African restaurants in Africa
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A
Carnivore
Vegetarians, please look away now. This is hands down the most famous nyama choma restaurant in Kenya. At the entrance is a huge barbecue pit laden with real swords of beef, pork, lamb, chicken, camel, ostrich and crocodile. As long as the paper flag on your table is flying, waiters will keep bringing the meat, which is carved right at the table.
reviewed
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B
Africa Café
Touristy, yes, but still one of the best places to sample African food. Come with a hearty appetite as the set feast comprises some 15 dishes from across the continent, of which you can eat as much as you like. The décor, different in every room, is fantastic. Bookings are advised and it’s closed on Sunday from June to October.
reviewed
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Joe's Beer House
Similar to Carnivore's in Nairobi, Joe's Beer House is a popular tourist spot where you can indulge in a game-meat-oriented evening meal (such as oryx, kudu, springbok, crocodile, zebra, eland) - with prolonged drinking until early in the morning. Sure, it's touristy, but there's a lot of fun to be had here, especially on a warm evening when you can kick back a few cold ones underneath a faux African hut. Reservations are recommended.
reviewed
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C
Moyo’s
The ‘Africa chic’ decor (Moroccan souq–style seating areas, African artefacts, candles glowing in alcoves) and entertainment (face-painters, musicians) of this busy chain is certainly crowd-pleasing, if a little touristy. Food here is pan-African with everything from Algerian chicken to Tanzanian fish curry and is good, if not exactly authentic. There’s also a top-notch wine list for oenoophiles.
reviewed
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Le Petit Bistro
Like much of Africa, steak is very popular in Uganda and this simple little restaurant cooks up some of the best meat in the city. Prices are pretty low and a selection of sauces is available. That's the good news. The bad news is that it can take as long as two hours for food to arrive, so be patient and let the drinks flow.
reviewed
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D
City Garden
A lunch buffet (Tsh8500; Monday to Friday) and à la carte dining, featuring standards such as grilled fish/chicken and rice. There’s a shady outdoor seating area, and it’s one of the few places in the city centre open on Sunday.
reviewed
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E
Restaurant des Combattants
A huge colonial building with a wide-ranging African menu featuring escargot, sauce feuille (manioc leaf sauce with beef tail, fish and crab) and other dishes not often found in sit-down restaurants.
reviewed
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F
Homestead
Arguably Windhoek's best restaurant, Homestead features a range of starters, salads, pasta, vegetarian dishes, fresh fish, beef and chicken dishes, as well as oryx, crocodile, fondues and a hunters' grill featuring zebra. The herbs and vegetables come from the restaurant's own garden and it's all served up in a pleasant outdoor setting. There's also an extensive selection of wines, liqueurs and cigars.
reviewed
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G
Tripolis Restaurant
Tasteful decorations, good food and uninterrupted views over Tripoli harbour make for a great dining experience on the fringes of the medina, off Souq al-Turk. Like many of the other new restaurants in the old town, the food is less inventive than enjoyable (ie you'll eat couscous or rice with soup and salad but they do it well), but we've no hesitation in recommending it for its ambience.
reviewed
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H
Canaan Restaurant
Just off Kampala Rd, the outdoor terrace here is popular for people-watching during the busy lunch hour in the city centre. Local businessmen and officials fill the tables, and drinking is just as popular as dining. The menu is limited, but if you need a quick steak or a roast chicken, it can deliver.
reviewed
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I
Chez Loutcha
Ignore the air-conditioned front room and head out back to the fan-conditioned garden, where the fountains embellish an aquatic theme. The Cape Verdean and 'Euro-Africaine' cuisine is excellent and comes in enormous portions, and there's often a griot playing the kora here as well.
reviewed
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J
Chef’s Pride
This long-standing and popular local eatery is within easy walking distance of the Kisutu budget hotels, and a Dar es Salaam classic, offering a slice of local life. The large menu features standard fare, plus pizza, Indian and vegetarian dishes, and even some Chinese cuisine.
reviewed
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K
La Palmeraie
This place is usually buzzing - but that's got to be due to the central location. It can't be the food, which is ordinary, nor the setting, which is gloomy. The service? Disgruntled. Still, for a quick bite in the centre of town it's a reasonable option.
