Beach & seafood
Best Beach Restaurants in Essaouira — Dining on the Windy Bay
Essaouira's long, windswept beach curves south from the medina, lined with cafés and restaurants where kitesurfers, families and travellers eat with sand underfoot. It is the town's relaxed, breezy alternative to the port grills.
- City
- Essaouira
- Cuisine
- Beach & seafood
- Typical price
- 50-300 MAD
Essaouira's great crescent of beach — famous for the relentless Atlantic trade wind that makes it a world kitesurfing and windsurfing destination — runs from the edge of the medina down the bay. Along the seafront promenade and out onto the sand, a string of beach cafés, bars and restaurants serves everyone from morning coffee-drinkers to sunset diners. This is where to eat when you want the ocean at your feet, a breeze in your face and a more casual, international menu than the medina offers.
The food ranges from beach-shack simplicity — grilled fish, salads, sandwiches and juices — to smart seafront restaurants doing seafood platters, Moroccan-Mediterranean plates and cocktails at sunset. Because Essaouira draws a young, active, international crowd of surfers and windsurfers, the beach scene leans healthy and relaxed: smoothie bowls, fresh salads and lighter cooking share menus with the classic grilled catch. Many places have terraces angled to the sea and the wind.
Come for a long lunch after a morning on the water, or for sunset, when the light over the Atlantic is magnificent and the wind often drops. Choose a spot with a sheltered terrace if the wind is up, as it frequently is, and pair fresh grilled fish or a seafood platter with the view. The Essaouira beach restaurants are about setting and ease as much as food — and on a breezy blue afternoon, that is exactly the point.
How to eat well
- 1
Choose a terrace sheltered from the wind — Essaouira's beach breeze is famously strong.
- 2
Come for sunset, when the Atlantic light is at its best and the wind often eases.
- 3
The surfer crowd means healthy options — smoothie bowls and fresh salads alongside grilled fish.
- 4
Have a long lunch after a morning of kitesurfing or windsurfing on the bay.
- 5
Pair a seafront table with a fresh seafood platter for the classic Essaouira beach meal.
Frequently asked questions
Are there restaurants on Essaouira beach?
Yes — the long beach and seafront promenade south of the medina are lined with beach cafés, bars and restaurants serving everything from grilled fish and salads to seafood platters and sunset cocktails, popular with the town's surfer crowd.
Why is Essaouira beach so windy?
The bay catches a strong, near-constant Atlantic trade wind, which is why Essaouira is a world-class kitesurfing and windsurfing destination. For beach dining, pick a terrace sheltered from the wind, or come at sunset when it often drops.
What food do the Essaouira beach restaurants serve?
A relaxed, international mix — grilled fish, seafood platters, salads, sandwiches, smoothie bowls and Moroccan-Mediterranean plates, reflecting the young, active crowd of surfers and travellers who fill the beach.