Fes, Morocco — Food and Dining
Restaurants in Fes, Morocco
Restaurants
Recommended restaurants
Al Fassia
The highly regarded Moroccan restaurant at the renowned Hotel Palais Jamai has spellbinding terrace views over the old city's rooftops, Andalusian band and belly dancing. Faultless gourmet fare includes pastilla, couscous, tajine and mechoui (roast lamb). Book ahead; dinner only.
Bab Guissa
Tel: 055 634 331.
Price: $$$$
Dar Saada
Lavish Arabian Nights restaurant in a former palace in the heart of the souk serving large portions of classic Moroccan cuisine, including an excellent couscous. Waist and budget watchers economise by sharing. Open lunchtimes only, until late afternoon.
21 rue Attarine, Medina
Tel: 055 637 370/1.
Website: www.restaurantdarsaada.com
Price: $$$-$$$$
Kasbah
Immensely popular hang-out on three floors - go early for a seat. Hearty tagines and great views from the fourth floor terrace of Bab Boujeloud. No alcohol.
Rue Serrajine
No telephone.
Price: $
La Maison Bleue
The restaurant of this sophisticated riad just outside the medina is a fashionable place to dine: relax like a pasha on brocaded divans in a candlelit salon while waiters in pantaloons and babouches serve subtly-spiced, aromatic traditional dishes: cooked salads, succulent lamb tajines, pastilla (pigeon pie), oranges with cinnamon and orange flower water. Good live oud (lute) and Gnaoua music. Dinner only.
2 place de L'Istiqlal, Batha
Tel: 055 636 052.
Website: www.maisonbleue.com
Price: $$$$
Restaurant Zagora
French-Moroccan fare, modern, colorful décor and caring service in the commercial heart of Fes, the Ville Nouvelle, a world away from Fez el-Bali's wildness. There is always a buzz in the restaurant , which is as popular with local business lunchers as it is with visitors.
5 boulevard Mohammed V, Ville Nouvelle
Tel: 055 940 686.
Price: $$
Royal Mirage Al Wadi Restaurant
Business travelers wanting comfort and good service in the Ville Nouvelle, a world away from Fez el-Bali's wildness, will find that Al Wadi, the Moroccan restaurant of the Royal Mirage Hotel (formerly the Sheraton), will fit the bill.
Avenue des Far, Ville Nouvelle
Tel: 055 930 909.
Website: www.royalmiragehotels.com
Price: $$$
Nightlife
Fes is a conservative, Islamic, city so a raucous nightlife is not on the menu. In Fes el-Bali, meeting someone for a drink usually means a freshly squeezed juice or mint tea: popular places are the cafes in the Souk el Attarin, the spice market, or the Souk el-Henna. Cafes stay open late and there is plenty of entertainment, particularly during the big religious feasts.
The majority of nightclubs are in the large hotels and don’t get started until around midnight. Le Phoebus, Hotel Jnan Palace, and the club at the Hotel Sofia, 3 rue d’Arabie Saoudite, both in the Ville Nouvelle, both play a good mix of Moroccan and occidental music.
Bars: As the Islamic faith forbids the consumption of alcohol there are no bars in the medina, and they’re not easy to find in the Ville Nouvelle outside tourist hotels like the Ibis, Splendid, de la Paix, and Sofia.
Piano bars include Le Birdy, Jnan Palace Hotel, avenue Ahmed Chaouki and The Oasis Bar at the Royal Mirage Hotel (formerly the Sheraton), avenue des Forces Armées Royales. The terrace bar at the Sofitel Palais Jamai, Bab Guissa, is rather chic.
