16 Best Restaurants in Morocco

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 and alcohol is served.

A few miles outside town on the edge of thuya and olive groves, owner Abderrazak welcomes you warmly to his artisanal cheesery and open-air restaurant. Enjoy a fixed-menu lunch of salads topped with local goat- and sheep-milk cheeses, followed by (for nonvegetarians) a mechoui (lamb spit roast), and wine to complement. You'll find it hard to move after the feast.

Indulging in a long, leisurely lunch looking down on the sacred city of Moulay Idriss and the plains of Meknès is certainly something to savor, especially when it’s served on the terrace at Scorpion House. Private groups—from 2 to 40 people at a time—can enjoy a menu personalized in advance (all dietary requirements are catered for) and including grilled meats, fish, and seasonal Moroccan salads, rounded off with fruit and sweet treats. Advance reservations are essential.

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.

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 530 DH; lunch is à la carte, with a limited menu for children. Alcohol is served.

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 French-style cuisine here draws mainly from what's fished fresh out of the sea each morning but changes regularly according to the chef's suggestion. The restaurant's panoramic views of the beach and the sea are an added plus, as is the great-value lunch menu. Located at the southern end of the beach, among the strip of resort hotels, it attracts locals, too, thanks to the French wine and pastries.

Every night is fiesta night at La Bodega, opposite the Central Market: come for tapas and a drink or stay for a full meal from the typically Spanish menu—think jambon serrano (thinly sliced, dry-cured Spanish ham) and paella. The restaurant has a fun atmosphere, with themed live music each evening and popular dance floor: Tuesday, for instance, is salsa time, and a pro will give tips if you feel like improving your moves. 

A top choice in the well-heeled Gauthier district, little Cantine de Gauthier oozes as much French chic as a Parisian bistro. It's a casual spot that serves delicious French meat and fish dishes, though the well-priced sharing plates of charcuterie and cheese attract the after-work crowd for an apéro.

At one of Agadir's finest fish restaurants, you can enjoy excellent quality seafood including lobster and John Dory; there's also a tasty duck breast for those who prefer meat. It's ideally located across from the beachfront strip of resort hotels. A free shuttle service is available for those staying farther away.   The view from the terrace is decidedly uninteresting, so enjoy the atmosphere inside for a top-class dinner.

The tables are strewn with rose petals and lanterns line the walls of this intimate spot, the perfect setting for a romantic, fine-dining feast. The traditional Moroccan fixed menu (700 DH), featuring not one but two tagines (first poultry, then lamb), couscous, starter, and dessert, is wheeled out in serious style. It's stylish and friendly, and the food is very good. 

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.

The food here is simple, traditional, and tasty, but the atmosphere is particularly lovely, especially in the evening, when lights and candles bring the small space to life. This is the most popular of several salon-style Moroccan restaurants in the area, which means you may have to wait for a table.

Seek out this lovely family-run restaurant in the heart of the medina serving incredibly delicious cuisine with warm smiles in an authentic traditional atmosphere. The selection of Moroccan salads, spicy harira soup, and couscous or tagine are part of a set menu that finishes off with mint tea and honey-laden pastries. As an added bonus the prices are attractively low.

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.