Perched on a cliff above the sea on the western edge of Tangier, Café Hafa has been serving mint tea from its stepped terraces since 1921. Little more than a series of blue-and-white walled platforms descending toward the water, it is one of the city's most enduring institutions — the draw is not the simple menu but the view: an open horizon over the Strait of Gibraltar, with the Spanish coast visible on clear days.
The cafe's fame comes partly from its guest list. It was a favourite of the writers who gathered in mid-century Tangier — Paul Bowles and the Beat authors among them — and it later drew musicians, with the Rolling Stones and other 1960s visitors said to have spent afternoons on its terraces. That bohemian history still colours the place, though it remains an unpretentious local spot where students, families and travellers share the same benches.
Café Hafa is a short distance from the Kasbah and the Marshan district but reached by narrow, winding lanes that are hard to find on a first visit. A private guide or driver can bring you close and walk you in without the wrong turns, and time the stop for the late afternoon so you catch the sun sinking over the strait with a glass of tea in hand — an easy, unhurried finish to a day in the old town.
Highlights
- Stepped clifftop terraces overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar
- Traditional Moroccan mint tea, served here since 1921
- Literary history — a haunt of Paul Bowles and the Beat writers
- Musical legend, with the Rolling Stones among its 1960s visitors
- Views toward the Spanish coast on clear days
- Relaxed, local atmosphere in the Marshan district near the Kasbah
Best Time to Visit
Late afternoon toward sunset for the best light over the strait; weekday afternoons are calmer than crowded weekend evenings.