African Culinary Delights Outside of the Continent

African food is just as diverse as its people. Several African restaurants earned their fantastic reputation internationally, attracting foodies from around the world who love to spoil their taste buds with new flavours and broaden their palates.

Join us for a little African culinary adventure around the world!

Abyssinia – Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abyssinia is the ancient name for Ethiopia and, since 1995, is also the name of a restaurant in the heart of the Netherlands’ capital. This cosy restaurant is located in Oud-West and offers a real taste of Eritrean food. All dishes are authentic: the restaurant's range of 20 dishes (10 of which are vegetarian) are generally well seasoned with unique spices and herbs. In Abyssinia you don’t find cutlery on your table, you eat using sponge bread and your fingers.

Also a diverse range of drinks are imported from Eritrea and Ethiopia; favourites include banana beer (Mongozo) or honey wine (Mès).

Ethiopian jazz from the 1930s, or traditional African music are adding to the atmosphere most of the evenings. The venue can seat only up to 40 people, so make sure you make you book well in advance.

Botswana Butchery - Queenstown, New Zealand

When visiting Queenstown, New Zealand, you've got to treat yourself to a food experience in the Botswana Butchery. This luxurious restaurant is located in the historic Archer’s Cottage and offers an incredible lake view. It became popular immediately after its opening in 2008 and is consistently rated as one of the best dining places in New Zealand.

The executive chef and owner, Botswana born Leungo Lippe, offers a wide range of rare, wild animal meats and seafood. Get yourself ready for some serious dining, with 450g prime whole rib or decadent lobster claws. You can choose between pan-fried or wood fired options, as the logs are burning all year long and the scent of wood smoke attracts hungry visitors from far away.

The restaurant gained such a prestige that it became a part of Good Group’s premium restaurant brands. Lippe also opened a second restaurant in Auckland.

Kiza – Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The vibrancy of pan-African cuisine is captured in the casual restaurant named Kiza, which you will find in the Dubai International Financial Centre. On the menu you can discover a variety of popular dishes, which represent the whole continent, including Sudanese tamiya, Ethiopian dulet, West African gizzard, Senegalese chicken or typical South African boerewors.

Kiza was established in 2012 and consists of a restaurant, lounge, bar, private dining area and cigar lounge. It offers a multi-sensory experience and besides delicious meals, Kiza offers a choice of dazzling entertainment with top DJs, live music, fashion and art. The owners of Kiza have since expanded beyond the borders of UAE to Nairobi, Kenya.

Mama African Restaurant – Seoul, South Korea

Nestled in the centre of South Korea’s capital, this tiny restaurant brings locals the best of traditional Nigerian cuisine. You can choose from genuine dishes to African street foods like cassava, yams, pan fried plantains, goat meat soup, fish curry and meat stews with white or Jollof rice. The most popular item on the menu is egwusi, a unique dish made with ground melon seeds. The restaurant is budget-friendly, too, with many affordable dishes costing on average $8.

Waly-Fay – Paris, France

This chic yet laid-back Parisian restaurant focuses on West African specialities.

 “Trendy, excellent, cosy, superb, hidden gem, good vibes, fashionable, must-try, wonderful, intense blast of flavours, brilliant food and wine” The reviews of this restaurant are nothing less than raving. 

The menu is impressive indeed, boasting fish pestels, pepe fish soup, cod accras, yassa chicken, pickled shellfish and many many more.

You find Waly-Fay conveniently in the city centre, 6 rue Godefroy Cavaignac, just by the famous Opera Bastille.

Pero Restaurant and Lounge – Toronto, Canada

North America’s number one African restaurant is Pero, in Toronto city. Pero is a sleek eatery decorated with woven bamboo, East African pottery and carvings.

Pero serves mostly Eritrean and Ethiopian fusion dishes full of the typical flavour complexities. They mainly specialize in healthy vegan and gluten free foods, but the menu also contains plenty of meat and fish dishes.

Their motto is: “Food is best when shared and eaten with your hands!”