Ramadan Breakfast

Ramadan Begins

“Join us for breakfast – Ramadan breakfast on Monday.”

Excellent! That will be a nice start to the day, I think. “What time?”

“6:30pm.”

Huh?!!!

This so confused me my first Ramadan – these constant invitations to breakfast at the ‘wrong’ end of the day.

Well actually, my second one too. But I’ve got it straight in my head now.

Ftour or Iftar means the same as breakfast – literally, breaking the fast. But while normally that would be breaking the overnight fast after sleeping, in Ramadan it means at sundown, at the end of the day of fasting.

So for those of you who may not know, what exactly is Ramadan and how does it work?

The idea is a month of peace and goodwill, appreciating those who go without by going without for the hours of daylight. Nothing to eat. Nothing to drink, not even water.

It is fixed by the new moon – much like Easter. But while easter is fixed within a certain space of time, somewhere between February and April, Ramadan constantly moves forwards. Last year it was in May, this year April, next it will be March, and so on.

In Morocco anyway, they get up at 3am for supper, then no food or water, til sundown. No smoking. No alcohol. No sex. I guess a version of lent. All are haram, or forbidden.

Juice or lben (fermented milk), eggs, harira soup, pastries, shabakia, and dates - breaking the fast.

The fast is then broken with orange juice or fermented milk, hard boiled eggs cut in half and sprinkled with cumin, and dates.

Three dates.

Why three?

I’m not entirely clear, but it seems that it’s mostly just because, like many countries, odd numbers are considered nicer. I guess 1 date isn’t enough, and five is just too many. So three it is, a nice amount that works for the symbolism.

Maqlouba - upside down dish, rice (and tongue) dish lined with eggplant, capsicum, tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower, onions, tipped upside down and still steaming, ready to eat with the chicken pieces.

The first night last year my friend from Jordan cooked his Ramadan dish, maqlouba – a rice one cooked in layers in a pot, starting with slices of eggplant/aubergine, slices of other vegetables (like tomatoes, potatoes, capsicums/peppers, onions, cauliflower), and mixed through with cow’s tongue, all cooked in one pot without stirring – like a pie. It is then carefully inverted onto a plate, the eggplant from the bottom now making the “pie” top. It is eaten with a sprinkling of roasted almonds (or the poor man’s version, peanuts – which is what I’ve got used to and love).

All eaten with bread and fingers. (no, not like fish fingers that you eat - I mean by using your fingers to eat with. Kid-heaven, lol)

Shbakia, the pastries doused in honey, and on the right, sfouf (don’t you just love that word!)

Other special Ramadan foods include shbakia, a pastry, deep fried and wriggly, doused in honey and topped with sesame seeds.

Sfouf, a very solid ‘crumble’ of finely ground nuts made into a cake and eaten with a spoon.

Every table I’ve been to in a home always seems to have an array of salty foods (pastries and butbut) and sweets – the Moroccan ones are anything you can do with nuts.

Some pastries filled with meat, everywhere through Ramadan

The big thing is waiting til sundown.

The first breakfast of Ramadan my flatmate said hey, let’s go get something to eat.

Yup. All ready.

And he’s out the door. I run to follow.

His pace is usually a fairly slow one. He does a lot of work on his phone so as he walks he often slows to answer messages etc.

But not this time. He was on the move. I was a little surprised.

The streets for the past hour or two have had a jarred and frantic energy, and been completely chaotic as people rush to get their supplies and get home. All day the roads have been solid with rush-hour type traffic. I can only guess that since the national pastime of sitting in one of the hundreds of coffee shops is not an option in the daytime, plus shortened work hours, everyone is bored and so they roam the streets in their cars.

This is not an angled photo - it is even more crowded than the photo could show, jam packed with people and cars. The energy is frenetic - not just this crazy rush to grab the last minute things and get home, but a crazy rush fueled by 16 hours with no food or water.

But now the streets are quiet – no cars, no people. I am walking through a ghost town. We make our way to a small café-restaurant.

I kid you not - the street goes from the above to this in about 15 minutes. It is now 7pm.

Every table is set out with a glass of sour milk or juice, and a plate with a boiled egg cut in half.

And three dates.

No one touches their food. They sit in pairs on one side of each table, facing the windows.

A countdown. Sunset in Tangier on day one was at 6:53pm, and not a moment before.

Then we hear the prayer call

The juice disappears.

The dates and eggs disappear.

And the soup comes.

Also an integral part of every Ramadan breakfast.

Harira.

Tomato based and filled with coriander and other herbs, plus some chick peas and short noodle-pasta. It is one of the best soups I have had.

Many businesses are just shoeboxes in a wall, including restaurants. They serve just one thing, with three stools. Maybe a soup with bread. Harira or bsara, a thick soup made from split peas.

I have my favourite harira shoebox shop – though to tell the truth it’s not the only excellent harira I have eaten. But it is a small shop with orange frontage in Rue d’Italie just down from the grand socco fountain.

5 dirhams for an excellent soup – 6 dirhams with bread. That’s 0.60 euro cents, or $0.60 USD.

And after the soup – a simple but excellent meal – grilled chicken kebabs and kofta.

I am so not a fan of mince meat. I have found it so boring – too many meals of what the English call savoury mince.

That’s minced meat. Fried up.

Nothing else.

And not a fan of hamburgers either.

In the end, I think, the west does not know how to do it well.

After years I have also managed to find a spaghetti bolognese that works for me, maybe because it’s so drowned in various sauces it’s not much of a bolognese – one the Italians would no doubt cringe over.

Oh – and an old favourite from the Bee House a restaurant I frequented in Ierapetra in Crete in 1985 – spaghetti pie. It doesn’t even matter the quality of Bolognese. A metal bowl filled with cooked spaghetti, topped with some Bolognese sauce, and loads of grated cheese which is cooked in the oven til it melts to a toasted brown melty crusted layer a quarter of an inch thick – all of which is then inverted onto a plate.

But that is it for the west. Mince is a meat that I avoid – and there is little that I am not willing to eat.

Then we get to Morocco. When it comes to meatballs, rissoles – or kofta – they know what they are doing, and I find myself more often going back for more of the mince kofta kebabs than the grilled chicken.

Mince and liver kebabs.

And so was our first Ramadan breakfast, on the Sunday.

Monday breakfast was a splendid array from my favourite restaurant – the Syrian (Abou Tayssir in Rue d’Italie). Falafels, dips of houmous, babaganoush and capsicum/red peppers, pastries, and soup of course, a lentil one this time.

The three dips starting from the left - humus, red capsicum/pepper, white babaganoush (eggplant dip with yoghurt). Then from the top corner, a small salad, some of the best falafels, and a special Levantine Ramadan sweet which has cheese inside a kind of pancake, baked then doused in honey.

We’ve had the Jordan rice dish, moulokheya – the Egyptian national dish with chicken in a soupy sauce based on a dried type of spinach with lashings of lemon juice, and tajine cooked by a friend.

