If you’ve landed here you’ll be looking for good food and incredible restaurants in Essaouira… here are just SOME of the best places to visit!
In full disclosure, we didn’t eat at EVERY single restaurant in Essaouira. If we did we’d be poor! There are hundreds of small eateries, restaurants and cafes to try in Essaouira. So, here we share our favourites – every food outlet that we tried during our month long stay in Essaouira that satisfied our hungry bellies!
Below you’ll find a map with some of the main restaurant locations, however some of the really tiny restaurants are simply not on google maps. And so for these, along with our guidance you might need to do a little digging… but trust me they’re worth it!
This post is dedicated to helping you find the best restaurants in Essaouira. But if it’s the best street food or rooftop bars you’re looking for, then we can help with that too. Whatever the case we’ll help you eat and drink your way around Essaouira like a local. So avoid the tourist traps and eat great quality food while on holiday in Essaouira with our food and beverage guides.
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Table of Contents
Best Restaurants & Cafes + Map
If you’ve been to Essaouira, and have found another hidden gem of a restaurant… add it to the comments section below. Shine a little light on the restaurants that deserve the recognition and at the same time help a traveller out!
So here we go… ready steady EAT!
Restaurant Adwak
This restaurant is the first one on my list as it was very memorable. While staying at the Ryad Watier the manager mentioned that Restaurant Adwak was one of her favourite restaurants in Essaouira.
The traditional Moroccan dishes were delicious, hearty tagines and an elegantly served pastilla were among our favourites on the menu. If you’re not familiar with a pastilla, this sweet meat dish is typically served in filo pastry, and is a traditional meal from Fes. Below is Restaurant Adwak’s slightly different take on the pastilla, it’s irresistible.
💶 Prices – mid-range
🤤 Taste factor – every dish hits it mark
🇲🇦 Cuisine – traditional Moroccan
📍 Location – Medina – Av. Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah
👨👩👧👦 Great for families
Dar Baba Restaurant Essaouira
Now we did not eat at Dar Baba Restaurant, but we spoke to a traveller in Marrakech who sung their praises. So we add it here on her recommendation. Dar Baba Restaurant, is the kind of restaurant you visit if you’re looking for something REALLY special. They make incredible cocktails, the food served is presented to perfection, and the decor and atmosphere are on point!
In fact, browsing through the comments and photos online, and you’d be forgiven for thinking you were no longer in Morocco. Dar Baba Restaurant is nothing short of top quality.
💶 Prices – high-end
🤤 Taste factor – Wow! According to our friend, especially the cocktails
🏳️🌈 Cuisine – International with Moroccan twists
📍 Location – Medina – Av. de l’Istiqlal
👨👩👧👦 Great for special occasions
Coin Typique
If you want off the beaten track, incredibly tasty, traditional food… then you’ll LOVE Coin Typique. The gentleman who owns Coin Typique is also possibly one of the loveliest locals in Essaouira. He is popular among the residents of Essaouira, as these are the customers he most frequently serves.
We returned several times, trying the breakfast, the dahl and the tagines. Every meal was made fresh and satisfied our hungry tummies! Note: If you want a tagine then we recommend seeing him earlier in the day to put your order in. We would visit on the way past, place our tagine request and let him know what time we’d be back. Then right on queue, we’d arrive to a perfectly prepared tagine.
If you visit, please say hello from us!
💶 Prices – budget
🤤 Taste factor – Anything but budget! Be sure to try the lamb and prune tagine
🇲🇦 Cuisine – Traditional
📍 Location – Medina – hidden down an alley – follow the map (number 3)
💎 Great for budget travellers who love good food
Taverna Bolognese Da Maurizio
Sometimes you just need a break from a tagine am I right. If it’s one of those days, then head to the Taverna Bolognese for some quality Italian eats. The pizza tastes like it’s come straight out of Italy and you can even order a beer.
This restaurant was recommended to us by our friends the Travelynn Family. And it became a great meet up place for our two families. In which case they can cater for larger groups and we loved that the food came quickly! They also have delicious pasta.
💶 Prices – mid-range
🤤 Taste factor – Best pizza in Morocco!
🇮🇹 Cuisine – Italian
📍 Location – Medina – Av. Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah
🍕 Great for pizza & beer
Mandala Society Essaouira
Oh the breakfasts!! On one of the main roads in the Essaouira medina, is this busy and popular cafe. The words soul food spring to mind when you think about Mandala Society. The coffee is great quality and the menu selection is mouth wateringly good. If you are craving something healthy, or are in search of a vegan meal or two then this is for you.
Try the breakfast platter for two or the avocado toast… actually try whatever takes your fancy, because absolutely nothing on this menu disappoints. Take a seat upstairs overlooking the medina and spend a morning brunching in soulful comfort.
💶 Prices – mid-range
🤤 Taste factor – Soulful and scrumptious
🏳️🌈 Cuisine – International
📍 Location – Medina – Av. de l’Istiqlal
🍳 Great for breakfast and brunch
Cafe L’Esprit
A quirky find in one of the quieter streets in Essaouira medina is Cafe L’Esprit. This relatively new cafe was opened by a very cool couple, one part German, one part Moroccan. The cafe is tiny, but this only adds to it’s charm. Grab a bar seat at the window, or a bench seat outside, and it won’t be long before you’re making new friends – human or feline.
