Lunch in Point E, Dakar: Where to Eat and What to Order

For lunch in Point E, Ge'eza is an Ethiopian restaurant in a villa at 656 avenue Birago Diop, open Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm. At midday, Tuesday to Friday, it serves a Senegalese dish of the day at 5,500 F with water or local juice and attaya. The rest of the week, and for anyone who prefers an Ethiopian table, the menu offers beyaynetu from 7,000 F, vegan fasting dishes from 5,000 F, meat dishes from 8,000 F and sambusas as a starter. The restaurant is closed on Monday.

The lunch options

Here are the options people choose most often for lunch, with exact prices.

The Senegalese dish of the day, 5,500 F. Tuesday to Friday, at midday. The price covers the dish, a water or local juice and attaya. On the calendar: mafé on Tuesday, thiéboudienne on Wednesday, supou kanja on Thursday, chicken yassa on Friday. The detail is in Senegalese dish of the day. It is the simplest formula for someone alone or a weekday break.

An Ethiopian fasting dish, 5,000 to 5,500 F. Shiro wot and misir wot are 5,500 F, gomen and key sir 5,000 F. All are vegan, made without butter, served on injera. The price is without a drink.

Beyaynetu, from 7,000 F for one person. The seven fasting dishes gathered on one large injera, for 1, 2 or 3 people. It is the best dish for discovering Ethiopian food in a single meal.

A meat dish, 8,000 to 9,000 F. Doro wot, siga wot, tibs and derek tibs are 8,000 F; mouton wot, alicha siga wot, kikil, kitfo and tibs firfir are 9,000 F. Note that kitfo must be ordered 24 hours ahead.

Sambusas as a starter, 1,500 F for two lentil pieces (vegan), 2,000 F for meat.

The international menu, for anyone who does not want Ethiopian that day: Margherita pizza at 7,000 F, Diavola pizza at 8,500 F, burger at 7,000 F, truffle burger at 8,500 F, steak and cheese sandwich at 8,000 F.

For whom, by type of lunch

Lunch alone. The Senegalese dish of the day is ideal: one price, no hesitation, tea to finish. Outside those days, a fasting dish at 5,500 F with a juice at 1,500 F (bissap, bouye or ginger) comes to 7,000 F.

Lunch for two or a small group. A beyaynetu in the middle, sambusas to share, a coffee afterwards. Injera is shared and the gursha gesture, a mouthful offered, quickly turns the table into a conversation. To learn more about this dish, see beyaynetu.

Working lunch. The restaurant occupies a villa with a terrace under the trees, a gallery lounge and a glass-roofed room, which offer calmer tables than a classic restaurant hall. Dishes are shared, service is simple, and there is no ceremonial menu to decipher. If you are preparing a business meeting, tell the team the time and the number of guests.

Lunch with a vegetarian or vegan. Nothing easier: seven vegan fasting dishes on the menu. The table can mix diets without anyone being left out.

Coffee to finish

After lunch, coffee is customary. At Ge'eza, the Ethiopian macchiato is 2,500 F: an intense Ethiopian espresso softened with a little hot milk. For a longer moment, the full ceremony is 5,000 F per person: three rounds of coffee (Abol, Tona, Baraka), with incense and dabo, for about 45 minutes. It is best booked 24 hours ahead, especially for groups, and confirmed on WhatsApp.

If time is short, a juice at 1,500 F or an Ethiopian tea at 2,000 F will do.

Practical details

• Address: 656 avenue Birago Diop, Point E, Dakar.
• Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm. Closed Monday.
• Senegalese dish of the day: Tuesday to Friday, at midday.
• Booking: online on the booking page, or by WhatsApp and phone at +221 78 660 07 07. For a group or a business lunch, booking avoids waiting.
• Breakfast: served from 8am to 11am, if you prefer a brunch.

For those looking for somewhere to work before or after the meal, the article quiet places to work in Dakar offers leads. The house also has a café corner with Wi-Fi.

A venue that is also a gallery

Ge'eza is not only a restaurant: it is also a contemporary art gallery, a concept store and an events venue. Between two courses, you can look at the works on show in the gallery lounge, among them Saadio's canvas "Figures" or the canvases of the Lien commun hang. Lunch then becomes a visit. The restaurant page presents the menu and the venue.

Budgets at a glance

To help you decide, here are three lunches with exact prices. A light lunch: a portion of lentil sambusas at 1,500 F and a bissap at 1,500 F, 3,000 F in all. A standard lunch: the Senegalese dish of the day at 5,500 F, drink and attaya included. A long lunch: a beyaynetu at 7,000 F, a bissap at 1,500 F and an Ethiopian macchiato at 2,500 F, 11,000 F in all. For a group, see the meal-for-groups guide on the blog.