Grand Café de la Poste

Le Grand Cafe de la Poste is among the oldest standing addresses in Gueliz. Built in 1925 as a postal relay and cafe during the French Protectorate, it was the first building in what is now Marrakech's new town, and much of the neighbourhood grew up around it. The terrace where Jacques Majorelle and General Lyautey once sat still overlooks the Place du 16 Novembre, shaded by palms and cooled by spinning ceiling fans. After decades as a cafe-brasserie, twelve years of closure, and a careful restoration in 2005 by Studio KO, the Grand Cafe today feels like a living fragment of 1930s Marrakech: colonial in proportion, Moorish in detail, and thoroughly unhurried in rhythm. On the ground floor, a black-and-white checkerboard floor stretches beneath brass lanterns and rattan chairs, with tables candlelit every evening. A sweeping double staircase leads to the upper floor, where a log-burning fireplace, leather armchairs, and crimson velvet seating create a lounge that fills with live jazz on select evenings. The wraparound terrace remains the most coveted seat, particularly at lunch and aperitif hour, when a complimentary spread of olives and bread accompanies early drinks. The kitchen follows the logic of a Parisian brasserie: monkfish skewers, kefta tagine, and spider crab sit beside French standards, and the Grand Marnier souffle is a standing fixture. The wine list balances French bottles with Moroccan labels, and the cocktail programme runs late. Reservations are recommended, particularly for dinner and jazz evenings.