The Best Restaurants in Marrakech

Here are four dining hot spots in Morocco’s most fascinating city.

Mar 19, 2012

By: John Mariani

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Marrakech, Morocco's most fascinating city

<strong>Squab pastilla at Al Fassia Guéliz</strong>

<strong>Solano-Brasserie du Sud at Four Seasons Resort Marrakech</strong>

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Morocco’s most fascinating city, Marrakech is a thriving modern metropolis rich in ancient history. It is also the crucible of Moroccan cuisine, from the traditional Berber dishes like tagine (stewed meat and vegetables in a conical clay pot), pastilla (meat-stuffed puff pastry with powdered sugar) and couscous, to wonderful fish dishes from the Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. Numerous international restaurants are now well represented in Marrakech. Here are some of the best.

Photography Thinkstock

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Le Tobsil, 05-24-44-40-52, 22 derb Moulay Abdullah ben Hessaïen, Bab Ksour
Why go: Hidden down a labyrinth of shadowy streets in the Medina (a restaurant guide in a fez will bring you to it), this two-story restaurant, run by a Frenchwoman named Christine Rio and Moroccan chef Fatima Mountassarim, is one of the places most evocative of old Marrakech.
What to eat: The array of nearly a dozen salads and condiments and a lavish couscous.
Take note: The fixed price dinner includes Moroccan wines.

Photography Alamy

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Al Fassia Guéliz, 05-24-43-40-60, 55 Boulevard Zerktouni
Why go: Many consider this the best traditional Moroccan food in the city, and it’s very popular with guests from France and Great Britain. The sunny enclosed terrace is charming at lunchtime. The breads are addictive.
What to eat: Squab pastilla
Take note: It is run entirely by women, and they take great pride in their work.

Photography Alamy

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Solano-Brasserie du Sud, 05-24-35-92-00, Four Seasons Resort Marrakech, 1 Boulevard de la Menara
Why go: Brand-new, Solano brings contemporary Italian cuisine via Chef Francesco Montano to Marrakech within a very beautiful, modern setting with low lighting at night.
What to eat: Creamy vitello tonnato and gnocchetti pasta with calamari ragoût
Take note: Head to the rooftop lounge for cocktails and take in a gorgeous view of the Atlas Mountains.

Photography Anthony Parkinson/Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

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Dar Essalam, 212-524-44-35-20, 170 Riad Zitoun Kedim
Why go: Its exquisitely decorated dining rooms evoke the 17th-century palace within the old town of the Medina, and its menu is one of the most extensive for traditional Moroccan cuisine, including an eight-course dinner and seven different tagines à la carte. Features dancers performing to live music.
What to eat: Tagine of veal with olives
Take note: If you want a peek before you go, rent the 1956 Alfred Hitchcock movie The Man Who Knew Too Much with Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day, who eat at Dar Essalam.

Photography courtesy Dar Essalam