Experiencing Ramadan in a Muslim country was one of the things I looked forward to the most before I arrived in Morocco for my Spring semester. As I am writing this blog, there is about one week left in Ramadan. In this blog post, I will share some of my insights and experiences so far as a non-Muslim observing Ramadan in a Muslim country for the first time.

Most restaurants and cafes are closed during the day. A lot of the cafes that I used to frequent to do work in during the day open after Iftar (when everyone breaks their fast), but some cafes like Simple Coffee in Agdal are open during the day. Instead of buying a drink when you enter, you pay 20 dirhams to sit and use the wifi for three hours.

If you aren’t fasting, it can obviously be more challenging to find somewhere to eat lunch as most establishments are closed. I often buy food and snacks at the grocery stores to eat (in private) when I am not fasting. Additionally, most Western restaurants like McDonalds are open during the day. I am a huge fan of Gong Cha which just opened in Arribat Center, super close to Amideast. Unfortunately, it is not open during the day; however, the mall food court generally has a high concentration of Western restaurants that are open. It also has a huge Marjane with a hot-bar-like option where you can buy some small Moroccan dishes and eat them in the food court. There is also a Dunkin Donuts right across from Gong Cha which is another good place to do work and get coffee during the day.

Even if you are not Muslim, I do recommend trying fasting during Ramadan. I have never fasted before coming to Morocco, and doing so has fostered a greater sense of community and solidarity with my friends and host family, as well as my Muslim friends back home in the United States. There is no pressure at all to fast while you are here, but it still has been an amazing experience to support and feel supported by all your friends and host family while sharing this special month with them.

My friends and I bargaining for sunglasses in the medina. Photo credit: Fink, 2025.

There are a lot of other little things that differ in Rabat during Ramadan. Besides stores opening late or being closed entirely, a lot of events also start later. On Monday evenings, Cafe La Scene hosts an open mic night that a lot of my friends enjoy going to. The music usually starts at 7 pm, but during Ramadan, it starts at 9 pm.

Additionally, the Medina is almost completely empty during the day, but it comes alive at night. A couple nights ago, a few of my friends and I got together to find desserts after Iftar and also do some shopping. We all met up at the medina around 9:30 pm, and it was nearly the busiest I have ever seen it! We got some coffee and pastries, then walked around and bargained for some sunglasses, makeup products, and djellabas for Eid. It was some of the most fun I’ve had so far in Rabat, and I highly recommend checking out the medina during the night!

Iftar with my host family: so good!! Photo credit: Fink, 2025.

I also recommend spending more time in Rabat with your host family during Ramadan. I booked travel plans during this month because it was the only opportunity in the program that I had long weekends, and thus the ability to easily travel out of the country. I also had friends from home come visit one weekend, so I showed them around other cities in Morocco rather than just hanging out with my host family in Rabat. With Eid approaching in almost one week, I now wish that I had spent at least one more weekend with my host family to try more food and experience other typical Ramadan traditions in Moroccan households. I cherish all the Iftars and other experiences I have had with both my friends and host family, and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to study abroad in Morocco, especially during this special month!

Claire Fink is a student at Fordham University who studied abroad in Spring 2025 on Amideast’s Area & Arabic Language Studies program.