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Marrakesh has arguably the largest selection of restaurants in Morocco, which serve equal parts Moroccan and international cuisine at varying price points. Restaurant dining, once reserved mainly for the wealthy or very special occasions, is now part of the norm for virtually all Marrakshis. Options vary from inexpensive snack bars, cafés, and fast-food restaurants to the more pricey French bistros, sushi bars, and sophisticated Moroccan fine-dining options. In restaurants where alcohol is served, meal prices tend to be high as licenses are expensive. Home entertaining, however, with lavish meals to impress visitors, is still very much part and parcel of the old Marrakshi way of life. To get an idea (albeit a rather expensive one) of traditional yet sumptuous Moroccan entertaining, treat yourself to an evening at one of Marrakesh’s popular riad gastronomique restaurants in the medina. Morocco is a Muslim country, so don't assume that all restaurants will serve alcohol. Licenses are expensive and, inside the medina especially, are very hard to come by.
You can also eat well at inexpensive sidewalk cafés in both the medina and Guéliz. Here, don't miss out on a famous local dish called tanjia, made popular by workers who slow-cook lamb or beef in an earthenware pot left in hot ashes for the whole day. Food is cooked and served from an outdoor street-kitchen with shared tables, but it's a hearty meal with locals for around 30 DH.
Most restaurants in Marrakesh tend to fall into two categories. They're either fashionable, flashy affairs, mostly in Guéliz and the outlying areas of Marrakesh, which serve à la carte European, Asian, and Moroccan cuisine, or they're more traditional places, often tucked inconspicuously into riads and old palaces in the medina. Both types can be fairly pricey, and, to avoid disappointment, are best booked in advance. They also tend to open quite late, usually not before 7:30 in Guéliz and 8 in the medina, although most people don't sit down to eat until 9 or 9:30. In recent years a third dining category, the dinner-cabaret, has become a popular format, attracting tourists, expats, and well-heeled Moroccans for their entertainment value, if not necessarily for their cuisine.
There's no set system for tipping. Your check will indicate that service has been included in the charge; if not, tip 10% or 15% for excellent service.
You can dine on delicious adaptations of traditional dishes---such as tiny melt-in-the-mouth pastilla (sweet pigeon pie) filled with a vegetable puree---at this lovely restaurant with a reputation for nouvelle cuisine marocaine. Andalusian lutes and Gnaoua music accompany dinner, which is a fixed five-course tasting menu at 650 DH; lunch is à la carte, with a limited menu for children. Alcohol is served.
Come hungry for the five-course traditional Moroccan feast served at this restaurant located deep in the medina. Aperitifs are taken on the rooftop, which has stunning panoramic views of the Koutoubia Mosque, and then you can choose to dine beside the pool on the lanterned terrace, in a vaulted upstairs room, or in the lush, cushion-filled main salon. Dinner, including drinks, costs 700 DH and courteous, discreet waiters in white djellabas and red fezzes scurry about to fulfill your every need. This is an exotic experience in a magical setting.
The menu at the English-owned Gastro MK features exceptionally fine modern-Moroccan cuisine. The menu is a balance of Moroccan and European influences aiming to be light and subtle to tempt those who are "tagined out'"; dishes include cauliflower couscous with raisins and capers or a deconstructed tagine of beef fillet with herb mash and zucchini. A five-course tasting menu (650 DH per person) is available upon request. Complimentary canapés are served 30 minutes before dinner and after-dinner digestifs, cigars, or sheesha pipes can be requested. Arrive early for pre-dinner cocktails on the gorgeous terrace.
The Gastro MK is in such high demand that advance bookings and payment of a deposit are essential.
Bistro meets resto in this popular, affordable French eatery at the edge of Guéliz where service is warm and welcoming. The three-course set lunch menus are an exceptional value at 120 DH. In true Parisian style, the menu favors carnivores: foie gras, beefsteaks, braised lamb chops, and confit of duck, for example; homey country dishes such as salade Niçoise or Provençal fish soup, as well as tempting grilled swordfish, red mullet, and tuna might please the rest. There's a good wine list that includes French and Moroccan wines at reasonable prices.
Choose the upstairs mezzanine dining area for a more intimate atmosphere; the downstairs bistro-style restaurant gets crowded.
The prestigious Royal Mansour hotel is home to four restaurants, each with a different vibe, but La Grande Table Marocaine, which serves classic Moroccan dishes with a modern twist, is the one worth a splurge. You can order à la carte but the prix-fixe menu with seasonal variations is the best bet. Alcohol is served and reservations are essential.
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.
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