Eat in Medina, Marrakech

Nomad

• ★ 4.6
• $$$

Order Order the calamari salad with green chermoula and the slow lamb shoulder.

Kamal Laftimi's four-floor rooftop on Marrakech's spice square Rahba Kedima, modern Moroccan plates served above the souk action since 2014.

Le Foundouk

• ★ 4.4
• $$$

Order Pigeon pastilla, then the lamb-prune tagine; book the rooftop in clear weather.

A converted caravanserai near Bab Doukkala, Marrakech's Le Foundouk has plated Moroccan and Mediterranean tasting menus on its rooftop since 2002.

Naranj

• ★ 4.3
• Lebanese
• $$

Order Build a meal from the mezze, then the chargrilled lamb shawarma plate.

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.

L'Mida

• ★ 4.4
• $$

Order The Berber gnocchi (Italian technique with Moroccan spice), then lamb chops on the rooftop.

L'Mida sits two levels above Rahba Kedima in Marrakech, plating modern Moroccan fusion with rooftop Atlas views and a strict no-alcohol policy.

Le Jardin

• ★ 4.3
• $$

Order Tanjia, the clay-urn lamb served straight from the amphora, with khobz bread.

Kamal Laftimi's emerald-green oasis hidden in the Marrakech souks, Le Jardin plates Moroccan classics and bistro food in a 16th-century riad.

Le Salama

• ★ 4.2
• $$$

Order Pastilla downstairs, then climb to the Sky Bar for cocktails with Koutoubia views.

Le Salama rises three floors off Rue des Banques in Marrakech's medina: colonial library downstairs, belly-dance dining mid-floor, panoramic Sky Bar above.

Cafe Arabe

• ★ 4.2
• Italian
• $$$

Order The cannelloni, then climb to the rooftop for Koutoubia sunset; alcohol-licensed.

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.

Limoni

• ★ 4.1
• Italian
• $$

Order Whichever fresh pasta the kitchen made that morning; ask the server for the day's batch.

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.

Pepe Nero

• ★ 4.3
• Italian
• $$$

Order Pick the Italian or the Moroccan menu, not both; the kitchen executes each tradition cleanly when it commits.

Pepe Nero plates Italian-Moroccan dual menus in the courtyard of Riyad Al Moussika, a former pasha's palace five minutes from Marrakech's Jemaa el-Fna.

La Grande Table Marocaine

• ★ 4.8
• $$$$

La Grande Table Marocaine at the Royal Mansour is the only African restaurant in Les Grandes Tables du Monde, overseen by Helene Darroze in Marrakech.

Le Tobsil

• ★ 4.5
• $$$$

Le Tobsil in Marrakech's R'mila medina runs the canonical Moroccan tasting: 11 to 13 salads, pigeon pastilla, lamb tagine, in a candle-lit Gnaoua-music riad.

Dar Yacout

• ★ 4.2
• $$$$

Dar Yacout at Bab Doukkala plates a fixed Moroccan tasting in a palace riad of Marrakech's medina; the late King Hassan II kept it as a favourite.

Le Trou au Mur

• ★ 4.0
• $$$

Le Trou au Mur at Le Farnatchi hotel in Marrakech's medina cooks the slow, domestic Moroccan dishes (tangia, m'hammer) most restaurants skip.

Earth Cafe

• ★ 4.0
• Vegetarian
• $$

Order Whatever the daily vegan tagine is, plus a juice from the cold-press counter.

Earth Cafe on Riad Zitoun el Kedim was Marrakech's first vegetarian restaurant: nine plates daily, three floors of alcoves, farm-to-table sourcing model.

La Famille

• ★ 4.5
• Vegetarian
• $$

Order Whatever the day's pasta is; finish with the raspberry ricotta cheesecake.

La Famille in Marrakech's Bab Mellah is a women-run vegetarian garden restaurant; concise rotating menu, leafy courtyard, the calmest medina lunch room.

Beats Burger

• ★ 4.0
• Burgers
• $

Order Standard Beats burger with frites; bagels are the lunch alternative.

Beats Burger near Dar el Bacha in Marrakech's medina is a casual gourmet burger counter built around a music-and-food concept; expats and tourists, 70 MAD.

Roti d'Or

• ★ 3.9
• Moroccan
• $

Order Poulet roti with frites at 50 to 100 MAD; the falafel wrap is the lunch budget pick.

Roti d'Or in Marrakech's medina is a cheap and friendly counter for poulet roti and wraps; tagines, burgers, falafel wraps, 50 to 100 MAD per plate.

Bacha Coffee

• ★ 4.5
• Café
• $$$

Order 100% Arabica Coffee of the Sultan

Bacha Coffee occupies Marrakech's 1910 Dar el Bacha palace: 200-plus Arabica blends, marble salons, 10 MAD museum-only entry to dine, expect a wait.

Cafe des Epices

• ★ 4.3
• Café
• $

Order Spiced coffees (cardamom, nutmeg, ginger)

Cafe des Epices on Marrakech's spice square Rahba Kedima is a three-floor Kamal Laftimi cafe; rooftop terrace with Atlas views, walk-in only, no reservations.

Kabana

• ★ 4.2
• Café
• $$$

Order House cocktails and sushi

Kabana sits at the Koutoubia gate of Marrakech's medina: trendy rooftop with sushi-plus-cocktails menu, daily 11:00 brunch through 17:00, late-night drinks.

Patisserie des Princes

• ★ 4.2
• Bakery
• $

Order Cornes de gazelle and chebakia

Patisserie des Princes on Rue Bab Agnaou near Marrakech's Jemaa el-Fna runs an air-conditioned tea room behind the counter, daily from 06:00, since the 1990s.

Bacha Coffee Bakery Counter

• ★ 4.4
• Bakery
• $$$

Order Madeleines paired with single-origin coffee

Bacha Coffee at Dar el Bacha in Marrakech sells pastries from a counter beside the salon: madeleines, sables, croissants paired with single-origin coffees.

El Fenn Rooftop Bar

• ★ 4.6
• Wine bar
• $$$

El Fenn's 1300m2 rooftop in Marrakech's medina is the city's standard-bearer: Koutoubia views, wines, cocktails, light meals; non-residents welcome daily.

El Fenn Rooftop

• ★ 4.6
• Rooftop bar
• $$$

Drink House cocktails

El Fenn's rooftop bar in Marrakech medina, 1,300 square metres with Koutoubia views, serves cocktails and small plates; non-residents welcome until 23:00.

Nomad Rooftop

• ★ 4.5
• Rooftop bar
• $$$

Drink House cocktails

Nomad's rooftop over Marrakech's Rahba Kedima spice square, set over four floors of a former carpet store since 2014, pairs cocktails with Moroccan food.

Le Salama Sky Bar

• ★ 4.2
• Rooftop bar
• $$$

Drink Moroccan rose cocktail

Le Salama's three-floor Marrakech medina rooftop has the Koutoubia at eye level; cocktails, tapas and shisha to 02:00; the climb up is a tour of three eras.

Rahba Kedima

• ★ 4.3
• Market
• $

Rahba Kedima, Marrakech's spice square in the medina, is the canonical place to buy ras el hanout, saffron, dried rose buds, orange-blossom water blends.

Bab el Khemis Thursday Market

• ★ 4.0
• Market
• $

Marrakech's Bab el Khemis Thursday market spills from the medina's northern gate; antiques, vintage Moroccan doors, household goods, smaller Sunday run.

Terrasse des Epices

• ★ 4.0
• $$$

Terrasse des Epices, a rooftop over Marrakech medina's Souk Cherifia, is one of the few licensed bars inside the old walls, with live music every evening.