Azar Marrakech | Lebanese Cabaret-Restaurant in Gueliz

Azar has been a Gueliz fixture for more than twenty years, a Lebanese and Levantine cabaret-restaurant that runs a live oriental dinner-show every night. You find it on Rue de Yougoslavie, on the corner of Boulevard Hassan II, in the part of new-town Marrakech built for going out to eat. The format has not changed much in two decades: a long mezze-led dinner, belly dancers moving between the tables, and musicians on oud, ney and derbouka playing the room.

It suits people who want dinner and a show in the same seat. Think first night in the city, a group celebration, or a table after Lebanese food with some theatre attached. If you came for a dark room and a long DJ set, look elsewhere, and it helps to know that before you book.

The Vibe

The room is dressed in oriental-luxe, with mirrored columns and heavy fabrics that read as chic without tipping into kitsch. There are three zones. The main dining room is where the show happens and the energy sits. The terrace is the calmer option for a table that wants to talk. Upstairs there is a shisha lounge and bar, a more relaxed perch above the main floor.

The crowd skews tourist-heavy and adult, the usual dinner-show clientele, and children under five are not admitted, so the room is built for a night out, not a family meal. That read on the crowd comes from review synthesis, so take it as a general steer. The mood is lively but refined: loud enough to feel like an occasion, though the food still gets attention. Do not expect a quiet dinner once the dancers are working the floor.

The Menu

This is Lebanese and Levantine cooking, with a Moroccan side, and the mezze is the heart of it. Start cold with hummus and moutabal, then go hot with samboussek, falafel and kebbe. The house hummus and the generous mezze spread are the things reviewers keep singling out, so order broadly across the small plates before you commit to mains.

From there the card runs deep. There are more than fifteen Lebanese mains, Levantine salads like fattoush, tabbouleh and chanklish, and spit-roasted chawarma carved off the rotisserie. The Moroccan side brings slow-cooked tagines and couscous, with grills, house-made bread and oriental desserts throughout. The vegetables are sourced from the Ourika Valley, the sort of detail that usually shows up on the plate. Build the meal around the mezze and a shared main or two, and skip the one heavy plate per person.

One honest caveat on drinks. There is a full bar and an upstairs shisha lounge, but we found no verified cocktail or bottle list, so we will not invent signature drinks or pricing. Check the menu in the room.

The Music

The show is the reason most people come. Every night a live oriental band plays oud, ney and derbouka while belly dancers weave between the tables, and part of the act has dancers balancing trays of candles, the trick the room is known for. This is performance dining, not a concert. The music runs alongside the meal and keeps the evening moving.

The show usually gets going somewhere around 9:00 to 10:00 PM, though treat that as approximate and not a fixed curtain time. If watching the dancers from a decent seat is the point of your evening, time your booking to land before the act starts, so you are not turning up at the tail end of it.

Prices & Entry

Treat these as approximate ranges. The figures below come from guides and reviews, not a published price list, and they move with what you order and the season.

• Entry / cover: no entry fee or door charge was found, and entry appears to be free with a dinner reservation. This is unverified against an official source, so check at the door if you plan to come only for the bar or shisha lounge.
• Dinner: roughly 25 to 45 euros per person before drinks, per the guides.
• Lunch: set formulas from around 85 MAD, with options also reported at 120 and 135 MAD.
• Table / bottle minimum: none published. We could not confirm whether any minimum spend applies, so ask when you book.

A practical note. Some reviewers mention unexpected charges landing on the bill, so it is worth keeping an eye on what gets added as the meal goes and confirming the total before you settle. That is a common enough complaint at busy dinner-show rooms that it is worth saying plainly.

When to Go

Azar runs seven nights a week, with no closed days reported, though we could not confirm it opens every single night year-round, so check for a quiet midweek or off-season date. Doors are around 7:30 PM, moving to 8:00 PM during Ramadan, and it closes at 1:00 AM. Instagram lists the hours as 7:00 PM to 1:00 AM, so treat the exact opening time as approximate and confirm on the day if you want an early table.

That timing shapes the plan. If the show is the priority, book for the earlier part of the evening and be at your table before the act starts around 9:00 to 10:00 PM. Weekends bring the fullest room. For a calmer dinner where the terrace works and you can actually talk, an early midweek booking is the better call.

How to Book

Reserve through the online widget at azarmarrakech.com/table, by phone on +212 (0)524 43 09 20 (the line takes reservations from 6:00 PM), or by email at contact@azar-marrakech.com if you are a group of thirteen or more. The official Instagram is @azarmarrakech, with a following around 56,000, and it is the easiest place to see what is on and message a quick question. When you book, say whether you want the main room for the show or the terrace for a quieter dinner. Sort it then and you are not left hoping for the right table on arrival.

See the full lineup in our guide to Dinner Shows Cabarets Marrakech →

On a busy night a walk-up for a good seat near the floor is a gamble. The Marrakech Society arranges tables and guest list across Azar and the rest of Gueliz for members, so you skip the back-and-forth and land at a properly placed table. If you want the night sorted before you arrive, apply for membership and let the concierge line it up.

What to Know

On dress, nothing is officially published, so treat this as unverified: smart or chic is the safe expectation given the setting and the dinner-show crowd, and you will be comfortable in a collared shirt or a dress. Children under five are not admitted, so plan accordingly if you are travelling with family.

Getting there is easy. Azar sits on Rue de Yougoslavie at the corner of Boulevard Hassan II in Gueliz, central and well served by taxis, a short ride from the medina. Agree the fare before you set off or have your hotel call a car, and given the late close, arrange a ride for the way back. One last honest note. The prices here come from guides, not an official list, so use them to set a budget and confirm in the room. Keep an eye on the bill too, given the surprise-charge complaints some reviewers have flagged.