Great food, great company every night, because Ramadan is about being with family and friends.

Managing Ramadan

Where to eat during Ramadan Fasting

Ramadan is the biggest event in Morocco, a month of fasting, of fun foods, of night time buzz. People get together with families and friends, not unlike Christmas and Thanksgiving.

And just like those events, they can be a challenge for a non-local who doesn’t have access to the homes where everything takes place.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is a spiritual time of abstinence, a bit like Lent in the Christian calendar. Muslims fast for the daylight hours, no food, no drinks – not even water, unless a woman is pregnant or menstruating, someone is sick, or they are travelling.

It is illegal for an adult Moroccan to eat in public during Ramadan. A growing number of Moroccans don’t choose to fast, especially younger people, but most end up fasting because of this law in public, and peer pressure at home.

Most will also abstain from smoking, sex, and alcohol for the month, at least for the daylight hours. While drinking is haram (forbidden) in Islam, there are still those who drink.

The days are much quieter. especially during f’tour, or breakfast. Night time by contrast is ful of buzz, with the streets often busy until dawn, cafes and restaurants staying open later than usual.

Unlike Christmas and Thanksgiving, Ramadan doesn’t have a fixed date. It moves forwards each year by about 10 days based on the cycle of the moon. In 2024, Ramadan started on the eve of the 10th or 11th of March, depending on the country.

What Does Ramadan Mean for Visitors?

Did you arrive in Tangier without realising it was Ramadan?

The biggest challenge is that restaurants and cafés are closed during the day. Night clubs, bars and bottle shops are closed, the clocks and business hours change, and there is a physical impact from fasting.

The Clock

Morocco is a little unusual when it comes to the changes for summertime. While most countries change at the beginning and end of summer, and some simply never change, Morocco has changed permanently.

I was told that this was to try to rectify the fact that Moroccans don’t like to get up early (actually, a particular trait of northerners and Tangier, of Tanjawiz - not so much in the rest of Morocco), so the clocks were never set back.

Of course, Moroccans, like everyone, adapted and simply get up an hour later by the clock, so nothing changed. It is also entirely possible that this is a joke. However, Morocco is on permanent summertime.

Except during Ramadan.

Irrespective of the season, clocks are turned back to normal time starting the weekend before Ramadan. Your phone should automatically change when this happens. However, if you have a flight or an appointment, it is worth double checking.

Business Hours

Most places will open later than usual, and have shorter hours to make the day easier to get through for those who still have to be out. Tours are likely to function as normal for tourists, but double check this.

Cafes, Restaurants, Food and Eating

The biggest issue for the visitor is finding somewhere to eat during the day. As a visitor you can of course choose to join in the experience and fast during the day. However, if you don’t wish to fast, it is important to be aware of where you can get something to eat. Outside the old medina and the tourist hotels there are very few options.

Here are your options in Tangier. There is a quick guide to key landmarks at the bottom of the article.

Medina Cafés

If you are staying near the medina or visiting it, this will be the easiest option.

Gran Cafe Central in Petit Socco in the medina

Gran Café Central and Café Tingis in Petit Socco

The two biggest cafes in Petit Socco are Café Central, and Café Tingis. Be mindful that with so many cafés closed, they tend to be very crowded, so take this into account with your timing in case you need to wait for a table.

Cafe Tingis, right next to Cafe Central

There are a few other cafés. They let you know that food is on offer by displaying a tagine on one of the front tables.

If you are Arabic or even just have an Arabic name (I’ve known people to have trouble on a British passport because of their name or their look), most cafés will refuse to serve you. However, Café Tingis will serve everybody, and another café on the other side of Café Central will also serve everybody.

Boulevard towards La Grande Poste

There are some cafés which I know of which are likely to be open outside the medina during Ramadan because they are popular with the local foreign community. Be aware that it’s never fixed and can change year by year. Your best source of information is to join the facebook page Tangier Expats and ask on there.

From Cafe de Paris, walk along the Boulevard past the canons. Before the bend in the street where Hotel Rembrandt is, you will pass the Metropole Cafe on your left, which is usually open through Ramadan.

Continue past Hotel Rembrandt on the Boulevard, and head down towards La Grande Poste. In that next block, on your left there is a plaza, the open area marked by the bright orange of the Marjane supermarket (which you can find downstairs) - Acima Plaza.

Walk through this plaza towards the sea. A restaurant previously called Concierto, now a Spanish restaurant called Casa Agustin, is open in the day.

Back out on the Boulevard and right next to Acima Plaza is the Boulevard Comedia. (It has two shops.) Only the Boulevard one is open this year. A little further down on the corner, Downtown has been open many years, but not this year.  

However, turn right at Downtown and cross the Boulevard. On that street you will find Tendy’s and Omeza on this street. Both are daytime open this year.

Casa Agustin

A new restaurant in Acima Plaza above Marjane - open in the daytime.

Alma Kitchen and Coffee which can be found on google maps is also likely to be open. Continue down the Boulevard, past La Grande Poste to the UN square, or Place des Nations in French. It is one of the cafes which front onto the square around to the left.

You should find a table to sit inside and out of public view.

Restaurants

There are also a few restaurants open through the day through Ramadan. They are typically ones which cater to the foreigners in Tangier.

The Syrian: In the medina itself, one which is always at the top of my list of recommendations is Abou Tayssir, The Syrian. It’s just a small shop in Rue d’Italie across from Cine Alcazar. But the food is always excellent, and well-priced.

The Syrian, across from Cine Alcazar

Anji:- Another favourite of mine in Tangier – quite a decent Chinese restaurant. I’ve even had a Chinese friend who has sworn off Chinese restaurants when away from home, but is willing to eat there. Some nights (I think Thursdays) every table is full from the Chinese living in Tangier.

They are open during the day during Ramadan. What’s more, they also serve alcohol.

It is down on the Corniche opposite the Miramar Hotel. You can also find it from the Boulevard just below UN Square. It’s on the same street as Ibn Battouta mall – all easy to find on google maps.

Veiw from Anji, upstairs looking over the bay

Indian Spice:- A fairly new and very good Indian restaurant. The lovely owners have some sister restaurants in Spain around the Marbella area. Go to Roxie Cafe (from google maps - its in the area behind MacDonalds towards Hotel Chellah). It’s a few shops down the street on Roxie’s left.

La Cocina:- This one is open through the day, and also sells alcohol as a bar through Ramadan. It is a little hard to find. The best way is to go to the bottom of the medina and go to your right along the Corniche. Find Café California on google maps, and keep going. It’s between Café California and the roundabout. Google maps shows Restaurante Diblu.

Looking out from near La Cocina

Hatanaka’s Japanese:- At the top of the medina on the way to the Kasbah you’ll go past Hatanaka’s corner, opposite the jail museum. The ramen is a definite good choice, but also takoyaki octopus balls, and some other Japanese dishes. Open form middaty to 7pm - a perfect stop for lunch or dinner.

