Il Mare — Italian / Mediterranean Seafood, Essaouira
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 sunset makes it one of the most visually memorable dining experiences on the Moroccan coast.
The cooking takes the Mediterranean seafood tradition as its reference: fresh fish prepared simply and well, the shellfish of the Atlantic presented with the respect that their quality demands, and the preparation methods that allow the ingredient’s character to lead.
The wine programme is Mediterranean and Moroccan: the whites that the seafood demands alongside the cold beer that the Atlantic wind and the setting equally demand.
Il Mare is the Essaouira restaurant for those who want the most complete visual and culinary expression of what the city’s position on the Atlantic actually means: the ramparts, the sunset, and the freshest available seafood.
Best Occasion: First Date
Fresh seafood and an epic sunset view over the Atlantic ramparts: Il Mare is a first-date venue of extraordinary natural drama and culinary simplicity.
Best Occasion: Birthday
The Atlantic sunset over the ancient ramparts, freshly-cooked seafood, and the view that makes Essaouira unique: Il Mare provides a birthday dinner that is specifically and irreducibly coastal Moroccan.