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Food tours in Casablanca: what to eat and which tour to book
Casablanca is Morocco's working city, and its food reflects that: fast, cheap breakfasts of msemen and harira, Atlantic fish and oysters sold and cooked at the Marché Central, couscous on Fridays, and a café culture inherited from the French era. It is less about medina stalls than Marrakech or Fez and more about busy neighbourhood snack bars, seafood grills by the port and pastry shops in the Habous quarter. Food here is almost entirely halal, and alcohol is available only in licensed bars, hotels and some restaurants.
Use this page to know what to order and where, with rough 2026 prices in Moroccan dirhams (about 10–11 MAD to the euro). The tours shown are real GetYourGuide listings, with prices as seen when we checked; confirm the price, inclusions and meeting point on the booking page before you pay.
What to eat in Casablanca
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it | Typical price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harira حريرة (harira) | Tomato, lentil and chickpea soup with herbs, often with a little meat, eaten with dates and a sweet pastry. Daily breakfast or supper food, and the dish that breaks the fast during Ramadan. | Small snack bars and cafés in the old medina, around the Marché Central and in residential neighbourhoods. | roughly 5–15 MAD a bowl |
| Flatbread pancakes مسمن (msemen) / بغرير (baghrir) | Msemen is a square, layered, pan-fried flatbread; baghrir is a spongy semolina pancake full of holes. Both are eaten at breakfast with honey and butter or soft cheese. | Street griddles and bakeries in the morning, especially in the old medina and around Derb Sultan. | about 2–6 MAD each |
| Grilled fish and seafood سمك مشوي (samak mechoui) | Sardines, sole, prawns, calamari and other Atlantic fish grilled or fried, served with salad and bread. At the market you can often choose your fish and have it cooked. | The small grill restaurants inside and beside the Marché Central on Boulevard Mohammed V, and the fishing-port restaurants by the port. | roughly 50–150 MAD per person depending on the fish; priced by weight for larger fish |
| Oysters huîtres | Oysters from Oualidia and Dakhla, shucked to order and eaten with lemon. | The fish section under the octagonal cupola of the Marché Central, where they are opened on the spot. | roughly 40–90 MAD a dozen, depending on size and seller |
| Couscous كسكس (seksu) | Steamed semolina with a broth of meat and seven vegetables; traditionally the family meal after Friday prayers. Many restaurants only serve it on Friday. | Moroccan restaurants and simple eateries across the city, on Fridays. | roughly 40–90 MAD a plate in a simple restaurant |
| Tagine طاجين (tajine) | Slow-cooked stew in a conical clay pot: chicken with preserved lemon and olives, beef or lamb with prunes, or kefta (meatballs) with egg. | Everyday restaurants in the medina and the city centre; local places are cheaper than hotel restaurants on the Corniche. | roughly 40–90 MAD |
| Bissara بيصارة (bissara) | Thick dried broad-bean or split-pea soup topped with olive oil, cumin and paprika, a cheap winter breakfast for workers. | Hole-in-the-wall eateries in working neighbourhoods and the medina, mostly in the morning. | about 5–12 MAD a bowl |
| Mint tea and Moroccan pastries أتاي (atay), كعب الغزال (kaab el ghazal) | Sweet green tea with fresh mint, poured from a height, with almond pastries such as gazelle horns (kaab el ghazal) and fekkas biscuits. | Cafés everywhere; the pastry shops of the Habous quarter (Nouvelle Medina) are the best known for traditional sweets. | about 8–20 MAD a tea; pastries sold by the kilo at roughly 100–250 MAD |
Where to eat: markets and neighbourhoods
Marché Central, Boulevard Mohammed V
Covered market completed in 1917 in the colonial centre, opposite the Marché Central tram stop. Fish and seafood (with oysters shucked on the spot), fruit, herbs, spices, olives, butchers and flowers, plus small restaurants that grill your fish. A popular lunch spot for both Casablancans and visitors.
Habous quarter (Quartier Habous)
The 'new medina' built in the 1920s–30s, with olive and spice sellers, traditional pastry shops and bookshops. Quieter and tidier than the old medina.
Old medina
The walled old town next to the port, with breakfast griddles, harira and bissara counters, snail-soup carts and fish stalls. Rougher around the edges than other Moroccan medinas.
