Best Street Food in Marrakech — Jemaa el-Fna and Beyond

As the sun drops, the centre of Jemaa el-Fna fills with rows of numbered food stalls under a canopy of smoke and hissing lamps. The classics to seek out are grilled brochettes (skewers of lamb, chicken and merguez sausage), kefta, and plates of grilled vegetables and khobz. Braver eaters queue at the babbouche carts for a bowl of snails in a peppery, cumin-and-thyme broth that locals drink as a remedy as much as a snack. Nearby, stalls ladle out harira, the tomato-lentil-chickpea soup that breaks the fast in Ramadan and warms every winter evening.

For the most Marrakchi bite of all, find the sheep's head (tête de mouton) and offal stalls, or head to Mechoui Alley just off the square, where whole lambs are slow-roasted in underground pit ovens and sold by weight with cumin and salt. It is one of the great eating experiences in Morocco and utterly local. The freshly squeezed orange juice carts, lined up in a bright row, are cheap, safe and excellent — a glass costs just a few dirhams.

Away from the square, everyday street food runs on msemmen and harcha griddle breads stuffed with cheese or dipped in honey and amlou, ma'akouda (spiced potato fritters) tucked into bread with harissa, and snail and bissara vendors in the covered market lanes. Around the Mellah and Bab Doukkala you will find the sandwich carts locals rely on for a fast, filling lunch for a handful of dirhams.

Eat where the crowd is Moroccan and the turnover is fast — busy stalls mean fresh food. Point at what you want, agree the price before you sit at the communal benches, and keep small notes handy. The square rewards grazing: a skewer here, a bowl of soup there, a glass of juice to finish.