Restaurants in Africa
-
A
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),…
reviewed
-
Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse
If God were to top off the beauty of the Drakensberg with an artificial gourmet treat, Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse would be it. This luxury retreat is owned by renowned South African chef, Richard Poynton. Guests (a maximum of 24) enjoy a nightly six-course menu of quality produce prepared innovatively and accompanied by rich, creamy sauces. Each of the 11 rooms here is decked out in a theme – from Tuscan to garden – and features quirky touches, such as a picket fence bedhead and Boer memorabilia. The experience comes at a price, though, but this is the one place worth forgetting the wallet…and the calorie count. (As an exception, we have not listed high-season rates…
reviewed
-
B
Andrea
Take a trip to the country at this restaurant 1.5km north of Pyramids Rd on the west side of Maryutia Canal. At the entrance women pat out bread dough and tend the spit-roasted chicken the place is justly famous for. There’s little else on the menu aside from this and salads, but everything is slow-roasted, which gives you ample time to enjoy a few Stellas. Weather permitting, seating is in a large garden with playground equipment and a swimming pool that is great for the kiddies. But with greenery come mosquitoes, so lay on the repellent beforehand. A taxi from central Cairo should cost about E£25, or E£10 from the Pyramids/Mena House area. Make sure your driver doesn’t…
reviewed
-
C
Cubana
This is a self-described ‘Latino social cafe’ that is a popular and sophisticated spot in the heart of the 2nd Ave scene. The lengthy food menu offers lots of chicken and beef dishes with Cuban sauces; although, if you’ve spent time in Latin America you’ll know right away the taste is not quite authentic. Still, for the Free State, it’s pretty decent. In a semi-open-air, thatched-roof building, the vibe is Caribbean meets Victorian safari – think old school chandeliers, ornate, gold-threaded couches and hookahs.
reviewed
-
D
Cilantro
This popular, sparkling-clean cafe – part of a locally owned chain – does excellent Italian-style coffee and coffee drinks alongside exotic teas and fruit blends. Downstairs, order to go and grab a packaged sandwich, cake or salad from the open fridge; for table service head upstairs (smoky but with a couple of outside balcony seats). While some readers justifiably complain about the high prices and fairly indifferent service, Cilantro is beloved by locals as a bastion of peace and calm. There are other branches just about everywhere you turn: Zamalek, Heliopolis and Doqqi, to name a few. All offer free wi-fi, strong air-con and a stash of magazines and newspapers.
reviewed
-
E
Restaurant Mohammed
With an outdoor terrace and laid-back atmosphere, Mohammed’s is the perfect place to recharge batteries in the middle of a day exploring temples and tombs, or to linger in the evening. This is a family affair, the restaurant being attached to the owner’s mudbrick house; the charming Mohammed Abdel Lahi serves with his son Azab, while his wife cooks. The menu is small but includes meat grills, delicious chicken and duck as well as stuffed pigeon, served with fries and excellent simple salads. Stella beer is available (E£10) and Egyptian wine. They can organise a picnic in the desert or on a felucca upon demand. Call ahead.
reviewed
-
F
Sallam Restaurant
It doesn't look like much from the outside and actually looks worse inside but, believe it or not, it is a culinary gem. Here you can relish the Yemeni speciality of fresh fish sprinkled with hot pepper and baked in a tandoori oven. The fish, served with a chapatti flat bread, is served in two sizes: medium and big. It's absolutely superb! Ask also for the mokbusa, the traditional accompaniment made with honey, butter and either dates or bananas.
It's deservedly popular with holidaying Asmarans and gets crowded at weekends. While eating you'll be surrounded by plenty of cats expecting a tidbit.
reviewed
-
Lekgotla
Traditional huts are a big theme at this super-stylish Afro-chic restaurant. It has huge wood-and-canvas domed ceilings, like several interconnected super huts, with the odd table under its own individual dome of leather straps and metal. White lanterns hang from the ceiling and the staff match nicely in all-white outfits with the odd splash of print. Outside on the square are cushion-strewn sofas instead of tables, and the unisex toilets have a long wooden canoe as the communal sink. As for the menu? It draws influence from all over the continent – from Tunisian curries to steak marinated in Ethiopian coffee.