Fishing port (Port de pêche)
Restaurants on and next to the fishing port serve fish that has just been landed, from simple grills to well-known seafood restaurants.
Ain Diab and the Corniche
The ocean-front strip west of the centre with beach clubs, cafés, international restaurants and lounge bars. Good for a sunset coffee; food is more expensive and less traditional.
Maârif
Busy commercial district with snack bars, Moroccan fast food (sandwiches of kefta, merguez and liver), cafés and patisseries used by local office workers and students.
Food tours in Casablanca compared
Every tour below is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 2 Oct 2026. Prices move with season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the booking page.
| Tour | Length | Price* | Group | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casablanca : Traditional Moroccan Cooking Class with Locals | 4 hours | from €56 per person | max 10 | Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients. | Check dates |
| Casablanca City Night Tour and Traditional Moroccan Dinner | 4 hours | from €59 per person | — | Evening eaters who want dinner and drinks rolled into one, plus the city after dark. | Check dates |
| Cook Moroccan Food & Try on Traditional Clothes like a local | 4 hours | from €53 per person | max 10 | Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients. | Check dates |
| Casablanca: Central Market Food Tour with Tastings and Lunch | 3.5 hours | from €88 per person | — | Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source. | Check dates |
| 1-Day Casablanca & Mohammadia. Moroccan Lunch and Camel Ride | 7 hours | from €226 per person | private | Couples, families or friends who want the route and pace set around them. | Check dates |
Casablanca : Traditional Moroccan Cooking Class with Locals
On GetYourGuide · run by Discover with Inas
- Length
- 4 hours
- Price
- from €56 per person
- Rating
- 5.0 ★ from 32 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 10
- Included
- Hands-on traditional Moroccan cooking class Preparation of iconic Moroccan dishes like tagine or couscous or pastilla Use of fresh, local ingredients Cultural immersion experience Shared meal with the local family Tra…
- Suits
- Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients.
- Starts
- BIM Attacharok
Casablanca City Night Tour and Traditional Moroccan Dinner
On GetYourGuide · run by Premium Transfers & Tours
- Length
- 4 hours
- Price
- from €59 per person
- Rating
- 4.5 ★ from 357 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Suits
- Evening eaters who want dinner and drinks rolled into one, plus the city after dark.
Cook Moroccan Food & Try on Traditional Clothes like a local
On GetYourGuide · run by WISSAL
- Length
- 4 hours
- Price
- from €53 per person
- Rating
- 5.0 ★ from 19 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 10
- Included
- Welcome with Moroccan snacks and virgin mojitos or mocktails Hands-on cooking lesson with authentic family recipes Opportunity to try on traditional Moroccan outfits Enjoy a meal with hosts over mint tea
- Suits
- Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients.
- Starts
- Angle Boulevard Tah/ Mohamed 6
Casablanca: Central Market Food Tour with Tastings and Lunch
On GetYourGuide · run by MoroccanFoodTour
- Length
- 3.5 hours
- Price
- from €88 per person
- Rating
- 4.5 ★ from 18 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Included
- 3-4 tasting stops Fish lunch (3-4 course menu) Dessert in La Sqala restaurant Licensed tour guide Alcoholic drinks Transportation
- Suits
- Morning people who want to see where locals shop and taste produce at the source.
- Starts
- Bank Al Maghrib
1-Day Casablanca & Mohammadia. Moroccan Lunch and Camel Ride
On GetYourGuide · run by Excellance Tours.S
- Length
- 7 hours
- Price
- from €226 per person
- Group size
- private
- Included
- Private A/C car with driver Hassan II Mosque ticket Guided tour (English, French, German, Spanish or Italian speaking guide) Lunch Camel ride Bottled water in the car Tips From €226 per person Adult x 1 Select date En…
- Suits
- Couples, families or friends who want the route and pace set around them.
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Street food, sit-down or a cooking class?
Street food
Street food is concentrated in the morning (msemen, baghrir, harira, bissara) and early evening (grilled meat sandwiches, snail soup, fried fish). Choose busy stalls with fast turnover. During Ramadan most food stalls close by day and come alive around iftar at sunset.
Sit-down meals
Sit-down eating ranges from simple restaurants serving tagine and Friday couscous to seafood restaurants at the port and international places in Maârif and Ain Diab. Lunch is the main meal for many locals (roughly 13:00–15:00); dinner runs from about 20:00. Only licensed places serve alcohol.
