Where to Eat in Algiers

Algiers offers a dining culture deeply rooted in Mediterranean and North African traditions, where French colonial influence merges easyly with Berber, Ottoman, and Arab culinary heritage. The capital's food scene revolves around couscous (the national dish served on Fridays), fragrant tagines, and freshly caught Mediterranean seafood prepared with aromatic spices like cumin, coriander, and ras el hanout. Traditional meals emphasize communal dining and generous hospitality, with dishes like chorba (spiced soup), rechta (hand-rolled noodles), and mechoui (slow-roasted lamb) forming the backbone of local gastronomy. The modern dining landscape balances historic cafés in the Casbah with contemporary restaurants along the Didouche Mourad boulevard, while maintaining strong traditions of family-run gargotes (small eateries) serving authentic home-style cooking.

Key Dining Features:
• Prime Dining Districts: The Didouche Mourad area and Hydra neighborhood host upscale restaurants and modern cafés, while the historic Casbah offers authentic street food and traditional eateries. The waterfront areas of El Biar and Bab El Oued feature seafood specialists serving grilled sardines and fish couscous, and the Audin district (formerly Place du Gouvernement) concentrates popular patisseries and juice bars.
• Essential Local Dishes: Couscous royale (steamed semolina with lamb, chicken, and vegetables served with spicy harissa), garantita (chickpea flour fritters popular for breakfast), bourek (crispy phyllo pastries filled with meat or potato), chakhchoukha (torn flatbread with chickpea stew), and mahjouba (crepe-like flatbread stuffed with tomato and onion). Don't miss karantika (baked chickpea cake) sold by street vendors, and finish meals with makroud (date-filled semolina cookies) or baklava dripping with honey.
• Price Ranges: Street food and gargotes cost 200-500 DZD (Algerian dinars) for filling meals like sandwiches or garantita plates. Mid-range restaurants charge 1,000-2,500 DZD for traditional couscous or tagine dishes with sides. Upscale dining establishments range from 3,000-6,000 DZD per person for multi-course meals with seafood or premium cuts. Fresh juice stands sell orange, pomegranate, and seasonal fruit juices for 100-200 DZD, while café au lait costs around 150-250 DZD.
• Seasonal Dining Highlights: Ramadan transforms the dining scene with elaborate iftar (breaking fast) meals featuring chorba, bourek, and dates available from sunset onwards, while daytime restaurants close. Spring (March-May) brings fresh fava beans for bessara soup and artichokes for tagines. Summer offers abundant seafood and outdoor terrace dining along the coast. Winter is prime time for hearty dishes like rechta and slow-cooked lamb tagines with quince or prunes.
• Unique Dining Experiences: Traditional Algerian meals are served on communal platters where diners eat with their right hand, using bread to scoop food—particularly common in family-run establishments