Located in the beautiful Sidi Ben Arous Street, not far from the Place du Gouvernement, this restaurant & tea house welcomes its guests in a former medina's palace. It was built by Hamouda Pacha at the end of the 18th century and has been magnificently restored. The big patio has been converted into a dining room and is surrounded by a beautiful archway supporting a colonnade upstairs, and the walls are covered with tiles. This is an ideal setting to savour the Tunisian (different kinds of briqs, Salade Mechouia, lamb dishes like the Mosly or fish dishes) and Mediterranean cuisine. In the tea house (open from 8a to 8p) you can sample a Turkish coffee or a mint tea while smoking a shisha (water pipe) in a refined and convivial atmosphere frequented by the wealthy youth of Tunis. N.L.