Travel Through Time at the Oldest Taverns in MENA

CairoScene

16-06-2025

Pull a stool and fill your stein with fine, ice-cold ale, we're taking a look back at some of the MENA Region's oldest bars.
The first taverns in the Middle East weren't the kind of places you'd casually stroll into for a cocktail. Thousands of years ago, beer halls in Mesopotamia were often dark, windowless rooms where workers gathered to drink barley brews ladled from enormous clay jars.
Over time, the idea of the bar evolved—from modest drinking dens to opulent lounges—and in cities across the MENA region, history is still being poured into glasses every night.
These bars have survived wars, shifting politics, and changing tastes, yet their doors remain open. Some are grand, others unassuming, but all have stories worth raising a glass to.
Here's a look at some of the oldest drinking spots in the region.
Cave Bar, 1960s
📍Wadi Musa, Jordan
Before the Romans, before the Ottomans, before almost everything else that shaped the modern Middle East—there was Petra. And within its ancient rose-red rock sits the Cave Bar, housed in a 2,000-year-old Nabatean tomb.
It's hard to beat the feeling of drinking amid stone-carved walls that have been standing since the first century, their surfaces lit by flickering candles and the soft glow of lanterns.
By day, it's a stop for weary tourists exploring Petra's wonders. By night, it becomes something else—a place for laughter and clinking glasses.
Tarihi Cumhuriyet Meyhanesi, 1890s
📍Istanbul, Turkey
Opened the same year the Turkish Republic was founded, this Istanbul meyhane has seen it all. The walls, covered with old photos and tobacco-stained memories, have heard countless toasts over plates of grilled fish and meze.
Intellectuals, poets, and politicians have all passed through, their voices rising over glasses of raki.
It's the kind of place where conversations last for hours and where tradition is part of the fabric of the place.
Le Churchill Bar, 1923
📍Marrakesh, Morocco
Winston Churchill didn't just paint the gardens of La Mamounia—he also drank here. In fact, the prime minister loved this Marrakech hotel so much that they named the bar after him.
Le Churchill is all about dim lights, deep leather armchairs, and an air of old-school glamour. The drinks are stiff, the service impeccable, and the sense of history undeniable.
Estoril, 1950s
📍Cairo, Egypt
There's something about Estoril that makes it feel like it's been around forever. Maybe it's the dim lighting, the creaky chairs, or the quiet hum of conversations that seem to have never stopped.
Found deep within the labyrinthine streets of downtown Cairo, it has long been a haunt for journalists, artists, and thinkers looking for an unpretentious spot to unwind.
The food is simple but reliable, the drinks steady, and the atmosphere—well, that's something you can't manufacture. You either have it or you don't, and Estoril has it in spades.
The Barrel Lounge, 1950s
📍Cairo, Egypt
Tucked away in the heart of Cairo, within the timeless walls of the Windsor Hotel, the Barrel Lounge exudes an old-world charm that whispers stories of a bygone era.
Established in the 1950s, this intimate haunt, with its dimly lit corners and the soft hum of jazz, has been a sanctuary for those who seek the elegance of a slower time.
The air is thick with the scent of aged whiskey and the echo of late-night conversations, where Cairo's intellectuals and dreamers once gathered. In every clink of a glass, the Barrel Lounge preserves a piece of history, inviting all who enter to savor not just a drink, but a taste of nostalgia.
The Garden Bar, 1900s
📍Istanbul, Turkey
Some bars feel like an escape from the world, and The Garden Bar is one of them.
Hidden behind a curtain of trees, it's a place where people come to disappear for a few hours—just the sound of clinking glasses, occasional laughter, and the strumming of a guitar.
It's not the kind of bar you stumble into by accident; you come here because you know about it. And once you do, you'll find yourself returning, because places like this—easy, effortless, and timeless—are harder to find than they should be.
Spitfire Bar, 1880s
📍Alexandria, Egypt
Step inside Spitfire and you'll feel it immediately—that smoky, no-frills magic that only comes with age. Tucked in a side street just off Alexandria's once-glamorous Corniche, this bar has been around since the 1880s, opened by a Greek settler when the city still swayed to a Mediterranean rhythm.
The walls are plastered with dusty memorabilia: vintage currency, faded flags, postcards from eras long gone. The same family has run it for generations, pouring drinks for everyone from expats and artists to old sea captains and wandering diplomats.
It's not trying to be cool. It just is—by accident and by history.
Baron Hotel Bar, 1910s
📍Aleppo, Syria
Built in the twilight of the Ottoman Empire, the Baron Hotel is a relic of another era—and its bar, tucked within creaking corridors and faded grandeur, carries the weight of the 20th century on its shoulders.
Here's where Agatha Christie supposedly wrote parts of Murder on the Orient Express. Where Lawrence of Arabia signed in under his real name. Where Arab leaders once sipped strong drinks and made quiet declarations.
The war may have scarred Aleppo, but the Baron endures—part ruin, part legend. To have a drink here is to touch the pulse of a city that refuses to forget its past.