With all the bars in every region of the country, This isn’t Casablanca, there’s no one on the piano and you can be sure that the DJ never performed ‘As Time Goes By’ (although he plays jazz), but the decor of the Grand Café de la Poste in the 1920s – wooden blinds, potted plants, wicker chairs and acres of white linen – shrieks from colonial Morocco. So, even, do the menu bits. The surprise is that the food is really nice, a partnership between a French and a Moroccan cook. How about cleaning a dozen Oualidia oysters with a chilled white glass? Duck breast with potatoes for baby? Sea roast bass? A fabulous nearby goat’s-cheese salad, croque monsieur, or grilled sardines: lunch appears to be a lighter affair. But the food is just part of the reason to go: head for lunch here, particularly on weekends, and you’ll find a covered terrace full of locals and expats. It’s common for an aperitif early in the evening; and later, depending on what festival is on, in the dining room you could find Hollywood stars or Brit musicians.
Grand Café de la Poste, Corner of Boulevard el-Mansour Eddahbi and Avenue Imam Malik, Marrakech (00 212 2443 3038).
