Aourir’s Top 5 Food & Drink: Eat Like a Local

Aourir, that little coastal town right next to Agadir in Morocco, so it may be famous for its bananas and surfing, actually it has a food scene that’s just waiting for you to discover it! It’s a place where you can taste traditional Moroccan cuisine as well as some really fresh seafood, and a little bit of both at the same time, basically soaking up all the good flavors. Let’s have a look, shall we, at some spots you shouldn’t miss. Ready to eat like a local?

1. Taghazout Fish Market (Near Aourir): A Seafood Adventure

Just a hop, skip, and jump to the north of Aourir, that fishing village named Taghazout awaits, now very well known for its surf breaks. But hey, what people sometimes don’t mention as much is that next to all those boards, there’s some food available there! Make sure that you head straight to the little Taghazout Fish Market, where every day, very early, the fishermen show all what the sea gave them – like, from the net to you!

The fish itself is incredibly fresh – the morning’s catch becomes your lunch – and that selection can actually be very impressive. You can get anything from the familiar like sea bream and some sole to, something different that’s available now and then, like monkfish. Haggle a bit (it’s part of that custom), select your fish, and then walk maybe 50 meters to a grill place next to it. For just some few dirhams, they’ll cook it all up right there, often serving it up with a simple salad and maybe some of that traditional Moroccan bread. That is, so tasty! This way, you aren’t just getting some great seafood; you’re taking part in a part of Taghazout and Aourir culture.

Read our full review: Taghazout Fish Market Full Review and Details

2. Café Restaurant Iziki: Bananas and Beyond

Seeing that Aourir actually got its nickname “Banana Village” because of the large banana plantations everywhere in this region, it shouldn’t be a big shock that you really have to try a banana-based dish when you’re in town. Café Restaurant Iziki is this super comfortable place right in the core of Aourir that is known for the fact it offers exactly this experience. Sure, its tagines are very delicious, its harira is pretty darn authentic, and many things of its plates really scream Morocco, but hey, it’s the banana tagine that tends to get all those curious eyes.

At first, like your reaction could be like, “Banana in a tagine? Really?”. Yet trust me a bit on this, actually those sweet bananas do add such an unique, so unexpectedly interesting flavor that combines very well with the savory spices that you should expect out of that traditional Moroccan dish. It’s more or less a dish that represents both that history and that character of Aourir. Next to its banana tagine, the cafe now also offers that wide variety of Moroccan dishes, some familiar breakfast choices, as well as a large collection of teas and those freshly squeezed juices. Basically, it’s a spot for the whole family! See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Cafe Restaurant Iziki Aourir)

3. Restaurant Le Nil: International Flavors Meet the Ocean

Ok, you want some change of pace? That Restaurant Le Nil might just be what you seek – seeing that here, those flavors coming from all over the world blend with what that Moroccan seafood culture has to offer. Overlooking all that pretty Atlantic coast, it sets that stage for some meal with a very breathtaking view. You can pick either to chill inside, with a decor that shows how those Moroccan traditions and modern style can work very well together, or sit on its terrace, where all those sounds and smells coming from the sea add just a little bit of magic to the eating experience.

The menu has some seafood, naturally – it is pretty awesome around here. Expect plates like grilled fish with that chermoula sauce, next to pasta dishes and also even pizzas with what the ocean has to offer. You can feel, as the cook makes that fish taste different from what you get in that place from before, because of that more modern flair on those seasonings. A lot of people visit the place actually because of those fresh oysters; some declare it to be pretty darn perfect for sunset dinners.

Read our full review: Restaurant Le Nil Aourir Full Review and Details

4. Sunset Aourir: Tea with a View

If you’re searching just for a spot where you can unwind a bit, then actually, Sunset Aourir will offer you this chance – but not without pretty darn fantastic views. Perched high enough, actually it gives visitors those panoramic sights of that coast that they just won’t get anywhere in Aourir. This spot really shines especially during that golden hour, with those colors coming from all that setting sun reflecting all over that Atlantic.

Sunset Aourir’s all regarding enjoying that beautiful location, maybe not all the food, seeing that mostly the place tends to offer tea (try Moroccan mint tea – sweet as sugar, but delicious), coffee and soft drinks and some simple snacks. This is the type of place where you would want to stop after a very long day looking around Aourir to, with that fresh sea air, ponder those travel decisions for the following day and, plan more activities! See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Sunset Aourir)

5. Local Bakeries: A Taste of Daily Life

I almost feel this, obligated, to tell people visiting Morocco that when they want to take a little peak at what it is like to leave here, and eat cheap and actually like it, they really have to try those local bakeries. They aren’t really restaurants, not exactly those “touristy sights” of Aourir, yet they’re definitely spots where that rhythm and pace of everyday Aourir life beats strongly. As soon as you go in, actually the smells tell everything you need to know; those ovens pump such lovely and authentic fragrance that you can already smell everything out from the street.

Those shelves are stacked super high with Moroccan bread that comes in different shapes and also textures, from that khobz (that very common everyday bread) to those pastries covered with honey and those little almond-filled delights. Most items will not even scratch that two-dollar mark, meaning it is very possible for you to snack around without having to mind that wallet too much. By getting some treats here and sharing with, hey, literally everybody on that local taxi going back to your accommodation, or people in the street, you would have had your true immersion into what Aourir is like and actually bond with other people that are here. Read our full review: Moroccan local bakery Full Review and Details