Where to Eat in Ouarzazate: Dishes, Areas and Local Tips
Restaurants in Ouarzazate cluster along Avenue Mohammed V, around the main square and near Kasbah Taourirt. What to order, where to look and the practical details that make eating out easy.
Most restaurants in Ouarzazate are along Avenue Mohammed V, the main road through town, around Place Al Mouahidine, the central square, and near Kasbah Taourirt, where several restaurants have terraces facing the old walls. Wherever you sit, the food is mostly Moroccan and southern: tagines, couscous, grilled brochettes, and the stuffed Berber pizza called madfouna. This guide covers what to order, where to look, and the practical side of eating out in Ouarzazate, from hygiene and alcohol to Ramadan and tipping.
A note on names: restaurants in a small town open, close and change owners quickly, and online lists are often out of date. Rather than send you to a name that may have changed, we describe the areas and the kinds of places that work well, and the reception of your accommodation can point you to what is good right now.
Moroccan food in Ouarzazate: dishes to try
The cooking here is simple, generous and based on what grows in the oases and valleys: dates, almonds, olives, vegetables, lamb, goat and chicken. Spices are warm rather than hot.
| Dish | What it is | When you will find it |
|---|---|---|
| Tagine | Slow cooked stew in a clay pot: chicken with preserved lemon and olives, lamb with prunes, kefta (meatballs) with egg, or vegetables | Almost every restaurant, lunch and dinner |
| Couscous | Steamed semolina topped with vegetables and meat, sometimes with caramelised onions and raisins | Traditionally on Friday; some places serve it daily |
| Madfouna (Berber pizza) | Round bread stuffed with spiced meat, onion, herbs, often egg and almonds | Some restaurants, often made to order |
| Brochettes and kefta | Skewers of lamb, chicken or minced meat grilled over charcoal, with bread and salad | Grills and snack places, especially in the evening |
| Harira | Tomato, lentil and chickpea soup | Cafés and restaurants; the classic dish to break the fast in Ramadan |
| Berber omelette | Eggs cooked in a tagine with tomato, onion and spices | Breakfast and lunch, often in roadside cafés |
| Moroccan salads | Tomato and onion salad, zaalouk (aubergine), carrots with cumin | Starters in most restaurants |
Madfouna, the Berber pizza
Madfouna (also written medfouna) means "buried". It comes from the Tafilalet region around Rissani, where it was traditionally baked in hot sand or embers. It is closer to a stuffed pie than an Italian pizza: two thin layers of dough sealed around minced meat, onions, herbs and spices, sometimes with egg and almonds. Because it is baked to order, it can take a while, so ask when you sit down or call ahead. If you are heading to the dunes, you will see it everywhere on the road to Merzouga.
Breakfast
A Moroccan breakfast is one of the pleasures of a stay here: msemen (flaky square pancakes), baghrir (spongy semolina pancakes), fresh bread with olive oil, honey and amlou (an almond, argan oil and honey spread), eggs, fresh orange juice and mint tea or coffee. In winter, some cafés serve bissara, a thick fava bean soup with olive oil and cumin. Most cafés on the main avenue serve a simple breakfast, and at Residence Chay a breakfast restaurant is open every morning for guests who prefer to eat before an early excursion.
Sweet things and local produce
Look for dates from the Draa valley to the south, almonds, and the honey and sesame pastries sold in pâtisseries. Mint tea, poured from height, comes with almost every meal and every negotiation.
Where to eat in Ouarzazate: the main areas
Ouarzazate is compact, and most restaurants are a short walk or petit taxi ride from each other.
Avenue Mohammed V
The long main road that crosses the town is lined with cafés, restaurants, pâtisseries and snack bars. This is where you find the widest choice, from simple tagine places to restaurants with Moroccan and international menus, pizza and pasta. It is busy in the evening and easy to explore on foot.
Place Al Mouahidine and the market streets
The central square is surrounded by cafés with terraces, pâtisseries and small restaurants, and it is the best spot in town for people watching with a mint tea. The streets around it and towards the municipal market hide cheaper eateries, grills and snack places popular with locals. It gets livelier in the late afternoon and evening. These are cafés, not bars: you will not find alcohol here.
