l'Atelier - Moroccan Cooking Workshop in Essaouira

Recommended by 98% of travelers

Essaouira, Morocco

Great choice

20+ bookings last month.

4 hours 15 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Moroccan cuisine is known for its delicious tagines, fragrant cous cous, and unique spice blends. This cooking workshop offers a hands-on culinary experience, as you shop for ingredients at the spice souks, learn to make traditional Moroccan dishes, then sit down to enjoy a 2-course homemade lunch, followed by Moroccan mint tea and pastries.

Moroccan cooking class at L'Atelier Madada
Walking tour of the spice souks with a Moroccan chef
2-course lunch of traditional Moroccan cuisine
Sample Moroccan mint tea and sweet pastries

Sample Menu

Starter

Zaalouk: cooked salad with eggplant

Starter

Tchakchouka: cooked salad with peppers

Starter

Harira soup

Main

Beef or lamb tajine with almonds and dates

Main

Kefta (meatballs) tajine with eggs

Main

7 vegetables and tfaya couscous

Main

Chicken pastilla

Main

Chicken seffa with vermicelli

Main

Sea bream and vegetables tajine

What's Included

Lunch

2-course lunch

Hotel pickup

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

1 Rue Mohamed Ben Masoud, Essaouira, Morocco
Meeting at l'Atelier, rue Mohamed Ben Masoud, in Essaouira's Medina

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.10:30 am

What To Expect

Medina of Essaouira

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Near public transportation
Infant seats available
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Elfyn_J

What an amazing experience. This is a great way to understand the basics of Moroccan cooking. Exceptional tutor who explained the techniques and method for creating tasty food. I had a great time and would definitely recommend this as a great way pass a few hours in the Windy City.

Reviews

4.9

based on 122 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Great experience with amazing tutors

Elfyn_J, Jan 2026

Delightful cooking class in an airy and artistic gallery type space

Patricia_R, Jul 2025

Beautiful airy and new cooking space and adjoining coffee bar and boutique. Wonderful instruction from the talented Maryam. We learned many new techniques in preparing our tagline and pastilla. Complete with a lovely visit to the market while our taglines cooked. A really great experience.

The class was great. The...

janaamatt, Apr 2025

The class was great. The dishes were delicious and we all felt like they were things we could easily make again at home.

A beautiful side of Essaouria

Sergiu_L, Feb 2025

The food we ended up cooking tasted amazing, but the experience of preparing it and learning about the Moroccan culture was even better! From the preparation of the tea when we arrived, to the trip to the souks to learn about spices, we felt like we have seen a part of Essaouria and Morocco that we haven't experienced before. The hosts were knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and very very welcoming. The instruction was bilingual, in perfect French and English and different levels of cooking ability were catered for. The kitchen was beautiful, all the utensils clean and sharp and the pace of the course was good. Some of our course mates had already booked more courses with the same school. Thank you for a lovely experience, Alice and Serge

Small cooking class with...

nicole_m, Nov 2024

Small cooking class with two wonderful hostesses. We took a walk to the medina for a private visit to spice shop.

Loved this experience! A...

Isabel_D, Sep 2024

Loved this experience! A very well organised cooking class by the two lovely chefs . Everything was explained step by step, the trip to the spice zouk to learn about spices was a highlight too.

Une expérience formidable

Beat_H, Apr 2024

Very friendly and competent cooking school teachers. Delicious menu and visit to the market and a spice merchant.

Super Fun!

Jalyn_H, Apr 2024

We had a great time! Our family learned a lot and the food was delicious! A great break from strolling around!

Excellent experience!

Sana_F, Jan 2024

My husband and I were beginners when it came to cooking and so were slightly apprehensive. However, when we began the workshop, we were immediately put at ease by our wonderful instructors and we ended up having a lovely time while learning lots in the process. The instructors were friendly and knowledgeable, and took the pains to translate everything in French and English, as we had a mixed group. They explained the rationale behind different cooking concepts and guided us through step-by-step preparation of couscous with zalouk for starters. While we waited for the food to cook, our instructor, Mariam, took us on a quick visit to the bazaar, where we learnt about different spices and their uses. I was glad that there was no forced shopping of spices. It was just a shop keeper making us smell different spices and explaining its uses. The 4.5 hours flew by and we all shared a meal together in the end. All-in-all, we had an awesome time and we are looking forward to preparing tajines with L’Atelier in future.

Fun experience

Lucy_W, Dec 2023

Very enjoyable session. Great chefs. Lovely restaurant and shop as well. Would recommend . Thank you

Nice way to spend a few hours

Alex_V, Oct 2023

We enjoyed this experience overall. The space is beautifully prepared ready for the students (inside a cute shop and cafe) and the instructors are professional and kind and the communication was clear throughout. The entire activity is very well organized and we enjoyed learning how to make some classic Moroccan dishes. We would note however that the class does feel a little stilted and overly professional at times, as there was no real encouragement for the group to get to know each other or the typical “coziness” from instructors that you would expect from your usual cooking course (for example at the end of the meal the students sit and eat their food but the instructors don’t join in, and it seemed to us that the instructors are there as their job but not necessarily out of any particular interest or passion). Still, we would recommend the experience if you have a few days in Essaouira.

