The Rooftop Guide to Marrakech: Restaurants, Cocktail Bars and Pools

Akira Back's Marrakech address sits on top of the Pestana CR7 along M Avenue, the newer commercial artery that has become the focal point of the city's more cosmopolitan dining scene. The kitchen follows the approach that has made the Akira Back name recognizable across more than two dozen cities worldwide: modern Japanese technique sharpened with Korean boldness, plates designed to be shared, flavors that lean into umami and heat in equal measure. The restaurant operates entirely open-air, with the city stretching out below. The format blends sushi with DJ sets and cocktails into something closer to a rooftop lounge than a formal dining room, and evenings start with raw preparations and end somewhere between the last drink and the first stars fading.

Azulik Inla sits behind an unmarked door near Dar El Bacha in the northern medina. What waits inside is a Latin detour that few visitors expect: a Mexican-inspired restaurant built from raw, natural materials, bathed in low golden light, and open to the sky from a rooftop. The kitchen works with ceviches, tacos, and wood-grilled meats, sharpened by a mixology programme anchored in tequila and mezcal. Every plate leans into bold, clean Latin American flavours while the setting folds in Moroccan craft and texture, rough plaster meeting woven fibres and earth tones. In a medina dense with tagine and couscous, this is a genuinely different proposition: intimate, sensory, and unapologetically Latin.

On the edge of Rahba Kedima, the centuries-old spice square in the heart of the Medina, Cafe des Epices has been a fixture of the old city's rooftop circuit long enough to have outlasted several waves of openings around it. The building was redesigned with a pared-back hand: red tadelakt walls, rough wood, woven chairs, three levels climbing from the square to the sky. The terrace looks directly over Rahba Kedima and its saffron vendors, dried rosebuds, and the daily rhythms of the spice market. The menu is simple and fresh: Moroccan breakfast spreads, salads, tagines, fresh-squeezed juices, and mint tea. No alcohol. The rooftop, golden in the late afternoon light, is one of the more reliable pauses the medina offers.

Dardar sits on Riad Zitoun Lakdim, a few minutes' walk from Jemaa el-Fna, inside a multi-level space combining restaurant, cocktail bar, and open-air rooftop. The rooftop terrace offers panoramic views over the Koutoubia minaret, the medina skyline, and the Atlas Mountains. It is one of the rare medina venues with an alcohol licence, and the cocktail list, built around local botanicals and Mediterranean flavours, is among the more ambitious in the old city. The kitchen blends Moroccan tradition with international touches: pink couscous, tangia, and sharing tapas alongside tuna tartare and ceviche. As the night deepens, live musicians and a resident DJ take over. Dardar works as a full evening out, from the first drink at sunset to the last song past midnight.

El Fenn began life as an 1830s palace near Bab El Ksour and was opened in 2004 as a small guesthouse. It has since grown into one of the most recognized boutique hotels in Marrakech, with over forty rooms, three pools, a spa, and a contemporary art collection that runs through every corridor. The rooftop is open to non-residents and is one of the largest terraces in the medina at 1,300 square metres, with a 30-foot marble bar as its anchor and unobstructed views of the Koutoubia and the Atlas beyond. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner daily with a menu rooted in local, seasonal, plant-based cooking alongside meat and fish. Non-residents enter through the El Fenn Boutique on Rue Lalla Fatima Zahra. Reservations required for the restaurant; the bar operates first-come and fills quickly at sunset.

Flowers occupies the rooftop and upper floors of Dar Marjana, a riad near Dar El Bacha that has stood since the early nineteenth century. Swedish-born chef Richard McCormick, who arrived in Marrakech after running some of Helsinki's most talked-about restaurants, leads an open-fire kitchen working with seasonal sharing plates sourced from local growers. The menu draws on North African and Mediterranean flavours with traces of McCormick's years in Southeast Asia and Scandinavia. Vegetable dishes hold equal billing with seafood and grilled meats. The wine list includes natural and local labels, some exclusive to the restaurant. The space blends reclaimed materials and Scandinavian lines with traditional Moroccan architecture, and the atmosphere is closer to someone's home than a formal restaurant.

