FROM ITS INTRICATELY carved, gold-brushed wooden table partitions to its low-slung plush seating and warm saffron hues, nearly everything about Marrakesh, the charming Moroccan restaurant and cocktail lounge that opened on College Avenue this past fall, suggests an eye for decor. It’s no coincidence, given co-owner Fouad Zoubaa spent the better part of four decades working in fine home furnishing galleries in New York City and Indianapolis, perhaps most memorably at Visconti, the shop he operated at the Fashion Mall from 1994 to 2002. But Marrakesh isn’t merely Zoubaa’s latest flashy showroom. Nor is it simply a passion project for the native of Taza in Eastern Morocco, who moved to Chicoutimi, Quebec, for college then to the East Coast before following love to Indianapolis. Zoubaa faced serious culture shock in the Midwest, not to mention a lack of access to the North African spices and staples he needed for cooking his mother’s recipes.
That homesickness led Zoubaa to open a humble cafe in the former storefront of the legendary heavy metal dive bar The Sinking Ship, in the strip of shops that continues to feel the loss of such iconic foodie destinations as the late Greg Hardesty’s Recess and Neal Brown’s Japanese farmhouse spot Ukiyo. Zoubaa gained a culinary windfall early in 2025, when he was introduced to former Anthony’s Chophouse executive chef Aziz Mountassar, the Casablanca-born, French-trained culinary aesthete who had left Anthony’s kitchen and planned to get back into car sales. Mountassar was so impressed with what Zoubba was doing, as well as his offer of a full partnership, that he couldn’t turn down the chance to cook again, this time focusing on the comforting yet no-less-elegant dishes of his homeland. Suddenly, Zoubba’s decades-long dream of opening a restaurant in honor of his mother, Zineb, took luxurious shape.
Having Mountassar on hand to create a broad-minded seasonal menu means that alongside homey tagines and grilled meats, Marrakesh offers dishes that are technically executed from start to finish and artfully presented, including a luscious, must-try first course of Shrimp Pil Pil lavished with garlicky chermoula, a complex, spice-rich relish, and lemon confit. Salads are also more buttoned-up than you might expect, especially the Salad Mechwi mingling cool roasted eggplant and zucchini with heirloom tomatoes and herbaceous harissa oil.
Mountassar’s sigh-inducing bowl of Bisque Atlantique marries his French training and steakhouse background with Mediterranean tastes and gentle spice, all in a cream-enriched seafood stock with bits of fresh shrimp, calamari, and flakes of whitefish. It’s best enjoyed with one of the bar’s intriguing cocktails, which were designed by another local industry lion, Kendall Lockwood (The Ball & Biscuit, Baby’s), who chose spices from a Marrakesh market as the springboard for each drink, such as the complex and bracing Desert Jewel made with simple syrup infused with vanilla and ras el hanout, a signature spice blend.
Among tagines, for which Zoubaa ordered special food-grade earthenware pots from Morocco, the Agneaux à la Ferme has quickly become one of the best lamb dishes in the city, the long-braised shank shredding easily without being overpowered by the sweetness of apricots and almonds. Roasted Cornish game hen is just as meltingly tender, with a welcome tang from more chermoula, preserved lemon, and briny olives.
Paella has a deep undertone of saffron and is chock-full of fresh shellfish, chicken, and peppers. Though it was a bit underseasoned one night, we loved the crisp edges of the rice. Simpler fare comes in the form of house-made merguez sausages with a mound of fluffy rice. And while the filet, marinated for 24 hours, is as tender and well-spiced as advertised, the 6-ounce portion is modest, and the lack of garnish and simple plating with a basket of bread left us scratching our heads. Side dishes include a daring toss of savoy cabbage with herbed oil and a shower of crispy vermicelli. By contrast, glazed carrots lacked the caramelized edge we might have liked and were overly sweet from a drizzling of chili honey.
Every diner should try the meal-end tradition of a pot of mint tea poured from on high into little cups at tableside. It’s a soothing way to extend the meal with a slice of baklava. More desserts are in the works, as are plans for DJs and other events to keep the bar lively until 1 a.m. on weekends (the kitchen closes at 10). Even decades of dreaming and planning can’t get everything perfect at first, but Zoubaa and Mountassar are doing a lot right. They’re a welcome return to international dining in a neighborhood that knows how to appreciate it.
4923 N. College Ave.
317-600-3039
Hours
Tues. 4–10 p.m.; Wed.–Thurs. 4–11 p.m.; Fri.–Sat.
4 p.m.–1 a.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
Vibe
Moroccan Cocktail Lounge
Tasting Notes
Tagines, seafood, and innovative side dishes alongside cocktails inspired by flavors from a Marrakesh spice market
Neighborhood
Meridian-Kessler
Must-Order
Lush and creamy Bisque Atlantique with a mélange of fresh seafood; fall-apart tender lamb shank tagine with apricots and almonds; and flaky baklava.
