Yazel

Yazel sits a few doors from Le Jardin Secret on Rue Mouassine, one of the medina's most trafficked walking streets, but the climb to its rooftop leaves the crowd noise behind. The terrace is small, green, and strung with the kind of boho details that photograph well, but the real draw at sunset is the unobstructed view across medina rooftops toward the Atlas Mountains. Below, a second dining level offers more shelter when the wind picks up or the midday sun bears down. The menu is short, which in this case works in its favour. Yazel cooks a Mediterranean-Moroccan hybrid built around mezze, pitas, and fresh ingredients. Beetroot hummus and pumpkin hummus set the tone: bright, well-spiced, generous with the tahini. Feta cigars wrapped in crisp pastry, falafel, kofta pita, sardines, and a fattoush salad round out a card designed for sharing and light eating. Portions are honest, the kitchen moves quickly, and the format suits the souk-walking pace of the neighbourhood. No alcohol is served, but fresh juices and juice-based cocktails are made to order. The format suits the neighbourhood. This stretch of Mouassine is walked by nearly every visitor passing between the souks and Le Jardin Secret, and Yazel catches people at exactly the moment they need to sit down, eat something fresh, and look at something beautiful. The staff are quick and friendly, the terrace fills early at sunset, and repeat visits within the same trip are common. It lacks the ambition or complexity of the city's bigger restaurants, and that is precisely the point. Yazel does a small thing well, in a spot that makes it easy to find.