THE BEST PLACES TO EAT AL FRESCO IN MARRAKECH

Marrakech is one of the finest cities in the world for eating outside and the climate certainly helps. Spring and autumn especially offer the kind of warm days and evenings that make you want to linger long after the plates are cleared. Then there’s the architecture: rooftop terraces perched above the medina’s flat roofscape, vine-covered courtyards shaded by orange trees, and garden restaurants where the line between indoors and outside dissolves entirely.

The city also rewards knowing where to go. Not every rooftop is worth the climb, and the best outdoor tables in Marrakech are rarely the most obvious ones. Here is our guide, organised by setting.

 

The Palmeraie: Lunch Beneath the Trees

 

Set in three hectares of lush Andalusian gardens in the Palmeraie, Les Deux Tours offers you the chance to immerse yourself in its relaxing world. Lunch is served poolside at La Pergola, where the menu is built around vegetables grown in the hotel’s own organic garden. Before or after, the pool and grounds invite the kind of slow afternoon that’s harder to find in the city itself. If you’d rather eat even further into the gardens, they’ll prepare a picnic and let you find your own corner of the estate.

The Palmeraie in spring, when the ancient palms are at their most verdant and the air carries a little of the blossom from the surrounding gardens, is one of the most quietly beautiful settings near Marrakech.

Practical notes: Around 20 minutes from the medina by taxi. Book ahead for La Pergola. Ask about picnic options when reserving. It’s one of the better ways to spend a spring afternoon outside the city.

 

In the Medina: Rooftops, Courtyards and Open Kitchens

 

The medina’s rooftop restaurants offer something you can’t get anywhere else in Marrakech: the sensation of being suspended above one of the world’s great historic cities with the Koutoubia Mosque and Atlas Mountains in the distance, the noise of the souks rising from below.

MoMo does contemporary Moroccan design at its most considered and is well worth the visit. The two rooftop terraces have great views over Djemaa el Fna and the menu takes classic Moroccan dishes and updates them without losing their soul. Book ahead.

Flowers is one of the most interesting recent openings in the medina. Chef Richard McCormick opened one of Europe’s celebrated plant-based restaurants in Finland before coming to Marrakech where he’s built an open-fire kitchen in a space constructed entirely from reclaimed materials, with a botanical garden feel that makes the space distinctive The food is generous, colourful and ingredient-led; the sharing plates are made for warm afternoons that stretch into evenings. It’s the kind of place you stumble on and immediately want to tell everyone about.

DaDa is part restaurant, part contemporary art gallery, part cultural space. The terrace restaurant sits alongside a bookshop, concert space and bar, and the interiors weave traditional artisanal craft with a genuinely modern eye. Good for a long lunch with a side of culture.

If you’re staying at El Fenn, our rooftop is open to non-residents daily from 12:30. On a spring afternoon, with light hitting the Koutoubia and the mountains visible on the horizon, it’s hard to think of a better place to be. 

 

Practical notes: Medina rooftops fill up fast in spring, particularly around sunset. Book ahead for Flowers, MoMo operates a walk-in policy only. For the El Fenn rooftop, reservations are required for the restaurant; walk-ins welcome at the bar (arrive early – it gets busy).

 

 

Into the Hills: Atlas Views and Valley Lunches

 

For the most dramatic al fresco dining near Marrakech, leave the city entirely.

Bab Ourika, about an hour’s drive south through the Ourika Valley, sits on a hillside with a 360-degree view of the Atlas Mountains. Lunch here in spring – when the valley below is green, the upper peaks still have snow, and the blossom is on the trees – is always memorable.

For a more immersive experience, our guest services team can arrange an Atlas Mountains day including a hike or ride on horseback or donkey through the valleys followed by a meal cooked by a local family. Moroccan hospitality at its most genuine, and a very different proposition from a restaurant table.

Practical notes: Both options require a driver, our team at El Fenn can arrange. Spring is the best time for the valley; the landscape is at its greenest and the temperatures are ideal for being outside. Lake Takerkoust, a short detour on the way back, is worth an hour of anyone’s afternoon.

 

Supporting the Community: Amal Café

 

Eating at  Amal allows you to experience some of the most authentic Moroccan food in Marrakech – and also give back to the local community. It’s a non-profit that trains disadvantaged women for careers in the catering industry, and the café at their headquarters serves Moroccan food all week. Friday lunchtimes are a highlight. The kitchen prepares a traditional couscous that’s served on sharing platters in the garden. It’s always packed – and always worth it. Women are the backbone of genuinely traditional Moroccan cooking, and Amal is the best example of that in the city.

Practical notes: The Friday couscous is the highlight. Arrive early or you’ll miss a table. The café operates throughout the week for lighter meals. A good option for a morning or afternoon away from the medina.