Best Date Night Bars in Marrakech

Named for Winston Churchill, who painted in the hotel gardens and called it "the most lovely place in the world," this is Marrakech's most celebrated bar. Dark wood panelling, Art Deco lanterns, and a cocktail list that reads like a love letter to 1930s Morocco. The Churchill martini, made with Moroccan gin and a twist of preserved lemon, is the order. Reserve the corner banquette for two and arrive at 8pm.

Marrakech's most theatrical dining and drinking experience. A converted 1920s villa with candlelit mosaic alcoves, a central bar that glows amber, and nightly belly dance performances at 10pm. The cocktail list is sophisticated, the Moroccan wine selection is serious, and the mezze sharing plates are excellent. Arrive for drinks at 9pm and stay for dinner. One of our top live music picks in the city too.

A converted merchant's warehouse in the heart of the Medina, three floors of candlelit intimacy rising to a rooftop terrace with views over the souks. The ground floor bar is all exposed stone and dark wood. The cocktail list includes four original Moroccan-inspired creations. Order the rose water daiquiri and claim a window table before sunset. One of the few bars inside the old walls worth dressing up for.

The most romantic outdoor drinking experience in all of Marrakech. Set within a 10-acre organic garden and working farm in the Palmeraie, this bar serves evening drinks beneath ancient olive trees with lanterns strung between the branches. The gin and tonics use herbs picked that afternoon. The atmosphere after dark, when the garden fills with firefly light and Gnawa music drifts in, is simply extraordinary.

Tucked behind a discreet entrance in Hivernage, Le Lotus is everything a date night cocktail bar should be. Low ceilings, deep banquette seating, and a warm amber glow that flatters every complexion. The bartenders trained in Paris and it shows. The Marrakech Sour, using local gin, argan bitters, and saffron honey, is the city's best single cocktail. Tables fill quickly after 9pm; walk-ins are rarely welcome.

Three floors above the spice market, Nomad's rooftop terrace delivers the sunset cocktail experience Marrakech is famous for. The light turns the Koutoubia minaret gold at dusk. Drinks are modern Moroccan, the small plates menu draws from the souks below, and the crowd is international and effortlessly stylish. Arrive 30 minutes before sunset to secure a railing table. Among our favourite rooftops in the city.

A rooftop terrace restaurant and bar with some of the Medina's most beautiful lantern arrangements. Six levels of terracing connected by narrow staircases, with cushioned seating alcoves built into the walls. Moroccan wines are the drink of choice here, and the food draws from the spice market directly below. At its best on clear winter evenings when the Atlas Mountains catch moonlight. Reservations essential at weekends.

Inside a palace hotel modelled on the Alhambra in Granada, this is Marrakech at its most theatrical. The bar occupies a double-height space with hand-carved stucco, a central fountain, and lighting that makes the whole room glow copper. The Champagne and cocktail list is curated for special occasions. Staff outnumber guests most evenings. Going here is a declaration of intent, not just a drink.

The Gueliz date night option for those who do not want to cross the city. L'Avenue occupies a beautiful 1930s building on the main boulevard with original tiled floors and a first-floor terrace overlooking the avenue. The wine list focuses on Moroccan labels from Meknes and the Atlas foothills, and the charcuterie board is sufficient for two. A genuinely elegant option at a third of the hotel bar prices.

A riad hotel bar open to non-residents by reservation. The courtyard garden, lit by hundreds of hand-blown glass lanterns, is one of the most photographed spaces in Marrakech. Drinks are classic, service is impeccably slow in the best possible sense, and the sound of the central fountain provides all the soundtrack needed. Best visited on a Tuesday or Wednesday when the city is quietest and the garden most peaceful.

One of the oldest riad hotels in Marrakech, La Maison Arabe opened in 1946 and its bar preserves that original atmosphere. Zouak-painted ceilings, silk cushion seating, and a Champagne list that includes several Moroccan producers now competing with proper fizz. The pianist plays nightly in the courtyard from 8pm. Reserve the courtyard fountain table on your booking, not as an afterthought at the door.

Hidden behind an unmarked door off the Mouassine neighbourhood, Al Baraka's walled garden is Marrakech's best-kept bar secret. Orange trees, a restored Almohad fountain, and cocktails served in hammered copper cups. The owner sources spirits directly from small Moroccan distilleries, meaning you will taste bottles unavailable anywhere else in the city. No sign, no menu visible from the street. Worth the effort of finding.

Marrakech is one of the world's most inherently romantic cities. The warm light, the scent of orange blossom, the sound of the call to prayer at dusk: none of this requires a bar. But when you want to sit with a drink in your hand and feel the full weight of the place, the city delivers extraordinarily.