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Chemâa — the tableDar Chemâa

The tables

Chemâa — the table

Algerian cooking at its most refined, one candle per table.

Book a tableSee the menu
The whole kitchen is halal.
Chemâa’s dining room: stone arches, dark oak, brass lamps and a candle on every table.

One table, one candle

Chemâa takes its name from the flame set on every table. Twenty tables under the moulded ceilings of the first floor, five windows on the bay, three alcoves, and eight seats at the pass facing the brigade.

Chef Nawel Mehenni cooks the Algeria she knows: her grandmother’s chorba clarified into a consommé, the chakhchoukha of Biskra, makrout rethought with Deglet Nour dates. The menu follows the market.

Dark oak table, hand-thrown charcoal stoneware, fine brass cutlery, a single candle.

The chef’s table, eight seats facing the pass, where chef Nawel plates a dish as Hocine looks on.

Opening hours

Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
19:30 – 23:00
Closed on Monday
—

During Ramadanat sunset – 23:30

During Ramadan the room opens at sunset for iftar, with a second seating at 9.45 pm after tarawih.

Smart dress

Behind the pass

The brigade in service

The kitchen on film, and over it the tickets as the chef’s screen shows them: orders sent, plates going out, allergies in red.

Tickets simulated by the demonstration from Chemâa’s real menu and Algiers time.

A service night at 21:00

46 covers expected, 8 already seated

  1. Table 06Mains, hot
    • Biskra chakhchoukha, seven-hour lamb shoulder, chickpeas
    • Fine rechta, chicken broth, glazed turnip, terfess
    9 min9 min left
Biskra chakhchoukha, seven-hour lamb shoulder, chickpeas, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

The tasting menu

« Les Hauteurs » in eight courses, « La Baie » in five, and the chef’s table at the pass: the whole evening, served to the whole table.

The tasting menu

On the plate

The plates the house shows first.

  • Bay sardines en escabèche, caraway and fennel, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    Bay sardines en escabèche, caraway and fennel

  • Chorba frik as a clear consommé, confit lamb, coriander, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    Chorba frik as a clear consommé, confit lamb, coriander

  • Flaky mhadjeb, confit tomato, terfess, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    Flaky mhadjeb, slow-cooked tomato, terfess (desert truffle)

  • Crisp bourek with brown crab, preserved lemon, mild harissa, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    Crisp bourek of brown crab, preserved lemon, mild harissa

  • Wood-grilled pepper hmiss, slow-cooked egg, Kabyle olive oil, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    Wood-grilled pepper hmiss, slow-cooked egg, Kabylie olive oil

  • Fine rechta, chicken broth, glazed turnip, terfess, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    Fine rechta, chicken broth, glazed turnip, terfess

  • Couscous of the sea, red mullet, saffron broth, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    Couscous of the sea, red mullet, saffron broth

  • Biskra chakhchoukha, seven-hour lamb shoulder, chickpeas, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    Biskra chakhchoukha, seven-hour lamb shoulder, chickpeas

  • Tlitli, roast squab, date jus, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    Tlitli, roast squab, date jus

  • Rack of High Plateaux lamb, cumin jus, honeyed carrots, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    High Plateaux rack of lamb, cumin jus, honey carrots

  • Locally caught sea bream, chermoula, braised fennel, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    Local line-caught bream, chermoula, braised fennel

  • Makrout reworked, Deglet Nour dates, orange-blossom honey, semolina ice cream, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    Makrout reimagined, Deglet Nour, orange-blossom honey, semolina ice cream

  • Tamina, dark chocolate, brown butter, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    Tamina, dark chocolate, brown butter

  • Mesfouf with raisins and citrus, almond-milk ice cream, served at Chemâa on the oak table by candlelight.

    Mesfouf with raisins and citrus, almond-milk ice cream

The menu

The names stay ours; beneath them, what you will find on the plate.

Indicative prices in dinars, VAT included.

Allergies and diets

Tick what applies to you: the menu hides or marks the dishes that do not suit you.

I am allergic to
I eat
Dishes that do not suit me

No filter: the whole menu is shown.

Starters

  • Bay sardines en escabèche, caraway and fennel2 000 DZD

    This morning’s sardines, filleted by hand and cured warm in a caraway and saffron date vinegar; shaved raw fennel, black olives and a thread of green oil. The port of Algiers on one plate.

    The chef’s signature

    • Gluten-free
    • Lactose-free
    • Fish
    • Sulphites
  • Chorba frik as a clear consommé, confit lamb, coriander2 400 DZD

    The soup of Ramadan evenings, clarified to amber and poured at the table over toasted frik, pulled lamb and a single coriander leaf. All of the perfume, none of the weight.

