Rick's Café

Rick's Café is a bar-restaurant at 248 Boulevard Sour Jdid, on Place du Jardin Public beside the port and the edge of the Old Medina in Casablanca, Morocco. It was created in 2004 by the former American diplomat Kathy Kriger as a tribute to the 1942 film Casablanca, and it recreates the film's imagined nightclub in a restored courtyard house with arches, a long bar, a mezzanine, tiled floors, palm trees and a white grand piano. The film was shot entirely in Hollywood, so the venue is an homage rather than a historic site, but it has become one of the best-known evening destinations in the city. Visitors come for lunch or dinner, with a menu mixing Moroccan and international dishes with mains around MAD 180-350, drinks including cocktails, and live piano music in the evening, usually playing the songs of the film. A visit commonly lasts one to two hours. The dining room is atmospheric rather than quiet, and the best seats are near the piano or on the upper gallery. The photo angles are the arched entrance, the piano and the bar. Reservations are advised, especially for dinner and on weekends, when the venue fills with tour groups and locals. Lunch is calmer and cheaper on average, but the evening brings the full atmosphere. The restaurant is a five-minute walk from Casa Port station and close to La Sqala bastion, so it fits naturally into a day exploring the Old Medina. Dress is smart casual, and alcohol is served, which is unusual for central Casablanca.