Budget
Best Budget Eats in Casablanca — Filling Meals for Small Money
Behind the corporate towers and Corniche glamour, Casablanca feeds millions of workers cheaply and well. Snail soup, bean stews, grilled sandwiches and market plates keep the city fed for a handful of dirhams.
- City
- Casablanca
- Cuisine
- Budget
- Typical price
- 10-45 MAD
Casablanca is a working city, and its everyday food is honest and cheap. The reliable budget anchors are bissara (fava-bean soup with cumin and olive oil), harira (tomato, lentil and chickpea soup), and lentil or white-bean stews (loubia) ladled out at hole-in-the-wall canteens near the markets and transport hubs. Snail soup (babbouche) carts do a brisk trade, especially in the cooler months, the peppery broth sold by the cup. All of it comes with bread and costs very little.
For something more substantial, look for the grilled-sandwich and rotisserie stands: kefta and merguez grilled over charcoal and stuffed into bread with chips, harissa and salad; half a roast chicken with fries; or a bowl of the market fishmongers' fried small fish. Around the Marché Central and the old medina near the port, small eateries feed office workers a plat du jour of tagine or couscous at lunch for a modest fixed price. Sfenj (doughnuts) and msemen from griddle stands cover breakfast and snacks.
To eat cheaply and well, follow the office and market crowds at lunchtime when the food is freshest and turnover highest, stick to busy stalls, and eat where you can see the food being cooked. Casablanca's budget food will not win beauty prizes, but a bowl of bissara with bread, or a charcoal-grilled kefta sandwich, is a genuinely good meal for the price of a coffee back home.
How to eat well
- 1
Bissara (fava-bean soup) and loubia (white-bean stew) with bread are filling meals for 10-20 MAD.
- 2
Charcoal-grilled kefta and merguez sandwiches with chips are the best cheap hot meal.
- 3
Eat near the Marché Central and the old medina by the port, where workers get a cheap plat du jour.
- 4
Snail soup carts (babbouche) are a cheap warming cup, especially in the cooler months.
- 5
Follow the lunchtime office and market crowds to the busiest, freshest, best-value stalls.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I eat cheaply in Casablanca?
At the hole-in-the-wall canteens and street stands near the Marché Central, the old medina by the port and transport hubs, where soups like bissara and loubia, grilled sandwiches and a daily tagine or couscous cost very little.
What is the cheapest meal in Casablanca?
A bowl of bissara (fava-bean soup) or loubia (bean stew) with bread, for around 10-20 MAD, or a cup of snail soup. A charcoal-grilled kefta sandwich with chips is a more substantial cheap meal.
Is street food in Casablanca safe?
Yes, if you choose busy stalls with high turnover and eat where the food is cooked or fried to order in front of you. Hot soups and freshly grilled sandwiches at lunchtime are reliably safe.