Shams rooftop restaurant and bar sits atop the Le Monde des Arts de la Parure museum in Marrakech, an enormous collection of African and oriental jewellery, clothing, and ethnographic items in a truly breathtaking modern building by Franco-Lebanese architects Michel Charrière and Joseph Achkar. The menu takes inspiration from both Mediterranean and Levantine cuisine, from traditional baba ghannouj and fattoush to goat's stuffed pittas with Greek salad and lashings of olive oil. With elevator access straight to the top, Shams is the place for long, lazy lunches in a leafy escape above the city, book-ended with a Moroccan iced coffee, of course. 

At 7 rue Ibn Rochd, Villa Aaron is a 1930s-built family home reborn as one of Marrakech’s most stylish restaurant-bars. Restored by the Amazoz Group with the owner’s granddaughter, the villa retains its soul in patterned zellij, vintage furniture and lush courtyards, refreshed by designer Michèle-Rose with soft light and greenery. Chef Luisma Naranjo’s menu blends Mediterranean generosity with Moroccan flair - from mechoui cannelloni to shakshouka ravioli - while skilled barmen pour playful cocktails from the marble-topped bar. Atmosphere is key here: live jazz, double bass or DJs drift through salon corners and shaded patios. And if you have the stamina, you may find yourself at Marrakech's most elegant house party, as last orders only happen at 2 am.