A Foodie's Guide To The Flavours Of Ghana

Ghanaians love food. This is evident in our large portions, the plethora of street food on every corner and with every hawker. Here are some of the best food experiences you should be sure not to miss on your next visit.

Ghana’s new flavours

Little Havana is the newest kid on the Accra block and it is worth the wait. Exclusively sponsored by Havana rum, this is West Africa’s first Afro-Latino-inspired street food restaurant. Located in an old colonial house painted in Cuban colours, it offers a full Cuban menu that includes roast pork and tostones, as well as other Cuban dishes made with local ingredients with a Ghanaian twist.

On the majority of weekends you will find a food fair or outdoor market, which is a haven for amateur and small-scale businesses to showcase their treats and delicacies, from tasty versions of jollof to desserts and chocolates. There’s something for everyone.

Tuck into the best of traditional Ghanaian cuisine and regional delicacies

With so many tribes, there are many different types of traditional food to tuck into. Some of the most popular are soups, such as groundnut, palm nut and okro, eaten with varied starch balls, such as sweet-tasting fufu, or smooth and sour banku. Other popular dishes are kenke, the spiced plantain called kelewele, and the bean-and-rice-based dish called waakye. Street food, such as roasted plantain eaten with nuts and fried yams with pepper dip, are also popular and in the coastal areas you’ll find all kinds of prawns and oysters sold on spears, as well as other seafood.

Regional dishes can be found as you journey around the country, such as abolo (a steamed and sweetened corn dumpling) in regions where the Krobo tribe are based, and tuo zafi (a light, millet ball) in the northern region. Lots of this fare can be sampled at Buka or Country Kitchen, both popular lunch spots, and, if you can’t decide what to try, go for the buffet at Azmera Restaurant and sample a little of everything.

Be surprised at the authentic international cuisine on offer

A number of international communities have migrated to Ghana over time and have opened highly rated restaurants. Simret Ethiopian restaurant is a small, six-table establishment that runs a selective and incredible buffet four nights a week. Reservations are essential. Some of the best Thai can be had at the only (slightly larger) establishment of Zion Thai in the popular enclave of Osu.

South Indian flavours, including dosas, can be found at Salt and Pepper, while at Tema you will find scores of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Korean restaurants (as well as casinos), in this port city that’s had a large Far East Asian influx in the last few years. Japanese fine dining is at its best in Santoku, from the team behind the world-famous Nobu chain.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.