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Tangier's nightlife begins with the early-evening promenade and café hour, from about 6 to 9, when the streets teem with locals and expats alike. While in the winter the nightlife scene can be lacking, in spring and summer many beachfront cafés are full well into the night. Late dining is another mainstay of Tangerine nightlife, with many restaurants open past 10 pm—rare in Morocco and, along with tapas, another example of Spanish influence in the region.
Tangier has plenty of vibrant cafés, where writers and other creative types go to talk and mingle. Due to its Islamic roots, the nightlife scene tends to be dominated by men, with women typically patronizing the salons de thé instead. Major hotels have piano bars where much of the city’s business is undertaken as cigar smoke drifts through the air.
There is also an abundance of discos throughout the main areas of Tangier, which are open well into the early hours of the morning; be aware that the common assumption is that women who attend these discos are "working."
The laid-back terrace bar at this chic hotel is the perfect spot for sundowners as you gaze across the sea to Spain. Pair your negroni or chilled Moroccan rosé with some nibbles—plump olives, salted almonds—and drink in the views until stars dot the sky and the city lights sparkle.
Thought to have been the inspiration for Rick’s Café in the Hollywood classic Casablanca, this El Minzah Hotel landmark has long been the elite’s drinking hole of choice. It’s a retro reminder of the grand old days of the Tangier International Zone, and photos of the famous and infamous adorn the walls. Sip on a cocktail and soak up the history.
Older musicians hold Arab-Andalous music jam sessions here every evening around 5:30 pm in the closet-size but wonderfully atmospheric Les Fils du Detroit (the Sons of the Strait). Sometimes your presence is enough to get the band going, strumming their ouds and guitars. You'll pay just the price of a mint tea, but it's nice to leave a tip for the musicians.
This renovated apartment turned bar-cum-restaurant with pink walls and an impressive collection of memorabilia from the last 20-odd years gives you the feeling that you are behind the scenes of the myth of the city. Karim, the bar's owner, has great taste in blues and jazz and lived in America for ten years. The low-lit outpost occupies the building on the corner across from the Rembrandt hotel, where Boulevard Pasteur ends. Though the tapas can be a bit pricey, an adjoining restaurant is also a decent option for dinner.
The Piano Bar at El Morocco Club harks back to the era of the International Zone, with its red leather seating, dark-wood paneling, and seductive lighting. Indulge in cocktails and tapas—perhaps a half-dozen oysters—sit back under the black-and-white photos of the city's celebrity visitors, and listen to the tinkling piano or perhaps a top DJ.
A favorite of weekending Spaniards, local professionals, and hip twentysomethings, the dance floor here gets steamier and steamier as the night goes on. The music is typical, somewhat bland Mediterranean House with some flashbacks to the 1980s, whose pop stars line the walls after your descent down a funhouse-like mirrored entrance and stairway. There's a happy hour every Monday night from 11 pm to 1 am.
A late-night libation at the Tangerinn in the El Muniria hotel, a vestige of the former International Zone, is the opportunity for literary nostalgia. After all, your bar stool may have supported the likes of William Burroughs (who wrote Naked Lunch in what was formerly Room 9), Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac. They probably wouldn’t recognize it today, though; on weekends it teems with beer-drinking expats and young Moroccans, and techno blasts from the speakers. The hotel itself has seen better days and is not the best option for a good night's sleep.
