Morocco
Eating in Morocco: following the day in the medina
In Morocco, your day revolves around meals. Not just because you are hungry, but because eating here is a ritual: a moment to slow down, meet people, or simply watch how others live. September is warm, so you eat differently than in the winter. These are the moments when you truly sit down to eat.
7 September 2026 · Wayloha editorial · 5 sources
Breakfast in the riad
Your day begins in your riad, that traditional house with a courtyard. Breakfast here is peaceful and tailored to what you need before you enter the medina. This is your advantage: you are not dependent on whatever you encounter on the road.
Most visitors make the mistake of going straight to the street to eat there. Why? The riad is the place where you truly relax, where the cook makes things just for you, and where there is no rush. Many riads cost around 20 euros per night: breakfast is included.
- Eat your breakfast in the riad, not on the street.
- Fill a reusable bottle with filtered water for the day.
Making tea in Morocco is not a rush: it is a conversation.Morocco
Tea between activities
A few hours after breakfast, you will be offered tea: in a riad, in a souk, or wherever you happen to be sitting. This moment is not casual. The making and pouring of tea is an important part of Moroccan hospitality. You take your time with it.
The mistake many visitors make is rushing. They see it as a quick drink and want to move on. But you are looking at something people here actually do: a ritual. Watch how it is prepared, how it is poured from high up (that is part of it), and how someone honours their guests with this moment.
- Watch closely how the tea is prepared - it is not an accident.
- Take the time that it requires.
Lunch around midday
People here eat lunch around noon or 1pm. Not earlier. Local restaurants then slowly fill up with people, not just tourists. This is your moment to have a real meal, not the grey 'tourist menu' from a little shop on the square.
Look for the smaller markets, such as in Essaouira or around the medina where you are staying. That is where the local eateries are. You will see it immediately: where many Moroccans eat, you pay a fair price for good food. The menu is often not even hanging on the wall.
- Eat where Moroccans eat, not where the tourists are.
- Lunch around noon, when the restaurants are just opening.
Evening walk and dinner
Once the afternoon has passed, the medina changes. The heat fades away and people head outside. Djemaa El Fna, the large square in Marrakesh, becomes busy. This is not just for eating: it is for watching, for feeling how the day ends.
People here eat dinner quite late, but not in the middle of the night. Restaurants open as early as 7pm. This is your moment to see what the lives of others look like. Just make sure you do not have valuable belongings lying in plain sight while you eat. Not because you need to be afraid, but because it is sensible.
- Keep valuable items out of sight.
- Go to eat when you are actually hungry, not just because it is mealtime.
Water: what you really must do now
This is separate from the meals, but it is the most important thing. Do not drink tap water. Not because Morocco is unsafe, but because your stomach is not used to those bacteria. It is not unpleasant. It is simply sensible.
- Buy a large reusable bottle and fill it with filtered water.
- Ask in your riad where you can get safe water.
