Food
Savouring Marrakech: The Essentials Dining Guide
Beyond couscous and tajines, the Red City harbours even more flavourful surprises than one might expect
Marrakech may be known for its intoxicating energy, labyrinthine medina and irresistible shopping, but eating and drinking here can be just as exhilarating. From Moroccan fine dining to rooftop cocktails, Friday couscous and fabulous homestyle cooking, the city’s dining scene is more exciting than ever. Here are 10 of our favourite picks, including both old favourites and new arrivals, that prove there’s much more to dining in Marrakech than tajines.
For Gourmet Gastronomy: La Grande Table Marocaine
The Royal Mansour is the epitome of Moroccan elegance, so it comes as no surprise that the hotel’s restaurants are equally impressive. At La Grande Table Marocaine, Moroccan chef Karim Ben Baba and French culinary doyenne Hélène Darroze take guests on a journey through the country, with blue lobster from Doukkala, almonds from the Atlas Mountains, medjool dates from Zagora, and spices from the souk next door. Come on Friday lunchtime, when practically the entire country sits down to eat couscous, and you can, too – albeit an elevated version followed by a crispy milk pastilla infused with fragrant orange blossom water. This may be white-gloved fine dining, but it’s served with down-to-earth friendliness and a complete lack of pretension.
[Images courtesy of La Grande Table Marocaine]
For Stunning Views: El Fenn Rooftop Bar
Set around 13 beautifully restored interconnected riads, El Fenn has long been a favoured bolthole for artistically minded travellers who appreciate calm and quiet on the fringe of the frenetic medina. You don’t need to be a guest to head up to the hotel’s rooftop bar, a cheery spot where red-and-white stripy parasols and moss-green zellij tiles set the stage for convivial sundowners. As the sun sets behind the palm trees, casting a golden glow on the Atlas Mountains, there’s an undeniable magic in the air. Come well before the sun goes down, order a hibiscus ginger margarita or a blueberry sage martini, and soak it all in.
[Image courtesy of El Fenn © Cecile Treal]
For Local Flavours: Sahbi Sahbi
There are longer-established restaurants for local flavours all over Marrakech, but when Sahbi Sahbi opened in late 2022, it brought a sense of modernity to traditional Moroccan cuisine. The minimalist terracotta-toned interiors are rooted in artisanal traditions, albeit with a contemporary touch, and Sahbi Sahbi presents a wholly Moroccan experience – entirely run by women based on recipes handed down from generation to generation. At the central open kitchen, salads are prepped, tajines bubble over flames, and skewers of meat and sardines are grilled to perfection. This is also a place to step outside your comfort zone with dishes you won’t find on every corner, like the gamey pigeon pastilla or the mokh mcharmel, otherwise known as marinated brains.
[Images courtesy of Sahbi Sahbi]
For Farm-To-Table Fare: Blue Ribbon
Blue Ribbon, a casual cafe and bakery in the Guéliz neighbourhood, offers a friendly welcome alongside breakfasts, pastries, salads and other healthy items made from organic ingredients sourced at the Sanctuary Slimane permaculture farm just outside the city. The menu is eclectic, running through dishes like the Beldi Special breakfast of shakshuka eggs, batata harra spicy potatoes, chili oil and dukkah, to lox bagels with cured Atlas trout and sourdough loaves, as well as other baked goods fresh from the oven. There’s a well-shaded deck in the courtyard and a takeaway window, should you need an iced latte and a gooey, chewy cookie on the go.
[Images courtesy of Blue Ribbon]
For A One-Of-A-Kind Experience: Amal Centre
If one meal in Marrakech will leave you with a full stomach and a full heart, you’ll find it at the Amal Women’s Training Centre. This non-profit organisation was founded in 2012 with the aim of helping disadvantaged women make a living in the food and beverage industry. Trainees gain professional culinary training and learn skills for management and administration roles. Lessons in French and life skills facilitate the trainees’ entry into the job market. It’s at the Amal Centre restaurant where these learnings are put to the test in a hands-on setting, open for lunch six days a week with daily changing menus, and couscous on Friday. It’s enlightening, welcoming and completely inspiring.
