Essaouira is a hip coastal town with a beautiful countryside at the Atlantic Coast. This small charming town offers something for everyone and is great for shopping, surfing, yoga, relaxed spa visits, exploring the nearby beaches and tasty food. The variety in the harbor front restaurants is enormous and Essaouira offers a real Moroccan vacation vibe. Slow down, feel the wind and enjoy this relaxed pace of life.
Essaouira Lodge – Perfect green getaway
When you are looking for a warm swimming pool, surrounded by a tropical garden full of flowers, good coffee and a big breakfast buffet take a 15-minute ride outside town and beautify yourself in this green heaven. Avoid the bubbling city vibe for a while and relax. Essaouira Lodge has everything you need. Cook your own food in the kitchen, sip cocktails from a very reasonable priced menu and join the yoga sessions in their own studio. One of the best things in this natural environment: almost no wind! Read your books, write a good story and if you want to dive into the city life again there is free shuttle to drop you in the heart of the medina. This place is perfect for a weekend escape!
Ocean Vagabond – Delicious fish break at the beach
The ocean vagabond concept was born because of Essaoura’s melting pot of cultures, scents and colors on this windy coastline. French owner Marie understood what this town needed: a well-decorated beach bar with a luxury twist. The daily menu varies depending on the catch of the day and the pastries from Samira. The wood oven pizzas are delicious as well as the sandwiches and salads. But our choice was fish and it was finger licking good!! Gently grilled accompanied with salad and french fries. The savoury tarts are yummy!! In front of you the camels take a rest and this place is perfect for a little escape in between your surf session.
La Table by Madada – Best fine dining in Essaouira!
Once in a while you stumble upon places where everything just fits. Located under the magnificent stone arches of an ancient carob warehouse La Table is one of those places! The interior is a well-chosen mix of Moroccan design and modern style. The staff, the ambiance and very important, the food is everything you expect when talking about fine dining. Start your dinner with a glass of high quality champaign, enjoy an amuse and make sure you order something with fish: La Table is famous for it’s spider crab gratin for ten years now! Freshly caught and locally- sourced they serve the best fish menu of the city. Combined with a symphony of tantalizing Moroccan dishes this is a restaurant you do not want to skip. It’s wonderful to enjoy a warm and cozy dinner in a place where the art of dishing up is so well understood!
Make time in your schedule to visit the Le comptoir Oriental by Madada; an amazing vintage and design boutique a few steps from the restaurant. Looking for that original Moroccan style in chairs? Beware, you will find them!
Megaloft – Dining & Decoration well combined
In a vintage loft, found a little outside of the heart of the medina; Megaloft is a reasonable priced place to enjoy lunch or dinner. If the awards where given for original interior design we have a winner! Who chooses baskets on the ceiling? Or a bar designed like a piano? Owner Othman Chic is an interior lover with a big passion for food. The dishes are tasty and the drinks original. They serve a fish menu and the Moroccan dishes we know with a unique twist. Order the lamb tajine and find out how they mix it up with caramelized pear!
No alcohol is served.
Beach and Friends – Lunch for everyone
This is a great place to meet up with your friends. While taking a break from surfing you can sit back and relax. It is a well-chosen menu with a mix of western and traditional dishes. Budget meals are possible! Beach and Friends have the best burgers in town and they serve great wood fired pizzas. The salads are mouthwatering and they are a perfect lunch break during your surf hours. All kinds of cocktails are served. Beach and friends is right next to the beach and one of the neighbors of our favourite surf spot Explora. On it’s colorful terrace you can enjoy the sunset after your day in the water. Get yourself some snacks from their tapas menu and listen to live music.
Taros – Cocktails and dinner with perfect view? Yes please!
This Greek looking bar & restaurant is a popular meeting place. They have a busy gallery and bookshop and offer their guests much more then food and drinks. A night out in Taros is an adventure. The variety in performances is big and every night they surprise you with new international, local or Moroccan music. Sipping your Bloody Mary while the sea gulls sough around you; Taros is hot. Their fish menu is outstanding and a big yay for this: they have a sushi bar!
One of our favorite places to enjoy a great sunset dinner. Prepare for staying long!
Umia – Fancy the French cuisine
Mixed feelings when it comes to this small and beautiful restaurant. When we arrived delicious smells where coming from the kitchen, the tables are nicely decorated and the interior is minimalistic and suites that French cuisine style. The wine list is good and the advice we got with our chosen dish was great! I couldn’t help noticing that the owner was a bit stressed. Maybe it was rush hour, but in my opinion fine dining is all about time and care as well as the quality of food that matters the most. The food was outstanding in appearance. The dishes on the menu are classic and typically French. The duck I ordered was extremely well prepared and the deserts we got where the best! Really yummy and tasteful with a glass of red wine. The ambiance was suppressed by the stress we felt, but when you are looking for good French cuisine, you should definitely visit Umia.
Written by Hannah Sophia
