Ask a Dakar native the place to search out the most effective meals, and so they’ll rapidly let you know in a liked one’s residence kitchen. However for individuals who aren’t from Senegal’s capital metropolis, there’s fortunately no scarcity of eating places serving homestyle cooking and delicacies impressed by teams from Central Africa to Western Europe which have left a cultural imprint on or established new houses within the coastal metropolis.
Definitely, there’s an abundance of excellent meals within the residence kitchens of Senegal’s capital metropolis. And when you’re fortunate sufficient to have a good friend on the town, you’d be hard-pressed to not get pleasure from do-it-yourself mafe, Senegal’s superb hen and peanut stew; thieboudienne, Senegal’s storied one-pot fish, tomato, and rice dish, which is a relative of jambalaya; or a platter of lamb enlivened with smoked paprika and Scotch bonnet chiles that will get the senses speaking. However in recent times, this world metropolis, residence to about 4 million individuals, has quietly carved out a stellar eating scene that’s produced among the world’s finest cooks—and finest restaurant meals.
“There’s this dynamic tradition of meals in Senegal that was once hidden in residence kitchens, however now you’re seeing it expressed in eating places all throughout Dakar,” chef Pierre Thiam informed me forward of my go to again to West Africa in June. Thiam is one in every of a number of Senegalese cooks who’ve introduced their residence delicacies to the US in revered eating places, together with Dakar NOLA in New Orleans and Thiam’s very personal Terenga in New York Metropolis. These establishments are undeniably impressed by quite a few West African girls who carried these foodways throughout generations. And whereas Senegalese cooks have launched among the nation’s one-pot masterpieces to tables throughout the US, cooks in Dakar are ensuring the most effective of Senegal’s delicacies may be present in eating places proper at residence, too.
Dakar’s signature flavors might be acquainted to anybody who’s ventured by the fast-paced streets of Lagos in Nigeria or traversed the purple roads of Accra in Ghana. West Africa’s many cuisines share an affinity for a handful of spices and substances reminiscent of purple palm oil, Scotch bonnet chiles, cloves, black pepper, and an array of pepper pastes starting from tomato-based blends to thick spreads spiced with habanero seeds. However Dakar, being the westernmost level of Senegal and the African continent, has developed culinary traditions all its personal, particularly with regards to fresh-caught seafood—the centerpiece of native delicacies.
Proper now, the meals in Dakar is pretty much as good because it will get—if you realize the place to search out it. Enter my good friend Cherif Mbodji, the operations director of Houston eating places Bludorn, Bar Bludorn, and Navy Blue, who took me on a culinary tour of his hometown. We ventured to piping-hot grills located within the sand alongside Senegal’s seashores, to top-tier eating places serving caldou, the warming fish and vegetable stew birthed within the nation’s southern Casamance area; and to dibi, Dakar’s omnipresent streetside barbecue ready by congenial distributors and now tailored on restaurant tables; and all over the place in between. Because of Cherif, my journey was crammed with taste, achievement, and abundance. With this information, I hope yours might be, too.
Thieboudienne, Senegal’s nationwide dish, is an unmissable order at this Cape Verdean family-owned restaurant. However why cease there? After mouthfuls of rice, cassava, fish, and spices that sing on the palate, contemplate the opposite home favorites: soupe kandja, spicy okra stew fortified by purple palm oil; and dibi, skewered items of grilled mutton rubbed in cayenne pepper, bouillon, and paprika. Caldou, southern Senegal’s nourishing fish stew, is served with the identical basil-hued condiment as the home thieboudienne: baguedj, a relish of puréed sorrel leaves mashed along with okra, fermented lentils, chiles, and lemon juice. To scrub all of it down, bissap, the indeniable West African and Caribbean staple made out of hibiscus flowers, tempers the dishes’ warmth—and helps you keep cool beneath the blazing solar, which shines by the excessive ceiling and quite a few home windows that encircle the constructing.
