Located just steps away from Avenue Mohamad V, Al Fassia serves some of Marrakech’s most authentic food in a cozy and welcoming environment. For a taste of traditional items such as tagines, lamb dishes, pastillas and desserts, eating at Al Fassia is a must. The restaurant is a family affair originally opened by the Chab family and is still led by chef Halima Chab. It is also run as a cooperative employing only women, many of whom have a financial stake in the restaurant and their passion is seen in the service as well as in the cooking itself. Make sure not to miss the lamb shoulder for two or the pigeon pastilla.

Note: There are two branches of the restaurant. The one in Gueliz is the original while the location in Aguedal caters to large groups.

This compound, which is a 20-minute drive from the city center, is the perfect place for a leisurely lunch by the pool or a romantic dinner in the garden.

Right in the heart of the medina and the bustling souk is a hip café where you can get a quick bite without leaving the colorful whirl of the bazaar. The décor pays homage to the craftsmen at work in the area but has modern updates like wifi and black and white art photos on the deep red walls. In good weather, the best tables are those up on the rooftop terrace. You must try the spiced coffee, which is flavored with many spices including cinnamon, ginger and ginseng. If you like the atmosphere, consider its sister restaurant, Terrasse des Epices, for lunch or cocktails.

Considered by many to be the best Italian restaurant in Marrakech. When you tire of tagines and cous-cous, you can come to this modern restaurant in the new town (Gueliz) and enjoy excellent pastas and grilled meats as well as cheeses and olive oils flown in from Italy. Open every day for lunch and dinner.

Comptoir Darna is a chic French spin on a Moroccan lounge. It has a decidedly more modern atmosphere than most high-end restaurants here, with no carpets or tilework, just a few pillows and artwork scattered around. The food, too, is Moroccan with an update, like Moroccan pizza and spring rolls. It’s in a freestanding building (only a short walk from La Mamounia) with a pretty courtyard and a boutique with shawls, slippers, ceramics and jewelry from Morocco and India. This is definitely worth a visit, if not for dinner, then for drink and jazz after dinner. Evenings begin quietly, with diners who come for a mix of Eastern and Western cuisine, but things heat up late at night.

Located within in an elegant riad in the medina, Restaurant Dar Roumana presents diners with a changing menu based on ingredients Chef Vincent Bonni finds in the souks each morning. Trained in France, Bonni’s dishes combine Mediterranean flavors with traditional Moroccan elements to create some of the most refined and delicious food in the city.  Meals are served in the intimate dining room or in the courtyard surrounded by beautiful Moroccan architecture.

Alongside Le Tobsil, this is Marrakech’s most famous restaurant.  It’s also among the most touristy. Some diners embrace their Disneyfied version of Marrakech: buzzing, mobbed restaurants set in beautiful old riads with ornate decoration (once upon a time New York magazine food critic Gael Greene proclaimed Yacout one of the most romantic dinner spots in the world). Others leave horrified, describing the experience as akin to dining at Tavern on the Green. Come prepared with a reservation, or choose to stay away, but know that everyone will ask you about these, so it’s good to make a mental note. Yacout has the ultimate Arabian Nights atmosphere, but locals say that the food at Tobsil is better.

A lavish red-and-gold color scheme serves as the backdrop of this restaurant and bar, which is co-owned by Paris DJ Claude Chall. The scene is akin to the ones you would find at a Costes brother establishment (Hotel Costes, La Sociète) in Paris. Alessandra Lippini and Fabrizio Bizzari, owners of Ministero del Gusto recommend this hot spot for a meal or drink.

This charming bistro in the medina is the passion project of the well-known French chef and cookbook author Michel Biehn. Many of the ingredients come from his own organic garden, and he and his chef lead fun cooking classes from here as well. The menu changes daily but focuses on what is fresh in the garden and the market and mixes Moroccan, French and Asian culinary influences. Tables, whether they are set in the gardens, rooftop or interior rooms, burst with color and local decorative details that nod to Biehn’s love of Morocco and Provencal background.

This full-on colonial French café, just off of the Place du 16 Novembre, has an atmosphere that evokes old Saigon as much as it does Morocco. Ceiling fans whir overhead. The tiled floors may well have been laid in the 1902s, and wicker furniture and potted palms complete the scene. The expat-in-an-exotic-locale vibe is so vivid, you almost expect to see Camus sitting in a linen suit and straw hat smoking in a corner. It’s most popular at lunch when the tables out front fill up fast and those lucky enough to grab them will linger.

Strategically located across (but outside) the Majorelle Gardens, this café is a gem.  If you are tired of heavy Moroccan food and want a quick, healthy bite, this is the place to come.  Particularly beloved by vegetarians and vegans, Kaowa has excellent salad and juice bars.  Additionally, there are good paninis, burgers, as well as very special miniature Moroccan crispy dumplings, called briowates (not to be missed!).  The setting is very casual but charming with a fun bright tiled floor in the main space, in addition to seating in a gallery indoors and on the terrace outdoors.  The Egyptian owner, Yehia, speaks flawless English (as well as several other languages) and is a fascinating character. 33 Majorelle, the concept shop, is attached to Kaowa (and co-owned by Yehia), facilitating shopping after eating.

