Best Late Night Coffee Places in Casablanca Still Open After Dark
Words by
Youssef Benali
The late night coffee places in Casablanca changed how I see this city. Back in 2005, most places in the city shut their doors by 10 PM, and finding a real coffee after that hour meant either going to a hotel lobby or a petrol station. Today, Casablanca has built its own after-dark coffee culture, with spots that stay open until 2 AM or later, serving everything from café noir to elaborate milk-heavy lattes. Having spent over a decade wandering these streets after dark, I can tell you where to go, what to order, and what nobody else will mention about each spot.
The Quarter That Never Sleeps: Central Maarif and the France Boulevard Stretch
Most of Casablanca 24 hour cafe culture started in Maarif, particularly around Boulevard Mohamed VI. This neighborhood always had a certain energy after dark. The streets empty of day shoppers by midnight, but the cafes along France Boulevard and the surrounding alleys glow until 1 or 2 AM on weekends. What makes this area special is the mix of generations. You'll see university students hunched over laptops next to older men in jellabas sharing a morning tea ritual that spilled past midnight. The architecture here is pure Art Deco Maarif, flat-fronted buildings with curved balconies, many of them renovated into coffee spots. Most tourists stick to the Old Medina or Place des Nations Unies, but this is where the locals actually stay out late.
Local tip: The side streets east of France Boulevard have small unnamed juice stands that stay open until 1 AM. Order a fresh avocado juice for 12 dirhams and carry it while you walk to your next stop.
1. Cafe Morocco (Rue du Prince Moulay Abdellah, Maarif)
This is one of the oldest continuously operating cafes in central Casablanca, sitting on a narrow street that connects Rue Ghandi to the main Maarif commercial strip. The building dates back to the 1940s French Protectorate period, and the mosaic tile work inside is original, though faded. After about 10 PM, the daytime office crowd thins out and a different crowd arrives. Young artists, freelancers, and late-night strollers fill the plastic chairs by the sidewalk.
The Vibe? A living room with no curtains: open to the street, noisy, unpretentious.
The Bill? A café noir runs 14 to 19 dirhams, and a café au lait is around 20 to 25 dirhams.
The Standout? Order the café cassé, a broken espresso with a dash of milk, which the old-timer waiters know by heart.
The Catch? After 11 PM, the menu shrinks. Forget about food beyond basic grilled sandwiches.
One thing most people do not know: the room upstairs, accessible through a barely marked door on the left side of the ground floor, was once used by political activists in the 1960s during the Years of Lead. You can still sit there. Nobody asks what you are doing.
2. Twin Center Food Court Level (Maarif, near Zerktouni intersection)
The Twin Center mall itself closes by 10 PM on most nights, but the lower-level food court and the open-air terrace above it stay partially open. The ground-floor open area around the fountains becomes an unofficial late-night gathering point. Multiple coffee kiosks and small stands in this zone serve until around 1 or 1:30 AM on Fridays and Saturdays, and a few even push to 2 AM during Ramadan.
The Vibe? A commercial thoroughfare at midnight: fluorescent-lit, a bit impersonal, but functional and safe.
The Bill? Espresso machines at the coffee stands charge 18 to 28 dirhams per drink. Pastries range from 12 to 25 dirhams.
The Standout? The Nespresso capsule stand on the upper rim of the food court serves a surprisingly good ristretto for 22 dirhams.
The Catch? Seating after midnight is whatever is left. Plastic floor mats near the fountains get hard on your back.
What most visitors miss: on the second basement level, past the supermarket, there is a hookah lounge that operates through a back entrance from the parking structure. You do not walk through the mall to find it. The coffee is average, but the atmosphere at 1 AM during Ramadan is unforgettable. People from every walk of life gather there, quietly passing the hours before suhoor.
3. Bled Hafid / Derb Sultan Area: The Unofficial Night Cafes Near the Ramadan Street Vendors
I am not naming a single brick-and-mortar cafe here because the real late-night coffee experience in this neighborhood happens in semi-permanent street stalls that pop up between 9 PM and 2 AM, especially during Ramadan but also on many regular weekends. Walk down Rue Oued Zem in Derb Sultan after 11 PM, and you'll see men heating milk in enormous steel pots over gas burners. This is where you get café au lait the old way: espresso or strong Turkish coffee mixed with steamed milk, sweetened heavily, served in a small glass for around 10 to 15 dirhams.
The Vibe? A ritual, not a business. You stand, you drink, you nod, you move on.
The Bill? 10 to 15 dirhams per glass, paid coins-in-hand to the vendor.
The Standout? The café mousse, steamed milk poured over a long espresso pull, topped with a thin layer of foam. It is thick enough to stand a spoon in.
The Catch? There are no seats, no sockets, no Wi-Fi. You are standing on a public sidewalk.
What outsiders never realize: the vendors in Derb Sultan use the same beans as the cafes in Maarif, but the taste is completely different because of the preparation method. The long open grind and the gas-heat milk change the flavor profile. Also, during Ramadan, this entire street becomes a dining corridor with open tables in the road. If you eat or drink anywhere on the street during Ramadan's fasting hours and you are visibly non-Muslim or unobservant, no one will confront you. Just be respectful about it and choose the spots that serve openly at those hours.
