Photo: hichamaarkoubi · CC0Restaurants
Discover the best restaurants in Marrakech, from traditional tagine and rooftop dining to street food in the Medina and Gueliz.
Marrakech is one of the great eating cities of North Africa, and the pleasure of it lies in the range. In a single day you can graze on grilled skewers in the Jemaa el-Fnaa, sip mint tea on a rooftop above the souks, and sit down to a slow, ceremonial dinner in a candlelit riad.
The food moves between the deeply traditional, tagines sealed over coals, couscous served only on certain days, pastilla dusted with sugar and cinnamon, and a newer, lighter kitchen led by places like Nomad and Le Jardin.
This guide is organised so you can find what you actually want tonight. The top list gathers the standout tables across every style and price point, from the palace dining rooms of La Mamounia to the plastic stools of Cafe des Epices.
Below that, sections break the city down by cuisine, by traditional Moroccan cooking, by rooftop views, by fine dining, by street food and cafes, by romance, and by the two neighbourhoods most visitors spend their time in: the Medina and Gueliz.
A few practical notes. Menus and opening times change often in Marrakech, and many places inside the Medina are hard to find, so it is worth confirming hours and booking ahead for the bigger names, especially for dinner and for rooftops at sunset.
Many restaurants in the historic centre do not serve alcohol; the ville nouvelle and the hotels are where you will reliably find a wine list.
The top pick in each category, at a glance.
| Category | Our pick | |
|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Nomad | Reserve |
| By Cuisine | Al Fassia (Moroccan) | Reserve |
| Traditional Moroccan Cooking: Tagine and Couscous | Al Fassia | Reserve |
| Rooftop Dining and Terraces | Nomad | Reserve |
| Fine Dining and Special Occasions | La Mamounia | Reserve |
| Street Food and Cafes | Jemaa el-Fnaa food stalls | Reserve |
| Romantic Restaurants | Dar Yacout | Reserve |
| Where to Eat in the Medina | Nomad | Reserve |
📍 Medina (Rahba Kedima)
Modern Moroccan$$$· Stylish rooftop
A modern Moroccan rooftop overlooking the spice square, serving lighter, contemporary takes on local ingredients. One of the city's most reliable tables for a stylish lunch or an early dinner with a view.
What to order: Crispy beef cigars
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Medina (souks)
Moroccan$$· Garden retreat
A green, tiled courtyard hidden deep in the souks, all banana trees and turtles underfoot. The kitchen leans fresh and Moroccan-modern, and the garden setting makes it a cool retreat from the lanes.
What to order: Chicken pastilla
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Medina (Rahba Kedima)
Cafe$· Casual people-watching
The original people-watching cafe on the spice and apothecary square, with a rooftop looking over the stalls. Come for mint tea, simple salads, sandwiches and a front-row seat on medina life.
What to order: Mint tea & salads
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Medina (Bab Doukkala)
Moroccan$$$$· Special occasion
A grand, theatrical riad dinner: a rooftop aperitif followed by a set Moroccan feast in lantern-lit salons. This is the classic special-occasion Marrakech experience.
What to order: Set feast & lamb tagine
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Gueliz
Moroccan$$$· Authentic classic
A famous women-run restaurant known for its Fassi home cooking, particularly its slow-cooked lamb and its several styles of couscous. A benchmark for authentic Moroccan flavour outside the Medina.
What to order: Lamb tangia & couscous
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Medina (near Ben Youssef)
Moroccan French$$$· Candlelit & elegant
An elegant restored caravanserai with a beautiful staircase and a candlelit rooftop, serving both Moroccan and French-leaning dishes. Atmospheric and central to the northern souks.
What to order: Duck tagine
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Medina (Bab Doukkala)
Moroccan$$$· Refined & calm
A historic riad hotel with a refined Moroccan restaurant and live oud music, plus a well-known cooking school. Polished, traditional and good for a calmer evening.
What to order: Lamb mechoui
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Medina (souks)
Moroccan$$· Relaxed rooftop
A large open-air rooftop with private alcoves, popular for both lunch and dinner among the souks. Moroccan and international plates in a relaxed, design-forward setting.
What to order: Lamb tagine with prunes
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Hivernage
Moroccan$$$$· Grand & legendary
The legendary palace hotel, home to several restaurants including its Moroccan dining room. Worth it for the gardens, the grandeur and a drink even if you are not staying.
