Djemaa El Fna Food Stalls

Top choice in Marrakesh


Grilled meat and tajines as far as the eye can see, plus snail soup, sheep's brains and skewered hearts: eating amid the mayhem of the Djemaa food stalls is not to be missed. Follow the locals to find the stalls with the freshest produce. Our recommendations are number 14 for fried fish and number 1 for brochettes (kebabs) and tajines.

The whole shebang kicks off at about 4pm when teams of men descend on the square hauling gas canisters by the cartload. Within an hour, 100 small restaurants are up and running with touts waving menus and urging passersby to note the cleanliness of their grills and the freshness of their meat, produce and cooking oil. Despite alarmist warnings, your stomach should be fine if you use your bread instead of rinsed utensils and stick to filtered water.