Chez Fatima

First of all, I am not 100% sure this is the place because it does look like it from the pictures but it was called Chez Khadija. The experience was a bit bittersweet. First of all, we ordered soup, grilled sardines and calamari. The lady offered mint thea, which we accepted although the price was not mentioned in the menu. When the order arrived, the soup never came (as we waited for some time, even with customers who came later than we did being served before us, I couldnt bother asking for it again) and instead of calamari we got shrimps. The waiter (a teen who apparently spoke English but made several mistakes) apologised and we ended up having the shrimps. The food, though simple, was nice and flavourful. The second unpleasant surprise was when we asked for the bill. This boy said 75dh and when I paid with a 100dh note, he gave me back 15 instead of 25. As we did not know the price of the tea (lesson learned: never order something you dont see the price of), I confronted him about it. He went to ask the lady and came back saying it was a mistake and it actually cost 85dh. I mean, the price was still reasonable but the point is: please do not scam me in my face. There were no tourists at all, only locals, and maybe now I know why.

The place feels very aithentic, you see the food being prepared in front of your eyes and the fish is fresh. The griller fish was very tasty, however the grilled squid I would not recommend. If you expect a big grilled squiq, don’t take it, it was small squids with a weird alsmost earthy taste. As long as you stick with the grilled fish and sardines you will have a great time!!!

I had the best ever grilled fish here, just plain and simple, cooked on a bbq outside with a bit of salt, served with lemon and some bread. Perfect! Tiny place, certainly lived up to it's reviews. I'll be back!

I had my first Tagine at chez Fatima a couple of weeks ago and it was amazing, but not wanting to only try one place, I went off and tried a number of others in Essaouira since. But yesterday I went back for another and it confirmed my suspicions, it is the best Tagine I've had in Morocco by far! Rich in spices, a generous portion, flavourful to the last caramlised bite. A no frills hole in the wall resteraunt that has a homely charm with friendly and welcoming owners. I can see why everyone who eats there has a big smile on their face (which is I tried it the first time)

Had a pleasure to visit this tiny restaurant last month during my trip to Essaouira. Fatima was an excellent host, very welcoming and serving delicious food. Harira soup portion was generous and the seafood was super fresh. I will definitely visit again.