Casa d’Italia:- This is a rather nice Italian restaurant including pasta and pizza, very popular with local expats, and serves alcohol. It’s inside an enclosure and a bit tricky to find, but it is on google maps and not far from the medina and Iberia roundabout.

Ba Sidi:- This shiny and fairly new shop has some classics like tagines, open during the day and found on Rue d’Italie on the way to Abou Tayssir Syrian.

Casa d’Espana:- If you stand on the Boulevard facing Hotel Rembrandt, look to your left down the street which runs behind the Boulevard. There is a huge sign above its door showing the Spanish flag. They should serve both food and alcohol, and be open during the day.

MacDonalds, Burger King, KFC:- These fast food joints are generally open through the day, especially for kids to eat. There is a MacDonalds near Hotel Rembrandt, and another on the beach near the train station.

Villa Mokhtar is open this year, a nice restaurant including a rooftop bar with sea views. It is at the top of Rue d’Italie near the Kasbah gate. Just before you get to the ‘T’ at the top of the hill, there’s a little street which runs left - next to the pharmacy with the green door and opposite the little carpark. Villa Mokhtar is at the end of this little lane.

Villa Mabrouk is a little further up the hill may also be open. It used to be the home of Yves Saint Laurent, and was visited by notables such as Mick Jagger.

Another is Mesana, a Basque Spanish restaurant on the beach/Corniche just past the train station. It’s not open during the day, but it does serve alcohol making it a good evening option if you want somewhere to relax over good food and something to drink. Its Ramadan hours are 7pm to 1am.

Some Ramadan Fun – Try Out a Ramadan Breakfast, F’tour

Café F’tour

The cafés on the Boulevard all advertise on their windows that they have Ramadan breakfast or f’tour/Iftar. Keep an eye out, since they aren’t the only ones. There are also local places which won’t advertise – you can go there as well. Just be there a bit before dusk to sample a Moroccan style f’tour.

Picnic F’tour

Another fun option is to take your food to a café and eat picnic style. One nice spot is Hanafta, up near Café Hafa. If you walk up Rue d’Italie to the Kasbah, and keep on going up the hill, you will come to a green café area on your left, the Phoenician tombs overlooking the sea on your right (Hafa is just a half block further on your right)

The waiters set up the cafés before dusk, but service won’t start until they have had their f’tour. You can sit at the cafés to eat, as long as you buy a drink when they open. You can buy food at the food shops in the medina which will start serving before dark. Most cafés in Morocco have no problem if you eat food from elsewhere, as long as you buy a drink from them.

My personal recommendation is Café Colon on Rue d’Italie opposite Cine Alcazar, and next to Abou Tayssir Syrian.

Rue d’Italie from Cafe Colon at Ramadan rush hour, just before f’tour

This is because café Colon is on a narrow street. It is quite worth the watch as it transforms from frenetic to empty in the space of about 15 minutes. So get there a good half hour before sunset (you can check the time on your phone), and watch the transformation.

Rue d’Italie from Cafe Colon 15 minutes later, at the prayer call signalling f’tour

You may also be able to order food from Abou Tayssir next door, probably a healthier option than the chicken places in the medina. Alternatively, the bakeries have a range of choices, as well as home cooked options like breewat you can buy on the street - the triangular shaped pastries.

Alcohol

Living there if you like to drink and don’t wish to abstain, my first suggestion is to stock up before Ramadan. Be aware that bottle shops close a few days before Ramadan starts – make sure to get in early.

During Ramadan all night clubs and most bottle shops will be closed from 3 days before until 3 days after, following Eid. The whole city of Fes was dry last year, so take supplies if you’re heading that way and want something to drink.

In Tangier, there are 2 or 3 open. The one which is easy to find and always open is Casa Pepe, on the little street between Hotel Rembrandt and MacDonalds. It will close at about 6pm, sometimes before. Because of course he also wants to be home in time for f’tour.

In Ramadan you will need to show them your passport or ID.

Between Hotel Rembrandt and MacDonalds, open during Ramadan from about 10am to 5:30pm

Night Clubs

The bars and night clubs close a few days before Ramadan – check for the exact day. To go out for a drink there is only the tourist hotels such as Hotel Rembrandt on the Boulevard and the Corniche,  and La Cocina at the bottom of the medina.

Atmosphere and Cautions

Watch the streets go from crazy to empty just before sunset - Don’t even expect to find a taxi. Enjoy the calm of the streets in the early evening. Then after an hour or two, the buzz starts. Everyone comes out, now happy from eating and ready to socialise with friends and family. The city is open most of the night. Cafés and food places open up again. Especially on the Boulevard and Corniche and boardwalk next to the beach there will be people everywhere.

But be aware that the fasting does have an impact.

Government businesses may have shorter hours, but the office staff will still be working on a day of no food. People get very slow and lethargic by the end of the day. So be nice, and be patient if you have business or need something.

The streets get traffic jammed from late morning – with cafés closed, many end up driving around in their cars to fill the time.

Normally I would say the Moroccans are very aware of their surroundings when driving. When first in Tangier I soon noticed that what I perceived as near misses were always false alarms on my part.

However, after about 2pm during Ramadan, blood sugar levels are dropping low. This impacts on tempers and judgement. The number of near misses and small accidents goes up dramatically at this time, so be extra alert of your surroundings. The evenings can also have a bit of crazy – maybe a sugar rush following f’tour.

In Summary

Ramadan is a special spiritual time for Muslims, Morocco is no exception. If you are here, enjoy the night time buzz of the all-nighter, try a Ramadan breakfast and the special sweets, maybe even think about fasting for a day yourself.

Ramadan f’tour at Colon, a special deal from the Syrian next door that we arranged one year for a gathering of friends

 Special thanks to Leslie Luby for many of the updates for this year. Any further information welcome - please message me on fb or on Whatsapp.

If you are looking for some reading, Leslie runs runs the English book library in Tangier with a huge selection of reading.

Key Landmarks

Here are a few landmarks to get you oriented to Tangier and to help you find your way around.

Grand Socco, Cinema Rif, Souq Barra:-  Cinema Rif is a known landmark and on google maps. It’s on Grand Socco, the square with the fountain, and Souq Barra, the local markets. All three are known to everyone, including taxi drivers, to get you back to the medina. – Medina simply means city, and usually refers to the old walled city.

Cinema Rif with the Gran Socco fountain in front of it

Rue d’Italie and the Kasbah:-  With your back to Cinema Rif – a good café to chill (and make sure you check out the toilets!) – you will see across from the fountain 2 streets. One with an archway on the left, and one on the right of it.

The arched street is Rue d’Italie. It’s very steep, and takes you up to the Kasbah or castle at the top of the medina. At the T at the top of the hill, to your right is the Kasbah Gate which leads into the medina. If instead you keep on going up you will get to the famous Café Hafa and the Phoenecian tombs.

