Back to Feed
Long Read

casablanca: where the coffee’s strong and the city’s a dirty, beautiful mess

@Aria Bennett2/7/2026blog
casablanca: where the coffee’s strong and the city’s a dirty, beautiful mess

okay, real talk. i came here chasing the perfect arabica, thinking casablanca was just a fancy name on a bag of beans. turns out the city is more of a gritty, salt-stained espresso shot-bitter, lingering, and kind of addictive. i’ve been here three months, living out of a borrowed suitcase and my favorite café (you’ll see why).

first, the *data dump because your budget matters:

 *rent: 1-bedroom in ain diab or gauthier? 6,000-9,000 mad a month, but expect to haggle like your life depends on it. the pool at the building? a fantasy. you’re paying for concrete and hope.
 *coffee budget: 20-30 mad for a proper café n’bhar (that’s the mint tea, but switch to espresso). my daily run at my spot is about 100 mad. no shame.
 *safety: it’s… layered. i don’t wander alone near the old Medina after 9pm. my photographer friend got his lens jacked near the cornice. keys in hand, always. but taxis are fine. just agree on the price before you get in, or you’ll get the "meter is broken" special. every. time.

Casablanca cityscape


the weather isn’t a thing; it’s a mood. one minute it’s atlantic fog rolling in so thick you can’t see the hassan ii mosque (and yes, it’s stunning, don’t @ me), the next you’re sweating through your linen shirt by the central market. humidity hangs like a wet blanket. and the neighbors-marrakech is a 3-hour bus ride away if you need desert vibes and your soul to break from the concrete. rabat’s closer, a chill government town with better bakeries.

Casablanca street


here’s the gossip i’ve overheard in cafés:

> "my cousin works at that new co-working space in sidi Maarouf. says the wifi is faster but the ventilation is a crime. you’ll smell someone’s lunch for three hours."

> "don’t buy the ‘antique’ lamps in the old medina. they’re from alibaba. my uncle’s been selling the same ‘1960s brass’ to tourists for a decade."

> "the beach? dog beach, you know the one. it’s cleaner but watch for the waves-they pull you under and nobody hears you scream over the house music."

pros for me, personally:
1. coffee scene is legit. not third-wave bro-y, but real dedication. café maure near the royal palace does a pour-over that makes me weep. also, cheap mint tea everywhere.
2. feels like a real city. not a museum. people are rushing, arguing, selling phone cards. it’s alive, not curated.
3. short flight to europe. madrid, paris, Barcelona for 200-300 mad if you book right. emergency croissant flight? doable.

cons:
1. the air. sometimes it’s just… car exhaust and salt. my lungs feel like old burlap.
2. administrative hell. getting anything done involves 4 stamps, 3 offices, and a bribe (officially denied, but come on). my friend tried to get a residency permit and aged 5 years.
3. it’s expensive for what you get. you pay for the "casablanca" label. want a clean apartment? double the price of tangier.

if you want local dirt, check the r/casablanca subreddit-it’s 90% complaints about traffic and 10% genius life hacks. also, tripadvisor’s casablanca forum has old threads about which hammam won’t scam you. i found my current café through a yelp review that just said "the guy knows how to roast, and he’s funny." that’s all i needed.

so yeah. casablanca. it’s not paris. it’s not dubai. it’s a port city with identity issues, amazing coffee, and a corniche* that’s beautiful at 6am when the joggers are out and the garbage trucks haven’t arrived. i’m tired, my back hurts from café chairs, and i’m probably going to stay too long. isn’t that the best review?

(ps. rent prices from avito.ma, average June 2024. safety tip from a taxi driver named khalid who told me to "be a rock, not a feather." i try.)

You might also be interested in:

About the author: Aria Bennett

Believer in lifelong learning (and unlearning).

Loading discussion...