Vegan in MARRAKESH
In February I visited Marrakesh for a few days to escape the cold winter days in Europe. I have to admit, that at first I was a bit sceptical concerning the food as I felt that it would be a real pain in the ass to find glutenfree food, in the end however, it turned out to be a wonderful trip, even though I had one (or two or tree...) flatbreads and cousous.
Jardin des Majorelles by Yves Saint Laurent, the only blue spot in this city of red.
I really enjoyed this vibrant city and was happy that it wasn't loaded with tourists at that time of year, so I could fully enjoy the souks (which is already stressful enough with all the brash sellers).
Musée de Marrakesch
We stayed at the lovely Riad Dar Dialkoum and it was a real gem! From the minute we made our reservation the owners took super good care of us, arranged an airport pick up and prepared us a traditional Moroccan vegan four-course dinner upon arrival, which was uber delicious!
The Riad is located in the old Medina near Bab Doukkala and is only a short walking distance from the busy Jemaa El-Fnaa and the souks (10-15min) and is in the best spot to explore the town by foot.
Make sure to visit Jemaa El-Fnaa both during the day and at night! It's such a vibrant place, so many people and so many different noises! During the day you can enjoy fresh orange juice, buy some dry fruits (Hello Medjoul dates!), see water sellers with traditional leather water-bags and snake charmers. At night however the whole place transforms into a giant food bazaar with hundreds of food stalls, where you can enjoy tasty local food (beware of the pushy waiters!), see story-tellers (telling their 1001 night tales in Berber or Arabic), magicians, dancers and peddlers of traditional medicines. No wonder it is classified UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity!
First dinner at Riad Dar Dialkoum: second course was traditional salads
View from our lovely room (Hannah)
Breakfast at the Riad was yummy too! So many vegan options: flatbreads, jams, fruits and veggies, fresh orange juice, fresh mint tea, coffee,...they even prepared vegan Moroccan pancakes. My favourite thing in the morning was flatbread with fresh avocado with salt, pepper, cumin and lemon juice.
A great place to grab lunch is Henna Art Cafe! During our 5 day stay we even went there twice as we liked it so much the first time. Only a short walking distance from Jemaa El-Fnaa, it is well situated in the centre of the Medina, just far enough to escape the busy and loud square and to enjoy some peace and quiet on the rooftop, still near enough to dig into the deepness of the souks. The food was very delicious and they offer many vegan options (avocado salad, eggplant, hummus,..). The owner is such a sweet lady and she will make you feel at home the minute you walk in. Prices are unbeatable for this location!
Another lovely place to enjoy lunchtime on a sun deck is Terrasse des épices, which is located in the middle of the souks. I guess it would also be worth to drop by at night, when the weather is hot. You will have a lovely view of the Koutoubia Mosque. I ordered a mix of Moroccan salads and it was very tasty.
A third option for lunch is Earth Café. They have two lovely locations and offer vegetarian and vegan dishes only.
For a more fancy night out try Salama, near Jemaa El-Fnaa. It's a lovely place with a nice sky bar and very good food. They do not offer much of a choice for vegans (only vegetarian Cousous or Tajine), but I ordered the Couscous and was more than happy with my choice.
The best dinner we had was at Café Baganziz! The restaurant is rather small, with a laid back atmosphere and many backpackers. You might have to queue for a spot during peek season, but it's worth the wait. Café Baganziz is located near Jemaa El-Fnaa in a busy side street and offers great food for reasonable prices. We both had banana juices, water, avocado salads and veggie cousous for not more than 200 dirham (compared to 700 dirham at Salama...)!
All in all this was a lovely little vacation and I will visit Marrakesh again, next time however I will book a tour to explore the atlas mountains! For vegans Marrakesh is definetly worth a trip as you will find many options (don't forget to use your HappyCow App!), however if you eat strictly glutenfree you might end up eating at Asian restaurants only... See you soon Marrakesh!