    The chef’s signature

    • Gluten
    • Eggs
    • Milk
    • Celery
  • Flaky mhadjeb, slow-cooked tomato, terfess (desert truffle)3 200 DZD

    The semolina flatbread of Algiers’ streets, folded into a hundred layers and gilded in butter around a tomato cooked down for hours. The terfess is shaved at the table, and the room smells of the steppe after rain.

    The chef’s signature

    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten
    • Milk
  • Crisp bourek of brown crab, preserved lemon, mild harissa2 900 DZD

    The Ramadan cigar made precious: the dioul leaf shatters at the bite, the crab is sweet and briny, lifted with preserved lemon. The harissa is only a caress.

    The chef’s signature

    • Gluten
    • Crustaceans
    • Eggs
    • Milk
  • Wood-grilled pepper hmiss, slow-cooked egg, Kabylie olive oil1 800 DZD

    Peppers blackened over embers, peeled warm and crushed with garlic; an egg cooked an hour at 64 °C that runs over whipped jben, toasted almonds and Kabylie oil, green and peppery.

    The chef’s signature

    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten-free
    • Eggs
    • Milk
    • Tree nuts
  • Tipaza sea urchins, chickpea cream, lemon (in season)3 100 DZD

    November to April only: the orange tongues of Tipaza sea urchins on a warm cumin chickpea cream, a zest of lemon and nothing else. The sea’s winter, by the spoonful.

    In season: November – April

    • Gluten-free
    • Lactose-free
  • Courgette dolma, veal, scented rice, tomato broth2 100 DZD

    An Algiers grandmother’s dish, made lighter: hollowed courgettes filled with veal, cinnamon rice and parsley, simmered in a clear tomato broth.

    • Gluten-free
    • Lactose-free
    • Eggs

Mains

  • Fine rechta, chicken broth, glazed turnip, terfess5 600 DZD

    The feast dish of Algiers: noodles fine as a hair, steamed and dressed in a white cinnamon broth; glazed turnip, chicken supreme and terfess in slivers melting into the heat.

    The chef’s signature

    • Gluten
    • Milk
  • Couscous of the sea, red mullet, saffron broth5 200 DZD

    The couscous of the eastern ports, rolled by hand: a saffron broth of rockfish, crisp vegetables and red mullet seared skin-side, pearly at the heart.

    The chef’s signature

    • Lactose-free
    • Gluten
    • Fish
    • Celery
  • Biskra chakhchoukha, seven-hour lamb shoulder, chickpeas4 900 DZD

    Rougag flatbread torn by hand as in the Aurès, drinking a red marqa of smen and sweet pepper; the lamb shoulder has cooked seven hours and comes away with a spoon.

    The chef’s signature

    • Spicy
    • Gluten
    • Milk
  • Tlitli, roast squab, date jus5 400 DZD

    The tiny tlitli grains of Constantine, cooked like a risotto in saffron broth; the squab roasted pink, its jus mounted with Deglet Nour dates and a drop of honey.

    In season: April – OctoberThe chef’s signature

    • Gluten
    • Milk
  • High Plateaux rack of lamb, cumin jus, honey carrots6 800 DZD

    Lamb from the Djelfa rangelands, raised on wild wormwood, roasted in a cumin crust and served pink; baby carrots glazed in mountain honey, a deep jus and one melting potato.

    The chef’s signature

    • Gluten-free
    • Milk
  • Local line-caught bream, chermoula, braised fennel5 800 DZD

    Line-caught between Boumerdès and Algiers, the bream is roasted whole on the bone, glazed with a bright chermoula of cumin and coriander; melting fennel, preserved lemon.

    The chef’s signature

    • Gluten-free
    • Lactose-free
    • Fish
  • Sea bass, Algiers fish broth, cumin rouille6 200 DZD

    The fishermen’s soup of La Pêcherie, reduced and saffroned, around a pearly fillet of sea bass; a rouille whipped with garlic and cumin for dipping bread.

    • Lactose-free
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Celery
  • Tajine zitoune, reimagined: chicken supreme, Kabylie olives3 500 DZD

    The olive tajine of Algiers Fridays in a chef’s hand: chicken roasted on its skin, a saffron sauce bound with butter, green Kabylie olives and golden almonds.

    • Gluten-free
    • Milk
    • Tree nuts

Desserts

  • Biskra dates, mint granita1 300 DZD

    A cool breath between main course and dessert: green-tea and mint granita scraped with a fork, Deglet Nour dates, a cloud of lben and pine nuts.