Kabana is a rooftop bar and restaurant a short walk from the Koutoubia Mosque, whose illuminated minaret becomes the focal point of every table as the sun drops. The kitchen works under the creative direction of an Ibiza-born chef and leans Mediterranean, with Latin and Asian detours: sharing plates, a dedicated sushi chef, and truffle-and-parmesan fries that have become one of the terrace's signatures. After dark, curated DJ sets build through the evening, live music nights rotate through jazz, salsa, and electronic acts, and the terrace shifts from rooftop restaurant to open-air club with Koutoubia views. Reserve ahead for sunset seating and expect the energy to be part of the proposition.

L'mida was founded by Omar Lyazidi and Mohammed Sebbagh, with the kitchen run by Nargisse Benkabbou, a Moroccan-born, London-trained cookbook author whose menu takes traditional recipes and reworks them with a light, confident hand. The interior, designed by Noon Interior Studio, blends industrial edges with Moroccan craftsmanship: white marble tables, deep green and mustard banquettes. The rooftop is one of the highest terraces in the medina, with unbroken views across the rooftops to the Koutoubia and the Atlas. A signature burger reimagines makfoul tagine with harissa mayonnaise; Berber gnocchi crosses Italian technique with local flavours. No alcohol; the fresh mocktails suit the setting.

La Table du Souk is La Sultana's Bahia rooftop: a 2,000-square-metre terrace where green zellige tiles line the tables and the view opens in every direction. The Moulay El Yazid Mosque rises close enough to see the detail of its green tilework; the Koutoubia marks the skyline to the north; the Atlas closes the frame on clear days. Lunch follows two paths: a market menu built around terroir ingredients (saffron from Taliouine, cumin from Alnif, salt from Zerradoune, argan oil from the Souss), and a street food menu of charcoal-grilled fish, herb-bright salads, and babbouche in the tradition of the neighbourhood. The pace is set by birdsong, a light wind through the garden, and the distant hum of the medina below.

Le Grand Bazar sits directly on Jemaa el-Fna, occupying a century-old hotel remade into something halfway between a restaurant and a cabinet of curiosities: vintage objects, low lighting, a small stage where live musicians play electro-swing. The cooking crosses borders with confidence: tanjia marrakchia, saffron-infused mhamssa, chicken pastilla alongside homemade ravioli and a well-constructed burger. Upstairs, 600 square metres of rooftop open onto greenery and lantern light, with the Koutoubia directly ahead and the square's nightly spectacle below. Both floors feel distinct and both feel like they belong to Marrakech.

Le Salama rises three floors above Rue des Banques, just off Jemaa el-Fna. Colonial-style rooms, a grand piano played live each evening, and a Moroccan kitchen producing tanjia marrakchia, lamb shoulder, and royal couscous for tables built for sharing. Higher up, the Sky Bar rooftop offers panoramic views at sunset with cocktails that include the signature Le Salama, blending gin, lemon juice, and orange blossom water. Belly dancers, live music, and the bar open until 2am make this one of the few medina addresses that can carry an evening from a quiet sunset drink through dinner to something louder without requiring you to move.

Le Slimana sits inside a riad on Kaat Benahid, deep in the medina, where a contemporary design balances old tile with clean modern lines and the rooftop terrace is lined with palms. The kitchen takes Moroccan classics and gives them a confident Mediterranean accent: kemias with black olive hummus, confit pumpkin, and cucumber gazpacho; lamb shoulder ravioli; caramelised octopus with cauliflower hummus; goat cheese briouates alongside traditional tagines. The rose and pistachio creme brulee has become a signature. A mixologist handles a cocktail programme that can carry an afternoon through to a late evening on the terrace.

Mandala Society was founded by Othman, a Moroccan, and Birta, an Icelander, who started the concept in Essaouira before arriving in Marrakech. The Bahia location, near the palace of the same name, operates an entirely meat-free kitchen: fish from local fishermen, everything else plant-driven, organic where possible, 95% made in-house. Mornings bring Icelandic oat pancakes and Moroccan shakshuka; lunch shifts to charcoal-roasted Buddha bowls, a salmon hoisin burger on rye sourdough, and a plant shawarma wrap with smoked eggplant and shiitake mushrooms. The specialty coffee is among the best in the medina. The rooftop terrace faces the Atlas Mountains.