Cooking classes
Cooking classes in Casablanca usually take place in a home or riad-style kitchen and cover a tagine or couscous, salads and mint tea, sometimes with a shopping walk through a market first. Check whether a market visit is included and whether the class runs on Fridays.
How much to budget for food
| Style | Per person, per day* |
|---|---|
| Budget (street food, markets) | 100–180 MAD, about €10–17 (street breakfast, snack-bar lunch, simple tagine dinner) |
| Mid-range (one sit-down meal a day) | 250–450 MAD, about €23–42 (market seafood lunch and a sit-down dinner) |
| Splurge (tasting menus, wine) | 700 MAD+, about €65+ (top seafood restaurant or a hotel restaurant with wine) |
Vegetarian, halal and gluten-free
Vegetarian & vegan: Possible but you need to ask. Vegetable tagines, couscous with vegetables, bissara, harira (ask if it is made without meat broth), Moroccan salads and lentils are common. Many 'vegetable' dishes are cooked in meat stock, so say 'bla lham' (without meat).
Halal: Very easy: meat in Morocco is halal by default and pork is essentially absent outside a few international supermarkets and restaurants. Alcohol is served only in licensed venues.
Gluten-free: Hard. Bread is served with every meal and couscous, msemen, pastries and many soups contain wheat. Grilled fish, meat, tagines (without bread) and salads are the safest options; carry a written note in Arabic and French explaining coeliac disease.
Food scams and tourist traps to avoid
- Unofficial 'guides' in the old medina and around the Hassan II Mosque offering to show you a restaurant, then expecting a fee or steering you to a shop that pays them commission. Politely decline and use a map; agree any guide fee in advance or book through an official guide.
- Fish priced by weight at market restaurants and the port, with a large fish cooked before you hear the total. Ask for the price per kilo, watch it being weighed and confirm the total, including cooking and salads, before it goes on the grill.
- Menus without prices for tourists, or a bill with items (bread, olives, salads) you didn't order. Ask to see a priced menu before ordering and say no to plates you didn't ask for; check the bill before paying.
- Petit taxi drivers refusing to use the meter for a short ride to a restaurant. Insist on the meter (compteur) before getting in or use a ride-hailing app; red petit taxis in Casablanca are meant to run on the meter.
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Staying near the markets saves time and taxi money — most food tours start in the old centre.
Common questions
Do I need to tip in Casablanca?
Tips are expected but small. In cafés, leaving a few dirhams is normal; in restaurants, about 10% for good service is generous. Round up for taxi drivers. Cash is best, since card tips may not reach staff. On food tours, a tip of roughly 50–100 MAD per person for a good guide is appreciated but not required.
Is street food in Casablanca safe?
Generally yes if you choose busy stalls with food cooked in front of you, such as msemen, harira and grilled meat. Be more careful with raw salads, cut fruit and anything that has been standing in the heat. Most visitors drink bottled water rather than tap water, especially on short trips.
When is the Marché Central open?
The market on Boulevard Mohammed V opens daily from morning, and the fish stalls are at their best before lunch. The small grill restaurants serve mainly at lunchtime. Hours shift on Fridays around midday prayer and during Ramadan, when much of the city slows by day, so check current hours if your visit falls then.
What changes during Ramadan?
Many cafés and restaurants close during daylight or open only for visitors, and street food largely disappears until sunset. At iftar the city fills with harira, dates, chebakia (sesame and honey pastries) and msemen. Non-Muslim visitors can eat, but it is polite not to eat or drink openly in the street during the day.
How much should I budget for food per day?
On a tight budget, roughly 100–180 MAD (about €10–17) covers street breakfasts, a snack-bar lunch and a simple dinner. A comfortable day with seafood at the market and a sit-down dinner is about 250–450 MAD. A top seafood restaurant or hotel dining with wine starts around 700 MAD per person.
Can I drink alcohol in Casablanca?
Yes, but only in licensed places: hotel bars, some restaurants (mostly in the centre, Maârif and Ain Diab) and a few bars. Everyday Moroccan restaurants and the market grills don't serve alcohol. Supermarkets in some areas have a licensed alcohol section, which may close during Ramadan and on some religious holidays.
* Prices are approximate, gathered on 2 Oct 2026 from menus, markets and the booking pages linked above. They change with season and exchange rates.