What are the best restaurants in Agadir?

The single best food experience in Agadir is also the most basic, and I send everyone there: the port fish grills. Agadir is one of Morocco's biggest fishing harbours, and at the cluster of simple restaurants by the port you choose your fish from the iced display, pay by weight, and it is grilled in front of you minutes later. Sardines, sea bream, prawns, calamari — it is unpretentious, cheap, and as fresh as seafood gets anywhere in the country. Lunch there once and you will go back.

For a more polished setting, the marina is where the tourist-friendly dining clusters — seafront restaurants with terraces, good grilled fish and paella-style platters, and a relaxed holiday atmosphere as the boats bob alongside. It is pricier and less authentic than the port, but the views and the comfort suit an evening out. The long beachfront promenade is similarly lined with cafés and restaurants ranging from Moroccan staples to pizza and international fare for less adventurous palates.

Because Agadir is a built-for-tourism resort city, it is one of the easiest places in Morocco to find a glass of wine or a cold beer with dinner — the marina and hotel restaurants are mostly licensed, which is a relief after the dry medinas inland. The flip side is honest to acknowledge: the food scene leans international and resort-style rather than deeply traditional, so this is not the city for a soulful Fassi tagine. You come here to eat seafood and relax, not to chase culinary heritage.

Two tips that locals would give you. First, do not leave the region without trying anything cooked with argan oil — this is the heartland of argan, and the nutty oil and amlou (an argan-almond-honey spread) are genuine local specialities; buy them from a women's cooperative on a day trip. Second, for the most authentic, cheapest meal, follow the Moroccans to the grills and the souk food stalls rather than the marina. Port for freshness, marina for comfort, and argan oil to take home — that is Agadir eating done right.