Waakye Joint

The laidback Waakye Joint celebrates starchy, fibre-filled Ghanaian foods such as banku, fufu and kenkey, pairing them with nutritious vegetable soups and stews such as kontomire with beef, fish and turkey. You’ll find it on Streatham High Road, and once inside, your eyes will be immediately drawn to the large, hot food counter. This might be intimidating if you don’t know what to order, but you can’t go wrong with traditional tofi, deep fried turkey tails accompanied with crispy yam fries and a popular spicy shrimp-based hot pepper sauce, shito, a Ghanian condiment made of dried fish, peppers and spice. Their must-try dish is the eponymous waakye, a flavourful combination of rice and beans served with salad, noodles, fried fish, boiled egg, and shito, but you should also try the red red, a classic Ghanaian street food composed of soft black-eyed beans cooked in a rich tomato stew (the colour of which gives the dish its name), with fried sweet plantain. Expect long wait times, but it’s worth it; prices are cheap and you’re served with generous portions that emulate a chop bar (traditional eatery) experience in Southern Ghana. There’s a second branch on Tottenham’s West Green Road.