Gate or bab into Rue d’Italie

Petit Socco:-  The right of these 2 streets opposite Cinema Rif goes into the medina. Though there are streets and mazes off it, there’s just one main one. It splits at a little square which is Petit Socco with Café Centrale. The 2 branches will take you down to the bottom of the medina.

Café de Paris, the canons, and the Boulevard:-  From Grand Socco, instead of going down, go up along the street to the left of Cinema Rif. Keep going until you get to the next fountain. This is Place de France.

The beginning of the Boulevard - a good stop, but after f’tour. The inside reminds me of the movie Casablanca

On your right is the French consulate. On your left is the iconic Gran Café de Paris – another good landmark for the taxi – and next to it the canons with the lovely sea views of Spain. This is also the Boulevard, the main reference point.

Just past Cafe de Paris, this is where the henna women wait. At the end of the street is the Hotel Rembrandt, just out of sight

Hotel Rembrandt:-  If you keep going to your left along the Boulevard to the spot where the road bends, you will be at Hotel Rembrandt. This is another good landmark. If you keep on going along the Boulevard you will get to La Grande Poste – the main post office – and the UN Square, better known as Place des Nations, or its Arabic name. It goes on through the Tangier CBD and eventually down to the train station.

The Corniche:-  This is the one other main road in the centre – it runs parallel to the Boulevard but down next to the water, starting from the ferry terminal, and all the way along Tangier Bay, the beach and the boardwalk.

I have given most of my directions from one of these places.

Ramadan Meals When Fasting

Ramadan Mubarek

Happy Ramadan.

Like Christmas (and Thanksgiving in America) Ramadan is a family occasion. It lasts for a whole month, and is the biggest event in the Muslim calendar. Unlike Christmas, it isn’t on a fixed date, but moves forwards every year according to the moon, by about 10 days. This year (2024) it is expected to start on the 10th of March.

“Expected to start”?

Yes – it is confirmed on the eve, with the Imam (Islam’s chief honcho) inspecting the moon. The same with its end date.

Apparently, this can vary a little – curiously, Ramadan in Morocco often finishes a day later than the rest of the Islamic world.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is very similar to Lent in the Christian calendar – it is a month of abstinence. This translates to fasting through daylight hours – no food or drink, not even water. Abstinence includes not only food, but also sex and smoking. Drinking is not approved by Islam, but those who do drink will also often abstain for the month.

Night clubs and most bottle shops are all closed for the month, and most food outlets and cafes are closed during daylight hours. A very small number are open, mostly for tourists and expats, and many will refuse to sell to anybody Arabic or even with an Arabic look or name. In fact, by Moroccan law it is illegal for an adult Moroccan to eat in public during the day.

But Ramadan has its charms, just as Christmas does. It is a time for special foods and family get-togethers, schools and public areas are decorated. While the day may be quiet, the nights are full of life.

The last couple of hours of daylight are rush hour – everyone is hustling to get their shopping done for dinner. Then just before dusk the streets will clear – in about 15 minutes they will go from solid people and cars to deserted. Don’t expect to catch a taxi at this time – there are none.

For a couple of hours the streets are quiet while everyone enjoys breaking their fast, and then it is evening. The food shops and cafes open, the streets come alive, and people are out and celebrating, often for the whole night.

What does Ramadan mean?

Ramadan is a spiritual festival. It is about restraint from excesses and luxuries and a time of reflection. It is not about hunger, but about appreciating those who are hungry.

Fasting becomes a part of everyone’s life at puberty – for girls, when they start menstruating, for boys, at the age when they traditionally went through circumcision as their introduction to adulthood. (See religious practices.) This being said, in the typical way that children like to imitate their elders, many children will fast for short periods of time starting from as young as 8 years old.

While it is mandatory for Muslims (of course, just like Christianity, there are those who don’t), there are exemptions for special circumstances. When travelling or sick, during menstruation, or women who are pregnant are all excused. However, the missed days become a debt which still needs to be “paid” off by fasting for those number of days later.

Henna Tattoos

It is typical for girls to get these beautiful tattooed patterns covering the backs of their hands, sometimes also their palms, on their first day of fasting. These are temporary tattoos painted with a red dye which comes from the henna tree. Henna has been used as a hair dye and temporary tattoo since ancient Egypt times. It wears off through the natural process of exfoliation in about 3 weeks.

Henna tattoos are not restricted to Ramadan. They are used for all sorts of occasions. It isn’t even restricted to being Moroccan. If you’d like a tattoo, there are some artists next to Gran Café de Paris where the canons are. Go and choose the design you like, and sit with views of Tangier Bay and the Spanish hills while an artist decorates your hand.

Breaking the Fast – F’tour

“Please come to breakfast at my house tomorrow.”

“Shookran! I’d love to. What time?”

“7pm.”

Huh?!!!

F’tour, means exactly the same in Arabic and in English – literally, breaking the fast. Normally this fast is during the night while we’re asleep, ending in the morning. But during Ramadan, f’tour is at dusk.

Most people will have f’tour at home, or with friends and relatives. They are big gathering occasions, just like Christmas and Thanksgiving. But some will eat out, and there are always a few cafés which will offer a Ramadan special for you to try f’tour for yourself. They usually advertise on their shop windows and doors.

In Tangier, the Downtown café and Comedia, both on the Boulevard near La Grande Poste, are two which usually do. Comedia has two cafés, the second almost next door and through the orange fronted plaza – I like that one because it has views of the sea and Spain.

I have often gathered with friends at a favourite café, each with our own food to share, followed by a tea or coffee when the waiters have had their f’tour. They set up the cafés ready, but they won’t start serving before they have eaten.

It is worth doing this on a busy street, just to watch the transformation. I have done this from Café Colon on Rue d’Italie, watching the walls of people and cars filling the street with barely room to move even on foot. Just before dusk the streets empty out. They go from packed to empty in just 15 minutes.

Then there is a very calm pleasant space for a couple of hours while everyone eats.

Moroccans who eat out will sit facing the street, lined up in 2s or 3s in cafés. In front of them, each will have a glass of milk and a plate with 3 dates. This is your traditional Ramadan break-fast.

But don’t gulp the milk down in one go!

Take 2 small sips, then the gulp! This way you have drunk your milk in 3 mouthfuls. Odd numbers are important in many cultures, especially the number 3. Dates can be 1 or 5 or more – as long as the number is odd.

Traditionally you are also likely to get a chbakia – this is a pastry typical in the north, and a special one in Ramadan. The pastry is cut into ribbons and knotted in particular patterns, deep fried, then covered in a sweet honey-based syrup. For a good one, buy from one of the fancy bakeries. Better still, hope to be offered a home-made one.

Everyone will wait until the prayer call for Adhan which signals dusk and the end of the day’s fasting. Then as one, they drink their milk and eat their dates.

Those who attend this prayer meeting – Adhan – often go to the mosque half an hour before dusk in order to spend time rereading the Qur’an. By reading 10 to 15 pages a day it is possible to reread the Qur’an 3 times through Ramadan. For those who do, the mosque will have glasses of milk and individual dishes of dates scattered around the mosque for them.

