Palais Sheherazade Restaurant

The Palais Sheherazade Restaurant is the courtyard restaurant of the Palais Sheherazade hotel, at 23 Arsat Bennis Douh in Fès el-Bali, the medina of Fez in Morocco's Fès-Meknès region. The hotel occupies a palace, and the restaurant is set within the building around an Andalusian garden and pool, which makes it one of the more formal dining settings in the old city. The cuisine is Moroccan, and the price level is in the top band at MAD 400+ per person (about $43+), in line with a palace hotel. The menu centres on Fassi tagines and pastilla, the two dishes most associated with traditional Fez cooking. The tagines are slow-cooked stews of meat or poultry with fruit, olives or preserved lemon, while the pastilla is the layered pastry that combines sweet and savoury flavours and is traditionally served at celebrations. The kitchen follows a classic approach, so the menu suits visitors who want an authentic Fassi meal in a grand setting rather than a modern reinterpretation. The dining atmosphere is formal and calm, with the garden and pool providing a quiet backdrop, and it is a good choice for an occasion dinner or for visitors who want a more elegant counterpart to the casual cafes of the medina. Smart-casual dress is sensible. Beverage options should be confirmed with the hotel at the time of booking, as the availability of alcohol is not stated here. Reservations are recommended, and the restaurant can be reached on +212 535 741 642 or through sheheraz.com. Booking a day or two ahead is a sensible window, especially during spring and autumn when the medina is at its busiest, and guests can request a garden table. The hotel is in the Arsat Bennis area on the south side of the medina, and visitors arrive on foot, so asking the hotel for directions from the nearest gate is advisable, particularly after dark.