Palace restaurants should be a definite inclusion on your bucket list during your travels in Morocco, which is home to quite a few formidable options. Perhaps one of the most spectacular examples goes by the name of Le Tobsil, meaning “dish” in Arabic. Buried deep in the backstreets of the Marrakech medina, finding Le Tobsil requires a bit of a trek, but it’s worth the effort. As you step foot inside the faded yellow ochre-walled restaurant, your eyes will be greeted by rose petals strewn across white-clothed tables, bathed in sensuous candlelight. An evening at Le Tobsil sets the scene for a Moroccan dinner reminiscent of Arabian nights.
With a seasonally changing set-menu cooked by local chef Fatima Moutassamim, be ready to embark on an odyssey of different taste sensations. Come with an appetite to take full advantage of a banquet-like feast consisting of a 5 course dinner accompanied by drinks. Sound like more than a mouthful? That’s what many past diners seem to think, so if restaurants being stingy with portion sizes is a pet peeve of yours, a crisis is sure to be averted at Le Tobsil. The quantity of food is apparently so generous that many leave, albeit reluctantly, with plates which aren’t quite cleaned.
For a taste of the highlife, a meal at Le Tobsil requires keeping your schedule free, at least for several hours. Let the trance-inducing sounds of traditional music courtesy of Gnaoua musicians help you wind down over the course of the evening as you are transported to an era of old-world splendor. Rated as one of the world’s best restaurants, no doubt with thanks to owner Christine Rio, credited for maintaining consistently high quality over the years, Le Tobsil is regarded by many foodies as the preeminent restaurant of Marrakech, if not Morocco.
Why We Want to Go
- To dine like royalty – the service is reputed to be impeccable. Your glasses and plates will never be empty and waiters are always on hand to explain each dish to you.
- Guests are seated on 2 levels around a courtyard. As soft music punctuates the fragrant air, it’d be nothing short of magical to be dine outdoors beneath a star-strewn desert sky.
- The set-menu includes an aperitif of your choice and as much wine as you desire. We’d make sure to take advantage of the restaurant’s extensive wine selection which includes great local and French specialties.
What We Want to Eat
- Starters: olives are served with your aperitif, followed by bread accompanying multiple Moroccan salads – usually 13 small plates. Just don’t over indulge and forget about what’s still to come!
- Pigeon, fish or vegetable pastilla: the sweet and savory meat pie makes an inevitable appearance and is the first part of the main course
- Chicken & lamb tagines: the second part of the main course. Chicken tagine (slow-cooked stew) is tender, succulent & served with lemon, wrapped in a pancake. As one clearly isn’t enough, the lamb tagine follows, served with vegetables and aromatic cous cous.
- Poached pear with orange: we’d love to sink our teeth into a sweet and soft poached pear with orange slices and slivered almonds.
- Moroccan pastries & fruit: to complete dessert there is an array of pastries including sweet pastilla with almonds and rosewater and beghrir (Moroccan crêpes) with honey. Served with fresh fruit to end what should be an unforgettable dinner.
Le Tobsil
Derb Abdellah Ben Hessein, R’Mila Ksour,
Marrakech, Morocco
+212-5244-44052