As the light goes, the calls from the minarets of Fes el-Bali overlap across the rooftops, and the lanes of the medina fill with the smell of grilled meat and the sound of shop shutters coming down. Above the rooftops, terraces stay busy while the sky turns orange, then dark, and the old city keeps moving below.
Nightlife in Fes is quieter and more traditional than in Casablanca or Marrakesh. Almost all drinking establishments are hotel bars; the rest are local bars where women and anyone without a good command of Arabic might feel uncomfortable. It is illegal to drink in public, and buying alcohol or appearing intoxicated is likely to draw stern looks. This suits travellers who want an early, food-led evening, a rooftop view, or a quiet drink in a hotel, rather than a long crawl between clubs.
Where to go out in Fes
1. The medina at night
The old city is a pedestrian zone, and the easiest approach is to accept that you will get lost in the markets and find your way out when you have had enough of the sights, sounds and smells. Food stalls, dried fruit, leather goods, ceramics and textiles stay part of the evening scene.
This suits anyone who wants to eat and wander rather than sit in a bar. Keep in mind that the medina is car-free, so plan your route on foot.
2. Rooftop terraces
Several shops and restaurants in the medina have rooftop terraces, and the views are particularly good at sunset and after dark. Some terraces are attached to places that serve food, so you can combine dinner with the view.
One named option is the Sofitel Palais Jamai terrace, which has a wide view over the medina; the source notes a charge of 30 dirham for a glass of tea to access it, and suggests timing a visit with the call to prayer, when several minarets can be heard at once. This suits a calm, early-evening stop rather than a late night.
3. Hotel bars
Hotel bars are the mainstay of drinking in Fes. The Bar at Hotel Batha, on Place Batha, has two bars at the rear: the first is more of a lounge, with leather chairs and fireplaces, and is the more stately of the two. Behind it is a night-club type bar that is mostly empty and rarely open.
This suits travellers who want a drink in a setting where they will not stand out. The same source notes that prostitutes are frequent in bars of both the hotel and local kind, but mostly ignore western travellers.
4. Local bars
Local bars exist outside the hotel circuit, but the source warns that women and anyone without a good command of Arabic might be uncomfortable entering them. Restaurant International, by the car park on Av. Abdellah Chefchawni, is one example: the mirrored outer windows signal that it is not on the tourist route, the crowd is local, and foreigners might expect stares. It serves a basic selection of beer plus spaghetti and pizza, and has three floors, though the source advises avoiding the middle floor when the band is playing and the basement.
This suits confident travellers who read Arabic or are with someone who does, and who want a plain, cheap evening rather than a polished one.
5. Mezzanine
Mezzanine is set over three floors with an outside patio, offering a lounge bar for cocktails and tapas as well as a larger seating area for dinners and parties. It has wifi and a resident DJ, and the source describes it as transforming from a daytime lounge into a dinner and music venue. The source gives its hours as 12:00 until 02:00 non-stop.
This suits a more cosmopolitan night out, with cocktails, beer or wine on the terrace.
6. L'Alcazar Bar at Riad Fes
L'Alcazar Bar, at Riad Fes on Derb Ben Slimane Zerbtana, is a stylish lounge bar and fumoir with cocktails, spirits, wines and a selection of cigars.
This suits a quiet, grown-up drink in a hotel setting, and pairs well with an early dinner.
7. Buying alcohol to drink at home
If you prefer to drink indoors, the White Souk or Marché Centrale on Blvd Mohammed V is a good place to find alcohol: there are two brick-and-mortar liquor stores on either side of the souk, and many vendors inside keep discreet stashes for foreigners. La Cave, at the Centre Commercial Borj Fes, is a small bottle shop near the Carrefour with a good selection of beer and wine at decent prices; take a taxi to the Borj shopping centre.
This suits a night in, or a drink before going out, and avoids the public-drinking rule entirely.
8. Football at Fez Stadium
Fez Stadium is a multi-use stadium used mainly for soccer, with two home teams, Maghreb in the top tier and Wydad de Fès in the second tier. The source notes it hosted matches in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2025/26.
This suits an evening built around a match rather than a bar. Check fixtures locally before planning around it.
How a night out unfolds
The sources do not give detailed timings for dinner or for how late the city runs. What they do show is that the evening starts early and centres on the medina: rooftops are best at sunset and after dark, and the call to prayer is a marker worth timing a terrace visit around. Mezzanine is the one venue with stated hours, running from 12:00 until 02:00 non-stop. Beyond that, plan around daylight, food and the call to prayer rather than around a late-night club circuit.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Unity Day — 31 October
- Anniversary of the Green March — 6 November
- Independence Day — 18 November
- New Year's Day — 1 January
- Anniversary of the Independence Manifesto — 11 January
- Amazigh New Year — 14 January
- Ramadan start — February (tentative)
- Eid al-Fitr — March (tentative), with a holiday the following day
- Labour Day / May Day — 1 May
- Eid al-Adha — May (tentative), with a holiday the following day
Frequently asked questions
Can you drink alcohol in public in Fes?
No. It is illegal to drink in public, and buying alcohol or appearing intoxicated is likely to draw stern looks from passersby.
Where do people drink in Fes?
Almost all drinking establishments are hotel bars. The rest are local bars that women and anyone without a good command of Arabic might be uncomfortable entering.
Is there a club scene?
The sources describe hotel bars and lounge venues rather than a club circuit. The Bar at Hotel Batha has a night-club type bar at the rear, but the source says it is mostly empty and rarely open.
Where can you buy alcohol to drink at home?
The White Souk or Marché Centrale on Blvd Mohammed V has two liquor stores on either side of the souk, and many vendors inside keep discreet stashes. La Cave, at the Centre Commercial Borj Fes near the Carrefour, is a small bottle shop with a good selection of beer and wine.
Plan your evening around sunset on a medina rooftop, a meal in the old city, and a quiet drink afterwards, and check local fixtures and dates before you go.