What to see in Casablanca: Villa des Arts

Looking for the perfect place for a romantic date? Forget all the coffee shops and snob terraces, bring your date to the Villa des Arts for an special meeting that will last in your memories: "in our first date, Mustapha took me to a museum", sounds better to me than "we went to starbucks". Villa des Arst is a heavenly place in the very center of Casablanca, and they usually have on show nice exhibitions...and barely anyone looking at them. Split in two floors, this old Art Deco house, that dates from 1934, has also a permanent cute collection, and belongs now to the ONA Foundation. The place promotes contemporary art and other purposes, if you want you can even rent it for a party in the most pure Gatsby style. The garden is specially peaceful and we miss not having a little coffee shop on the side which be truly amazing. The entry is free and makes a good stop for tourists and residents alike.

30 boulevard Brahim Roudani Rue Abou El Kacem Chabi, الدار البيضاء 20000, Marruecos

Tel:+212 22295087

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New Favourite Terrace...Hotel Bellerive

Casamood keeps unfolding the secrets of Casablanca so you can enjoy the best places without the disappointment of the bad ones. This time we where searching for the perfect place to have a coffee in the sun, maybe even a light bite, and the same propositions arose: Paul Villa Zevaco, Cafe Blanca, Le Cabestan...and that's about it. So posh places, expensive prices, judgmental stares..Not what we were in the mood for. The terrace of Mc Donald's are really good, you even get a seaview but the kids and the smell of chemical food don't really go with our lifestyle. Along the Corniche there are a few, including Venezia Ice, Luigi and Gossip, but you cant really tan and we like all the vitamins the sun can give us, so we decided to try the terrace of the Hotel Bellerive, an outdated Hotel from light years ago that I'm sure could be the perfect place to rent rooms for hours with your lover if this was something admitted in Morocco. Because the decoration of the Hotel is so harmful for your eyes we entered the café by the alley on the side and what we got there...what a surprise, clean old school tables with comfy chairs and a great little view on the sea and a manicured grass like I've never seen one in Morocco. The terrace is big and airy and you can choose if you prefer to stay on the sun or under a sunshade. Not many clients even if it was a Saturday around 13h30, a few ex-pats, one Moroccan family, us and a couple of very kind and smiley waiters that probably saw the foundations of the place. There is not even a menu, just the usual: café, orange juice, mint tea...and alcohol. Alcohol? Yes alcohol on a terrace looking at the sea: beer at 40dh, bottle of wine starting at 110dhs, and God knows what else, probably even a Bacardi Cola if you ask. They also have a grill that serves very good brochettes and not bad pizzas (not really Italian, but tasty). The conclusion? We stayed for almost the rest of the day until it became cold... and we came back the next day. And if you ask me, I'm sure I will come back tomorrow with my book. A total 10 for popular chic. Please Hotel Bellerive, stay as you are, wrinkles are beautiful.

38, Boulevard de la Corniche, 20180 Casablanca, Morocco

+212 5 22 79 75 04 

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Villa Boga Boga...my secret garden

Casaouis told me that Villa Boga Boga has been there forever, so long that they not even remember when was the first time they went there. Some of them told me that had changed for worst, others that was a classic place for crêpes, some others even forgot that existed, so Casamood took the things into his own hands and decided to go and try. The place is hidden, just were you want a place to be hidden to be special, the entrance is simple, the street almost derelict, but with character. The minute you get in you cant avoid to like it, easygoing, smiley, the right lighting, is a bit like getting into your grandmas house on Christmas day, when spirits are high and everything looks clean and homely. That was the exact feeling that Villa Boga Boga gave me. Forget the flashy Le Cabestan and Le Relais de Paris, here we are in the comfort zone, were no one will look at you nor judge you. The indoor area is great and has plenty of intimate corners for a romantic dinner, but it was lunchtime, so we went into the really lovely garden/terrace. The menu is simple yet complete: (really big) salads, some carpaccios, crepes, pizzas, different meats, some fish, and even some pastas. I tried the marinated fish which was excellent and fairly priced, and then I had a crêpe with egg ham and cheese, very yummy. Also tried the pizza but is something to avoid, probably they're on the menu just for kids. Had no dessert but I saw some serious cakes around. They serve alcohol at very affordable price. They have plenty of round tables that to me are the key to a nice evening amongst friends, so next time you want to dinner without stress in a safe environment outside of the fashion circle, look no further than this restaurant. 

