The best restaurants Senegal

This hotel-application restaurant is a very good address in Dakar Plateau for travelers who want to eat healthily, correctly, completely, without shaking their wallets too much. You'll have to excuse the awkwardness of the staff, who are still learning the ropes and will do their utmost to please you. In this large, airy setting, where the TV is plugged into the wall, you'll come across mostly locals who have their offices nearby. An address we recommend.

Possibility to eat at Camara, at the Walo Basa Inn. On the menu: typical Senegalese dishes served in a friendly atmosphere. The prices are modest, the dishes are copious, but the wait is a little long. As the place is popular with tourists and the local population, it is advisable to make reservations. Note that Camara will be happy to give you good tips on the region. He will also be able to put you in contact with the local guides, if you wish to go on an excursion in the surroundings of Salemata. A 100% African address.

Abdou N'Diaye, "the quiet man", travelled in Africa for 20 years and learned to cook in Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire, before opening his own restaurant in Saly. He specializes in grilled meats, especially fish and seafood. The products are fresh and cooked on charcoal or plancha. Sitting in the garden, in the shade of a courtyard, you can enjoy the tranquillity of the place, while getting to know your neighbours. Sometimes, a musician comes to enliven the meal with pleasant traditional music. To be discovered!

Very good restaurant. Specialties meat and fish. A real good address. Jean-Marie will welcome you with a great smile.

One of the only hotel-independent restaurants in the area, it's also one of the most pleasant places to eat on the shores of Lac Rose. Just a few metres from the lake, a charming straw hut welcomes you for a few hours to enjoy a drink or a hearty, tasty menu. As the sea is not far away, we recommend the grilled fish! You can also take a dip in the lake's salt water, and take a shower on your way out. A good address at reasonable prices.

A luxury beach bar, the Safari Beach is a real institution in Saly! It is at the same time a restaurant, a bar, a concept-store, a festive and friendly place where one comes to spend a good time. The restaurant offers a nice and varied menu, based on meats, fish and pizzas. The restaurant's guests have access to the beautiful adjoining swimming pool and the whirlpool. The place is also pleasant and romantic to have an aperitif, feet in the sand, at sunset, before enjoying a vibrant musical atmosphere.

An enchanting restaurant that is frequented by regular customers, especially Dakar residents who come on Sundays. One eats there a refined cuisine, the feet in the sand, facing the sea. The menu is original and different every day, based mainly on fresh fish and seafood. The reception of the owner, Sylvaine, and her team is irreproachable and attentive. To quench your thirst, let yourself be tempted by an excellent cocktail (with or without alcohol), whose recipes vary according to the season.

The three restaurants of the Terrou-Bi are run by the golden All-Dakar. All have a terrace with sea view, and offer excellent cuisine served by well-trained staff. The must is Le Gastronomique, which as its name suggests is a high-flying table, but one that you have to pay for. The tasting menu will give you a good idea of the chef's know-how, who concocts a refined and inventive cuisine. The same goes for the Grain de Sel, which uses local products in a Western-style cuisine. La Terrasse is renowned throughout Dakar for its good pizzas.

Two steps from the sea, in a flowery and shaded patio, the very warm Senegalese, Ely, welcomes you with open arms in her unpretentious establishment. She cooks simple dishes, concocted with good market products. On the menu, braised meats, monkfish and seafood brochettes or Senegalese specialties of your choice, to be accompanied by a tasty homemade cocktail made of seasonal fruits. In such a pleasant and peaceful place, where every detail is important, what more could you ask for?

La Taverne du Pêcheur is ideally located at the foot of the Fadiouth Bridge. An idyllic site to enjoy a drink or a dish, with friends, family or couple. You can order mangrove oysters with a glass of white wine before moving on to the main course, especially grilled fish. You will also find Senegalese meats and dishes on the menu, generally served in generous portions. However, the service and the quality of the dishes are not always up to scratch, especially in high season. Too bad!

