The best food and drink to try in Algeria

You might associate Algerian cuisine with the flagship North African dish, couscous. But there's so much more to Algerian food. 

I am lucky to have led a career that allowed me to travel all across Algeria, implementing education, youth empowerment and cultural projects, and wherever I went, food was an essential part of the experience. This country boasts a rich menu of traditional meals and street foods varying regionally and combining recipes influenced by Berber, Arab, Ottoman, French, Jewish and other Mediterranean culinary traditions.

While curating this guide to Algeria's best foods and drinks, I think of the many meals I have shared with friends and guests, and the smiles, scowls and ambiguous bulging of eyes that served as an organic rating system for the recommendations below. Here's everything to eat in Algeria and the best places to try them. 

First things first, get that couscous craving out of the way

Couscous is more than just a traditional dish. The knowledge and generations-old practices around it make an integral part of the intangible cultural heritage, as inscribed by UNESCO. It comes in different tastes and colors, always with generous servings of meat, and changes in preparation regionally. In the east, it is served with red broth of tomatoes, chickpeas and a spice mix called ras el hanout (literally translated to "the head of the store" or, figuratively, the best the store has to offer), containing cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander and pepper. In the northern Kabylie region, couscous comes with a white broth, boasting a variety of locally produced vegetables, but in the south, it is made with lentils and other legumes. And if you try it out west, expect some fresh seafood. But when all else fails, the broth is substituted with leben (buttermilk).

Try the traditional dishes of reshta, chakhchoukha, taguella and zviti

Like in many homes in Algiers, if my family is feeling festive, we will make reshta, noodle-thin strips of pasta served with white broth laden with chickpeas, carrots, zucchini and white radishes as well as a generous piece of chicken or meat.

In the east, a popular dish is chakhchoukha (not to be confused with shakshuka – also very common in Algeria). This consists of fluffy flatbread torn into small pieces and then soaked with red chickpeas, meat and vegetable sauce. (Served hot, I’d order a cup of leben to assuage the burns on my tongue.) Similarly, the signature Tuareg dish, taguella is prepared by cooking the taguella bread under hot sand and charcoal before breaking it into small pieces and serving it with a filling meat sauce.

But for travelers seeking a tear-jerking, tongue-numbing hot-dish experience, zviti is a must-try.  Prepared by crushing rakhsas, another, harder type of flatbread, in a wooden mortar along with grilled tomatoes, chili peppers, garlic and coriander, this dish is typically served in the deep mortar in which it is prepared and diners fish it out using long wooden spoons.

All across the country, you will invariably find some local variation of soup, blending a rich mix of local vegetables and chunks of meat or chicken, and served with bourek (cigar-shaped dough rolls with meat filling).

If you are looking for something lighter and gluten-free, you might want to try the tagines, dolma (minced meat stuffed into potatoes and zucchini) or m’touem (minced meat balls in chickpea sauce).

Where to try traditional dishes: One of the longest established restaurants is El Djenina in downtown Algiers. This Moorish palace-style restaurant offers a menu of delicious traditional options including Algerian wine. You can also try Dar El Soltan in the Casbah of Algiers for a historic setting, or pop into Sapouri if walking along the port. Dwiret El Azz is typical for large groups, and Val Street sometimes has traditional live music to go with the food and setting.

A must-try place in Constantine is Igherssan with its stunning view of the bridges and the gorge below. In Oran, Layali Zaman’s menu blends authentic cuisine from across the country in a traditional setting. When driving east on the highway, I always make a stop in El Achir, Bordj Bou Arréridj, where a whole boulevard is fronted with traditional restaurants and grills.

Take a bite of street food

Street food will vary depending on where you go but in Algiers, there is no greater delight than watching someone stack piles of m’hadjeb, thin layers of flatbread, stuffed with a sauce of onion, garlic and tomatoes (these delights are the reason I run 25km+ per week, and my reward for doing so). If you’re in an adventurous mood, sit down for some loubia bel ker’in – bean soup with sheep feet.

