At Last, a Rick's Café in Casablanca.

In 1942, Hollywood created the most immortal saloon in cinema history on Warner Bros. soundstages. In 2004, an extraordinary American woman enamored of Morocco, Kathy Kriger — a former commercial counselor at the U.S. Embassy — decided to transform celluloid fantasy into stone, cedar, glass, and warm hospitality.

Set within a restored 1930s grand mansion facing the ancient medina walls of Sour Jdid, Rick’s Café now celebrates more than two decades of welcoming travelers from across the globe. Kathy rallied an international circle of investors — dubbed “The Usual Suspects” — giving Casablanca the living, breathing sanctuary it had always deserved.

“I described Rick's Café as more than a restaurant — it captured my passion for architectural preservation, food, jazz, and enduring friendship.”