The Bab El Khadhra Street-Food Cabins, Tunis

_{Edited by Canva}

Hello steemians,

I’m submitting this post as my official participation in Steemit Challenge Season 26 – Week 04 (A favourite takeaway or street food outlet). I chose the street-food cabins at Bab El Khadhra in Tunis because they distill everything I love about Tunisian fast food into a few square meters of sizzling metal and warm bread, meats seared on a roaring plancha, vegetables that go sweet and smoky in seconds, and a garlicky white sauce that turns a simple sandwich into something you crave the next day.

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Where it is and how to get there

The cabins cluster around the Bab El Khadhra junction in central Tunis, a busy crossroads that stays bright late into the evening, and because the area is a transport hub you can reach it easily by taxi (simply say “Bab El Khadhra” and you’ll be dropped within sight of the carts), by bus on the lines that fan out from downtown, or on foot with a 15–20 minute walk from Place Barcelone, following the main avenues until the mixed glow of neon bulbs and heat lamps tells you you’re close, once there, the scent of charred peppers and merguez does the rest and guides you to the right counter even before you can read the menu slate.

_{The junction is bright and busy, even on weeknights there’s a patient, friendly line and the whole cook line is in full view.}

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A living street-food tradition

Locals call these covered carts “cabines”, a word that captures their scale and spirit, compact kitchens that families and close friends have operated for years, often teaching the trade to younger cousins who inherit not just the hotplate but the house sauces and the muscle memory of a thousand sandwiches, while each cabin tweaks its seasoning and the angle of its spatula, they share a common grammar fresh items on display, orders cooked to order, and banter with regularsthat turns dinner into both a meal and a quick neighborhood catch-up.

_{There’s always a maestro at the plancha whose wrist knows exactly when onions are sweet enough and meat is just charred.}

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How the service flows

Service feels like a compact assembly line that never loses its human warmth, one person commands the plancha and keeps it searing hot, another splits and toasts the bread before packing it, and a third, when present, handles drinks and cash so the cooking never pauses; you order verbally (merguez, escalope, beef, or liver, long roll or round tabouna, mild or hot), then watch as vegetables go down first to soften, meat follows to pick up color, and the whole thing is gathered neatly with a scrape and a flip, while the hotplate is scraped clean between batches to prevent burnt flavors from sticking to the next round.

_{Everything is visible and within reach meats, cheeses, and fresh veg, so you can customize without guessing.}

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Facilities, cleanliness, and the vibe

This is pure street you eat standing, leaning against a rail, or perched on a concrete bollard yet it feels open and transparent because the ingredients are behind glass until they hit the heat, the lights are bright enough to see the cook’s hands, there’s a roll of paper and a water source for quick wipe-downs, and the griddle’s sharp metal scraper sings a reassuring rhythm that tells you the surface stays clean and hot, the flow of people is constant but never frantic, with students, night-shift workers, and families creating a lively, low-key crowd that feels safe and neighborly.

_{Wrapped because it’s gloriously juicy and just firm enough to eat on the move without falling apart.}

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From griddle to wrap

The cook scatters onion rings, green peppers, and tomato slices on the steel so that the vegetables soften and caramelize without steaming, then adds your chosen protein merguez for spicy depth, escalope for tenderness, beef/kebab for a meaty bite, or liver for rich minerality, so the spices bloom and the edges pick up smoky char meanwhile the bread is split and pressed cut-side down to toast until it is crisp enough to stand up to sauces without going soggy, which is the key to a street sandwich you can actually walk with.

_{Color first, then meat—this is where sweetness and smoke are built in seconds, not minutes.}

A snowfall of grated cheese follows, the heat of the pile melts it into a sticky glue, and then comes the decisive drizzle of the garlicky white sauce that tastes faintly tangy and creamy at once, binding meat and veg so every bite is cohesive, the cook packs the bread, gives the sandwich a brief press on the plancha to seal the edges and, if you ask for it, paints a slim line of harissa mild (shwaya) or bold (barsha) that lifts the richness without overwhelming it.

