Travel tips
Where to Eat in Gueliz, Marrakech's New Town
Gueliz is Marrakech's Ville Nouvelle, the French-built grid of straight boulevards and pavement cafés west of the medina. Where the old city trades on age and atmosphere, Gueliz is where modern Marrakech eats — snack counters full of office workers at lunch, an honest municipal market, café society, and the contemporary restaurants that the medina largely lacks. It is the antidote to menu fatigue.
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- Travel tips
- Updated
- 20 July 2026
At a glance
- Gueliz is the modern, French-grid side of Marrakech — cafés and snack counters rule.
- Casse-croûte counters do fast, cheap grilled-meat and kefta sandwiches.
- The municipal market is a calm, local place to buy produce, olives and spices.
- It is where to find contemporary and international restaurants.
Casse-croûte, the working lunch
Gueliz runs on the casse-croûte — the hole-in-the-wall snack counter serving grilled brochettes, kefta, merguez, liver and chips stuffed into half a baguette or khobz with salad, harissa and chips. It is fast, cheap and aimed at locals on a lunch break rather than tourists, and it is one of the best-value hot meals in the city. Follow the crowds of office workers around the middle of the day.
The municipal market
The Marché Central de Gueliz (the municipal market) is where the neighbourhood shops — fresh produce, olives, cheese, meat, fish, flowers and spices under one calm roof, without the theatre or hard sell of the medina souks. It is an easy, low-pressure place to buy for a picnic or a self-catered meal, or just to see how the modern city stocks its kitchens.
- Produce stalls: seasonal fruit and vegetables at local prices.
- Olives and preserves: the usual excellent range, freely tasted.
- Cheese and charcuterie: more of it here than in the medina.
- Flowers and spices: for the table and the pantry.
Cafés and modern restaurants
Gueliz has the city's real café culture — pavement terraces for coffee, pastries and people-watching, a habit inherited from the French era. It is also where Marrakech's contemporary dining lives: modern Moroccan kitchens, international restaurants, wine-licensed places and dessert spots that you rarely find inside the medina walls. If you have eaten one set tourist menu too many, this is where to reset.
How Gueliz fits your trip
Use Gueliz for a change of pace — a fast casse-croûte lunch, coffee on a terrace, a market shop, or a modern dinner when medina tagines start to blur. It is a short taxi ride from Jemaa el-Fna and a completely different mood. For the traditional counterpoint, see eating in the medina.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gueliz known for food-wise?
Modern Marrakech eating: casse-croûte snack counters doing cheap grilled-meat sandwiches, a strong pavement-café culture, a calm municipal market, and the city's contemporary and international restaurants — the things the medina largely lacks.
What is a casse-croûte?
A casse-croûte is a snack-counter sandwich — grilled brochettes, kefta, merguez or liver stuffed into bread with salad, chips and harissa. Gueliz is full of them, and they are among the best-value hot lunches in Marrakech, aimed at locals rather than tourists.
Is the Gueliz market worth visiting?
Yes, if you want a calm, local place to buy produce, olives, cheese and spices without the hard sell of the medina souks. It is especially handy for picnics or self-catering, and it shows how the modern city shops.
Should I eat in Gueliz or the medina?
Both, for different things. The medina for traditional cook-shops, mechoui and tanjia; Gueliz for casse-croûte, café culture, the market and contemporary restaurants. They are a short taxi apart and offer completely different moods.