Easy Bar in Casablanca: Bar du Titan

If you're looking for the best plans in Casablanca you just found our favorite one. We've been going for a while to the Bar du Titan since we discovered, and it just gets better and better. "Decontracté", easygoing, cheap, so uncool that is cool, mixed people going there, from the usual alcoholic to pretty french girls, Bar du Titat belongs to everyone. Located in a street very close to Le Marché Central, Le Bar du Titan is the place where you should go with your real friends, just to sit down, enjoy some wine (bottle of Cuvee President 110 dhs, unbeatable!), and very very good tapas. No Chanel bags contest here. They've got probably the best patatas bravas in town...and at 18 dhs are quite a grab, quiche with real pork, marinated chicken, curry samosas, tortilla de patatas, moules al pil-pil, marinated anchovies, even the caesar salad is good. The place is quite small, about 10 little tables, and gets quite crowded from 20h00, but the good news is that you can book a table. Its the perfect place for an afterwork without bling-bling. It may sound superflous, but even the toilets are spotless, and that for some strange reason make us think that the kitchen is safe. So basically a winning place where you can have a good time without breaking your bank account. Since its very close to La Bodega, about 2 minutes walking, makes it a perfect choice to have drinks before the real fiesta loca, and because Le Bar du Titan closes at 23h00, everything fits perfectly.

26 avenue Hassan Seghir, 20000 Casablanca, Morocco

Tel.+212 5 22 31 33 15 +212 6 77 53 60 70 +212 6 68 11 92 07

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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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La Brioche Dorée...the gold-plated coffee shop

La Brioche Dorée is a French chain of fast-food style bakery with more than 500 shops worldwide. This kind of self-service in Morocco only means that you get your goodies on the counter but when you leave, the tray stays on on your table with an ashtray full of cigarrettes, so the new customer has to remove other people's leftovers. The combination of allowing to smoke with good prices creates a dark cloud of smoke on the back of the premises that can match the ambiance of “Cafe Manolo” in South East Bronx on 1983. We went on a Sunday to have a Nutella crepe and a hot chocolate, the crepe was quite good and the chocolate was ok, but very light not the excellent 'Fondu' style that you get in Freres Gourmet for example, but all considered, Brioche Dorée is by far cheaper. The waiters over the counter were slow and uninspiring and gave a general feeling of I-dont-give-a-damn about your order. In a city with hundreds of coffee shops the owners should choose more carefully the image they're projecting. Still, location wise makes it a good alternative for ultra-snob Paul and darky G-Ice. The first half of the place is non smoker and has a real nice tall table facing the street to see the life go by. Variety seemed right, there was even good baguettes on sale and good looking cakes and sandwiches also. For some reason there was pizza on offer which we found quite weird, but probably the market demands it. There is another one in Maarif and antoher one in Morocco Mall. And since we really like the idea we'll definitely give it another try, see if the general service gets improved.

Bd Anfa, Casablanca, Morocco 
http://www.grouperahal.ma

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Ashokai Japanese..closest thing to all-you-can-eat

Ashokai is maybe not the best Japanese restaurant in Casablanca, nevertheless it deserves to be considered as a fun and convenient option for group dinners due to its centric location and unbeatable price. In a quiet spot of Gauthier, Ashokai looks more like a normal coffee shop than a Japanese restaurant, bright light, white sofas and apparently only 1 CD, Ashokai remains a fun place to meet up your friends and be loud. The clients are young and clean, the waiters are kind and unpretentious, and the menu options are very complete with all the classics you may want in a Japanese. They do not have alcohol license, which only means that the bill is always surprisingly low. Last time we were a group of 8 people, we ordered some menu that included more than 100 pieces and came with a tasty miso soup as a starter. The sushis were good and fresh enough, and with quite a lot of variety. We did not manage to finish them. Desserts were not Japanese at all but in any case they had the classics one may like: cheese cake, banofie pie, tiramisú, mousse de chocolat, etc the most expensive being 30 dhs. The bill arrived, including drinks, we divided by 8, the result: 140dhs each, that considering what we ate is an outstanding value. 

We have tried to order take away and was equally satisfactory if not very quick. So if you want a cheap Japanese lunch/dinner before doing a Harakiri, Ashokai may be a good option.