A successful gamble for the owner of Maison Augustin Ly who wanted to open his own local organic restaurant. There you will have the choice between several menus, whose inventive dishes are just as tasty. The speciality? Bicycle chicken, a local breed of free-range chickens that "feel like they're pedalling when they run". Also a delicious coconut fish. Near the Landing Beach, the place is also a nice place to have a drink. Among a wide choice of drinks, herbal teas made from local plants.

Situated in an exceptional setting, this restaurant, beautifully encrusted with shells, blends into the landscape. It is spread out on different levels creating convivial spaces in symbiosis with nature and opening onto the ocean. You can enjoy monkfish brochettes, red mullet fillets with tapenade or delicious tapas. Shrimps with honey and squid with ginger are recommended as an aperitif, followed by a good grilled fish. The staff is also smiling and caring. An address to discover!

Located very close to the Residence, a local restaurant with a friendly atmosphere. It certainly serves the best yassa chicken in town, but also other Senegalese specialties, such as the excellent tiep bou dieune. You can also be served grilled meat, fish, shrimps and squid. Icing on the cake, you can enjoy a very good couscous! Lobster grilled to order. The setting is simple, perhaps a little dark, but the welcome is nevertheless enthusiastic and smiling. For an authentic lunch.

Between lagoon and ocean, this restaurant enjoys a superb natural setting for lunch. Sitting in the shade of a straw hut, you will eat excellent lobsters to order, mangrove oysters, sea urchins or grilled fish. After you are delighted with hearty dishes, you can enjoy the site and laze peacefully on one of the deckchairs on the edge of the lagoon. The staff is also there with small onions to complete the service. The place is also pleasant at dinner, when the sun disappears behind the ocean.

Chez Kiki is one of those tourist restaurants lined up in front of the pier. A la carte, a wide choice of Senegalese specialties as well as grilled fish and some European dishes. The service is pleasant on the terrace, and the local dishes, as copious as you like them, at very correct prices. We recommend among others grilled sea bream or yassa chicken. You can also have a drink in the afternoon while waiting for the rowboat and enjoy the lively surroundings. Friendly staff, good value for money.

Pancakes and books! Opened in 2013, this pancake shop shares its space with a well-stocked library. So if you're feeling a little peckish, you can enjoy a good sweet pancake, which you'll find hard to choose from among an anthology of flavours, while reading a book found on the shelves. We recommend peanut chocolate, the most famous one, or lemon-ginger to get your energy back. Besides the gourmet break, the place is also nice to have a salty pancake for lunch, accompanied by a fresh salad and a delicious local juice.

Renowned throughout the city, this restaurant specializing in St. Louisian cuisine is a great place to eat. It is appreciated above all for its generous and quality dishes, at really affordable prices. We particularly recommend the Saint-Louisian-style stuffed fish and garlic shrimp. All of this to be accompanied by a delicious local juice made from ginger, baobab or hibiscus fruit. Perfect to get your strength back! Mamadou Cissé and his team are very warm and caring. To be tested without fail!

The former restaurant of France Gall, who co-managed it with Oumar Traoré, who is still very active on the premises, is a great trendy place and accessible to the smallest purses. You can eat good pancakes and pizzas with your feet in the sand and your eyes lost in the ocean. On the first floor, as close to the sea as possible, deckchairs are installed in case you want to take a little nap after eating. Even if France Gall has left us, we are still waiting for her to come through the door, she who really appreciated this place.

This restaurant, open to the ocean, offers a beautiful and relaxing setting for lunch. From filet mignon with pepper to chicken fricassee, from mussels fried with garlic and parsley to pizzas, the choice can be difficult! In all cases, the dishes are hearty and well served. The professional staff takes great care of its customers. Just downstairs, a small artificial beach has been set up with deckchairs for those who would like to sunbathe after a meal. A good address!

Here is a French-style bar-restaurant, very friendly and convivial. You come here to drink a beer with friends over some tapas offered by the house, celebrate a birthday or simply enjoy a refined family cuisine. From frog's legs to the "fondue bourguignonne", the emphasis is on typical French dishes, concocted with quality products. Also suggestions according to the arrivals and sometimes African dishes. The setting is also pleasant, and the prices are affordable. What more could you ask for?

