Street Vendors, Marrakesh

If you can't decipher the menu boards, (Most are in Arabic and/or French) The food is displayed, so just point to what you fancy!

This display is at Aichas Number 1, but other stalls have similar displays, all painstakingly arranged each evening!

(Please see my Djemma el Fnaa Things to do tips - p5 for more information)

Favorite Dish: I enjoyed freshly cooked brochettes, tagines, cous cous, harissa soup, potato cakes, and the sauces with bread to dip in.

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The very first night, right after landing on African soil and leaving our luggage in our Riad we wondered few blocks to the Djemaa el-Fna Square. After walking 3 times around the food stalls and trying to figure out what is what, and how should we approach our supper we gave up and ate at stall # 117 or 114 or was it ....113??? No, 142... Who knows.....
The food was great. We had some local fish, as a matter of fact about 3 kinds of local fish, we also had plenty of vegetables, cold bottled water, and God knows what else on our plates and silverware that everybody knows is not washed but just wiped with a white packing paper.

Favorite Dish: I was looking for any signs of a stomach sickness but did not found any so I guess I can say .... I enjoyed everything I ate that night.

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Ive eaten amongst the stalls several times and not had any side effects nor heard of any - despite my Moroccan acquaintances refusals to eat there choosing nearby also budget appealing Cafe Toubkal - but thats another tip story!

As for the stalls here in the main square - its all part of the action and fun of experiencing being in the centre of Marrakech - these stalls/outdoor restaurants start getting busy from about 5pm through till about 1130 pm - unless its Ramadan and the place can be busier till much later.

Ive heard of recommendations vying to stall Number 1 - which i have tried a couple of times - i dont really think it makes a lot of difference - you can roam around and look for a stall that catches your eye for selection, price and menu. Each stall tends to have piles of fresh looking and colourfully appealing meats and vegetables waiting to be cooked for your dinner!

Ive usually had the fried aubergine (repeat portions at times as i love aubergine and though sometimes its done over oily its pretty good!) with brochettes. ie cubed meat cooked on skewers or sticks.
Be mindful that if they place bread and condiments at your table
setting such as olives and sauces and so on they come with a charge as well.

Ive generally had no problems eating salads at restaurants around Morocco - especially the regular menu items Salade Nicoise or Salade Morocaine which are delicious salads - Ive generally tended to stay away from uncooked veges here in this environment. (though i do frequently drink the freshly squeezed orange juice but its always with question in the back of my head whether this is the time that i end up with ........)

Favorite Dish: Fried aubergine, beef brochettes.

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There are many food stalls in Djemaa el Fna, and every visitor should try to eat there at least once. It is part of the Marrakech experience. The food is cheap - usually DH30 for a main dish, such as tajine or couscous- but not especially good. The vendors tend to use the cheapest possible ingredients and as little meat as possible. I had a pastilla (pigeon pie) here, which had no more than a teaspoonful of pigeon in it. It was nearly all pastry. Nevertheless it was a fun place to sit.

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When in Marrakech, eating at the food stalls on Djemaa El Fna square is an absolute must!

Hundreds of stalls set up in the square each evening, offering a selection of tasty meals at ridiculously cheap prices. Competition is fierce and each stall will try to entice you to eat there with promises of the best food in town! The touts have clearly been working on their sales pitch - I was met with shouts of "Marks and Spencers quality food", "our food is sound as a pound/lovely jubbly" and "cheaper than Asda prices".

In truth, I was a little apprehensive about eating food from street vendors. Each stall displays its raw meat out in the open, with flies buzzing around. So, the first time I ventured down to Djemaa El Fna I decided I'd just eat my meal....and then see if I was ill the next morning! I'm happy to report that I ate at the food stalls at Djemaa El Fna on several occasions and never suffered any illness at all.

On my final night in Marrakech, during a visit to the city in February 2007, I ate at #93: Chez Bienvenue (each stall has a unique number and name).

Similar to the stalls that I had eaten at earlier on in my stay, the food on offer here consisted of whole chickens, beef, lamb and chicken kebabs, meat steaks, merguez sausages, shrimps, calamari, French fries, couscous, eggplant and salads. The set up was identical to that of countless other stalls on the square, with dozens of diners sat shoulder to shoulder on benches around the stall.

I sat next to two brothers from Birmingham, one of whom had just finished eating a plate of sheep brains prior to my arrival.

