30 Best Restaurants in Morocco

Nestled in the foothills of the mountains near Ouirgane, Chez Momo is a delightful spot to sip a cocktail by the small pool or have a barbecue dinner seated on one of the chairs fashioned from tree trunks. After a feast you may find yourself inquiring about one of the seven cozy rooms and six suites, where a breakfast of morning coffee and beghrir (pancakes) is brought to your door each morning.

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.

Located at the edge of town as you arrive from the direction of Ouarzazate, this terrace café with easy parking outside is a good place to stop for lunch or a drink. It serves hearty tagines, brochettes, salads, and other snacks; the clean restrooms are an added bonus.

Casablanca's first and most cherished Moroccan restaurant has dining rooms with a quintessential Moroccan atmosphere and a lovely patio with a centuries-old tree. The excellent cooking has a refined touch: the salads are delectable, and the tagines bubble with the most sensational of aromas. 

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.

Priding itself on the use of authentic ingredients, this excellent Italian restaurant focuses on classic fare, like perfect pizzas, fresh pasta, and, for bigger appetites, mouthwatering meat and fish dishes. There's a cute terrace if you want to eat alfresco.

Imported 100% Arabica specialty coffee beans and top-notch baristas make this Australian/Moroccan-owned spot a good place to settle in for a coffee alongside breakfast served all day or any of the inventive salads, sandwiches, and pastas. The service is efficient and the vibe is laid-back.

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.

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.

The Café Maure is a charming place in the Oudayas gardens of the kasbah to pause for a glass of tea and local pastries. The shaded terrace is decorated with mosaic tilework and looks across the river to Salé.

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.

Between Skhirat and Bouznika, this excellent place to eat, drink, and disconnect serves an excellent menu of mostly fish-based options, with salads and proper desserts thrown in. The location is fabulous—right on the beach, with two pools, and areas for eating and relaxing separated by rustic bamboo canes. There’s a beach volleyball area, a petanque ground and a surf school, too. The atmosphere is gentle; families, surfers, sporty types, and sun lovers will all be at home here. There are DJs and often live music as the sun sets. Alcohol is served. Note that while it's officially only open from April to November, groups can (and often do) reserve off-season.

In a tiny garden, off one of the medina's main shopping streets, the French owner serves a constantly changing menu derived from fresh local ingredients; think enormous main-course salads or pizzettas topped with anything from carrots and apples to raspberries, mint, and beetroot. Homemade cakes, fresh-brewed coffee, and freshly squeezed juices are served through the afternoon.

Come early as the main dish of the day usually sells out.

A Casablanca institution, this pretty, blue-and-yellow-theme open-air restaurant is set into the city ramparts overlooking the marina. It may serve the best Moroccan breakfast in town; a pastry and mint tea make for a perfect break from sightseeing; and they also serve splendid Moroccan salads and tagines for lunch and dinner. 

This family-run and family-friendly eatery at the edge of Guéliz serves up tasty homemade French-style tarts and quiches, along with daily specials such as moussaka with salad. On Thursday the house special is English-style fish-and-chips, which are possibly the best in town. The French owners, Axel and Charlotte, are both delightful and you'll soon feel like part of the family. Fresh juices, and homemade cakes and desserts such as strawberry gâteau and lemon-meringue pie, are served in huge portions.

It's cash only and there's no alcohol.

Hidden at the edge of the Harti Gardens, this French-owned restaurant is a great value, with an excellent fixed-price menu, as well as an à la carte menu and self-serve buffet. The buffet has lots of vegetarian choices, including tortillas, stuffed vine leaves, and pasta salads, but it does runs out quickly. Carnivores won't go hungry either with à la carte main dishes including steaks, seafood, roasted duck, and Thai wok variations. Entering the gateway to Les Jardins de Guéliz feels like discovering a secret garden—which, in effect, it is. Backing directly on to the El Harti Gardens, the wooden door in the external wall leads to a bright and colorful restaurant with a light, airy conservatory and pretty gardens—perfect for a family lunch. It's both pocket-friendly and child-friendly, with outdoor tables on a shaded terrace and a couple of turtles patrolling the grounds. Alcohol is served.

This lovely, small café caters to vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free diners as well as meat-eaters, with options that range from Moroccan classics like harira soup and vegetarian couscous to fusion dishes such as a tabbouleh couscous or falafel sandwiches with taktouka, a cooked salad of tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, toasted paprika, and olive oil. 