Beautiful!!!.

Albany_F, Oct 2023

Wow this was so special! Such a wonderful experience, beautiful space and lovely chefs/ instructors. The cooking class didn't feel rushed at all, we even went to the spice market close by while the food was cooking. The chefs/ instructors were very patient and informative. Highly recommend!

Great experience

Alison_B, Sep 2023

What a fantastic experience. The school was very well set up and the cooking instructions were very easy to follow. The tour of the spice markets while the tangines were cooking was very interesting. Highly recommended.

Superb experience all round

Elizabeth_S, Aug 2023

Very impressed with this experience. It was absolutely five stars. Thank you so much for your generosity of spirit, professionalism and for making sure we had a really fantastic day, we really did learn so much xxx

The instruction was very...

Allan_P, Apr 2023

The instruction was very clear which to me as a non chef, was very important and I appreciated that. Miriam and her assistant were very patient, attentive and ensured our dish, when cooked on a slow hat for over 2 hours, was delicious!!! The time went so fast with preparation, cooking, scouring tje.market for spices and then finally eating!! A fabulous experience, thank you!!

The whole experience was...

Rocky_R, Feb 2023

The whole experience was fabulous. Learning about all the spices going to the spice market and especially tasting the food after preparation.

Friendly and Amazing Food!

Isobel_H, Dec 2022

This was a great activity to book early on in your stay in Essaouira. The building (and cafe) the kitchen is in is so beautiful and the items you can buy too! Maryam and Chef Aisha explained everything so clearly and we learnt loads of cooking tips as well as so much about Essaouira and the culture. The food we cooked was also insanely delicious, and they gave us the recipes so we can attempt to make them in the UK (without the fresh spices!) Highly recommend!

Excellent Experience

Miles_B, Nov 2022

Great cooking class in a purpose built training kitchen with two Moroccan chefs who were knowledgeable, friendly and good fun. The trip to the spice market was incredibly interesting, and without any push selling, is an ideal opportunity to buy spices (and Berber clothes moth repellent!) to take home. Highly recommended.

A great food and cultural adventure.

Ann_M, Oct 2022

My husband and I had a great day…the menu was well organised and instruction was well presented. All questions about Moroccan culture and food were answered. We met others from other countries and we were encouraged to share our country’s food delicacies. We would highly encourage others to enjoy a fabulous experience.

Great family activity!

Clint_S, Jun 2022

Super clean facility, very well run, no side hustle or upsell pressure. A kind and gracious staff, and really good food!

Really informative hands...

Tim_H, Apr 2022

Really informative hands on cooking class with great team. Many cooking classes you don’t do that much. This one we not only cut cooked and cleaned but also leaned about techniques in general and alternative approaches and ingredients. Absolute must. Plush dished were delicious.

Great cooking experience

Catherine_G, Feb 2020

A great cooking experience yesterday. We were lucky enough to be only three in the class which was demonstrated in perfect French and English. We were given lots of useful information and taught how to make a perfect Lamb Tagine which tasted delicious together with a Bean Soup. A trip to the spice shop where we were told about the spices and give. The opportunity to buy some (no pressure) filled the time while the Tagine cooked.

Great.

Annette_M, Mar 2026

The cooking class was great! We cooked couscous, which took almost four hours and was very informative. The crowning glory was eating together. Highly recommended!

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Excellence et convivialité

Patrick_R, Feb 2025

Un moment très convial partagé avec des personnes d’horizons différents et deux cheffes au top pour partager la culture de la cuisine marocaine avec un Zaalouk et un tagine poisson le tout dans un lieu sympa. Enfin très surpris par la dégustation de nos plats qui au final étaient réussis et délicieux. Merci beaucoup pour cette belle expérience que nous aurons le plaisir j’espère de renouveler une prochaine fois.

100% recomendable

Macarena_R, Jun 2024

Ha sido una experiencia genial, el espacio es precioso, la atención un 10 y encima nos quedó todo riquísimo. 100% recomendado :)

Maravillosa forma de conectar con la cultura marroquí.

Pepa_H, Jun 2024

A pesar de que nos habían informado del menú, para nosotros fue una sorpresa descubrir que íbamos a preparar una deliciosa Pastela marroquí uno de los platos de fiesta más deliciosos. Pero Marian y Asila fueron unas maravillosas conductoras del taller. ¡Una delicia!

Excellentes recettes avec superbes résultats

Richard_V, May 2024

Excellentes recettes et résultats délicieux. Mais la responsable n’en paraissait pas très enthousiaste et on avait l’impression qu’elle avait hâte que ce soit fini. Nous n’avons pas reçu le thé à la menthe et la pâtisserie à la fin !! Mais quand même une excellente expérience!!