59 Best Restaurants in Rabat and Casablanca, Morocco

Loved by locals and visitors alike, Dar Naji is one of the city's most authentically Moroccan, medina-based restaurants and features interesting dishes more often found in Moroccan homes. Look for trid (soft layers of pastry layered with a meaty sauce) and medfouna (a rustic stuffed bread). Prices are reasonable, and attention to the quality of the salads, tagines, and couscous dishes is unrelenting. 

In a palatial medina house, this atmospheric restaurant serves gourmet versions of traditional Moroccan cuisine, with live Andalusian music as a charming backdrop. Well-signposted from Avenue Laalou, it's in the medina close to Kasbah des Oudayas; in the evenings, a man with a lantern waits at the nearest medina entrance to guide you to the restaurant. Alcohol is served.

In the stylish Hotel L'Iglesia, La Capitainerie has tables that spill out onto the esplanade as well as a lovely dining room that highlights local tradition by displaying numerous period objects. The menu revolves around seafood with a Moroccan edge; you can order à la carte or choose a fixed-price menu; both change daily. There's a decent wine list as well as a bar area for evening drinks.

Located right near the Corniche lighthouse, you approach this restaurant through a pretty, candlelit garden and inside you'll have spectacular ocean views: you can look down from a window seat onto blue rock pools as you savor delicious fish dishes. The menu focuses on fine Mediterranean cuisine, with a lively tapas bar that draws a cocktail- and champagne-loving crowd until the early hours.

For fine dining or drinks with a fantastic view, the super-elegant Petit Rocher is just the ticket: its unrivaled position lets you gaze over the sublime Atlantic waves and the Hassan II Mosque. Enjoy delicious Mediterranean cuisine and good wine in the restaurant area, or settle down at the bar where fabulous cocktails are poured and a DJ often spins.

Another offering in the buzzing district of Gauthier, Le Rossignol is billed as a French restaurant but has all sorts of interesting dishes thanks to a chef who has worked all over the world. You'll find Lebanese meze and mac 'n' cheese with truffles, excellent salads, fish dishes, and a very upmarket burger, not to mention great breakfast options. 

Sliding glass windows run the length of this restaurant, and open onto the beach between Temara and Skhirat. The inventive menu features Oualidia oysters, fish or prawn carpaccio, and plenty of fresh fish, as well as some Spanish dishes such as paella and fish fiduea (sort of a paella made with noodles instead of rice). There's a tapas bar, too---more rustic than the main restaurant---serving cocktails to the after-work crowd.

The setting at Lily's is quite magnificent, with carved wood screens, butterflies on the ceiling, bamboo growing through the wooden floors, and spectacular sea views through every window. The food is pretty spectacular, too, featuring Japanese, Thai, Korean, and Vietnamese dishes.

A branch of the popular French café, bakery, and restaurant group, this Paul location is in the beautiful Art Deco Villa Zevaco, with a fabulous garden. The milk shakes and desserts are decadent, and the rustic breads are beloved throughout the city; for something more substantial, the pastas, burgers, steaks, and fish are all good, too. 

This boat-shape fish restaurant next to the port is the most famous place to eat in town. The splendid food isn’t cheap, but it’s worth every last dirham because the chef insists on using top-quality ingredients and each dish is crafted with imagination and sophistication. If you’ve got room after sumptuous starters and mains, don’t miss the heavenly desserts. 

Set among verdant gardens, this enchanting eatery offers a menu that encapsulates the Brittany region of France: think luscious salads and buckwheat crepes oozing with all you can imagine, as long as it's (mostly) French. The experience is made even better by the fantastic service and the pleasant, knowledgeable staff. Alcohol is served, and if you're looking for picnic fare, there's a wonderful array of charcuterie and cheeses on your way into the restaurant.

Located on the Corniche close to Morocco Mall, with wall-to-wall sea-view windows, this is an elegant, modern spot for French provincial cuisine. The kitchen excels in its fish and shellfish dishes; for a sweet finish, the warm chocolate tart is spectacular.

One of the swanky restaurants in Salé's marina, Al Marsa—meaning "port" in Arabic—serves Spanish food in a glass-enclosed dining room overlooking the Bou Regreg River. The menu revolves around fish and seafood, the produce is fresh, and the dishes imaginative (if Spanish cuisine isn't your thing, Al Marsa has a sister restaurant right next door, also called Al Marsa, serving Italian fare).

