Following on from the tasty cuisine of Ethiopia and Algeria, here’s another culinary journey. Are you looking for the best places to eat a couscous or a fragrant tajine “as good as over there” without leaving Paris? Look no further! At Paris Secret, we’re sharing our favorite Moroccan restaurants with you today! Can you smell the spices, orange blossom and mint tea of the Orient? Follow us…
Darkoum: the best couscous in Paris and IDF
What if we told you that the best couscous in Paris and the Ile-de-France region was in Paris? We’re talking about Darkoum. A tiny address, located in the 14ᵉ, that offers exceptional couscous, cooked in the traditional way. For over 30 years, this small Moroccan restaurant, still very much under the radar, has been delighting gourmands in the 14ᵉ arrondissement. Here, you’ll enjoy typical Moroccan dishes: tajine with chicken and olives, or with tender lamb confit… But here, the real star is couscous! With chicken, merguez, vegetables or royal, we love it in every way.
Location: 17 rue Daguerre 75014 ParisLocation: 105 RUE DE BELLEVILLE 75019
Price: approx. 15 eurosOur favorite: Restaurant 404 in Paris and its crazy couscous!
Fancy a one-way ticket to Marrakesh? Head for rue des Gravilliers, in Paris’s 3rd arrondissement. Right in the heart of the Marais district, you’ll find a private mansion with a Kasbah feel. In a setting straight out of the Thousand and One Nights, immersion is total. A subdued atmosphere, oriental carpets, beautiful Moroccan wrought-iron lanterns, warm colors… The ambiance transports us elsewhere. Here, you can sample traditional Moroccan cuisine. What’s on the menu? Sun-drenched salads, pastillas, Kefta kebabs or a homemade Méchoui with herbs.
Le 404 also offers a wide range of Tajines and couscous. Chicken tajine with pears, lamb mouse/apricot tajine, Berber lamb tajine, Berber couscous, 7-vegetable couscous, merguez, mechoui… The choice is endless. And the flavors are right there on the plate. To round off our oriental journey, we enjoy an orange salad with cinnamon and orange blossom, a Berber pancake with honey, a pastilla with dates or Gazelle horns… all washed down with fragrant mint tea. A real favorite!
Restaurant 404 – 69 rue des Gravilliers, 75 003 Paris
The oriental and inclusive restaurant 1000 & 1 Signes
On the famous rue de Charonne, there’s a place with a little extra soul. It’s the restaurant 1000 & 1 Signes. In this restaurant, open to the deaf and hearing alike, you can take your senses on a journey with delicious Moroccan specialities, such as tajines, couscous, pastillas, Berber crepes and other dishes with an Oriental flavour. You’ll also have the opportunity to open your eyes to a world that’s different from your own. On the menu, each dish corresponds to a sign in LSF (Langue des Signes Française). An establishment led by the sunny and luminous Sid, himself a non-hearing person. 1000 & 1 Signes is 1000 & 1 shades of delight, love and sharing.
1000 & 1 Signes, creative couscous – 76 rue de Charonne, 75 011 Paris
The most festive: the Parisian restaurant “Chez Gala”, where you can eat tajines to your heart’s content.
Chez Gala is one of the most festive restaurants in Paris! At Paris Secret, we were lucky enough to push open the doors of this bewitching establishment, with its thousand-and-one-night ambience. Curled up in its velvets, served like Kings, Chez Gala took us on a journey from appetizer to dessert. Chicken pastilla, hummus, lamb shoulder confit… Oriental fragrances enchant the senses. A particular favorite was the tajine of vegetables glazed in their spice juice. In Paris’s chic 8th arrondissement: a feast for the eyes and sunshine on the plate.
Chez Gala– 6 rue Arsène Houssaye, 75 008 Paris
The excellent Bladi Couscous Bar, Paris
Last October, Bladi, the 1st couscous bar, opened in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. where you can compose the couscous of your dreams. First things first: size matters (yes, sometimes it does). Medium or large couscous? The choice depends on your appetite. Merguez, chicken, beef, lamb, Kefta dumpling… Go for the meat of your choice. We warn you, they all melt like butter. Then it’s time to choose your vegetables and legumes. Carrots, zucchini, chickpeas, grapes and onions… you’ve got your pick of the king! All that’s left is to drizzle your divine couscous with an oriental-scented juice, on a bed of semolina. Tested and approved by the Paris Secret team.
Bladi Couscous Bar– 115 rue Saint-Maur, 75 011 Paris
The iconic “La Ruche à Miel”, a stone’s throw from Marché d’Aligre
If you’re passing through the Marché d’Aligre, in the 12th arrondissement, we recommend a stop at La Ruche à Miel. Many celebrities have left their mark in this cosy little restaurant-teahouse. And with good reason: here you can savor tajines and couscous to die for, either on the spot or to take away. Special mention goes to the superb display of oriental pastries, each more delicious than the last. The must? You’ll always be greeted with a big smile! Human warmth and conviviality, Moroccan style!
Moroccan restaurant La Ruche à Miel – 19 rue d’Aligre, 75 012 Paris