Foodstalls Jemaa El Fna

The open-air restaurant Djemaa el Fna

The heart of Marrakech is called the Djemaa el Fna.   There is a special dynamic and this is reinforced in the evening. At the end of the day, part of the square is transformed into the oldest open-air restaurant in the world. There are at least 50 food stalls, each with its own specialty. You can no longer see the forest for the trees about eating safely, tasty and affordably just like a  local. We are happy to give you some tips about what and where you can eat on the square!

You can see the clouds of smoke from afar and you can hear the rhythm of the drums swell. Because of the rhythm you swing with the crowd along the stalls. Each stall displays its tastiest food and uses its most skilled waiters to lure you ‘inside’. Not really inside, because everything is outside under the stars.

If you take a closer look, there are several stalls to be found. For example, you have the grill stalls where you can order all kinds of dishes such as meat-skewers, grilled vegetables (paprika and eggplant is a fixed combination). But also some classics such as couscous, tajine,  tanjia  (specialty of Marrakech) and tasty  chicken pastilla. The prices are not too high and normally so many people come to eat (tourists &  locals) that the food is fresh every day. Make sure your meat is well grilled and don’t be afraid to return it if it isn’t!

Different stalls

One of our favoriete food stalls is  Aicha, number 1. She is one of the  Marrakchi  whose food stall has been in the family for generations. Be sure to join her! At each stall, make clear in advance whether the bread, olives and sauces are included (which most often is) so you will not have unnecessary surprises at checkout. Count on an average of 75dh p.p.

If you want to eat even more “local”, choose a stall with ‘fish  & chips’. These are smaller stalls where you take a seat on a bench that surround the cook. Fish in Marrakech you think? No problem though: this is freshly imported every morning from coastal towns  Essaouira and Agadir and arrives in refrigerated trucks. The squid rings are finger-licking and for 35 DH (3,5€) you’re done!

Wherever they also sit on a bench around the cook is at … the sheep’s heads stall! A delicacy according to the  locals. But we prefer the  harira-stall. You can take a seat around this large pot of soup of sometimes up to 1 meter high. Enjoy the traditional lentil-tomato soup (almost always vegetarian) with an egg, some  sbekia  (curly honey cookies) and / or some dates. Here you will pay a maximum of 10  dh!

Can it be cheaper?

It can be even cheaper. On the right side of the square there are stalls with bar stools around them. Here you can eat snails. You get a small recipient of 5  dh with some cooking liquid, snails and herbs. With a toothpick you can take them out. It is said to be good for brain development.

Do you find it all a bit too exciting or have you already eaten yours fill somewhere else? Then you can take a nightcap at one of the rollaway bars at the front of the square. Here they serve a kind of  gluhwine  without wine. It is a spicy herbal tea accompanied by a piece of spicy cake. A few bites are enough, because it is so full of flavor. You’ll taste ginger, pepper, cloves and other secret ingredients.

Our tips to eat safely on the Djemaa el Fna  square at a glance:

• Choose a food stall where the locals eat as well;
• Wash or disinfect your hands before and after eating;
• Check whether the meat is well cooked;
• Don’t be tempted by an overly pushy waiter;
• When in doubt: don’t!
• Do you want a special experience: do it!

I would say, what’s holding you back? Enjoy the atmosphere and the food. And our last tip: give the food you have left to the (unfortunately) many vagrants and hungry children that hang around the square. You’re doing them a big favor with it!

 

Eetkraampjes Djema  el Fna

Opening hours: Daily from 17.00 – 00.00

Address: Djema el Fna, Medina Marrakech 40000, Morocco