When you think about the top food cities of the world and the world’s most exciting cuisines you may conjure images of Thai food in Bangkok, Pasta in Rome, or Peking duck in Beijing. On the African continent, you might think of amazing cuisines such as Ethiopian, or seafood in Algeria or even cheap steaks in South Africa, but one place that doesn’t usually spring to mind is Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
Finding information on where to eat in Malabo for the average traveller is few and far between so here is our guide on where to eat in Malabo.
To start off, local Equatoguinean food is not for everyone. Food in this region can be very fishy and might be a little hard to stomach for some. Barbecue foods in this region are amazing, however unfortunately, Malabo doesn’t have as much of a local food scene as you can find in nearby neighbouring cities such as Douala, Yaounde, or Libreville. If you find yourself looking for somewhere to grab a bit here are our recommendations.
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Senegalese
Restaurant Senegalais
There is a great little ‘hole-in-the-wall’ place in downtown Malabo that offers cheap plates of rice and chicken and Senegalese specialities such as jollof rice and yassa poullet. This is a great cheap option for those on a budget. Just be aware they usually sell out early.
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Ethiopian
Now this place is not marked properly on Google maps but you can find it on
Calle del Presidente Nasser
close to the corner of
Avendida de las Naciones Unidas.
Here you can find the usual Ethiopian specialities as well as the big sharing plates both with meat and vegetarian for around 6000 to 7000 CFA per person. They also do a delicious dorro wot and tibs. It does take them some time to prepare so you may want to go an order ahead if you are in a time crunch. The staff here speak Amharic and Spanish, but have limited English like most places in Equarotial Guinea.
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Lebanese
Like with most of this part of the world you can find a thriving Lebanese community. If you are looking for a change from African cuisine you can head to a place called
Restaurante y Caniciera Cocoteros S.L.
Here you can find good Lebanese food such as shawarma, mezze and other dishes such as fried chicken. As soon as you enter the restaurant you will smell the slight smell of shisha which will instantly transport you to Beirut. If you really want you can even get an Almaza beer to truly transport you to the bar street of Mar Mikhail.
4. Chinese
Just like the Lebanese community, there is also a bustling Chinese community found dispersed across this region. Malabo has a bunch of Chinese restaurants that will also offer something different to local cuisine. There are a few restaurants in the city, but our favourite was AC Chinese Restaurant located on
Paseo de los Cocoteros
close to
Supermercado Martinez Hermanos.
You can find a range of good quality and good-priced Chinese food such as dumplings for about 3000 CFA and a plate of noodles for 5000 CFA. Other main dishes go up to around 8000 CFA. Chinese food overall in Equatorial Guinea is one of the quicker meals you can find in the country just in case you’re in a hurry.
5. Local and mixed food
If you’re looking for more local African dishes there is a place called Café Malabo that offers some good delicacies such as Peanut stew with meat. They also offer decent pizzas and if you order a hamburger you will get two on a plate so you could easily share a portion. Prices are reasonable at about 8000CFA a plate.
There are of course, many more options in Malabo, however these are out choices for budget friendly, with decent service and good quality food.
If Malabo is on your bucket list, then why not come explore it with us on one of our Equatorial Guinea tours. For more information, check out our tours here on our website and to sign up, send us an email to [email protected] .