Editorial
Marrakech runs after work on its own terms. The licence to pour sits with hotels, riads and a short list of Gueliz institutions, so the city rewards people who know the addresses. We read the menus, the Google reviews and the local forums to sort the 12 below, from medina rooftops with a clear line to the Koutoubia to the Gueliz rooms where residents actually unwind.
Two neighbourhoods do most of the work. The medina stacks its bars on rooftops for the view and the breeze, while Gueliz keeps the brasseries and design rooms where the after work crowd lands first.
Stay in the medina and the rooftops sit a short walk apart, so string two together before dinner. Base yourself in Gueliz and the brasseries and wine bars fall within a few blocks, which makes a slow crawl easy.
For a first evening, open on a medina rooftop at sunset, then drop into Gueliz for a proper cocktail. Le Salama and Kosybar own the golden hour, Le Barometre and Plus 61 reward anyone who cares what is in the glass, and the Churchill Bar is the one to book when the night calls for a jacket.
The Altitude. A sharp Asia Pacific eye for skylines, rooftops and rooms where the drink has to stand on its own. Notes the booking window and the dress code so you do not have to.