Around Kasbah Taourirt
Near the kasbah and opposite the cinema museum, several restaurants have roof terraces that look over the earthen walls, which makes them good for lunch after visiting Kasbah Taourirt. Expect more tourist oriented menus and settings, and prices to match the view.
Hotel restaurants
The larger hotels in and around town have restaurants open to non-residents, usually with a mix of Moroccan and international food, and they are among the few places where you can order a beer or wine with dinner.
Vegetarian and special diets
Vegetarians eat well in Ouarzazate. Vegetable tagine, vegetable couscous, the Berber omelette, lentils, harira (ask whether it contains meat), bissara and the cooked salads are on most menus. Be aware that couscous and some tagines may be cooked with meat stock: ask "sans viande" (without meat), and be specific if you avoid stock too. Vegans can manage with vegetable dishes, bread, salads and fruit, but it is worth explaining clearly. Gluten free is harder because bread, couscous and pastries are everywhere.
Alcohol in Ouarzazate
Alcohol is legal for visitors in Morocco but sold only by licensed businesses. In Ouarzazate that means mainly hotel bars and restaurants and some independent restaurants with a licence, plus licensed shops in the centre. Most cafés and local restaurants, including those around the main square, do not serve alcohol. Drinking in public is not acceptable, and during Ramadan availability is reduced. If having wine with dinner matters to you, ask before you sit down.
Practical tips for eating out
- Hygiene: choose busy places where food turns over quickly and is served hot. Peel fruit, be careful with raw salads in the first days and drink bottled water. Wash your hands before eating, as bread is often used instead of cutlery.
- Prices: small local eateries and grills are the cheapest; restaurants with terraces, views or international menus cost noticeably more. Many restaurants offer a set menu (starter, tagine or couscous, dessert), which is usually good value. Check the menu or ask the price before ordering, especially for grilled meat sold by weight.
- Payment: carry cash in dirhams. Cards are accepted in some larger restaurants and hotels, rarely in cafés.
- Timing: tagines take time to cook. Restaurant meals are not fast, so do not plan a dinner just before a departure.
- Ramadan: some cafés and small restaurants close during the day, while places used to visitors and hotel restaurants usually stay open. Eating discreetly in daylight is appreciated. After sunset the town fills up for the evening meal. Our guide to the best time to visit Ouarzazate covers Ramadan in more detail.
- Tipping: in cafés, rounding up or leaving a few coins is normal. In sit-down restaurants, around 5 to 10 percent is appreciated if service is not already included. Tips are given in cash.
- Dress and manners: there is no dress code, but modest clothing is respectful. Eat with your right hand if you share a dish without cutlery.
Shopping for food and cooking yourself
After a long day of excursions, many visitors prefer a simple dinner at home. The municipal market has fruit, vegetables, olives, spices and dates, and there are supermarkets and small grocery shops around the centre for the basics. Our guide to practical tips for Ouarzazate covers supermarkets, ATMs and pharmacies, and the guide to souks and shopping in Ouarzazate explains how markets work. If you stay in one of the apartments at Residence Chay, each one has an equipped kitchen, so you can mix restaurant meals with easy evenings in.
Questions travellers ask
Is it safe to eat street food in Ouarzazate?
Generally yes, if you choose busy places where food is cooked hot in front of you, such as grills and soup stalls. Be more careful with raw salads and unpeeled fruit in the first days, and drink bottled water.
Can you drink alcohol in Ouarzazate?
Yes, but only in licensed places, mainly hotel bars and some restaurants, and from licensed shops in town. Most cafés and local restaurants do not serve it, and drinking in the street is not acceptable.
What is Berber pizza?
Berber pizza, or madfouna, is a large round bread stuffed with spiced minced meat, onions, herbs and often egg and almonds, then baked. It comes from the Tafilalet region around Rissani, and some places in Ouarzazate make it, usually to order.
Do restaurants in Ouarzazate accept cards?
Some larger restaurants and hotel restaurants do, but cafés, grills and small eateries usually expect cash. Carry dirhams and check before you order if you plan to pay by card.
Are restaurants open during Ramadan?
Many stay open, especially those serving visitors and hotel restaurants, but some cafés and small places close during the day and reopen after sunset, when the town comes alive for the evening meal.
