Where to eat in Marrakech

Dining guide

Marrakech is where Moroccan dining is at its most theatrical: rooftop terraces above the Medina, hidden riad courtyards, and traditional tables serving tagine and pastilla a few steps from the souks. Most of what you want to eat is inside or just around the old city walls.

Marrakech is tagine country, but the dish you remember longest is often pastilla: flaky warqa pastry layered with pigeon or chicken, almonds, cinnamon, and powdered sugar. The combination of sweet and savory is not a novelty here; it is the oldest expression of Moroccan court cooking, still served the traditional way in Medina riads. Tanjia, the slow cooked meat pot sealed with parchment and left in the hammam furnace overnight, is the other Marrakech original. You will find it in food stalls near Jemaa el Fna more easily than in fine dining rooms. Street food runs on grilled lamb, merguez, and snail soup (babbouch) ladled into small bowls at open air carts.