One of the best tables in the city for its setting as for its plate: designer decoration in shades of mauve, purple and grey, discreet musical atmosphere and fusion cuisine, inspired by French, Japanese, Mexican and Italian cuisine. The menu changes regularly, but we particularly recommend the Italian plate, the thiof pavé on leek fondue or the chili con carne. The plates are delicious and copious, the desserts succulent. Very festive atmosphere at the bar in the evening, especially on Thursdays, from 9.30 pm, with a live concert.

An address held by Cape Verdeans that is always full. The menu resembles a gastronomic atlas, mixing Creole, Senegalese, American and other exotic dishes. Perhaps the best yassa chicken in the Plateau! We also recommend the thiebouyappe, a real treat. If you feel like it, you can order in advance and enjoy a good raclette, sauerkraut and even a duck stew! The hungry will be satiated by the gargantuan portions. In fact, you can take only one dish for two. You can also take it to go.

The restaurant of the hotel Le Flamboyant, just across the street, is an excellent address, especially at lunchtime because the service is fast, you can eat very well, copiously and at reasonable prices. As a bonus, the staff is welcoming. You can opt for the dish of the day or a dish à la carte: we recommend the shrimps sautéed with spices as a starter, the grilled meat and fish and the delicious fresh fruit salad as a dessert. We'll be back here as in the canteen. Sandwiches can be ordered if you are going on an excursion.

It is one of the favourite haunts of the Koreans who meet in the evening when the tourists have left. But the establishment is also a pleasant lunch break, very peaceful, in front of the ocean. The choice is varied, and one eats properly grilled meat and fish, garlic shrimps or Senegalese dishes. The tables are set up on the terrace from where you can watch the departure of the rowboat and also enjoy the view of the beach. Pleasant and smiling staff, fast and professional service.

This is the unmissable pastry shop in Saint-Louis, which it would be a shame not to enter! In the shop window, an anthology of small delicacies, and in particular the "saint-louisien", Tropezian style, dripping with cream, with fruit. Simply exquisite! You can also come and eat pizza, quiches, hot dogs... perfect for a little snack in the cool, and in a rather peaceful setting. Good home-made ice cream is also served for dessert or as a snack! The staff is also friendly and the service is of quality.

If you have ever witnessed the return from fishing in Yoff, M'Bour, Saint-Louis or any other large port, you have probably seen its enormous goldfish or yellow fish, carried on their backs so imposing are they. They are endemic carps, of which this restaurant has made its speciality. René Gabriel Sadio prepares here the red carp in the oven (on order), a delight! You will also be able to taste excellent crabs stuffed Casamance-style, a tasty fish braised in the chef's way or roast chicken for those who prefer meat. Good value for money.

In a cosy setting, you can lunch or dine in the airy indoor dining room, decorated with period photos, or in one of the two lounges, or enjoy a drink at the outdoor bar next to a magnificent hundred-year-old baobab tree. The menu is simple but appetizing, with dishes concocted using quality produce. A fine selection of wines accompanies the meal. Concerts are organized from time to time. Peggy's daily specials are based on the market, and she also serves sandwiches. A warm welcome.

With its feet in the sand, facing the ocean, this unpretentious restaurant offers a pleasant setting for lunch. It is run by Edouard, a courageous Senegalese entrepreneur, who is committed to his establishment. The menu highlights seafood, with sole meunière and monkfish brochettes. Also meats such as beef filet and chicken with ginger. Wide selection of sweet and alcoholic beverages. After lunch, deckchairs invite you to relax on this pretty beach, hemmed in by the peaceful water. Excellent value for money.

You will be very welcome in this gargote near the pier, where you can settle down quietly on the terrace. Renowned for its pastels and monkfish dumplings (the best on the island), Tonton offers a varied menu, ranging from pizzas to vegetarian dishes, meat skewers and Senegalese specialities. Special mention should be made of its large prawns, two of which are enough to appease hunger. And if you're feeling hungry, try its orange blossom donuts. A sweet treat!

