Niamey

Fast Food de L’Année

Delicious hamburgers for 800F or teazburgers cheeseburgers for 1400F. Probably the best burgers stuffed with fries in town. They also have egg burgers for the vegetarians, fries, omelets, tuna burgers, and lots of other stuff including soft drinks. There are two locations: 1) Take a taxi to “Centre Cultural Oumarou Ganda”, north of the Grande Mosquée. From there, walk north towards the yellow Sonitrav sign and look for their shop on corner of the next crossroads; 2) Take a taxi to Rond Point Grand Hotel and they are on the west side of the round point on the road that heads down to the Kennedy Bridge.

Le Bar Snob

Delicious and cheap food. Run by a woman of Asian descent. Call ahead the day before and order the Chinese soup 20.73.24.83. Ask a taxi for “Pharmacie Inikwara” and then walk north for half a block. Look for the big cement swan planters out front.

Grande Marché Hide-away

From Grande Marché’s Porte Principal main entrance, head away from the marché. On your left, tucked in amongst other shops and hidden behind a bunch of street vendors, you’ll see a yellow-painted building with the Flag beer sign. Once you go in they have an enclosed shaded courtyard with wooden booths and tables. They have beer and cokes, and plenty of street food sellers are right outside for various food options.

Baobab Senegalese Restaurant

Favorites include sauce d’arachide peanut sauce for 800F including beef more for chicken or fish, yassa onion-based Senegalese specialty with veggies and meat for 800F including beef more for chicken or fish and spaghetti-poisson spaghetti and fish for 2000F. They also have good bisap sweetened hibiscus leave drink for 200F/small bottle. By some accounts, the best Senegalese food in Niamey. Good place to go if you are in the neighborhood of either Grande Marché or Petite Marché.

Maquis Africa Queen

Amazing food cooked by a sweet Cameroonian lady, plus cheap drinks, tucked away off the street. Ask what she has available for the day as the menu is flexible and the things that she has prepared for the day might not even be on the menu. Try the Soupe de Viande ou Poisson, an incredible meat soup with a Thai lemongrass flavor. Other delicious plates are the Eba with sauce feuille manioc fufu with a chapata topping that tastes like sautéed spinach, Eba with Ndole sauce salty but good, and Riz Cantonais. Again, some of the above are not on the menu – ask for them or ask what she has available that day. There is also delicious steak with sautéed veggies, plus other basics like fries, petit pois, mixed salad, and aloco plantains, when in season. Take a taxi to Rond Point Maourey. If you are facing the hotel, walk ½ block along the street that runs left of the hotel.

Restaurant Atlantique aka Ziggy’s

Take a taxi to “Hotel Sahel”. Stop the taxi before he turns into the hotel. Walk 20 feet further down the road east and turn into the Piscine Olympique. Walk through the empty sandy lot, greet the friendly guardian on his pedal bike, walk behind the often-empty Olympic pool but if it’s open you can go for a swim for 1000F, and into the restaurant. Food and drinks are ordered separately and come on separate bills. Cokes are 300F, conjunctures small Bière Niger are 600F. Food options are brochettes steak – say “filet”, merguez – beef sausage, tongue, liver, and kidney for 250F, French fries, peas, green beans, and when in season, fried plantains – each of these plates is 1000F. They also have a tasty salad at your own risk, ½ chicken, or full chicken. Great place to take newly-arrived visitors for sunset because of the unbeatable view.

Restaurant Liberté

Take a taxi to Rond Point Liberté. Start walking in the direction of the Stade, and it is there on the right. It is run by a nice Sudanese guy who speaks English. The prices he gives you in English are in Nigerian naira – so you need to multiply the price by 5 to arrive at the price in CFA. For instance, if he says 200F, it is really 1,000F. Anyway, they have delicious steak, fries, salad, rice and sauce, etc. Nice place to go after a shopping trip to Grande Marché.

Le Gawlo senegalese restaurant

Serves excellent senegalese dishes not the fatty, oil-saturated dishes that you often find for 1500F, They also offer a range of natural juices like bissap, jus de baobab and ginger for 250F a glass.

Le Djinkounme

Great atmosphere, with dining outside or in a small hut. Food from all over western Africa. The menu has good descriptions, and the waitress helps you with your order to make sure you’ll like your meal. Excellent brochettes. Right off Chateau Un on the same road as the BraNiger outlet, heading north.

Byblos

Lebanese Cuisine. Take a taxi to "Pharmacie Yantala." This inviting restaurant offers the best in Lebanese fare. The mezzé is the meal to order: it’s a sampler platter of taboulé, hummus, baba ganouj, meat pies and other Lebanese delicacies for 10,000F -- split it between 2-3 people. The falafels and chawermas are also very tasty. Service is friendly and efficient.

Le Damsi Continental

Breakfast, lunch and dinner. A favorite among the expats because of its extensive and varied menu, including everything from burgers and pseudo-milkshakes to decent Chinese and even Japanese food. Try the pizza. Sonara I Building same building as AIR FRANCE on Rue du Souvenir.