The Mandala Society Koutoubia opened in November 2025, tucked between the mosque and Jemaa el-Fna. Three floors with large arched windows, a charcoal oven visible from the dining room, and a rooftop terrace framed by two of the city's most recognizable landmarks. The menu follows the same meat-free, pescatarian philosophy as the Bahia location: Lummur pancakes, vegan Buddha bowl, Norwegian salmon burger on rye sourdough, plant shawarma wrap with smoked eggplant and shiitake. A take-away counter at street level serves specialty coffee and house-baked treats.

MO-MO opened in May 2025 directly on Jemaa el-Fna, stacking two panoramic terraces above the square with a walk-in-only policy and no reservations. The interior is striking: saturated colour, handmade earthenware, woven rattan fixtures. The kitchen puts a contemporary spin on Moroccan staples with a light Mediterranean accent: feta cigars with tomato jam and smoked honey, kofta with fresh accompaniments, a cauliflower risotto that has become one of the most discussed dishes. No alcohol; the mocktail programme is colourful and well-crafted.

Naranj is run by a Lebanese-Syrian couple who arrived in Marrakech from Vienna with a single principle: Levantine home cooking made with ingredients bought fresh from Marrakech's markets each morning. The mezze alone can carry an entire meal: fatet batinjan with aubergine, spiced minced beef, yoghurt, and shattered pita; textbook kibbeh; falafel wraps stuffed with fattoush and fried chickpeas; a belboula salad with caramelised onions, raisins, cashews, and argan oil. A Josper-style grill handles the meats. No alcohol; Levantine mocktails are mixed with the same care as the food. The room below is lined with khamsa mirrors, kilim textiles, and copper lighting; the rooftop above opens onto the skyline.

The Rooftop Garden at Nobu Hotel is a different proposition from the Japanese-Peruvian restaurant below. Here the kitchen pivots to Mediterranean and Moroccan cooking, and the setting shifts to open-air pool terrace with a beach-club energy. A circular all-season pool sits at the centre, flanked by cabanas, sundeck, and lounge seating with a panoramic 360-degree view of the Red City and the Atlas. A dedicated sushi bar runs through the afternoon. International and local DJs play through the evening, and the terrace is open to non-hotel guests with a reservation. One of the few rooftop spaces in Marrakech combining a full restaurant, a pool, and a nightlife programme in a single setting.

Nomad opened in 2014 inside a restored 1960s carpet store on Derb Aarjane, overlooking the Rahba Kedima spice square, and has since become one of the most requested tables in the medina. Four floors rise to a rooftop with Koutoubia and Atlas views that requires booking well in advance at sunset. The kitchen works modern Moroccan: courgette and feta fritters as signature, sardine tart, vegetarian pastilla with goat cheese and tomato confit, grilled lamb chops, flourless orange cake. Short and seasonal, built around what the souks deliver each morning. No alcohol. Part of the Atlas Collection alongside Cafe des Epices and Le Jardin.

Otto sits near the Bahia Palace on Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid, rising to a rooftop with an unobstructed sightline to the Koutoubia. The design is strikingly minimal for the medina: neutral tones, clean surfaces, tableware chosen piece by piece. The kitchen works an Italian-Moroccan line: black risotto with scallops, grilled octopus with sage infusion and citrus mayonnaise, pistachio-crusted tuna, ravioli with ricotta and lemon zest. Inventive non-alcoholic cocktails alongside the full bar. By day a calm rooftop lunch; after sunset, resident DJs shift the mood with afrobeat sets and a livelier social register.