reviewed
-
G
Jewel of the Nile
Laura and Mahmud offer traditional Egyptian food using organic vegetables from their own farm, as well as well-prepared British food for homesick Brits including steaks, cottage pie, apple crumble and an all-day English breakfast (E£25). On Sundays a traditional lunch is served all day with roast beef and Yorkshire pudding (E£50), and on Saturdays and Wednesdays at 5.30pm there is a popular quiz night in aid of local charities. The menu features a good selection of vegetarian dishes. You can dine in the small outside sitting area or the air-conditioned interior dining room. Alcohol available.
reviewed
-
H
Restaurant Dinarjat
Stylish and the most elegant of medina restaurants, Dinarjat is a favourite with well-heeled locals and visitors alike. It’s set in a superb 17th-century Andalusian-style house at the heart of the medina, and has been carefully restored and decorated in a contemporary style but in keeping with tradition. The restaurant is an ode to the Arab-Andalusian art of living with its sumptuous architecture, refined traditional food and peaceful oud (lute) music. The tajines, couscous and salads are prepared with the freshest ingredients, using little fat, and are surprisingly light. Book in advance.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
I
Sqala Restaurant
Nestled in the ochre walls of the sqala, an 18th-century fortified bastion, this lovely restaurant is a tranquil escape from the city. The café has a rustic interior and a delightful garden surrounded by flower-draped trellises. No alcohol is served, but there’s a good selection of teas and fresh juices. It’s a lovely spot for a Moroccan breakfast (Dh70) or a selection of salads for lunch (Dh68). Tajines are a speciality (the goat tajine with argan oil being particularly good), but the menu features plenty of fish, as well as a selection of meat brochettes.
reviewed
-
J
Mat'am Obaya
This is the sort of place that Lonely Planet authors hesitate to include in a book for fear that they can't get a table next time they visit. It's small with no pretensions to luxury, but there's no finer seafood in Libya and all of it is home-cooked by the amiable Mohammed Obaya, who represents all that is good about old-style Libyan warmth and hospitality. The stuffed calamari is Mohammed's own creation, not to mention the tastiest restaurant dish you'll find in Libya.
The shola or faruj fish with sauce and couscous are not far behind.
reviewed
-
Cafés
The café tradition is one of the nicer things left behind in Maputo by the Portuguese, and the city's cafés have become somewhat of an institution. Most of the older ones have a staid feel to them, and the faded ambience and worn furnishings that you'd expect from places that have been around for decades, while the newer ones tend to be young and lively.
All serve a selection of tasty bolos (cakes) and light meals, plus café espresso and chá (tea), and make good spots for a break while walking around town.
reviewed
-
Restaurante Casa Pana
If you're driving and want to round off your hike with a memorable dining experience, continue for around 25km until you reach the pretty agricultural town of Vilaflor. Just off the lovely main square, flanked by handsome buildings, seek out Restaurante Casa Pana, run by the lovely Miryn in her grandmother's former home.
Each room is painted a different colour, while outside the tables are set under pomegranate trees and grape vines, an ideal setting for a long, leisurely lunch. The white wine is made here and excellent, as is the traditional cuisine.
reviewed
-
K
Dar el-Jeld
This is special from the moment you knock on the grand bee-yellow arched doorway, which opens onto an elaborate 18th-century mansion - it's like stepping into a lavishly decorated jewellery box. The magnificent dining room is in a covered central courtyard, with secluded alcove tables around the edge.
A good way to start is with the mixed hors d'oeuvres, then try delicious traditional Tunisian dishes such as kabkabou (fish with tomatoes, capers and olives), all accompanied by the twanging tones of the resident elderly musician.
reviewed
-
Kivulini Kitchen
This is a simple one-room place, run by a local women’s group, with profits going to a local women’s rights organisation. There’s an extensive menu, although not everything is available. Best is to ask what the day’s special is, and then enjoy the lovely garden area – also with a small children’s play area – behind while it’s being prepared. Or, to avoid a long wait, order in advance. It’s about 2km from town in the Isamilo section of town (Tsh1500 in a taxi, or a 20-minute walk).
reviewed
-
L
Bull & Bush Pub
The younger sister of the Bull & Bush Pub in Gaborone is jokingly referred to as the 'Bullet & Ambush' after someone was shot here on opening night (a long time ago).