_{White sauce melting into cheese: the addictive moment where flavors tie together and the aroma changes gear.}

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What I ordered & how it tasted

I chose a mixed sandwich merguez + escalope + beef with cheese and an egg folded in at the end, and it landed in my hands as a balanced riot of tastes and textures in which the smoke of the meat, the sweet snap of peppers, and the silky tang of the white sauce made even a clear streak of harissa feel welcoming rather than aggressive; the portion is genuinely generous, the juices soak the crumb without breaking it, and it’s one of those sandwiches that makes you speed up unconsciously because the hot, salty, creamy rhythm is impossible to put down.

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Bread choices & little courtesies

There are two breads and both are worth trying: the round tabouna, whose slightly thicker crumb and sesame-nigella aroma add a gentle perfume and a satisfying chew, and the long roll, which is thinner and crisps fast, perfect if you like a clean bite with less crumb as for the human touches, the chef will often pass you a small half-cooked egg bite while you wait a tiny, warm, salty courtesy that keeps hunger friendly and says everything about the welcoming culture of these cabins.

Left: round tabouna with sesame and nigella right: the classic long roll for stuffed “mixte”.	The “hold that hunger” mouthful that makes the short wait feel even shorter.

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Prices, menu ideas, and STEEM conversion

(conversion requested: 1 TND = 2.64 STEEM; items and prices can vary slightly by cart and by day)

Item	Price (TND)	Price (STEEM)
Merguez sandwich	8.0	21.12
Escalope sandwich	9.0	23.76
Beef/Kebab sandwich	9.0	23.76
Liver sandwich	7.0	18.48
Mixed (2–3 meats)	10–12	26.40–31.68
Mixed Royal (XL)	12.5	33.00
Kafteji (veg)	6.5	17.16
Cheese add-on	1.5	3.96
Egg add-on	1.0	2.64
Fries	3.0	7.92
Soda	2.5	6.60
Water	1.0	2.64
Tabouna bread option	+0.5	+1.32

Example builds:

• Merguez + cheese + egg → 8 + 1.5 + 1 = 10.5 TND → 27.72 STEEM.
• Mixed (3 meats) + cheese → 12 + 1.5 = 13.5 TND → 35.64 STEEM.
• Kafteji + fries + soda → 6.5 + 3 + 2.5 = 12 TND → 31.68 STEEM.

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Pro tips for your first visit

Arrive after 7 pm when the grills are in full voice and the selection widest; ask for peppers + onions as your base because their sweetness balances the salt of the meat, choose tabouna when you want aroma and chew and the long roll when you want ultra-crisp edges, say “harissa shwaya” for a friendly heat or “harissa barsha” for a proper kick, and remember that the setups are pork-free by default and wonderfully walk-and-eat friendly, so bring a couple of extra napkins and chase every last drop of sauce like it’s part of the recipe (because it is).

_{No table needed, just a warm sandwich, a handy bollard, and the city buzzing around you.}

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Participation & quick facts (table)

Field	Details
Google Address	https://maps.app.goo.gl/u112wW75eJ6J7GE47
Steem Atlas Pin	[//]:# (!steematlas 36.80934054 lat 10.17364532 long d3scr)
Best Time	Evenings from ~7 pm until late; liveliest Thu–Sat
Getting There	Taxi to “Bab El Khadhra”; ~15–20 min walk from Place Barcelone with multiple bus routes
Ordering	Choose meat (merguez/escalope/beef/liver), bread (long roll or tabouna), add cheese/egg, pick sauce level
Seating	Standing / street bollards; takeaway friendly
Hygiene Notes	Hot griddle, frequent scraping, fresh items visible behind glass
Typical Spend	8–12 TND (21.12–31.68 STEEM) per sandwich

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Thank you very much for reading, it's time to invite my friends @pelon53, @adylinah, @karianaporras to participate in this contest.

Best Regards,
@kouba01