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Pastilla in Fes: Where to Eat Morocco's Great Sweet-Savoury Pie
Pastilla — also spelled bastilla or b'stilla — is the jewel of Fassi cooking and one of the most extraordinary dishes in the world: a great pie of shredded pigeon or chicken and spiced almonds, wrapped in gossamer warqa pastry and dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar. Sweet, savoury, crisp and rich all at once, it is the dish of celebrations, and Fes, its spiritual home, is the place to eat it.
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- 19 July 2026
At a glance
- Pastilla is a layered sweet-savoury pie — the pinnacle of festive Moroccan cooking.
- Fes is its home; the classic is pigeon (now often chicken) with almonds.
- The sweet-savoury contrast — cinnamon and sugar over spiced meat — is the point.
- It is labour-intensive, so best from riad restaurants and traditional kitchens.
What makes pastilla extraordinary
Pastilla is a masterpiece of contrast. Layers of paper-thin warqa pastry enclose a filling of poultry — traditionally pigeon, now more often chicken — slow-cooked with onions, saffron and spices, folded through with eggs cooked into the sauce and a layer of ground almonds sweetened with cinnamon. The whole pie is baked until crisp, then dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon in a lattice on top. The first bite is bewildering in the best way: sweet and savoury, crunchy and tender, rich and fragrant, all together.
It is a dish of the imperial court and of celebrations — weddings, feasts, honoured guests — and its complexity means it was never everyday food. That is why Fes, the historic capital of Moroccan haute cuisine, is where it reaches its heights, made by cooks who have perfected it over generations.
The versions to know
Pastilla comes in a few forms, and knowing them helps you order.
- Pigeon pastilla: the original and most prized, with a distinctive gamey richness — increasingly rare and special.
- Chicken pastilla: the common modern version, sweet-savoury and superb, more widely available.
- Seafood pastilla: a savoury (not sweet) version filled with fish and shellfish, popular on the coast.
- Individual vs large: served as a big shared pie or smaller individual ones — a whole pastilla is generous, so share.
- Milk pastilla (dessert): a sweet version with layers of crisp pastry, cream and nuts, eaten as a pudding.
Where and how to eat it in Fes
Because pastilla is so labour-intensive, the best comes from traditional kitchens — the riad restaurants of the Fes medina, where it is a centrepiece of the set menu, and family dars cooking the old way. This is not a dish to expect done well at a cheap tourist café; it rewards seeking out a proper Fassi kitchen. Order it as a starter or a shared course rather than a whole one each, as it is rich and filling, and savour the sweet-savoury contrast that makes it unlike anything else.
Pastilla is reason enough to plan a riad dinner in Fes — see the medina riad guide for how that works. And if it captivates you, a Fes-style cooking class focused on pastilla teaches the astonishing skill of the warqa pastry and the layering behind this Moroccan masterpiece.
Frequently asked questions
What is pastilla?
Pastilla (or bastilla) is a Moroccan sweet-savoury pie: shredded pigeon or chicken slow-cooked with saffron and spices, layered with eggs and sweetened almonds, wrapped in paper-thin warqa pastry, baked crisp and dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar. The contrast of sweet and savoury, crunchy and tender, makes it one of Morocco's most celebrated dishes.
Why is Fes the best place to eat pastilla?
Fes is the historic capital of Moroccan haute cuisine and the spiritual home of pastilla, a dish of the imperial court and celebrations. Its riad restaurants and traditional family kitchens make it the old way, perfected over generations. Because it is so labour-intensive, a proper Fassi kitchen is where it reaches its heights.
Is pastilla made with pigeon or chicken?
Traditionally pigeon, which gives a distinctive gamey richness and remains the most prized version, though it is increasingly rare. Chicken is the common modern substitute and is still superb. On the coast you will also find a savoury seafood pastilla filled with fish and shellfish, without the sweet dusting.
Where should I eat pastilla in Fes?
At the traditional riad restaurants of the Fes medina, where it is a centrepiece of the set menu, or family dars cooking the old way. Avoid expecting it done well at a cheap tourist cafe — it rewards seeking out a proper Fassi kitchen. Order it as a shared course, as it is rich and filling.