Rassif café

The Rassif special could well be rakweh (the small pot with long wooden handle in which Arabic coffee is served), a delicious sablé on the side and the sea breeze. Indeed a perfect combo after a walk around El Mina or a trip to the islands.

Opened in early 2015 by two young, enterprising local women, Rassif has quickly gained regulars as well as drawing on tourists that venture north and foreign aid workers. The clientele is in their 20s and 30s, mostly, and comes to play tawlet (backgammon), catch up over coffee or a bite. Service is very friendly and attentive and the coffee served is sourced from Younes and includes a special Rassif blend.

The menu includes three breakfast options: Western, Jeddo’s (grandfather’s) and the Rassif muesli blend. Throughout the day, a small but comprehensive selection of sandwiches is on offer, which in summer should be paired with the salad of the day. There are furthermore sweet options (desserts) as well as juices and frappés.

Mina, the port district, is popular with Tripolitans who go for walks on the long Corniche, eat fresh fish or seafood at one of the harbour restaurants. The bars in Mina are the only ones in the area. But there has, until recently, been no coffee shop in Mina. Rassif is ideally situated, close to the Corniche and the eye catching Le Tourbillon, a cyclone conceptual sculpture by the late Mario Saba, made of computers, keyboards, monitors, printers, scanners, chairs, floppy disks, etc. and a bicycle and also close to Beit el Fan, in a quiet street with a few stores across the street and steady pedestrian traffic. It’s ideal for reading a book or newspaper. Most of the tables are outside though there is also an inside sitting area.