Rick's Café in Casablanca brings Hollywood classic to life

Rick's Café Américain, a famous location from the 1942 film classic ‘Casablanca’, has become a real-world destination in the Moroccan port city of Casablanca. While the setting in the movie was a fictional Hollywood set constructed at Warner Bros. Studios, the physical establishment was brought to life in 2004 by former US diplomat Kathy Kriger.

Kriger purchased a 1930s-era riad mansion located near the walls of the city's historic Medina and reconstructed the café to be as faithful to the film as possible. The interior, designed by American interior architect Bill Willis, utilizes a traditional Moroccan riad structure, which features buildings arranged around a central courtyard or garden.