Tea Houses in Fes: 10 Places for Mint Tea in the Medina

In Fes the tea arrives before you decide anything. A waiter sets down a pot, a small glass and a bowl of sugar, then leaves you alone. The tea houses in Fes run from a herb counter pouring since 1969 to a museum roof above the Nejjarine carpenters, and most cost less than a sandwich.

This guide to the best tea houses in Fes covers ten named places in three medina zones, with prices, hours and the two that need a booking. With one free afternoon, start at Cafe Clock or the Nejjarine Museum roof.

Tea Houses Around Bab Boujloud and Talaa Kebira

Bab Boujloud is where most visitors step into Fes el Bali, and the first stretch of Talaa Kebira holds the densest cluster of places built for a first glass. All three sit within ten minutes of the gate; Fes et Gestes is north-east in Ziat.

• Cafe Clock: 7 Derb el Magana, two minutes from the gate. Restored courtyard house, roof terrace facing the Bou Inania minaret. Tea 20-45 MAD, open 09:00-23:00.
• The Ruined Garden: 3 Derb Idrissy, Sidi Ahmed Chaoui. Walled garden of a restored riad, fig trees, mosaic floors, homegrown mint and wormwood in the afternoon blend. Tea 20-40 MAD, garden service by day.
• Fes et Gestes: 39 Arsat El Hamoumi, Ziat. Colonial villa with a library and art gallery, registered as a tea salon and also a guesthouse. Tea 15-30 MAD, daytime, ring ahead.

Around Souk el Attarine and Place Seffarine

Two minutes downhill from the spice market, Place Seffarine rings with copper. Smiths hammer teapots and trays in the open air, and UNESCO lists Moroccan metal engraving in gold, silver and copper as intangible cultural heritage. The Fes el Bali cafés here serve the workshops next door.

Abdullah Thé & Café sits on Rue Machatine, just off the square, up an almost vertical stone stair. The Touati family has run the herb counter since 1969, with mint and verbena bundled on the terrace, a copper heating contraption inside and a handful of seats. Tea 10-20 MAD.

Crèmerie La Place holds the top corner with plastic chairs and the plainest glass in the medina. People drink it standing, watching the coppersmiths below. A few dirhams buys the cheapest glass in the square.

The Nejjarine Roof and the R’cif Side

The Nejjarine funduq, a 1711 caravanserai for grain traders, now holds the museum of woodwork. Terraces above it look down on the carpenters’ workshops. Two of these three want money or a phone call first.

• Cafe Traditional Nejjarine: Place Nejjarine, beside the funduq. Plain square-side café with carpenters’ benches outside. Tea 10-15 MAD, daytime only.
• Nejjarine Museum tea room: the rooftop of the funduq. Tea and juice above the roofs; museum ticket around 20-30 MAD, tea 10-15 MAD. Open 10:00-17:30 daily.
• Riad Rcif rooftop: R’cif square, eastern medina. A 360-degree terrace, mint tea with pastries, more locals than tour groups. 15-50 MAD; non-residents by reservation, staff meet you at Place R’cif.

Where to Book a Proper Tea Ceremony

A Moroccan tea ceremony in a riad runs about an hour, nothing like a glass at a counter. Someone explains the gunpowder leaf, the spearmint and the sugar loaf, then pours from height so the foam settles. Tradition runs to three glasses, and the first is the welcome.

Bab Sahra, at 25 Derb Tariana off Talaa Kebira, 200 m from Bab Boujloud, runs a one-hour session with pastries after the pour. It costs 35 EUR per adult, with a 50% deposit, 11:00-23:30 daily.

Palais Amani, at 12 Derb el Miter in Oued Zhoune, occupies a former palace and garden. The guided session covers tea sets, the sugar loaf and seasonal mint. By appointment, priced at booking.

How to Order, What to Pay and When to Go

Ask for mint tea in Fes as atay bi nanaa. For no caffeine, order louiza, verbena, pale and grassy. Nous-nous is the other house default: half espresso, half hot milk in the same small glass.

• Local counter: 8-12 MAD a glass, no menu, pay at the end.
• Square-side café: 10-20 MAD, waiter service, plastic chairs.
• Tourist terrace or riad: 20-50 MAD, with the view and often pastries.
• Booked ceremony: 35 EUR at Bab Sahra, price on request at Palais Amani.

There is rarely a menu, so order from the waiter and pay in cash; one glass holds the table as long as you like. Doors open early, terraces thin out around Friday prayer, and Ramadan daylight stays quiet until iftar.

Tea stops fit into a longer trip. Our 7-Day Morocco Tour from Fes gives the medina two days before the Sahara. The 9-Day Morocco Tour from Fez to Tangier carries on through Merzouga to Tangier.

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