Gueliz & Ville Nouvelle
Step into a mad professor’s underground lab where apothecary jars and brewery piping line the dimly lit bar. Barometre is a first for Marrakesh: an…
Must-see nightlife in Africa
Johannesburg
A superlative addition to Jozi's inner city, Mad Giant offers excellent craft beers (brewed on-site) paired with delectable Asian-inspired tapas dishes at…
Tunis
There's no shortage of characterful cafes and restaurants in the medina, but this one tops them all. The downstairs space with its arches, rug-adorned…
Cairo
Probably the oldest ahwa in the city, and certainly the most celebrated, Fishawi’s has been a great place to watch the world go by since 1773. It's all…
Nairobi
One of Nairobi's best and coolest cafes, Connect brings coffee sourced directly from farmers in Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda to your table, and the barista…
Johannesburg
Mooteebar – a play on the Zulu word muthi – serves upscale cocktails inspired by South African traditional medicine. The hand-drawn menu describes the…
Addis Ababa
Ahh, if only all cafes were like this! Coffee is serious business at this great high-stooled Italian cafe (around since 1953) in Piazza. The beans are…
Nairobi
One of Westlands' best nights out, Alchemist is an all-encompassing take on the Nairobi night, with the city's best DJs, terrific food (including a food…
Cape Town
This self-described ‘steampunk roastery and coffee bar’, with pressed-tin ceilings, naked hanging bulbs and mad-inventor-style metalwork, is an awe…
Tangier
Gravity weighs upon the grand letters of the Gran Café de Paris, reminding us of its age at the crossroads of Tangier. Facing Place de France for almost a…
Mouassine & Central Souqs
Tucked within the chambers of the Dar El Bacha museum, this fancy salon cafe intends to bring coffee connoisseurship back to Marrakesh. Prepare to scrape…
Marrakesh
It feels like there's a bit of Bali and a bit of Senegal in this lively yet relaxed rooftop bar with views of Koutoubia Mosque. Vintage furniture, natural…
Medina
Tiled floor to ceiling, this is less a tea shop than a decorative box, a kind of tiny theatre in which the voluble Abdellah, a born showman, mixes teas to…
Free State
A craft brewery in the picturesque outskirts of Parys offering excellent brews, a lovely setting and free, informal tours. The brewmaster brings in top…
Nairobi
In the heart of the Westlands nightlife district, the small Havana Bar packs them in tightly over two floors and is an enduring Nairobi favourite, drawing…
Alexandria
The Cap d’Or, just off Sharia Saad Zaghloul, is one of the only surviving typical Alexandrian bars. With beer flowing generously, stained-glass windows, a…
Cape Town
Named after the nearby lane, the mixologists here prepare some tempting artisanal libations with curious names including Knicker-Dropper Glory, Dollymop…
Lusaka
A favourite watering hole for many locals, expats and tourists (and basically anyone who likes a drink) is this tropical dive bar, set in an open-air…
Dakar
On the hilltop in front of Dakar's iconic lighthouse, this open-air bar draws a dance-loving crowd on Friday nights, when it hosts live music jams. On…
Moshi
The Kilimanjaro Native Cooperative Union, representing tens of thousands of coffee smallholders, runs this stylish shop. Although it also serves good…
Cape Town
Geek out about coffee at this lab staffed with passionate roasters and baristas. Their beans, which come from single farms, estates and co-ops from around…
Nairobi
Craft beers have been slow to take off in Nairobi, but Brew is a lesson in how to do things. The rooftop bar is a beacon of the Nairobi night for its…
Addis Ababa
Off Haile Gebreselassie Rd, tucked up an alley behind the Axum Hotel, this is Addis’ top tej bet (honey wine) and the only one to serve pure-honey tej…
Marrakesh
The street terrace at this charmingly old-fashioned cafe with wrought-iron balustrades has cracking views of the Koutoubia Minaret across the road…
Medina
One of the most elegant places for a cocktail (Dh120) in all of Fez, the gorgeous courtyard bar at Riad Fès drips with atmosphere: the stucco columns…
Addis Ababa
This one's worth taking a taxi across Addis for. A refreshingly cool and contemporary space, Galani serves up Ethiopia's finest barista-poured coffees,…
Green Point & Waterfront
Over 480 varieties of whisky are served at the Grace’s sophisticated, nautical-themed bar, with a few slugs of the 50-year-old Glenfiddich still available…
Nairobi
Building on the winning formula of its sister property in Karen, J's takes its DJs seriously enough to give them a permanent booth, and the food is so…
Cape Town
The magnificent pink, lemon, burgundy and teal lounge at the Cellars-Hohenort Hotel specialises in martinis such as the sweet and spicy white-chocolate…
Tunis
Stop the presses and send hallelujahs to the heavens! This cafe facing the Tunis Ville train station employs baristas who know their trade and use freshly…
Drakensberg Escarpment
This whisky bar, one of the southern hemisphere's best stocked, offers over 30 themed tastings and pairings (R165 to R865) of its 1400 world whiskies,…
Mouassine & Central Souqs
The best place to see the Koutoubia Mosque's nightly illumination is this achingly hip rooftop bar set up by Richard Branson's sister. Here, Marrakesh's…
Pretoria
Pretoria's premier beer hangout is a huge place whose long tables, both inside the barn-like bar and out in the garden, are perpetually packed. The focus…
Gueliz & Ville Nouvelle
Restored to its flapper-era glory, this landmark bistro oozes colonial decadence. Prices run high for food, but you can't beat the atmosphere if you want…
Gonder
Serving up Gonder's best coffee, Senait is brought to you by the same people who run Four Sisters and it shows. With a small but lovely, character-filled…
Johannesburg
Fun and friendly Great Dane is one of the mainstays of the ever-changing Braamfontein bar strip. The music is very danceable and staff make you feel like…
Lagos
Part of Bogobiri House, this is a lovely place for a drink (and eat) – mellow in the day and happening at night. There's an attached art gallery with…
Nairobi
Once one of Africa's classic bars, the Lord Delamere Terrace was the starting point of many epic colonial safaris, and the scene of tall tales told by the…
Simon's Town & Southern Peninsula
There's a panoramic view of Muizenberg Beach through the floor-to-ceiling window of this hangar-like bar and restaurant. It's open all day for food (good…
Tunisia
For a unique experience, ring the bell of this late-18th-century dar and ask for a tour and tea (10DT). The friendly multilingual young women working here…