They aim to be inclusive to these dietary needs and have menu options that range from Moroccan classics like meatball tagine in tomato sauce to fusion dishes such as enchiladas wrapped in msemmen, a flaky Moroccan flatbread or chicken and couscous with peanut sauce. Fill your stomach and then book in for a henna tattoo if it's on your Marrakesh wishlist—the henna here is 100% safe and organic. 

This trendy spot has cool midcentury design, contemporary art on display, and some of the best salads in town. The menu pitches itself between French brasserie and Americana, with all-day dining including breakfast and after-work specials. At night, the interior gets loud and smoky, but the pergola roof-terrace makes it a suitable early-dinner choice for families with teenagers who want something a little more sophisticated than the fast-food joints down the road. You can always go back later in the evening for relaxed drinks and tapas at the terrace bar. Alcohol is served.

This ice-cream parlor and café is at the very far end of Guéliz, but well worth the journey. The ice cream and sorbet (possibly the best in Morocco) are made with all-natural ingredients and no additives, and flavors vary every month. In summer choose from fig, banana, watermelon, peach, even ginger with lavender. In autumn you'll find spiced chocolate, orange with cinnamon, date, and saffron flavors. There's a comfortable indoors eating area and an outdoor terrace where you can scoop your whipped-cream-topped sundae on any Sunday.

This unpretentious, family-friendly spot looks out over the beach and lagoon. Not surprisingly, the menu is seafood-oriented---lobster, of course, is the priciest item listed, but it's superb---and there are other options like omelets and salads, plus a small selection of desserts. Alcohol is available.

This landmark café in downtown Rabat has been around since 1997 and serves the city's best milk shakes and ice cream in a large, leafy garden. Always busy with students and businesspeople, there's Wi-Fi to check your email while you drink your coffee. A full range of main-course meals is also available.

Befitting its name, this elegant restaurant is right on a park, in a 1950s building with a dining terrace. As is often the case in Mohammedia, the menu bears a distinct fish and seafood theme, so your choices will largely depend on what’s been caught that day, though there is also a good selection of salads and meat dishes, plus some Moroccan fare and French-influenced desserts. Alcohol is not available. Be sure to book at weekends as Moroccan families flock here.

Tucked away inside the port (to find the restaurant, enter the port by the gate and turn left toward the fishing port), this family-friendly spot is one of Casablanca's oldest fish restaurants and always draws a crowd at lunchtime. What to choose depends on what's been caught that day, so be sure to ask the waiters for advice. 

This outdoor restaurant is a long-standing favorite for Moroccan families, offering great food and lots of space. Traditional cuisine is served under a caidal (white canvas) tent around two small swimming pools, in a garden full of orange, fig, and papaya trees and flowers. Weekending Moroccan families are drawn to the excellent specialties of the house, such as the briouates (phyllo pastry parcels) and mechoui (roasted shoulder of lamb, best ordered in advance). No alcohol is served.  Non-Moroccan families with children should be advised that only girls under 12 are allowed to enjoy the swimming pool with the boys.

This laid-back lounge and restaurant is a great place for coffee and a crepe, or pizza and a beer. It's right next to the beach on a peninsula that overlooks the sandy sweep of Bouznika bay. It's a simple place with plain white tables and chairs and plenty of shade and you can't get much closer to the sea.

At Sunny Beach, the menu focuses on fresh fish (think paella and squid) that's cooked to order, with some salads and desserts thrown in for good measure. Kids will be eager to play in the sand, and there are some lounge chairs available for sunbathers and tired parents. It's a great place to put your feet up, sip local wine, and enjoy the waves.

On a rooftop hidden deep within the northern quarter of the souks, this all-day (and evening) restaurant is a popular spot for expats, tourists, and trendy locals. The menu mixes Moroccan and international cuisine, with everything from fish tagine and tanjia (slow-cooked beef or lamb) to pasta dishes and steaks. The contemporary variations on a Moroccan theme extend also to the decor—intimate cushioned booths are lit by woven lampshades and decorated with modern artwork. It's a good place for families who want a little space out of the mayhem of the souks where tired kids can sprawl on the benches. In the evening, the lantern-lit terrace provides the perfect ambience for cocktails and music. Alcohol is served.

This is a great place to stop off if you're taking a walk along the seaside promenade, La Corniche. In a prime position overlooking the sea, this branch of the ever-popular Venezia Ice serves breakfast, salads, burgers, and sandwiches, and, of course, their excellent ice cream.