O Cocktail (Sao Vicente)

Dining

Seafood abounds in Cape Verde, with delicacies like grilled lobster, tuna, and octopus featuring on most menus, as well as Creole and Portuguese specialities. The most representative typical dish is the 'cachupa' (pictured above), a filling mix of maize, beans, sweet potato and chicken or meat. The larger towns offer an increasingly wide variety of restaurants and cuisines, but on smaller islands, many places will be limited to the lunch of the day ('prato do dia'), which usually includes the freshest catches. Here are the top places to eat while in Cape Verde:

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Barracuda (Sal)

Barracuda, a wonderful and quite popular seafood restaurant, boasts a privileged location on the gorgeous Santa Maria beach. You can be sure that your meal will be served with the freshest seafood, caught by the local fishermen who dock their small boats right in front of the …

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Chez Pastis (Sal)

Another high-end restaurant in Santa Maria, Chez Pastis stands out as much for its unique location and quirky ambiance as it does for its great food and service. They take pride in serving only the highest quality Brazilian beef, though the menu includes local specialities and seafood, as …

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Odjo d’Àgua (Sal)

The Odjo d’Àgua Hotel has four dining options at its superb location at the end of Santa Maria beach. Farolin specialises in fresh fish and national dishes, such as cachupa, Esplanada Palha Verde offers pre-meal aperitifs, Esplanada Porton di nos Ilha is more of a lounge area for after dinner drinks, and Sambinha serves …

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Sal Beach Club

The Sal Beach Club is a laid-back beach establishment serving quick lunches, comfort food, great snacks, and even western-style breakfasts. It doubles as a sports bar and often screens important events on its large TVs. At night, the place really comes alive with food, music, parties, and diverse …

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Quintal da Música (Santiago)

Quintal da Música is a space that combines gastronomy and culture in the very centre of Praia. Typical Cape Verdean cuisine is served to the backdrop of nightly live traditional music. Nationally and internationally-renowned artists have delighted customers here with their music, an experience that keeps them coming back time and time …

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Cafe Criolo (Sal)

Cafe Criolo doesn't look like much more than a shack when you first catch glimpse of it, but it happens to be one of the best local restaurants on Sal. Servings are huge, prices are very reasonable, the atmosphere is vibrant and the traditional Cape Verdean dishes are of the finest quality. They also …

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Restaurante Pescador (Santiago)

As part of the Boutique Hotel Pescador, this restaurant is a step up in quality from most establishments in the country, in terms of ambience and quality on par with fine dining at any great European capital. The extensive menu features always fresh fish, as well as local wines from Fogo …

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Beramar (Boa Vista)

The menu at Beramar is not exactly extensive, but the dishes on offer are made to perfection, a fusion of Italian, Mediterranean and seafood, always with an interesting twist. Expect high prices for high-quality food and service, as well as for the fantastic views of the sea and the lovely …

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Creperia Sol Doce (Sal)

Creperia Sol Doce never fails to surprise its customers. No one expects much from the food, being just a small establishment by the beach with very reasonable prices, but the quality of the dishes is superb. Home cooking and fresh fish are the speciality of the house, as are, of course, enormous homemade crepes …

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Kebra Cabana (Santiago)

Kebra Cabana is one of the coolest restaurant-bars in Praia, with a prime location by the beach and great food. Young, fashionable people wearing their finest threads gather at Kebra Cabana in droves to groove to the weekly live music. …

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Bar Tropikal (Maio)

Bar Tropikal serves authentic Cape Verdean cuisine right on the beautiful Bitxe Rotxa beach on Maio, specialising in raw fish, carpaccio and pizza. Tropikal even has its own ecological farm which supplies the restaurant with the freshest vegetables. Visit in the evening and enjoy the beautiful Maio sunset with one of their specialty caipirinhas. …

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Mercado de Peixe (Sao Vicente)

This fish market is a sight in itself, where fishermen sell their catch of the day and experts fillet large tuna in the back. But what is really special about this place is that you can purchase what you want from the market stalls and take them to any of the surrounding eateries to …

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Cabo Cafe & Restaurant (Boa Vista)

Cabo Cafe & Restaurant is an Italian-run establishment, but the menu offers a diverse array of options, including creative takes on local delicacies and even sushi (the tuna comes very highly recommended). With beautiful setting and decor, and a lovely atmosphere, it's one of the best places for dinner on the …

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O Cocktail (Sao Vicente)

O Cocktail is a popular open-air restaurant, pizzeria and bar that offers great comfort food and cold drinks. The terrace seating is well-loved, as is the live Cape Verdean music played every weekend at …

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