Ramadan Breakfast – F’tour

But don’t worry. Milk and dates are not the end of the meal. They are something sweet for instant energy. The next part will be a soup, with hard boiled eggs cut in half either with it, or in it. The point of the soup is that it is easy to digest for the empty stomach, with the added advantage of being full of high energy foods.

The most likely soup is harira. This is a tomato-based soup full of goodness – chickpeas, lentils and charia (short fine spaghetti 1 or 2 cm long). Flavoured with bones, parsley and cilantro, some vegetables and finely chopped beef or chicken (never fish), and the ever-important s’mn (ghee or clarified butter, integral to cooking in Morocco).

Harira is my favourite Moroccan soup. If you want to try it, you can find it from ladies in the markets, and tiny shops which sell almost only the soup. I often stop at a soup shop just to get my bowl with fresh bread, setting me back by just over half a euro.

My favourite shop is near Gran Socco and the fountain. Go through the arched street – Rue d’Italie, opposite Cinema Rif. On your right just a few shops down there’s one with a bright orange front. For just 70 dirhams (70 euro cents) you can get a bowl of soup with bread. Squeeze the lemon over it, and enjoy!

Another soup popular during Ramadan is t’cha (in Tangier, the rest of Morocco calls it bilboola) – a tomato based barley soup seasoned pepper – and always with cumin, and s’mn. This one is best as a fish soup.

There is a third classic Moroccan soup – b’ssara – which is based on green split peas, very popular year round.

F’tour Proper

All that is just the preamble, the entrée. Especially in summer where the daylight hours are long, the meal needs to really nourish and replenish.

Meat and cheeses:- Especially the first Ramadan breakfast, the dates and soup will be followed by many Ramadan foods – smoked meats, cheeses such as the Kiri or Cow brand cheese. You probably remember them from school days as a part of your lunch box – the triangular shaped ones in foil.

And of course there is also Morocco’s cheese, the soft white ones often bought in the markets in a disc shape and wrapped in a green leaf, a cheese very like cottage cheese. This is the sort of thing I prefer to buy from the mountain ladies. It’s not only good, but if you buy your herbs and your cheese from them, it will be far more helpful on an immediate level.

Breewat:- These are small pastries shaped into triangles. In Ramadan the fish with charia noodels, and the sweet chicken are the ones eaten. The meat is cooked then shredded, mixed with spices and herbs. There are also some cheese and spinach ones, but they’re not part of Ramadan foods.

Tagine:- Just as at Christmas, after the small snacks and preambles, there are a great variety of foods, any of which could be served up for the main meal. Naturally, tagine is very common, being Morocco’s traditional food.

Coffee and the Sweet Stuff

Following the meal, everyone has coffee ad s’foof. S’foof is the northern version. Nuts are ground up and mixed together, moistened by adding just enough honey til it holds together loosely. It is eaten with a spoon, not being solid. Its texture is grainy and loose. You will find it in the shops formed into a big mountain, and of course by it by weight.

Outside the northern parts, it is called s’lou. A lot more honey is added until it becomes solid enough to be moldable into a cake or disc shape. Some get very creative and turn them into mini ‘art works’, often with their name or logo as part.

Rziza is another desert popular during Ramadan. There is a type of bread you will see which looks more like a cake of noodles. Rziza uses this bread, adding lots of honey of course.

After F’tour

Once everyone has enjoyed their Ramadan breakfast, they will emerge again onto the streets. Now revitalized by their meal, they are ready to celebrate. The cities come alive. In Tangier, this will mean the Boulevard, and the Corniche, where shops will be open late, and people will be out and about til all hours – often all night, and dinner is eaten around midnight. The chawarma shops seem to have a constant flow of hungry customers.

During the day time without food, people get very tired. To accommodate this, the work day is shorter and businesses generally open later than usual. Morocco also switches the clocks back an hour to normal time, starting from the weekend before Ramadan starts. (Morocco stays on summer time for the full 11 months of the year, switching out only during Ramadan.)

Some people will even spend most of their day sleeping, and become nocturnal for the month of Ramadan, staying up all night. The streets in the day time become very crowded with traffic because the coffee shops are all closed.

S’hour

Then it is time for the pre-dawn meal – s’hour. To help get through the long day of no food or drink, this is a very important meal, focusing on foods high in stored energy such as smoked meats, cheeses, leftovers, the Moroccan type sandwiches and chwarma, s’foof, dates, and of course a lot of water.

Since no one can eat or even drink water for the daylight hours, everyone wakes up just before dawn for  meal called s’hour. Only one thing is noticeably absent from this meal – and that is coffee.

Drinks and Nightlife in Tangier

Does Tangier have a nightlife? Can you drink alcohol in Tangier? Where can I drink in Tangier?

Everything there is to know about Nightlife and Tangier night clubs.

Where to chill and hang out in the evenings – what can you do in Tangier?

Drinking in Morocco

While Muslim, Morocco is generally quite moderate about drinking and what is haram (forbidden).

It is quite legal to drink, but there are ‘rules’ which are likely to be different to the ones you’re used to. For example, you can’t drink outside. In fact, don’t even show a bottle, even if it’s empty. Most people know very little about alcohol – Some Muslims feel uncomfortable about even being near alcohol or touching a bottle, feeling that it is haram.

Having said that, many Moroccans enjoy drinking, and especially in Tangier – the party city – there are places open to go to to drink, dance and socialize. Casablanca and Rabat would also have plenty of options. Though there are options elsewhere, generally speaking, the further south you go the more conservative the values. Other than tourist hotels, I don’t think any of the old medinas have public drinking places – they are all located outside them.

It is actually illegal for a Moroccan to sell alcohol, so all of the bottle shops and bars will be owned by a Berber from the south, who are outside this law.

But don’t think Morocco has always been this way. In the 1960s many women wore mini skirts and the latest fashions, not the djellabas and long covered clothing which is common today. Many of the little old coffee shops also used to serve alcohol up to the 1990s, but now they serve only tea and coffee.

But this does not mean there are not places to go. There are in fact many options, too many to mention all of them here. But first, for those who are just looking for company and somewhere to go without feeling odd for being alone. (Eating alone in Morocco is quite common, by the way. So even if it’s outside your personal comfort zone, it isn’t an odd thing to do here.)

Good for meeting people

Café Colon: Opposite Cine Alcazar in Rue d’Italie (the steep one which goes from Gran Socco fountain up the hill to the Kasbah, outside the old medina wall). Many tourists stop here for coffee, which means people you can talk to. If you hear someone speaking English or a language you know – just be friendly. I am there most days, and often end up talking to someone for at least a little. If not, the perfect place to chill and watch life move past with a decent coffee or mint tea.

Cinema Rif: In Gran Socco, the colourful building (red, blue and yellow) facing the fountain and the medina. Inside or outside I have met many people there.

