On our last evening in Rabat, my wife and I wandered down the street from our hotel looking for a place to eat. There were quite a few restaurants to choose from. We were tired from a full day of walking, so we opted to duck into a pizza restaurant called Cafe Pizzeria Italia. That is the name that was on the sign out front. The official name appears to be Restaurant Italia on the maps and according to google.
We wandered inside and were led to a table near the back. The banner shows the vantage point from the booth where we were seated. The restaurant has a rear seating area and a front area where there is also a coffee and ice cream counter. The restaurant had an eclectic mix of neon and elegance. There was an expensive chandelier that served as a focal point in the front dining area, but it was largely lost in the more modern elements. There were also quite a few large screen televisions scattered about. The service was quick, with our waiter providing attentive service. He brought us the traditional bread and olives while we waited for our dinner. The olives were amazing. They must have been purchased fresh from the market, because they were among the best we had during our visit. We had to ask for more.
We weren't sure what to order at a Moroccan pizza joint. Pizza right? I hadn't had tajine yet, so I opted for the chicken tajine while my wife played it safe with a cheese pizza. The prices were moderate, coming in at under twenty dollars including our drinks. The pizza was not like New York pizza. The crust seemed pre-made. But it was actually very tasty. I wasn't expecting New York pizza, so I enjoyed it for what it is. We also shared the tajine, which was a bit unusual. I had seen the tajine served with fresh vegetables which appeared to be potato and/or turnip wedges. This version was served with french fries. The french fries seemed a bit odd in this dish, but the rest of the tajine was delicious. I destroyed it.
After polishing off our meals, we sauntered over to the gelato and coffee counter to check things out. The ice cream looked delicious, but we were already stuffed. We decided that we would walk around a little bit longer, and if we had room, we would return for ice cream. We never made it back. The dinner was filling. Our impression of the restaurant was favorable. It is a hard place to pigeonhole. It had some formal elements but seemed geared toward a younger clientele. The food was good. The prices turned out to be fairly standard for what we paid most places during our trip. We paid around seven dollars for tajine just about everywhere we visited in Morocco. The price seemed standard. The service was excellent. The atmosphere was unusual, but pleasant. We probably would not have gone back, only because we would have wanted to try something different. But we were not disappointed, either. It seemed like the kind of place that would be consistent. Good flavors, fair prices, great service, clean and a pleasant environment to dine.
Restaurant Italia has a 3.6/5 rating on Google and a 4.3/5 on Facebook. I might go 4 based on service and food quality. They are located at Av Med V, Place Alaouites, 10000 Rabat, Morocco. They close at 10 PM.
There was one last thing I wanted to share about our experience trying to locate a restaurant. This is for all the Walking Dead fans out there. Cafe Pizzeria Italia is across the street from a rather nice looking restaurant called Restaurant Terminus. Those of you who watch The Walking Dead probably have a pretty good idea why we took a pass on this particular restaurant. But I snapped a photo to share anyway:
All photos are my own. They may be reproduced with prior permission.