The amlou (peanut, honey and argan) cookies are moreish, as is the lemon meringue pie. And they make the best nous-nous coffee in town. Actually this is where we were first introduced to the nous-nous – half coffee, half warm milk, and this is apparently how the Moroccans like their caffeine fix.
💶 Prices – low to mid-range
🤤 Taste factor – the lemon in the lemon meringue packs the perfect punch
☕️ Cuisine – cafe and sweet treats
📍 Location – Medina – Rue Touahen
🖐 Great for a take 5
Salut Maroc Restaurant
We had sundowners on the stunning roof-top terrace of Salut Maroc. So despite the fact that we didn’t eat here, this bright and colourful restaurant wins a place on this list for views and food reviews!
Occasionally a live band or DJ plays for sunset, and the views towards the famous rampart walls of Essaouira are a beautiful way to end the day. Book a table for dinner as this little terrace restaurant gets very busy.
💶 Prices – high-end
🤤 Taste factor – highly recommended on google reviews
🐙 Cuisine – seafood and Moroccan specialties
📍 Location – Medina – Rue Skala
🌅 Great for sunset
Koulchi Concept Store Cafe
Do you want to combine some coffee drinking with some shopping? Well don’t we all! We stumbled on this cute little rooftop cafe by pure chance. If you visit the main Koulchi Concept Store in the middle of the medina, make your way up multiple floors to the rooftop. This small tiered terrace is set up with cushions and coffee tables with a great rooftop view over the medina.
It’s a simple concept, and the menu is small, but the shopping is some of the best. And by the time you’ve walked the floors trying to decide what purchases to make, you’ll be in need of a sit down.
💶 Prices – mid-range
🤤 Taste factor – good coffee
☕️ Cuisine – simple cafe styles
📍 Location – Medina – Near Caravane Cafe off Av. de l’Istiqlal
🛍 Great location for shopping
Mactoob Restaurant
These guys know how to make a great burger. It’s food served fast, but not fast food quality… if you know what I mean. Mactoob restaurant is open and spacious with a mezzanine floor. The decor is funky, the restaurant is super clean and the staff are friendly.
If you follow the medina wall from the port to the ramparts you walk right past Mactoob. And it’s the perfect lunch spot. So head to Mactoob if you’re in the mood for a simple burger and chips made to perfection.
💶 Prices – mid-range
🤤 Taste factor – comfort food that hits the spot
🇺🇸 Cuisine – American style burgers
📍 Location – Medina – Rue Skala
🍔 Great for lunch bites
Umia Restaurant
If we were kid free for a night, this is where I would have booked. I’m something of a food snob and the menu at Umia just seemed to catch my eye every time I walked past. On many a night, as we walked by, I would hang back staring through the window… probably drooling. But there we have it, we never went but would have if we’d had the chance.
With meals like beef wellington or duck and celeriac puree on the menu, you know they know food. They have outstanding reviews on Trip Advisor for ambience, atmosphere and top-notch food. If you’re in Essaouira, looking for one of the crème de la crème restaurants then go and check out Umia Restaurant… for me!
💶 Prices – high-end
🤤 Taste factor – The Trip Advisor fans rave!
🏳️🌈 Cuisine – International, Mediterranean fusion
📍 Location – Medina – Rue Skala
👫 Great for couples or families without young kids
Ocean Vagabond Restaurant and Beach Bar
This one is unique from the all the other best restaurants here, because it’s outside the Essaouira medina. Ocean Vagabond midday was humming with visitors, very obviously a favourite among the expats living in Essaouira. It’s a great lunch destination, right on the beach.
With options for indoor or outdoor eating, you’d think there would be plenty of seating to go around. But it gets super busy, even for lunch and so it’s a good idea to book ahead. Order a bottle of crisp wine wine and the croque-monsieur, and enjoy an afternoon chilling in the shade of the garden, overlooking the beach.
💶 Prices – mid-range
🤤 Taste factor – simple tasty food
🥗 Cuisine – Snacks, burgers, pizzas and salads
📍 Location – Boulevard Mohamed VI
🍷 Great for a chilled afternoon
Awrirrte Restaurant
This was one of my personal favourites, a small family-run little restaurant. The owners were delightful! Immediately welcoming the moment we walked through the door. Down a small alley not far from the main street of shops, Awrirrte has a small entrance with just a few tables. This is traditional Moroccan home cooked food at it’s very best.
I thoroughly recommend the apricot chicken tagine. What’s best is that you can order it ahead of time and then return an hour later to eat. Or better still take the tagine back to your Airbnb, the owners even offered to walk the hot tagine back to our accommodation for us. See what I mean… delightful! Read their reviews on Trip Advisor for more information.
Note: They are not listed on the map, so look for number 12 labelled Zaman Berber rugs. They are opposite this shop on Rue d’Oujda look.
💶 Prices – low-range
🤤 Taste factor – home cooked and hearty
🇲🇦 Cuisine – Moroccan
📍 Location – Medina – Rue d’Oujda
💎 Great for a boutique atmosphere
More on Morocco
If you are in the medina for a week or more, then we know you’ll find plenty of beaut little places to eat during your stay. But this list merely scratches the surface of best restaurants in Essaouira, so be sure to add more here in the comments below.
Also check out more of the best from our travel blogs on Essaouira here below –
- 16 Best Things to Do in Essaouira
- 5 Best Rooftop Bars in Essaouira
- Best Street Food to Try in Essaouira
- Best Riads to Stay at in Essaouira
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