Marrakech's Japanese Reference
Marrakech is not a city most diners associate with serious Japanese cooking. The supply chain is difficult; the local diner does not, by default, demand it; the climate works against the precision the cuisine requires. Poka by Katsura, in the Hivernage district, has spent the last several years building a credible answer to all three problems.
The room is a small, dimly-lit Japanese dining space with a sushi counter at the centre and a short list of tables. The cooking handles sashimi, sushi, robata grill, and a small tasting menu. The fish is flown in from European wholesalers several times a week; the rice and condiments are sourced as carefully as the room can manage; the sake programme is one of the rare serious lists in North Africa.
What to Order
Sit at the counter if you can. The sashimi flights are where the kitchen is at its strongest — the daily fish is broken down and plated in front of you. Maki and nigiri are made with rice that is properly seasoned and held at the right temperature. The robata grill handles vegetables and meats simply and well. Tempura is light and crisp.
The Counter
The sushi counter at Poka is small — eight or so seats — and the chefs will speak with the diners directly. For a Marrakech traveller who has been spending the week eating tagines, the change of register is welcome. For a serious sushi diner, the counter is the most rewarding part of the city.
Best Occasion: First Date
Poka works as a first-date room because the format does the negotiation for you. Two seats at the counter, a tasting menu the chef will guide, a sake flight, the kitchen explaining each course — the structure removes the awkwardness that conventional first-date dining sometimes carries. The Hivernage address is easy to reach, the room is small enough to feel intimate, and the price point sits in the bracket where you can both come back if it goes well.