13 Best Restaurants in Rabat and Casablanca, Morocco

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.

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.

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.

A Casablanca institution, this pretty, blue-and-yellow-theme open-air restaurant is set into the city ramparts overlooking the marina. It may serve the best Moroccan breakfast in town; a pastry and mint tea make for a perfect break from sightseeing; and they also serve splendid Moroccan salads and tagines for lunch and dinner. 

This unpretentious, family-friendly spot looks out over the beach and lagoon. Not surprisingly, the menu is seafood-oriented---lobster, of course, is the priciest item listed, but it's superb---and there are other options like omelets and salads, plus a small selection of desserts. Alcohol is available.

This landmark café in downtown Rabat has been around since 1997 and serves the city's best milk shakes and ice cream in a large, leafy garden. Always busy with students and businesspeople, there's Wi-Fi to check your email while you drink your coffee. A full range of main-course meals is also available.

Befitting its name, this elegant restaurant is right on a park, in a 1950s building with a dining terrace. As is often the case in Mohammedia, the menu bears a distinct fish and seafood theme, so your choices will largely depend on what’s been caught that day, though there is also a good selection of salads and meat dishes, plus some Moroccan fare and French-influenced desserts. Alcohol is not available. Be sure to book at weekends as Moroccan families flock here.

Tucked away inside the port (to find the restaurant, enter the port by the gate and turn left toward the fishing port), this family-friendly spot is one of Casablanca's oldest fish restaurants and always draws a crowd at lunchtime. What to choose depends on what's been caught that day, so be sure to ask the waiters for advice. 

This laid-back lounge and restaurant is a great place for coffee and a crepe, or pizza and a beer. It's right next to the beach on a peninsula that overlooks the sandy sweep of Bouznika bay. It's a simple place with plain white tables and chairs and plenty of shade and you can't get much closer to the sea.

At Sunny Beach, the menu focuses on fresh fish (think paella and squid) that's cooked to order, with some salads and desserts thrown in for good measure. Kids will be eager to play in the sand, and there are some lounge chairs available for sunbathers and tired parents. It's a great place to put your feet up, sip local wine, and enjoy the waves.

This is a great place to stop off if you're taking a walk along the seaside promenade, La Corniche. In a prime position overlooking the sea, this branch of the ever-popular Venezia Ice serves breakfast, salads, burgers, and sandwiches, and, of course, their excellent ice cream.