Find the best food in Rabat, Morocco

Couscous is one of the nation's most popular Moroccan cuisine and is the perfect dish to try in Rabat, but what is couscous? Though it looks like a type of grain, it's more like pasta, made with semolina flour from durum wheat and water. Couscous also has many health benefits since it's packed with several vitamins and minerals, including immune-supportive selenium. Couscous is a colorful and tasty dish topped with lamb and a variety of stewed veggies, most often including zucchini, onions, carrots, parsley, and cilantro paired with a flavor-filled broth.

This authentic and traditional food dish can be found at the amazing and highly revered Moroccan restaurant Dar Zaki.

Moroccan zaalouk is a bold and spicy eggplant and tomato fusion accompanied by olive oil, exotic spices, and garlic. This hot salad dish can be served as a side dish to several Moroccan cuisines or is usually served as a starter in the winter months, paired with Moroccan dipping bread. In some Middle Eastern countries, this dish is also called baba ganoush.

This is another one of Morocco's most traditional foods, and there's no better place to try this than the nearby restaurant of Dar El Medina. It is located just across from one of Rabat's most popular tourist attractions, the Medina of Rabat, where you can find Moroccan craft shops and so much history.

Yet another soup originated in the North African region called Maghreb and is also a staple in surrounding countries. Harira has become a traditional Morrocan cuisine and Algerian food often eaten during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. This tomato-based soup filled with lentils, vermicelli noodles, chickpeas, and a blend of fresh herbs and spices is the national soup of Morroco. It is often served with dates and chebakya following a day of fasting during the holy month.

If you're touring the Currency Museum of the Bank Al-Maghrib in Rabat, take a rest at the nearby Morrocan restaurant, Le Petitbeur, and try harira.

This fried or baked pastry is sprinkled with herbs, spices, and sometimes powdered sugar. Briouats can be filled with various ingredients, including chicken, lamb, fish, shrimp, cheese, and spices. This savory pastry is typically folded in a cylindrical or triangular shape and served as a delicious appetizer. Briouats is another food of Morocco that's popular during the month of Ramadan.

If you're near the Medina of Rabat, a local touristy shopping area in Rabat, grab a quick bite at Café El Bahia, one of the local Moroccan restaurants with a fantastic selection of briouats!

Tajine is a traditional Moroccan cuisine that is unique for more than its array of spices. Tajine, while a cuisine, is also the name of the dish it is cooked in. Tajine is a two-piece clay cooking set designed to cook tajine and lock in all the exquisite flavors of this traditional food of Morocco. Initially used by nomads in North Africa for making food over fire, this uniquely shaped stoneware is perfect for slow-cooking this meal of meat, vegetables, fruit, and savory spices. Fun fact: this dish appears in One Thousand and One Nights, the famous middle Eastern folk tale from the 9th century. 

Check out Tajine wa Tanjia, a Moroccan restaurant near the Museum Mohamed VI of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Multiple cultures have adopted kebabs, originating from Turkey and spreading to other parts of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. The term shish kebab comes from the Turkish word "şiş kebap", meaning "skewer" and "roast meat." Kebabs haven't evolved much since then. Most variations include seasoned meat and veggies roasted or cooked on a skewer, but each culture has its signature style for this versatile cuisine.

The food of Morroco is typically very flavorful, and the kebabs served at Yamal Acham are no different. This restaurant features a fusion of Moroccan, Mediterranean, and Lebanese food and is famous for its delicious lemon juice, mint lemonade, and limonana.

Bastilla is the most famous local pastry because of its intense and delectable fusion of flavors. This dish starts with brazen poultry or seafood cooked with onions, ginger, cinnamon, sugar, black pepper, oregano, butter, and almonds. Then, the meat and nutty-butter filling is added to what, once cooked, will be a flaky, butter pastry. Of course, if you're not interested in trying this epic combination, bastilla can be made without meat, but when in Rabat, try the local food!

This traditional dish is often reserved for special occasions but is conveniently served by The Currency Museum of the Bank Al-Maghrib at a nearby restaurant called Café La Comédie.

Morocco is most famous for its variety of unique and original Moroccan cuisine using a blend of vegetable salads, scrumptious soups, must-try tajines, and mouthwatering bread and pastries. However, If you're hesitant about trying some of the more exotic foods of Morocco, Moroccan chicken is an excellent option. Explore the variety of spices in Moroccan chicken — cinnamon, sweet paprika, ginger, turmeric, cloves, allspice, cardamom, mace, nutmeg, and cayenne.

One highly reviewed chicken place you must try while in Rabat is Primos Chicken.

For all the seafood lovers out there: many seafood dishes are popular in Moroccan restaurants, especially prawns. The Carabinero prawns, also known as the Scarlet Shrimp in British cultures, can be found off the coast of Morocco in the Mediterranean Sea. These jumbo-prawns are coveted worldwide but are famous in Portuguese and Spanish countries.

The best prawns in the world are located in Morocco's backyard, so the prawns at Golden Fish in Rabat are sure to please any seafood lover! This delicious Moroccan cuisine has a spicy kick, cooked in a unique blend of exotic spices and served with vegetables or couscous!

Nobody knows precisely how mint tea came to Morocco, but this beverage has become an essential part of Moroccan culture. Morocco is one of the largest importers of teas in the world. Mint tea has a vital place in life and social interactions in Morocco and is the drink of friendship and hospitality, often shared with family and friends. While all the meals are prepared by the women in the household, because of its sacred meaning to the Moroccan people, the male head of the family will often serve this delicious drink while family and friends enjoy fellowshipping.

Celebrate a night out in Rabat and enjoy a mint tea at Dar Rbatia after eating tasty couscous, tajine, or the other exceptional Moroccan cuisine available here.

Rabat is a beautifully dignified city with lots of options for exploration. Make sure to make local food one of them.

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