24 Best Bars in Marrakesh, Morocco

An impressive Buddha statue is stationed near the entrance of this hip nightspot, where an Asian vibe mixes with modern decor in the various salons. The music is an eclectic, ethnic world fusion with guest DJs, belly dancers, and even a Bollywood set. The restaurant offers a Pacific Rim fusion of Asian, Thai, Japanese, and Chinese cuisines. 

True to the name (El Fenn means "art" in the local dialect), this fashionable spot in the medina is a magnet for designers, artists, and photographers. Wine, beer, spirits, and a vast selection of cocktails are available and can be sipped fireside in winter, or under the rooftop tent with views across to the Koutoubia mosque.

The cabaret entertainment at Lotus Club is its raison d'être—and clearly built into the prices for drinks and food, which includes Mediterranean, Moroccan, and Japanese dishes. The show, entitled Oh La La!, features a burlesque-style revue of samba, Oriental, and Egyptian-inspired vignettes performed by corseted dancers flaunting feather boas, and live music from Moroccan guitar virtuoso Mahmoud "Mood" Chouki. Come around 9 pm to see the show.

This classy spot attracts a hip crowd for excellent, though pricey, cocktails and food.

The restaurant in this galleried, bougainvillea-strewn riad is known for the food but the sleek rooftop bar is also an excellent place to enjoy cocktails, Moroccan wine, or champagne. 

A mash up of café, restaurant, and bar, the Café du Livre is a good place for a meal but it's also popular just as a place to meet for a drink. There's usually live music Friday and Saturday, but it can get very smoky. It's upstairs behind the Carré Eden shopping mall, just next to the Hotel Toulousaine. 

The long-standing nightly spectacle that takes place at Chez Ali is a Disney World-meets-Marrakesh experience, catering to the mass tourism market. After a multicourse dinner of couscous, pastilla, and tagine in breezy tents, the fantasia begins in the outdoor arena. Featuring hundreds of performers and dozens of horses, this singing-and-dancing pageant is a celebration of traditional culture. It's all very tacky and you'll feel pressured into tipping the lackluster performers that snag you at every possible opportunity. Taxis will take you there, or your hotel can organize an all-inclusive price that includes round-trip transportation. Expect to pay around 450 DH per person including return transport.

A lively crowd gathers regularly at Comptoir Darna to take in the nightly cabaret show, enjoy the occasional live music, or to chill out with cocktails on the candlelit, plant-filled patio. The food is good, too, if expensive. There's a small dance floor for those who want to swirl to the tunes.

A high-octane performance of samba drummers, musicians, and carnival dancers shimmying their way among the crowd and dancing on the tabletops, Fuego Latino includes an all-you-can-eat extravaganza of grilled meats and fish in the Brazilian churrascaria style. You can also enjoy the show from the bar (with hefty drinks prices). The show starts around 10 pm. Tickets start at 420 DH; ringside tables are 600 DH with fixed menu.

Right near the Djemâa el Fna and with one of the best views of the Koutoubia minaret, Kabana is the latest hot spot on the Marrakesh night scene. Live DJs, an array of cocktails, and a full menu of snacks and main dishes are available. 

The Kosybar and restaurant is a long-standing favorite for a late-night drink in the medina, accompanied by live jazz nightly, and a platter of sushi if you wish. There's a large roof terrace, with great views of the storks nesting in the nearby ramparts of the Badii Palace, and the interior restaurant and bar, with mosaic-tiled floors, wrought-iron balustrades, and fireplaces, are truly cozy.

DJs, decently priced cocktails, and good food are all available at this trendy nightspot popular with a younger crowd. There are excellent cocktails and beer on tap.  

The intimate surroundings of the jazz bar at hotel La Maison Arabe provide a cozy fireside setting for cocktails and a tasty menu of light savory snacks. A resident pianist tickles the ivories every evening from 7 to 9.

This tiny wine bar is a popular spot for early evening drinks and snacks. There's a good wine list available, and there's a small restaurant on the upstairs mezzanine that serves French cuisine at reasonable prices. 

In the Palmery neighborhood, outside of town, Le Blokk is a dinner-cabaret venue with reasonably priced fixed-menu options (starting at 270 DH) for the Japanese and International cuisine (Moroccan dishes can be ordered by special request), though it's the live music and entertainment that are center stage. Talented singers perform songs from the last 50 years, followed by acrobatic performers who start to twirl from the ceilings around midnight. Top off the night with DJs spinning Oriental and Western dance music until around 1 am. Reservations are highly recommended.

A stone's throw from the Djemâa el Fna and up a narrow staircase, Le Salama is one of the few places in the medina where you can grab a cold beer or an aperitif without having to eat dinner. Drinks are served either at the bar area in the top terrace Sky Bar with views across to the Koutoubia.

Hip, loud, and festive, Le Théâtro draws a late-night crowd for house music, live DJs, and circus cabaret acts. There's a cover charge most nights.

The attractive Art Deco styling and open-air courtyard at this piano bar in hotel Les Jardins de la Koutoubia create an elegant setting in which to enjoy a cocktail.

The rooftop bar of the 2Ciels Hotel has sixth-floor views over the Royal Tennis Club, the old Marrakesh soccer stadium, and the Hivernage neighborhood. The bar serves tapas, beer, wine, cocktails, and coffee throughout the day and into the evening and has pleasant shaded seating areas with tables and reasonable prices.

In a beautiful Art Deco villa on the edge of Guéliz, Montecristo is a nonstop party destination every night of the week---on weekends it attracts crowds from Rabat and Casablanca---and it has a more intimate, eclectic vibe than the large cavernous clubs farther out of town. You can smoke sheesha on the roof terrace, dine downstairs, watch live bands in the lounge bar, or dance the night away to an ever-changing program of music in the first-floor club, but be aware of the omnipresent "working girls."

There's an Indian maharaja vibe at the Palais Jad Mahal, once one of Hivernage's hippest nightspots and still a draw despite steep prices and iffy service. The atmosphere, excellent house band, belly dancers, and cabaret entertainment make it more than worthwhile.

This sky lounge, on the hotel's fourth-floor terrace, has the impressive views over the ramparts to La Mamounia and the Koutoubia mosque, as well as the Menara Gardens and beyond. It's the perfect spot for sunset drinks (or tea, coffee, or snacks). Added bonus: there's a doughnut-shape pool in the middle if you want to sunbathe and take a dip (for an extra 300 DH).

An outpost of the legendary Paris nightclub, Raspoutine attracts a beautiful crowd that dances the night away as DJs spin deep-house until the wee hours. There are plenty of red velour furnishings, drapes, and gilded mirrors hinting back to the original Champs-Elysée Russian-cabaret venue of the 1960s. There is no entry fee, but expect to pay top dollar for drinks at the elaborately decorated bar. Make sure to dress the part.

A stylish nightspot that attracts an upmarket crowd, SO has live music starting around 9 pm as well as resident DJs, a Moroccan restaurant, a licensed bar, and a garden terrace area to enjoy sheesha and alcohol-free cocktails.