Itineraries
Ouarzazate — A Food Stop in Morocco's Film City
Almost everyone passes through Ouarzazate on the way to the dunes, and almost everyone treats it as a fuel stop. That is a missed meal. This pre-Saharan town sits at the meeting of the Draa and Dades valleys, in date and almond country, and its southern kitchen is distinct — sweeter, simpler, built for the desert. A single well-planned day here eats better than a week of hotel buffets.
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- 20 July 2026
At a glance
- Ouarzazate is date and almond country — buy fruit direct from the roadside.
- Southern tagines are sweeter and simpler than the northern cities' cooking.
- Skip the film-studio cafés; eat where drivers and guides eat.
Eating in town
Ouarzazate itself is spread out and modern, built around the film studios and the old kasbah of Taourirt. For food, steer away from the studio-adjacent tourist cafés and toward the plain restaurants along the main avenue where drivers, guides and film crews eat. A tagine here — often lamb with prunes and almonds, or chicken with olives — is generous and fairly priced.
The town's real advantage is produce. This is the edge of the palm groves, so dates are exceptional and cheap in season, and the almonds are local. Buy a bag of both from a roadside seller and you have the best snack in southern Morocco for the drive ahead.
The kasbahs and Skoura
A short drive toward Skoura brings you into a working palmeraie of mud-brick kasbahs and irrigated gardens. Several restored kasbahs serve lunch in their courtyards or on their roofs, offering a slower, scenic meal of tagine and salads with a view over the palms — a worthwhile splurge on a driving day.
This is also rose and saffron country a little further on toward the Dades and the Valley of Roses. If your timing is right, look for rose-water sweets and local saffron, both of which make excellent, lightweight souvenirs and are far better value bought here than in the city souks.
The Draa Valley road south
If you are continuing toward Zagora and the dunes, the Draa Valley is one of the great road-trip food routes in Morocco. The road runs through the longest palm grove in the country, and roadside stands sell dates, oranges and pressed juice along the way. Stop often; the fruit is why people call this the valley of a thousand kasbahs and a million palms.
For lunch on the road, the simple grills and tagine houses in villages like Agdz feed travellers honestly and cheaply. Eat a light lunch if you are heading for a desert camp, where medfouna and a communal tagine will be waiting under the stars.
Frequently asked questions
Is there good food in Ouarzazate?
There is, provided you avoid the tourist cafés near the film studios and eat where local drivers and guides do. The southern tagines are generous and the surrounding date and almond country provides superb produce. It is a genuine food stop rather than merely a fuel stop if you plan a proper lunch.
What is southern Moroccan food like compared to the cities?
It is simpler, often sweeter, and shaped by the desert's staples of dates, almonds and preserved ingredients. You will see fewer elaborate spice blends and more slow, sustaining dishes built for the climate, including the stuffed desert bread medfouna. Think of it as honest, warming food rather than the refined court cooking of Fes.
Should I buy dates in Ouarzazate?
Yes — this is one of the best places in Morocco to buy dates, straight from the palmeraies of the Draa and Dades. In season they are cheap, fresh and far superior to packaged supermarket dates, and they travel home extremely well. Buy from roadside sellers or the town market and taste before you commit to a large bag.
How long should I stop in Ouarzazate?
For most travellers it is a lunch stop or a single overnight on the way to or from the desert, which is enough to eat a good tagine and stock up on dates. If you want to explore the Skoura palmeraie kasbahs or the Valley of Roses, add a night. Longer stays are usually driven by the film studios rather than the food.