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Food & Nightlife

Eat, drink, and be merry

The food in Ghana is delicious! The menu often revolves around rice or another starch like a pounded dough that you dip into soup or stew. There is a lot of chicken, tilapia, and some beef and goat. Beans are almost always on the plate along with any type of plantain that you can imagine: fried, roasted, in chip form, double fried, sweet or salty. Beware - the food is usually spicy!

Many students in the program are kosher, vegetarian, and even vegan. If you have such a diet, you will be able to follow it fairly easily throughout your stay. Let those in charge of the meal plan know about your dietary restrictions, and they will be happy to accommodate you.

dinner at Tante Marie with the owners and dancing at Alliance Afrique Accra Ghana
dinner atTante Marie with the owners and dancing at Alliance Afrique Accra Ghana

Nightlife

Accra's nightlife is diverse. There are clubs harder to get into than some in New York City, with covers and strict dress codes. While some bars are not much more than a full cooler, a beaded curtain, and a good view of the African night sky. You can often find live music or street performers. In addition, a lot of ex-pat bars and casinos are scattered around Osu. 

  • Visit a palm wine bar during your stay. You can find these along the road, usually tucked away and not much more than a family run pit stop where you drink from coconut shells. 
  • Akpeteshie is a Ghanaian moonshine that you can buy in certain bars for only a few Cedis a bottle (or mere cents for a shot). 
" At least once a week , many of the students would get together and make brunch or dinner in one of the houses. Learn how to make Ghanaian cuisine or an American meal you have been missing."

Student Recommentations

Button: display or hide Restaurants

  • Melting Moments | in Labone | Lunch cafe
  • Assese-Pa | two locations in Accra | Vegan 
  • Frankie's | in Osu | Diner- style US and local food
  • Heritage/Noblehouse | Indian and Chinese
  • The Coffee Shop | in North Labone 
  • Le Must | near the Academic Center | American
  • Maxx Mart | at "37" junction | Cafe with frosted donuts, coffee, hot and iced cappuccinos
  • Haven | in Osu | Sandwiches, salads, fresh juices
  • Mamma Mia | in Osu | Pizza and appetizers
  • Honeysuckle | Pub

Button: display or hide Bars, Clubs and Places to Go

  •  After One Spot | nice for quick drink
  • Champ's | Obroni hot spot, different events (movie nights, game nights, trivia etc)
  • Chester's | club/bar, good for LGBT community
  • Haven | tucked away in Osu | Fun cocktails and healthy food
  • Lizzie's Spot, aka Container | After hours block-long outdoor party
  • Ryan's Irish Pub | A place to hang with other Obronis and watch a sports game
  • Selsbridge | Chicken kebobs, pool tables, and good music
  • Afrodisiac | Nightclub with dress code and cover
  • Bywel | Indoor/outdoor bar with great music and dancing
  • Cinderella's & The Office | Two nightclubs next door to each other
  • Monsoon | Upscale rooftop bar
  • Monte Carlo | Down the street from Tante Marie | Club with food, a bar, a champagne room and game room
  • Tantra | Two level club that plays great music and open to sunrise

Button: display or hide Grocery Shopping

  •  Aunti Maggie's | a little shop down the street from Church Crescent | Drinks, eggs, snacks, and freshly maid breads
  • Top in Town | small convenience store in Osu | One of many groceries cheaper than Koala
  • Koala | supermarket in Osu | Great for picking up backing supplies or ingredients to make an American meal
  • Maxx Mart | supermarket at "37" | The supermarket on the bottom floor sells a lot of imported American food, but it might be pricey
  • Shop Rite | at the Accra Mall | This supermarket is huge and has many American products. The NYU van makes several trips a week to the mall

Student recommendations from Fall 2009. Let us know if this list should change!

Meal Plan

For dinners during the week, there is a meal plan that is split between two restaurants:

Tante Marie (Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights)

This restaurant, which serves mostly traditional Ghanaian food, was the first to provide the meal plan for NYU. The servers did special things for birthdays and were great about making the food we missed or requested. It is a safe and delicious way to sample all of Ghanaian cuisine and a great place to take your parents or friends if they come visit. 

Sunshine Cafe (Tuesday and Thursday nights)

A new favorite that serves Mediterranean, Indian and Ghanaian food, as well as sandwiches and large, delicious salads. Close to dorms it is a great place to go for lunch as well. They also have fabulous desserts - big slices of cheesecake, carrot cake, brownies, and more.

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Delicious Dishes

Banku - a dough made from fermented corn and cassava

Fufu - a dough made from mashed yams and plantains served with a soup or stew

Groundnut - peanuts

Jollof Rice - a rice cooked with onions and tomatoes

Kelewele - plantains that are deep-fried and heavily seasoned with ginger and spices

Kenkey - a dough make from cornmeal, with a sourdough-y flavor, usually served with sauces and vegetables

Pepe  - spicy mixture of chilli peppers and tomatoes, serves as sauce for rice or other food

Red-Red - a bean stew usually served with plantains

Waakye - mixture of rice, beans tomatoes, spices, and meat


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