What to order: Tagine at Le Marocain
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Hivernage
Moroccan$$$· Dinner & show
A long-running dinner-and-show institution with Moroccan cooking and nightly performances. Lively, glamorous and geared to a night out rather than a quiet meal.
What to order: Mixed grill platter
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Kasbah
Cafe Fusion$$· Creative & youthful
A cultural cafe near the Kasbah known for its camel burger, storytelling nights and live music. Casual, creative and popular with a younger crowd.
What to order: Camel burger
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Medina
Modern Moroccan$$$· Leafy courtyard
A stylish riad restaurant with a leafy courtyard, offering a modern Moroccan menu. A dependable choice for a well-executed sit-down dinner in the old city.
What to order: Slow-cooked lamb shoulder
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Medina (Riad Zitoun)
Lebanese$$· Change of pace
A rare Levantine restaurant in the Medina, serving mezze and Lebanese dishes. A welcome change of pace when you want something other than tagine.
What to order: Mezze spread
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve📍 Medina (souks)
Moroccan Italian$$$· Rooftop & bar
A courtyard and rooftop spot serving both Moroccan and Italian food, with a bar. Handy in the heart of the souks and a reliable place for a drink with dinner.
What to order: Tagine or pasta
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Gueliz
French$$$· Old-world brasserie
A colonial-era brasserie in the ville nouvelle, all ceiling fans and old-world atmosphere. French bistro cooking and a proper apertif in the new town.
What to order: Steak & fries
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Jemaa el-Fnaa
Moroccan$· Simple & central
A no-frills institution on the edge of the main square, serving straightforward tagines and couscous. Simple, affordable and perfectly placed for people-watching.
What to order: Chicken tagine
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Gueliz
Moroccan$· Feel-good lunch
A non-profit restaurant training disadvantaged women in the culinary trade, serving honest home-style Moroccan food. A feel-good lunch with genuinely good couscous days.
What to order: Daily couscous
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve
📍 Gueliz
Mediterranean$$$· Contemporary open-kitchen
A contemporary, Australian-influenced restaurant with an open kitchen and a modern Mediterranean menu. A change of register for diners tired of the tourist track.
What to order: Wood-fired seasonal plates
📍 View on Google Maps →Reserve📍 Gueliz
Italian$$$· Garden & poolside
A long-established Italian restaurant with a garden and pool setting, considered one of the city's best for pasta and a glass of wine.
What to order: Fresh pasta
📍 View on Google Maps →ReserveMarrakech is far more than tagine and couscous, even if those remain its heart. Alongside traditional Moroccan kitchens you will find Italian trattorias, French brasseries, Lebanese mezze, and a wave of modern, lighter cooking.
This section is a quick map by cuisine so you can match your mood, whether that is a deeply local feast or a plate of pasta and a glass of red.
Moroccan $$$
Fassi home cooking at its most authentic, celebrated for its lamb and its range of couscous. The reference point for classic Moroccan flavour.
What to order: Lamb tagine with the couscous selection
Modern Moroccan $$
Contemporary, lighter Moroccan dishes on a rooftop above the spice square. The city's flagship for the new local kitchen.
What to order: Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with almonds
Lebanese $$
Mezze, grills and Levantine sweets in the Medina, a genuine alternative when you want something outside Moroccan tradition.
What to order: Mezze spread with grilled kebabs
Italian $$$
A long-loved Italian in Gueliz with a garden setting, pasta done properly and a real wine list.
What to order: Fresh pasta from the garden menu
Italian-Moroccan $$$
A romantic riad near the Bahia straddling Italian and Moroccan menus, with a courtyard pool.
What to order: Wood-fired pizza or a tagine by the pool
French brasserie $$$
Colonial-era brasserie cooking in the new town, the place for steak, wine and old-world atmosphere.
What to order: Steak frites with a bottle from the list
Modern Mediterranean $$$
An Australian-influenced kitchen in Gueliz with an open pass and a fresh, seasonal menu.
What to order: Seasonal tasting from the open pass
Italian-Moroccan $$
A dual menu in the souks with a bar and rooftop, useful when a group cannot agree on a cuisine.
What to order: Rooftop tagine with a bar cocktail
International-Moroccan $$
Camel burgers, salads and cross-cultural events near the Kasbah, casual and creative.
