What to eat Djibouti? culinary specialties and gastronomy

Restaurants are generally open from 7am-9am to 11pm-00am. During Ramadan, hotel restaurants and some restaurants frequented mainly by foreigners remain open, as do department stores.

Depending on the restaurant, prices can vary from FDJ 1,500 to FDJ 5,000 for a main course. Payment is usually made in cash, but more and more establishments accept Visa and MasterCard.

Tipping in restaurants is not compulsory, but always welcome. Expect to pay around 500 FDJ.

Djiboutian cuisine is characterized by the abundant use of Indian spices. Turmeric, cumin, cardamom and others add their fragrance to many dishes, and especially to the fragrant red sauces that accompany meat, rice and pasta. The influence of neighboring countries is also very strong. In Djibouti-Ville, for example, people eat Djiboutian food, of course, but also Ethiopian, Yemeni and Somali. Stuffed cabri, served on festive occasions and cooked in an ancient earthenware oven, and Yemeni-style fish(makhbasa or moukbasa), covered in spices and cooked in a wood-fired oven, are a must in local cuisine.

Djibouti has a limited or non-existent wastewater treatment system. Tap water in Djibouti is not potable. We therefore advise you not to drink tap water, and to avoid swallowing it when brushing your teeth or taking a shower. Similarly, beware of cut fruit, cold milk, ice cream, ice cubes and raw vegetables in the street. As a general rule, we strongly recommend that you wash your hands often, before touching food and before eating. In the streets, various gargotes sell grilled meat and pasta. As far as meat is concerned, it's up to you to judge whether hygiene is to your liking, but you should be aware that it is always very well cooked, which reduces the risks.

Some rare restaurants are non-smoking, but in most establishments, except for dedicated areas, there are no rules.

In the mornings and evenings, when the weather is mild, the café terraces are overcrowded. It's a moment you'll want to savor too, at least to soak up the local atmosphere. Bars are generally open until midnight-2am. Opening days vary from one establishment to another.

Djiboutians are Muslims and don't drink alcohol. They do, however, tolerate foreigners drinking it, provided they do so relatively discreetly. However, the sale and delivery of alcoholic beverages is forbidden in all districts in the interior of the country and in the working-class districts of the capital. But it is possible to find at least one cold beer in the structures that welcome foreign visitors.

Coffee, tea and soft drinks are the most widely available beverages, but hotels and other establishments in the capital offer the major brands of European beer, as well as some Ethiopian beers, wine and other spirits. As a curiosity, Ethiopian restaurants offer various types of arakie, which can be used as a digestive: honey arakie, coffee arakie, herbal arakie (kosso)... But also Axoumit or Gouder wine, tella (beer made from sprouted cereals), tedj (light alcohol, a mixture of leaves and honey).