Restaurant Sayef — Restaurant in Essaouira

I’ve eaten here twice during my stay. Both times the experience was the same. Wonderful.

Sayef himself greets you as you arrive. If you’ve been before, he treats you as an old friend.

The smallish restaurant fills up every night by 7.30-8.00pm so get there early.

The interior is very comfy and a pleasant mix of traditional Moroccan and modern European. It has the feel of a French bistro, with an Arabic twist.

The menu is quite short. I like short menus. They allow the kitchen staff to focus on getting each dish perfect. And a short menu ensures freshness through a high turnover of ingredients.

Before you begin, there’s some lovely white anchovies, crusty Moroccan bread and a rich home made tapenade. On the house.

Check out the daily specials board. Items like the fillet of tuna are only on there when Sayef can get the ingredients spanking fresh!

I recommend the seafood gratin as the perfect starter. Plenty of top quality fish and shellfish in a white sauce with grated cheese on top.

The mains are excellent also. The usual tagines and couscous are accompanied by some interesting alternatives.

There’s a choice of deserts. But the star of the show is the apple crumble. Yes. Apple crumble.

Now the prices aren’t the cheapest in town. But neither are they too much. I feel they reflect the quality. I had the seafood gratin, the tuna steak with some frites and the crumble. To drink I had two bottles of Coke Zero. With a €2 tip this set me back 240MD or about €24. But bear in mind I had the most expensive options. You could eat here for less, is what I’m saying.

No card payments, but they...

Coming back to taste chef Sayef's plates is on the top of my to do list when I come to Essaouira, every plate is delicious in a perfect way. I always return the dishes cleaned 😅😅 I finish everything even the black olive tapenade that Chef Sayef serves with mini crunchy toasts in the beginning 😋😋. The restaurant is cosy and everything is designed in a way to make feel at home. And last but not least, Chef Sayef, this person is another story of kindness, generosity and honestly, you feel that he is a part of your family ; truste that he will check each time that you need nothing and everything is alright. My trip is almost over but I can't wait to come back again visiting this beautiful city and especially visiting this wonderful restaurant. I would like to thank you very much for your warm welcome and for giving us the chance to have this experience. Thanks a lot...

We went there two evenings in a row because we were so impressed. The host and owner is incredibly kind and attentive, but never pushy. He gladly recommends the daily specials, which often include fresh fish.

On the first evening, we had seafood spaghetti with truly fresh seafood and a crêpe for dessert, and on the next day, we tried the squid fritterd, chicken tajine and vegetable couscous. As a starter, they serve olive paste with bread and small fish.

All the dishes were wonderfully fresh and delicious.

It’s truly a small, authentic oasis that you simply have to experience for yourself.

Many thanks to the owner and the team for two wonderful evenings.

We truly hope that many people discover this wonderful...