Bellissimo’s

A swanky rooftop escape overlooking Rond Point Maorey. Go up there for drinks, dinner, dancing late, pedicures, watching the world go by. Have a beer and watch the rond point for accidents and near misses.

Le Gourmet

Another highly rated Lebanese restaurant tucked away in Chateau 1. Off the main road that turns into Maurice Delens. Look for the plaque, on the same side of the street as ChouBoy and Jojo Market.

Idrissa Nems

Cheap and good Chinese food. Tell the taxi Pharmacy Chateau Un. They will also deliver but you have to pay for the service and it is often a wait, so order early.

Amandine Cakes

Lattes, goat cheese soup, pain de chocolat, pain des epinards, salads, sandwiches, Lebanese specialties, and many other good things. Bright, clean, and modern, it is a very popular favorite amongst anyone who enters its doors. Taxi to “Score” by Petite Marché, and it’s right across the street.

Ile de Gorée Senegalese Restaurant

In Chateau 1 one can also have quality Senegalese food. Slightly higher prices than the other Senagalese places but still good. From the main Chateau 1 intersection, take the eastern road and it is just down a little way on the left.

Zanzibar

Very small portions but a wide selection of good food, and a friendly owner from Australia.

Chez Chin’s

Chinese. Good food and extremely popular. Has fresh noodles and hot pot order one day in advance. Good date place because of its romantic atmosphere. Great for family meals because the service is fast and the kids can roam in the garden, look at the menagerie of animals or play on the swings and monkey bars. Located on Tillaberi Road, not far from Pharmacie Yantala. Taxi to OMS and it's across the street.

Le Shanghai

Chinese. Lunch and dinner. Dine indoors or outdoors. A/C and private party rooms available. This restaurant is run by the same owners of Le Dragon D’Or. The food is very good. Located on Mali Bero, one block south from the intersection with Maurice Delens.

La Diamangou

French and African cuisine. On the Corniche Gamkalley. Dine on a boat. Sunday lunch by reservation only. Very slow service, but good food. Good for a change in atmosphere. It’s also possible to rent the boat and have your meal while cruising the Niger.

L’Exotique

French and African Cuisine. Service is a little slow but the ambiance makes the meal worth the wait. Located directly across from the Commisserate Central, 2 blocks past Dragon d’Or. Good seafood dishes and good pizza. Serves free bread with pimenty salsa. Local music groups Friday and Saturday nights starting at 9pm.

La Casbah

North African Cuisine. Coming from Tillaberi, turn onto Maurice Delens toward Mali Bero and then take the very first left. You’ll see the sign immediately. This delightful and attractively decorated restaurant serves delicious couscous dishes and traditional Algerian tadjines. Try the Salad Casbah as an appetizer with its variety of tomato, eggplant and green peppers. For the carnivore, try the Couscous Royale, which has a good portion of chicken, mutton and sausage brochettes. They also have a fine selection of cocktails including daiquiris. Service is first rate.

La Pizzeria

Pizza and Pasta. Take out or eat-in. A wide selection of pizza toppings, and the service is quick. Good, thin crusted pizza in a comfortable setting. Also great calzones. Great for kids as they can watch the cook make the pizza. Near Rue de Combat, by Croissant d’Or on Rue du Commerce. Tell the taxi "Siege BIA", and it is just down the street on the right.

The Meat Sandwich Guy

The meat sandwich guy is on the left mali-bero road, just west of the stade road. taxi to “pharmacie mali-bero” then with the pharmacy on your left, walk a half-block and look for his red nescafe booth just past the technical school. he is open to coincide with the breaks at the school. he is ready to serve around 10h and 16h. most peace corps volunteers use him for a quick stop in passing for his delicious meat sandwiches stuffed with fries. however, he is more than just meat sandwiches. vegetarians should try his omelet sandwich. however, very highly recommended is his version of nacho fries. this is a mountain of fries topped with seasoned ground beef or a fried egg, sauce, mayo etc. all for about 750f. sit down, order the fries, and get a coffee to boot. well worth taking your time there rather than just doing take-out.

almost across the street from the travel agency SatGuru, but further east.

Fried cheese (

Wagashi) i: in season, this is a delicacy coming to us from benin and togo. it sells in the petit march㩠as red discus-shaped rounds that you can then cook up yourself. we do not recommend eating it raw. alternatively, there are two women who sell it fried and ready to eat. one is just behind score near the senegalese restaurant with the blue walls. ask around as she is not always there. the other is near the gas station “station katako” on the road leading into town from the stade, in the trees on the north side of the street that form the tillaberi and gotheye bush taxi station. she sells all sorts of chichena fried bean cakes and patats fried sweet potatoes etc. so the cheese can sometimes be hidden in the pile. look for it in the center of her wares in a small plastic bowl. buy some 25f apiece and then eat it with rice from the rice lady a little to the west.

