The places in Marrakech the guidebooks miss.
The places in Marrakech the guidebooks miss. locals-only counters, after-hours rooms and the spots tourists walk past.
Le Trou au Mur is a moroccan room in Medina. Closed Mondays. Tangia must be ordered 24 hours ahead; the kitchen seals the urns the morning before service.
Why locals love it: A Marrakech kitchen committed to forgotten Moroccan family dishes (tangia, m'hammer) that most riad-restaurants consider too complex to serve.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Tangia must be ordered 24 hours ahead; the kitchen seals the urns the morning before service.
Henna Cafe is a café room in Bab Doukkala. Founded 2011. Look for the small painted sign on the derb; the menu is short but everything is cooked to order.
Why locals love it: A non-profit Marrakech cafe-and-henna-salon hidden in a Bab Doukkala derb; profits fund free education for 300-plus people a week, almost no signage.
Tip: Founded 2011. Look for the small painted sign on the derb; the menu is short but everything is cooked to order.
Limoni is a italian room in Medina. Closed Sundays. Find the door via Sidi Ben Abbas mausoleum; phone the riad if you get lost in Diour Saboun.
Why locals love it: An Italian-run riad-kitchen in Marrakech's quiet Bab Taghzout corner of the medina; honest pasta, a courtyard with a lemon tree, almost no tourist queue.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Find the door via Sidi Ben Abbas mausoleum; phone the riad if you get lost in Diour Saboun.
Amal Center Gueliz is a moroccan room in Gueliz. Lunch only, closed Sundays. The training kitchen is open to view from the dining room; book ahead.
Why locals love it: A Marrakech non-profit lunch room in Gueliz that doubles as a women's culinary training centre; locals know it, most visitors miss it past the medina.
Tip: Lunch only, closed Sundays. The training kitchen is open to view from the dining room; book ahead.
MARH Coffee Roasters in Marrakech: coffee roaster room. A third-wave Marrakech coffee bar in Gueliz that locals rate 5.0 on Google; minimalist room, no.
Why locals love it: A third-wave Marrakech coffee bar in Gueliz that locals rate 5.0 on Google; minimalist room, no signage past the door, espresso flights, V60 service.
Tip: The closest Marrakech gets to a Melbourne or Tokyo specialty cafe. Order a flight; take whole beans home from the retail wall.
La Famille is marrakech's women-run vegetarian courtyard garden in the mellah; a 30-seat oasis tucked behind an unmarked door, found by word of mouth.
Why locals love it: Marrakech's women-run vegetarian courtyard garden in the Mellah; a 30-seat oasis tucked behind an unmarked door, found by word of mouth.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Lunch only; reservations essential as the courtyard seats 30.