11 replies to this topic

[etalanian]

I'm going to Morocco in May with my college age son, and I'm looking for suggestions for towns to visit, restaurants not to miss, and the food stall and street food stuff that is representative of the country.

Any suggestions/recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

Eileen

[Gifted Gourmet]

Marrakesh, the land of God is an excellent thread for that highly interesting Moroccan city:
click here to read about Louisa Chu's experiences there

yet another interesting thread

article from Saveur Magazine

article from Sally's Place .. scroll down to the section:"The Moroccan Kitchen"

eating in the city of Rabat

My interest in the foods and country of Morocco stems from the two years that I lived there when my father was in the US Air Force ... whatta place!

[etalanian]

Thanks so much for all of the info. I will be sure to check it all out. I am really looking forward to this trip.

Eileen

[Bond Girl]

Okay, I've got reservation to Casa Lalla and Riad El Fenn, staying at Jnane Tamsna, are there any other place or food that I must not miss?

[prasantrin]

This may have been mentioned in the Marrakesh thread, but in case it hasn't, be careful at the Djma el Fnaa. We had great food there, so that isn't the problem (we just sat at a place we thought looked good). As we sat down, though, we were warned by a Moroccan couple next to us to refuse anything we didn't want--bread, olives, whatever. At many of the stalls, they set bread, olives, or little snacks in front of you as soon as you sit down, but these are not free, so if you don't want them you're welcome to say so, and they'll take them away.

But what's a Moroccan food experience without bread or olives?

[etalanian]

We have 10 actual in-Morocco days. We are thinking about going to Marakesh and Casablanca and Fez. Is this a good thing? Should we be considering another area?

We are thinking about renting a car and driving from place to place. Is this recommended?

Thanks for any help!

Eileen

[prasantrin]

We have 10 actual in-Morocco days. We are thinking about going to Marakesh and Casablanca and Fez. Is this a good thing? Should we be considering another area?

We are thinking about renting a car and driving from place to place. Is this recommended?

How brave a driver are you? I'd never have driven in Morocco, but I'm a bit chicken. If you do drive, I would recommend getting some very good insurance, just in case. The roads/drivers are crazy there! But I suppose that depends on your frame of reference.

I would skip Casablanca, personally, except perhaps to see the Mosque. Fez and Marakesh are great (I prefered Fez) but I really enjoyed Essouira (sp?). It was beautiful, despite being winter when I was there, and very relaxing. Plus you can pick up your argan oil while you're there (a little more cheaply than elsewhere). With just 10 days, though, unless you're willing to cram things in, I would probably do Marakesh and Essouira OR Marakesh and Fez, but probably not all three (unless you're flying from place to place).

[Bond Girl]

I heard that Route de L'ourka ia an interesting mix of Moroccan and Thai. Has anyone been?

[etalanian]

Prasantrin,

Thanks for the tips. We are flying intoCasablanca, but now I think we willtake a train onto Fez or Marakesh. I'll do some research on Essouira, and see which city it's closest to.

Can you recommend any good restaurants in any of those places? Do you know of a reputable place where I can buy a rug and have it shipped home?

Thanks again!

Eileen

[abdorahim]

hello

how are you doing ?

i have read your message in and heard you are coming to morocco to spend your holiday there are many things here to see especially in agadir city, itis a city which attracts lots of people and there are alo many things such as wonderful beach with sunny weather moreover you can see some traditional places like shops to discover how people live . and know about moroccan traditions customs, and wedding celebtation that is amazing for foreign people and would like you to discover that more to be as integrated with it

i can help you with you being a moroccan boy living in nagadir city and i forgot to metion here to know about culture too

i hope hopefully to hear from you

yours sincerly

[biskuit]

Just got back, a few places we hit...

La Maison Bleue in Fes is excellent if pricey. Same for Le Tobsil in Marrakech - both were great meals, in great settings, with nice live musicians and excellent service.

We went to the hotel restaurant at the Hivernage hotel just outside the medina in Marrakech and had a meal that blew me away (I was expecting standard hotel food) - this is a modern Moroccan hotel, and the food is a mix of Moroccan and French (see a trend here?). The highlight was the Marrakech specialty - beef tangia - cooked in a clay vase for 10 hours and spiced wonderfully.

A place called Le Patio in Essaouira is fabulous French/Moroccan seafood, and very cool funky Moroccan decor. A little cafe called La Decouverte run by a French couple also offers excellent and inexpensive French/Moroccan (a seafood bstilla there was outstanding). You cant go wrong with the stands by the port selling fresh seafood that you pick and they grill up for you with lime on the side.

[etalanian]

Just got back, a few places we hit...

La Maison Bleue in Fes is excellent if pricey. Same for Le Tobsil in Marrakech - both were great meals, in great settings, with nice live musicians and excellent service.

We went to the hotel restaurant at the Hivernage hotel just outside the medina in Marrakech and had a meal that blew me away (I was expecting standard hotel food) - this is a modern Moroccan hotel, and the food is a mix of Moroccan and French (see a trend here?). The highlight was the Marrakech specialty - beef tangia - cooked in a clay vase for 10 hours and spiced wonderfully.

A place called Le Patio in Essaouira is fabulous French/Moroccan seafood, and very cool funky Moroccan decor. A little cafe called La Decouverte run by a French couple also offers excellent and inexpensive French/Moroccan (a seafood bstilla there was outstanding). You cant go wrong with the stands by the port selling fresh seafood that you pick and they grill up for you with lime on the side.

My son and I ate at La Maison Bleue, and loved everything they served us. We ate at Maison Arabe in Marakesh, on the other hand, and were both extremely disappointed.

But I must say that the food in the stalls in Fez and in the Djamaa in Marakesh were also really great.

I loved Morocco so much that I'm returning with my husband next year. if we get to Essaouira on that trip we will try Le Patio and La Decouverte.

Thanks so much for the tips!

Best,
Eileen