel Les Merinides
This large hotel overlooking the medina sports the best terrace view and is good for a pre-prandial drink. The terrace has comfortable seating and is served by waiters from the bar. There's live music in the evening. Local beer is around DH20; a gin and tonic Dh40.
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Morocco Palace
A purely Moroccan interpretation of the nightclub experience, with traditional décor and mostly Arabic pop. Moroccan dancers put on a floor show and rev the place up - it's a little tacky perhaps, but it seems to work and is tremendous fun on a good night.
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Scotts Nightclub
Tangier was hugely popular with British homosexuals before legalisation in 1967, but today's gay scene is a mere shadow. Scotts Nightclub is one of the few places retaining a gay reputation, along with the Tanger Inn on weekends. Get to both late in the hour.
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Jenin
This sparkling, modern café is the trendiest in town. The 10 blends of different fruit juices are the highlight, along with the presence of courting couples and groups of young women. A world away from the smoky male cafés on the same block.
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Dublin
It’s like every other Irish pub you’ve ever been in, but if you need that Guinness fix, this is the place. If the volume gets to you, you can escape to the tables outside. Go down steps where Calle Delgado Serrano takes a 90-degree bend.
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