There are Lavishly Palatable African Restaurants that People have not Heard of Yet
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Africa?” I bet some of you still think that it’s a place where primitive black people live in a third world country or jungle or wilderness; however, about more than 50% of the African continent has been westernized by the Europeans since the time of the Roman Empire. It was the Carthage who first colonized Northern Africa at the height of their rivalry with the Romans, but Egypt was already well-established since the time of Alexander The Great and so are other northern countries in the African continent. At the end of the British occupation starting 1910 South Africa (country) started to declare independence from the United Kingdom and by 1961 they formally became a democratic republic. The 10+ countries that make up Southern Africa today have booming economies and they even have celebrity chefs now that are just as prominent as their western counterparts.
But let’s see what the customers have to say about African restaurants.
La Table du Chateau
The small island nation of Mauritius which is close to another island nation in the Indian Ocean called; Madagascar, is a tropical paradise that attracts a lot of foreigners. Its 790 square miles land area makes access to public places fairly easy and its low tax jurisdiction help foreign retirees and pensioners increase their income and not worry about their expenditures. Mauritius currently has a population of over 1.3 million with 4 ethnic groups dominating it namely Indian 68% (makes sense as India has a strong economic ties with the country), African 27%, Chinese 3% and mixed nationalities of white people about 2%. As you can see Mauritius is seemingly a culture basin also around the Indian Ocean and so it’s no surprise to find great African restaurants and fine delicacies here. For example, the La Table du Chateau Restaurant is famous around the world which sits at the heart of the country!
Italian Chef Fabio de Poli, who has over 20 years experience in the culinary arts, is the master of the kitchen in this restaurant. You’ll enjoy luscious Italian food here such as the Curry de poisson aux epices doux facon Grand-mere et bringelles, Selon la maree, choisissez votre poisson et son mode de caisson and Souris d’ agneau braise au vin rouge Bordeux. This humble Mauritius restaurant has already gained some popularity on TripAdvisor (over 500 votes) and might soon get recognized by award-giving bodies as well. If you’re ever in the country, I highly recommend that you dine at La Table du Chateau Restaurant and you’ll certainly enjoy their menu!
The Pot Luck Club
This prestigious restaurant in Cape Town, South Africa is a favorite among tourists as it has already gained 1,777 positive reviews on TripAdvisor. So far everyone’s saying that the food taste great here and the service is amazing too! Judging from their menu it’s hard to argue that they’re not the premiere restaurant in town, that’s because they are. I mean, just imagine yourself in The Pot Luck Club being treated with a variety of their food selection like the pot luck club fish sliders, crispy calamari, beef tataki, smoked beef fillet with black pepper and truffule café au lait, shredded confit duck leg and so many others. You’ll certainly be taken aback with the rich offering from their Chef, Luke Dale-Roberts as well as the warm and friendly restaurant staff, who as customers put it, “…very well received and made to feel welcome immediately.” Chef Luke Dale-Roberts’ culinary prowess has certainly put The Pot Luck Club Restaurant on the map! This truly is one of the best African restaurants.
Istanbul Kebab and Shawarma Restaurant
Shawarma and Kebab has taken the world by storm! This Turkish food phenomenon started gaining traction around 2008 in Asia as far as I can tell from personal experience, and have spread worldwide due to its amazing taste. It’s no coincidence also that the Istanbul Kebab and Shawarma Restaurant that recently opened in Johannesburg, South Africa became known to many locals and tourists there. The restaurant has 13 different cuisines in their menu plus some side dishes and soups including the beef adana kebab (spicy), lamb cubes kebab, beef Shawarma (doner) kebab, chicken fillet kebab, red lentil soup with a splash of fresh lemon juice and more! Chef Burhan, a Turkish national, has been a long-time chef too, but he likes to cook Turkish delicacies more than any other dishes, and although the Istanbul Kebab and Shawarma Restaurant only has a meager 15 TripAdvisor reviews from customers, 74% of the respondents gave it a “very good” feedback. Not bad for a specialty restaurant! This is why we featured it here among the great African restaurants on this list.
Byblos Restaurant
Remember that city that Alexander the Great named after himself? Well, it’s all flourishing now and bustling with crowds and commercial buildings, and if you ask me, Alexander would have loved how his city Alexandria has developed. The one thing you will like about this city is its bay and the Mediterranean cuisine, which brings us to the topic of great restaurants and if there are any in Alexandria. Well, the answer to that question would most definitely be Byblos Restaurant! Not to be confused with Byblos City in Lebanon (Jubayl in Arabic) this restaurant sports a high-end Middle Eastern fare which entices you to a leisurely dinner in a warmly elegant environment accented by an art glass chandelier and a crackling corner fireplace. Their menu is sure to impress with cuisines such as the cheese samboussek – fried dough filled with feta cheese, chicken cream soup – chicken, cream and broth, shrimp harra sauce – marinated prawns with tomato-chili sauce served with seafood rice and more delicacies to explore.
The restaurant sure has an excellent reputation with great reviews from industry experts to customers alike. And if it were up to me, I’d give them the Michelin star which they truly deserved. If you’re planning to visit Alexandria, Egypt any time soon, then do check out Byblos Restaurant and enjoy your meal from one of the finest African restaurants in the area.
K’Osewe Ranalo Foods
Okay, so far all of the restaurants that I’ve mentioned above have very little true African cuisine in their menus, so this time let us discover K’Osewe Ranalo Foods! This restaurant is located in Nairobi, Kenya and while it may not necessarily feature all of Africa’s recipes, it does showcase some of the most recognizable Kenyan cuisines. A few favorites among local Kenyans and tourists include the ugali and sukuma wiki combo, where the ugali (a bread-like delicacy made from flour) is treated as the carbohydrates and the sukuma wiki which is made from fried kales, tomatoes and onions would serve as the viand. It’s just like the mash potato for Westerners and rice for Asians. Other dishes include the mutura, pilau, Kenyan chapati, mukimo, matoke, nyama choma, irio, githeri, maharagwe, mandazi and baja. K’Osewe Ranalo Foods is not yet on the radar of western folks, but a lot of foreign tourists find this place amazing. It won’t be long before it will be included in the list of excellent African restaurants and we hope you’ll come visit some day.
