What are the best cafés and nightlife in Casablanca?

If you want a real night out in Morocco, Casablanca is the answer, and I am candid with clients that it beats Marrakech for authenticity. Marrakech's nightlife is largely staged for tourists; Casablanca's is where actual Moroccans go to drink, dance, and socialise. As the country's cosmopolitan business and cultural capital, it has the most genuine bar and club scene, and the crowd is overwhelmingly local rather than holidaymakers. Come here for energy that is not performed for an audience.

The after-dark heart of the city is the Corniche in Aïn Diab. Strung along the seafront are beach clubs, lounges, cocktail bars, and nightclubs that run late, many with terraces over the Atlantic. In summer the beach-club scene is in full swing — daytime pools that turn into evening parties. This is the strip to head to for everything from a relaxed sunset drink to a proper night out, and it is far more comfortable for couples and groups than wandering the centre after dark.

Casablanca's café culture is its other great pleasure, and a legacy of its French and international past. The grand old coffeehouses downtown — most famously around the Art Deco quarter — pour proper espresso amid faded 1930s glamour, and people-watching from a terrace café is a genuine local institution. For the famous version, Rick's Café recreates the film's piano bar; it is unashamedly touristy but well done, with cocktails, live piano, and an atmosphere that is honestly a lot of fun if you embrace the kitsch.

A few practical honesties. Alcohol is much easier to find in Casablanca than in most of Morocco — the licensed bars, lounges, and hotel terraces are plentiful, especially on the Corniche. Dress smart-casual for the better clubs, expect things to start late, and use taxis (or arrange a driver) to get between the centre and Aïn Diab at night. My summary: for café culture, linger downtown; for nightlife, head to the Corniche; and treat Casablanca as the one Moroccan city where the night, not the day, is the draw.