The Syrian: (Abo Tayssir) – right next to Colon across from Cine Alcazar, they have amazing Syrian food for a good price. It is another place where it is very easy to strike up a conversation with someone else.

Number One: This one is a bar. If you are alone, sit at the bar and order your drink from Shakib. Many people sit alone, but rarely for long. It is very easy to start talking to someone – and then you have the beginning of a Tangier night, where anything can happen.

Pleasant places for an evening with a drink

Blue Pub: This is a beer garden at the back of the Hotel Rembrandt on the Boulevard between Café de Paris and La Grande Poste. It is outdoors with views of the bay and a nice place for a drink with friends. They also have a restaurant, and a disco.

Number One: Literally across the road from Number One, a real bar full of jokes and puzzles to keep yourself busy, and usually older music and blues which is always good to hear.

 Chellah: Just 5 minutes walk down the road past MacDonalds from the first two, very similar to the Blue Pub with a beer garden, but also often has live music and a bar.

Chellah Beach: Their twin – down on the beach, and a nice place for a drink, to eat, with a bar, and often has live music.

Terminus: The bar itself isn’t flashy, but down at the bottom of the medina there is a bar where you can actually sit outside with your drink. I’ve no idea how they swung it, but it can be nice. It’s in an open square, so it gives a sense of space. And though you can’t quite see the water, you know it’s there.

From Gran Socco and Cinema Rif, you take the street to your left along the edge of the medina and past the fish market. Follow it all the way down to the bottom where you come to a roundabout, on the Corniche, the ferry terminal over to your left. Walk in front of the shops towards the ferry terminal. It’s one of those shops, not far along.

Tapas Bars

Before you say – yes, I know about tapas bars. I’ve been to Spain. – In Morocco they are a it special. You buy your drinks, you get free food – and not just a snack like a plate of olives. Some of them bring the food til you’re full. Others bring a certain amount depending on how much you drink.

Le Coeur de Tanger: Above Café de Paris and next to the square with the canons and views of Spain (the door faces the canons). Go upstairs and right across – there’s a balcony looking over Place du France and the French Consulate. It’s nice to sit outside. And these guys bring the meal – salad for starters, various fish, maybe skewered meat, mini tajine, and a great fruit plate to finish. I usually buy a minimum of 2 beers, often more, and sometimes make that my dinner stop. After 8pm they have live singers singing popular gnaua songs, the Moroccan music.

La Grande Poste: Across from La Grande Poste (the main post office, on the Boulevard a little past Hotel Rembrandt), upstairs. Just a place to drink, but they bring a lot of tapas which are quite decent.

Carousel Pub: This is the red fronted place on the street of the Picasso Hotel, near Café de Paris. It echoes and English pub atmosphere, and brings beans, lentils, mini tajines to go with your drink.

The English Pub: Very similar to the Carousel Pub, a bit further from the Boulevard.

Pescador: Much classier than the above ones, and often has live music and open mic – behind La Bodega which is near Hotel Chellah. The tapas are much nicer and well set out than the other places, but they don’t bring a lot. If you’re wanting a meal you will have to order from the menu and pay for it.

Au Pain Nu: Also in the same part of town, this one is similar to Pescador in that they bring less dishes but of a much higher quality. Again, they have a menu you can order from for a proper meal.

Live Music

Chellah and Chellah Beach: Both of these often have live music and dancing, occasionally open mic. Both are nice places to go to spend time.  

Pescador: Has open mic on Mondays, with live music and some tapas, nice cosy pub atmosphere. Right behind La Bodega.

La Bodega: Often has live music, small and cosey, a bit more like a bar. Just a few doors down from Hotel Chellah.

Otrik: From Hotel Rembrandt, instead of going to the right side, follow the street to the left behind the Boulevard. This one often has live music, and some tapas.

Buena Vista: This is a little café in the medina. It often has live music and impromptu gatherings. They have one floor set up with church pews and a stage, as well as roof top seating. It’s a coffee and tea shop, no alcohol.

Le Coeur de Tanger: Above Café de Paris on the Boulevard, this is the full tapas bar with food and a balcony to sit on. After 8pm they have live singers singing the gnaua music of Morocco, especially typical in the north.

Open til 1 or 2pm for music and drinks

Most of these places are open til 1 or 2pm. Morocco is a night culture, and there are people up til all hours, children included. Most of the places around the Boulevard have these hours.

Number One

Hotel Chellah

Chellah Beach

Pescador

La Bodega

Le Marquis, near the Roxy Café

Open til 3 or 4 am

Blue Pub, usually til 3am

Lucas, a new disco-nightclub, between Hotel Rembrandt and MacDonalds

Regine’s, near Roxy Café.

The Beach Bars: Down on the road on the beach – The Corniche – underneath the walkway there are a series of nightclubs. They are all open til 4am, and offer the same. My preference is usually Havana. They are marked by the parking station numbers. Havana and Chellah Beach are around Parking 9 or 10, across from the Barcello Hotel.

The Bottle Shops

If you are going somewhere for a dinner, a party, or an after party, or just want a quiet drink where you are staying, there are also bottle shops. But most of them are hard to find, being tucked into corners with no noticeable names on them. Here are where you can find some. Generally they are open from 10am to 10pm, except during Ramadan – only 2 were open this year, closing at 6pm – sometimes a bit earlier.

It is worth a trip just for the experience. Your alcohol purchases will first be wrapped up in paper to hide them. Then they will be put inside a black bag that’s not see-through. While plenty of people drink, everyone likes to pretend that no one does. Getting rid of your bottles afterwards is just as much of a trick - make sure you put them into a bag that’s not see-through.

So where can you go to buy a bottle and have a little mini-Moroccan experience?

Casa Pepe: This one is a little pricier, and comes with a delicatessen and selection of non-Moroccan supermarket items, but it is by far the easiest to find – for a start, it actually has a name. It is also always open during Ramadan. It is on the little street between Hotel Rembrandt and MacDonalds.

Le Patrice Market (La Fine Bouche): The other with a name and on google maps. This one has an extensive range of wines, as well as all your other options. It’s on Rue de Fes.

To find it, walk from the medina, up through Gran Socco with Cinema Rif and a fountain. Keep on going up to the next fountain on Place de France and the Boulevard where you find Café de Paris, Le Coeur de Tanger, and the canons with the ladies selling hand henna art.

If you keep on going across the Boulevard, there are 2 streets to choose from. Take the right hand of the streets.

About 2 blocks on your right you will find Le Patrice Market.

Shop 3: On the way to Le Patrice Market and just before it, you will walk past another small shop on your left which also sells alcohol. Both are good options.

Shop 4: From Café de Paris, cross the Boulevard, but this time take the left of the two streets. On your left on the second corner you will see a sign for Picasso Hotel. Turn left into this street. It is the same one as the Carousel Pub which will be on your right. The second last shop on your left is another little bottle shop which is a good option.

Socco Alto, Carrefour supermarket: There is also a big bottle shop next to the huge Carrefour supermarket in the Socco Alto shopping mall, if you happen to be out that way. It often has good discounts.