Safran's rooftop in the medina faces the Koutoubia minaret, and most guests come as much for the show as for the food. Chef Mouhssine Nouni trained at Yoshi in Monaco and Ledoyen in Paris; Deputy Chef Abdelkrim Siklan spent nearly a decade at the Royal Mansour. The Mediterranean-leaning carte ranges from lamb tagine to grilled octopus, prawn linguine, and Black Cod Saikyo Miso. From around nine each evening, Gnawa musicians, oriental dancers, and DJs take over, and the terrace becomes one of the more electric rooms in central Marrakech. Reserve ahead; a dress code applies; request a terrace seat away from the speakers.

SAMA is the rooftop concept developed by DIAFFA, opened in the Medina in 2025. The reference is Havana: the bar programme is built around signature cocktails that take their inspiration from Cuba's after-dark vocabulary, translated into a rooftop setting above the medina. The terrace looks directly at the Koutoubia minaret, and the contrast between that view and the music is part of what gives the address its character: the oldest landmark on the Marrakech skyline framed by a programme that sounds like it belongs somewhere else entirely. SAMA arrived on a rooftop circuit already dense with established addresses and chose to arrive with a distinct cultural identity rather than a generic proposition.

Shtatto takes its name from the sieve factory that once occupied this medina building off Rahba Lakdima. The sieves are gone; what replaced them is a vertical slice of young Marrakech: a concept store stocking avant-garde Moroccan and African designers on one floor, a hairdresser on another, and a rooftop cafe-restaurant at the top ranking among the highest terraces in the old city. A compact terrace with green banquettes, banana trees, and a 360-degree sweep to the Koutoubia. Short menu of tagines, Moroccan salads, kefta sandwiches, fresh juices, and a date-and-amlou cocktail without alcohol. A curated playlist of electronic beats and vintage funk; occasional DJ sets that turn the terrace into a rooftop party. Not a restaurant with a view: a small cultural ecosystem that happens to serve food.

Terrasse des Epices has occupied the rooftop of Souk Cherifia since 2007. Three flights above the artisan boutiques of this medina shopping arcade, a wide open-air terrace opens with the Koutoubia to the south and the Atlas range closing the horizon. The house tanjia Marrakchia has been on the menu since opening day. The full bar pours champagne, a rotating seasonal cocktail list, and wine favouring Moroccan labels. Live music fills the terrace by night. In summer straw hats appear at every seat; in winter, warm djellabas. A traditional patisserie two floors below sells handmade Moroccan pastries, and staff will walk you back through the souks after dinner.

Perched on top of the Pestana CR7 along M Avenue, the Akira Back bar programme mirrors the kitchen's precision: Japanese-Korean flavor references, drinks designed with the same editorial tightness as the plates. The terrace operates entirely open-air and the format is rooftop lounge as much as restaurant: DJ sets run through the evening, cocktails and sushi coexist comfortably, and the M Avenue setting gives the bar a different energy from the minaret-framed medina circuit.

The bar programme at Azulik Inla is anchored in tequila and mezcal, consistent with the brand's Mexican identity and the Latin-American direction of the kitchen. The mixology programme is built around bold, clean agave-based cocktails in a setting of raw natural materials and low golden light. In a medina where few bars have a coherent identity distinct from their view, Azulik Inla's programme is specific in a way that makes the address worth seeking out. The hour when the light softens over the old city is the moment the terrace performs at its fullest register.

Dardar is one of the rare medina addresses with an alcohol licence, and the cocktail list, built around local botanicals and Mediterranean flavours, is among the more ambitious in the old city. The rooftop faces the Koutoubia and the bar comes into its own as the minaret illuminates at sunset. A resident DJ and rotating live musicians build the atmosphere through the evening, moving from sunset drinks to a full late-night programme. The crowd ranges from early dinner guests to those who arrive specifically after midnight.

The El Fenn rooftop bar is one of the most established sunset destinations in the Medina, operating from a 1,300-square-metre terrace anchored by a 30-foot marble bar. The cocktail list is focused rather than comprehensive, reflecting the same editing sensibility that runs through the hotel's art collection and room design. The bar operates first-come and fills quickly at the hour when the light on the Koutoubia and Atlas changes. The evening crowd tends toward those who know El Fenn well and return for it specifically.

