street food tunisia tagine

From street sandwiches, deep-fried snacks, and flavourful bowls of steaming soup – street food in Tunisia is readily available and super affordable. 

Let’s Go! My 8 Favourite Street Food Tunisia Snacks

1) Malfouf Sandwich

street food tunisia malfouf
Street food Tunisia sandwiches are the best! Malfouf are my favourite.

Sandwich shops are never too far away in Tunisia, and they’re the absolute best!

A few different types of bread are used for street sandwiches, but Malfouf is my favourite. You can get a freshly cooked flatbread loaded with your desired ingredients for less than a dollar.

These include omelette, tuna, cheese, mayonnaise, parsley, diced onion, fries, olives, and harissa (chili paste). 

Don’t worry, you can ask for it without the heat, but I’d recommend going for it. Harissa in Tunisia is always fresh and so flavourful! 

2) Fricasse

street food tunisia fricasse
Fricasse could be the winner of best street food Tunisia snack among locals

The fricasse can only be described as a savoury doughnut filled with mashed potato, tuna, olives, hard-boiled chopped egg, and harissa.

You can find sandwich shops and street food vendors churning these out at lightning speed.

This appears to be a much-loved street food Tunisia snack. What’s not to like, though?

They’re super cheap, filling, easy to buy, and quickly be on your way. 

3) Lablebi (Lablabi)

street food tunisia lablebi
Cheap, filling and tasty. Lablebi ticks all the boxes for good street food Tunisia meals.

This is quintessential street food in Tunisia. A spiced chickpea soup and common breakfast food in Tunisia.

Lablebi is a meal intended to provide sustenance for cold weather, and the ingredients used to create the dish are quite simple and cheap.

But, by no means does this make the dish bland. Lablebi was one of my favourite street food Tunisia snacks on my travels there. 

So, what is lablebi? It’s a dish of stale bread covered in a spiced broth with freshly cooked chickpeas.

The best part is the half-cooked egg (optional) and the flavourings on top to boost the dish.

These include olive oil, harissa, fresh cumin, and lemon juice. Once you mix all the ingredients, get a spoon and dig in. 

4) Bambalouni

street food tunisia bambalouni for breakfast
Bambalouni! Good for you? Probably not. Amazing street food in Tunisia? Yes! These made Marty smile.

This indulgent snack is a cross between a deep-fried pastry and a doughnut. This is the ultimate street food Tunisia snack of them all! The bambalouni is sprinkled with sugar and sometimes honey is drizzled over it.

They are best eaten the moment they’re removed from the fryer. This is when they’re super fresh, still crispy, and warm.

We tried bambalouni as part of our delicious included breakfast at our boutique hotel in Tunis, Dar Ben-Gacem.

5) Brik

street food tunisia brik
Brik. Always good, always reliable street food Tunisia snacks

A deep-fried snack loaded with a variety of fillings. This savoury, stuffed “pastry” originated in the Ottoman Empire where it is known as ‘borek’.

The two most common shapes are the cigar and triangle-shaped brik.

Ingredients inside the brik include egg, fresh parsley, tuna, potato, and cheese. Brik tastes best when they’re piping hot, and the fine pastry flakes away as you munch your way into it.

Don’t forget to squeeze some fresh lemon over the top before consuming, it makes it so much better! 

6) Baklava

street food tunisia baklava
Baklava. Always a sweet that hits the spot.

A sweet that is as much loved here in Tunisia as it is in many other Middle Eastern or North African countries. I ate loads of it both during my travels in Libya and Algeria.

If you’ve never tried baklava, you haven’t lived!

You can buy this yummy street food Tunisia sweet for about 1 dinar per piece ($0.30), and like many other sweets in Tunisia, locals buy them by the boxful. 

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7) Corne de Gazelle

street food tunisia gazelle horns
Gazelle horns – Delicious street food Tunisia snacks

I discovered these unique-looking sweets in the city of Tatouine. There is a fabulous sweets shop across the road and over to the right from our recommended accommodation for the night at Auberge Alferdaous.

This pastry is filled with crushed nuts and sesame and then soaked in honey.

They’re very rich, delicious, and shaped like a gazelle’s horn, hence the name.

8) Pastries

street food tunisia pastries
Street food Tunisia. Pastries and bread are always available

Breakfast is always easy to find in Tunisia because a good patisserie (bakery) is never far away. Take your pick from pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins, croissants, or a crusty baguette.

Baked goods in Tunisia are very affordable. Expect to pay around $0.20 for pastries or less than $0.10 for a baguette.

The best thing about patisseries is that you can generally get an espresso or cappuccino at the same time. 

Interested to know how I seek out the most popular street foods or local dishes in the countries I visit?

Learn more in my post on 7 Tips: how to find the best food when travelling the world.

Have I missed your favourite street food in Tunisia? Tell me about it in the comments below.

Practical Information about Travel in Tunisia

If you’re considering travelling to Tunisia, then our perfect 14-day itinerary for Tunisia has you covered.

It takes you to the epic amphitheatre of El Jem (a real highlight of the country). It has essential information about public transport prices, details of getting around and even some great suggestions on where to stay.

We recommend you read our 10 best tips for independent travellers to Tunisia in the planning stages of your trip.

For more travel advice, tips and useful websites we use to travel the world, head to our Travel Resources Page.