Restaurant
Al Fassia Guéliz
A long-established Guéliz restaurant run by an all-female team, serving traditional Moroccan cooking such as pigeon pastilla, tagines and a spread of cooked salads.
Chez Lamine Hadj Mustapha
A simple counter restaurant on the medina's mechoui alley, selling slow-roasted lamb by weight and clay pots of tanjia, eaten with bread, cumin and salt.
At a glance
- Type
- Mechoui and tanjia
- Area
- Medina (Souk Ableuh), Marrakech, Morocco
- Price
- $ · Budget
Good to know
- Lunch and evening service
- Simple counter seating
Why we recommend it
Just off the north-eastern corner of Jemaa el-Fnaa, a short lane in Souk Ableuh is lined with stalls roasting lamb in deep clay ovens, and locals know it as mechoui alley. Chez Lamine Hadj Mustapha, at its southern entrance, is the long-standing name most people come for, and it has been featured by food writers and television presenters as one of the city's essential cheap meals.
The menu is short and the order is simple. Mechoui is lamb slow-roasted until the meat falls from the bone, sold by weight and served on paper with fresh bread, a little dish of cumin and salt for seasoning, and sometimes olives. Tanjia is the Marrakech speciality traditionally prepared by bachelors: lamb or beef sealed in a tall clay jar with preserved lemon, garlic and spices, then cooked slowly in the embers of a hammam furnace for hours. Both are eaten with your hands, using the bread to pick up the meat.
There is no décor to speak of, just a counter, a few tables and a lot of activity, but that is part of the appeal. It suits adventurous eaters, budget travellers and anyone curious about everyday Marrakchi food. Vegetarians will find nothing here, and the setting is not suited to anyone who prefers a formal sit-down restaurant.
Lunchtime is when the freshly roasted lamb comes out of the ovens, and it is the best time to go; this is also when local workers fill the benches. The stall continues to serve in the evening, unlike most of its neighbours. Point to the amount you want, a quarter-kilo per person is a common order, and confirm the price before it is weighed. Bring cash, wash your hands at the sink if offered, and finish with a glass of mint tea.
To find it, walk from Jemaa el-Fnaa towards the spice square of Rahba Kedima and look for the smoke and the hanging carcasses on your right; anyone in the area can point you to mechoui alley. Nomad and Café des Épices are a few minutes' walk further north if you want a coffee or a terrace afterwards.
Chez Lamine Hadj Mustapha FAQs
What should you order?
Mechoui lamb sold by weight, or a pot of tanjia, both served with bread, cumin and salt.
What is tanjia?
A Marrakech speciality of meat slow-cooked in a sealed clay jar in the embers of a hammam furnace.
When is the best time to go?
Lunchtime, when the freshly roasted lamb comes out, although the stall also serves in the evening.
Is it a budget option?
Yes. It is a simple, inexpensive counter restaurant.
Is there anything for vegetarians?
No. The menu is based entirely on lamb and meat.
How do you eat the food?
With your hands, using bread to pick up the meat.
Where is it?
On mechoui alley in Souk Ableuh, just off Jemaa el-Fnaa towards Rahba Kedima.