Because the earth revolves across the solar, Senegal’s delicacies revolves round seafood. Sitting alongside the Atlantic coast, Dakar has unfettered entry to the ocean’s bounty, together with large prawns, plump oysters, barracuda—you identify it. For an all-out Senegalese seafood feast, look no additional than Sunu Makane on Ngor Island (accessible through a 10-minute boat experience from the town middle), whose group hand-picks the best African dentex and white fish each day. The ocean creatures are marinated in spices for the home yassa, a dish with a spicy, citrusy mix of closely caramelized onions, Dijon mustard, and lemon that blankets a big piece of fish and served with rice. Catch the restaurant on a gradual day, and chances are you’ll be invited to cook dinner among the fish your self whereas overlooking the cerulean waters dashing throughout the westernmost level of the African continent.
The vibes are immaculate at Yokalounge, the standout vacation spot amongst a cluster of golf equipment and eating places. Yoka, which roughly interprets to “pay attention and heard” within the Bantu language Lingala, is a nod to the Congolese part of the menu, which options such nationwide masterpieces as madesu, a spicier model of the bean-and-pork French cassoulet; and makoso, an earthy pig’s trotter broth warmed with nutmeg and mace. Dim, moody lighting frames the house, which is brightened with West and Central African prints that stretch from the chairs to the DJ sales space. Order a cocktail (I really like the whiskey soul made with ginger, citron, and Jack Daniels) and dig into some saka saka, the saporous Congolese cassava leaf and spinach stew served with hunks of boiled cassava. Directly warmed by the gripping spiciness of habanero chiles and cooled with creamy, savory peanut butter, the peppery stew is the proper accompaniment for a DJ-led journey by the continent by means of rousing Afrobeats.
It’s unimaginable to not be wholly entranced by the wonder stemming from comfortable gentle bulbs, plant vines, and roses that lightly dangle from the ceiling at BOMA Restaurant & Membership. Vivid, spray-painted canvases and curious sculptures from native and worldwide artists reminiscent of Kheraba Traoré and Guaté Mao line the walkway, which overlooks a glowing pool that solely provides to the restaurant’s visible attract. A celebration of Dakar’s distinguished artwork scene takes priority right here: Count on to see millennials and college students from Cheikh Anta Diop College chatting concerning the newest artist on show on the resort’s weekly paint and sip occasions or whereas perusing the internationally pushed menu. Chef Louis Mendy satiates the group’s cosmopolitan tastes; tuna tataki and octopus with chimichurri are standouts picked up from his coaching in Geneva, and Mendy brings the menu proper again residence with a vegan mafe—one of many few meatless variations on the town.
Michel Calendini and his spouse, Hélène—of Corsican and Palestinian heritage, respectively—opened Restaurant Le Lagon 1 in 1956. Knowledgeable scuba diver, Michel was despatched to Dakar to assist within the development of a dike between Dakar and Gorée Island earlier than venturing into the world of restaurant possession and cementing his household’s legacy within the capital metropolis. Many locals view Restaurant Le Lagon 1 as Dakar’s early juncture into tremendous eating, and its repute for pomp and circumstance is matched with a permanent appreciation of kitschy design. The couple’s son, Cyril, particulars the restaurant’s legacy whereas serving to serve grilled swordfish and marlin, lobster-topped spaghetti, and essentially the most velvety uni alongside the coast. Tune into the eclectic proprietor’s accounting of the restaurant’s inside items—like an outdated diving swimsuit, a fishing boat that doubles because the bar, tables embellished with sand and shells, and illuminating blue lights reflective of the ocean—whereas dipping plump prawns into dakkhar (pronounced equally to the town’s identify), a candy and tangy tamarind condiment discovered on tables throughout city.
Come for the West African-influenced pastas, and keep for the aisles of paintings and regionally made furnishings (and a glass of wine, for good measure). This café-cum-market is thought for its Senegalese takes on world favorites like pastas and burgers (suppose spice-rubbed hamburger patties and tacky layers of lasagna amped up with chile pepper tomato paste), and restorative cocktails crammed with bissap and juiced baobab, a nutrient-dense fruit derived from the continent’s famed bushes that bear the identical identify. After consuming and consuming to your coronary heart’s content material, take a look at the opposite rooms, which home a co-working house, an artwork gallery spotlighting native artists, and a store for stocking up on culinary souvenirs reminiscent of pâte de tomates (tomato paste) and baggage of fonio, the continent’s oldest cultivated grain.
