Iconic Italian villa restaurant in Guéliz since 1974
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Marrakech·Restaurants
La Trattoria, Marrakech
Iconic Italian villa restaurant in Guéliz since 1974
La Trattoria is Marrakech's most enduring Italian restaurant, open since 1974 in a Bill Willis-designed Art Deco villa in Guéliz. Dinner is served by candlelight around an indoor pool beneath a soaring glass roof draped with Moroccan lanterns, while lunch takes place in a shaded garden. The menu centres on fresh handmade pasta, Moroccan-sourced ingredients, and classic Italian mains — all in a setting that feels like a private house that has been quietly expecting you for fifty years.
Menu highlights
Spaghetti al limone — handmade spaghetti with Ourika Valley saffron, organic lemon, basil, and Pecorino
Vitello tonnato — slow-poached veal with tuna foam and Sicilian capers
Pappardelle con crema di tartufo — truffle cream sauce with capers and Pecorino
Carpaccio di manzo — beef fillet with rocket, Parmesan, and lemon olive oil
L'Incontro — Ourika Valley saffron risotto with scallops and Parmesan foam
Il nostro tiramisù — house tiramisù with mascarpone and double-espresso biscuit
Why eat here
La Trattoria in Marrakech is one of the city's oldest continuously operating restaurants, open since 1974 in a Bill Willis-designed Art Deco villa in Guéliz — the same American designer behind Yves Saint Laurent's Villa Oasis.
Dinner is served poolside beneath a vaulted glass roof hung with Moroccan lanterns, creating one of the most dramatic dining rooms in the city.
The kitchen uses Moroccan-sourced produce — burrata from a local dairy, saffron from the Ourika Valley, vegetables from the restaurant's own garden — woven into an uncompromising Italian menu.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024, La Trattoria has remained a benchmark for Italian cooking in Marrakech across half a century.
Dinner is the signature experience — arrive after dark to see the pool and glass-roof lit by candles and Moroccan lanterns
Lunch in the shaded garden is ideal in spring and autumn when temperatures are mild
Reservations are strongly recommended, especially on weekends and for special occasions
How to combine
La Trattoria is in Guéliz, a 10-minute taxi ride from Jemaa el-Fna square and the medina souks
Pair dinner here with an evening visit to the Yves Saint Laurent Museum (Musée YSL), a 5-minute walk away on Avenue Mohammed VI
The Art Deco bar is ideal for a pre- or post-dinner cocktail before heading to nearby Guéliz nightlife
Location
Marrakech
FAQs
Menu highlights at La Trattoria include Spaghetti al limone — handmade spaghetti with Ourika Valley saffron, organic lemon, basil, and Pecorino, Vitello tonnato — slow-poached veal with tuna foam and Sicilian capers, Pappardelle con crema di tartufo — truffle cream sauce with capers and Pecorino, Carpaccio di manzo — beef fillet with rocket, Parmesan, and lemon olive oil, L'Incontro — Ourika Valley saffron risotto with scallops and Parmesan foam, and Il nostro tiramisù — house tiramisù with mascarpone and double-espresso biscuit.