Rabat, Morocco: Eating, Drinking, & Studying

This place holds quite a special place in my heart as it became my home for 4 months. It is definitely the craziest, most exciting, and most challenging place I’ve ever lived in but I am so grateful for the family and the experiences I gained (especially in the realm of eating!). If you get the chance to study abroad here or just visit for a trip, I now like to say I have all the recs. In this post, I'll give you the inside scoop on what to eat, where you can drink, and how to get any work done!

RESTAURANTS

Eating in Morocco is not like eating in most other countries; you’ll be surrounded by food that looks delicious but that you shouldn’t eat and food that you wouldn’t normally take a second glance at but should definitely dig your teeth into.

If you want to order food, Glovo is the way to go. It’s the Moroccan Postmates but your food usually comes on the back of a scooter and costs about 5 US dollars for a full meal.

Sushi Box: yummy sushi, safe to eat (which is important when ordering sushi in Morocco)

Yamal Al Sham: Syrian food; must get the falafel and hummus!

Il Giardino: Italian place that also serves wine!

Eathai: dank pad thai & spring rolls

Casa Jose: Spanish tapas and sangria/wine; fun for a group night out

Babel: hole in the wall falafel for around 20dh (2 US dollars)

Ty Potes: crepes, salads, and sandwiches with cute outdoor patio!

Dar Naji: resturant with great view of the beach; serves traditional Moroccan food along with a lot of dancing and music

CAFES/STUDY SPOTS

Starbucks in Agdal: when you need a sense of America and an overpriced iced coffee, Starbucks is always loyal

Paul Agdal: PAUL is my whole heart and soul. Shoutout to their hot chocolate, pastries, and nice staff that let me charge my laptop behind the register <3

La Casa di Carta: I still don’t know if the men in there liked us or were making fun of our attempts at Arabic but they make a delicious iced coffee latte and have cozy chairs to study in

(P.S: please go upstairs to the bathroom and tell me if the skinny mirror is still there)

Label Suisse: cute Swiss cafe with different flavored hot chocolate and the sweetest owner

Carrion Café: great study spot near the train station, a lot of outlets and good coffee options

OUT ON THE TOWN

Alcohol is technically illegal for Moroccans, but you can still find young people out at bars and the few clubs. I would compare it to underage drinking in the U.S (not allowed but you know it still happens)

Le Dhow: boat bar on the pier

Upstairs: Irish pub in Agdal with fun music

Borj Eddar Restaurant: aka "wine bar near the beach"

Puzzles: bar in Agdal

So Lounge: club in the Sofitel, bouncers were difficult, but we were able to haggle them to let our big group in for free because of the number of girls we had

The Cave: One of the few alcohol stores in Rabat; attached to the Carrefour on Avenue Moulay Ismail (right near the IES Center)

TRADITIONAL MOROCCAN FOOD

• Couscous: Every Friday after prayer all Moroccan families eat couscous together! Yes, you'll all eat out of the same plate (some with their hands), but make sure to only take from your section

• Tagine

• Pastries and Fruit: Dessert in Morocco will include a lot of cookies (homemade of course!) and whatever fruits are in season, which for the fall months are pomegranates and oranges!

• Mint Tea (ah-shay binana!): Morocco will make you into an expert tea-pourer

• Meloui: top with nutella, peanut butter, jam, butter, or zeet zeetoon (olive oil)!

• Harira: traditional Moroccan soup

• A traditional Moroccan meal will usually start with khubz (bread), olives, lentils, eggplant, potatoes, carrots, beets --PS: make sure to ask for zeet zeetoon afek (olive oil please!)