Must-see nightlife in Tunisia

  • Café El Mehdi

    Tunisia

    Located between the Great Mosque and Borj El Kebir, this friendly cafe has an open sea-facing terrace on the 2nd floor and is a popular coffee and shisha…

  • Café Ezzitouna

    Tunis

    Beautifully tiled arched rooms, full of fragrant shisha smoke, open onto the medina's busiest pedestrian thoroughfare. Sadly, females won't feel welcome…

  • Café Venus

    Tunisia

    The bougainvillea-covered streetside terrace at this cafe behind the El Jem Amphitheatre is a popular spot for tea, coffee, soft drinks or shisha.

  • Café Gamra

    Tunisia

    One of Mahdia's most atmospheric cafes, Gamra offers tables under leafy trees in the heart of the medina.

  • Café Sidi Bouhdid

    Hammamet

    At the foot of the kasbah, this domed zaouia (shrine for a local patron) has been converted to a lovely cafe that's perfect for watching a sundown over an…

  • Jobi

    Carthage

    Jobi, situated close to La Malga Cisterns, is made up of a number of different bar areas including a covered terrace, a beer garden, a sports bar and a…

  • Café du Fort

    Cap Bon

    This little cafe just below Fort de Kelibia has colourful rugs spread over stepped seating across several levels, including a roof terrace. The splendid…

  • Workshop Bistro

    Cap Bon

    Workshop tries to tap into the hipster vibe, with a '90s hip-hop soundtrack and walls of Route 66 signs. Coffee snobs might turn up their noses at the…

  • Jardin des Oranges

    Djerba

    The tables here are scattered over the entire square – on the lawn, under the pavilion and inside – and while it’s hard to determine who your waiter is,…

  • Le Grand Café du Théâtre

    Tunis

    Huge yellow umbrellas signal the presence of one of Ave Habib Bourguiba's most popular cafes. Next to the Théâtre Municipal, its tables are arranged on…

  • Café des Délices

    Sidi Bou Saïd

    Café des Délices' series of whitewashed terraces cascade down the cliffside, offering seating with million-dollar views. Hugely popular as a result, it is…

  • Coste

    Sidi Bou Saïd

    The most popular of the contemporary cafes in Sidi Bou Saïd's lower village, this place near the train station has a large front terrace that functions as…

  • Cafè Sidi El Bahri

    Cap Bon

    Sidi El Bahri is a relaxed place to while away time over mint tea and shisha in a primo seaside setting. It's popular, so track down a table on the paved…

  • El Pacha

    Hammamet

    This club is made up of three Cuban-themed rooms, with live music, billiards and an open-air bar upstairs. A full restaurant takes up the ground floor…

  • Café El Kasbah

    Sousse

    Café El Kasbah is secreted in a vaulted, cushion- and rug-strewn space deep in the medina. It's got atmosphere in spades, though we found the service here…

  • AM Coffee

    Tunis

    The outdoor seating at this modern cafe on a cobbled square near Pl de la Kasbah is a popular meeting place for students and bohemian types, who enjoy the…

  • Cafés Bondin

    Tunis

    The quality of the coffee and the non-smoking interior are the major drawcards at this small Bondin franchise cafe. Its location opposite the town's…

  • Café La Grotte

    Tozeur

    A step up from the street-side cafes, La Grotte, à la its name, is fitted out to look like the inside of a cave, albeit a cool, air-conditioned one. It…

  • Saloon Disco Pub

    Sousse

    If you’ve ever wanted to party on what appears to be the movie set for an American western in Tunisia, then this surreal steakhouse and disco pub opposite…

  • Café Amir

    Southern Tunisia

    One of several serviceable cafes along Ave Habib Bourguiba. Most of the tables here are set up in the interior courtyard of the Gabès Centre, though there…

  • Madison’s

    Tunis

    This dimly lit lounge bar in the Maison Blanche hotel is quiet during the week, when regulars like to watch football matches on TV, but functions as a…

  • Café Sidi Bouraoui

    Sousse

    A popular cafe in the medina where local males go to smoke shisha, drink coffee and watch football on the TV. You can sit in the tiled interior or on the…

  • Andalous

    Tunis

    Wreathed in cigarette smoke, this bar/restaurant has Moorish-style decor, simple food and a casual vibe. It's not as sleazy as many other bars in the…

  • Café de l’Union

    Southern Tunisia

    This cafe is a standard no-frills coffeehouse, but it's used to seeing groups of foreign tourists, so is a little less macho than some Tunisian cafes.

  • Restaurant-Bar Le Petit Prince

    Tozeur

    Previously a restaurant, now a smoky local boozer, this is the best place to get a drink outside the hotel bars in the Zone Touristique.

  • Café Luna Mer

    Northern Tunisia

    Just one of several near-identical cafes strung out along the marina, perfect for a coffee or a fruit juice with your people-watching.

  • Café Rendez-Vous

    Douz

    A standard Tunisian pavement cafe, but with a good location on the main street for people watching.

  • Café Les Arcades

    Douz

    In the southwest corner of the souq, this is a good place for a coffee or juice.

  • Café Yasmine

    Sousse

    A medina cafe with lots of atmosphere, though strictly male territory.

  • Café Mèfres

    Tunisia

    Has a front terrace perfect for people watching.

  • Presse Cafe

    Sousse

    Somewhat bizarrely offering Brazilian coffee and snacks, this place has indoor and outdoor seating. The clientele is young and predominantly male.

  • El Grotte del Corsario

    Tunisia

    Set in front of a maze of caves (once used by local pirates), this run-down open-air cafe overlooks the rubbish-filled water of the old port.

  • Café Ennour

    Southern Tunisia

    This place is at the intersection just south of the clocktower and spills out onto the street in the afternoon.

  • Café La Rosa

    Douz

    Serviceable cafe – coffee, tea and the usual underemployed men killing time over cigarettes.

  • Café de Paris

    Tunis

    One of Ave Habib Bourguiba's main people-watching hubs, but an almost totally male preserve.

More destinations you need to see