The gastronomy from the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar is well represented in Moroccan restaurants in Madrid. Couscous is his most internationalized dish – with points in common with the cocido madrileño (Madrid stew) the dish is usually served on Fridays and is intended to be shared. But Moroccan and Berber cuisine, between which the margins are blurred, is a compendium of ingredients and spices that makes it recognizable: chickpeas, lamb, ras el hanout -a mixture of spices very common there, with cumin and ginger-, eggplants and other vegetables that are rarely missing in their dishes.
1. Al-Mounia Restaurant
The decorative splendor of this restaurant is such that it took months to finish just because of the handcrafted elements brought from Morocco. It was the first Moroccan haute cuisine restaurant in Madrid, opened in 1966 and is still going strong.
Al-Mouina’s signature dining experience is eating a whole roasted lamb that is placed on the table for each diner to help themselves. Kefta with eggs and vegetable or chicken couscous are also the main dishes on the menu.
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📍Callede Recoletos, 5 (Salamanca)
2. Marrakech Restaurant
At the door of the Marrakech restaurant, every early summer the naval battle of Vallekas but inside, references to Moroccan decoration and gastronomy are everywhere. For more than five years they have been specializing in charcoal grilled dishes, typical of the city they refer to with their name. Lamb chops, assorted skewers or chicken, everything goes through the embers.
It is a two-floor venue where events and weddings can also be held.
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📍Calle de Martínez de la Riva, 19 (Puente de Vallecas)
3. Alcuzcuz of Alhuzema
Since 1989 the Alcuzcuz restaurant in Alhuzema has been serving its classic couscous. But its menu is much more, the defense of the Berber cuisine through meat pástelas, tajín, pinchos morunos or mechui (lamb roasted in embers) has kept them as one of the references among the Moroccan restaurants in Madrid.
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📍 Callede la Farmacia, 8 (Centro)
5. Souksou
Souksou is proof that any gastronomy can successfully adapt to the times. A Frenchman and a Moroccan are in charge of this restaurant in Lavapiés, which has star dishes as traditional as the stewed veal tajín, but is accompanied by a modern aesthetic, neat and clean in its decoration and presentation. They define themselves as a“couscous bar” so they also dominate the most famous dish of this gastronomy, but their cheese and chocolate cakes have a more French touch.
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📍Calledel Salitre, 43 (Lavapiés)
6. Gibraltar Restaurant
The Gibraltar is the Moroccan restaurant to go to when you want to have something more than the typical cover on Sundays at the Flea market. Their dishes are the closest thing to dining in Marrakech’s Yamaa el Fna square. It is cheap, it is authentic, it has a terrace, its lamb tajine with plums and almonds is spectacular and its bakklavas are loved even by those who dislike sweets.
📍 Calle del Casino, 16 (Lavapiés)
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