Ayaso
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If you're looking for light, healthy meals or snacks Ayaso functions as both a restaurant and a specialty food store catering to vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free diets. The fresh juices and smoothies are worth the stop alone.
4 Best Restaurants in Marrakesh, Morocco
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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.
L'Mida
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Just off the Rehba Kdima ("Spice Souk"), L'Mida is a pleasant spot serving a fresh, modern take on Moroccan flavors. There are plenty of meaty options, but vegetables get the royal treatment in dishes like a seven-vegetable vegan couscous and Amazigh gnocchi with chestnut butter and garlic confit.
Marrakech Henna Art Cafe
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This lovely, small café caters to vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free diners as well as meat-eaters, with options that range from Moroccan classics like harira soup and vegetarian couscous to fusion dishes such as a tabbouleh couscous or falafel sandwiches with taktouka, a cooked salad of tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, toasted paprika, and olive oil.
They aim to be inclusive to these dietary needs and have menu options that range from Moroccan classics like meatball tagine in tomato sauce to fusion dishes such as enchiladas wrapped in msemmen, a flaky Moroccan flatbread or chicken and couscous with peanut sauce. Fill your stomach and then book in for a henna tattoo if it's on your Marrakesh wishlist—the henna here is 100% safe and organic.
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Royal Mansour
$$$$ | Medina
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.
