Puerto Marina — Restaurant in arrondissement de Tanger-Medina طنجة المدينة

红魔虾不新鲜不要来别信小红书！！！

The Carabinero shrimp here isn’t fresh—don’t come, and don’t trust the social media hype.

Les crevettes Carabineros ici ne sont pas fraîches—n’y allez pas, et ne croyez pas le battage médiatique des réseaux sociaux.

We came here specifically for Carabinero shrimp, full of excitement but left deeply disappointed. Out of the 4× Carabinero we ordered, two had the unmistakable taste of spoiled shrimp (I’ve bought non fresh prawns at market before, so I'm absolutely certain of that flavor). The other two had a mushy and powdery texture, instead of the firm and juicy bite that fresh shrimp should have.

When we gave feedback to the staff while paying, expressing our disappointment with the shrimp’s freshness, the manager came over. At first, he questioning whether we even knew what Carabinero shrimp tasted like and suggesting we might be confusing them with langoustines, as their flavors are apparently very different. It wasn’t until I explained that we live in Paris and have had Carabinero shrimp countless times in various cities across Spain—Seville, Cádiz, Barcelona—and even showed him several photos, that he switched to a more conciliatory tone in French. Yet, he still refused to admit that their shrimp weren’t fresh.

After 15+ days of tagines and couscous, we were really looking forward to a proper seafood meal and had considered ordering more Carabinero. Thankfully, my partner convinced me to stick with just four.

If, like me, you’re a fan of Carabinero, take my advice: cross the 17 kilometers of Gibraltar and enjoy them in Spain instead. It’s evident that the seafood preservation methods in Morocco are...

We visited Puerto Marina with family and ordered 5 main dishes along with a few sides.

We had two grilled salmon dishes — the first came with fried onions and mashed potatoes, and the second with vegetables and mashed potatoes. The sides were tasty and well-prepared, but the portions, especially the mashed potatoes, were very small. The salmon itself was fresh and flavorful, especially with the sauce they served, but the overall quantity was far too small for the 160 MAD price — both the fish and the sides could be more generous.

We also had one paella dish, which was absolutely delicious — no complaints there at all.

The fried calamari was fine, but nothing too special, and unfortunately, a couple of pieces still had the calamari spine, showing it wasn’t cleaned properly. We avoided those pieces afterwards.

For sides, the marinated anchovies were a hit — everyone loved them. The salad was good but under-seasoned; no salt, though I assume the sauce on top was meant to make up for it.

The biggest disappointment was the chicken spaghetti pasta — it had almost no sauce flavor, was dry and heavy, and the only good taste came from the Parmesan cheese. Once that was gone, so was the enjoyment of the dish.

On a positive note, the place looks very nice — minimal, modern, and with great interior design. The service was also good, everything went smoothly, and the atmosphere made for an enjoyable family outing.

Overall, Puerto Marina has some standout items (paella, anchovies, sides) but also some serious misses, especially on portion size for the price and consistency in preparation. With a few adjustments, it could be...

Pros: -Good food -Affordable prices (one salad, two hot appetizers, two main dishes and one drink (two if you count the bottle of water) come to around 500 dirham (obviously not the best prices, but not the worst either, considering its location)) -Friendly staff -Modern decorations with clean setting -Fresh seafood

Cons: -Catered towards tourists (though, whether this is a pro or a con depends on you) -Bathroom lights just turn off automatically at very short intervals, becomes quite annoying

Final verdict: Undoubtedly for tourists. It is, however, not a tourist trap, as they will not take advantage of you even if you are a tourist. Though, if you are looking for an authentic experience, you will not find it here. But if you're just looking for a good time, then this place is...