What to order: The signature camel burger
Moroccan-French $$$
A polished menu bridging Moroccan and French in a beautiful restored caravanserai.
What to order: Pastilla in the caravanserai courtyard
This is the food most people come to Marrakech for: tagines cooked low and slow over charcoal, fluffy hand-rolled couscous traditionally served on Fridays, savoury-sweet pastilla, harira soup and mechoui slow-roast lamb.
The places below range from grand riad feasts to humble local canteens, but all take the classics seriously.
Moroccan $$$
The benchmark for Fassi cooking, with several couscous styles and famously tender lamb, run entirely by women.
What to order: Tender lamb and the couscous flight
Moroccan $$$$
A set-menu riad banquet that walks you through the classics in grand, lantern-lit style.
What to order: The set-menu banquet of classics
Moroccan $$$
Refined traditional cooking with live oud, from a riad that also runs a respected cooking school.
What to order: Traditional tagine with live oud
Moroccan $
Simple, honest tagines and couscous beside the Jemaa el-Fnaa, easy on the wallet.
What to order: Chicken tagine beside the square
Moroccan $
Home-style Moroccan food with couscous days, cooked by women training in the trade.
What to order: Couscous on couscous day
Moroccan $$$$
An intimate, long-running riad known for its multi-course traditional Moroccan menu.
What to order: The multi-course traditional menu
Moroccan $$$
A well-known riad restaurant offering a more inventive take on Moroccan classics by a celebrated chef.
What to order: Inventive chef's tagine
Moroccan $$
A friendly Medina restaurant serving generous traditional dishes with occasional live music.
What to order: Generous mixed tagine platter
Moroccan $$
A modern riad kitchen that still delivers the essential tagines in a leafy courtyard.
What to order: Classic tagine in the courtyard
Moroccan $$$$
Palace-level traditional cooking in an opulent setting for a true special occasion.
What to order: Palace-style lamb and couscous
Rooftops are one of the great joys of eating in Marrakech, lifting you above the maze of the Medina to the sound of the call to prayer and, on clear evenings, the distant Atlas Mountains. Sunset tables go fast, so book ahead.
These terraces range from casual mint-tea perches to full candlelit dinners under the stars.
Modern Moroccan $$
A tiered rooftop over the spice square, ideal at golden hour for modern Moroccan plates.
What to order: Lamb shoulder at golden hour
Moroccan $$
A sprawling open-air terrace with private booths, good for both long lunches and dinner.
What to order: Long-lunch tagine in a private booth
Cafe / Moroccan $
A laid-back roof above Rahba Kedima, perfect for mint tea and people-watching.
What to order: Mint tea and a light tagine
Moroccan-French $$$
A romantic candlelit rooftop crowning a restored caravanserai in the northern souks.
What to order: Pastilla on the candlelit rooftop
Italian-Moroccan $$
A relaxed roof terrace with a bar, handy deep in the shopping lanes.
What to order: Rooftop tagine with a drink
Moroccan $$
A terrace near the Bahia and the spice market known for its storks nesting on nearby walls.
What to order: Tagine with a stork's-eye view
Moroccan $$
A central rooftop and dining room near the main square with a lively evening buzz.
What to order: Tagine on the central rooftop
Moroccan $
A friendly multi-level rooftop in the souks, good value for tagines with a view.
What to order: Value tagine with a view
International-Moroccan $$
A rooftop near the Kasbah with music nights and a young, creative crowd.
What to order: Camel burger on music nights
Mediterranean $$$
A stylish rooftop option for those wanting sunset drinks alongside dinner.
What to order: Sunset dinner with drinks
For an anniversary, a milestone or simply a night to remember, Marrakech turns on real theatre. The city's high-end tables span palace dining rooms, gastronomic riads and destination restaurants set among gardens outside the walls.
Expect elegant service, considered wine lists where alcohol is served, and settings that are often as memorable as the food.
Moroccan-French $$$$
The storied palace hotel, whose restaurants and gardens define grand Marrakech dining.
What to order: Grand palace dining in the gardens
French / Moroccan $$$$
The Royal Mansour's dining rooms are among the most lavish and refined in the country.
What to order: Refined tasting at the Royal Mansour
Moroccan $$$$
A ceremonial riad feast with rooftop aperitifs and a procession of Moroccan courses.