Located close to the city centre, this fast food restaurant is popular with locals for its good burgers, fatayas and well-stocked pizzas. Also Senegalese dishes à la carte. The service is fast and pleasant, although it depends a little on the days. You can sit down to eat in a small ventilated room or on the roadside terrace. But you can take your dish away if you prefer. The establishment also has its own bakery and bakes its own bread, pastries and cakes every day. However, the quality remains poor.

The store, which has several establishments throughout the city, is popular with the Senegalese, who come here to share a good time with family or friends, around a well-topped pizza, a hearty Senegalese specialty or a homemade hamburger. The choice is very varied and the prices are more than affordable. The establishment is also appreciated at snack time, when you come to enjoy a good pancake or waffle, accompanied by a fresh smoothie. Also very good pastries, difficult to resist. Fast and efficient service.

Who doesn't know Ali Baba in Dakar? This Lebanese establishment is the king of fast food, prizedby Senegalese families and young people who meet there with friends. It is also one of the most night-owls and early risers. A classic when you go out of the nightclubs of the Plateau to eat hamburgers and chawarmas. The menu also offers a varied choice of Lebanese and Senegalese dishes, such as the famous thiep bou dienne. Note that two other Ali Baba are installed in Ngor and Almadies for the unconditional ones.

La Cabane du Pêcheur offers a menu of seafood and fish not often seen on the menu in Dakar: badèche, red carp, carangue, lobsters and sea cicadas. They are caught in the morning and most of them are simply grilled a la plancha. We recommend you have lunch there at noon, between a tour of the village and a trip to the island of the same name. Dinner is just as enjoyable, as it is regularly animated. The house is also a fishing centre (Atlantic Evasion) and has four rooms. An institution of the Senegalese capital!

It's so good to be in Dakar, to discover such corners of paradise! This rooftop restaurant, with an incredible view of the island of Ngor, opened at the end of 2014, and is always full. The Bayékou, which means "let yourself go" in Wolof, really keeps its promise. People come here to relax, thanks to a designer and comfortable decor, and to share a convivial moment with friends. Its owner, Paolo, welcomes you with open arms and offers a menu full of fresh products, a mix of South American and Italian cuisine. A real "coup de coeur".

The restaurant enjoys a splendid setting, with its double terrace, offering a breathtaking view of the island of Gorée. One feels well there, the welcome is warm, and the pizzas are good. What more could you ask for! It is also a sports club, for the most motivated, so you can play football or tennis, before ordering a pastis and eating at this restaurant of international cuisine! You can also watch all the major sporting events on the flat screen, relax on the beach and enjoy the sunset in the evening.

Next to the restaurant Chez Loutcha, a narrow aisle leads to this unpretentious restaurant. From Senegalese dishes to fish grills, pasta and vegetarian dishes, there is a wide choice. You can sit down in the air-conditioned room or on the few tables outside, sheltered from the wind.

You can taste mangrove oysters, sea urchins or Chinese hats, depending on the arrivals and the season... at given prices! And for those who don't fancy seafood and fish, the restaurant also offers frog's legs, grilled rabbit and pigeon, among other meats. The atmosphere is best at the end of the afternoon, when the sun is going to die on the ocean. Popular with locals and tourists alike, the restaurant is often a victim of its own success and the wait can be long. But when the plates arrive, we have already forgotten everything...

A wide variety of excellent pizzas around 4 000 CFA. Also sandwiches and chawarmas. Possibility to be delivered at home, even on significant distances.

This is one of Gorée's most elegant restaurants, a little way off the pier beach, with a lovely palm-tree-lined terrace offering a view of the open sea, away from the hawkers. You're greeted by attentive staff, who can be a little disrespectful when the manager isn't around. The grand slam: the fisherman's plate (lobster, squid, gambas, camerones, monkfish, abalone, violets, limpets...) and a more modest one that you can share to taste these rare but truly delicious crustaceans.

Open since 1997, this small restaurant is much appreciated by the French for the quality of its dishes, the good humor of its owners and its ventilated indoor terrace. Without a doubt, this is the best steak frites in town. There are only a few dishes on offer, but you can also enjoy grilled chicken and beautifully cooked pink shrimps. Plates are generous and well presented. Sophie and Charles are welcoming people who also take good care of their customers. Excellent value for money.

