You come out of Kasbah Taourirt slightly dazed. An hour of narrow passages, painted ceilings, small courtyards and stairs that lead to more stairs, and suddenly Avenue Mohammed V is very bright and very wide. The first thing most people look for is a chair in the shade and something cold.

What is within walking distance

The kasbah stands in the centre of Ouarzazate, on Avenue Mohammed V, with the cinema museum just opposite. That makes it the easiest monument in town to combine with a meal. Along the avenue and in the streets towards Place Al Mouahidine, the main square, you will find cafés and restaurants that serve visitors all day: fresh orange juice, mint tea, salads, soups, grilled skewers, sandwiches and a tagine or two at lunchtime.

For a midday meal on foot, this is where to eat. You do not need a car, you do not need to book far ahead, and you can be back at the museum in twenty minutes.

Choosing a table in the centre

A few habits help, wherever you sit down:

Order what is ready. At lunch, the dishes of the day are usually better than the long menu printed in four languages.
Look at the bread. Warm, freshly baked khobz is a good sign that the kitchen is actually cooking.
Be realistic about tagine at noon. A tagine served quickly at lunchtime has generally been cooked in the morning. It can be good, but it is not the same dish as one cooked to order for the evening.
Keep some appetite. In this part of Morocco the evening meal is the one people take time over.

If you want to know more about telling a careful kitchen from a fast one, we wrote a short guide on recognising an authentic Moroccan restaurant.

Dinner is a separate decision

Most visitors see the kasbah in the afternoon, then the question of dinner arrives with the dusk. The centre has restaurants open in the evening, which is practical if you are sleeping in town and want to walk. Many travellers, though, prefer to eat in the villages around, where guesthouses cook a short menu to order for people who have booked.

La Table du Berbère is not next door

To be clear, because maps can be misleading: La Table du Berbère, the restaurant that writes this journal, is not beside Kasbah Taourirt. It is at Riad Chay, in the douar of Tifoultoute, about ten minutes by car or taxi west of the town centre, on the kasbah road. You cannot walk there comfortably from the avenue, especially after dark.

What works well is to let the kasbah close your afternoon and the drive open your evening.

A late afternoon that works

Mid afternoon: Kasbah Taourirt. Allow about an hour.
Afterwards: the cinema museum opposite, or a glass of tea on Place Al Mouahidine as the square fills up.
Sunset: take a car or taxi west to Tifoultoute. The Riad Chay rooftop is open every day until 10 pm and looks towards the kasbah of Tifoultoute as it turns orange.
Dinner: served from 6 to 10 pm, at the table you booked, with the menu you chose in the morning.

Sunset comes much earlier in winter than in summer, so slide the plan accordingly. Our evening guide to Ouarzazate has more ideas for the hours after dark.

Order in the morning

Each guest chooses a starter, a main and a dessert from the menu; the kitchen needs about an hour and a half once the order is in. Choose in the booking form or send your choices by WhatsApp on +212 6 61 70 38 86 before you head into town. If the kasbah keeps you longer than planned, a short message is enough.

Getting back to your hotel

Petits taxis work inside town; for the return from Tifoultoute, ask your driver for a number or ask your riad to arrange the ride back. If you are driving, there is parking on site.

For the bigger picture, our Ouarzazate food guide explains how meals work here, from lunchtime salads to the evening tagine, and dinner in Ouarzazate goes through the evening step by step.

Cover photo: Kasbah Taourirt in Ouarzazate, by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized.