Rick’s Café Provides an Entertaining and Delicious Replica of Casablanca’s Famous Movie – Casablanca, Morocco
What is it – “Casablanca” is considered to be one of the best movies ever made according to film critics and audiences. Based on a screenplay written in 1941 before the United States entered World War II, the Hollywood movie was shot entirely in Hollywood using mostly international actors. The featured stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman were acclaimed for their performances and the film was named Best Picture. The movie explored the personal conflict created for French citizens, expatriates, refugees, and the local population in Morocco after the Nazis took over France and other countries around the Mediterranean and began arresting dissidents.
The use of an exotic upscale restaurant, nightclub and gambling establishment called “Rick’s Café Americain” as the setting for the movie’s characters to face their pasts and decide their futures was quite effective. The proprietor “Rick” was presented as an American adventurer and James Bond like character who was trying to run a cafe open to everyone but was forced to choose sides. Rick’s Café never existed. However, people assume Rick’s Café was a real place in Casablanca. In 2001, an enterprising former American foreign service diplomat Kathy Krieger decided to recreate it by renovating a rundown two story mansion with a central courtyard into a replica of the movie set. The establishment, like the movie, was a hit as soon as it opened in 2004. It attracted tour groups, curious travelers from the United States, and local fans for meals, drinks, and tours.
What You Will See and Experience- We were not sure what to expect when we asked our guide service, Experience Morocco, to arrange a dinner reservation for us at Rick’s Café. We were staying in Casablanca for several days to see the sites in that region and were pleased to accept the only available reservation for 6:30 one night. Some people who go to the site are disappointed they cannot walk in any time to see the place or get a drink without a reservation. Others expect to see a piano man playing “As Time Goes By” all night long or are surprised by the fact that a restaurant, based on the theme of being a classy establishment from the 1940s, has a dress code for entrants.
We arrived appropriately dressed and were seated near the center of the first-floor courtyard. Looking around the café, the quality of the architecture, décor, and furnishings was readily apparent. The structure follows the general layout of the movie set and retains the Art Deco and Moorish features of the building such as white arches, an atrium above the courtyard, brass chandeliers, and period lighting. There was a mahogany bar with mirrors, stools, and a tuxedoed bartender in one corner of the first floor and a classic black piano and drum set in another. There are five separate dining rooms on the two stories of the café. One of the rooms on the second floor contains a gaming table for roulette, but there were no “winnings” being distributed secretly or otherwise to patrons. There were photographs, movie posters and other memorabilia displayed at various places around the premises including a television playing the original movie with subtitles. During our time at the café, big band and jazz music was playing in the background.
The ambiance was enhanced by the dining experience. The waiter, smartly outfitted dress with a red fez, took our orders. The dinner menu principally consists of continental cuisine with items like roast duck, medallions of beef, Chilean sea bass, and linguini with shrimp and mussels, along with Moroccan starters and breads. The service was efficient, and the food and deserts were surprisingly good for an establishment based on tourism. The maître d came by to greet us and make sure things were to our satisfaction. After dinner and a brief tour of the premises, we paused and looked back from the entrance. The pianist, who is also the manager, was just sitting down at the piano to begin his evening performance. In that moment, Rick’s Café came alive, and we left feeling that we had experienced a glimpse of a place that has a special meaning to a lot of people.
Interesting Fact- The African American actor Dooley Wilson, who plays the character of Sam and sings five songs in the movie including Rick and Ilsa’s favorite song, was not a pianist in real life. He was an accomplished drummer and a singer who played in nightclubs in London and Paris in the 1920s. The piano music was played offscreen by someone else.
How to Get There – Casablanca is a major city in Morocco with airline service from New York and many European cities. Rick’s Café is in the old medina section of Casablanca close to the port. Most people travel to the cafe by taxi from their hotel or get there on a group tour. The restaurant’s classic white structure can be seen when driving along the major waterfront roads known as Boulevard Corniche and Boulevard Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah.
When to Go – Casablanca has a temperate climate year-round affected by its location on the Atlantic Ocean. Daytime highs are in the seventies from May to November and in the sixties during the winter months. However, rain is more frequent and chilly days sometimes occur in winter and early spring. Fog and mist can occur in the morning before the sun breaks through.
Cost – A complete dinner including appetizer, entrée and dessert at Rick’s Café will cost between $35 and $60 per person without drinks.