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Provided by: Travel-Fr/shutterstock

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Africa Tunisia Tunis Cafes Café du Souk

Overview

Café du Souk

The guide was updated: 2025-07-29

Café du Souk offers everything its overhyped neighbour (Cafe Panorama) does: jaw-dropping Medina views, photogenic tiles, the call to prayer reverberating overhead — but with actual hospitality. Tucked behind an unassuming storefront between Sidi Youssef Dey Mosque and Al-Zaytuna Mosque, it unfolds across three floors: a smoky ground-level lounge (standard for Tunis), quieter middle floors with plush seating, and a rooftop where mint tea costs a fraction of Panorama’s prices. The menu spans proper meals, not just beverages, and staff treat tourists like guests rather than photo-op transactions. For the full effect, arrive before sunset to watch the light gild the mosque’s minaret while sharing a shisha with locals.

Useful Information

Address: Souq Trok, Medina, Tunis

Our travel guides are free to read and explore online. If you want to get your own copy, the full travel guide for this destination is available to you offline* to bring along anywhere or print for your trip.

*this will be downloaded as a PDF.

Price

€4,95

Purchase

El Mrabet Cafe

El Mrabet Cafe

El Mrabet Cafe has been the Medina's social hub since the 1600s, its vaulted stone halls whispering with centuries of tea-sipping intellectuals. By day, the shaded courtyard serves mint tea with honey-soaked pastries; by night, the rooftop transforms into a hookah lounge with Al-Zaytuna Mosque views. Live Andalusian music drifts through the arches on weekends, when locals gather over shared plates of ojja and brik. While proudly billed as Africa's oldest café, its true charm lies in the unhurried rhythm. Arrive at sunset for the golden hour over the rooftops of the Medina.

Le Grand Cafe du Theatre

Le Grand Cafe du Theatre

Le Grand Café du Théâtre offers an elegant respite just steps from the Municipal Theatre, its shaded terrace providing a front-row seat to the cultural heartbeat of Tunis. While the coffee and light fare satisfy, the true draw lies in the setting — a prime perch for watching the city’s rhythm unfold, well removed from the medina’s intensity.

Café Sidi Ben Arous

Café Sidi Ben Arous

Sit down and take in the atmosphere of a Tunisian evening at this authentic centrally located cafe. Traditional hot drinks, hookah and seating right on one of the curvy Medina streets will let you enjoy a relaxed moment in the hectic pace of the old town. Located just steps away from Al-Zaytuna Mosque.

Topkapi Coffee Shop

Topkapi Coffee Shop

Topkapi is a hip little coffee shop that tends to get quite busy. The short wait is surely worth the reward — coffee here is of the highest quality, and all sorts of artisan varieties on offer.

Cafe Panorama

Cafe Panorama

Café Panorama delivers the most photographed view of Tunis. Hidden above a carpet shop near Al-Zaytuna Mosque (look for the "Basboussa Shop" sign), this rooftop rewards the hunt with a tile-clad terrace framing the mosque’s minarets against the Medina’s sea of rooftops. Yes, mint tea costs many times the local rate, but that’s the tax for the perfect snapshot. Arrive early to claim a corner table, or at sunset when the call to prayer echoes across the city. Just don’t expect refined service — you’re here for the panorama, not the hospitality.

Café du Souk

Café du Souk

Café du Souk offers everything its overhyped neighbour (Cafe Panorama) does: jaw-dropping Medina views, photogenic tiles, the call to prayer reverberating overhead — but with actual hospitality. Tucked behind an unassuming storefront between Sidi Youssef Dey Mosque and Al-Zaytuna Mosque, it unfolds across three floors: a smoky ground-level lounge (standard for Tunis), quieter middle floors with plush seating, and a rooftop where mint tea costs a fraction of Panorama’s prices. The menu spans proper meals, not just beverages, and staff treat tourists like guests rather than photo-op transactions. For the full effect, arrive before sunset to watch the light gild the mosque’s minaret while sharing a shisha with locals.

Café De La Vigne

Café De La Vigne

Café De La Vigne distills the soul of the Medina into a single shaded alley. Claim a wooden bench beneath the vine-woven canopy — nature’s answer to air conditioning — and join locals sipping mint tea. Unlike rooftop competitors, this veteran café trades views for authenticity: plastic stools serve as tables, seasonal juices (pomegranate in autumn, blood orange in winter), and the hum of conversations between friends. The menu sticks to classics like lemonade, shisha, syrupy coffee, with prices that haven’t budged in years. No frills, just the Medina’s rhythm at eye level.

Bleue!

Bleue!

Bleue! offers respite from Sidi Bou Said’s tourist-clogged lanes, serving honest Tunisian staples where the blue-and-white charm feels earned, not staged. The kitchen nails classics like smoky shakshuka and roasted aubergine salads. The iced teas, infused with local herbs, cut through the coastal heat. By day, it’s a caffeine hub for digital nomads at adjoining Sociale (a co-working space with weekly film nights). In the afternoon, locals linger over mint tea on the tucked-away terrace. No sea views, no inflated prices — just reliable food and the rare luxury of space to breathe.

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