Whew, it has been a while but I figured I should pop my thoughts about the bars and restaurants I visited whilst in Marrakesh. I feel like loads of people have been to Marrakesh this year so I’ll add their recommendations too, (you can trust my friends!), at the end.
My experience here was shorter than anticipated as we had a situation with taxis so ended up being an hour (!) late. Even so, they were extremely accommodating and managed to fit us in anyways. The place itself is actually huge! There is an outside eating area towards the front as well as an outside bar/smoking area, (although all areas are smoking areas in Morocco really), towards the back. The dining area is low lighting to the point of feeling like candle lit and up the grand-looking staircase, there is another bar and dancing area to shake a leg after dinner. The food is traditional Moroccan and, in my opinion, it was just fine – it wasn’t anything special but really and truly, if you go to Comptoir Darna, you’re not there for the food. The main attraction of the restaurant is the entertainment. We managed to catch the end of a belly dancing segment which included dancers balancing lit candelabras on their heads, which is pretty impressive stuff. They also have the Moroccan answer to a cabaret as well as a live trad. music band which start from 8pm, so make sure to book your table from then. We got a starter each, a main each and a soft drink which came to ~£44 pp.
Dardar Rooftop
I’ve not got a whole lot to say on this one except that I think it’s massively overrated. If you’re in the area, then pop up for a drink if they have space, or maybe even go for lunch. Otherwise, if it’s the rooftop vibe and view you’re wanting, go to Nobu…
This forms part of the hotel and I believe there’s a ‘pool party’ during the day. The bar is on the same level as the restaurant which you can eat at even if you’re not a guest at the hotel. You can get a full, uninhibited view over the city, no matter where you’re sat. The whole rooftop is circular with tables on one side of the pool and cabanas on the other. The music was that classic European beach club situation, so no one was dancing as such but instead just chilling, drinking and smoking shisha. They had entertainment in the form of fire dancers who were incredibly impressive and watching the sunset over the medina was stunning. Of course, with it being Nobu, it wasn’t cheap, with a mocktail being almost 10 great British pounds, (the limit does not exist on holiday!). I would recommend coming here for a drink first whilst the sun is setting, then doing the 5 min walk around the corner to Koya for dinner.
Koya/IKÔYA (it’s written both ways)
This was my favourite restaurant of the entire trip! Similarly to Comptoir Darna, it’s veryyyy low lighting but I feel like the vibe here is a little sexier. This is a ‘pan-Asian’ restaurant and the inside bar has a big ol’ Chinese dragon embossed on it. I would say that everything here was 10 10 10s across the board. The food? Delicious. The service? Impeccable. The vibe? Fun. They have a DJ and live music performers who compliment one another so I reckon later in the night, people would shake some. We got a starter each, a main each and a whamp dessert which came to about £50 per person. I can’t remember if we got drinks too, but they would have been soft drinks anyways. Honestly, my favourite night of the trip was the combination of Nobu then Koya, but you can find Comptoir Darna on the same strip where there are a lot of pretty high rated restaurants to choose from.
Stah
I hesitated about whether I was going to pop this in there because I don’t see people talk about it often, (unlike Dardar), and I don’t love being a downer on places. That said, I figure I should be honest. Based off my experience, I can’t recommend Stah. It’s kinda out of the way from the city, the menu is very limited, (it’s an odd mix of Tex-Mex and Moroccan tapas), and the entertainment can only be described as being similar to that of a primary school talent show. We did visit on a Monday night so perhaps we went on a bad day, but it just really wasn’t giving.
Other reccos
– Plus 61 – highlyyy recommended for the food!
– La Pergola – similar to Comptoir Darna where the food was meh but the vibe was lit.
– Lmida – delicious food too.
I’ve linked the places that I recommend so let me know in the comments if you visit any!
Dear Disha 