As soon as you step inside, you feel the atmosphere of the 1940s as though the café has stopped in time. The chairs, tables, windows, and walls are quite old, and you can see on the wall all the celebrities that have visited in the past. It is definitely a place to check out and its been frequented by many popular faces like The Rolling Stones, the kings of Spain and Sweden, and many more.

Baba Cafe is a Tangier institution that has been looking over the city for over 80 years. Best known as the site where the Rolling Stones got stoned (as brilliantly detailed in this Vice article), Baba is a mainstay, and having a coffee or tea here is one of the best things to do in Tangier. If you’re lucky, snag a seat by the window for a breath of fresh air through the hazy hash smoke that floods the cafe and enjoy the music of whoever was lucky enough to secure the AUX cord that day.

For an intimate, hidden-gem experience in the medina, Café Baba is a cozy café where you can relax with a variety of Moroccan classics, including savory tagines and comforting couscous. To elevate your dining experience further, Palais Zahia awaits in all its splendor. Located in a magnificent 19th-century palace, this sophisticated restaurant showcases the intricate presentation of Moroccan cuisine within an atmosphere that captures the city’s elegance and charm.

With the smell of sweet mint tea and a thick slow-moving haze of smoke, Anthony remarks that Café Baba “[reminds me] a lot of my old dorm room”. After enjoying a couple of glasses of the aforementioned tea, he indulges in a street food classic from a vendor across the alley, an omelet. Made in a manner similar to the Spanish type of omelet, potatoes are boiled and diced then mixed with beaten eggs and cooked in a cast iron skillet.

Today the majority of Café Baba’s regulars are young Moroccan 20-somethings who go to smoke hash, sip fresh mint tea, and get lost in a game of Parcheesi. Next door to the café is American socialite Barbara Hutton’s former home. Current owner Abdoul Aoufi says he still remembers the days in the late ’60s when she would invite him and his family to the lavish parties she used to hold in her courtyard.

Hidden in the maze of the medina’s whitewashed alleys, I step inside Café Baba. One of the places on earth that earned its fame from the hordes of celebrities who passed by, not from what is served. It is really not the little nameplate that leads you inside Café Baba, but rather the smell of Moroccan mint tea and Moroccan weed.

In an article published today, the newspaper noted that no other Moroccan city can quite compare to Tangier’s “historic cafe culture,” which was frequented by expat writers and artists such as American writer and composer Paul Bowles and Moroccan author Mohamed Choukri, among other literary figures.

Those following the trail of Bowles and Burroughs will want to trek to Cafe Baba and Cafe Hafa. Although both serve the usual and are perfumed at most hours by kif smoke, do not confuse the two names. Baba is a crowded dive near the top of the medina as you approach the Kasbah on Rue Amrah.

Those following the trail of Bowles and Burroughs will want to trek to Cafe Baba and Cafe Hafa. While both serve the usual and are perfumed at most hours by kif smoke, do not confuse the two names. Baba is a crowded dive near the top of the medina as you approach the Kasbah on Rue Amrah.

As Anthony Bourdain described Café Baba in Parts Unknown Tangier: it “has attracted foreign dignitaries, rock stars, aristocrats and artists since it opened in 1943”. Across the street, Anthony Bourdain had an omelet from a hole-in-the-wall street food vendor.

Lastly, Eduardo took us to the infamous Café Baba, where the Rolling Stones and other musicians would often hangout during their time in Tangier. It was empty while we were there so we got to take a good look around. It was a rare treat.

It is tucked away in the Medina and was first established way back in 1943. Once you step inside, it feels like traveling back in time since the interior decor includes vintage chairs and tables. Sure, this place is nothing fancy.

Sit in the same seats that the Rolling Stones did all those years ago, and sip your tea looking out the window at the Kasbah. You may have to wait an hour for your tea because everyone is engaged in smoke discoveries.

Café Baba retains its bohemian and authentic atmosphere, with colourful décor and spectacular views over the Medina and the port. Café Baba is located on Sidi Hossain Street, near the Kasbah.

Smoky and slightly edgy, Cafe Baba (1 rue Sidi-Hosni) is the coolest spot in the Kasbah. A photo of Keith Richards, kif-pipe in hand, still adorns the grimy walls.