Villa Aaron

Villa Aaron occupies a family house built in 1936 by Baba Aaron Amzallag, near the Kasbah and a short walk from Jemaa el-Fna. The Amzallag family left Morocco in the late 1960s; the building passed through other hands before the Amazoz Group acquired it in 2016 and spent years restoring what time had softened. They tracked down Baba Aaron's granddaughter in California and brought her back to see the rooms where her family had once gathered. That story of recovery runs through every corner of the space. Interior designer Michèle-Rose kept the original volumes intact and filled them with hand-painted tiles in vivid colours, zellige floors, rattan armchairs, fringed rococo lights, and enough greenery to make the patio feel like a private garden. The result is a two-storey villa with several distinct rooms, each carrying the warmth of a home that was always built for hosting. In the kitchen, Spanish chef Luisma Naranjo cooks a Mediterranean-Moroccan menu designed around sharing. Slow-cooked mechoui cannelloni is the signature, a dish that bridges two traditions in a single bite. Raviolis with chakchouka, sardines à l'escabèche with pickled onions, and subtly spiced pastrami fill out a seasonal card that favours comfort over complexity. Dessert leans playful: rice pudding with popcorn and caramel has already become a quiet favourite. The bar holds its own, with signature cocktails and an illustrated mocktail card alongside a solid wine selection. Live music shifts the mood as the day moves. At midday, sunlight floods the rooms and conversations stretch. On weekends, a resident musician plays intimate live sets over dinner, and once a month a DJ takes over to steer the villa toward something more festive. The whole venue can be privatized for events. Private parking, rare for this part of the city, removes one more reason to hesitate.