All You Need to Know about Alcohol in Morocco

Morocco is a Muslim-majority country, which means that most Moroccans do not drink alcohol at all. And yet, a good number still do, on top of the large numbers of tourists and resident foreigners across the country.

Part of me hesitated to write this out of respect for the religion, but I do drink while I'm in Morocco. I try to do it privately and respectfully, and I think it's important to follow some basic rules around alcohol while you're there. You should not drink outside the privacy of your rental unit, hotel room, or bar/restaurant. If you are staying in a small riad, it may be perfectly fine to take a drink in the lounge or rooftop terrace; larger hotels may not want you to walk around public areas with alcohol. Just try and defer to local norms. I would avoid bringing alcohol on a picnic or day at the beach, no matter how remote.

Shops

Over the past few decades, it has become both easier and harder to drink in Morocco. Marjane, the country's biggest chain of supermarkets, stopped selling any alcohol. You can often find stores adjacent to Carrefour grocery stores, and other little markets are scattered around. In general, there won't be a sign and it will not be advertised, but it is often located next to a small supermarket. On Fridays, shops will close around noon for Friday prayers. During Ramadan, all shops will shut down entirely. They are usually closed on Sundays or have only limited hours.

There can be a strongly secretive vibe to these places. It's mainly men inside and they are often in a hurry; line-cutting is common. On anecdotal evidence, most people drink beer, which is sold in singles. If there's a six pack or a case, it's the exact same price per bottle as a single. Some places will have self serve refrigerators, others will have little counters where you tell the cashier what you want and they bag it up for you. I've found that shops connected to Carrefour stores tend to accept credit cards, but I would expect to pay cash.

A Few Reliable Shops:

Tangier: Casa Pepe, one block from Blvd Pasteur, near McDonald's; Shop on Rue la Corniche (across from SBN Suite Hotel)

Rabat: Carrefour-Hassan Supermarket on Ave Moulay Ismail, little supermarket on Rue Mohammed El Jazouli (entrance is next to grocery); Marché Central (small shop inside); Les Grands Caves du Jour et du Nuit (on Ave Chellah, caddy corner from Hotel Rabat)

Marrakesh: Mini Marché Majorelle (on Ave Yacoub el Mansour, near Jardin Majorelle); Tyche Drinks Shop (Rue du Bani); La Maison du Bacchus (Blvd de la Menara); Carrefour Market (Ave Guernassa near Cyberparc Moulay Abdesalam)

Fes: Borj Nord Mall (shop is separate from supermarket, near back exit to mall); No sign shop at 52 Avenue Hassan II.

Bars and Restaurants

In cities like Marrakesh and Tangier, more and more restaurants serve alcohol, especially outside the medina areas. Even in the medina, various hotels will serve beer and wine to hotel guests, although this often is not advertised on websites.

In bigger cities, but especially in Marrakesh, there are plenty of bars with all kinds of different vibes. "Dive bars" tend to be primarily filled with men, but more upscale places (especially in neighborhoods like Gueliz and Hivernage) will have mixed crowds. One of the nice things about these places is that they're often not booze-centric: they'll serve plenty of alcohol but have lots of non-alcoholic options and plenty of people will be there to socialize rather than just to drink. In fact, the wealth of mocktail options in Morocco is pretty awesome and there are lots of fun hangouts that only serve fresh juices, teas, etc.

Big international hotels will also have bars, some of them spectacular. Even larger Moroccan hotels will have them, although most of their customers tend to be men.

Note: it's pretty common to be served little tapas-like things with each round, whether your order them or not. Olives, nuts, chips, popcorn, sometimes more complicated stuff. Like in Spain, these are free.

Some quick places we like (for both men & women)

Marrakesh: Kabana, DarDar, l'envers, Barometre, Hotel Tazi (in a pinch)

Tangier: El Morocco Club (basement bar), Hotel Nord Pinus (rooftop), Caid's Bar (El Minzeh Hotel), Number One (in a pinch)

Rabat: Yucatan, Les Deux Palais, Bar Jose, Irish Pub (in a pinch)

What to Drink

Morocco makes some very nice wines and some decent beer and some pretty good stuff called mahya (l'eau de vie) that you are unlikely to encounter unless you seek it out. Whiskeys, rum, gin...these are nearly all imported, and if they're made locally, they are probably pretty bad. I'm sure someone's going to start a craft distillery in Marrakesh soon, but it hasn't happened yet.

Stork Beer, from Morocco

Casablanca, Morocco's best beer

Flag Pils

I generally stick to beer and have learned that there's a category of cheap Moroccan wine that is best avoided. Cocktails in bars are hit-and-miss. Marrakesh's top places know how to make the classics and how to get creative, too. I had a couple good negronis at DarDar, Pointbar, and Kabana, and a perfect one at El Morocco Club in Tangier. I also had some pretty meh martinis. Gin and tonic, vodka tonic, etc. will come with gin in the glass over ice and a bottle of tonic for you to mix yourself. There's good draft beer out there, too, nowadays.

Beer

Casablanca is the top of the beer pyramid in Morocco. It's the best, and it's not really close. I'd drink Casa anywhere; it holds up well in comparison to the best international lagers. Flag Speciale is probably the most commonly found beer; it's okay. I like the squat little bottles. Speciale has come out with a few special releases (like an Oktoberfest riff), too. After Speciale and Casa, it gets worse, quickly. Stork is great mainly for the humor it offers. The cans look cheap, the bottle labels are always peeling. It has a little more malt taste than the others. Flag Pils is not often found outside the supermarket or dive bars. It reminds me of High Life but its fizz doesn't hold up and it feels a little thin and flat after a sip or two.

Beers in a shop start around 12 dirhams a can/bottle (~$1.25). Imports like 1664, San Miguel, or Corona cost more like 20-30 dirhams a bottle ($2-3). Beers in bars can vary widely. I'd expect to pay around $7 for a Casablanca at a decent bar, maybe $4-5 for a Speciale at a dive, and upwards of $10 for a beer at a high end hotel.

Wine

Morocco has been producing wine for thousands of years, despite religious prohibitions. However, it was only with French colonial rule in and intensive investment in viticulture that a proper wine industry began. Syrocco, a Syrah from the Zenata region, is available in the US and a quality bottle. La Ferme Rouge makes good wines, and the Domaines du Sahari rosé is a nice, delicate rosé. I have a strict "No CP" (pronounced "say-pay") policy. This ubiquitous brand is made by Ouled Thaleb (which makes some good stuff) but is on the cheaper end of the spectrum.