At the early XX century, various recreational sites contributed to change the atmosphere of the Petit Socco area, which became a place to meet and to entertain oneself where coffee shops, restaurants and casinos multiplied. Cafe Des Postes, Cafe Fuentes, Cafe de España and the Cafe de la Bourse became meeting points for journalists, writers and artists, sometimes from Tangier, sometimes foreigners.
After dark, the atmosphere of the neighbourhood changes, reminding that the dark and mysterious alleys surrounding the Petit Socco area used to be a place where traffickers and criminals walked around at ease.