Breakfast in Casablanca

When we go to Casablanca, there are some things we always do. We take a hotel by the Marché Central, we go to Zara, we eat ice-cream, and we go buy DVDs in the medina.

And we always have breakfast in one of the laiteries (dairies) of the Marché Central - and it’s by far the most affordable of our Casablanca habits.

In Morocco, a laiterie is a place that sells all kinds of pastries, yoghurts, and sandwiches, as well as fruit juices (most of them mixed with milk, hence the name of those stores) and hot beverages.

The laiteries of the Marché Central are particularly nice. They’re in the center of Casablanca, and the colonial architecture is wonderful. You have breakfast among high school students and employees, watching the bustling street. It’s a nice change when you live in Fez, that seems so small and provincial by contrast.

The laiteries are very cheap, probably one of the cheapest places where to get breakfast in Casablanca. A glass of orange juice will cost you 5 dirhams (50 euro cents), and a glass of luisa (verbena) only 2 dirhams (20 euro cents). Food is extremely cheap too. The other day it was petits pains (chocolate rolls) and a Vache qui rit sandwich.

The last thing I love about those laiteries is that they’re open very late, and you can have a glass of tea or of luisa at 2pm, which is perfect when you’ve spent the night in a bar. Plus, you really need some luisa to help you to get asleep in your noisy hotel room in central Casablanca.