A Food Lover's Guide to Marrakech

Marrakech does not do subtle — and neither does its food. Here is where our guides actually eat when nobody is watching.

Start on the Square

Yes, Jemaa el-Fna at night is touristy. Eat there anyway, once, and choose the stalls where Moroccans queue: harira soup with dates, grilled kefta, and the snail broth at stall 14 for the fearless.

The Dish You Must Hunt: Tanjia

Marrakech's signature is not tagine — it is tanjia marrakchia: beef slow-cooked overnight in the ashes of the hammam furnace with preserved lemon and forty cloves of garlic. The best cellars sit around the Mellah spice market; ask for it "beldi" — the old way.

Mint Tea, Done Properly

Real Moroccan tea is poured from a height, three times, sweeter than your dentist would like. The rooftop cafes above the Spice Square serve it with the city's best people-watching.

Sweet Finish

Chebakia sesame roses, gazelle horns, and — in season — orange juice from the square pressed while you watch. Budget one dirham of willpower; you will spend it all.