What to order: The ceremonial course procession
Moroccan-French $$$
A refined Moroccan and French menu in one of the Medina's most beautiful spaces.
What to order: Pastilla in a beautiful setting
Moroccan $$$
Elegant traditional dining with live music in a historic riad hotel.
What to order: Traditional dining with live music
Modern Mediterranean $$$
A contemporary, chef-driven restaurant in Gueliz for modern, produce-led cooking.
What to order: Chef-driven, produce-led plates
Moroccan $$$$
An intimate riad delivering a considered multi-course Moroccan tasting experience.
What to order: The multi-course tasting menu
Moroccan $$$
Inventive Moroccan gastronomy by a well-known chef in a poolside riad setting.
What to order: Inventive poolside gastronomy
Modern Moroccan $$
A stylish modern Medina restaurant with a rooftop, popular for design-led dinners.
What to order: Design-led rooftop dinner
Mediterranean $$$
A serene garden estate outside the walls, lovely for a leisurely destination lunch or dinner.
What to order: Leisurely garden lunch
Some of the most memorable eating in Marrakech costs almost nothing. As night falls, the Jemaa el-Fnaa fills with smoke and food stalls, and the city's cafes keep the mint tea and fresh orange juice flowing all day.
This is the Marrakech of grilled skewers, snail soup, msemen pancakes and long afternoons watching the crowd go by.
Street food $
The nightly open-air food market, from grilled meats and merguez to snail broth. Pick a busy stall and point at what you want.
What to order: Grilled merguez and skewers
Street food $
A cluster of pit stalls near the square selling slow-roast lamb by weight, served with bread and cumin.
What to order: Slow-roast mechoui lamb by weight
Moroccan $
A budget-friendly Medina classic for tagines right on the main square.
What to order: Tagine on the main square
Cafe $
The go-to cafe on the spice square for tea, juice and simple plates.
What to order: Tea, juice and simple plates
Cafe / Vegetarian $
A small non-profit cafe near the square with vegetarian-friendly bites and henna.
What to order: Veggie bites plus henna
International $
Casual all-day eating near the Kasbah, from camel burgers to salads.
What to order: Camel burger and salads
Gelato $
A popular spot for a cooling gelato break between the sights.
What to order: A cooling scoop of gelato
Coffee house $$
A grand palace-turned-coffee-house for a memorable, if pricier, coffee ritual.
What to order: The palace coffee ritual
Juice / Snacks $
A relaxed juice and snack stop handy for wandering the souks.
What to order: Fresh juice and a quick bite
Street food $
Look for morning griddle stalls selling flaky msemen pancakes and bowls of harira soup.
What to order: Msemen pancakes and harira
Marrakech was made for romance: candlelit courtyards, rose petals on tiled floors, rooftops under a wide desert sky and gardens scented with orange blossom. Whether you want a hushed riad for two or a starlit terrace, these are the tables to book when the evening matters.
Moroccan $$$$
Lantern light, rooftop aperitifs and a grand feast make this the classic romantic splurge.
What to order: The lantern-lit feast for two
Moroccan-French $$$
A candlelit rooftop and a sweeping staircase set a genuinely swoon-worthy scene.
What to order: Candlelit rooftop pastilla
Italian-Moroccan $$$
A courtyard pool near the Bahia, gentle lighting and a mix of Italian and Moroccan dishes.
What to order: Poolside courtyard dinner
Moroccan $$$
Soft oud music and an elegant riad setting for an unhurried dinner for two.
What to order: Unhurried dinner with oud
Mediterranean $$
A lush, leafy courtyard hidden in the souks, cool and green and intimate.
What to order: Lunch in the hidden garden
Modern Moroccan $$
A rooftop sunset with the spice square below, best at a quiet corner table.
What to order: Corner table at sunset
Mediterranean $$$
A tranquil garden estate outside the walls for a private, unhurried escape.
What to order: Private garden escape
Moroccan-French $$$$
Palace gardens and grand rooms for a truly special anniversary evening.
What to order: Grand anniversary dinner
Modern Moroccan $$
A design-led rooftop with mood lighting, stylish and intimate after dark.
What to order: Mood-lit rooftop plates
Moroccan $$
A terrace at dusk near the Bahia, relaxed and atmospheric for two.
