Budget Moroccan
Cheap Eats in Meknes — Budget Food in the Imperial City
Meknes is an imperial city that eats like a working town: cheap, honest and local, with far less tourist mark-up than nearby Fes. Soup stalls, sandwich counters, El Hedim square and the olive-rich markets feed you well for very little.
- City
- Meknes
- Cuisine
- Budget Moroccan
- Typical price
- 10-45 MAD
The cheapest meals in Meknes are the national staples done well and locally. Bissara and harira soups with bread cost around 10-15 MAD at medina stalls, filling and warming, freshest in the morning and midday. Sandwich counters around El Hedim square and the medina stuff baguettes with kefta, merguez, maakouda, chips and salad for 15-40 MAD — a full meal in bread — and small canteens serve a plate of the day for 30-45 MAD.
Meknes's great budget advantage is its markets. As the olive capital of Morocco, its food souks sell superb olives, freshly pressed oil, preserved lemons, dates, nuts, cheese and fresh bread cheaply, making for an excellent and very cheap picnic. A wedge of bread with local olives, cheese and a drizzle of the peppery oil is a satisfying meal for pocket change — and a genuine taste of the region.
Because Meknes sees far fewer tourists than Fes just an hour away, prices across the board are lower and pitched at locals rather than visitors. The evening food stalls on El Hedim offer grilled skewers, snails and soups at local prices, and the medina canteens serve honest tagines and plates of the day without the tourist premium of the bigger cities.
To eat cheaply, lean on the soup stalls, sandwich counters and El Hedim food stalls, and make the olive-rich markets your source for picnics. Follow the local crowds, agree prices before ordering, and Meknes will feed you generously and authentically for the price of a coffee.
How to eat well
- 1
Meknes is far less touristy than Fes, so prices are lower across the board — a budget traveller's advantage.
- 2
Build a cheap picnic from the olive markets: bread, local olives, cheese and peppery olive oil.
- 3
Bissara and harira soups with bread cost around 10-15 MAD at medina stalls.
- 4
The evening food stalls on El Hedim square serve skewers, snails and soups at local prices.
- 5
Sandwich counters and canteens near the square give a full meal for 15-45 MAD.
Frequently asked questions
Is Meknes cheap for food?
Very — as an imperial city that sees far fewer tourists than nearby Fes, its prices are pitched at locals. Soups, sandwiches, canteen plates and market picnics all cost little.
What is the best cheap food experience in Meknes?
A market picnic built from the region's famous olives, freshly pressed olive oil, cheese and bread from the food souks — cheap, delicious and a genuine taste of the olive capital.
Where do locals eat cheaply in Meknes?
At the soup stalls and sandwich counters of the medina, the evening food stalls on Place El Hedim, and the food souks for picnic supplies — all priced for a mostly local crowd.