Casablanca's dive bars are the rooms locals defend hardest. Cheap, loud, exactly right. The dive bars on this list span every neighbourhood worth a trip — Maarif, Corniche, Centre Ville, Anfa all show up — and every price tier from a $5 local pour to a $25 hotel-bar tasting. Each bar earns its spot for a different reason. We have visited every one.

What unites the ten? The bartenders care. The rooms feel right at the time of night they are designed for. The drinks list reads clearly without showing off. We rate cheap pours and unfussy classics and the small things that turn a one-and-done visit into a regular's habit: an unhurried welcome, a warm room temperature in winter, a cool one in summer, and a bartender who remembers your name on the second visit.

Use this guide either as a single curated route through Casablanca or as a checklist to revisit over a long weekend. Reservations are flagged where they matter. Otherwise, walk in. Below: the ten dive bars that any serious drinker in Casablanca would tell you to put on the list.

The list

01

Rick's Café

CENTRE VILLE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Recreation of the fictional Casablanca bar from the 1942 film. Order: Mint-tea spiked martini. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Full review →
02

La Suite

MAARIF · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Polished cocktail bar with a tight rotating menu. Order: Mint-tea spiked martini. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

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03

Le Cabestan

CORNICHE · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Heritage Atlantic-side restaurant-bar. Order: Mint-tea spiked martini. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

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04

Studio Bar

MAARIF · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Boutique cocktail bar with a hi-fi sound system. Order: Mint-tea spiked martini. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

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05

Sky 28

CENTRE VILLE · $$$ · ROOFTOP BARS

28th-floor rooftop bar inside the Kenzi Tower Hotel. Order: Mint-tea spiked martini. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

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06

Cabestan Yacht Club

CORNICHE · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Beachfront yacht-club bar. Order: Mint-tea spiked martini. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

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07

Riverside Tavern

BOURGOGNE · $ · HIDDEN GEMS

Heritage dive bar in Bourgogne. Cheap pours, regulars-only feel, and the most authentic working-class drinking in the city. Order: Mint-tea spiked martini. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for regulars and anyone tired of polished rooms. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

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08

Pete's

MAARIF · $ · HIDDEN GEMS

Tiny corner bar in Maarif pouring the city's cheapest stiff drinks. Cash only. Order: Mint-tea spiked martini. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for regulars and anyone tired of polished rooms. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

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09

Quiet Library

ANFA · $$ · HIDDEN GEMS

Hidden cocktail room in Anfa reached via an unmarked door. Reservations only. The cocktail-industry's regular spot. Order: Mint-tea spiked martini. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for regulars and anyone tired of polished rooms. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

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10

The Gilded Lily

MAARIF · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Polished cocktail room in Maarif with a tight rotating menu and a thirty-something local crowd. Order: Mint-tea spiked martini. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Full review →

By neighbourhood at a glance

Anfa: Quiet Library. Bourgogne: Riverside Tavern. Centre Ville: Rick's Café, Sky 28. Corniche: Le Cabestan, Cabestan Yacht Club. Maarif: La Suite, Studio Bar, Pete's, The Gilded Lily. Most of these bars sit walking distance from each other within their districts. Casablanca's drinking neighbourhoods are compact — plan two or three bars in a single evening rather than racing across town.

Before you go

Reservations are recommended on Friday and Saturday evenings at any of the higher-priced rooms above. Mid-week before 8pm, walk-ins are usually fine. Tipping in Morocco is appreciated; check our city guide for local norms. Cards are accepted everywhere on this list except where the bar specifies cash only — usually the older heritage rooms. Casablanca's last-call laws vary by district; plan your route from the strictest to the most relaxed.

"You'll know which of these ten dive bars matches your night within the first sip."

Want more Casablanca? Our full Casablanca bar guide covers every neighbourhood and every category. For the broader category index, see all dive bars worldwide. And if you have a recommendation we missed, tell us — our editors review every reader submission.