Updated ,first published
North African$
Home-style cooking for the soul.
It might be the sunny fitout or the Tunisian, Algerian and Moroccan flags that catch your attention at Cafe Tanja, but it’ll be the crackle of paper-thin brik pastry that breaks it. Here, this street-food favourite consists of a pastry package plumped with hunks of potato, a runny egg and either tuna or gooey cheese, all rendered with delicate pan-fried crunch.
If there’s a defining thread to the menu, it’s in the complex layering of North African spices, which runs through rich lamb tagine bolstered with almonds and prunes, or the tchouktchouka – Tunisia’s riff on shakshuka – that hums with cumin and roasted capsicum.
House-made breads are a must, whether it’s Algeria’s fluffy matlouh (best for mopping up sauces) or Morocco’s flat memen, swaddled around lamb or garlicky marinated chicken. Warm-hearted service from co-owners Sanah Djebli and Nadim El-Zein only adds to the charm. Winning hearts and minds, brik by brik.
Good to know: The lamb tagine steals the headlines, but the chicken version with green olives and preserved lemon is a sleeper hit.
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
Last visited: 2025
More: