Some ill-informed travelers come here expecting something bordering on Ibiza and find themselves disillusioned at the complete absence of anything like it. When compared to the rest of Morocco, Agadir offers a fun albeit small mix of drinking establishments.
For a quiet alcoholic drink and some people-watching, the restaurants Jour et Nuit and Le Nil Bleu usually allow you to just have a drink or, at the most, ask you to order a small salad. There are a number of other restaurants along this busy promenade that should allow you to do the same. At the other end of the beach is Le Mauresque Lounge, which has a great inside lounge/bar area where you can enjoy a drink and order some tapas. You can also drink outside under the woven-grass umbrellas and watch the beach resort pedestrian traffic shuffle by; happy hour specials are offered between 4 and 7pm.
At the busy junction of boulevard du 20 Août and rue du Oued Souss is the trio of The Central English Pub, Jockey Bar, and L'Orange Bleu. You can drink at the Pub, either alfresco or inside, which consists of a sunken floor with heaps of cushioned seating as well as traditional bar stools and wine cask tables. Two separate sections play host to pool tables and a darts/sports bar. If there's a special sporting event that you want to watch, then this is the place. Low lighting and low ceilings allow for enough space and the right atmosphere for both Moroccans and tourists to enjoy somewhere to drink that's fun, lively, has good music, and isn't seedy or overly smoky. L'Orange Bleu has a popular bar at the rear with a long, thick wood counter and good music. Jockey Bar, located in the middle of the Pub and L'Orange Bleu, gets a mainly young crowd attracted to the 5 to 8pm happy hour and the resident DJs. Monday is reggae night, Tuesday Arabic, Wednesday house and retro, Thursday serves up tapas, and weekends are Jack Daniels nights with special drink offers throughout the night. It's open daily from noon to midnight.
Papa Gayo, at the Hotel Riu Tikida Beach, has recently been refurbished and recommenced its tenure as the city's most popular nightclub. During the summer months, this is still the place to go after midnight, and although it's pricey and the crowd can sometimes be pretentious, a fun night can still be had as the resident DJ pumps out a popular mix of the latest Arabic and Western dance numbers.
