Travel tips
Where to Eat in Casablanca
Casablanca is Morocco's business capital and its most cosmopolitan table. There is no ancient medina cuisine to chase here; instead you get a working Atlantic port, a strong French-brasserie inheritance, and a young population that eats out constantly. The food is fresher off the boat and more international than in the imperial cities — and often overlooked by visitors who treat Casa as an airport.
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- 20 July 2026
At a glance
- Casablanca's strength is seafood — it is a working Atlantic fishing port.
- The Central Market (Marché Central) lets you buy fish and have it cooked on the spot.
- The Habous quarter is the place for traditional pastries and Moroccan sweets.
- French-colonial brasseries and modern bistros give the city an international edge.
Seafood, the city's real specialty
Casablanca eats fish the way Marrakech eats lamb. The Atlantic delivers sardines, sea bream, sole, calamari, prawns and, in season, oysters trucked up from Oualidia down the coast. The classic Casa experience is the Marché Central off Boulevard Mohammed V: buy your fish from the stalls, then hand it to one of the small cook-counters inside to grill or fry while you wait.
Along the Corniche in Ain Diab, seafood restaurants line the seafront — some polished, some plain — serving fried-fish platters (friture), grilled whole fish and seafood pastilla. It is the city's default celebration meal.
The Habous quarter for tradition
For the Moroccan side of Casablanca, head to the Habous (the Quartier des Habous), a 1930s French-built 'new medina' of arcaded streets. It is the city's best address for traditional pastries — kaab el ghazal, briouat, chebakia — bought by the kilo from long-established sweet shops, plus bread, olives and spices.
- Pastry shops: almond gazelle horns and honey-soaked sweets sold by weight.
- Olive and pickle stalls: a good place to taste the range covered in our olives guide.
- Traditional restaurants: a handful of grand old Moroccan dining rooms sit around the quarter.
Cafés, brasseries and the modern city
Casablanca's café culture is serious — this is a city that runs on espresso and pastries, a legacy of the French Protectorate. Art-deco brasseries downtown still serve steak-frites alongside tagine, and the newer neighbourhoods have modern bistros, brunch spots and international kitchens aimed at a young professional crowd. If you have tired of set tourist menus, Casablanca is where Morocco's contemporary dining lives.
How to plan your eating
Give lunch to the Central Market or the Corniche for seafood, and an afternoon to the Habous for sweets and coffee. Casablanca is a car city and spread out, so cluster your eating by district rather than crossing town for one meal. For context on how the coast's fish differs from inland cooking, see our coastal fish guide.
Frequently asked questions
What food is Casablanca known for?
Seafood, above all — it is a working Atlantic port, so sardines, sea bream, calamari and prawns are the local specialty. The city is also known for French-influenced brasseries and café culture, and for the traditional pastries of the Habous quarter.
Can you buy fish and have it cooked at the Central Market?
Yes. The Marché Central has fishmongers' stalls and small cook-counters inside; the usual routine is to buy your fish fresh and hand it to a counter to grill or fry for a modest cooking fee. It is one of the city's signature food experiences.
Where do I find traditional Moroccan food in Casablanca?
The Habous quarter (Quartier des Habous) is the best area for traditional pastries, sweets and a few grand Moroccan restaurants. The city is modern overall, so traditional cooking is more concentrated there than spread through an old medina.
Is Casablanca a good food destination?
Yes, if you adjust expectations. It is not a medina-cuisine city like Fes or Marrakech, but for seafood, café culture and Morocco's most international modern dining, it is excellent and often underrated by visitors.