Restaurant MB

Restaurant MB is a contemporary restaurant at 12 Rue Ahmed Chaouki in the Ville Nouvelle, the French-built new town of Fez in Morocco's Fès-Meknès region. Unlike most dining recommendations in the city, it lies outside the medina, in the wide-avenued district of cafes, shops and hotels that developed during the early twentieth century. The cuisine is French and Italian, with steak, pasta and seafood as the principal orders, and the pricing is in the top band at MAD 400+ per person (about $43+). The kitchen follows a European format, so the menu will feel familiar to diners who want a break from tagine and couscous after several days in the old city. Steak is the mainstay for meat eaters, pasta covers the Italian side of the menu, and seafood offers a lighter option, though freshness in an inland city depends on supply, so it is worth asking the staff what arrived that day. The dining room is modern and polished, and a loft-style lounge bar upstairs adds an evening drinking option, making the venue as much a night out as a meal. Wine and beer are served, and the licensed bar means cocktails and spirits are typically available too, which is a significant draw because alcohol is hard to find in the medina. The atmosphere is livelier in the evening, with a mix of local professionals and visitors, and the upstairs lounge can be louder than the ground-floor dining room. Reservations are recommended, particularly on Thursday to Saturday nights; the restaurant can be reached on +212 535 622 727 or through mbrestaurantlounge.com. A day ahead is a reasonable window for weekends. Because the venue is in the Ville Nouvelle, taxis are the easiest way to arrive from the medina, and the return journey at night should be arranged in advance.