Few spots embody the new spirit of Marrakech more than Kechmara, a hip café in the new city where the plastic molded seats, high counters and slick metal lighting might make you think that you are in Tokyo or New York’s East Village. The restaurant’s motto is cuisine and entertainment for hungry people so in addition to serving up excellent international bistro food, Kechmara also offers live music Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights. The best seats are on the upstairs terrace. Open every day except Sundays.

Luckily for foodies, this hotel changed its guests-only dining policy a few years ago and now accepts outsiders for dinner in its magical restaurant, run by a chef who trained with Alain Ducasse and Joel Robuchon. Many of the herbs are picked from the on-property garden, and the menu changes often depending on what inspires the chef. Meals are served poolside, a romantic spot surrounded by verdant gardens. Be sure to browse the hotel boutique for treasures.

Palais Faraj’s elegant restaurant allows visitors to see the medina from above, serving traditional Fassi cuisine on the rooftop. The slightly removed location lets diners partake in the medina’s nightlife without actually being in the thick of things—a nice break after a long day navigating the souks.

Le Restaurant, the fine-dining Moroccan restaurant of La Maison Arabe has been one of Marrakech’s best for years and is a great spot for a special dinner. The more contemporary Les Trois Saveurs is equally exceptional. Its name (“three flavors”) refers to the Moroccan, French and Asian-fusion cuisine. It is some of the most sophisticated and delicious food in the city. The dining room’s décor is a more modern take on Arabic style, but there are also tables set out around the pool.

One of the first riads to open to international diners in 1997, La Maison Bleue remains one of the most charming spots for a traditional Moroccan meal in Fez. The house was built in 1915 for a famous judge and astrologer and is now owned by the Fassi family and contains many heirlooms and antiques. Note: it is within walking distance of Riad Fes.

The poolside setting of Le Pavillon at La Mamounia is lovely for lunch, when you can escape the bustle of the medina at this stunning property. The Mediterranean buffet is expertly prepared. Later in the day, the central bar is a see-and-be-seen spot for cocktails.

For dinner favorites are Le Marocain and L’Italien restaurants. The opulent décor of L’Italien, with velvet swathed banquettes and tassel-edged armchairs, reminds you that you are in a palace fit for a pacha but the cuisine is entirely imported from Italy, the Amalfi Coast to be more precise. Legendary chef Alfonso Iaccarino, who holds two Michelin stars for his Amalfi Coast restaurant Don Alfonso 1890, has brought his trademark Italian home cooking to Marrakech. The kitchen even serves such signature dishes as his buffalo mozzarella soufflé with tomato and basil sauce and vesuvio rigatoni, which is a delicate pasta dish that erupts (like the volcano for which it is named) with sauce under the cheese. Save room for dessert, though. Options include the famous vanilla panna cotta, chocolate pizza and orange granita with foam. Reservations recommended.

This typical Moroccan restaurant in the heart of the medina is a popular tourist spot for lunch so don't be surprised by the groups of English and German speakers. The food is some of the best traditional Moroccan fare—tagine, olive and lemon chicken and Moroccan salads—in the medina and service is friendly.

This restaurant has wonderful views of the medina and the city from its rooftop tables. It is a good spot for lunch or for drinks and a light dinner. In fact, it is one of the places in the medina where you can order beer or wine.

Only a short walk from La Mamounia, La Table du Marché in the Hivernage hotel opens at 7 a.m. and has a popular café and pasty shop with an outdoor terrace where you can buy sweets or stop for a coffee throughout the day.

Hands down the best thin-crust pizza in the city and since they also serve French standbys like steak frites, Catanzaro is one of the most popular family restaurants in Marrakech.

A candlelit chill-out zone offering innovative French/Italian and Moroccan food in a lovely old riad with a gorgeous roof terrace. If you’ve had your fill of tagines, you can feast on Caesar salad, beef and béarnaise sauce, and poached salmon. The hotel Riad Farnatchi orders in meals from here.

On the famous shopping street in Gueliz, which is home to cult shoe shop Atika and La Maison Rouge, Le Loft feels like a slice of the Marais in Marrakech with exposed brick walls, cozy banquettes and tall tables in the back with counter stools and views to the kitchen. The menu features classic fare like chèvre chaud salad and entrecote but ask to see the plats du jour which are presented on a black board brought to the table. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

Although Marrakech is not particularly known for seafood, Le Patron has set out to change this reputation. With dishes like paella with calamari, the restaurant has drawn a loyal, buzzy following. The dining room is bright and airy with floor-to-ceiling windows but incorporates Moroccan elements like dangling chandeliers, patterned flooring and brightly colored velvet upholstery.