Iloli

Iloli is the restaurant that put Japanese cooking on Casablanca's culinary map. It opened in 2013, created by the Japanese chef Yusuke Furukawa and his wife Noëlle Bouayad, and in 2023 it was ranked number 37 in the Middle East and North Africa's 50 Best Restaurants. The restaurant is in the Gauthier district and is built around an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs at work.

The cooking is Japanese at heart, but it draws on French technique and, above all, on Moroccan produce. Fresh Atlantic fish is the backbone of the menu, and vegetables such as shungiku, daikon and mizuna come from an organic farm near the city. Dishes that have earned the restaurant its reputation include Dakhla oysters with ponzu, carpaccio of locally caught tuna with truffle soy sauce, marinated aubergine sushi with ginger, ebi shinjo shrimp dumplings in a kombu and bonito broth, and a house seafood ramen. Sushi, gyoza and rice bowls complete the menu.

You can order à la carte or put yourself in the chef's hands with an omakase menu, which is the best way to see what the kitchen can do. The menu changes with the seasons, and the restaurant publishes its current menu on its website, so you can see what is being served before you book. Bookings are strongly recommended, particularly for dinner. The restaurant can be reached by phone for reservations.

Iloli suits food lovers, couples and anyone looking for a refined meal that is not Moroccan or French. It sits at the top end of the city's price range, so it is best treated as a special-occasion choice. The farm vegetables on the menu are good news for anyone who eats little meat or fish, but mention any dietary needs when booking.

The restaurant is on Rue Najib Mahfoud in Gauthier, one of the city centre's smarter residential and shopping districts, a short taxi ride from Mohammed V Square and Parc de la Ligue Arabe. The surrounding streets are full of cafés and bars, so it is easy to begin the evening with a drink nearby or finish with a walk through the neighbourhood.