A Week of Bites in Casablanca. Eat Like A Local in Casablanca - Morocco

After one week in Casablanca visiting local friends, here are the top food spots you can’t miss that locals love:

Au Relais de Paris

A brasserie-like restaurant inspired by the famous Le Relais de Venise - L'Entrecôte. This restaurant allows you to order the regular menu, consisting of fries and a deliciously cut beef entrecôte which is accompanied by the signature secret sauce and served with a side of salad. 

This brasserie has a large range of choices for if you are interested in something other than the regular menu, such as fish and meat. The Stockfish Oil Pasta is a filling meal whose taste will take you to the beautiful coast, or you can choose the Beef Carpaccio with its light but tasty seasoning, which melts in your mouth with its thin, tender slices. 

As for dessert, Au Relais de Paris offers a wide range of choice: but the French Toast is definitely recommended, especially if you fancy caramel! You will be able to dive in this dessert and have a sweet finish to your meal.

Royal Mansour Hotel - la Grande Table Marocaine

This restaurant is on the 23rd floor of the hotel with a great view on the Medina and the beautiful Hassan II Mosque. The interior is designed to immerse you in a luxurious Moroccan environment, all while experiencing a culinary adventure through the different meals. For starters, try the mix of different Moroccan salads, each with a variety of different flavours ranging from sweet to salty, all filled with a multitude of different spices you have certainly never tried before. 

If you enjoy seafood, give the seafood pastilla a try. It's a pie made with warqa dough, stuffed with a variety of flavors such as lobster and shellfish, but also rice and vegetables. The lamb shoulder M'choui with smoked butter is cooked for 24 hours non-stop, giving it a soft texture that melts in your mouth. It is then roasted for 20 minutes – giving it a golden glaze – before being served with caramelised spiced potatoes.

To top it all with dessert, the pastilla with milk cream is rich, with a mix of crunchy and soft textures all coated with a thin layer of gold. Additionally, enjoy the orange cream with a fresh, homemade scoop of mandarin sorbet. This restaurant will take you on a culinary trip of the savoury Moroccan flavors and traditional meals.

McDonalds 

As crazy as this seems, the McDonalds here does not disappoint! The menu obviously has the originals, but it has its little local add-ons that are surprisingly good. The chicken wrap with the honey mustard sauce is a mix of their original chicken nuggets with a local twist, a mix of sweet and savory just like many of the local dishes here. For the sides, there is a varied ranged choice, including the fried gouda cheese squares that have the perfect crunch with an insta worthy cheese pull, or the spicy chicken McNuggets cooked with peppers to add more flavor to their regular recipe. 

Joy Bakery

A little, cosy bakery where you can get soft buns and little pastries. They all look amazing, and taste just as good! The Salted Caramel Mini Cake does not disappoint with its creamy texture on the inside, while wrapped in a thin but crunchy biscuit. If you enjoy lemon tart, their mini one is delicious! With its large layer of lemon cream that is very light but full of flavor, it is the perfect addition to your meal! There is the raspberry tart, with a thick biscuit base and a generous layer of raspberries which adds sweetness to the pastry’s cream, creating a delightful mix of flavors. Last but not least, the black forest cakes are perfect if you fancy chocolate: it is an airy chocolate-flavoured whipped cream wrapped in a thin chocolate shell, with a rich chocolate base. The taste of this mini cake does not disappoint with its balance of creamy and chocolate flavor.

Baggli

You probably heard about the viral Dubai Chocolate. Well, in this small ice-cream shop, you can buy ice cream inspired by this chocolate! The ice-cream is topped with a thick layer of chocolate that you have to break through before diving into the ice cream. Behind this layer is hidden a chocolate ice cream the likes of which you have never tried before! It melts in your mouth with a tiny hint of pistachio flavor and most importantly, the Knafeh. Knafeh is the little stringy part that makes this rich and hearty middle-eastern treat unforgettable.

Home Cooked

Casablanca offers a great range of different foods you can try, from their restaurants to local cafès. But at the end of the day, nothing beats a home-cooked meal. For breakfast there is Baghrir: a Moroccan pancake with tiny little holes which you can top with honey; it melts in your mouth while you eat it! Or some Msemen, which is similar to pancakes but thinner and crunchier. You can also have some hard-boiled eggs with cumin (a type of spice) and salt, but if you prefer fried eggs you can have them with Khlea, which is dried pieces of lamb and/or beef. As for the other meals, the starters always involve a variety of different salads, especially with braised seasonal vegetables. Another typical homemade dish is Briouats: it looks like a Nem (fried spring roll) and can be stuffed with a variety of different things – such as veggies or cheese. To top it off, there are obviously the worldwide known Moroccan meals couscous and tagine, of which there are plenty to choose from depending on the meat or toppings you prefer. My personal favorite is the chicken tagine with prunes and apricots for a delicious sweet and savory taste, all topped with slowly cooked vegetables such as carrots, zucchini and many more to add softness to this delicious meal.

Overall this beautiful city in Morocco has a wide range of restaurants that can help you try all sorts of delicious foods. Make sure to give them a try during your visit to Casablanca!