Café
Café M’Rabet
Founded in the early seventeenth century and considered the oldest coffee house in Tunisia, a medina café with columns, benches and tea with pine nuts.
Café des Nattes
The historic café at the top of Sidi Bou Said's main street, once the entrance to the saint's mausoleum, known for mint tea with pine nuts.
At a glance
- Type
- Historic café
- Area
- Sidi Bou Said, Tunis, Tunisia
- Price
- $ · Budget
Good to know
- Terrace
- Traditional interior
Why we recommend it
The Café des Nattes sits in the heart of Sidi Bou Said, with its famous steps and terrace, and it is the meeting point that most walks through the village lead to. Its story is tied to the village's founding saint. Historians say that the building was originally the main entrance to the mausoleum of Sidi Bou Said, where coffee was served only to the saint's followers, and that Hussein Bey opened it to the public in 1725. The terrace at the foot of the steps has been used by the café for more than a century.
Its French name means the café of the mats. Inside, the café keeps the old Tunisian coffee-house layout of benches and columns, and it is one of only two surviving cafés of this traditional style, the other being Café M'Rabet in the Tunis medina. Writers and artists have long been drawn here: Simone de Beauvoir, Henry de Montherlant and Pierre Loti are among the visitors recorded, and the café is said to have inspired generations of writers, painters, poets and filmmakers.
The classic order is mint tea with pine nuts, the house ritual, or a Turkish coffee with a small sweet. It is a stop for a drink and the atmosphere rather than a meal, and a 2026 travel guide described it as touristy but worth it for the setting, advising visitors to avoid the busiest hours if they want a quiet seat.
The café has had difficult moments. In March 2023 it closed for a time during a dispute between its leaseholder and the local authorities over use of the space in front of it, and its future was discussed in the Tunisian press. Recent travel coverage again recommends it, but we could not confirm current opening hours from an official source, so check locally on the day.
Come early in the morning or late in the afternoon on a weekday for the calmest experience. A local writer suggests exploring the lower village first and then walking up to the café, which gives you a sense of the whole of Sidi Bou Said before you sit down. From here it is a short walk to the Café des Délices, Ennejma Ezzahra and the viewpoints over the Gulf of Tunis, and the TGM station is downhill for the return to Tunis.
Café des Nattes FAQs
What does the name mean?
Café des Nattes means the café of the mats in French.
How old is the café?
Historians say it was opened to the public by Hussein Bey in 1725, after serving as the entrance to the saint's mausoleum.
What should I order?
Mint tea with pine nuts, or a Turkish coffee with a small sweet.
Is the Café des Nattes open?
It closed for a time in March 2023 during a dispute, and recent travel coverage recommends it again; check locally on the day.
When is it quietest?
Early in the morning or late afternoon on weekdays.
Who has visited the café?
Writers including Simone de Beauvoir, Henry de Montherlant and Pierre Loti.
What else is nearby?
The Café des Délices, Ennejma Ezzahra and the lanes of the lower village.