Best Street Food in Essaouira — Medina Snacks by the Sea

The great street food of Essaouira is, unavoidably, the fish — the harbour-side charcoal grills where you pick your catch and eat it minutes later are the town's signature street meal, and a plate of grilled sardines with bread costs next to nothing. But the medina inside the ramparts offers plenty more to graze on. Griddle carts turn out msemmen and harcha through the day, and morning fryers make sfenj doughnuts, hot and cheap.

The lanes around Place Moulay Hassan and the covered market (the mellah and spice areas) are lined with stalls selling roasted almonds and nuts, dates, olives, and the Souss region's argan specialities — argan oil, amlou (the almond-argan-honey spread) and argan-based sweets and pastries. Snail carts ladle out babbouche broth, and sandwich counters stuff baguettes with kefta, fish or maakouda for a quick, filling lunch. Fresh fruit and juice stands round out the options.

Because Essaouira is small and safe, grazing on foot is especially pleasant here: the medina is flat, walkable and cooled by the Atlantic breeze, so you can wander from the port grills to the market to a rooftop for tea without hurry. The relaxed, artsy atmosphere of the town — long a haven for musicians and artists — extends to its unhurried street eating.

Follow the busy stalls, agree prices at carts before ordering, and make the port grills your centrepiece. A few grilled sardines, some roasted nuts, a msemmen and a fresh juice make a cheap, memorable Essaouira lunch eaten in the sea air.