[Image courtesy of Amal Centre]
For A Great Cuppa: Thirty5ive
The almost impossibly stylish owner of Thirty5ive knows a thing or two about coffee, music and art. Simo Zbiri’s cafe in Guéliz is an ode to all three – a former car garage with slate-grey concrete surfaces, music from Simo’s vinyl collection, and a vibe that’s as cool as he is. Outdoors, a handful of tables provide street views and interactions with the neighbourhood cats. Coffee is carefully sourced and lovingly prepared; the Espresso Tonic is particularly refreshing on a hot day, and the affogato and matchogato (with matcha ice cream infused with rose, hibiscus and liquorice, served with almond milk) are delicious indulgences.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
For A Sweet Treat: Ice Mama
A welcome break from a hot shopping trawl around the medina, the breezy rooftop Ice Mama is the perfect spot to rest and refuel. The menu offers breakfast and brunch favourites like filled croissants, Turkish eggs and butternut quiches, but it’s the artisanal ice creams that have drawn a loyal following with flavours like lemon mint and pistachio chocolate, as well as seasonal sorbets made from peach, mango and strawberry. It’s worth navigating the medina’s narrow alleys for the Brioche Perdue French toast with orange blossom, vanilla ice cream and vanilla caramel sauce, only available here.
[Image courtesy of Ice Mama]
For Local Libations: Le Grand Café de la Poste
Located on a busy corner in the centre of Guéliz, Le Grand Café de la Poste is something of a Marrakech icon: it’s housed a former post office built in the 1920s, where lazily rotating ceiling fans, potted palms and wicker chairs create an alluring ambience. Outdoors, street seating offers intriguing people-watching, but the real vibe is on the terrace and inside the main dining room, with its black-and-white chequered floors, big leather sofas and dramatic staircase. The food menu features French bistro classics, but we recommend coming here to absorb the ambience with an ice-cold Casablanca beer or a glass of Moroccan Volubilia Vin Gris from Meknes.
[Images courtesy of Le Grand Café de la Poste]
For An Edible Souvenir: Jajjah Tea
Hassan Hajjaj’s photography is so instantly recognisable that he’s often called ‘the Andy Warhol of Marrakech’. Located in the industrial Sidi Ghanem district, home to an increasing number of art and creative spaces, Hajjaj’s Jajjah Tea cafe combines gallery, boutique and casual restaurant. Designed in pop-art colours and motifs, this is the place to pick up Jajjah teas, a selection of brews made in collaboration with local tea entrepreneur Amine Al Baroudi. Inspired by the seven baraka saints that protect Marrakech and the colours associated with traditional gnawa music, each can is a work of art, but so is the tea contained within. Jajjah’s original tea blends include chamomile orange Harmadcha, Moroccan mint and orange blossom Marhba, and lemon verbena and rose Mimouna. Don’t leave without picking up some of the beautifully packaged sweet and savoury sablé biscuits to pair with the teas.
[Image courtesy of Jajjah Tea]
For A Nightcap: Pétanque Social Club
Pétanque Social Club, or PSC for those in the know, is a recent arrival on the city’s dining scene. As the name suggests, it’s housed in a former pétanque club dating back to the 1930s, complete with sandy pétanque court and photographs of some of the original members hanging the walls. The restaurant sprawls through a number of ultra-stylish indoor spaces filled with antique and bespoke furnishings, along with the occasional mirror ball and crystal chandelier. After dinner at Sahbi Sahbi, cross the street to PSC and join the late-night cool crowd for Sahar Spritzes beneath the twinkling lights in the outdoor courtyard.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
[Image at the top courtesy of El Fenn © Mitchell van Voorbergen]
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.