In Oran, the most popular street food  is karantita, a batter of chickpea flour with eggs and oil baked and served in a baguette sandwich with harissa and cumin. 

In the east and parts of the desert, you can sit down for a bowl of doubara. Typically a mid-morning dish for farmers and builders, this thick soup is heavy with chickpeas and/or broad beans, topped with tomatoes, onions, chili pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

In most parts of the country, you can also find pizza carrée, square pieces of pizza, simply topped with tomato sauce and chili peppers. Roadside grills are also popular, selling meat, chicken, kebab and sausage brochettes.

Where to try it: Look out for street-food markets all over the country. I am partial to Le Roi de Loubia, which sits royally on rue de Tanger, a popular street with several street food spots downtown Algiers.

Enjoy fresh seafood with a view of the Mediterranean

All along the coast, seafood restaurants serve a variety of fish fresh out of water. While sardines are most commonly available, grilled or fried with dersa (spicy garlic and chili paste), you can also feast on the day’s catch, which might include sea bream, whiting, red mullet, squid, swordfish, tuna, and shrimp. Seafood can be pricey, but definitely worth trying.

Where to try it: La Madrague in Algiers is a popular destination for seafood lovers with several options on the seafront strip, including El Kahina, Le Caviar d’Or, La Perle Blue and so many more. Restaurant Le Dauphin in Tipaza (an hour west of Algiers) is a great stopover when visiting Roman ruins, with a view of the port. East of Algiers, go to Hotel Turquoise. La Presqu’ile in Hydra is also popular, and so is Bekhchi in Oran. In many coastal cities, like Oran and Annaba, there are many seafood options. When in Bejaia, drive to Brise de Mer for a row of waterfront restaurants.

Savor some traditional breads and sweets

When in Algeria, you will rarely see a table without a basketful of bread. French baguettes are most common, but you can also find a variety of traditional breads including metlou’ (fluffy pita bread) and kesra (flatbread). It sometimes comes with an appetiser like hmiss (a salad of grilled tomatoes and peppers) to dip into while you wait for your order.

For dessert, try traditional sweets such as makroudh, often made with nuts and drenched in sugar syrup or honey. Other options are baklawa, khashkhash or kalb elouz (heart of almonds), all very sweet offerings. My personal favorites are khefaf (donut-style disks of fluffy dough, crispy on the outside, also known as sfenj for its spongy texture) and msemen, a square-shaped piece of thin layers of dough (think of it as m’hadjeb without the tomato sauce inside).

Wash it all down with tea or juice

Like everywhere else in the region, traditional restaurants in Algeria will likely serve hot (and sweet) tea after the meal. Thé maison (homemade tea) is typically enjoyed with a plate of traditional sweets or nuts. You can also try fresh juices that encapsulate the natural sweetness of local produce. Pomegranate juices are popular in the fall, orange juice in the winter and strawberries in the spring. The local specialty in Ghardaïa is takerwait, a refreshing blend of herbs, citrus juice and dates.

Vegetarians and vegans

While there is not a huge vegetarian or vegan culture in Algeria, it shouldn’t be impossible to find options. Most Algerian dishes are rich with vegetables, and while few restaurants will have a consciously listed vegan or vegetarian entry, they will invariably have something for you. Shakshuka is always a good option (either with or without eggs). You can also have regular loubia without sheep feet.

Most traditional dishes include a sauce with some kind of meat, and they are typically cooked in big quantities, so unless you are comfortable with simply removing the meat from the sauce, then they may not be able to make you a separate vegetarian sauce unless you communicate that in advance. Zvitti is typically prepared without meat. Most street foods are great vegetarian options including m’hadjeb, karantita, pizza carrée and doubara.

Where to try it: Make your own salad at the Salad Box in Sidi Yahia or head out to Le Potager in Benaknoun for select vegan options.