Going Out

Food and Drink

Western food is available at most tourist hotels and restaurants. Some hotels and restaurants organise Gambian-style barbecue-buffet nights featuring freshly grilled local fish and chicken, spicy stews and rice dishes.

Things to know
With only a few exceptions, Gambian bars and restaurants are more frequented by tourists than locals. Many Gambians don’t drink alcohol, and most prefer to entertain at home, only eating out when away from home or on business.

National specialities:
• Benachin (also called ‘Jollof Rice', a mixture of spiced meat and rice with tomato puree and vegetables).
• Domodah (meat stewed in groundnut puree and served with rice).
• Chicken yassa (chicken cooked with onions, garlic and lime, served with rice or chips).
• Plasas (meat and smoked fish cooked in palm oil with cassava leaves, served with rice or mashed cassava).
• Mangoes, bananas, grapefruit, papayas and oranges.

National drinks:
• Jul Brew is the local speciality beer. 
• Freshly pressed and mixed fruit juice is sold from beach stalls.
• Attaya (strong and sweet home-brewed tea).

Tipping: Tips are discretionary. A 10% service charge is sometimes included in hotel and restaurant bills.

Nightlife

Gambian nightlife is fairly subdued, and is concentrated in the coastal resorts and in Serrekunda, the largest city. The resort hotels put on regular performances of Gambian drumming, dancing and fire-eating for their guests; the best of these are highly energetic, and audience participation is encouraged. Hotels and restaurants also organise more tranquil musical evenings featuring traditional music played on the kora, the West African harp.

Most of the country’s nightclubs and bars are found in the tourist hubs of Bakau and the Senegambia area of Kololi, with a few close to the Kotu and Cape Point hotels. Jokor, Serrekunda’s long-running garden club, and Duplex, newly opened in Kololi, both draw large crowds of locals and tourists, and are good places to catch West African bands and DJs. Major concerts featuring rap, reggae and African music stars from Senegal and beyond are held at Dream Park in Kololi, and the Independence Stadium in Bakau. Further inland, the small town of Brikama has a low-key but significant music scene.

Shopping

Souvenirs can be bought at shops and stalls in the resort hotels, in Banjul's Albert Market and the various bengdulas (craft markets) in the resort areas. Popular purchases include colourful batik wall hangings, handmade clothing, woodcarvings, bead jewellery and traditional djembé drums. Beaded belts and ladies' handbags are also popular, as are books and albums made from recycled paper and West African handicrafts using straw, beads, leather, cloth or metal. Fajara, Kololi, Serrekunda and Brikama have a few shops and market stalls which supply African tribal curios such as masks and textiles.

Shopping hours: Mon-Thurs 0900-1200 and 1430-1800, Fri-Sat 0900-1300. Some shops may stay open until 2200.