4 Best Restaurants in Taroudant, The Southern Atlantic Coast

Set among gorgeous gardens and featuring a menu of local produce, Dar Zitoune is worth the visit from Taroudant. Serving a refined Mediterranean-style menu, it's a favorite with locals as well as with passing tour groups. Sit outside under citrus trees or inside in the large dining room and make the most of the opportunity to eat steak tartare or a Roquefort cheese–and-endive salad. The staff is courteous and speaks English well.  Reserve in advance, especially for special dishes such as couscous, mechoui (spit-roast lamb), or pastilla.

Taroudant's oldest family-run riad prides itself on its restaurant for good reason. While Habib greets the guests, his wife, Latifa, works wonders in the kitchen to produce a spread of salads, pastilla, tagines, or couscous fit for a king, not to mention the best pastilla du lait (a dessert of fine, crispy phyllo pastry layered with pastry crème) in town. Book in advance for lunch or dinner.

If you want to stick within the city walls for some no-hassle Moroccan food, you can't go wrong at this father-and-son joint established in 1950. The menu features standards such as couscous, harira, and pigeon pastilla (order in advance). The decor is nothing special, but you can climb up to the roof terrace to get away from the busy street.

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.