Where to eat in Essaouira

Dining guide

Essaouira is the easiest city in Morocco to eat seafood well. The port grills serve whatever came in that morning, and small restaurants inside the medina walls do simple grilled fish, calamari and tagines. Just order the catch of the day.

Essaouira is a one note town, and that note is grilled fish. The port market stalls lay the catch out on ice each morning and grill your selection to order with salt, cumin, and charmoula. Sardines, prawns, calamari, and whatever white fish came in that day form the standard plate. Inside the medina walls, the restaurants echo the same focus, sometimes with a tagine variation. The town does not pretend to be a fine dining destination. The seafood works because the boats are fifty meters away and the fish is still stiff when it hits the grill. Argan oil, produced in the surrounding Souss region, appears in salads and amlou (almond and argan paste) served at breakfast.