54 Best Restaurants in Marrakesh, Morocco

Serving some of the best à la carte Moroccan food in the city, the affordable menu here includes tasty tagines, tender brochettes with saffron rice, couscous topped with caramelized onions, succulent tangia, and sweet-savory pigeon pastilla. There's an extensive choice of Moroccan wines, too. The restaurant can be noisy and crowded with slow service if there are large party bookings. 

The Spanish-Moroccan chain, which has restaurants in Casablanca and Rabat, opened this location in 2016. Fresh fish is shipped in from Agadir or Casablanca each morning, and the authentic tapas selection includes classics such as tortillas, shrimp with garlic, patatas bravas, and the more adventurous Galician octopus. The well-chosen wine list includes mostly Moroccan and French wines, but there is a small selection of Marques de Riscal reds, whites, and rosés. There is a main restaurant, but the pleasant outdoor terrace has stools at the bar that are perfect for a quick informal tapas snack, and guests can drink alcohol on the terrace, which is unusual for Marrakesh. The atmosphere is lively and convivial in the evenings, but lunchtime is a more laid-back affair.

Not much English is spoken so come prepared with your phrase book.

Come hungry for the five-course traditional Moroccan feast served at this restaurant located deep in the medina. Aperitifs are taken on the rooftop, which has stunning panoramic views of the Koutoubia Mosque, and then you can choose to dine beside the pool on the lanterned terrace, in a vaulted upstairs room, or in the lush, cushion-filled main salon. Dinner, including drinks, costs 700 DH and courteous, discreet waiters in white djellabas and red fezzes scurry about to fulfill your every need. This is an exotic experience in a magical setting and alcohol is served.

This 1920s-style French café is a fabulous backdrop for salads, pastas, steaks, and seafood specials including oysters from Oualidia. It's long-standing favorite in the neighborhood, and a great place for a meal or a drink on the covered veranda. For an indulgent dessert try the gâteau chocolat coulant (chocolate cake).

A meal at this Cantonese restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental is one of the finest dining experiences in Marrakesh. On warmer evenings opt for a table on the terrace for views of the pool garden, which is magically lit by lanterns that silhouette the surrounding palm trees. Alcohol is served. 

The seasonal menu at +61 reflects the laid-back Australian lifestyle, and all the produce is organic and grown within 30 minutes of Marrakesh. Cocktails and wine are served on-site. Reservations on weekends a must. 

This modern terrace café at the edge of the Marrakesh Plaza, in the heart of Guéliz, is a popular lunch spot. The range of salads is imaginative, and even the half portion makes a satisfying meal; main dishes include chicken in mushroom sauce as well as several great pasta options. A kids' menu is available, as well as ice cream, delicious homemade pastries, and cakes.

Cheap and cheerful, this restaurant is possibly the best catch in town. This no-frills Moroccan street restaurant in the heart of Guéliz (near La Grande Poste) is packed at night with locals getting their fish fix. Choose from the sidewalk display of fresh seafood as you walk in, or simply ask for a mixed plate—sole, calamari, monkfish, prawns—all served with olives and wedges of lime. There are seafood salads, paella, and an array of grilled fish also to choose from.

There's no alcohol and it's cash only.

The Al Fassia name has become synonymous with fine Moroccan cuisine in Marrakesh, and with tables hard to come by in Guéliz, this branch at the boutique Hotel Al Fassia near the Agdal Gardens lives up to the same high standards set by the older sister restaurant. The atmosphere is elegant though casual, and the restaurant is more spacious and tranquil than its city-center counterpart. On a warm evening a table on the outdoor garden terrace is very romantic. The menu offers the same traditional fare as the Guéliz restaurant, and the kefta of fish with ginger and herbs comes highly recommended. Vegetarians will enjoy the array of delicately flavorsome Moroccan salads as a subtantial starter.

A nonprofit center established the restaurant to help women from difficult backgrounds learn culinary skills and earn an independent living and the result is this friendly, brightly furnished restaurant and garden terrace, which attracts locals and expats for its excellent Moroccan and international dishes. The menu changes weekly but always has a mix of traditional Moroccan and international choices. Friday is couscous day, but make a reservation in advance! No alcohol, but lots of freshly squeezed juices are served.

If you're looking for light, healthy meals or snacks Ayaso functions as both a restaurant and a specialty food store catering to vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free diets. The fresh juices and smoothies are worth the stop alone.

The shaded entryway of this pretty little restaurant gives way to a small dining area lovingly decorated with comfy seating areas and lots of plants. It's a local favorite, especially for brunch.  

The airy courtyard in the 1910 building that houses the Dar el Bacha Musée is all palm trees and colorful tiles: it's a perfect oases for a quick bite. There are over 100 types of coffee, from all over the world, and perfect pastries, as well as a selection of main dishes.

This Italian-owned three-story restaurant in the heart of the medina serves both Moroccan and Italian food. The trendy terrace, complete with a trickling fountain and relaxing music, is a good place to stop for drinks, while the ground-floor, shaded patio is better suited to a lunchtime visit.

The multilevel terraced seating area at this café on the square means there are several prime viewing opportunities. It's one of the fancier cafés on the square, having been completely rebuilt in 2017. Stop in for a drink or ice-cream treat to cool down from the Moroccan sun. They also serve meals throughout the day. 

