Traditional German food has had a strong impact on Namibian cuisine. Basic foods here are millet or corn porridge with fish stews or meat. Seafood is fresh and readily available in Namibia due to the country's access to the sea, and is an important part of local cuisine. People here eat lots of meat, pasta, rice, and vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage and celery. Other favourites in Namibia are sausage, ham, pork, lamb, poultry, rabbit, as well as frog.
Namibia is famous across Africa for its exotic flavours and ingredients, which give the cuisine a distinctive taste.
This Namibia Restaurant Guide gives an indication of what kind of food you can expect to encounter on a trip to Namibia. Eating out in Namibia will be a memorable part of your Namibia holiday and we have listed a number of restaurants which you may wish to dine at during your stay. And don't forget to do some shopping in Namibia and explore the local markets. Find out what the local Namibia dining scene is like in the destinations below, as well as some of our local suggestions on places to have a meal. We currently have food and cuisine information for:
- Caprivi Strip
- Coastal Namibia
- Etosha & North Namibia
- Sossusvlei & South Namibia
- Windhoek & Central Namibia
Food & Cuisine in Namibia
Local Cuisine
Namibian food is varied and interesting. In southern Namibia, corn is used in a big way. Bread made from corn is usually accompanied by shellfish and sauces that are either made from seasonal ingredients or are tomato-based. In the southern regions of the country, the local Namibia cuisine is dominated by meat such as chicken and schnitzel, as well as fish and other fresh seafood. You can also find dishes prepared from beef, goat, and - hold your breath - bush rat!
Because of the dry climate, the most preferred vegetables are beans, couscous and tomatoes. Rice is also eaten. It is easy to find wonderful fruits, particularly oranges, mandarin oranges, bananas, kiwi, pineapples, peanuts and avocado. However, many of the fruits and vegetables in Namibia are imported, and are therefore rather expensive. In the western region of the country, a dish of beans and rice is eaten as an appetiser.
Namibia produces top quality mutton and beef. Food is also prepared from game birds, ostrich, zebra, and seafood like rock lobster, oysters and kabeljou. The Namibians love to cook outdoors. There's delicious and traditional barbecued meat such as braaivleis - a meal in itself, and potjiekos, a stew of chicken, fish or other meat, cooked in a three-legged, cast-iron pot.
If you're a vegetarian you will not find much choice in Namibia, where meat is the preferred fare. However, you can be a vegetarian in Namibia as there are some Peace Corps workers here who manage to remain vegetarian for their entire two-year stay in this country.
Many restaurants and cafes in Windhoek also serve local and international cuisine. In fact, in this city, you will anything you want to eat.
On March 21, the national day of Namibia, people barbecue meat (braai), and prepare potjie. The well-loved braai is prepared from red meat, vegetables, herbs and dry fruit. On special occasions, Namibians make a stew with tomatoes, sea shelves, onions and potjiekos (hot sauce) or biltong. This dish is served with chicken. A traditional snack for the family is Landjäger, a smoked beef and pork sausage, which is believed to impart a lot of energy.
National Specialties
Potjiekos (one-pot bush stew), Biltong (air-dried meat), Rauchfleisch (smoked meat), game like ostrich, antelope, or zebra barbecued on a braai (barbecue), and on the coast, seafood, especially oysters.
Drinks in Namibia
The nightclubs in Namibia stay open late, and are lively places to dance and drink the night away. You'll find them mostly in the bigger cities like Windhoek, Oshakati and Swakopmund. Although there is good beer in Namibia, bars are few and there are many shebeens. Namibia's flagship beer is Windhoek Lager, a smooth, filtered beer, much like the German brews. Another popular brew is Tafel lager.
