3 Best Restaurants in Tunisia

Tunis's deservedly famous Dar El Jeld is set in the Abdelkefi family's elegant 18th-century home deep in the medina. The dazzling setting alone makes it worth a visit; add a good traditional cuisine served in the exquisitely elaborate dining room, complete with traditional tiles, wall carvings, chandeliers, and oriental rugs, or in a lovely courtyard and balcony, and a visit becomes impossible to resist. You can't go wrong with lamb or fish couscous served with fresh dates and a fine Tunisian wine.

El Firma is a good-value French gastronomic restaurant with a lovely Tunisian ambiance set in a traditional farm house and terrace and just a quick cab ride from the city center. The Tunisian chef trained in some top Paris kitchens and it shows in his menu: foie gras terrine, salmon rillette, tender duck breast with candied pear and white asparagus. Seafood is always the catch of the day and vegetables are market fresh. During certain times of the year, the chef serves French-inflected Tunisian specialties, a treat to look for.

If you're looking for great homemade Tunisian food, this small, gilded restaurant in downtown Tunis is the place to go. Don't be surprised if the owner herself greets you—the warm ambiance is a big part of its charm. The other part is a delicious traditional Tunisian cuisine, beginning with small plates of tapas and moving onto such delights as juicy grilled jumbo shrimp and crisp potatoes, or copious plates of rich fish, chicken or beef tagine and couscous. Dessert and tea, if you can manage, are highly recommended.