Dining for westerners visiting Marrakech often includes kitschy bell dancing shows and mushy tanginess that are anything but Moroccan chic. Located in the Pacha complex, home to an outpost of the famous Spanish nightclub and all-new boutique hotel, Crystals is a high-end ding destination that shouldn't be simply overlooked because of its trendy location. The restaurant is poised inside a decadent two-story dining room of wide-plank wood floors and Aladdin-inspired décor of princess club chairs and velvety banquettes. An open flame fire pit with grand silver flute offsets the abstract chandeliers dangling asymmetrically above well-space seating areas.
The Food
A thoroughly un-Moroccan Italian menu aims to please a pre-nightclub crowd simply to bide the time till 2am and real-life foodies that know this local Italian chef as one of Marrakech’s best. Appetizers include a tuna carpaccio with Tuscan olive salad, minestrone soup of heirloom tomatoes with burrata. Pasta is homemade and best as a second course with a garlic Parmesan gnocchi, shrimp risotto and foie gras ravioli. Hearty main courses are big enough for sharing with a mixed grill platter of beef and chicken or seafood specialties like langoustines and fresh fish from the distant coastal markets.
Last Word
Book late, 10pm for dinner or 11pm for those looking to hit the nightclub afterwards.