Household meals and group dinners are commonplace in Dakar, the place shareable one-pot rice dishes and humongous peppery fish stews take priority. And whereas La Cabanon doesn’t boast the identical assortment of native homey classics as among the different close by eating places, it does provide one of many quieter eating experiences on the town, with marvelous views besides. Nab one of many plush chairs on the restaurant’s huge patio, then select from a bevy of seafood dishes, together with wood-fired grouper, fried calamari served with sliced purple chiles, or comically giant paella dotted with shrimp, mussels, and cherry tomatoes—excellent for teams.
Italy and Senegal are inextricably linked by the inflow of Senegalese immigrants who made the European nation residence beginning within the Eighties. And whereas French delicacies nonetheless retains a big affect on the town’s eating panorama, Italian meals is the newest exterior delicacies to make waves throughout an more and more worldwide eating group. Contained in the boutique resort Seku Bi sits Il Pappagallo, an Italian eatery that attracts Dakar’s area people and vacationers alike. Faint lighting and comfortable music stage a romantic scene additional enhanced by home negronis and a treasure trove of worldwide liquors. Il Pappagallo boasts the town’s most strong Italian menu, together with regional plates reminiscent of seared octopus served atop creamy corn and candy purple onions, beef carpaccio with lemon juice and scallions, and a creamy risotto punctured with shells of pepper-rubbed crustaceans.
Garnering the respect of chef Pierre Thiam himself, and having hosted the likes of Senegalese musicians Daara J and Obree Daman and designer Maison Detta, this ultra-cool see-and-be-seen spot (popping dance flooring and all) delivers within the culinary division. Its Afro fusion plates communicate to Senegal’s rising repute for selling environmental sustainability with dishes that highlight native meat and seasonal produce. A part of the restaurant’s rising repertoire of experimental creations is grilled fish served with mashed plantains blended with butternut squash, coconut broth, and savory spices. The dance flooring, illuminated with multicolored lights beneath the floor, fosters conviviality throughout the spacious outside patio, the place dishes just like the ultra-spicy Ivorian kedjenou hen stew or generously seasoned lamb shank are finest loved.
From the identical homeowners as Alkimia, La Fourchette is an beautiful, interpretative restaurant that’s brightened Dakar’s eating scene for 31 years. The ivory white partitions have seen many visitors throughout its days: Senegal’s president Macky Sall, soccer participant El Hadji Diouf, singer Rihanna, and French president Emmanuel Macron, to call a number of. Remnants of the French presence in Senegal stay embedded within the restaurant’s identify and menu, which is residence to one in every of Dakar’s few preparations of chateaubriand—a heart-shaped filet of tenderloin that’s sliced and plated with creamed spinach. If on the town on Thursday night, swing by to get pleasure from reside music and peruse the home seafood menu. Think about the prawns submerged in coconut curry, and use the devilishly spicy alloco—Ivorian fried plantains—to take in the aromatic sauce.
What you see is what you get at Al Manara Sea Meals, which makes one dish a day and makes it properly. A gaggle of girls sure by interweaving threads of household and friendship run a decent ship at this roadside mainstay. You received’t see many vacationers right here (and also you’d do properly to not act like one), however you will notice the each day specials written on a big chalkboard that’s affixed to colorfully painted planks marking the doorway. My repeated visits again to this neighborhood locale included plates of nutty mafe; marinated hen smothered in that ubiquitous bathtub of buttery peanut sauce and a tear-inducing housemade Scotch bonnet sauce, an optimum—and elective for the much less spice-inclined amongst your group—condiment for a really correct meal on the locale.
Perched alongside the nation’s coast and that includes two tales of seating with postcard-perfect ocean views, this weekend sizzling spot is an area favourite amongst vigorous dance golf equipment and bustling eating places. Cheer on Senegal’s nationwide soccer group, Les Lions de la Teranga, on one of many large TVs whereas digging into (by now, you’ve in all probability guessed it) phenomenal seafood dishes reminiscent of fish yassa or gigantic fire-grilled prawns basted with impossibly spicy maquis sauce, a peppery marinade of habaneros, oregano, and vinegar. If nonalcoholic cocktails are your velocity, that is the place to attempt one: I really like the Dakar, made with mango and pineapple.