reviewed
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L
Olympic Restaurant
Further south near the waterfront woodyards, the Olympic serves the usual favourites. It's less popular than its more central rivals, but no worse off for that. The owners are very friendly and it's a favourite with a slightly older crowd.
reviewed
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M
La Marmite
Here you can sample wonderful North and West African cuisine, including Algerian, Senegalese, Ivorian, Cameroonian and Nigerian dishes. This excellent restaurant deserves its popularity - bookings are advisable.
reviewed
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N
Ali Baba Snack Bar
Dakar's classic fast-food haunt keeps turning thanks to the undying love of the Senegalese. Serves the whole fast-food range: kebabs, shwarmas and other quick snacks.
reviewed
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O
Dona Fernanda
Hidden down a dirt road east of Estrada de Santa Luzia, Dona Fernanda serves up excellent Guinean dishes. Her bica (sea bream) is considered one of the best in the city.
reviewed
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P
Hapa Hapa Restaurant
Advocated vehemently by its regulars, this waterfront eatery is a bit more informal and African under its low thatch than your average.
reviewed
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Q
Athar Restaurant
Eat here at least once while you're in Tripoli. More than that, make it an evening meal so that you can sit at an outside table right next to the illuminated Roman-era Arch of Marcus Aurelius. Now that you're seated, order algarra with lamb or seafood. Cooked in a high-temperature oven with mint, basil, tomato and green peppers, it's a delicious traditional dish; soon enough, they'll be bringing a ceramic amphora, and breaking it open in front of you with a hammer.
Another good order is ozhe mergaz (Libyan sausages). It also does good salads, soups, couscous, tajeen (a lightly spiced dish of meat or fish cooked in a ceramic pot with a tomato-and-paprika-based sauce),…
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R
African Grill
African Grill is a wonderful place to sample African specialties like foutou (sticky yam or plantain paste), kedjenou (slowly simmered chicken or fish with peppers and tomatoes) and poulet yassa (grilled chicken in onion and lemon sauce). There's a different plat du jour every day, a delightful oasis of a dining area, friendly service, and a steady stream of regulars. They also do sandwiches and have a branch restaurant in the Musée National.
reviewed
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S
81 Steps
A new rooftop place at the Peninsula Seaview Hotel with sunset views over the water, cushions and throw pillows on the floor, and a set five-course menu (for maximum 16 guests) featuring Tanzanian-Arabian-Moroccan fusion cuisine (no forks – everything’s eaten African or Middle Eastern style). Advance bookings are highly recommended. Seating and traditional-style hand washing starts at 7.30pm and the meal itself commences at 8pm.
reviewed
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T
Mat'am al-Masabiyah
Particularly popular with well-to-do locals on Wednesday night, the service and food here are good and the food is tasty. The mixed grill is a highlight and for drinks you can choose from the masabiyah jamaica (a cocktail of 7-Up, Mirinda and Coke) or carcedy, a strong Sudanese drink made from leaves and served hot. It also does pastas of varying quality and for dessert, don't miss the mihallabia (rice with milk).
reviewed
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U
Mat'am al-Bourai
Above one of the liveliest thoroughfares in the medina, this bright and busy restaurant has basic décor, but excellent food. Its speciality is the delicious rishda (noodles with chickpeas and onions) and, for the more adventurous, osban (sheep's stomach filled with liver, kidney and other meat, rice and herbs, and steamed or boiled in a sauce), which is a Libyan favourite.
reviewed
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V
Chic Joint
One of our favourite new bar-restaurant discoveries, chic might not be the first word that springs to mind but grills, stews and nyama by the kilo should never go out of fashion. Fresh fish is delivered daily and the tilapia is generally excellent. The patio seating is separated from Uhuru Hwy by a thick hedge, with some sizeable speakers providing music in the evening.
reviewed
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W
Restaurant l'Entente
This simple restaurant has a wide-ranging menu of African and European staples, but it's a rare day that all menu items are available. Waiters are laid-back and friendly, but the best thing about this place are the street-facing tables on the veranda - a wonderfully chilled place to watch the streetlife of Bobo passing by. It's also one of the few restaurants to do breakfast.
reviewed