Marrakech
Fourteen of the city's most atmospheric alcoves and intimate riads where locals gather, away from the medina crowds.
Hidden within a 16th-century riad, this literary cafe turned evening bar pours Moroccan-inspired cocktails in a jaw-dropping courtyard. The pomegranate and rose water mojito is our standing order. Best for couples seeking atmosphere unlike anywhere else. Best time: 7pm to midnight. Date Night
Four floors above the main square chaos, Le Salama pulls off the impossible: a genuinely quiet terrace with 360-degree medina views and strong cocktails. Arrive before sunset to secure a terrace seat. Rooftop
Most visitors stay in the main cafe. The backroom bar, accessible through an unmarked door, serves the city's best whisky sours in a room lined with vintage Moroccan posters. Cocktails
Set in a renovated Mellah riad beside the Jewish quarter, Kosybar's upper terrace feels like a discovery. The storks nesting on the royal palace across the street add an absurd, wonderful backdrop. Rooftop
Known primarily for its legendary Moroccan restaurant, the compact bar annexe is where locals go before dinner. The wine selection skews toward excellent Moroccan reds from the Atlas foothills. Wine
Perched above the spice market square, Nomad's terrace catches the morning breeze and the evening golden hour equally well. Non-alcoholic shrubs and pressed juices alongside the cocktail menu. Rooftop
A colonial-era post office converted into a brasserie, the bar runs long and dark wood with ceiling fans overhead. Order the house negroni and settle in for the long haul. Cocktails
Guests-only for dinner but the courtyard bar opens to all after 9pm. Champagne by the glass, Moroccan meze, and the kind of silence that only a walled garden can produce. Date Night
The heritage cafe's secret bar operates behind a painted doorway on Fridays and Saturdays. Beer, wine, and the most consistently good house cocktail in the medina. Speakeasy
Named for the hotel's most famous guest, the Churchill Bar is the city's most celebrated hidden room. The leather armchairs and Moroccan lanterns are cinema-set perfect. Worth every dirham. Date Night
In a former tannery lane, Djellabar occupies two floors of a converted workshop. The craft spirits selection draws serious drinkers. Look for the unmarked blue door on Rue Berima. Spirits
The riad hotel's courtyard bar is technically private but the general manager has never refused a well-dressed walk-in. The orange blossom negroni is worth the ask. Cocktails
Community arts space by day, neighbourhood bar terrace by night. Find it via a hand-lettered sign on Rue de Bab Doukkala. The crowd is local, the prices are fair, the view is city rooftops. Rooftop
Artist-run lounge that keeps irregular hours. Check their door for this week's opening times. Worth the uncertainty for the house Moroccan rum cocktails and the rotating art exhibitions. Cocktails
This is what makes Marrakech a hidden gem destination for bar culture itself. The city's evening scene splits distinctly: there's the tourist-friendly Jemaa el-Fna square and the newer Gueliz district with their visible, bookable venues. Then there's the real Marrakech—where neighbourhood bars operate on local time, where riad hotels open their courtyards to walk-ins after 9pm, and where the best cocktails exist in rooms you'd never find by accident.
The 14 bars listed below occupy both worlds. Some are genuinely hard to find; others simply don't advertise. Several require knowing someone or being persistent. What unites them: atmosphere that feels earned rather than designed, owners who care more about the regular than the tourist, and the kind of quiet you can only find when you've walked deep enough into a medina to lose the main streets entirely. You'll find riad courtyards lit by lanterns, rooftop terraces with views of the Atlas, and century-old rooms that pour drinks the way they have for decades. Many also serve excellent non-alcoholic options—traditional mint tea, fresh-pressed juices, and Moroccan coffee—reflecting the city's mixed drinking culture and the significant non-drinking crowd in local bars.
Getting to these places requires one of two approaches: book ahead at the smarter riads, or show up on foot, knock politely, and ask in French or Arabic whether the bar is open. The walk is half the discovery.
Independent editorial — 3,600+ bars across 72 cities, rigorously tested.
Looking beyond Marrakech? See our guide to the best hidden gem bars worldwide, or compare hidden gem bars city by city.