Tangier Food: Mint Tea, Pastilla, Fresh Seafood and Medina Restaurants
Tangier cuisine blends Moroccan tradition with Andalusian and Spanish influences from centuries of cultural exchange across the strait. Fresh Atlantic seafood, the slow-cooked pastilla pie, harira soup and the ritual of mint tea define the table here.
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Mint Tea Ritual
Moroccan tea poured from height to create a froth, sweetened with copious sugar and flavored with fresh spearmint, is the universal social lubricant of Tangier. Refusing a glass is considered impolite.
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Pastilla
The elaborate pie of pigeon or chicken with almonds, eggs and saffron beneath a pastry lid dusted with sugar and cinnamon is the showpiece dish of northern Moroccan cuisine. Best ordered in advance.
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Atlantic Seafood
Tangiers position where two seas meet gives it access to exceptional fresh fish. Simple grilled sardines, bream and sea bass at the port-side restaurants are extraordinary in quality.
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Harira and Bissara
The thick tomato-and-lentil soup harira and the fava-bean puree bissara are street food staples in Tangier. Both are served with crusty bread and sold from small carts in the medina.
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Medina Restaurant Row
The lanes above the Petit Socco contain a cluster of local restaurants serving fixed-price Moroccan menus for a fraction of tourist-oriented prices. Look for plastic tablecloths and full Moroccan tables.
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Le Saveur du Poisson
A legendary and eccentric Tangier restaurant run by a single chef, offering a set menu of Moroccan fish dishes with no menu and no choice. One of the most memorable meals in the city.