Cafe Central

Cafe Central is a pavement cafe on the Petit Socco, the small, irregular square at the heart of Tangier's medina. For much of the twentieth century the square was the centre of the old city's social life, drawing writers, traders, sailors and exiles, and local accounts link several foreign authors to the surrounding cafes and pensions. Cafe Central keeps that tradition as the medina's best-known people-watching spot, with rows of chairs facing the square where residents cross, shopkeepers talk and visitors pause. The crowd is largely male in the traditional manner of Moroccan street cafes, mixed with a growing number of foreign travellers and some local women and families, and the atmosphere is informal, talkative and slow. There is no dress code beyond modest clothing suited to the medina. No alcohol is served; the drinks programme is mint tea, Moroccan coffee, espresso and soft drinks, with coffee or tea priced at about 12 to 25 MAD. Music is incidental, normally the sound of the square, with occasional recorded music from the cafe. The cafe typically opens around 8AM and stays open until about 11PM, so it functions as a morning coffee stop, an afternoon rest and an early-evening gathering point rather than a late-night venue. The liveliest time is late afternoon into evening, when the square fills. There is no cover charge, reservations are not taken, and tables are first-come, first-served, with a seat on the front row the main prize. The Petit Socco is a short walk uphill from the port gate and from the Grand Socco, and the surrounding lanes are narrow, uneven and cobbled. After dark, visitors tend to travel in pairs or small groups and keep valuables close. The cafe suits travellers in northern Morocco who want to watch the medina's evening routine before dinner.