Rabat Entertainment Guide

Rabat should keep your tummy happy – there is no dearth of good restaurants serving both Moroccan and international dishes. French cuisine is almost as ubiquitous as the standard couscous-and-tajine combination. In the Ville Nouvelle, the restaurants are mainly to be found near the train station, the Place de la Gare and Avenue Moulay Youssef. Avenues Mohammed V and Allal Ben Abdallah also have some good cafés. The cheapest restaurants are predictably to be found in and around the Medina, especially down rue Mohammed V and along rue Souika. These café-restaurants are clean enough and serve Moroccan food cooked the most authentic way. Bars are outside the main hotels are less easy to come by, however. Late-night entertainment options include the cluster of disco-bars around place de Melilla and on rue Patrice Lumumba

Shopping

Morocco’s most famous exports are its beautiful carpets – you can find them at most major tourist centres. It is important to make sure that you buy them at standard outlets since the risk of being ripped off is all too real – the Rue des Consuls in Rabat is a good place. Leather is also a prime export – Moroccan leather is allegedly the softest in the world. The other major ‘buys’ are brass work and woodwork. Near bd Hassan II and the Medina are the main market street, rue Souika, and its continuation Souk es Sebbat. The souks of Mororcco are perhaps the best places to pick up some great bargains. However, a word of warning for the inexperienced souk-er! Travellers are subject to continuous hard sell by shopkeepers, so it is important to keep one’s calm and not get browbeaten into buying something. One golden rule is never to buy anything from the first shop you see it in; ask at various shops before making your purchase. The Mellah area close to Souk es Sabat contains a flea market in the Jewish quarter.