Tamraght is a small coastal village with around 7,000 local residents. So you won’t find large chain supermarkets, or a medina with labyrinths of local craft sellers. But nonetheless, as far as shopping in Tamraght goes, the little surf town has everything you need.
Food Shopping in Tamraght
There is one small chain supermarket on the main street, but I don’t really rate it. Instead, I’ve listed below the individual places I frequent for the freshest and cheapest grocery shopping in Tamraght. Eat seasonal, shop local.
Mini Markets
No matter where you stay in Tamraght, you’ll never be more than a 5-minute walk from a mini market. They’re small shops where you can find all the staples: bread, milk, eggs, etc. Sometimes a bit of fruit and veg. And often tubs of nuts, spices and pasta sold by the weight. And always a little off-brand Moroccan sweet treatie.
If you spend a bit of time in the village, you’ll eventually pin down your favourite haunts for grocery shopping in Tamraght. Which mini market has the crunchiest amlou; and where to find the tastiest wood-fired bread.
Mini-markets are also the best place to practice your Darija greetings. The shopkeepers will be jazzed if you throw out a “salamu 3laykum”. Or wish them well with a “bslama” and “thala frask”.
Local Souk
Every Tuesday a local souk operates in the upper end of Tamraght. It’s well worth hanging out for this for your weekly grocery shop. It’s an open air marketplace where you’ll find piles of fresh fruit and veg laid out in crates; stalls selling fresh honey, dates and amlou; and flatlays of tea pots and dish soap and all other household knick knacks.
Everything is as fresh as you can get. Big bunches of herbs for 1dh (10c). Piles of ripe pomegranates or strawberries, or whatever is currently in season.
It feels ironic that back home farmers markets have become trendy. It’s seen as a badge of progressiveness to shop locally and organic. Yet, it’s taken us decades to come full circle, advancing past the once-celebrated mass supermarkets, to arrive back at the roots of grocery shopping: farmer to consumer trade.
This is one of the things I love most about Morocco. You don’t have access to anything you could desire, any day of the week. And as such, you develop a greater appreciation for what you do have. You gain a stronger awareness of the processes that all of the meat and fruit and oils go through to make their way onto your plate. L’humdulilah.
The souk is held up near Mosquée Tamraght (the big mosque). Opposite Daydream cafe you will find a set of pink and blue stairs leading up the hill. Follow your nose and you’ll arrive at the souk.
Fruit and Veg Vendors
If you miss the weekly souk, don’t fear. There are a number of other fruit and veg vendors open every day.
Local produce is crazy cheap in Morocco. Nothing has price tags; most things are just weighed together in one tub in a pricing system that I haven’t quite figured out yet. But regardless, a weekly grocery shop never costs me more than 100dh (€10). Avocadoes included. Wild.
See Location (for my favourite store).
Butchers
You won’t find fresh meat in the supermarkets. In Tamraght you go straight to the source.
There are two butcher stores in Tamraght; both selling an array of beef, lamb, chicken and turkey. There are also a few vendeurs de poulet (chicken sellers) scattered about. They’re easy to spot, just look for the live chickens in crates out the front, patiently awaiting their demise.
A little French goes a long way at the butchers. It’s even better if you know some Darija. But if all else fails, a quick game of charades with the butcher should do you just fine.
Quick Darija Lesson for Meat shopping in Tamraght
| Chicken | Djaaj |
| Beef | Bgree |
| Lamb | Ghnmee |
| Turkey | Bibi |
See Locations:
If you’re after seafood or fish, you’ll need to travel to the neighbouring village of Aourir (5km away).
Clothes Shopping in Tamraght
For now, there are no fast-fashion stores in the village. Ideal. So for clothes shopping in Tamraght, it takes a little more patience to hunt down the garments you’re after. But as a wise man once said – you can’t always get what you want; but if you try sometimes, well you might find, you get what you need.
Anza Souk
I’m a little reticent to write about this one because it’s that good. Selfishly, I’d prefer to keep it to myself. But I’m also a huge proponent of second-hand clothes shopping, and I think it’s important that we all buy second-hand as much as possible. (Only around 5% of clothes donated to thrift stores are resold, so we’ve gotta buy more of the old duds to complete the cycle).
Anyway, Anza Souk. Think – ‘best thrift store of your life’. It’s all open air with large canvas tents, so you don’t get overwhelmed by that musty mothball smell that’s inherent to most op-shops. There are tables and tables piled with second-hand clothes. Most with a set price of 20 or 30dh (€2 or €3). I think they must be offloaded from European charity stores, because the Zara and Tommy Hilfiger labels are rife.
