Certainly, there’s an abundance of outstanding food in the home kitchens of Senegal’s capital city. And if you’re lucky enough to have a friend in town, you’d be hard-pressed not to enjoy homemade mafe, Senegal’s glorious chicken 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 gets the senses talking. But in recent years, this global city, home to about 4 million people, has quietly carved out a stellar dining scene that’s produced some of the world’s best chefs—and best restaurant food. 

“There’s this dynamic culture of food in Senegal that used to be hidden in home kitchens, but now you’re seeing it expressed in restaurants all across Dakar,” chef Pierre Thiam told me ahead of my visit back to West Africa in June. Thiam is one of a host of Senegalese chefs who have brought their home cuisine to the United States in revered restaurants, including Dakar NOLA in New Orleans and Thiam’s very own Terenga in New York City. These institutions are undeniably inspired by numerous West African women who carried these foodways across generations. And while Senegalese chefs have introduced some of the nation’s one-pot masterpieces to tables across the United States, chefs in Dakar are making sure the best of Senegal’s cuisine can be found in restaurants right at home, too.

Dakar’s signature flavors will be familiar to anyone who’s ventured through the fast-paced streets of Lagos in Nigeria or traversed the red roads of Accra in Ghana. West Africa’s many cuisines share an affinity for a handful of spices and ingredients such as red palm oil, Scotch bonnet chiles, cloves, black pepper, and an array of pepper pastes ranging from tomato-based blends to thick spreads spiced with habanero seeds. But Dakar, being the westernmost point of Senegal and the African continent, has developed culinary traditions all its own, especially when it comes to fresh-caught seafood—the centerpiece of local cuisine. 

Right now, the food in Dakar is as good as it gets—if you know where to find it. Enter my friend Cherif Mbodji, the operations director of Houston restaurants Bludorn, Bar Bludorn, and Navy Blue, who took me on a culinary tour of his hometown. We ventured to piping-hot grills situated in the sand along Senegal’s beaches, to top-tier restaurants serving caldou, the warming fish and vegetable stew birthed in the nation’s southern Casamance region; and to dibi, Dakar’s omnipresent streetside barbecue prepared by congenial vendors and now adapted on restaurant tables; and everywhere in between. Thanks to Cherif, my trip was filled with flavor, fulfillment, and abundance. With this guide, I hope yours will be, too.

Thieboudienne, Senegal’s national dish, is an unmissable order at this Cape Verdean family-owned restaurant. But why stop there? After mouthfuls of rice, cassava, fish, and spices that sing on the palate, consider the other house favorites: soupe kandja, spicy okra stew fortified by red palm oil; and dibi, skewered pieces of grilled mutton rubbed in cayenne pepper, bouillon, and paprika. Caldou, southern Senegal’s nourishing fish stew, is served with the same basil-hued condiment as the house thieboudienne: baguedj, a relish of puréed sorrel leaves mashed together with okra, fermented lentils, chiles, and lemon juice. To wash it all down, bissap, the indisputable West African and Caribbean staple made from hibiscus flowers, tempers the dishes’ heat—and helps you stay cool under the blazing sun, which shines through the high ceiling and numerous windows that encircle the building.   

As the earth revolves around the sun, Senegal’s cuisine revolves around seafood. Sitting along the Atlantic coast, Dakar has unfettered access to the ocean’s bounty, including giant prawns, plump oysters, barracuda—you name it. For an all-out Senegalese seafood feast, look no further than Sunu Makane on Ngor Island (accessible via a 10-minute boat ride from the city center), whose team hand-picks the finest African dentex and white fish daily. The sea creatures are marinated in spices for the house yassa, a dish with a spicy, citrusy blend of heavily caramelized onions, Dijon mustard, and lemon that blankets a large piece of fish and served with rice. Catch the restaurant on a slow day, and you may be invited to cook some of the fish yourself while overlooking the cerulean waters rushing across the westernmost point of the African continent.

The vibes are immaculate at Yokalounge, the standout destination among a cluster of clubs and restaurants. Yoka, which roughly translates to “listen and heard” in the Bantu language Lingala, is a nod to the Congolese section of the menu, which features such national masterpieces as madesu, a spicier version 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 space, which is brightened with West and Central African prints that stretch from the chairs to the DJ booth. Order a cocktail (I love 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. At once warmed by the gripping spiciness of habanero chiles and cooled with creamy, savory peanut butter, the peppery stew is the perfect accompaniment for a DJ-led journey through the continent by way of rousing Afrobeats.   

It’s impossible to not be wholly entranced by the beauty stemming from soft light bulbs, plant vines, and roses that gently dangle from the ceiling at BOMA Restaurant & Club. Vivid, spray-painted canvases and curious sculptures from local and international artists such as Kheraba Traoré and Guaté Mao line the walkway, which overlooks a sparkling pool that only adds to the restaurant’s visual allure. A celebration of Dakar’s distinguished art scene takes precedence here: Expect to see millennials and students from Cheikh Anta Diop University chatting about the latest artist on display at the hotel’s weekly paint and sip events or while perusing the internationally driven menu. Chef Louis Mendy satiates the crowd’s cosmopolitan tastes; tuna tataki and octopus with chimichurri are standouts picked up from his training in Geneva, and Mendy brings the menu right back home with a vegan mafe—one of the few meatless versions in town.

