Broc the Kasbah offers an exciting twist on Moroccan classics, serving some of the best vegetarian food in Marrakech. This entirely vegetarian restaurant certainly exceeded my expectations, both in terms of the quality of food and the exceptionally affordable prices. Read on if you’d like to hear more about how I found this place, or keep scrolling to see some mouth-watering pics and an assessment of the price I paid for this tasty and healthy meal.
Introduction: How I Found Broc the Kasbah
On Sunday, December 10, 2023, I arrived in Marrakech in the late afternoon, about a day and a half after wrapping up my final exams to conclude my semester in London. I was eager to trade in the cloudy skies and freezing rain of London for the perfectly balmy and sunny climate of Morocco in December. By the time I navigated through the chaos of Marrakech Menara Airport’s passport control line and rode the shuttle bus from the airport to the city center, the sun had set and night was descending upon Jemaa el-Fnaa. I found an ATM with the help of a friendly fellow traveler I had met on the bus, bought some pomegranate juice from one of the many stands in the square, and slowly made my way to my hostel as I absorbed my surroundings.
My hostel was tucked away in a secluded little dead end that was only accessible by somehow making four consecutive left turns within the span of about 500 feet. Once I entered, I found that the hostel itself was a wonderfully calm and quiet oasis amidst the bustling city. As I was checking into my hostel, I tried to get some recommendations for nearby restaurants from the receptionist, but he surprisingly informed me that he wasn’t familiar with the restaurants in the area. Therefore, after I stowed my luggage, it was all on me to explore this city for the very first time and find a good meal.
One of the most unique aspects of Marrakech, and especially the medina, or old town, where my hostel resided is the labyrinthine nature of the chaotic streets, where pedestrians and motorcycles share narrow passageways often halfway blocked by the sprawling wares of local vendors. Some streets that appeared on Citymapper were inaccessible, blocked off by wooden doors that were seemingly shut for the night at a certain point in the evening. This made me eager to find a restaurant very near to my hostel to avoid getting lost on my first night in the city, so I was glad to stop as soon as I found a little square featuring multiple restaurants with outdoor tables that appeared to be a prime spot for people watching. I simply settled down at the first restaurant I laid eyes on in this square, which happened to be Broc the Kasbah, an unexpected purveyor of vegetarian food in Marrakech.
Complimentary Appetizer
Before even looking at the menu, I was treated to a complimentary bowl of crunchy corn kernels soon after taking my seat at a table outside (70℉ in December!), a pleasant surprise that raised my hopes of finding a great meal. Another pleasant surprise was the friendliness of the waiter, who spent a good deal of his spare time talking with me, as I was their only customer at the time. This wasn’t surprising given that it was almost 10:00 PM by the time I had navigated the chaos of the city center to find this concealed oasis of conviviality.
Upon looking at the menu, I discovered that the restaurant was entirely vegetarian, putting a spin on traditional Moroccan dishes like tagine, as well as offerings like veggie burgers and salads. Although this was my first meal in Morocco, I soon learned that it is quite rare to find this wide of a selection of vegetarian food in Marrakech. There was also a solid selection of starters like hummus, samosas, and smaller salads, but I chose to pass on the extra course given how late I was eating dinner. Instead, I chose to start my meal with a glass of persimmon juice, something I had never seen on a restaurant menu before! This is a strategy that I typically use every time I look at a restaurant menu – if I see something I’ve never tried before, I’ll almost always decide to order it. This strategy pays off for me far more often than not, and this was no exception. The persimmon juice was sweet, cold, and refreshing, and it definitely tasted purer and fresher than the sugar-laden “juice” I’m used to in the United States.
Main Course
For my main course, I chose the vegetable tanjia, a dish unique to Marrakech itself. Usually, tanjia will be served as a slow-cooked meat stew featuring beef or lamb with the optional addition of onions, grains, or beans. Beef is definitely the most common option, especially at Jemaa el-Fnaa, where you can expect tender and fatty cuts of meat to shine as the central and sometimes only ingredient aside from warm, aromatic spices like saffron and cumin. The vegetable version is definitely a more modern take on the dish, but I also found it to be more liberally spiced, ranking as one of the most flavorful and well-executed dishes I tried during my week in Morocco. The soothing aroma of warm spices like cumin, coriander, and cinnamon were apparent as soon as the waiter lifted the lid from the ceramic serving dish, and there were ample flavors of these spices in every bite. There was also a citrusy tartness to the vegetables, as if they had been soaked or cooked in a lemon-heavy broth. The texture of the vegetables struck a perfect balance, tender from hours of careful slow-cooking without becoming too soft. I was initially surprised by the presentation of the food in the ceramic bowl, but I later learned that this was actually the pot in which the vegetables were cooked, and it’s also called a tanjia.
An underrated touch to this dish that I really appreciated was the use of entire cloves of garlic, as you can see at the very top of the bowl in the photo. This is something that I had previously practiced in my own cooking at home after seeing it in a local Chinese restaurant in my hometown of Pittsburgh, since I find that including entire cloves of garlic, or at least substantial slices, is a much more effective way to impart that bold garlic flavor into your food as opposed to mincing it.
The neighborly atmosphere of the restaurant was a wonderful compliment, especially since I was able to enjoy the refreshingly mild evening air before it began to seriously cool down. A few days later, I discovered just how drastically the temperature can drop at night in Morocco when I was camping in the Sahara. The waiter was pleasant company, and I greatly enjoyed watching him occasionally walk down the street to talk to the staff at nearby restaurants. This lent a comfortably communal vibe to the dining experience, where I felt more like I was dining at a friendly gathering than a restaurant.
Final Review of Broc the Kasbah
Finally, the value offered by this restaurant was exceptional, with the tanjia priced at 69 MAD, or $6.87 as of February 10, 2024 and the juice priced at 29 MAD, or $2.89. Being able to find such an attentively prepared, well-executed, and healthy meal for under $10 is almost impossible in other parts of the world, but Marrakech is one place where I found meals like this to be a little easier to come across. Still, Broc the Kasbah was my absolute favorite place for Moroccan food during my time in Marrakech, and the fact that it offered a menu entirely dedicated to vegetarian cuisine is certainly an added bonus for those looking to limit the amount of meat they eat. Even if you aren’t a vegetarian, I absolutely recommend this spot for an affordable way to taste the best of vegetarian food in Marrakech.