Cafeography
Marrakech · Medina & Jemaa el-Fna

Cafés in Medina & Jemaa el-Fna

Terraces over Jemaa el-Fna, a three-floor café on the Rahba Kedima spice square and espresso counters in the souk lanes.

Photo: Margo Evardson, Pexels License

Jemaa el-Fna is the medina's main square, with the Kutubiyya Mosque, begun in 1147, close by.1 UNESCO recognized the culture of the square in 2001 and added it to its intangible heritage list in 2008.1 Orange-juice stalls and snake charmers hold it during the day; storytellers, musicians and sellers of remedies arrive in the late afternoon, and dozens of food stalls set up in the evening, when the crowd is at its largest.1

The square's cafés are built for watching all of that from above. Their terraces ring the open space.2 Deeper into the souks, Rahba Kedima, the spice square, opens off Souk Semmarine.3

Local tip: Take a table on Le Grand Balcon du Café Glacier before sunset, about 19:30 in summer and 17:30 in winter: it faces the crowd with the Koutoubia behind, and a tea cost about 25–40 DH in 2026.2

At a glance

46Cafés listed
5With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Café de France, from 07:00 (Daily 07:00–23:00).
  • Closes latest: Fine Mama, until 00:00 (Daily 09:00–00:00).
  • Most listed streets: Route Kennaria Dbchi (3), Rue Des Banques (2), Rahba Kedima Square (2).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (13%), open late (9%), vegetarian options (4%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Marrakech.

The terraces around Jemaa el-Fna

Le Grand Balcon du Café Glacier, on the southeast corner, looks straight down on the crowd with the Koutoubia behind it; a tea or juice there cost about 25–40 DH in 2026.2 Café de France spreads over several terrace levels, some facing the square and some toward the Atlas, at about 20–35 DH.2 It opens daily 07:00–23:00, the earliest posted start around the square.

Argana, on the north side, sits farther back from the action and is known for ice cream, with tea at about 15–30 DH.2 It was rebuilt after a bomb exploded in the café on 28 April 2011, killing 17 people.12 None of these terraces serves alcohol, and each expects you to order before you sit.2

Rahba Kedima and the spice square

Rahba Kedima is a sunny open square where shops on the south and east sides sell spices, traditional cosmetics and apothecary ingredients, while women traders in the middle sell baskets and knitted cotton hats.3 Until 1920 it was the city's slave market, writes the guidebook author Daniel Jacobs.3

Café des Épices, at 75 Rahba Lakdima, takes up three floors of one of the tallest houses on the square and has a roof terrace on top; it opens daily 09:00–23:00.4 Maazouz and Chinguitti Fiber share No. 190 on the square, and Shtatto is at 81 Derb Nkhal, just off it.

Espresso counters and a laiterie in the souks

Barista Magazine found little specialty coffee in the medina in 2026, and what there is runs small.5 Kesh Cup, at 10 Derb Smara Kandil near the crossing of Sidi Abdel Aziz, Rue Mouassine and Derb el Maaden, has a bar for espresso, three stools at the window, plant milks and juices, and opens daily 09:00–21:00.6 It takes cash only. Kartell Kollektiv, from Guéliz, has served coffee in the medina since 2025.5

Laiterie Yacoute, on Derb Fahal Al Zaqriti, carries the French name for what Moroccans call a mahlaba, from the Arabic for milk: a dairy and juice counter with yogurts and cheeses in the case, where the standard morning order is milky coffee with an egg-and-cheese sandwich.7

Getting there and the evening rhythm

Avenue Mohammed V links Guéliz with the medina, and the Koutoubia minaret is the landmark to walk toward.8 Uber started operating in Marrakech in February 2026, with a 50 DH minimum fare around the city.8 Ask the price before ordering from the food stalls, since drinks are rarely on their menus.8

Sunset over the square comes at about 19:30–20:00 in summer and 17:30–18:00 in winter.2 For a late cup, Fine Mama on Passage Prince Moulay Rachid opens 09:00–00:00, and Mandala Society, at 159 Rue Riad Zitoun El Jedid, 09:30–22:30 with Wi-Fi.

Sources

  1. Jemaa el-Fnaa, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Terrasses Jemaa el Fna : le comparatif des rooftops, Place Jemaa el Fna (August 4, 2026), accessed October 2026
  3. Rahba Kedima, Marrakesh's Best (Touchscreen Travels, Daniel Jacobs), accessed October 2026
  4. Café des Epices, Smart Travelling, accessed October 2026
  5. Exploring the Specialty-Coffee World of Marrakech, Morocco, Barista Magazine (Michaela Tomchek, September 10, 2026), accessed October 2026
  6. Specialty cafés in Marrakech by a travel guidebook writer based in Morocco, Sally Kirby (2025), accessed October 2026
  7. Morocco's Answer to New York's Bodega Breakfast Sandwich, Roads & Kingdoms (Graham H. Cornwell, August 2, 2017), accessed October 2026
  8. Marrakech, Wikivoyage, accessed October 2026
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In Medina & Jemaa el-Fna, also browse: Wi-Fi Open late

FAQ

Medina & Jemaa el-Fna cafés: questions

Which café terraces overlook Jemaa el-Fna in Marrakech?

Le Grand Balcon du Café Glacier, on the southeast corner, looks straight down on the crowd with the Koutoubia behind it, at about 25–40 DH for a tea or juice in 2026. Café de France has several terrace levels for about 20–35 DH, and Argana, on the north side, sits farther back, at about 15–30 DH. You are expected to order, and none serves alcohol.

What is Rahba Kedima in the Marrakech medina?

Rahba Kedima is an open square in the Marrakech souks, off Souk Semmarine. Shops on its south and east sides sell spices, cosmetics and apothecary ingredients, and women in the middle sell baskets and knitted hats. It was a slave market until 1920. Café des Épices, at No. 75, has three floors and a roof terrace, open 09:00–23:00.

Where can you get specialty coffee near Jemaa el-Fna in Marrakech?

Kesh Cup, at 10 Derb Smara Kandil near the crossing of Sidi Abdel Aziz and Rue Mouassine, makes espresso drinks with plant milks at a small bar with three window stools, daily 09:00–21:00, cash only. Kartell Kollektiv, the Guéliz specialty café, has also served coffee in the medina since 2025.

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