There are a few also down in the Malabata area, such as in the same complex as the Kandinsky icecream shop.

My Top 10 Food Spots in Tangier

Tourists, visitors, and new Tangiawians are constantly asking my where to eat. This is close to my heart. I love food, and I love to share good places to eat. So here is my answer of the places I have discovered in Tangier that I recommend.

An excellent lamb and prune tajine made for me by my friend Hajar, for lunch on her balcony at her lovely country cottage with sea views.

Note: while dhs for dirhams is the usual abbreviation, for exchange info Moroccan dirhams are abbreviated as “mad”s (love that!). At the present 10 mads is about $1USD or €1.

As a rule of thumb, a meal will typically be 50-80 dirhams. You can get sandwiches and kebabs for as little as 8-30 dhs. Obviously you can pay more than 80dhs – especially for non-Moroccan places. Bread usually comes free, sometimes olives and other little things, so don’t let them charge you for it unless you asked for it. There aren’t many places in Tangier which do that, but there are a small number (be warned though if you’re heading to Marrakech, happens a lot!).

Medina just means city, but when I say medina I mean the ancient medina, or the old walled city.

MY TOP 10 FAVOURITES – I’m sorry, first the non-Moroccan food list, and a SECRET

And my favourite international cuisine treats in Tangier: (this is premised by a note that most of these cuisines are a long way from home. This is the land where sushi is deep fried or pizza flavoured, lol)

1 The Syrian – otherwise known as Abou Tayssir.

When I’m asked for a good place to eat, this is always my first suggestion. It is tiny, but boy it packs a punch for the food. It’s also a good place to meet people, and vegetarian options. You can get a cheap but good shawarma starting at 25 dhs. I love the mixed dips (humus, regular babaganoush/eggplant dip and white babaganoush with yoghurt) which come with lebanese bread for 45 dhs. The red pepper dip is also excellent. There are vine leaves, fried chicken, salad, the best falafels I’ve had anywhere, and borek which are manna from heaven – triangular pastry wraps which are so crisp, the fillings so yummy! Run by Redwan from Syria and his lovely wife.

Humus, red pepper and white babaganoush dip, at the back salad, falafels and a Syrian Ramadan sweet.

It's on Rue d’Italie, the street which runs along outside the medina wall from Grand Socco, up the big hill to the kasbah (castle). It’s a tiny shop at the base of the hill, next to café Colon and opposite cinema Alcazar.

2 The Other Syrian – down on the Boulevarde (ie past Hotel Rembrandt and towards the UN Square or Techno Park).

The Other Syrian, on the Boulevarde.

It’s bigger, and also very good. They have the real-deal proper shawarma (according to my friend from Jordan/Syria/Egypt). So grab a shawarma (30dhs) or find some hungry friends and order from the large selection of dishes to share.

Humus, Kebdi, falafel, white babaganoush, shawarma, and their vine leaves are amazing!

Walk from the canons following the bend past Hotel Rembrandt, past the orange Marjan supermarket square, Defacto dress shop, and Downtown café on the corner, and La Grande Poste (main Post Office), all on your left. If you see Marwa clothes shop on your right you have gone too far. The Syrian is on your left just past a big new bakery-café. There’s a stand out the front with pastries.

3 Hatanaka’s – because a little piece of Japan is exactly what you’d expect in the middle of a Moroccan medina.

Hatanaka’s Yakisoba noodles.

Ramen

Basic – yakisoba fried noodles, yakimeshi fried rice, ramen noodle soup and Takoyaki octopus cooked in dough balls. Right at the top of the old medina near the kasbah and jail museums and the gate with an amazing sea view. You can sit outside and catch a nice breeze with a view down towards the sea – the one on my blog title page. Not only a good, cheap meal at about 35 dhs, but in a city where most people speak 3-5 languages and I have only one useful one, a chat in Japanese with my friend Hatanaka makes me feel a tiny bit less dumb.

It’s on google maps, but easy to find. Walk from Grande Socco up Rue d’Italie all the way to the T-intersection at the top. Turn right and walk in through the Kasbah gate, and follow the wall on your left. Just in front of you where the road makes you follow it to your right in front of the newly renovated and opened Kasbah jail museum, look for the Japanese flag – because that’s a list of things you’d expect to find together!

4 American Fast Food

Only open by about 6 months by a lovely American couple, this also has a simple menu, but again one well worth the visit. I’ll admit I can’t move past the Buffalo wings, but I’ve heard the hamburgers and hotdogs are also very good. My pick is 8 pieces with the sweet chili sauce which is just under 50 dhs for a full meal including fries and drink. Yesterday they had a competition – if you could eat 10 *very* spicey hot wings in 10 minutes, you got them for free, plus a bag of goodies. If you dare, maybe ask if they will give you a go.

From the end of the canons, turn right into the paved street, then left on the next one (which is Rue de Mexique). If the American flag stripes aren’t obvious, you can see MacDonalds a block away.

5 Anji – Chinese restaurant.

Crisp garlic and chili beans and beer above and Peking Chicken to the right.

Left - view from the window of Anji.

Down on the Corniche on the roundabout at the beginning of the beach, which also marks the boardwalk out to Churinguito. I’ve had a range of different dishes here, and my craving for Asian food is satisfied. They are priced from 58 dhs to 128 dhs and up. I’ve had the crispy fried garlic and chili green beans, a version of Peking Duck, some excellent dumplings, spring rolls, noodles and stir fries – and that’s just from the cheap end of the menu. Sit upstairs above the roundabout and enjoy the views of the marina over an ice-cold beer while you wait. They serve beers and alcohol starting from 40 dhs. (Damn – thinking about it just makes me want to go again!)

It's on the roundabout opposite Hotel Miramar. Walk down to the bottom of the medina and follow the beach-harbour-main road to your right away from the ferry, past the yachts to the second roundabout. To your left is the boardwalk to Churinguito and some other café/restaruants, beyond it Marina Bay beach starts. Hotel Marina is on the far corner, Anji is on the corner right next to you.

6 The Italian Palace – getting a little pricier, but a nice place to go, and our usual for special events.

Pizza is cheapest on the menu, starting at around 80-90 dhs. There is pasta and calzone as well – your standard Italian restaurant, and not too bad. Just down from the Iberia roundabout.

Above - pizzas at Casa d’Italie.

Casa d’Italie is on google maps, from the end of Rue d’Italie – the one which runs along the outside of the medina and up the steep hill to the Kasbah (castle) – turn right with your back to the sea. Take the right-most street from Grand Socco, which will take you up through an archway randomly standing in the middle of the road. If you walk along the footpath through the park you will also randomly find tombs in the middle of the pathway. At the corner with the bakery Bouarrakia on your right and another mosque on your left, turn right, then the next one left. It’s on your left on that street. You have to follow the road in and around – but don’t worry, you’re not trespassing, and being tucked away like that is why it is nice and peaceful.

