Café Arabe review: our verdict
Finding a fresh beer in the middle of the souk is a challenge, and Café Arabe has made it its raison d'être, on Mouassine Street, just opposite the Jardin Secret. Wine, beer, and cocktails are served on every floor: downstairs, a courtyard with lemon trees around a fountain, then green lounges with bohemian decor, and all the way up a rooftop facing the medina's rooftops. At the table, two menus, tagines and couscous on one side, pizzas and pasta on the other.
Downstairs, you lunch or dine seated, served by a friendly and efficient team; upstairs, you have a drink while watching the medina change colour. The pizzas are the safest choice, the rest honestly does its job. For a drink after a day of souks, as a couple or with friends, it's the right reflex; for eating Moroccan food at medina prices, not at all: the bill aligns with that of a terrace in France.
The trap: going up to the roof without a reservation, you end up squeezed into a corner, far from the service, and you have to call to get the menu. The dish to order: a pizza, the most consistent on the menu. The right slot: aperitif hour on the roof, cocktail in hand, when the sun sets over the city.