Favorite Dish: The hygienic standards at the food stalls in the Djemaa El Fna always looked a bit questionable to me. This was highlighted during the course of my meal at Chez Bienvenue, when a large pile of mince meat fell from the stall onto the concrete below. The owner picked it up and dusted it down, while the tourists looked knowingly at each other as to what he was about to do with it. Sure enough, the meat was placed back on the stall awaiting its consumption by an unsuspecting customer!

My meal at Chez Bienvenue consisted of:

- The ubiquitous complimentary piece of round bread and a plate of diced tomatoes and onions;

- Fried shrimps: a large plate of tasty shrimps served with a slice of lemon;

- Chicken kebabs: 6 skewers of tender, well cooked chicken

- A bottle of Coca Cola;

- A glass of sweet mint tea.

The total cost of my meal was just 75 Dhs (approx. 4.50 GBP).

As I've said in my other tips about the various food stalls at Djemaa El Fna, eating at these no frills stalls and mingling with the locals is probably my overriding memory of my stay in Marrakech and the best way to experience the city and its people!

Cheap, tasty shrimps and kebabs in an amazing setting! Highly recommended!!

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When in Marrakech, eating at the food stalls on Djemaa El Fna square is an absolute must!

Hundreds of stalls set up in the square each evening, offering a selection of tasty meals at ridiculously cheap prices. Competition is fierce and each stall will try to entice you to eat there with promises of the best food in town! The touts have clearly been working on their sales pitch - I was met with shouts of "Marks and Spencers quality food", "our food is sound as a pound/lovely jubbly" and "cheaper than Asda prices".

In truth, I was a little apprehensive about eating food from street vendors. Each stall displays its raw meat out in the open, with flies buzzing around. So, the first time I ventured down to Djemaa El Fna I decided I'd just eat my meal....and then see if I was ill the next morning! I'm happy to report that I ate at the food stalls at Djemaa El Fna on several occasions and never suffered any illness at all.

One of the stalls that I visited during my trip in February 2007 was #42: Rachida (each stall has its own number and name).

On this occasion I was beckoned in by the waiter who insisted on showing me the range of food available at Rachida. He took me by the hand and led me along a line of raw meat (sausages, whole chickens, lamb and beef kebabs), fish, shrimps, calamari, couscous, eggplant and plates of salad. I told him that I'd have a look around and come back later, but he offered me a complimentary glass of mint tea (or "Moroccan Whisky" as he referred to it!) while I studied the menu - and I relented and agreed to eat there.

I took a seat on one of the empty benches (quite a rarity at Djemaa El Fna where you usually have to battle for elbow room with neighbouring diners!) and received my glass of mint tea along with a paper place mat, a piece of round bread and a tomato dip.

Favorite Dish: I ordered a plate of fried shrimps and a bottle of Fanta orange. After a few minutes, I received a plate half filled with fried shrimps...and half filled with calamari. I picked at the calmari, but ate very little of it. The shrimps, on the other hand, were very tasty and I soon emptied that half of my plate. The waiter saw that I wasn't eating the calamari and apologised for assuming that I wanted it. He then ordered one of the cooks to serve me another handful of shrimps, which arrived a few minutes later.

After polishing off my additional shrimps, Rachid brought me another glass of mint tea. I sat back and watched the spectacle around me - hundreds of food stalls selling cheap, tasty food, thousands of people (locals and tourists alike) mingling, the sound of drums being played and the smell of meat being cooked. Eating at the food stalls of Djemaa El Fna really is one of the things that you must do to *experience* Marrakech!

The total cost of my meal (shrimps, calamari, bread, tomato dip, bottle of Fanta orange and 2 glasses of refreshing mint tea) was just 40 Dhs (approx. 2.50 GBP)!!

Eating at the food stalls of Djemaa El Fna is one of the best ways to really experience Marrakech and to meet its people! Many of the food stalls offer similar food, but each has its own character - be sure to drop by #42 Rachida to try the delicious fried shrimps! Highly recommended!!

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When in Marrakech, eating at the food stalls on Djemaa El Fna square is an absolute must!

Hundreds of stalls set up in the square each evening, offering a selection of tasty meals at ridiculously cheap prices. Competition is fierce and each stall will try to entice you to eat there with promises of the best food in town! The touts have clearly been working on their sales pitch - I was met with shouts of "Marks and Spencers quality food", "our food is sound as a pound/lovely jubbly" and "cheaper than Asda prices".

