Le Petit Cornichon

Le Petit Cornichon occupies a quiet stretch of Rue Moulay Ali in Gueliz, behind a facade of Majorelle blue and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the room with light. The interior, designed by Selma Laraqui, pairs cerulean walls with daffodil yellow accents and a lushly planted terrace out front. It looks like a Parisian neighbourhood bistro that woke up in Marrakech and decided to stay. Chef-owner Erwann Lance grew up in Marrakech, trained under Michel Rostang and worked alongside Eric Ripert and Yannick Alléno before circling back to open a place in his own city. The concept is bistronomie by day and something closer to gastronomy by night. A well-priced three-course lunch menu changes weekly and runs through clean, seasonal dishes built on Moroccan produce. Evenings shift gear: the à la carte deepens, and plates like sea bass with potato consommé and miso-scented clams, or a celeriac and pear carpaccio with gorgonzola, show a kitchen that knows how to balance precision with warmth. The beetroot Wellington has become a signature. The ceviche is the dish guests remember weeks later. Upstairs, a wine cellar holding over 300 references is one of the largest in Marrakech, stocked primarily with bottles from small French vignerons and a champagne selection that reflects Lance's personal enthusiasm for bubbles. He is often in the dining room, moving between tables with the easy manner of someone who built the place for exactly this kind of evening. The restaurant ranked 21st on MENA's 50 Best Restaurants 2026, a recognition that caught up with what Gueliz regulars have known for some time.