Marrakech may not have a huge nightlife, but in recent years a (small) stream of trendy bars have opened in the Medina and Gueliz. Highlights include an industrial-chic wine bar, a buzzing rooftop terrace with views over the medina and a few hip spots for sophisticated cocktails. In the medina - the most traditional part of the city - alcohol licenses are limited and only a handful of restaurants and riads have proper bars licensed to serve alcohol, but most riads sell beer and wine to guests in the privacy of their courtyards .
Read on for the best tips from our experts. For more inspiration, here are our guides to Marrakech's best restaurants, attractions, shops and hotels, plus how to spend a weekend in the city.
Medina
La Mamounia
Since Netflix aired Invent Anna, the 2022 series about New York con artist and influencer Anna Delvey (who stayed at La Mamounia while on the run), the hotel and bar were the place to be and be seen. A sleek new revamp by Parisian interior design firm Jouin Manku has raised the bar even higher with silky sage green banquettes beneath Majorelle's glorious green and yellow ceiling and inviting table islands on the outdoor terrace overlooking the beautiful garden. The service is impeccable, sometimes eccentric, the cocktails are perfectly mixed and the wine list is encyclopedic. Dress to impress.
Kabana
A tropical beach bar on a roof terrace, Marrakech really has it all. Kabana is the brainchild of music entrepreneur Kudo Fahkredine, while its manager, Diego, is the founder of Rak Electronik. Although there is plenty of food - a sushi bar and creative tapas - it's all about the music and the bar. At weekends there are DJs and live bands, and special evenings with jazz, soul, disco and salsa (follow their social media for updates). The fantastic roof terrace, decorated with tropical prints and large potted plants, feels like it could be at home in LA. It attracts a cosmopolitan crowd who sip travel-inspired cocktails like the CopaKabana Saffron, which combines cachaça (infused with saffron from Talouine) with green lemon and cane sugar.
DarDar on the roof
A restaurant-bar with a friendly personality and absolutely fantastic views over the roofs of the medina to the Koutoubia and even the High Atlas in winter. Most people come for sunset cocktails and then stay for an unpretentious dinner of gourmet burgers, steaks and spicy shrimp. If you want to sit on the roof terrace, which is decorated with attractively cut copper lanterns, you must book in advance. But sitting in the chic restaurant on the first floor with its large windows is still very pleasant. There is often live music and the service is fast and professional.
Café Arabe
Tucked away in chic Mouassine, Café Arabe's roof terrace is a good place for a drink in the Medina. Downstairs, tables sit cozily in a decorative tiled courtyard, while upstairs, curvaceous beige sofas surround the shaded terrace, which is magically illuminated by candlelight in the evening. It attracts a friendly crowd, who come here for well-priced bottles of peppery Siroua S., glasses of rosé and reasonable cocktails. A Moroccan-Italian dinner menu is offered, although the food is a bit bland. It's best to come here for an aperitif and then eat somewhere else.
Gueliz
Social petanque club
Built in 1912, the Gueliz district has a modernist heart and lots of beautiful Art Deco architecture that is increasingly appreciated. Yet many buildings have been lost to the march of progress, so Kamal Laftimi's rescue of the almost perfectly preserved 1930s petanque club is an act of social heroism. He enlisted Ibiza-based architecture studio Diego & Alexeja to breathe new life into it, filling it with vintage finds and furniture, making tables from old shutters and filling a library with old books and nostalgic photos of the original jeu de boules team. Best of all, however, is the enormous garden, shaded by enormous rubber trees and equipped with enormous wicker lanterns. Come for a great weekend brunch or a Sahara spritz on summer evenings, then stay for Medi-Moroccan tastings (including great gourmet pizza) and of course a good-natured game of bocce.
Le Palace
The club-like lounge downstairs in Le Palace restaurant is reminiscent of a 1920s speakeasy. The dim lighting, opulent inlaid mahogany walls and chandeliers set the scene for adult drinks and after-dinner tristes. Most customers start the evening at the gourmet French restaurant, eating their way through plates of tiger prawns and foie gras before descending for nightcaps and cigars, accompanied by a loud soundtrack of international DJ tracks. The wine list features some excellent Moroccan wines, and the crowd comes for a party.
The Royal Mansour bar
For a healthy dose of glamor and a nice cocktail you can visit the beautiful bar Royal Mansour. The enormous marble bar takes center stage, framed by mirrored walls delicately engraved in pink gold leaf, while above your head a handcrafted silver ceiling glints in the low light. It's quite dazzling and the accompanying drinks are just as good: there's a wine list to match the Moroccan king (his guests stay here regularly) and expertly mixed cocktails, including a fairly smooth Manhattan. For truants looking for a more cozy atmosphere, sneak across the courtyard to Chimney Lounge, where you can sink into the shade of a cedar-paneled room and listen to the resident pianist.
Le Grand Café de la Poste
This colonial art deco bistro has a rich history as the favorite café of the controversial Pasha Glaoui, and still draws the city's movers to its shaded terrace and palm-filled 1930s interior. Although the food is a fine mix of French-Moroccan dishes, it's the happy hour from 6pm to 8pm that really draws a crowd. That's when you pair your chilled glass of Moroccan gris ('gray', a very light rose) with a parade of savory snacks and spiced olives, and listen to the latest developments in Marrakshi. Smokers congregate on the terrace, so if you want to avoid this, take a window table inside.
Barometer Marrakech
Baromètre is somewhere between an underground prohibition bar and the lab of a mad professor with his pipes and crystal apothecary jars. It's Marrakech's most serious cocktail bar and cocktails (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) come with unique homemade macerations and bitters and can be customized to taste, so don't be afraid to discuss your preferences with the bartender. The Jimi Hendrix is a summery, soothing blend of gin and cucumber, which you can enjoy alongside fusion tapas plates. The atmosphere is sexy and sophisticated and the bar staff are friendly and passionate about mixology.
Point bar
Located just off the main road, Pointbar offers a more relaxed atmosphere than most bars in Marrakshi. The modest slate-gray entrance and the long, narrow bar, shielded by bamboo, precede a large courtyard furnished with low sofas and pouffes. In summer, the retractable roof is pulled back, so you can enjoy a drink under the stars in the summer. Although primarily a wine bar, it serves beer and cocktails, as well as a Mediterranean menu. At weekends the venue fills up when DJs play songs and during major sporting events and football matches, which are broadcast live on large screens in the bar.
L'Envers
Watch emerging Moroccan DJs spin electronic tracks on the mezzanine floor of L'Envers, a narrow bar with a hipster feel, fitted with light bulbs. Bare walls are covered with local street art and artfully graffitied Arabic calligraphy and the competitively priced drinks menu is generously stocked with Moroccan and European wines, draft beers and champagne-based cocktails. Dedicated to underground culture, the bar hosts DJs at least four nights a week - you can expect some impressive talent here - and despite the bar's narrow confines, dancers are throwing serious moves.
How we choose
Every bar, venue or experience on this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who's dropped by to give you their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from casual pubs to exquisite cocktail bars - to suit every type of traveler - and take service, drinks, atmosphere and price into account in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to stay informed of the latest vacancies and to provide current recommendations.
