FOOD GUIDE TO TANGIER

WHERE TO FIND THE BEST LOCAL FOOD IN TANGIER

Home to the fabled table of questionable writers who roamed the streets looking for delights other than culinary ones, The Mouth shall strictly base our case studies on delicious plates of food and coffee shops. Confessing straight out the gate that Moroccan food is not at the top of our culinary totempole, we did find some delicious dreams in a city of many nightmares.

Apart from the stomach fixations, there are a myriad of alleys to get lost in, souks to sell your soul, coffee shops to read a library in with the constant plumes of smoke wafting by, hilltops to lie supine beneath a host of angels, and the long paths to dereliction succumbed to at the hands of nostalgic ritual.

Tangier is the perfect city for a present-phobe. Someone who clings to the past like a rising balloon, realising the time to safely land has far gone. It is a city that judges not your habits, but embraces the genuine and weather-worn. A city where one instance you are deep in conversation with someone who ran behind William Burroughs shadows, another who claimed to know Keith Richards, yet still groups of men huddled over steaming tea reminiscing about the time Paul Bowles showed them a kind gesture. None of it may be true, but in Tangier even the lies are beautiful.

It is a city where thieves and romantics can sit side by side knowing full well of the others intentions. It is a place where the air carries that scent of promise and comfort. It stills your heart and awakens your creativity.

Far from the touts and sellers of the Medina, there are ample places to sit and ponder, and allow the sun to lift the sadness and replace it with calm.

CAFE BAB AL FAHS

Rubbing shoulders with friends of the 1960's royalty, you'll sit here overhearing stories of Mick Jagger, Burroughs, Jean Genet etc. Located within part of the wall, this tiny local cafe is easily missed, so if you reach Cafe Dahab you've gone too far.

ABOU TAYSSIR

Whilst it may be considered bad form to recommend a Syrian restaurant first in a guide to Tangier, well, my reply is that you haven't been to this Syrian Restaurant. And if you have, you'd fully understand.

CAFE METROPOLE

A heaving stallwart in the Tangier writer folklore of past, the men still gather here barely visible through the thick cigarette smoke that perfumes the tablecloth in tar and neglect. It may not be the most pleasant place to sit for asthmatics, but no visit to Tangier is complete without showing it the respect it deserves.

AHLEN

Popular to tourists based on the location, and incessant word-of-mouth batterings from receptionists and passing backpackers, Ahlen do make a substantially delicious Tagine for when you must scratch that indecipherable itch.

CINEMA RIF

Tangier is a city of art and music and coffee and conversation. Cinema Rif is one of the last remaining legends of the past, and the tres chic coffee shop welcomes those seeking hassle-free ruminations.

CAFE TINJIS

Many a great writer has sat outside nursing a cafe au lait and watching the everyday battle for survival play out in the Petit Socco.

COMEDIA

Further away from the beehive of activity between Grand and Petit Socco, lies the ex-pat favourite Comedia. Kofte tagines served in a glasshouse (if the old restaurant around the corner is still closed), are agreeable and the location means you avoid the tourist throngs.

CAFE HAFA

On a clear day you can see across the sea to Spain. Regardless of the weather conditions, the Hafa Cafe has terraces with beautifully tiled tables waiting for your patronage.

THE JEWISH CEMETERY

If you like your holidays a bit more "Atlas Obscura", then this is a place to wander around in the afternoon.

BAR PILO

The windows alone are reason to come for a refreshment. Though the map doesn't link directly to Pilo, it is either side of the location on google.

BAB AL MADINA

Go toe to toe with the locals here to grab your Pastilla or other delicious pastries.

CHEZ HASSAN BAB

Catering mostly to the tourist crowd walking between Grand Socco and the Kasbah, this streetside restaurant serves better food than most in the immediate area. The menu can be a bit hit and miss so go with a group and order a few things and pray for a winner.

GRAN CAFE DE PARIS

If you've read Junky and Naked Lunch, you're probably hell bent on visiting this place. If you haven't, then there are more interesting cafes in Tangier to spend your day.

THEATRE DARNA

Tangiers answer to a theater / improv room where you can come and watch the locals doing what they do. It's like a little secret society and we love it.

THE TANGERINN

William Burroughs used to stay and write at the hotel next door, and this was his little creep-in bar when he felt the urge. Beat fantastics may want to add this to their "Walking In The Footsteps" tour.

CAFE BABA

Sit in the same seats that the Rolling Stones did all those years ago, and sip your tea looking out the window at the Kasbah. You may have to wait an hour for your tea because everyone is engaged in smoke discoveries.

SARAYAH FOOD

Quite passable Indian food in a city that can tire the palette quickly. The owners are from the UAE but the chefs are native Indians and they'll spice it up if you ask them.

CASABARATA MARKET

Shoppers on the hunt for anything from old televisions, fruit, to piles of used motorcycle parts will get a kick out of visiting one of Tangiers biggest markets.