Restaurant Sidi Bou Fares — Tunisian / Seafood, Sidi Bou Said
Restaurant Sidi Bou Fares sits at the base of the Sidi Bou Said cliff — accessible either by the winding lane from the village above or by boat from Tunis marina. The position at sea level provides the most direct possible connection to the Gulf of Tunis seafood that the cliff-top restaurants serve at a remove.
The menu centres on the morning's catch from the Gulf of Tunis fishing fleet: sea bass, gilt-head bream, red mullet, octopus, and the seasonal prawns that the Mediterranean produces with predictable abundance in the appropriate months.
The boat access from Tunis marina means that the clientele includes the Tunis sailing community — a specific social stratum whose presence gives Sidi Bou Fares a different character from the village-street restaurants above.
The cold Celtia beer (Tunisia's national lager) with fresh grilled sea bass is the correct Sidi Bou Fares order, consumed while looking up at the white-and-blue village perched impossibly on the cliff above.
Best Occasion: Great for Birthdays
Fresh Mediterranean seafood at sea level, cold Celtia rounds, and the village visible on the cliff above. Birthday dinners here have the specific pleasure of being below the most beautiful village in Tunisia.
Best Occasion: Works for Team Dinners
Shared fish platters, the boat access option, and the Gulf of Tunis as the dining backdrop. Team dinners at Sidi Bou Fares carry the specific energy of a place that requires some effort to find.