    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten-free
    • Milk
    • Tree nuts
  • Makrout reimagined, Deglet Nour, orange-blossom honey, semolina ice cream1 900 DZD

    The semolina diamond rich with smen, filled with date paste, baked and dipped in warm orange-blossom honey; beside it a toasted-semolina ice cream that tastes of grandmother’s makrout.

    The chef’s signature

    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten
    • Eggs
    • Milk
    • Sesame
  • Tamina, dark chocolate, brown butter1 900 DZD

    The toasted semolina, butter and honey that Algiers offers at a birth, pressed into a bar beneath a dark-chocolate ganache; brown butter and flaked salt.

    The chef’s signature

    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten
    • Soy
    • Milk
  • Mesfouf with raisins and citrus, almond-milk ice cream1 600 DZD

    The fine couscous of the pre-dawn meal, rolled in butter with plumped raisins and segments of Mitidja oranges; an almond-milk ice cream, cool as a July night.

    The chef’s signature

    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten
    • Milk
    • Tree nuts
  • Petits fours: kalb el louz, griwech, stuffed dates1 600 DZD

    To end by candlelight: a square of kalb el louz in orange-blossom syrup, a honey-dipped braid of griwech and a date filled with almond paste.

    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten
    • Eggs
    • Milk
    • Tree nuts
    • Sesame

These notes come from the kitchen’s recipe sheets. Always mention an allergy when you book: the brigade will see it on the ticket.

The room on a service night

A typical service at 21:00: a candle burns on every table still free. When you book, the plan is the one for the evening you choose.

The bay0102030405060708091011121314151617181920
  • Free (15)
  • Taken
  • Chef’s table
Choose your table on the plan
The tables, one by one
The tables, one by one
TableSeatsWhereTonight
Table 011 to 2 seatsWindow row on the bay, by the window, bay viewFree
Table 021 to 2 seatsWindow row on the bay, by the window, bay viewFree
Table 031 to 2 seatsWindow row on the bay, by the window, bay viewTaken
Table 041 to 2 seatsWindow row on the bay, by the window, bay viewFree
Table 051 to 2 seatsWindow row on the bay, by the window, bay view, quietFree
Table 062 to 2 seatsRoom under the archesTaken
Table 072 to 4 seatsRoom under the archesFree
Table 082 to 2 seatsRoom under the archesTaken
Table 092 to 2 seatsRoom under the archesTaken
Table 102 to 4 seatsRoom under the arches, accessibleFree
Table 112 to 2 seatsRoom under the archesFree
Table 122 to 2 seatsRoom under the archesFree
Table 132 to 4 seatsRoom under the archesFree
Table 142 to 2 seatsRoom under the archesFree
Table 152 to 4 seatsRoom under the arches, accessibleFree
Table 162 to 2 seatsRoom under the arches, quietFree
Table 172 to 4 seatsAlcoves, alcove, banquette, quietFree
Table 182 to 4 seatsAlcoves, alcove, banquette, quietFree
Table 194 to 6 seatsAlcoves, alcove, banquette, quietFree
Table 204 to 8 seatsChef’s table, at the pass, at the passChef’s table
Book a tableGive it as a gift card

A house, a flame, the bay.

Reach us

The heights of El Biar, Algiers
Above the ridge road, facing the bay

023 •• •• 19 12

bonjour.dar-chemaa@exemple.dz

Write on WhatsApp

Masked number and demonstration address. The conversation opens inside the demonstration; nothing is sent.

Hours

  • Front desk open day and night
  • Chemâa: dinner Tuesday to Sunday, 7:30 – 11 pm
  • Events sales: Saturday to Thursday, 9 am – 6 pm

Demonstration Demonstration — fictional hotel, restaurants and data. Designed by Algeria Agency. Dar Chemâa does not exist: the house, its rooms, tables, salons, characters, guests, reviews and documents are invented. Rates are indicative, no number can be called, and nothing is booked, charged or sent.

The people named in this demonstration are invented characters. Fictional character

The house’s identity DEMO

Dar Chemâa Hospitality LLC (DEMO) — Limited liability company — demonstration data. Share capital 50 000 000 DZD. Classification — « Five-star » classification — demonstration decision.

Trade register
DÉMO-16/00-1912000B21
Tax ID (NIF)
DÉMO-001916190012021
Statistics ID (NIS)
DÉMO-091216010019
Tax article
DÉMO-16012191
Tourism licence
DÉMO-LIC-TOUR-2021-0412
Photo credits

The photographs of Algiers and a few details are published under free licences; each is credited here, as its licence asks. The demonstration’s other images were made for it.

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