This small restaurant offers first-class African specialities, but also a few European dishes, all very rich. Every day, five to six Senegalese dishes out of the map to discover. Pitcher bissap juice, good wppt bou (rice to fish) and pleasant service. A very good address.

Mariatou, a courageous Saint-Louisian who has worked for several years in the kitchen of a hotel, has opened her small restaurant in the working-class neighborhood of Sor. She is helped by a competent and versatile staff. In the small, airy room or on the rooftop terrace, one can enjoy local dishes and European specialties, concocted with fresh market produce. The dishes are both hearty and tasty for a very sweet bill. As an aperitif, let yourself be tempted by the delicious homemade eggplant fritters. A delightful treat!

Here's a very nice little restaurant where it's nice and cool to eat in the shade. It's run by a Senegalese couple, Pintchio and Dady, who give you a warm welcome. There's something for every taste and appetite, from local specialties to European cuisine, including fatayas and chawarmas. More than just a bar-restaurant, it's above all a meeting place for tourists and locals who enjoy talking to each other. At the height of the season, it's not unusual for the bar to host Senegalese parties, often improvised.

The name of this establishment is inspired by the imaginary kingdom of animals in "La belle histoire de Leuk-le-Lièvre", written by Senegalese authors Léopold Sédar Senghor and Abdoulaye Sadji. Two bars and a restaurant are scattered in this large open-air space. One comes there to have a drink with friends in an authentic and warm atmosphere or to eat grilled meats, fish brochettes and Senegalese specialties. The atmosphere is great on weekends, especially during the evenings of concerts. To discover!

Since 2021, Saly Niakh Niakhal has unveiled a new beach protected by dikes all along the coastline. After passing the Royam beach, the Neptune beach and the Palmeraie residence, and reaching the Cocotiers restaurant, you'll finally come across a number of bric-a-brac gargotes, like Paco's, offering traditional dishes based on the catch of the day. You'll be contributing to the local economy, while enjoying a unique experience with your feet in the sand.

In a modern and green setting, next to a beautiful swimming pool, the Boma bar-restaurant invites you to relax with a good cocktail and quality bistronomic cuisine. The menu, which changes with the seasons, offers a small selection of local and international dishes, a guarantee of freshness. There is something for everyone: vegetarian dishes, fish and meat. Weekends are particularly festive with the Club, a space with an avant-garde design. The best DJs and artists in the capital come to create a crazy atmosphere!

Set on the beautiful Cap Skirring beach, this sandy-feet restaurant offers a pleasant lunch break. Mamie, an outstanding cook from Carabane, concocts hearty fish, shrimp and meat dishes. You can also enjoy lobster, camerones or grilled crab if you order the day before. A few deckchairs and umbrellas are set up in front of the restaurant to tempt you to a siesta. Dinner is sometimes accompanied by an impromptu djembé party. For a memorable moment!

This is one of the best restaurants in the Plateau, very popular with businessmen at lunchtime. In the evening, families, couples and lovers of Peruvian cuisine come to dine in a relaxed atmosphere. The establishment offers several places to sit down, including a pleasant mezzanine with a terrace. The menu invites you to a culinary journey to America, with ceviches, grilled fish, some of which are imported from Peru, and Argentine meats. It also honors seafood products, with seafood platters and grilled shellfish.

A great place to eat after a visit to the Théodore Monod Museum. François from La Maison du Marin and Djibril from Chez Tonton in Gorée have opened a pleasant restaurant in the garden behind the Musée Théodor Monod. Here, you can dine on delicious grilled meats accompanied by vegetables from the garden, which vary according to the season. Like their other establishments, the portions are generous and tasty. As for the setting, it's pleasant and relaxing, sheltered from the capital's traffic. Djibril, François and their team offer you a warm welcome.

Enjoying a privileged location on the main square of the capital, this address is the meeting place for businessmen who come to have their coffee or taste a gourmet cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere. On the terrace or in a pleasant room, you can sit down for breakfast or lunch. The menu is quite well supplied with meats, fish, pizzas, savory crepes and some Asian dishes. During the week, the establishment proposes a menu honoring African cuisine. Good welcome.