What to order: Dusk terrace for two
The Medina, the walled old city, is where most visitors sleep and wander, and it hides an extraordinary density of good eating behind unmarked doors. Addresses can be genuinely hard to find, so allow extra time and do not be shy about asking.
These are the standouts within the walls, from souk rooftops to riad feasts.
Modern Moroccan $$
Modern Moroccan on a rooftop above Rahba Kedima, central and reliably good.
What to order: Rooftop lamb over the square
Mediterranean $$
A green garden hideaway tucked into the souks, a cool lunch stop.
What to order: Cool garden lunch
Cafe / Moroccan $
The essential spice-square cafe for tea and simple food.
What to order: Tea and a simple plate
Moroccan $$
A large terrace among the souks for both lunch and dinner.
What to order: Terrace tagine, lunch or dinner
Moroccan-French $$$
A beautiful restored caravanserai near Ben Youssef with a romantic rooftop.
What to order: Romantic rooftop pastilla
Italian-Moroccan $$
A courtyard and roof with a bar and a dual Italian-Moroccan menu.
What to order: Dual-menu dinner with a drink
Lebanese $$
Lebanese mezze on Riad Zitoun, a change from the tagine circuit.
What to order: Mezze off the tagine circuit
Moroccan $$$$
A grand riad banquet near Bab Doukkala for a big night out.
What to order: The big-night riad banquet
Moroccan $$$
Refined traditional dining with music near Bab Doukkala.
What to order: Traditional dining with music
Moroccan $
A budget classic right on the Jemaa el-Fnaa.
What to order: Budget tagine on the square
Gueliz, the French-built new town, is where Marrakech feels most contemporary: tree-lined boulevards, pavement cafes, wine lists and a cosmopolitan mix of restaurants.
It is where locals go for an Italian dinner or a proper brasserie lunch, and where you will find some of the city's most interesting modern kitchens. It is a short taxi ride from the Medina.
Moroccan $$$
The famous women-run Moroccan restaurant, a must for authentic Fassi cooking.
What to order: Authentic Fassi lamb and couscous
French brasserie $$$
A colonial brasserie with ceiling fans, French classics and a real bar.
What to order: French classics at the bar
Modern Mediterranean $$$
A modern, open-kitchen restaurant with a fresh Mediterranean menu.
What to order: Open-kitchen seasonal menu
Italian $$$
A garden Italian with poolside tables, long considered among the city's best.
What to order: Poolside pasta in the garden
Moroccan $
A non-profit lunch spot with honest home cooking and couscous days.
What to order: Home cooking on couscous day
Bistro $$
A relaxed Gueliz bistro-style spot popular for meat dishes and a casual dinner.
What to order: Casual meat dishes for dinner
Cafe / Bistro $$
A design-forward cafe and restaurant with a rooftop, good for lunch or drinks.
What to order: Rooftop lunch or drinks
Cafe $
A book-lined cafe near the medina edge for coffee, salads and a quiet break.
What to order: Coffee and salads among books
Lebanese $$
A Lebanese restaurant with music and mezze for a livelier evening in the new town.
What to order: Mezze with live music
Modern Mediterranean $$
A sibling casual outlet from the +61 team for a lighter, contemporary bite.
What to order: A lighter, contemporary bite
Marrakech is famous for slow-cooked tagines, Friday couscous, savoury-sweet chicken or pigeon pastilla, harira soup, mechoui slow-roast lamb, and grilled street food at Jemaa el-Fnaa.
After dark, Jemaa el-Fnaa fills with numbered food stalls serving grilled meats and brochettes. Try busy stalls, Mechoui Alley for lamb by weight, or Chez Chegrouni for a sit-down meal.
Many Medina restaurants do not serve alcohol. You will find wine, beer and cocktails in hotels and in Gueliz and Hivernage, such as Grand Cafe de la Poste, La Trattoria and Cafe Arabe.
For special occasions, try riad feasts like Dar Yacout, palace luxury at La Mamounia, Le Foundouk, La Maison Arabe, or modern +61 in Gueliz. Book ahead.
Yes. Vegetable tagines, couscous, salads, lentils and zaalouk are widely available. Nomad, Le Jardin, Cafe Clock and Naranj cater well to vegetarians.
Yes, book ahead for popular sunset rooftops, riad restaurants and fine-dining rooms, especially in high season. Casual cafes and street stalls do not take reservations.
