Chez Thami

Chez Thami is one of the best-known budget restaurants in Fes, a simple street-corner spot in the Bab Bou Jeloud area at the top of the medina. It has a few plain tables and chairs set out in the lane, and its owner, Thami, has a reputation for treating regulars like family. Together with Chez Rachid, it is often recommended by Fassis themselves as a place for inexpensive tajines and couscous, and it serves meals throughout the day.

This is not a place for elaborate cooking or a long evening; it is where you sit down for a straightforward plate of food in the middle of a day of walking. The appeal is simple home-style Moroccan food at low prices, served without ceremony. Fresh orange juice and mint tea are easy to find at the cafés around the gate.

Its location is both its strength and a weakness. Being so close to Bab Bou Jeloud makes it easy to find, and the tables are a good place to watch the flow of people in and out of the medina. But this is also one of the busiest tourist spots in Fes. Moroccan media have noted that touts in the area sometimes push menus at discounted prices, and that the restaurants here are very much on the visitor trail. Choose for yourself rather than following anyone who approaches you, and check prices before ordering.

Chez Thami suits budget travellers, solo visitors and anyone who wants a quick, honest meal near the gate before or after visiting the Bou Inania Madrasa, the Al Batha Museum or Jnan Sbil. It is less suited to anyone wanting a quiet or romantic setting. Lunchtime is the most enjoyable time to come, when the lane is lively and the food is freshest.

There is no website and no booking, so simply turn up. Bring small notes and coins, as card payments are unlikely. If the tables are full, there are several similar places nearby, including Chez Rachid, so you will not wait long. For a more substantial or comfortable meal, the restaurants in the Batha area are a short walk away.