7 Sarayah Food – Indian restaurant. I’ve had food from here once as takeaway, and it was pretty good. I need to go and try it out. Near Hotel Chelah (which has live music in the winter). Dishes are towards the 100dhs mark.

It’s on google maps, but if you walk past the canons, and turn right at the paved street where you can see MacDonalds’ logo. Walk away from the water to MacDonalds. Keep going straight ahead for 2 more blocks. Turn right for one short block, and you will see it to your right from the next corner.

8 Mr Noodles – down in Malabata on the beach from the train station, near Arena Cafe.

The Chinese version of noodles.

I always get one of their noodle specials for just under 100 dhs, which are not too bad. It’s just a block off the beach, and is also close to a Kandinsky’s ice-creams where you can sit with sea views for dessert. There are some other places nearby which look promising. I haven’t tried them, especially a very nice looking café on the corner, but it’s always busy.

9 Tom Yam – I haven’t been here yet, and will update with a review as soon as I have. But it’s been very recommended, and serves alcohol. Thai food, near the Techno Park or UN Square on the Boulevarde.

If you walk down the Boulevarde past the Syrian, it is in the small street one block before the Techno Park, on your right.

10 Le Coeur de Tanger – Tangier’s secret. It’s a tapas bar.

Yes, yes, there are tapas in Spain. But you get the food for free. Yes, I know that – but that is just snacks. Tangier’s secret is that here in the north of Morocco there are places where you buy your drinks and they bring the food for free – loads of it! And they keep on bringing it. I eat here often, sometimes just because I feel like a cold beer with my food.

I usually order 2 beers to ‘pay for the food’. I like Stork which I think has more flavour (4.8%). Speciale has a little bit stronger – 5.2% – and a bit like Heineken. And of course there are your usual range of drinks, all decently priced. They will start with salads – usually potato salad, beetroot salad and tomato and cucumber. Then the fish – many plates, many types, maybe calamari, or prawns/shrimp. Then there will be some grilled meat on skewers, and finally fruit. It varies a little, and you of course can drink as much as you like.

And all the food is free.

Le Petit Berlin is another place which does similar, and there are various pubs that also bring tapas, but these two bring the most food and are cheapest.

It is easy to find – above Café de Paris. From the medina you go across Grand Socco and keep on going, the street to the left of Cinema Rif. It’s about 2 blocks up to the next roundabout and fountain. Café de Paris is right on the corner (a café landmark). Go around it to the canons, turn around and the door is in front of you. Go up the stairs. There’s a part with views over the bay, but I go up and through to the balcony. It’s nice to sit outside to drink.

MY TOP 5 FAVOURITES FOR MOROCCAN FOOD:

I live here, so over time I look for a range of foods, and I seriously miss the Asian flavours and food I have cooked and eaten most of my life. But of course, especially new to Morocco, you want to try some local dishes.

1 Chez Hassan – near the medina and a good price. Besides its appealing red table covers, this has good Moroccan food. I’ve had the excellent seafood tajine, kebab sticks and salad, for under 100 dhs for the meal. My favourite tajine in Morocco is lamb and prune, and on Fridays the tradition is for couscous, which is everywhere.

This one is at the base of the Rue d’Italie hill, which is the street which runs along the outside of the old medina wall from Grand Socco (Cinema Rif) up the hill to the top to the Kasbah (old castle). Chez Hassan is at the base of the hill (so you are saved the climb), right after Abou Tayssir’s Syrian and café Colon, which are across from cinema Alcazar.

2 Bachir’s – for a variety of traditional dishes – including harrara soup, beans, bissara fava bean soup, tajine and couscous of course, and also lots of fish. Cheap and good. From the far end of the canons walk to the next traffic street going right, and 2 blocks down that street (away from the sea). It comes up on google maps.

3 Fresh Seafood restaurants near the harbour – how much more of an ad does such a location need for fish – a heap of seafood restaurants right where the fishing trawlers come in. Grab a big plate of mixed seafood, or anything else you’re inspired to. You can ask for it grilled rather than fried. Add some salads and other details and you’ve got yourself a banquet.

From the ferry terminal roundabout go to your right (away from the medina) along the big road that runs along the sea. In a couple of minutes you get to an area on your right with a heap of restaurants – looks like an industrial space through a wire fence and down some steps. They are all fresh seafood restaurants. Choose the busiest one – the locals already know which ones are best.

4 Coq d’Or – there are many of these chicken places. They offer a BBQ chicken portion dished up on rice with chips and bread. It’s pretty basic, pretty decent, and pretty cheap.

This one is past the cannons towards the Hotel Rembrandt. Keep an eye out on your left. There’s another I know is good right next door to Regine’s night club which is very close to Roxy Café. There are a couple on the main street of the medina.

5 Sandwich shops – These are everywhere. You can have fun finding your favourite. But the one I’ve found which I like best is near Grand Socco (where the fountain and Cinema Rif are). I get the “sandwich poulet” – chicken sandwich – for 25 dhs, but they start from about 8 dhs. The chicken one I like means marinated chicken freshly grilled while you wait, with salad including pickles, and hot chips (see – convenience – you don’t have to juggle the chips as an extra cos they put them right in the sandwich for you! Though you can ask to have them separate.) Sandwich means in a baguette or French stick. They discard the inside as being a waste – which always bemuses me. I’m more used to the fussy kid discarding the crusts.

And of course there are other options – taco means wrapped up in a flat bread with the end result toasted, shawarma includes meat off the kebab. You can even just get a plastic takeaway container filled with salads – including potato salad, beetroot, egg, olives and pickles, grated carrots, onions, lettuce….

So where is this place? At Grand Socco stand in front of Cinema Rif. Take the street on its left. There are 3 shops – 2 tiny ones, this one is the third one. It’s deeper and has a grill at the back, and is usually very crowded – do you need more proof! It’s called Annasr.

Another type of food place are the little ones which literally serve up a single dish, or a small number of standard ones. They are holes in the wall found all over the place, especially in markets. For water, there will be a cup next to a jug of water for anyone who wants a drink. Sometimes they will simply serve harira soup with bread and a plate of pickles. Others will have a small selection of fish etc to choose from. You will also see terracotta water tubs along the street, with one cup attached for anyone who is thirsty.

One of these has the best harira soup – so good, I go there just to have some. Harira is a tomato based vegetable soup. There is no fancy way to describe it, but it is an excellent soup. From Grand Socco, go into Rue d’Italie – the one through the arch. On your right a few shops down is a tiny one with an  orange front. It won’t open before midday, but is open late, past midnight. They also have decent sandwiches, but nothing beats the harira soup with fresh baguette bread. That will set you back a whole 6 dirhams – all of 60 cents.

I am maybe a little thin on the Moroccan places, but I eat good food at home. My flatmate cooks Levantine food - from Jordan, Syria and Egypt, and I cook Asian, from China, Japan and Thailand.

Enjoy your dinner!

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