Casablanca's first and most cherished Moroccan restaurant has dining rooms with a quintessential Moroccan atmosphere and a lovely patio with a centuries-old tree. The excellent cooking has a refined touch: the salads are delectable, and the tagines bubble with the most sensational of aromas. 

Priding itself on the use of authentic ingredients, this excellent Italian restaurant focuses on classic fare, like perfect pizzas, fresh pasta, and, for bigger appetites, mouthwatering meat and fish dishes. There's a cute terrace if you want to eat alfresco.

Imported 100% Arabica specialty coffee beans and top-notch baristas make this Australian/Moroccan-owned spot a good place to settle in for a coffee alongside breakfast served all day or any of the inventive salads, sandwiches, and pastas. The service is efficient and the vibe is laid-back.

For a supreme culinary experience, head to Brasserie la Bavaroise where the menu is awash with delectable French favorites, sumptuous steaks, sophisticated fish dishes, and beguiling desserts. The restaurant has a contemporary look that's elegant without being stuffy, and an atmosphere to match.

Spread over several floors, this cute café serves tasty Breton-inspired buckwheat crepes, good quality coffee, and refreshing fresh juices that are just the ticket on hot days. You can spoil yourself with some divine Moroccan pastries, too.

The Café Maure is a charming place in the Oudayas gardens of the kasbah to pause for a glass of tea and local pastries. The shaded terrace is decorated with mosaic tilework and looks across the river to Salé.

This upscale Spanish tapas restaurant is a favorite among residents and always abuzz with diners and drinkers---which makes it a great place to meet true Casablancans. Products are local and fish is supplied daily, with typical options including calamari and patatas bravas; for those missing pork, there’s even real chorizo and jamón, all accompanied by a selection of wines and beers from here and abroad. 

Between Skhirat and Bouznika, this excellent place to eat, drink, and disconnect serves an excellent menu of mostly fish-based options, with salads and proper desserts thrown in. The location is fabulous—right on the beach, with two pools, and areas for eating and relaxing separated by rustic bamboo canes. There’s a beach volleyball area, a petanque ground and a surf school, too. The atmosphere is gentle; families, surfers, sporty types, and sun lovers will all be at home here. There are DJs and often live music as the sun sets. Alcohol is served. Note that while it's officially only open from April to November, groups can (and often do) reserve off-season.

They serve a full café menu of breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner but the real draw is the glorious array of cakes, French macarons, cookies, and chocolates that grace the display cabinets at this beautiful French patisserie in upmarket Anfa. The interior is modern and airy but there's also a terrace where you can have coffee and watch all the beautiful people.

If you need a break from tagines, Golden China is just the place. The red-and-gold decor, dark wood furniture, and softly played Asian music sets the tone, while the authentic menu offers a wide variety of poultry, seafood, meat, vegetarian, and noodle dishes. Alcohol is available. 

If you're yearning for Japanese food in Morocco, Iloli is widely regarded as the best place to go, and you can choose to sit on the airy terrace; inside at tables or at the counter to watch the sushi chefs in action; or upstairs on sofas and armchairs. The menu has plenty of sushi and sashimi, as well as cooked options. 

Every night is fiesta night at La Bodega, opposite the Central Market: come for tapas and a drink or stay for a full meal from the typically Spanish menu—think jambon serrano (thinly sliced, dry-cured Spanish ham) and paella. The restaurant has a fun atmosphere, with themed live music each evening and popular dance floor: Tuesday, for instance, is salsa time, and a pro will give tips if you feel like improving your moves. 

A top choice in the well-heeled Gauthier district, little Cantine de Gauthier oozes as much French chic as a Parisian bistro. It's a casual spot that serves delicious French meat and fish dishes, though the well-priced sharing plates of charcuterie and cheese attract the after-work crowd for an apéro.

Light, airy, and full of greenery, La Casa Emma offers exquisite French cuisine featuring plenty of seafood, along with a wide range of tapas, pizzas, and pastas. There's an after-work vibe early evenings when locals congregate for cocktails and chill music.