Best Restaurants in Essaouira
Five essential tables, ranked by occasion.
$$ 100–300 MAD$$$ 300–600 MAD$$$$ Over 600 MAD
Essaouira’s Top 5
La Table by Madada
La Table by Madada is a romantic and upscale dining spot located in a former 18th-century carob warehouse, with intimate candlelit tables adorned with white linen. Chef Souad offers a modern twist on local cuisine, featu...
The Loft
The Loft offers refined and memorable dishes that rank among the best in Morocco. It is the only restaurant in Essaouira where you can enjoy wine with your meal — a distinction that reflects both the restaurant&rsq...
Taros
Taros restaurant is famous for its authentic Moroccan fine-dining experience in a beautiful old riad with a rooftop terrace that offers stunning views of the city. The combination of the traditional menu featuring Morocc...
Il Mare
Il Mare offers freshly-cooked seafood, excellent service, and an epic sunset view over the ramparts — the combination of the fresh Atlantic catch and the view of the 18th-century Portuguese-built fortifications at ...
Ocean Vagabond
Ocean Vagabond captures a free-spirited, bohemian vibe while offering stunning ocean views. Sitting on their terrace, watching the waves crash against the ancient ramparts while enjoying fresh seafood, feels like the ess...
La Coupole
La Coupole is located right on Essaouira Beach and offers an unobstructed view of the Atlantic, making you feel like you’re dining on the edge of the world. The combination of the beach setting, the Atlantic horizo...
Dining in Essaouira — The Essential Guide
The Windy City at Table
Essaouira is known as the Wind City — the Atlantic trade winds that made it Morocco’s most important 18th-century port now make it the world’s premier kite-surfing destination. The city’s UNESCO-listed medina, built by the French architect Cornut for Sultan Mohammed III in 1764, provides the blue-and-white walled backdrop for a dining scene that combines fresh Atlantic seafood, the argan oil that the surrounding Arganeraie produces, and the spice traditions of the Moroccan coast in one of North Africa’s most charming culinary settings.
The port at the base of the fortifications lands fresh sardines, mackerel, sea bass, and lobster daily — the most direct ingredient supply chain available to any restaurant on the Moroccan coast. La Table by Madada and The Loft represent the refined end of what this supply chain can become; the beach restaurants represent the honest, direct end; and Ocean Vagabond and La Coupole provide the atmospheric middle ground.
Argan Oil and the Berber Pantry
Essaouira sits within the Arganeraie UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — the only forest in the world where the argan tree grows, producing the oil that has become one of the world’s most celebrated beauty and food ingredients. The argan oil of the Essaouira region appears in the finest local cooking as both a finishing oil and a cooking medium, and the Oualidia oysters from the lagoon south of the city provide the Atlantic dimension that the port town’s finest tables celebrate.