M’Rabet

Top choice in Tunis


There's no shortage of characterful cafes and restaurants in the medina, but this one tops them all. The downstairs space with its arches, rug-adorned platform seating and painted columns may initially present as a Orientalist cliché, but its charm quickly overrides such judgments. A capacious two-tiered rear terrace with view of the Zitouna Mosque's minaret is equally alluring.

Upstairs, a touristy restaurant is open for lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday, though sadly, our experience would suggest that this aspect is best avoided.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Tunis attractions

1. Souq El Berka

0.01 MILES

Barrel-vaulted Souq El Berka dates from Ottoman times: this was the slave souq where prisoners of Muslim corsairs were sold from a wooden block. Later,…

2. Souq El Trouk

0.01 MILES

Souq El Attarine leads into the Souq El Trouk (the Turkish Souq), traditionally the tailors’ souq, and still selling some outfits among the souvenirs. It…

3. Youssef Dey Mosque

0.03 MILES

This was Tunis’ first Ottoman-style mosque (1615), designed by Andalusian architect Ibn Ghalib in a colourful mishmash of styles. Surrounded by Turkish…

4. Souq des Chechias

0.05 MILES

A medina highlight, this hugely atmospheric souq is filled with exquisitely decorated shops producing and selling chechias, Tunisia's traditional blood…

5. Dar El Bey

0.05 MILES

This palace dating from the late 17th to early 18th centuries was the Husseinite rulers’ city pad, but the beys preferred the Bardo, so it was used as an…

6. Souq des Étoffes

0.06 MILES

Running behind the Zitouna Mosque, the Souq des Étoffes (Fabric Souq) is the geographical heart of the medina's main mercantile enclave, leading to the…

7. Zaouia of Sidi Ben Arous

0.06 MILES

This 16th-century mausoleum was built on the site of a funduq (caravanserai or travellers' inn), in which the 13th-century mystic and professor once lived…

8. Hamouda Pacha Mosque

0.07 MILES

Harmoniously designed and richly decorated, this 17th-century mosque reflects the prosperity of that period. Its witch’s-hat minaret is octagonal, which…