Café M’Rabet

Café M'Rabet is a living piece of the medina's history and the obvious place for a tea break during a day in the souks. According to the Tunisian writer and historian Hatem Bourial, it was founded at the very beginning of the seventeenth century by Ali Thabet, an adviser to Youssef Dey, who governed Tunis for the Ottomans. Written sources, including tax registers of the period, identify it as the oldest coffee house in Tunisia. It became a meeting place for the Ottoman janissaries stationed in the city, and one of them ran the café, setting an example that many others copied.

What makes the café special is its layout. It keeps a large central bench, the traditional dokkana, and the characteristic columns of the old Tunis coffee house, and it is one of the last surviving examples of this style; the Café des Nattes in Sidi Bou Said is the only comparable one. Sitting on the bench, surrounded by columns, carpets and lamps, it is easy to imagine the conversations and business deals of earlier centuries.

The ritual here is tea with pine nuts, a sweet mint tea served with a layer of pine kernels floating on top, or a coffee in a mazagran glass. Earlier travel coverage also mentions traditional dishes and occasional live music, and a December 2025 feature on the café described it as a legendary place that is still very much alive, with a long-serving maître d' who has looked after guests since 2019.

Expect a mix of local regulars and visitors, and be relaxed about service: this is a place to sit for a while rather than grab something on the go. Prices are modest. It can get busy in the late morning and around lunchtime when the souks are at their peak, so mid-afternoon is calmer. We could not confirm opening hours from an official source, and like many medina businesses it may keep shorter hours on some days.

The café suits anyone curious about Tunis's past and anyone who simply needs a break from walking. It sits in the souks near the Zitouna Mosque, so combine it with Souk El Attarine and lunch at Fondouk El Attarine or Dar El Jeld. Ask a shopkeeper for directions if the lanes confuse you; it is well known in the medina.