The Ruined Garden

The Ruined Garden is a walled garden restaurant at 15 Derb Idrissy in the Sidi Ahmed Chaoui area of Fès el-Bali, the old medina of Fez in Morocco's Fès-Meknès region. Tables are set among trees in the open garden, and a wood-fired indoor dining room takes over on cooler evenings, which makes the venue usable for much of the year. The kitchen works in a modern Fassi style, reworking the city's home cooking and street food rather than copying the classic palace menu. The cuisine is best described as modern Fassi and Moroccan, and the price band sits at roughly MAD 200-400 per person (about $22-$43), which is mid-range for a sit-down dinner in the medina. The signature dish is spit-roasted mechoui lamb, slow-cooked on a spit and served tender; because it takes time to prepare, it must be ordered a day ahead. Other dishes that appear on the menu include Sephardic saffron chicken, a nod to the Jewish culinary history of Fez, reimagined Fassi street food, and harira, the tomato and lentil soup that is standard in Moroccan households. The dining atmosphere is relaxed and green rather than formal: the garden setting is quiet by medina standards, and the mood is closer to a leafy retreat than a palace dining room. Alcohol is served, which is not universal among medina restaurants, and the menu is considered a reliable choice for vegetarians, who often struggle to find more than a plain vegetable tagine elsewhere. A beverage programme beyond wine and beer should not be assumed. Reservations are recommended, particularly for dinner and for any group of more than a few diners; the restaurant can be reached on +212 649 191 410 or through ruinedgarden.com. Booking a day ahead is sensible if mechoui is wanted, and a day or two ahead is a reasonable window for weekend evenings in the spring and autumn peak seasons. The restaurant lies inside the pedestrian medina, so arrival is on foot along narrow lanes; visitors staying outside the old city usually take a taxi to the nearest gate and walk the remainder, or ask the restaurant for directions on booking.