"Best Restaurants in Agdal, Rabat that won't Break the Bank" by the Education Abroad and Exchanges Teams
While the majority of your meals as a student are covered by your host family, sometimes you just want to eat out! Luckily, cost of living in Morocco is generally much lower than you might be used to at home in the U.S., but it can never hurt to play it safe. As a new student with limited time to explore the many food options in Rabat, we’ve done the legwork for you, and put together this list of tasty and budget friendly restaurants in the Agdal neighborhood, which is where the Amideast center is located. You can get a nice meal at all the places listed below for 50 dirhams or less, about $5.30 USD — talk about a deal!
“The Red Awning Place” | nominated by Education Abroad Team
The entire Education Abroad team enjoys getting breakfast at a small shop on Avenue Michlifen known for its super cheap prices, and great traditional breakfasts. It is called the “Red Awning” Place because when previous students started going there, the awning was red, although now as you can see in the picture, it has faded. This place doesn’t look like much, but it’s an Agdal favorite with office workers of all types. Here you can get all kinds of bread, tea, and cheap coffee. At least 2-3 times a week, someone from Ed Abroad will bring the rest of the team the favorite breakfast: “harsha bil zitoune” or a savory semolina cake with the texture of cornbread, with black olives baked inside. Different staff members with ask for Vache Qui Rit cheese, Kiri cheese, or even gouda or Moroccan halal spam to be put inside their harsha. This stand also serves cheap tagines and sandwiches for lunch after the breakfast rush is over.
Sahbi | nominated by Outman Maghnaoui, Senior Education Abroad Program Coordinator
Outman’s favorite restaurant is Sahbi, known for its juices, sandwiches, and pizzas. He recommends getting the mango, banana, or strawberry juice and a chicken panini. He usually pays less than 40 dirhams for this meal. The name of the place also is good for making your first Moroccan joke, because “sahbi" can mean “my friend” but if a girl is saying it, it can mean “my boyfriend”, so you can tell your Moroccan friends that you are going to visit “sahbi” and let them wonder if you’re getting lunch or just visiting a friend, or something else!
Babel | nominated by Nabila Jaber, Exchange Programs Coordinator
Nabila recommends Babel, also known as Kenefe House, right around the corner from Amideast. This is a popular destination with all Amideast Morocco staff, from Customer Service to the Director of Operations. They serve Middle Eastern and specifically Iraqi food. Nabila recommends their lentil soup and a salad for those who want to stay under 50 dirhams.
Yamali Cham | nominated by Malika Moudden, Education Abroad Program Assistant
Malika’s favorite restaurant to get a cheap lunch is Yamali Cham. Originally opened in the L’Ocean region of Rabat, Yamali Cham became known as the best place to get Syrian food in Morocco and expanded to Arribat Center and Lower Agdal. The name comes from a classic Syrian song, and the restaurant is known among Moroccans and immigrants alike for its salads, chwarma, and frozen mint lemonade. Malika’s favorite meal for under 50 dirhams is the kebsa – red meat and rice with Middle Eastern spices.
Abtal Cham | nominated by Soukaina Ben Bella, Exchange Programs Assistant
Syrian food is fairly popular in Morocco, and besides Yamali Cham, there are a number of other options. Soukaina’s favorite Agdal restaurant is Abtal Cham, named because it is located on Abtal Street. It’s a bit of a walk to get to Abtal Cham from Amideast, so Soukaina recommends getting a bigger dish: the chwarma plate – which usually comes with special sesame bread and a salad of pickled vegetables – which comes in at 49 dirhams.
Coq Magic | nominated by Colleen Daley, Education Abroad Manager
Near Yamali Cham in lower Agdal, Coq Magic is also a chain, with 3-4 locations throughout Rabat. As the name suggests, they serve rotisserie chicken in the Moroccan style, and when you are walking down the street, you can always smell the roasting chicken. Here you can get a very filling lunch, and Colleen recommends getting the ¼ roast chicken (usually about 35-45 dirhams), which comes with rice, fries, olives, and a special tomato- and herb-based sauce.
Dar Naji | nominated by Fouad Amraoui, Arabic Coordinator
Dar Naji is known for its upscale yet traditional Moroccan food and has three locations throughout Rabat. Amideast has a good relationship with Dar Naji, because we usually take students here during their orientation week. They are also Insta-famous for their servers who pour tea from 3 feet or more above the tea glasses, in an exaggerated version of the well-known “Moroccan tea pour.” Fouad loves going to Dar Naji for lunch, and he recommends the “mini-trid” also known as “rfissa” for under 50 dirhams. Rfissa is chicken, slow cooked in onions, garlic, lentils, ras el hanout, turmeric, poured over “msemen” or Moroccan fried bread. When it’s made at home, most Moroccans make it with fenugreek, a pungent spice commonly described as having a “maple syrup” like scent. In North Africa, Asia, and southern Europe, fenugreek was traditionally used for diabetes and to increase milk supply in women who were breastfeeding.
This list was compiled by the Education Abroad and Exchanges teams at the Amideast Morocco office in Rabat.