In truth, I was a little apprehensive about eating food from street vendors. Each stall displays its raw meat out in the open, with flies buzzing around. So, the first time I ventured down to Djemaa El Fna I decided I'd just eat my meal....and then see if I was ill the next morning! I'm happy to report that I ate at the food stalls at Djemaa El Fna on several occasions and never suffered any illness at all.

The first stall that attracted my custom was #81 Chez Abdessalam (each stall has a number and a name). I took a seat at one of the benches, shoulder to shoulder with other diners (eating at Djemaa El Fna is not for the claustrophobic!), and received a complimentary bread roll, a tomato dip and a paper place mat. The guidebooks recommend that you use your bread as an alternative to cutlery as most people who fall sick from eating at the stalls do so because of utentils that are rinsed and reused.

The menu at Chez Abdessalam includes soups, salad, fish, mixed seafood, sausages, couscous, eggplant, lamb, chicken and beef kebabs.

Favorite Dish: My meal at Chez Abdessalam was as follows:

- Complimentary bread (a round piece of bread, ideal for soaking up sauces and dips). This was standard at all the stalls I visited;

- A tomato based dip with a hint of aniseed to it;

- A plate of olives;

- A plate of French fries. Very nice - thin and salty;

- Mixed kebabs: 6 kebabs on long skewers (2 each with chicken, beef and lamb - with red and green peppers and onions), 3 small sausages (of unknown meat, but very well cooked!) and a piece of lamb. All the meat was extremely well cooked and for the most part was good quality. The chicken kebabs were nicer than the beef or lamb ones, but all were pretty good!

- A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Ice cold and very refreshing.

- A complimentary glass of mint tea, served with the mint leaf still in the glass. Very tasty and surprisingly refreshing!

The total cost of my meal was just 50 Dhs (approx. 3 GBP).

Superb value food and a unique atmosphere! Eating at the food stalls of Djemaa El Fna is an absolute must! You could do worse than #81: Chez Abdessalam! Highly recommended!!

When the night falls, all the story-tellers, acrobats and snake charmers disappear from Djema el Fnaa and give way to the food stalls which will soon fill the air swith smoke and grilled meat and spices scents.

Favorite Dish: If you do not feel confident about your stomach being resistant to the street food in Marrakesh (which is the case for many Westerners), the best option is to watch the scene from one of the many cafe terraces that overlook the square while sipping a thé à la menthe.

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There's a small shop that sells chiche kebab and small individual tagines (see pix) near the Riad des Arts, which was quite OK for a snack. I think it was 5 dinars for whatever (one stick of chiche kebab, or one tagine, with bread and tomato "salsa" type salad on the side), I have no idea whether this is normal or tourist price. Nothing great and not shining clean, but fresh and safe and the people although not wreathed in smiles are OK. If you're staying in the neighborhood in a Riad, it's a nice change from either the bad and expensive terrace restaurants of Djama El Fna or the food in the Riads. Practically only local people eat there (rather uncomfortable, perched on narrow high chairs at a counter) and tourists usually seem to buy chiche kebab sandwiches. It's better to eat there though and get a tagine.

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If you want to eat cheap, authentic, and beneath the stars, the food stalls are the way to go. However, how you decide on which one to partake of is up to you, there are SO MANY and they're all oh so friendly as they try and persuade you to have a seat at their little eatery. We chose one that was extremely crowded as we assumed this was a good sign.

They squeezed us in on one of the long, skinny tables with bench seating between two other dining parties. Then asked us what we'd like in French, and when I say they, I mean multiple people, all surrounding us apparently dying to take our order. ;-) Unfortunately my vision is not as good as I'd like and I was having a difficult time reading the posted menu, perhaps the delicious smoke pouring forth from the grills added to my inability. I simply said "poulet, poisson, legumes, salade?" And within SECONDS they were bringing us a thousand little dishes of Moroccan salads, couscous, bread, dips for the bread, etc. etc. And shortly thereafter that, skewers of chicken and fish and beef (for Tim). The food just kept coming.

The people sitting next to us finished eating and we watched them negotiate their bill (yes, bargaining here too) and then a nice lone French guy sat in their place and we watched him get greeted/affronted by a swarm of waiters. ;-)

It was A LOT of fun, chaos and good food in the most unique atmosphere ever. Kind of felt like a picnic with a bunch of strangers.

Favorite Dish: I love love love all the little salads and bread and dips they give you!