La Kasbah

I went to La Kasbah restaurant in Tafraoute for dinner with my brother on the last of three nights in this small quiet town in the Anti-Atlas mountains in the far south of Morocco. We sat at a table on the front terrace rather than inside, which had no customers. After a few minutes looking at the menu a waiter came to our table and I decided to order its special house tajine and a soupe de legumes. My brother ordered spaghetti and harira. We both ordered fruit salad for desert. When my bubbling hot dish arrived, I took my first bite and unpleasantly the minced beef was tough and gristly. While trying to enjoy a meal with my brother it was impossible because literally half of this main course was inedible and tasteless. My soupe de legumes was overly spicy and not thick, unlike other restaurants that had thick soup. My brother's spaghetti was a large plate of hot pasta with a tiny amount of sauce, two tablespoons of sauce at most, and a bit of grated cheese. There was no coffee afterwards because the restaurant's machine was broken. Another annoyance was that the restaurant's WiFi did not work, but a kind man at another table gave us the password code for the CTM bus office's strong WiFi just down the road. La Kasbah restaurant has a decor inside of good quality Moroccan carpets on the walls and initially it looked promising, but sadly my meal was the worst I have ever eaten in Morocco. My brother agreed that his was dreadful as well. We skipped the mint tea that was included in the 90 Dirham price for a three-course meal. The fruit salad dessert was served on a tea-cup size plate, and it was tasty but was a very small portion. There were thin slices of apple and banana, but it lacked any juice whatsoever. The outdoor lighting was so dim that it was hard to clearly see what you were eating or to read the very limited menu. No candles and no real atmosphere. Inside I observed a man lying down on a seating area sleeping, and no other customers. After the unfortunate meal, when I went to the toilet, I noticed the toilet tank was missing its top. I do not recommend eating at La Kasbah until it obtains a better quality of meat since its speciality was virtually unchewable and overall not an enjoyable experience. I wondered if the chef knew how to cook and taste to verify that the food was edible. Furthermore, the waiter service was inattentive. I had to ask for napkins. I have read other reviews which claim that La Kasbah in Tafraoute is the best or "#1" restaurant in this small and very quiet mountain town, but from my experience I can say that La Kasbah served one of the worst meals I have eaten in my 33 years in visiting Morocco. Most laughable is one reviewer who claims this place to be the “best restaurant in Morocco", which is ridiculous since it most definitely is not. And it is suspiciously this person’s only review. Furthermore, some reviewers have rated this restaurant 5 stars, but upon closer scrutiny you will see that some of these reviewers give 5-star ratings to ALL of their reviews, making these dubious at best. As a matter of fact, the food at La Kasbah restaurant in Tafraoute ranks as one of the worst meals I have ever had in my entire life of travels to 45 countries around the world. I can't imagine eating again at La Kasbah after the horrible and inedible main course I was served. The owner needs to find another chef and butcher since the beef was unchewable and most unpleasant. It had to be spit out onto my plate. If you have to eat at La Kasbah, perhaps a vegetable tajine dish or an omelette would be best, rather than risk any meat. That said, I definitely will not return to La Kasbah after such an disappointing and disgraceful meal. It was a major disappointment on the last night of our stay in Tafraout.

Best meal we’ve had in Morocco, even including Nomad in Marrakesh. The tajines are superb, and the mint tea made with fresh leaves w/ sugar cubes on the side. Starters and desserts are simple, which I enjoyed. Extremely friendly waiter, lovely simple decor, and relaxing music. So glad we came here on our first night in town - will definitely be back!

This was the greatest disappointment in Morocco. Restaurant is expensive and very slow, the portions were small and not as good as in another restaurants. And mint tea in glass? Not in pot? And one glass per 10 MDH? Oh no... Never more!

Good, creative food. Vegetarian/vegan options. Not expensive.

A top spot to visit and meet likeminded climbers. 3 course meal and a coffee for under £10 👍🏻