Our Story
How it began
Rooted in the Atlas Mountains
Tifinä Café was born from a simple longing — to recreate the warmth of a North African morning in the heart of Britain. Our founder grew up in the Kabyle region of Algeria, where the day begins not with a rushed espresso but with a slow glass of mint tea, shared stories, and the scent of msemen on the griddle.
She came of age during one of Algeria's most turbulent decades. The 1990s brought a brutal civil conflict — known as the Black Decade — that tore through cities and villages alike. Kouba and the wider Algiers suburbs became flashpoints of violence, and the coastal town of Jijel, nestled between the mountains and the sea, was among the regions that bore some of the heaviest losses. Families were displaced, silenced, or scattered. Many left. Some never came back.
It was in that aftermath — in the quiet that followed — that the rituals of the table became something more than habit. Sharing tea, breaking bread, sitting together: these were acts of recovery as much as nourishment. That spirit is what Tifinä was built to carry forward.
When our founder moved to London, she found herself searching for that feeling in every café she visited. She never quite found it. So in 2019, she opened Tifinä — named after the ancient Tifinagh script of the Amazigh people — as a place where the Berber tradition of hospitality, known as tawada, could be felt in every cup.
The name is a quiet act of pride. The Amazigh people — the indigenous people of North Africa — have carried their culture, language, and script across millennia. Tifinä is our small tribute to that endurance: a café that remembers where it comes from.
Amazigh heritage
The Spirit of Tawada
In Amazigh culture, a guest is never a stranger. Tawada — the tradition of generous, unconditional hospitality — shapes everything we do at Tifinä.
Tawada
The Amazigh tradition of hospitality — welcoming every guest as an honoured friend, with warmth, generosity, and unhurried care.
Amawal
The living word — the oral tradition through which Amazigh culture, recipes, and wisdom have been passed from generation to generation.
Tafat
Light — the golden quality of North African mornings that we try to bring into every corner of the café, from the warm tones of the décor to the glow of a fresh latte.
Tifinagh
The ancient script of the Amazigh people, one of the oldest writing systems still in use. You will find its glyphs woven throughout Tifinä as a mark of identity and pride.
The people behind Tifinä
Meet the Team
Our Founder
Founder & Head Barista
Born in the Kabyle region of Algeria. She trained as a barista in Paris before bringing her craft — and her grandmother's recipes — to London. She leads every morning shift and still makes the msemen by hand.
Head of Kitchen
Head of Kitchen
Our chef grew up between Algiers and Marseille, cooking in both cities before joining Tifinä at its opening. He sources ingredients from North African suppliers wherever possible and changes the light bites menu with the seasons.
Front of House
Front of House
The first face you see at Tifinä. Originally from the Algerian coast, she has a gift for remembering names and orders, and a laugh that carries across the whole café.