Budgeting
How to Eat Well in Morocco on a Backpacker Budget
Morocco is a dream for the budget traveller who loves to eat, because here cheap food and great food are the same food. The street stalls, cook-shops and markets that keep costs down are also where the most authentic cooking lives. With the right staples and a simple strategy, a backpacker can eat superbly for a fraction of what a sit-down-restaurant traveller spends — and often eat better.
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- 8 min
- Guide
- Budgeting
- Updated
- 20 July 2026
At a glance
- In Morocco, the cheapest food is frequently the best food.
- Lean on filling staples — bread, bissara, lentils, tagine plates.
- Mix street food, self-catering and the odd splurge for variety and value.
The cheap staples that fill you up
Build your eating around Morocco's filling, cheap staples. Bread is everywhere and nearly free, and pairs with anything. A bowl of bissara (fava soup) or harira (tomato-lentil soup) is a warm, nourishing meal for a few dirhams. Lentils, beans, and the plat du jour at a cook-shop deliver a hot, substantial lunch cheaply, while a stuffed sandwich or a bag of chickpea karan makes a filling snack.
Fruit from a market barrow, dates and nuts, and fresh orange juice from a busy stand keep you fed and hydrated between meals without denting the budget. Eating this way is not a compromise — these are the everyday foods of Morocco, eaten by everyone, and they are genuinely good. A backpacker eating the staples often eats more authentically than a tourist on the terraces.
The strategy: where and when to eat
The core strategy is simple: eat where locals queue, make lunch your main meal, and keep drinks cheap. Follow a crowd of Moroccans to a busy counter and you get fresh, cheap, safe food; the busiest place is both the best value and the best hygiene bet. Lunch is when cook-shops are at their peak, so load up then and keep evenings light with street food.
If your accommodation has a kitchen, even a hostel one, a little self-catering stretches the budget further — market produce is cheap, and a simple salad, some bread and fruit costs almost nothing. Save a small splurge for one cooking class or food tour across your trip; on a backpacker budget it is the experience most worth the money. Our under-50-MAD-a-day guide shows how cheap it can get.
The mindset that makes it work
The final ingredient is mindset. Eating cheaply in Morocco works best when you embrace the street and the counter rather than seeing them as a downgrade from restaurants. Be willing to eat standing up, to point at what looks good, to try the dish you cannot name, and to follow your nose. That openness is what unlocks both the savings and the best meals.
Stay sensible on safety without being fearful — busy, hot, fresh and to order is the rule, as our food safety guide explains — and carry water and hand sanitiser. Approached this way, a shoestring trip through Morocco is not a series of compromises but a genuinely superb, and cheap, way to eat across the country.
Frequently asked questions
Can you eat well in Morocco on a backpacker budget?
Absolutely — in Morocco the cheapest food is often the best food, because the street stalls, cook-shops and markets that keep costs down are where the most authentic cooking lives. Building meals around filling staples like bread, soups, lentils and cook-shop plates lets you eat superbly for very little. A shoestring trip here is a pleasure, not a compromise.
What are the cheapest filling foods in Morocco?
Bread, bissara (fava soup), harira (tomato-lentil soup), lentils, beans and the cook-shop plat du jour are all filling and cost only a few dirhams. Stuffed sandwiches, chickpea karan, market fruit, dates and fresh juice round out cheap eating between meals. These everyday staples are eaten by everyone and are genuinely good.
Is it safe to eat cheap street food as a backpacker?
Generally yes, if you follow the rule of busy, hot, fresh and cooked to order. The busiest local counter is both the best value and the best hygiene bet, because high turnover means fresh food. Carry water and hand sanitiser, ease in gradually, and you can eat street food boldly and safely.
Should a backpacker ever splurge on food in Morocco?
One small splurge is worth it — a single cooking class or food tour across the trip is the experience most worth the money, even on a tight budget. It teaches you skills and unlocks food you would otherwise miss. Keep everyday eating cheap with street food and self-catering, and fund that one highlight from the savings.