Kabana's cocktail programme is handled by a full-time mixologist alongside a curated wine list of Moroccan and French labels. After dark, the terrace shifts into a louder register: DJ sets, live music rotating through jazz, salsa, and electronic acts, and the energy of a venue that has earned a reputation as one of the Koutoubia's most consistent evening destinations. The late afternoon, when the minaret begins to define the skyline and the first cocktails arrive, is when the rooftop is at its best.

The rooftop bar at Nobu Hotel is part of the beach club terrace: a circular all-season pool at the centre, cabanas, a sundeck, and a 360-degree panorama of the Red City and the Atlas range. The drinks list carries the Nobu polish: professional service, cocktails calibrated without excess sweetness. International and local DJs play through the evening, and the terrace is open to non-hotel guests with a reservation.

Odette is La Sultana's dedicated rooftop bar, a different register from the hotel's main dining room and designed for an evening that begins with drinks without a fixed destination. The bar faces the Kasbah quarter; the view from this position in the southern medina, looking toward the old fortified area rather than the square, has a quieter and more architecturally coherent character than the busier terrace panoramas in the north. The cocktail programme is calibrated to that pace, and the atmosphere reflects La Sultana's sensibility: considered, without unnecessary noise.

Otto operates as a dual-mode address: restaurant by early evening, bar as the night progresses, with the transition happening within the same rooftop space. The bar component is complemented by resident DJs playing afrobeat sets that carry the terrace toward a livelier energy after sunset. The rooftop is compact, and that scale produces an atmosphere that is more contained and convivial than the larger hotel terraces elsewhere in the city.

The Mellah Hotel's rooftop bar sits above the former Jewish quarter, one of the Medina's most historically textured neighborhoods. The bar programme is direct rather than theatrical, and the setting carries the quiet, residential character of the Mellah: a quality of remove from the medina's more visitor-dense areas, and a view over the Mellah roofscape that the Hivernage hotel terraces do not offer. For those who know the Mellah, the bar is an extension of the neighborhood; for those who do not, it is one of the better introductions to one of the most quietly remarkable parts of the old city.

Zest is the Four Seasons' rooftop bar within an estate in Hivernage developed around extensive Andalusian-Moroccan gardens, which opened as the first Four Seasons on the African continent. Well-sourced ingredients, a professionally managed cocktail programme, and service reliable at the level consistent across the property. The terrace looks out across the palmeraie toward the Atlas, and in the months when the mountains carry snow, the view is one of the most compelling available from any hotel bar in the city. Best approached in the late afternoon when the light on the mountains and gardens is at its most distinctive.

SAMA's cocktail programme takes its cue from Havana: signature drinks built on Cuban references, a bar that runs through the evening with the same sense of direction as the music that frames it. The summer season opens the terrace fully, with a weekend programme of live sets and DJ rotations that give the rooftop a distinct musical identity within the medina circuit. The Koutoubia minaret anchors the view; the bar anchors the night.

El Fenn's rooftop pool is one of the few in the Medina accessible to non-residents. The physical context is what the address is about: the hotel's characteristic use of color and local material, the Koutoubia views, and a 30-foot marble bar on the same 1,300-square-metre terrace. Non-residents enter through the El Fenn Boutique on Rue Lalla Fatima Zahra; capacity is limited and advance booking is a requirement, not a courtesy.

The pool at the Nobu Hotel rooftop is a circular all-season structure at the centre of a beach club terrace at the Es Saadi resort in Hivernage. Cabanas and a sundeck flank the pool; a 360-degree panoramic view takes in the full sweep of the Red City and the Atlas range. The service level corresponds to the hotel's international standards. Access for non-residents is subject to the hotel's current policy and should be confirmed directly with the property.

The Mellah Hotel's rooftop pool is modest in scale, consistent with the intimate character of the property, but precise in the quality of setting it offers. The Mellah district below is a former Jewish quarter with a distinct architectural identity and a history different in character from the areas around Jemaa el-Fna. The pool terrace is understated, specific, without spectacle. The view over the Mellah roofscape is something the larger pool terraces in Hivernage cannot offer.