Private walking tour · Marrakech
Food tasting and the night market in Marrakech.
The stalls worth queuing for and the ones to walk past. It is a tasting, but it is also the fastest way to understand Marrakech after dark.
The itinerary
- The dried fruit, olive and nut stalls, and how to tell the good from the ordinary.
- A herbalist and spice shop, for what Moroccans actually cook and treat themselves with.
- The lamb café, and the dishes worth crossing the medina for.
- Jemaa el-Fna as it fills up: the stalls, the storytellers, the musicians.
- A terrace above the square to end, with tea or a Moroccan pastry.
Practical details
This walk is led by Adil, a licensed guide in Marrakech, in English, French or Arabic.
Free cancellation up to 48 hours before the meeting time.
What you actually see
The walk starts in late afternoon, as the heat drops and the food stalls go up. It begins in the covered markets, less photographed than the textile souks: dried fruit, olives in a dozen varieties, spices sold by weight, and the herbalist, where Adil separates the genuine pharmacopoeia from the folklore sold to visitors.
Then the mechoui, lamb cooked in a pit oven dug beneath the square, eaten standing or on a bench with bread and cumin. It is one of the few street dishes that has never been adapted to foreign taste. Depending on the season and your appetite, a tanjia, a harira or grilled sardines near the fish market are added.
Jemaa el-Fna fills up after dark. The numbered stalls all look alike and are not alike at all: some tout, some cook. Adil knows which is which, because he eats there himself. The evening ends on a terrace above the square with a tea, at the hour when the food stalls light their lamps and the smoke rises over the rooftops.
Questions about this tour
Is this suitable for a delicate stomach?
The places are chosen for turnover: what sells fast is cooked that day. Tell Adil if you are cautious and he steers you towards cooked dishes rather than raw salads and cold sauces.
What if we are vegetarian?
It works, and it needs saying when you book. The route changes: more vegetables, soups, breads and pastries, less meat. Strict vegan is harder but possible.
Are the tastings included in the price?
It depends on the format chosen and appears on the quote. The tastings are many and small: you try a lot of things rather than sitting down to one meal.