Come well rested and hydrated, because you’re in for some work. There’s an art to sifting through the piles, digging out a piece of silky green fabric from the bottom of the pile because you can envision it’s potential. The polite rivalry with the Moroccan woman standing elbow to elbow beside you. Be prepared to find the best vintage numbers of your life there.
Anza souk isn’t just for the trendies.This is where a lot of locals go to for all of their clothes shopping. Which is epic to see, because as with thrift stores back home, so many of the items are barely – if at all – worn.
The souk is held every Wednesday. You can catch a collective or Berber taxi from the main road in Tamraght.
Surf Shops
If you’re travelling to Tamraght, there’s a good chance you’re in pursuit of waves. And where there’s waves, there’s a need for boardies and towels and all such surf paraphernalia.
Tamraght knows it’s market, and there’s no shortage of surf shops in the village. Import tariffs are expensive in Morocco, so you won’t find a huge selection of the well-known surf brands. But they’ll have you covered for the basics. I recently picked up a pair of knock-off Havaianas, and I have no complaints.
You can hire surfboards and wetsuits from most of the surf shops. Alternatively, there are two board rental stores down at Devil’s Rock (saving you a trek to the beach with board in tow).
See Locations:
Coolshe Markets, Hey Yallah
Hey Yallah hosts the Coolshe Market each Sunday from 9am to 4pm. Coolshe (coming from Koulchi – the Darija word for ‘everything’) is a weekly pop-up inviting female brand owners and creatives to sell their crafts.
There’s usually a local DJ playing in the cafe, and crowds of travellers gather to sip coffee, gasbag, and check out the handmade goods.
The featured brands rotate often. But you can often pick up a unique piece of locally made jewellery, crocheted garments or vintage clothing.
Local Handicraft Shopping in Tamraght
Don’t expect to find alleyways full of woven rugs, leatherworks and ceramics sellers. But handicraft shopping in Tamraght is not without merit. Some cafes and restaurants stock the odd handmade bowl or vintage leather bag. And the handful of stores below are home to some special Moroccan treasures.
Carpet Stores
You can find the odd carpet for sale in many shops and cafes. As the epitome of Moroccan decor, I think carpets are an easy enticement to travellers as both a product and an aesthetic boost. But if you’re serious about shopping for a Moroccan rug, there are two stores in Tamraght devoted to the cause.
I’ll admit that I have shopped at neither, but have stolen thousands of yearning glances as I’ve walked on by. One day. Inshallah.
See Locations:
The Ocean Nomad Shop
Run by the same owners as Lunar Surf House, this store stocks a beautiful selection of pottery and herbal teas. They sell the funkiest handmade vases; one of which I splurged on for a homely addition to my usual backpacker bag of tricks.
All of the pottery is made locally in Morocco from mud. As far as souvenirs go, taking home an actual part of the land is pretty bona fide.
Beach Vendors
Never will you go without whilst lazing on the beaches of Tamraght. Fancy a cuppa? The tea man will be there with his furnace in a jiffy. Bit peckish? Let the pastry man entice you to a pain au chocolat, or ask the snack man for a bag of a spiced nuts.
You can also find yourself a sweet deal on some handmade jewellery, surf towels or Moroccan rugs. Even a pair of knock-off Prada sunglasses if you’re in the market for them. If not, a simple “Lla, shukran”, will suffice.
If the weather conditions are good, pretty much all of the beaches will have someone selling something. Mint tea and coffee at the very least. The busier the beach is (or the better the surf), the vaster the selection of vendors will be.
Souk El Had, Agadir
Whilst you can find most necessities when shopping in Tamraght, if you want the proper souk experience, you’ll need to head over to Agadir. Souk El Had is the largest urban market in Africa. It kind of doubles as a local shopping centre (where you can buy a blender or a washing machine) and a bazaar of local crafts.
You can find handwoven rugs, pottery, second-hand clothes, spices, locally made argan oil, etc. etc. There is also a huge section of fresh produce; meat, fish, fruit and veg. As well as a bunch of cafes and restaurants selling local cuisine. It’s a bit of a maze. But still less chaotic than the likes of Marrakech or Fez.
It’s super easy to get to Souk El Had from Tamraght. Just catch a collective taxi from the main road (the big yellow ones) and tell the driver you’re headed to Batoire (the main taxi station in Agadir). It’s 10dh per person. Once you’re there, it’s just a 15 minute walk to the souk. Taxis leave regularly from Batoire to Tamraght/Taghazout, so getting a ride back is a breeze. Read more on the routes to Tamraght here.
And that’s that on shopping in Tamraght.
Tamraght is almost a one-stop shop. But if your shopping needs still haven’t been met in the village, there’s plenty more to explore in the neighbouring towns of Aourir and Taghazout.
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