Assaada Restaurant

Assaada Restaurant is a budget-friendly Moroccan restaurant on Rue Abi Khancha in the medina of Chefchaouen, in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region of northern Morocco. It is known for affordable Moroccan home cooking served with rooftop and outdoor seating, so diners can eat above the lanes of the blue-washed old town with views across the rooftops toward the Rif mountains. The menu is built around the staples of northern Moroccan cuisine. Signature dishes listed for the venue are vegetable couscous and a lemon and olive chicken tagine. The couscous is the traditional Friday dish across Morocco, served with steamed seasonal vegetables and a ladle of broth. The chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives is among the most widely loved Moroccan dishes, cooked slowly in a clay pot with ginger, saffron and turmeric until the sauce is tender and fragrant, and served with bread for scooping. Prices are at the lower end of the local range, roughly 50-90 MAD (about $5.50-$10) per person for a set meal or tagine, though the venue does not publish a menu, so travellers should confirm prices when seated. The dining room is simple and homely rather than polished, with a relaxed pace and a noise level that stays modest, as service tends to be personal and unhurried. There is no dress code beyond the modest clothing customary in Moroccan towns. Alcohol is not typically part of the offering in Chefchaouen, so the beverage side centres on mint tea, coffee and soft drinks. Reservations are generally not needed and walk-in seating is usually possible; the venue can be reached by phone on +212 6 19 56 97 78 for groups or to check that the rooftop is open. The rooftop is the most sought-after seating in fine weather, especially at sunset, when the medina changes colour and the call to prayer carries across the town. Chefchaouen is a walking town: Rue Abi Khancha is reached through stepped, cobbled lanes inside the medina, so visitors should allow a few extra minutes from Place Outa el Hammam.