British Saloon

British Saloon – Fez, Morocco - Gastro Obscura

"Finding a place for a beer in Fez is about as hard as finding a country England didn’t colonize. Proving both, one of the city’s few watering holes is in fact a former British consulate. While an oversized portrait of Winston Churchill and a brick-laid fireplace remain, the neon-backlit bar and house music more than assure you that its days of diplomacy are dead and gone. The hotel-adjoined bar-restaurant features an indoor lounge with booths and high-tops where, again, neon bounces off wood-paneling and onto a confounding assortment of American pop art, soccer and rugby paraphernalia, and British historical curios. The neon somehow follows you to an outdoor patio that’s charmingly lined with potted plants, allowing you to take in the cool North African air and, on some nights, enjoy live music. Note that it has become a nightlife destination in recent years with younger, often-foreign crowds. It’s no place for a romantic outing or a quaint nightcap. In strikingly British fashion, the food’s nothing to write home about, but happy hour is famously five hours long. None" - lukefater