4. Rick's Cafe (248 Boulevard de la Corniche, Ain Diab)
Rick's Cafe is obviously known to most tourists because of the film association. It is a faithful replica set built in 2004 inside the courtyard of an old riad near the Ain Diab boardwalk. That said, it is not just a theme restaurant. After 10 PM, the cocktail and drinks side of the business takes over, and the coffee menu does not disappear. The pianist usually plays until midnight on weekends, and pastries and espresso drinks are available through the doors until the place finally wraps up at 1 AM.
The Vibe? Cinematic nostalgia meets upscale evening wind-down. Think brass fittings, checkered floors, and old Hollywood propaganda posters on the wall.
The Bill? An espresso is 40 to 45 dirhams. Pastries are 35 to 65 dirhams. A full coffee with dessert and a cocktail would run you 180 to 280 dirhams depending on what you mix.
The Standout? The cappuccino arrives in a wide, handleless cup with cocoa powder dusted in a compass rose. It is theatrical and it works.
The Catch? The espresso quality itself is just average. You are paying for the room, the piano, and the story.
Local detail that almost nobody catches: the building itself, before it became Rick's Cafe in the early 2000s, was the legitimate home of an American former diplomat who lived in Casablanca for decades after World War II. The original courtyard still has the well, and on quieter late nights if you ask the head bartender, he will show you. This gives the whole enterprise a layer of authentic history underneath the Hollywood veneer.
5. Le Cabestan (Ain Diab Corniche, down the steps near the lighthouse path)
Le Cabestan sits right near the water's edge below the Ain Diab Corniche, in a building that has been a restaurant, a night club, and now a hybrid seafood-and-cocktail lounge. It is not a "coffee place" in the traditional sense, but on certain nights past 11 PM, it becomes a late-night espresso destination. The bar serves real Italian espresso drinks and the terrace overlooks the black Atlantic ocean with nothing but crashing waves and the faint glow of fishing boats.
The Vibe? Ocean-lit, wind-battered, quiet after midnight.
The Bill? Espresso sits around 30 to 40 dirhams. A cocktail to go with it is 70 to 120 dirhams.
The Standout? The view. It is one of the few drinking spots in Casablanca positioned west toward open ocean, not a marina.
The Catch? In winter, the wind off the Atlantic makes the outdoor terrace brutal by midnight. The indoor room is tiny and fills with cigarette smoke fast.
What most visitors never find: there is a narrow stone stairway just before Le Cabestan's entrance that leads down to a small rock platform below. Fishermen use it at dawn. If you are curious and careful, you can see the old colonial-era sea wall that once stretched the entire corniche. Do not tell any waiter you saw it from me though; they worry about liability.
6. Boulevard du 4e Zouaves / Anfa: The Diplomatic Quarter's Quiet Nightcorners
The Anfa neighborhood, especially around the old Boulevard du 4e Zouaves and Rue Jean-Joseph de Clugny, has a slower, more residential night cafe culture. Several of the boutique hotels in this area keep their lobby cafes open past midnight, and the two or three independent coffee spots nearby stay open until around 1 AM. This is the area where embassy staff and NGO workers tend to wind down. The mix is low-key, and the late-night coffee is good, often sourced from Moroccan roasters rather than international capsule brands.
The Vibe? Diplomatic, quiet, well-lit. You feel like you are at a hotel bar that forgot to close.
The Bill? 25 to 45 dirhams for espresso and filter drinks. Some spots here charge by the pot rather than the cup.
The Standout? Hotel bars in this neighborhood sometimes stock single-origin beans from the Azrou region, roasted in Marrakech. Filter coffee served in a pot, not a machine.
The Catch? These spots are subtle. There are no signs screaming "OPEN." You walk in and either a security guard says "yes" or shakes his head depending on the night.
The insider detail: during UN climate summit weeks (COP events when they have been held here), these same spots become networking hubs after 11 PM. Scientists, journalists, and negotiators clog the espresso machines, and the wifi password handouts feel like verbal currency. On normal nights, though, it is dead quiet and you may have the entire terrace to yourself.
7. Deeb and Co. Style Cafes Along Boulevard Mohammed V
Boulevard Mohammed V in the downtown (administrative district) corridor has several mid-range and upper-mid coffee shops that stay open later than the neighborhood would suggest. Look near the intersection with Rue Chaouia and along the edge of the Parc de la Ligue Arabe. Several of these cafes, designed in that contemporary Moroccan aesthetic of zellige tiles and brass fixtures, close between midnight and 1 AM depending on the day, and they are among the best places to get a thoroughly modern latte after dark in central Casablanca.
The Vibe? Downtown polished, modern Moroccan design, clean, Instagram-ready.
The Bill? A standard espresso or filter is 20 to 30 dirhams. Artisan drinks (matcha, cortado variations) run 35 to 50 dirhams.
The Standout? Many of these cafes offer a mint syrup latte, which sounds odd but after 11 PM with the streets cooling down, it is exactly right.