Grilled Meat

i: down the road from the bar la toulousain/ebenezers is a meat griller with a maggi stand. there are always cars parked next to it waiting for well-seasoned meat. rumor has it that president tandja likes to get his meat from here. however, there is grilled mutton on almost any street corner in niamey and it is always delicious. specify that you prefer meat to fat. 500f gets you a small serving for 1-2 people.

Fried plantains

In season, find them on either side of the intersection just north of the grand marchã©, formed by avenue arewah and boulevard de l’independence. one of these women makes them as little fried balls of banana bread, which are excellent with sugar or her spicy salsa. she is from ghana and speaks english.

Nigerian Hot Pockets stuffed with curried mashed potatoes, and other goodies

Take a taxi to rond point libertã©. head north for 1/3 block and she is on the left, with the hot pockets displayed in a glass case, next to a tiny blue-painted shop. she is nigerian and speaks english. prices are cheap. this is a good place for a snack if you are at the grand marchã©. from the grand marchã©, go to cã´tã© maourey and walk down the road that goes towards the stade. in a couple blocks you will see pharmacie libertã© and the round point. she also has delicious fried dough cakes wrapped around hard-boiled eggs.

Zenabou’s Dumbou Stand

i: the best street food in niamey! it’s well worth the trip. take a taxi to “sonara deux”, which is a tall 9-story building covered in tan crosses. if the taximan does not know it, say “maternitã© issaka gazoby”, which is across the street. alternately, you can walk from petite marchã©, past rip-off row, past la cloche restaurant, and keep going – sonora deux is the second tall building on your right. wrap around the building to the front walking towards the bridge. she has a yellow & red maggi hangar on the right. sit down on the wooden benches and when it’s your turn she’ll point to you and ask what you want. expect around a 15-minute wait to be served as she is quite popular. get the dumbou with everything. dumbou is a popular specialty of niger, consisting of corn couscous, steamed moringa greens, black-eyed peas, a tomato-squash sauce, and spices. women might get for 150f waranza in djerma and men for 200f way-tachi in djerma. meat is extra but an incredible addition to the dumbou. try the pounded/pileã©d guinea fowl mixed with sesame and hot pepper, for 100f to say “meat for 100f” in djerma, say “ham, waranka”. careful, the pounded guinea fowl meat contains bones. open mon-fri 12:30-4:30 or later. the guy with the cooler next to her has a gingery lemu-hari drink for 50f small or 100f large, purewater, and yogurts. nice place to go if you are in the neighborhood of petite marchã© or the musã©e.

Best

Bisap and apollo in town i: bisap is a sweetended hibiscus-leaf drink with mint. * apollo is a frozen slushy made from the baobab fruit, with a deep rich flavor. take a taxi to lamordã© ganda from the grand marchã© or petit marchã© for 200f. pass the big mosque and then get out at a white-walled square boutique with a blue-green door a ways along on the left. if it is closed, ask for rashida in the courtyard to the right.

Masaki’s

Some nights there is live music at masaki’s,. taxi to mairie commune 1 and walk east. look for their fliers or drop in and ask what is planned. it is run by a french guy and his nigerien wife. also serves as a hotel with nice rooms.

Delicious

Kilishi beef jerky: kilishi is a specialty of niger. there are three varieties: plain, hot pepper, and spicy peanut sauce. never buy it from katako marchã© as it is dried right over the aluminum smelters worth seeing sometime. try instead one of the smaller operations around town, such as the drying racks just east of round point libertã© or at the yantala night market. if you buy it on the street, ask the seller where it was made as you really do not want the stuff that has been dried in katako.

Dégué Dégué are little millet balls, and when they are in yoghurt they are reminiscent of a whole-grain tapioca pudding. Excellent dégué is available next to “Nigelec siege” in Plateau, within easy walking distance from the Centre Culturel Americain. Martine’s stand is slightly hidden, next to a lady selling dumbou but if you ask someone will point you in the right direction. It is usually sold in increments of 150, 200, 250 and so on in sachets or sit in and enjoy the dégué with a plastic bowl and ladle. Dégué is also available from sellers in the Grand Marché if you are in there and need a snack while shopping. Or ask around where you are and see if someone is not selling out of their concession nearby where you are staying.

Good hand-made grilled sausage

i: take a taxi to cinema soni and get out at avenue arewah. start walking north on avenue arewah. pass one intersection and then look for him half-way along the blank wall of the school on the right. he is sometimes hidden in among the ghanaian semi-trailers that use the wall as a waiting point.

“Pepperoni-style” hand-made grilled sausage

i: take a taxi to rond point eglise. walk south towards marina market. he is at a maggi grill on the left just a block or two down. 250f/sausage with condiments. he is there in the afternoons and evenings. he may not look like he has sausage if he is not grilling, but he keeps the cooked meat covered and warm so step up and ask!

Be sure to try all the local specialties rather than only sticking to ex-pat restaurants. Niamey food is incredible, unique, and not-to-be-missed. You didn't come all this way to eat the same food you get at home.