An outpost of the popular Café Clock in Fez, this so-called cultural café combines a fun vibe with tasty contemporary Moroccan cuisine. Signature dishes include camel burgers, a blue cheese and fig salad, veggie platters, and homemade ice cream. There's also a menu of cultural activities: exhibitions, live traditional gnawa music, local bands, cooking classes, and al halqa (traditional storytelling). No alcohol is served.

Though it's a bit past its prime, Café de France is a local institution and a great place for people-watching from morning till night. On the ground floor there's a tiny snack restaurant with bright plastic tables, serving sandwiches and quick bites until closing time. 

In keeping with the name, this café in the medina's "spice square" offers spiced teas and coffees along with a range of freshly squeezed fruit juices, smoothies, and light snacks, salads, and sandwiches. Ever popular, it expanded into the neighboring property and teeters over three levels with a great rooftop view over the veiled women selling basketware and woolly hats below.

No alcohol is served.

Perennially popular, this homey Italian spot has a good selection of salads, pasta, and pizzas at prices that make them a fabulous value. Alcohol is served, and at reasonable prices for this part of town. Another plus? One side of the restaurant is reserved for nonsmokers.

It won't win prizes for design, but this cheap joint is perfect for a lunchtime or evening pit stop. Locals and visitors alike frequent this friendly little canteen just on the right before the road opens into Djemâa el Fna. Tagine pots stand two rows deep on the street stall outside, and a barbecue sizzles away. There are much more interesting specialties available on the menu than some of the other little snack-restaurants, including spiced aubergine tagine, sardine tagine, and pastillas. It's cash only and there's no alcohol.

Slightly more elegant than its hole-in-the-wall branch in the souks, Chez Lamine has a reputation for the best mechoui (whole roasted lamb) in town and couscous on Friday. Its street-side tables in Guéliz are regularly filled with Moroccan families on Friday and weekends; there's also inside seating. Apart from mouthwatering tagines, try the restaurant's other specialty, tangia marrakchia (lamb cooked very slowly for hours in earthenware jars). No alcohol.

Although the row of severed lambs' heads out front may not be everyone's idea of culinary heaven, Marrakshis love Chez Lamine Hadj Mustapha, and you'd be missing out not to try it. English TV chef Jamie Oliver chose this spit-and-sawdust street restaurant in a filming trip for a gutsy example of Moroccan roast lamb specialty, mechoui—it's served as a simple sandwich or as a laden plateful priced by weight.

Cash only.

Snazzy, jazzy, and a little razamatazzy, Le Comptoir is a fusion of bar, club, and restaurant that's been a nighttime draw for hip Marrakshis and visitors since the turn of the 21st century. The restaurant serves Moroccan, international, and Asian dishes; it's expensive, but the main attraction isn't the food, it's the trendy atmosphere and free entertainment---live musicians, belly-dance cabaret (starting at 10:30 pm), and an upstairs DJ spinning chilled-out world-music vibes until 3 am. There's a small dance floor for those who want to swirl to the tunes.

An airy 16th-century riad turned café turned library turned art gallery, Dar Cherifa is wonderfully airy spot to take a break from shopping for a pot of mint tea. They also have the occasional cultural evening, including poetry readings, traditional music, and storytelling. 

You can dine on delicious adaptations of traditional dishes---such as tiny melt-in-the-mouth pastilla (sweet pigeon pie) filled with a vegetable puree---at this lovely restaurant with a reputation for nouvelle cuisine marocaine. Andalusian lutes and Gnaoua music accompany dinner, which is a fixed five-course tasting menu at 530 DH; lunch is à la carte, with a limited menu for children. Alcohol is served.

Vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free diners may feel unloved in Marrakesh until they get to Earth Café, where they rule the roost. Generous portions are served all day at this wholesome little eatery that's tucked into a side alley near the main square. As you walk through to the seating areas out back you'll be tempted by the aromas swirling up from the open kitchen. Up the winding narrow stairs are cushioned seating alcoves with orange-painted walls and a balcony hung with tropical plants. A beetroot, ginger, and orange juice cocktail will perk you up, or try a satisfying flaky pastry stuffed with goat cheese, pumpkin, spinach, and apple. The only downside is that there isn't an open roof terrace, and as such it gets hot and rather claustrophobic. No alcohol is served, and it's cash only.

The menu at the English-owned Gastro MK features exceptionally fine modern-Moroccan cuisine. The menu is a balance of Moroccan and European influences aiming to be light and subtle to tempt those who are "tagined out'"; dishes include cauliflower couscous with raisins and capers or a deconstructed tagine of beef fillet with herb mash and zucchini. A five-course tasting menu (650 DH per person) is available upon request. Complimentary canapés are served 30 minutes before dinner and after-dinner digestifs, cigars, or sheesha pipes can be requested. Arrive early for pre-dinner cocktails on the gorgeous terrace.

The Gastro MK is in such high demand that advance bookings and payment of a deposit are essential.

To the south of the square, this is a top choice for catching the sunset, but you'll have to compete for elbow room with all the amateur photographers who throng the best spot. Service is slow and soft drinks overpriced—but that's not unexpected for this bird's-eye view. 

If you want to eat with the locals, this is the perfect spot, though be forewarned that the menu is meat-only. Everything is ordered by weight and you'll get side dishes of olives as well as a tomato and onion salad. Expect a crowd around meal times but service and dining are quick.