When BigChefs opened in Tripoli in the spring of 2023, it was the first restaurant from the Turkish cafe-brasserie group anywhere in Libya, and the first in Africa. A little over three years on, the Hay Al Andalus brasserie has become one of the highest-rated restaurants in Tripoli, with more than 700 Google reviews. This is a guide to what it is, what it feels like to eat there, and what to know before you go.
Where we stand: Globe Verifiers’ team manages BigChefs’ Google Business Profile. Every review mentioned here is a public Google review, and “more than 700 reviews” reflects the Google listing at the time of writing. We paraphrase what reviewers say rather than quote them.
In short
An all-day Turkish cafe-brasserie in Hay Al Andalus, built around a library lounge of bookshelves and Chesterfield sofas. In the reviews Google shows most prominently, the setting and the staff get the most praise. Go for a long breakfast, a relaxed dinner, or dessert and coffee with friends, and expect to pay more than you would at an everyday Tripoli cafe.
From Ankara to Hay Al Andalus
BigChefs began in Ankara in 2007, founded by Gamze Cizreli, and had grown into a cafe-brasserie group of more than 60 restaurants by 2023. The Tripoli branch is run by Alrafahiya International Services, part of the Akida Holding Group.
It launched on 21 March 2023 with a VIP opening ceremony attended by Abdoulaye Bathily, then head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, and five ambassadors. Doors opened to the public for a trial run on 12 April 2023, in the last ten days of Ramadan, serving iftar and suhoor until 2am.
The experience
BigChefs is built for lingering, and there are two moods to choose from. One room is bright through the day, with tables along tall windows onto the street and a brick fireplace wall framed by bookshelves. The other is the library lounge: dark shelving stacked with books, a chandelier, and Chesterfield sofas deep enough to lose an afternoon in.
BigChefs is open from 9am to 11pm (from 3pm on Fridays), so the same table works for a slow Turkish breakfast, a business lunch or a late dessert with friends.
What diners keep mentioning
Across the reviews Google shows most prominently on the BigChefs listing, two things come up more than anything else: the room, and the people working in it. The food draws more mixed opinions, and there are a few honest notes worth knowing before a first visit.
The room
One reviewer calls the design trendy; another describes the space as clean, comfortable and well organised, equally suited to a casual meal or a special occasion. The photographs show why: a library lounge of dark shelving stacked with books, with button-back Chesterfield sofas and armchairs under a chandelier, and a second room where a red-brick fireplace wall is framed by more bookshelves and tall windows look onto the street.
The service
The staff are praised in most of these reviews. One diner calls them welcoming, attentive and professional; another simply calls the service excellent. Even a more critical visitor, who found the room too busy for easy conversation, noted that the waiters were friendly and the food arrived quickly despite the crowd.
The food
BigChefs calls itself a cafe-brasserie, and the dishes listed on its profile read that way: a Turkish farmer’s breakfast or an acai bowl to start the day, then penne arrabbiata, beef quesadillas and grilled chicken pizza, and desserts that include chocolate soufflé with vanilla ice cream, tiramisu and double chocolate cake. Opinions on the food are more divided than on the room. One diner praised it as fresh, flavourful, generously portioned and well presented; another felt the quality fell short of the high prices, and a third found a burger overly sweet.
Worth knowing before you go
- It is not the cheapest meal in Tripoli. Several reviewers mention that prices sit on the higher side, so it suits a treat or an occasion as much as an everyday lunch.
- The food divides opinion. Some diners praise it; others are less impressed, and one felt the quality fell short of the prices.
- Peak times are lively. At its busiest the room can get loud, and service has been reported as slow. A weekday daytime visit is the calmer way in.
- Parking takes patience. The restaurant is on a busy main road, and parking nearby is limited.
- Friday is an afternoon opening. Doors open at 3pm on Fridays rather than 9am.
- Menus change. The dishes above are as listed on BigChefs’ profile. Check the current menu before you set your heart on something.
Where it is
BigChefs is on Gergarish Road in Hay Al Andalus, across the road from the Social Security Fund building. If you would like to see the room before you go, BigChefs has a 360-degree virtual tour.
The details
- Restaurant
- BigChefs — Turkish cafe-brasserie
- Location
- Gergarish Road, Hay Al Andalus, Tripoli, Libya — across from the Social Security Fund
- Hours
- Saturday to Thursday, 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM · Friday, 3:00 – 11:00 PM
- Phone
- 091 782 1111
- Opened
- March 2023 — the first BigChefs in Libya and in Africa
- Virtual tour
- 360-degree tour of the restaurant
- Google reviews
- Current score and reviews on the Google listing
The bottom line
BigChefs has earned its place among the highest-rated restaurants in Tripoli for reasons that are easy to see on a visit: a beautiful room and friendly, attentive staff. The food divides opinion more, and the prices make it more of a treat than a habit. Come for the library lounge, and stay for dessert.
Eaten at BigChefs recently? Leave a Google review and help the next diner decide.
Opening details: Libya Herald, 25 March 2023, and BigChefs’ own Google Business Profile post announcing the 12 April 2023 trial opening. Group background: Dünya, April 2023. Review themes paraphrase the reviews Google displays most prominently on the BigChefs listing; they are a sample, not a summary of every review. Dishes are as listed on BigChefs’ Storified profile; the review count, hours and phone are as listed on Google at the time of writing. Photographs: BigChefs Libya. Disclosure: Globe Verifiers manages BigChefs’ Google Business Profile.