11 Best Restaurants in Fez and the Middle Atlas, Morocco

Set in the heart of the medina, this crosscultural café is a Fez institution. It’s the perfect place to take a sightseeing break with a tea or mocktail, or a bite from the eclectic menu of Moroccan and international fare, like the justly famous camel burger; there are vegetarian-friendly options as well. Spread over two traditional dars, the Clock is much more than a café: if you want to learn to cook Moroccan cuisine, pick up some Moroccan Arabic, try your hand at calligraphy, listen to ancient storytelling, learn to play the oud, or have a henna tattoo, just check out its cultural workshops.

This popular bistro-style café-cum-restaurant is set in the delightful oasis of Jardin des Biehn. The daily changing chalkboard menu reflects the Moroccan chef’s love of Gallic gastronomy, as he happily mixes Moroccan and French culinary influences, using fresh ingredients from the market and the owners’ organic garden. Feast on meat or fish; vegetarians are well catered to with delicious quiches, soups, and salads. Eat alfresco in the garden or on the rooftop under the sun and stars, or in the brightly colored interior room with lots of creative decorative touches, including nods to the Biehns’ Provençal roots.  Cooking classes with the chef are available upon request.

Set in the romantic remains of a ruined riad associated with Riad Idrissy, this casual alfresco restaurant comes complete with crumbling mosaic floors, fountains, and lush foliage. The à la carte menu and daily specials focus on street food–style dishes prepared using fresh produce from the souk. Think salads such as zaalouk and sardines marinated in chermoula (a marinade, including herbs, oil, and lemon juice) with a polenta batter and mini maakouda (potato cakes in tomato sauce). Moroccan tapas are on the menu at lunchtime, and tea and cakes are served all day, as well as healthy juices and smoothies, like date milk and orange-blossom water. You can also preorder the delicious Fassi specialties, such as pigeon pastilla and slow-cooked mechoui lamb, a day in advance.  Take the Moroccan bread, pastries, or vegetarian cooking classes, and watch couscous being hand-rolled every Friday lunchtime.

A mulberry tree shades the best of the small restaurants in Huddadine (Ironmonger) Square in the center of Sefrou's picturesque medina. Try the delicious rotisserie chicken, brochettes, fries, and salad.

This modern, family-friendly eatery is popular with both locals and visitors for its great location. The menu offers a range of international dishes, including steak frites and pizza, as well as authentic Moroccan tagines; it also serves fresh juices and good coffee, as well as French pastries. It's cavernous inside, so grab a seat on the terrace on warm days.

This is a good, convivial place to enjoy a drink or a snack, with the added bonus of first-rate people-watching at the top of one of the medina’s busiest thoroughfares. Thami’s has expanded over the years from a single table and four chairs under the shade of a mulberry tree to a full-fledged restaurant. What hasn’t changed is the friendly service and the cheap and cheerful dishes on offer, from hearty bowls of harira to the popular kefta-and-egg tagine. 

Tired of tagines? This light, bright, contemporary riad has been turned into a family- and vegetarian-friendly café-restaurant that serves up pasta dishes, fresh salads, and soups, as well as delicious French desserts like tarte tatin. Set down a winding derb off the Talaa K'bira (there are signs), it's a great place to take a well-earned break from pounding the pavement with a tea, coffee, or soda, as well as exotic local fruit juices, such as almond, avocado, and date on the roof terrace. There's Wi-Fi, too.

Spread over several levels, this good-value restaurant just below Bab Boujeloud offers an entertaining view of the street life below. The menu is average tourist fare, so you're probably better off sticking to a mint tea. The location is the thing: the pavement tables make for great people-watching.

Compact and colorful, this convivial café-restaurant occupies a superb spot on one of the medina’s main streets. Try their take on Moroccan tabbouleh made with couscous or get a merguez (spicy sausage) pizza to go—or grab one of the outdoor tables, perfect for people-watching over an avocado milkshake, caramel iced coffee, or homemade rosemary lemonade. 

After a morning pounding the medina alleyways, this cute and contemporary café on the Talaa Kbira is the perfect place to take a break with a fresh juice or mint tea, malawi (Moroccan pancakes), or a more substantial tagine. The chocolate mousse comes highly recommended.

This cozy riad serves home-cooked traditional Moroccan cuisine to guests and nonguests on the roof terrace, with sweeping views over Moulay Idriss, the ruins of Volubilis, and the mountains beyond; there's also an air-conditioned salon. Dishes make the most of fresh, local ingredients; opt for the three-course set lunch or dinner—perhaps the famed Moulay Idriss kefta or a tasty tagine, or choose something lighter such as Greek salad (made with local cheese) or vegetable soup.  Book in advance if you'd like afternoon tea.