The Moroccan cuisine is a rather special one, if you go to Morocco and fail to experience the gastronomy you have missed on a whole lot. Marrakech, like many other cities of Morocco, is vibrant with restaurants, old and new, traditional and contemporary, local and international and you can experience the cuisine in many ways.

The stalls around the Old Medina are always a good place to start for a taste of the traditional, but treat it as you would treat Egyptian food stalls; be careful of flies, make sure it’s served hot and stir away from meat.

This is a roundup of the restaurants we tried and fell in love with.

Grand Cafe de La Poste (situated in the heart of Gueliz)

This is our favorite spot by far.

The place has a vintage glamour feel to it and buds with neatly dressed waiters. It looked like a reminiscent of the French colonial times in Morocco and had a certain Parisien chic air. Black and white tiles with dimly lit tables and wooden chairs go perfectly well with the high ceiling and French windows and stairs at the heart of the place.

We were ushered by a rather chic Moroccan lady to the terrace seating area which was a great spot to enjoy the nice weather.

We were immediately served with a French infused Moroccan menu to choose from that is the creation of a French and a Moroccan chef.

Our party of four ordered Tomato and Mozzarella Di Buffala, Calamari and Caramelized Pear Salad, Breaded and Fried Goat Cheese for starters. We got the bread basket and butter immediately and it was clear this was going to be a nice meal. We were then served the appetizers which were scrumptious, especially the calamari and caramelized pear salad. Our main courses arrived and we had ordered the Monk Fish Shrimps Tajin, the Lamb Shank and the Salmon with Tomato Mahroussa Sauce. The main courses, with the exception of the lamb shank were just as good as the appetizers. The lamb shank was not the most brilliant we had in Morocco and was a little bland and not cooked to perfection. The salmon and the tajin were both exceptional, however.

This highlight of our evening was definitely dessert, we shared Creme Brule and the Cholocate Fondant and  absolutely loved them both.

The bill for our party of four came at 1,400 Dirhams, or LE1,180.

Address: Boulevard El Mansour Eddahbi, Gueliz • Tel. +242 5244044038

Editor’s Note: Scroll through the slideshow our dishes at the bottom of the article.

 

Dar Essalam: (In the heart of the Old Medina)

Dar Essalam is entertaining. It isn’t top notch food and service, but it does have a rather vibrant atmosphere and definitely worth a visit. Expect a touristy, traditional Moroccan experience, full on with Berber singers, a belly dancer and all the works.

We ordered Harira soup followed by a vegetarian couscous, a chicken couscous, Tangia Marrakechia (which is a traditional Morrocan dish), and a beef Tajin with figs, walnuts, honey and cinnamon. We had a Pastilla (a traditional Moroccan flaked pastry that is used for desserts as well as main dishes) with chocolate and almond sauce for dessert. The food was good but not exceptionally great, but we did like the beef Tajin. The bill came at 90 Dirhams, or LE 760 for our party of four.

We recommend Dar Essalam for the atmosphere, not so much the food, but it is a must see for an entertaining dinner and a show to watch traditional Berber dance and listen to their music — we weren’t much impressed with the belly dancer being from Egypt and all.

Address: 170, Riad Zitoune El Kedim. • Tel. +212 02444-3520

 

Un Dejeuner a Marrakech

This is a subtle little haven in the heart of the bustling historical center of Marrakech. The small entrance is not indicative of the great food and relaxing seating, but if you’re touring the historical sights around Jamea Il Fna, make sure you stop by for a bite.

We were seated in the lounges of the second floor as the terrace was full, but the terrace has great views of the Koutoubia and the neighborhood, which screams history around every corner.

The interiors are modern and casual, with a few Moroccan touches thrown here and there.

We ordered the goat cheese salad with smoked ducks and caramelized apples and walnuts and it was absolutely heavenly. The cheese were tucked in little choux puff pastry and the walnuts caramelized to perfection. We then ordered the fish Tajin, Thai chicken and a beef Tajin. The fish Tajin was impeccable, severed with saffron rice, and the rest were also quite delicious. We topped the meal off with Pastilla with almonds pastry and powdered sugar and it was scrumptiously light and deliciously different (do check the pictures in the bottom slideshow).

Our bill came at 600 Dirhams, or LE 505.

Address: 2,4 Place Douar Graoua, Medina. • Tel. +212 52437-8387

Other articles in our Essential Guide to Marrakech:

Where to Lodge, Reviewing Riad Bab 54

Getting to Marrakech

What to do