The Catch? The music volume tends to rise after 10 PM as younger staff take over. If you want quiet study space, go before 10.
What most people do not know: the Parc de la Ligue Arabe across the street, officially closed after dark, is actually half-patrolled but half-unofficial gathering space at midnight. Young couples, street vendors with late carts, and the occasional street musician all end up there. If you have your coffee in a to-go cup (allowed), you can cross the street and sit on the park benches. Just keep your volume down and do not photograph anyone without asking.
8. 24-Hour Fuel Station Coffee on Route de Mohammedia and Airport Corridor
I almost did not include this because it sounds unglamorous, but it is the most literal answer to "Casablanca 24 hour cafe" that exists. Along Route de Mohammedia, particularly near the Shell and Afriquia stations between downtown and the Mohammed V airport, there are fuel-station-affiliated cafes that operate around the clock. The espresso is machine-made but consistent. More importantly, these spots serve taxi drivers, airport staff, truckers, and late-arriving passengers, which makes them uniquely Casablancan. You will hear Tamazight, French, Arabic, and sometimes Spanish in the same fifteen minutes.
The Vibe? Utilitarian, fluorescent, functional. Plastic chairs, tiled floors, vending machines humming.
The Bill? 12 to 18 dirhams for a turki or espresso. Sugar? Already in the cup unless you say no.
The Standout? The people-watching. Casablanca at 3 AM is a different city, and this is where the whole city ends up.
The Catch? The coffee is not artisanal. The restroom situation is hit or miss.
Local detail worth knowing: the Afriquia station near El Hank has a small outdoor seating area that faces the ocean if you look between the highway barriers. It sounds absurd, but sipping cheap strong coffee at 2 AM while watching the glow on the Atlantic horizon is one of my favorite things to do in this city. Nobody will look at you strangely for sitting there.
When to Go / What to Know
Best season for late night coffee in Casablanca: October through April. Summer nights are pleasant in Ain Diab because of the ocean breeze, but many inland cafes reduce hours when students leave for vacation. Ramadan shifts everything. During this month, most cafes close for iftar and reopen after tarwih prayers (around 9:30 to 10:30 PM). The late shift then stretches until 2 or 3 AM, and the atmosphere is festive, communal, and unique.
Weeknight vs. weekend: Tuesday through Thursday, central Maarif and downtown spots close earlier, generally by 11:30 PM. Friday and Saturday nights stretch latest, with Maarif and Ain Diab staying loud until 1 or 2 AM.
Payment: Very few late-night spots accept cards consistently after 11 PM. Carry at least 200 in dirhams in small bills. The Tunisian-style tip jar (round container) is standard; dropping 5 dirhams is polite.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most reliable neighborhood in Casablanca for digital nomads and remote workers?
Maarif, specifically the blocks surrounding Rue Ghandi, Boulevard Mohamed VI, and France Boulevard, is the most reliable. A dozen cafes in this zone offer Wi-Fi speeds averaging 20 to 40 Mbps (download) on Maroc Telecom or INWI fiber connections, and most stay open until midnight or later. Maarif also has the highest density of power sockets per table among any neighborhood in the city.
Are there good 24/7 or late-night co-working spaces available in Casablanca?
Dedicated 24-hour co-working spaces are rare. The closest equivalents are 24-hour hotel business centers in major hotels such as those in the Corniche area, accessible mainly to guests. For non-guests, late-night workspace realistically means a cafe in Maarif or Anfa that stays open until 1 AM with reliable Wi-Fi and available sockets.
How easy is it to find cafes with ample charging sockets and reliable power backups in Casablanca?
In Maarif, Anfa, and the newer downtown coffee shops, finding sockets at or near your table is generally easy, at least 1 per 3 tables on average. Older traditional cafes in Derb Sultan or near the Old Medina often have none. Power cuts are less frequent in central Casablanca than in smaller Moroccan cities, but occasional drops of 10 to 30 minutes still happen, particularly in older neighborhoods with aging grid infrastructure.
What are the average internet download and upload speeds in Casablanca's central cafes and workspaces?
On Maroc Telecom fiber connections, download speeds in well-equipped cafes in Maarif and Anfa range from 20 to 60 Mbps and upload speeds from 5 to 20 Mbps. INWI fiber cafes in the same areas report slightly lower averages, around 15 to 40 Mbps download. Speeds drop noticeably between 8 and 10 PM peak usage hours and again during Ramadan evenings.
Is Casablanca expensive to visit? Give a realistic daily budget breakdown for mid-tier travelers.
For mid-tier solo travelers, a realistic daily budget is around 800 to 1,200 dirhams. That breaks down to roughly 400 to 600 dirhams for a decent hotel in Maarif or city center, 200 to 300 dirhams for meals and drinks (including 2 or 3 cafe stops), and 200 to 300 dirhams divided between taxi/transport, entry fees, and miscellaneous expenses. A single espresso at a mid-range cafe costs between 20 and 35 dirhams, while a full dinner with a drink at a mid-tier restaurant runs 120 to 200 dirhams per person.
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