4 Best Restaurants in Fez and the Middle Atlas, Morocco

One of the city’s best fine-dining eateries is in the strikingly beautiful courtyard of hotel Dar Roumana, where Moroccan chef Youness Toumi creates two- and three-course fixed-price Mediterranean menus with a Moroccan twist. The menu makes the most of seasonal produce from top local producers in creative salads, such as figs with crispy pancetta, goat cheese, and date dressing, and a meat or fish dish like a perfectly cooked veal T-bone or panfried John Dory. Desserts are sumptuous, like vacherin and black cherries or Sephardic bitter orange and almond cake. There’s an excellent wine list too.

This fine-dining Moroccan restaurant sits on the top floor of Palais Faraj, with stunning views over the medina, making it especially romantic at night. The decor is sleek and sophisticated, the service is attentive, and the chef has re-created age-old Fassi recipes that reflect a variety of Mediterranean influences. Start with a selection of cooked vegetable salads—smoky eggplant, carrots glazed with honey, delicately spiced roasted peppers. Then try one of the slow-cooked tagines, such as the chicken with pumpkin jam or the lamb shoulder, which falls off the bone. In summer, dine alfresco at the Roof Top Garden restaurant. 

If you seek a change from tagines, head to the sophisticated surrounds of the Hotel Sahrai and this classic French bistro, decked out in soothing neutral tones with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the terrace. Steak frites and chocolate fondant are the go-to dishes, washed down with a fine French red, but the catch of the day and Lebanese meze are also on the menu. Sunday brunch is expansive and popular.

The menu of this lounge bar and restaurant features French-influenced fare such as magret de canard (duck breast) and sole meunière, and international favorites such as Caesar salad and hamburgers, backed up with an impressive wine list. One of the city’s most stylish eateries, the minimalist design channels industrial chic with rough-hewn stone walls, slate floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows, complemented by sleek contemporary furniture. Reservations are recommended.