Rue d'Oran, Casablanca, Morocco (opposite Hotel Yto)

tel. 212 5 22 27 57 06 

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Fairouz Lebanese..better than McDo

And that is exactly what we mean, it might not be the healthiest of foods nor the highest form of cooking, but when alcohol is infecting all your blood and you're as hungry as a zombie craves for brains, Fairouz is where you should go. Opened 24h a day in the neighbourhood of the uber-snob Lycée Lyautey, the profile of client changes depending on what time of the day is it, from chic teenagers to not-so-chic prostitutes and party goers, and there's even place for the usual romantic couple that buy just to take away, since their decoraton is not very welcoming. But the truth is that their shawarmas are the best in town, and at 22 dhs, one of the cheapest options. But beyond shawarma there are many more interesteing and tasty options on the menu, the falafel is so-so, but the hummus is extraordinary and so is the baba-ganush made of auberniges, the kebbé meatballs are our favourites and the fatayr filled with spinach, but we've been told that all the other options on the menu are also very good. And dont worry, all of them come with the guarantee that flavour will stay in your backmouth for hours to come, no matter how many times you brush your teeth.

277, boulevard Ziraoui 20040 Casablanca

tel.+212 5 22 27 57 23 

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Picasso bar and muchies..not half bad

Picasso lost something of its charm when decided to upgrade the tired red-and-yellow Spanish decoration for something more in tune with 2058...all white with ultra-violet neons, so now instead of feeling you are in a Plaza de Toros you somehow get the feeling you're stepping into a spaceship. But it does feel cleaner, and the prices are still hard to beat. Split in two levels, it a attracts a crowd of normal people, expats and Moroccans alike, that like to gather in Picasso for an after-work drink and some snacks, maybe even flirt a bit, since there are usually a reasonable amount of girls for Morocco. For flirting downstairs is better, whereas the first floor is more 'intimate' for groups of friends wanting to sit down and chat. Picasso also runs the longest happy hour in Casablanca, from 17'30 to 21'30, which is obviously a good thing for our pockets. Due to its central location its always worth it to go and have a look, if you don't like it you can move to the Irish Pub just meters away or the more fancy La Suite. 

www.picassocasablanca.com
35, Hassan Souktani, Casablanca, Morocco
tel. 0665322664

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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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Le Trica Restaurant...a true goldie oldie

Le Trica is the typical place where you can go even if you're not hungry, just for the sake of it, to share some tapas and have a beer; as a matter of fact you are never get excited about going to Trica, but you keep going because the food is actually really good, the atmosphere is laid back and on the whole it feels just like home. Even if the place is not recommended for a romantic dinner, is perfect for a casual one without trying to impress her/him. Loud and cheerful, its gets a bit too loud and cheerful on the soccer nights -which they show in big screens- so unless you're a football nut dont bother on those nights. The service is friendly and attentive, the menu is extense and their prices are more than fair. They mostly have Italian dishes and pastas, but the salads are huge and very tasty and from time to time they organize a mussels night (moules et frites) that get a lot of attention. They also keep the place alive by organizing different parties in other venues, and those are also very popular amongst ex-pats specially. If I had to point something bad, besides the size of their bathrooms, is the strict times for lunch, kitchen closes early, like at 15h, so don't pretend to eat on Spanish times or you'll be forced to go to the closest Mc Donald's.

Prices for a glass of wine plus some spaghetti pesto plus tarte tatín: approx 180 dhs

5, rue al Moutanabi, Casablanca, Morocco

tel.0522220706 

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La Bodega de Casablanca...Fiesta Loca

La bodega de Casablanca is loud, untidy, haram, antichic and incredibly fun. Split in two levels, at the groundfloor you find a tipical “taverna” style restaurant, with wood tables, low lighting, some candles and some couples holding hands that come for the nice vibe and the more than edible food at reasonable prices. Very close to the Marché central, they don't have any excuse not to be getting the best ingredients, but let's face it, no one comes here for the food. La bodega is one of those places that is always packed and always fun, everyone in their 20's has come at least once to celebrate someone's birthday and has fueled a memorable hangover here. Then there is the basement, that they call something like the bar Latino. This is the interesting place to be, you can also get the tables and the same food and the ambiance, but all doubled in intensity. Girls are often drunk and end up dancing on top of the tables, romantic exchanges are common and widely accepted and even drinks are generous in proportion and very well done specially by one barman I forgot his name but that has a beard. It is advisable to come here for dinner around 10 never later since it gets very crowded and the security man limits the entrance unless you're Gatsby. You can come only for a drink but as I said, never come after 23h or entrance will be complicated unless you have boobs. Age is not really important, everyone mixes here from 18 until 40 you're on the safe, if you're older..shouldn't you be married and at home?

Of course it works as a nice hub for soccer fans during the rest of the week, showing all the matches and is generaly a good place to take someone visiting the city that wants to know how local people have fun in Morocco.

129, rue Allal Ben Abdellah, 20.000 Casablanca, Morocco

tel. 05225-41842

 

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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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