OZU /MOROCCO /CASABLANCA /GUIDE
Eating in Casablanca: fish and the market
2 h route3 stopsBest: The Central Market, at midday, any dayUpdated July 2026
An Atlantic port of four million people: what you eat here is fish, not tagines for tourists. The cooking is standard Moroccan but with the sea in front, and without the theatre of Marrakech’s medina.
The best food in the city is in the Central Market: you pick your fish at the fishmonger and they grill it at the stall next door for very little. There’s no five-language menu and nobody touts you at the door.
The route, stop by stop
3 STOPS- 01
The Central Market
A 1917 market in the colonial centre where the whole city shops: mountains of Atlantic fish, spices, olives and nuts. Every Casablancan knows the trick and almost no tourist does.
You choose your fish or shellfish at the fishmonger, they weigh it and charge you, and take it to the stall next door, which grills it over coals for a few coins and serves it at a plastic table.
It’s the best food in Casablanca and one of the best in Morocco.
- 02
The Corniche and Aïn Diab
The seafront gathers the fish restaurants with views, the cafés and the bars where young Casablanca goes out. It’s pricier than the market and less authentic, but you dine looking at the Atlantic and the lit mosque. It’s also where you’ll find alcohol as a matter of course, which is scarce in the rest of the country. It’s the part of the city that most resembles any Mediterranean coast.
- 03
What to order
Here fish rules: grilled sardines (Morocco is the world’s largest sardine exporter), sea bass, prawns and squid, all Atlantic and same-day. With bread, tomato salad and cumin, and that’s it. Of the Moroccan classics: harira, pastilla and tagine are all here too, of course. And for something sweet, go up to Habous: its patisseries are the best in the country, with gazelle horns and chebakia.
Frequently asked
Where to eat well in Casablanca?
In the Central Market: you pick your fish at the fishmonger and they grill it at the stall next door for very little. It’s the best food in the city and where locals eat. The Corniche has restaurants with Atlantic views, pricier.
What do you eat in Casablanca?
Atlantic fish, above all: grilled sardines, sea bass, prawns and squid. Morocco is the world’s largest sardine exporter. Also the classic Moroccan repertoire (harira, pastilla, tagine) and the pastries of Habous.
Is there alcohol in Casablanca?
Yes, more than in the rest of Morocco: on the Corniche and in Aïn Diab there are licensed bars and restaurants as a matter of course, and in hotels too. Outside those areas it’s scarce, as everywhere in the country.