Moroccan$$guelizMon-Sat 12:00-15:30; closed Sunday
Amal Center in Marrakech's Gueliz trains disadvantaged women in Moroccan cooking and serves the practice meals as lunch; non-profit, founded 2012.
Signature: Lamb tagine with prunes, Couscous, Daily seasonal plate
Order: Whatever the daily plate is; the Friday couscous is the standing classic.
Tip: Lunch only, closed Sundays. Book ahead; the dining room fills fast with NGO regulars and food-tour groups.
Lebanese$$medinaDaily 12:30-22:30
Naranj on Riad Zitoun el Jdid is the Marrakech medina Lebanese spot: a Lebanese-Syrian husband-and-wife team plate mezze and grills on a rooftop terrace.
Signature: Mezze platter, Hummus, Lamb shawarma plate
Order: Build a meal from the mezze, then the chargrilled lamb shawarma plate.
Tip: The rooftop seats half the dining room; in cooler months the covered courtyard below is the calmer choice.
Moroccan$$medinaDaily 12:00-23:30
L'Mida sits two levels above Rahba Kedima in Marrakech, plating modern Moroccan fusion with rooftop Atlas views and a strict no-alcohol policy.
Signature: Berber gnocchi, Lamb tagine, Lamb chops
Order: The Berber gnocchi (Italian technique with Moroccan spice), then lamb chops on the rooftop.
Tip: No alcohol, but the house mocktails (rose-cardamom, cucumber-mint) are worth the order.
Moroccan$$medinaDaily 10:00-23:00
Kamal Laftimi's emerald-green oasis hidden in the Marrakech souks, Le Jardin plates Moroccan classics and bistro food in a 16th-century riad.
Signature: Tanjia served in clay urn, Club sandwich frites, Mint tea
Order: Tanjia, the clay-urn lamb served straight from the amphora, with khobz bread.
Tip: Reservations don't take; arrive before 13:00 for lunch or you wait. Chameleons live in the lemon trees.
Italian$$$medinaDaily 11:00-00:00
Cafe Arabe on Rue Mouassine has plated Italian-Moroccan fusion in Marrakech's medina for over 20 years; a rare alcohol-licensed rooftop near the Koutoubia.
Signature: Ricotta-spinach cannelloni, Couscous aux sept legumes, Italian wine list
Order: The cannelloni, then climb to the rooftop for Koutoubia sunset; alcohol-licensed.
Tip: The downstairs courtyard is mister-cooled in summer; the rooftop is best at sunset for the Koutoubia silhouette.
Italian$$medinaMon-Sat 19:00-23:00; closed Sunday
Limoni in north Marrakech medina is a quiet riad-kitchen running honest Italian pasta and pizza around a courtyard with a heavy old lemon tree.
Signature: Homemade pasta, Wood-fired pizza, Lemon tart
Order: Whichever fresh pasta the kitchen made that morning; ask the server for the day's batch.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Find the door via Sidi Ben Abbas mausoleum; phone the riad if you get lost in Diour Saboun.