Michel Calendini and his wife, Hélène—of Corsican and Palestinian heritage, respectively—opened Restaurant Le Lagon 1 in 1956. A professional scuba diver, Michel was sent to Dakar to aid in the construction of a dike between Dakar and Gorée Island before venturing into the world of restaurant ownership and cementing his family’s legacy in the capital city. Many locals view Restaurant Le Lagon 1 as Dakar’s early juncture into fine dining, and its reputation for pomp and circumstance is matched with an enduring appreciation of kitschy design. The couple’s son, Cyril, details the restaurant’s legacy while helping serve grilled swordfish and marlin, lobster-topped spaghetti, and the most velvety uni along the coast. Tune into the eclectic owner’s accounting of the restaurant’s interior goods—like an old diving suit, a fishing boat that doubles as the bar, tables decorated with sand and shells, and illuminating blue lights reflective of the ocean—while dipping plump prawns into dakkhar (pronounced similarly to the city’s name), a sweet and tangy tamarind condiment found on tables across town.

Come for the West African-influenced pastas, and stay for the aisles of artwork and locally made furniture (and a glass of wine, for good measure). This café-cum-market is known for its Senegalese takes on global favorites like pastas and burgers (think spice-rubbed hamburger patties and cheesy layers of lasagna amped up with chile pepper tomato paste), and restorative cocktails filled with bissap and juiced baobab, a nutrient-dense fruit derived from the continent’s famed trees that bear the same name. After eating and drinking to your heart’s content, check out the other rooms, which house a co-working space, an art gallery spotlighting local artists, and a shop for stocking up on culinary souvenirs such as pâte de tomates (tomato paste) and bags of fonio, the continent’s oldest cultivated grain. 

Family meals and group dinners are commonplace in Dakar, where shareable one-pot rice dishes and humongous peppery fish stews take precedence. And while La Cabanon doesn’t boast the same collection of local homey classics as some of the other nearby restaurants, it does offer one of the quieter dining experiences in town, with marvelous views to boot. Nab one of the plush chairs on the restaurant’s vast patio, then choose from a bevy of seafood dishes, including wood-fired grouper, fried calamari served with sliced red chiles, or comically large paella dotted with shrimp, mussels, and cherry tomatoes—perfect for groups. 

Italy and Senegal are inextricably linked by the influx of Senegalese immigrants who made the European country home starting in the 1980s. And while French cuisine still retains a large impact on the city’s dining landscape, Italian food is the most recent external cuisine to make waves across an increasingly international dining community. Inside the boutique hotel Seku Bi sits Il Pappagallo, an Italian eatery that draws Dakar’s local community and travelers alike. Faint lighting and soft music stage a romantic scene further enhanced by house negronis and a treasure trove of international liquors. Il Pappagallo boasts the city’s most robust Italian menu, including regional plates such as seared octopus served atop creamy corn and sweet red 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 fashion designer Maison Detta, this ultra-cool see-and-be-seen spot (popping dance floor and all) delivers in the culinary department. Its Afro fusion plates speak to Senegal’s growing reputation for promoting environmental sustainability with dishes that spotlight local meat and seasonal produce. Part of the restaurant’s growing repertoire of experimental creations is grilled fish served with mashed plantains blended with butternut squash, coconut broth, and savory spices. The dance floor, illuminated with multicolored lights beneath the surface, fosters conviviality within the spacious outdoor patio, where dishes like the ultra-spicy Ivorian kedjenou chicken stew or generously seasoned lamb shank are best enjoyed.

From the same owners as Alkimia, La Fourchette is an exquisite, interpretative restaurant that’s brightened Dakar’s dining scene for 31 years. The ivory white walls have seen many guests during its days: Senegal’s president Macky Sall, soccer player El Hadji Diouf, singer Rihanna, and French president Emmanuel Macron, to name a few. Remnants of the French presence in Senegal remain embedded in the restaurant’s name and menu, which is home to one of Dakar’s few preparations of chateaubriand—a heart-shaped filet of tenderloin that’s sliced  and plated with creamed spinach. If in town on Thursday evening, swing by to enjoy live music and peruse the house seafood menu. Consider the prawns submerged in coconut curry, and use the devilishly spicy alloco—Ivorian fried plantains—to soak up the fragrant sauce.

What you see is what you get at Al Manara Sea Food, which makes one dish a day and makes it well. A group of women bound by interweaving threads of family and friendship run a tight ship at this roadside mainstay. You won’t see many tourists here (and you’d do well to not act like one), but you will see the daily specials written on a large chalkboard that’s affixed to colorfully painted planks marking the entrance. My repeated visits back to this neighborhood locale included plates of nutty mafe; marinated chicken smothered in that ubiquitous bath of buttery peanut sauce and a tear-inducing housemade Scotch bonnet sauce, an optimal—and optional for the less spice-inclined among your group—condiment for a truly proper meal at the locale. 

Perched along the nation’s coast and featuring two stories of seating with postcard-perfect ocean views, this weekend hot spot is a local favorite among lively dance clubs and bustling restaurants. Cheer on Senegal’s national football team, Les Lions de la Teranga, on one of the huge TVs while digging into (by now, you’ve probably guessed it) phenomenal seafood dishes such as 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 speed, this is where to try one: I love the Dakar, made with mango and pineapple.