A Taste of Windhoek

Namibia is well known for its hospitality towards visitors and in this tradition restaurants and bars in the capital of Windhoek, will make any visitor feel at home and cater to a variety of culinary tastes.
Namibia’s free range beef is of the finest in the world. Cattle are allowed to roam freely in pastures and feed naturally. This means no feedlotting, no antibiotics and no growth hormones, allowing the end product to be as natural as possible.

Meat from free range animals is much higher in beta-carotene and Omega-3, which research has shown helps prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease.
As an added measure to promote environmental awareness, producers who sign the Free range contract with the Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco) also agree to deal responsibly with predatory problems by not making use of poison or gin traps that could lead to the unnecessary cruel death of predators.
The prime Namibian beef is widely available in all Namibian restaurants and visitors to the country will be in for a real treat if they order any of the succulent beef dishes on offer.
Fish is one of Namibia’s prime export commodities and a wide variety of locally caught fish and rock lobster are also offered in Namibian eateries.

Also look out for Namibian oysters, produced at oyster farms at the coast.
No visit to Windhoek is complete without a leisurely evening spent at the renowned eatery, Joe’s Beer house. The atmosphere of this unique pub and restaurant with its very original witty decor, is unequalled. Visitors are kept busy discovering memorabilia collected by Joe. In the evening the roaring outdoor fire lights up the venue with its backdrop water feature.

The generous portions of excellent Namibian and German food such as Kudu Steak, Gemsbok Fillet, Ostrich Potjie, Eisbein and Sauerkraut or pork fillet have ensured many happy customers. Joe’s Beerhouse’s food is sourced from the most reputable suppliers to ensure freshness and excellent quality. The meat is well cured and prepared to your satisfaction.

Choose between a variety of local and imported beers, as well as a large selection of spirits, liqueurs, schnapps, ciders and the usual non-alcoholic beverages. A large variety of wines is available. A striking feature of Joe’s Beer house is its ever popular Boma which boasts an open fire lighting up the dark African night sky.
Dining out in Windhoek is however not limited to typical Namibian cuisine and a variety of international culinary speciality restaurants compete with the best in the world.

The TAAL Indian restaurant in Independence Avenue offers the best Indian cuisine prepared by Indian cooks. For those weary of the strong spicy foods, the TAAL restaurant offers its dishes in different strengths of flavouring, ensuring that even children can partake of the delicious dishes of the east.

Japanese sushi dishes are also served at the Sushi and Twpinyaki Bar in one of Windhoek’s prestigious shopping malls, Maerua Mall and at the Namibia Institute for Culinary Education (NICE).
Meat lovers can look forward to sumptuous portions of the best Namibian beef and mutton at the El Gaucho Argentine Grill where food is prepared Argentinian style. The Cattle Baron is another excellent venue to sample the best of Namibia’s beef, regarded internationally as some of the finest.

For Italian delicacies Primi Piatti in Maerua Mall offers generous portions at very reasonable prices. O’ Portuga in Nelson Mandela Avenue specialises in typical Portuguese cuisine while a variety Chinese restaurants bring the flavour of the orient to Windhoek tables.

Namibia’s rich cultural history is also represented in the number of typical German restaurants, like Bauernstube, Am Weinberg and Gatherman Restaurant, where locally produced Namibian products are prepared in the best German cuisine tradition.
These are by no means the only restaurants and bars in the capital city, but just a sample of the wide variety available.

By Estelle de Bruyn