Things have certainly quietened down since then, so you shouldn't worry about coming here. In fact, the Bull & Bush is probably the most popular haunt among ex-pats in town. The pub hosts a variety of regular events including their raucous quiz nights, and like its bigger sister pub, the Bull & Bush is your best bet for a thick steak and cold beer.
reviewed
-
M
A Taste of India
A small British-run Indian restaurant in neutral colours with plain wooden tables and chairs. On the menu are European versions of Indian dishes such as korma, masala sag (spinach) and jalfrezi (marinated meat curry with tomato, pepper and onion) dishes, as well as original Indian specials such as madras and vindaloo curries. For those not too fond of spice, a few international, read British, dishes such as steak and chips are available. The place is popular with expat Brits and vegetarians who come for spicy vegetable dishes.
reviewed
-
Dar Lahlou
Dar Lahlou is doing the seemingly impossible: serving upmarket couscous. Yet, it works. But then this isn’t just any old couscous. The family is from the Kabylie where they and women in surrounding villages still make couscous by hand, for which they won the gold medal for the best couscous in the Mediterranean in 2005, a source of national pride. If wheat couscous is hard to digest, try the barley, corn or rice couscous, though Dar Lahlou also serves tagines and roasts in a place that the owners have made look like home.
reviewed
-
N
Elizir
The best restaurant in town by far, this place was temporarily closed at the time of research, but will hopefully reopen soon. The Elizir serves a perfectly cooked mix of Moroccan and Mediterranean dishes with an innovative twist. The owner of this old house just off the main street is super-friendly, and loves to talk about where he found all the iconic 1950s and ’60s furniture he has collected from local junk markets. The decor is sublime, and if it were in London or New York, it would be voted the hippest place in town.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
O
Tanta Waa Coffeeshop & Restaurant
This super-chilled and creatively clad mudbrick cafe at Cleopatra’s Bath is the perfect place for a cool drink or tasty meal in between splashes in the spring. The food here is surprisingly good, with a small selection of salads, pastas, meat dishes and fruit smoothies. The lasagne alone, which follows a genuine Italian recipe, is worth the trip out here. Slung with hammocks and with a background of funky tunes (it also occasionally holds evening parties), it’s easy to while away an entire day at this haven.
reviewed
-
P
Planet Food
For homesick Americans, this Planet Hollywood imitator should do the trick. From the movie posters to the headshots of famous actors to the TVs playing movies and videos, Planet Food is all American. However, it's Tunisians who mostly come here, young people on dates and families enjoying the enormous menu at cheaper prices than the tourist traps. Pizzas, hamburgers, fish, chicken, salads, etc are served. Paella for two is delicious.
Until the kinks are worked out don't be surprised if the service is desultory.
reviewed
-
Q
Mohammed Ahmed
Under no circumstances should you miss this classic, the undisputed king and still champion of fuul and ta’amiyya, filled day and night with locals downing small plates of spectacularly good and cheap Egyptian standards. From the English menu, select your type of fuul ( iskandarani is good), add some ta’amiyya, and choose a few accompanying salads, such as tahini, banga (beetroot) or pickles – then, sit back and wait for the magic to happen.
reviewed
-
R
El-Mashrabiah
Excellent Egyptian food is served with formality at this intimate eatery. Located a few steps below street level, the dining room is further darkened by ornate carved panelling, deep leather banquettes and waiters dressed in sombre suits. Meat lovers will find themselves in seventh heaven: the kofta and tagen s (stew cooked in a deep clay pot) are good, as is the rabbit with molokhiyya and the duck with starchy taro root. But vegetarians don’t get much to work with. No alcohol is served.
reviewed
-
S
Le Chateau
Popular for serious steaks, Le Chateau is home to the Quality Cuts butchery, guaranteeing top meat. This place is absurdly fashionable among well-to-do Ugandans. The extensive menu favours French cuisine, and includes frogs' legs and snails, so if you are looking to indulge, this is a good place to do it.
Ice cream is very popular in Kampala and there are several parlours spread across the city. The best ice cream in Kampala is found at Le Chateau, but the location is inconvenient for a casual treat.
reviewed