What to Eat in Fes: Fassi Specialities and Street Food

In Morocco, people readily say that the best food comes from Fes. Heir to Andalusian, Arab and Berber traditions, long refined in the grand family houses of the medina, Fassi cuisine loves sweet-and-savoury pairings, gentle spices and slow cooking. Here are the dishes to try, the best times to eat them and our tips for enjoying them without worry. For the rest of your plans, see things to do in Fes.

Why Fes is Morocco’s culinary capital

For centuries Fes was the city of scholars, merchants and the court. Wealthy families employed experienced cooks who passed down recipes and techniques, and Andalusian refugees brought a taste for almonds, honey, cinnamon and dried fruit paired with meat. The result is a subtle cuisine, more fragrant than fiery, where every great occasion has its own dish.

The great dishes to try

Pastilla

This is the signature dish of Fes: a pie of paper-thin pastry (warka) filled with shredded chicken or pigeon, egg and toasted almonds, scented with cinnamon and dusted with icing sugar. The contrast of crisp, savoury and sweet is surprising at first, then irresistible. There is also a seafood version, without sugar.

Tajines

The word tajine refers both to the clay dish with its conical lid and to what simmers inside. In Fes, try chicken with preserved lemon and olives, lamb with prunes and almonds, or mrouzia, lamb with raisins, honey and ras el hanout, often prepared for festivals.

Friday couscous

On Friday, the day of the main weekly prayer, couscous brings families together. The classic is seven-vegetable couscous; the tfaya version, with caramelised onions and raisins, is a real treat.

Rfissa

A festive dish par excellence, rfissa combines strips of msemen with chicken slow-cooked with lentils and fenugreek. Generous and comforting, it is made for sharing.

Breakfast and street food

Bissara and khlii

Early in the morning, medina stalls serve bissara, a thick soup of dried fava beans drizzled with olive oil and cumin, eaten with bread. A Fassi speciality, khlii is a dried, preserved meat fried up with eggs. Two authentic flavours to try at least once.

Breads and pancakes

Flaky msemen, spongy baghrir with its thousand holes, semolina harcha, round loaves baked in the neighbourhood oven: they go with morning tea alongside honey, butter, olive oil or amlou, a spread of almonds, argan oil and honey. We describe this ritual in the Moroccan breakfast.

On the street

Grilled skewers and kefta, fried fish sandwiches, snails in spiced broth for the curious, sfenj doughnuts in the morning: the medina is full of stalls. The area around Bab Bou Jeloud, Talaa Kebira and the Rcif market are good places to start.

Sweets and drinks

• Gazelle horns, crescents of fine pastry filled with almond paste and orange-flower water.
• Chebakia, flower-shaped sesame pastries, fried and coated in honey, essential during Ramadan.
• Briouates filled with almonds and honey.
• Mint tea, served very sweet and poured from a height to create a froth.
• Fresh orange juice and avocado smoothies, both very popular.

Where to eat in Fes

• Palace restaurants in the medina, set in old mansions, serve lavish Fassi menus in sumptuous surroundings; ideal for a romantic dinner, as we suggest in our article on a romantic getaway in Fes.
• Small local eateries and cafés in the medina, simple and tasty, for lunch.
• Your riad’s table, often the best of all, with home cooking prepared on request.

In the evening, book the best-known restaurants. Alcohol is scarce in the medina and only served in some licensed establishments.

Eating without worry

• Drink bottled water and favour food that is cooked and served hot.
• Choose busy stalls, where turnover is quick.
• Wash your hands before eating; people often eat with the right hand and a piece of bread.
• Bread is almost sacred: avoid throwing it away.
• Vegetarians will find vegetable tajines, couscous and cooked salads such as zaalouk or taktouka; mention that you do not eat meat, as stocks may contain it.

More practical advice is in our Fes travel tips.

Learning to cook the Fassi way

The best way to understand this cuisine is to cook it. Cooking classes often begin with a market visit to choose spices and vegetables before heading to the stove. All our tips are in cooking classes in Fes, and to take spices home, see shopping in the Fes souks. In winter, slow-cooked dishes become real comfort food, as we describe in Fes in winter.

Food at La Petite Maison

Every morning we serve a homemade Moroccan breakfast on the terrace or in the courtyard: warm msemen and baghrir, bread, olive oil and amlou, homemade jams, seasonal fruit, eggs, mint tea and coffee. With a day’s notice we also cook dinner: tajine, pastilla, or couscous on Fridays. Discover the riad and our rooms, or write to us to book your table.