Food · Tangier · Morocco
What to eat in Tangier
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Tangier, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Ifni95, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Bissara, Kalinte and Harira. Spend an afternoon moving between Tangier's historic cafés: the Petit Socco's terraces, the Café de Paris on Place de France and Café Hafa on the Marshan cliffs. Alcohol is served in some hotels and Ville Nouvelle restaurants and bars, but not in most medina eateries.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Bissara
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 5
- Tipping
- Rounding up or leaving about 10% is customary in restaurants; small coins are…
- Food experiences
- 3
10 foods to try
Breakfast · Vegetarian
1.Bissara
A thick soup of dried split fava beans or peas with olive oil, cumin and paprika, eaten with bread, especially on cold mornings.
Where: Small cafés in the medina in the morning, and at Café Hafa.
Street food · Vegetarian
2.Kalinte (Calentica)
A Tangier speciality of Spanish origin: a baked chickpea-flour flan sold hot in squares, sprinkled with cumin and salt. Its name comes from the Spanish for 'hot'.
Where: Street carts and bakeries in the medina and around the Grand Socco, served hot.
Dish
3.Harira
A tomato soup with lentils, chickpeas, herbs and sometimes lamb, thickened with flour and served with dates; essential at sunset during Ramadan.
Where: Cafés and simple restaurants across the city.
Dish
4.Tagine
Slow-cooked stews in a conical clay pot, such as chicken with preserved lemon and olives or kefta meatballs in tomato sauce with eggs.
Where: Restaurants in the medina and the Ville Nouvelle.
Dish
5.Grilled sardines and fried fish
Tangier's fishing port supplies sardines, sole and calamari, grilled or fried and served with bread, salad and chilli sauce.
Where: Fish restaurants near the port and the central market.
Dish
6.Seafood pastilla
A savoury pie of thin warqa pastry filled with fish, prawns, vermicelli and spices; the coastal cousin of the sweet-savoury pigeon pastilla.
Where: Moroccan restaurants in the medina and Ville Nouvelle.
Dish
7.Couscous
Steamed semolina with vegetables and meat, traditionally cooked by families on Fridays after midday prayers.
Where: Many local restaurants serve it on Fridays.
Bakery · Vegetarian
8.Msemen
Square, flaky pan-fried flatbread, eaten at breakfast with honey, butter or cheese, or stuffed with spiced onions.
Where: Street stalls and bakeries in the medina in the morning.
Drink · Vegetarian
9.Mint tea (Atay)
Green tea brewed with fresh mint and plenty of sugar, poured from height to make it froth; the centre of Moroccan hospitality.
Where: Every café, especially Café Hafa and the Petit Socco.
Dessert · Vegetarian
10.Cornes de gazelle (Kaab el ghzal)
Crescent-shaped pastries filled with almond paste flavoured with orange-flower water.
Where: Pastry shops in the medina and the Ville Nouvelle.
Food experiences
Café culture
Spend an afternoon moving between Tangier's historic cafés: the Petit Socco's terraces, the Café de Paris on Place de France and Café Hafa on the Marshan cliffs.
Medina street breakfast
Start the day with bissara, msemen and hot kalinte from stalls in the medina, followed by mint tea.
Fish by the port
Simple restaurants near the fishing port serve whatever came in that morning, grilled or fried, at modest prices.
Quick bites and street food
- Bissara — Small cafés in the medina in the morning, and at Café Hafa.
- Kalinte — Street carts and bakeries in the medina and around the Grand Socco, served hot.
- Msemen — Street stalls and bakeries in the medina in the morning.
Vegetarian options
Of the 10 foods in this guide, 5 are usually vegetarian: Bissara, Kalinte, Msemen, Mint tea and Cornes de gazelle. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Alcohol is served in some hotels and Ville Nouvelle restaurants and bars, but not in most medina eateries.
- During Ramadan, many cafés and restaurants close by day and fill up after sunset.
- Friday is the traditional day for couscous in local restaurants.
- Drink bottled water and check that salads are washed in safe water in very basic places.
- Bread is eaten with every meal and is used to scoop food; eat with your right hand.
Tipping
Rounding up or leaving about 10% is customary in restaurants; small coins are appreciated by café waiters, porters and guides, and official guides expect a tip at the end of a tour.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Salam alaikum | Hello (peace be upon you) |
| Shukran | Thank you |
| La, shukran | No, thank you |
| Bshhal? | How much? |
| Bonjour / Hola | Hello in French or Spanish, both widely used |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Tangier famous for?
Bissara, Kalinte, Harira and Tagine. A thick soup of dried split fava beans or peas with olive oil, cumin and paprika, eaten with bread, especially on cold mornings.
+Is Tangier good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Bissara, Kalinte and Msemen.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Tangier?
Rounding up or leaving about 10% is customary in restaurants; small coins are appreciated by café waiters, porters and guides, and official guides expect a tip at the end of a tour.