Villa Boga Boga

 7 Bis, Rue de la tempête Ain diab, 20000 Casablanca, Morocco

tel.  05227-97960

 

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Snack Oujda, popular cool in the Medina

Casamood travel guide is fond of old Medinas. Its true that the Medina of Casablanca has very little charm compared with the magical alleys of the Fes Medina or even with the shopping experience of Marrakech, nonetheless, for the occasional tourist or locals in search of fake Ralph Lauren T shirts, fake Ray-ban sunglasses or fake Louis Vuitton belts it has proven to be a consistent choice. People is friendly and security is high, and if you happen to be hungry and your wallet is not big enough to take you into the gorgeous Hyatt just round the corner don't worry, because Snack Oujda is the popular-chic you're looking for. With about 15 tables all next to each other you will be rubbing shoulders with locals that will care very little about you, the place looks dirty but food is extremely fresh, on the menu: prawns, squid, hake, sole and the best of them all, swordfish. All of them deep fried and served with a homemade spicy tomato sauce, forget ketchup, this is the real thing. You can compose your own dish and the price stays the same: 40 dirhams, with bread and water included (even if its probably a good idea to order some regular Sidi Ali water unless you survived 3 years in Afghanistan). My own advice is to stick with the squid rings and the swordfish, well worth coming back. 

Old medina of Casablanca, close to the entrance of Avenue du FAR, opposite Hyatt Hotel.

No phone and no reservations taken.

 

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Marché Central, Popular Chic

One of my favorite plans in the weekend is actually one of the cheapest eats in Casablanca, in a sunny day like today there is very little things that can challenge a visit to the famous Marché Central. Located in what it used to be the center of Casablanca, the area feels now a bit neglected, but its on its way to recovery and a lot of money and effort are put into making it a decent neighborhood. Surrounded by gorgeous Art Deco buildings, the Marché Central means literally the Central Market, the place where you can find the freshest fruits, vegetables and most specially seafood. Snob people would typically send their chauffeur, make them buy and cook it all at home ; chic people like Gatsby prefers to buy it there and give it to one of the snack restaurants that will cook everything to your taste, prepare you a refreshing Moroccan salad and offer you a not-really-sugar-free mint tea. The seating area is open and its really a pleasure to sit down in actually quite comfortable plastic chairs and see what real life is all about in Casablanca, far from the bling bling of Le Cabestan. Service including cooking, drinks and salad cost about 30 dirhams per person, and the prices of seafood inside the market depend really on how touristy you look. Oysters are about 10 dhs unit, so less than a Euro, and are amazingly good. Its always a good idea to carry kleenex with you since their kind of napkin is not quite as you may like. There is usually no problem for parking there, and with the new tram is even easier, there is one stop right en front of it called very wisely "Marché Central". You can't get lost.

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Paul Villa Zevaco

If you like the idea to see and – specially- be seen under the x-rays of all the ladies-who-lunch and that maybe are looking also for a lover or a second husband just go to Paul Villa Zevaco around 17h to have a coffee or an overpriced orange juice. Lodged in the imposing house of the famous Zevaco architect, Paul is at the same time a bakery, a pastry shop, a restaurant, a coffee shop and a garden. The fireplace room is perfect for the rainy days but the exterior seating is perfect all year round thanks to the mild Casablanca weather. The place is centrally located and makes an easy meeting point with plenty of parking space for your Panamera. It feels better than any Venezia Ice and its undoubtedly the starting place for any respectable wannabe social celebrity. Unfortunately (or maybe thanks God) they do not serve alcohol. The food is not great either, so better stick to sweets and juices.

Boulevard Abdelkrim El Khattabi et Boulevard Moulay Rachid, Anfa , 40000, Casablanca, Maroc

tel.+212 5 22 36 60 00

http://www.paul.ma

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