Tunisia’s food scene includes refined medina restaurants, coastal dining, traditional recipes, and French-influenced cuisine. This guide introduces selected gastronomic restaurants for travelers who want memorable meals alongside their cultural itinerary.
We checked them one by one: few, but good.
1. Dar El Jeld Restaurant, Tunis Medina
Since the time of the Beys, Dar El Jeld was the seat of the administration responsible for managing the state monopoly of hides and skins, known as jeld in Arabic, across the Regency of Tunis. Today, Dar El Jeld is a gourmet restaurant with character in the Medina of Tunis, where women experienced in the art of cooking prepare some of the finest dishes of Tunisian cuisine. It is also possible to take tea in the main patio while listening to zither music. The setting is romantic and excellent for business meals.
2. Au Bon Vieux Temps Restaurant, Sidi Bou Said Village
Set in the former home of the French writer Andre Gide, Au Bon Vieux Temps stands on a cliff above the Gulf of Tunis, with beautiful views over the sea and the gardens of Carthage. The restaurant features traditional, elaborate decor with a luxurious feeling, and the cuisine is French-inspired. It offers a wide selection of wines and full menus of fish and seafood.
3. Dar Hamouda Pacha Restaurant, Tunis Medina
Dar Hamouda Pacha is a former 17th-century palace converted into a gourmet restaurant in the heart of the Medina of Tunis. It offers a journey into the time of Turkish Ottoman rule, with an authentic and refined traditional setting of marbled walls, glazed ceramic, genuine wood, balconies, and lounges overlooking a patio. The restaurant serves traditional Tunisian cuisine and an international menu.
4. The Escargo Restaurant, Sousse City
L’Escargo Restaurant is an original place that has preserved its reputation and loyal customers over the years. It is an address shared with pleasure and pride. The attentive service, porcelain dishes, unique decor, and elegant ambiance create a refined experience. The service is a little old school, but the food and overall experience are great. It is recommended for special occasions and is ideal for couples in season.
5. Chez Achour Restaurant, Hammamet City
A family-owned restaurant, Chez Achour is a must when visiting Hammamet. It has not changed its formula in years and attracts a wide range of local and foreign clients all year round. Set in a lovely garden, it offers good traditional and continental food with discreet and efficient service. It is at its best when serving seafood. While better known as a summer restaurant, it also has a warm and cosy atmosphere in winter.
6. El Ferida Restaurant, Djerba Island
Restaurant El Ferida offers a setting inspired by a thousand and one nights, with a gourmet restaurant in a Tunisian oriental palace atmosphere. It offers original and refined cuisine, along with Bar Primavera, a Moorish cafe, shopping, and theatre.
7. Dar Horcheni Restaurant, Tozeur
The city of Tozeur is rich in typical homemade dishes such as brik, lamb cooked in a clay jug with vegetables and buried in hot sand, and safa, a Tozeur specialty close to couscous, traditionally served without meat with a little juice and vegetables. Dar Horcheni Restaurant is cradled by the shade of palms in the heart of the Tozeur oasis.
8. The Opium Restaurant, Tunis City
The Opium Restaurant revives an authentic 19th-century Chinese atmosphere. It invites guests to taste specialties from Yunnan in a truly distinctive setting, with furniture and ornaments inspired by a traditional Chinese inn from the end of the Qing dynasty.
9. Le Pirate Restaurant, Sidi Bou Said City
The location and setting of Le Pirate are by far its main assets. It is located at the bottom of the village of Sidi Bou Said, in front of the marina, and has a shaded terrace where guests can enjoy fish and seafood. The inside of this cosy and distinguished restaurant is more French-style than Tunisian, and there is even a chimney.
10. Da Franco Restaurant, Hammamet
Enjoy a taste of Italy at Da Franco. The setting is pleasant, and so is the service. The menu offers Italian specialties cooked with care and some delicious daily specials. This restaurant is well appreciated by some pickier European tourists.
