The cuisine of Africa tends to vary depending on which part of this vast continent the restaurant owners or their families are from. Split into five different regional variants, including North, Central, East, Southern, and West, the variety of cuisines is a wide-ranging as the continent itself.

In the United States, the main areas for African-influenced cuisines are concentrated in the ten states with the largest populations of African-Americans, namely, New York, California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Louisiana, Michigan, and Maryland.

African cuisine restaurants are becoming increasingly popular in the United States as more residents are becoming aware of cultural food thanks to a combination of food television and the internet. If you’re opening a restaurant and planning to serve traditional or spicy African cuisine explore this list of the available name ideas.

African Restaurant Name Ideas

Madesu beans are a staple in Central Africa.

Finding a name for your new African cuisine restaurant may not as hard as you might think. With only a limited number of African-related restaurants across the United States, finding an available name that’s memorable and makes sense won’t be as difficult as if you were opening an Italian restaurant for example.

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  • Abyssinia
  • Asmara-Africa Restaurant
  • Bukom Restaurant
  • Coco Jambo
  • Congo Queen
  • Couscous Dar Monji
  • Delices Des Mondes
  • Emba Soira Eritrean Restaurant
  • Habesha Village
  • Heart Of Africa
  • House Felfela
  • Jamal’s
  • Jollof Good
  • Kenyan Kitchen
  • Monitin
  • Nuria
  • Pride Of Africa
  • Queen Of Sheba
  • Sahara Restaurant
  • Stanley’s Restaurant
  • The African Queen
  • The Blue Nile
  • The Elephant
  • West African Food Centre
  • East African Food Co.
  • West Africa Quick Serve
  • African Meal Pickup
  • Eating in Africa
  • Dinner Safari
  • Happy Africa Restaurant
  • African Fusion
  • African Taco Group
  • The Nigerian Cafe
  • The Kenya Cafe
  • The Great Uganda Diner
  • Tanzania Take Out
  • Morocco To Go
  • Gather in Ghana
  • Madagascar Meal Co.
  • King of the Jungle
  • African Curry House

Spicy African Restaurant Name Ideas

Typical Ethiopian Injera (pancake-like bread) and several kinds of wat (stew).

Spicy cuisine from Africa normally originates in Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and are centered around a spice mix known as “berbere”. Moreover, with Ethiopian food being one of the hottest cuisines in the world, you are guaranteed to blow their minds with these delicious dishes. Here are some suggestions what are appropriate for this theme.

  • Afrique-Karibu
  • Agadir Restaurant
  • Al-Mounia
  • Along The Niger
  • Anmougar
  • Aron Fils De Tunis
  • Au Roi Du Couscous
  • Au Tajine D’agadir
  • Charly De Bab El Oued
  • El Morocco Club
  • El-Basha Restaurant
  • La Casbah D’alger
  • La Maison Marocaine
  • La Menara Restaurant
  • Laurentina’s
  • L’etoile De Tunis
  • Marrakesh
  • Mei Nifto’ach
  • Mohjoh’s Egyptian Restaurant
  • Moroccan Village Restaurant
  • Nyala Ethiopian Restaurant
  • Promenade De Portage
  • Red Sea Restaurant
  • Refuge Berbere
  • Restaurant Marocain Royal
  • Soleil De Tunis
  • The Spicy African
  • Hot Hot African
  • Not to Hot African Foods
  • South African Hot Sauce

Funny African Restaurant Name Ideas

Hakuna Fritatas makes for a great restaurant name…

Not all African restaurant names need to be serious. You can have plenty of fun with the names you use too. There have been plenty of funny moments in films and tales from the continent over the centuries. You can find a wealth of funny names you can use right here without an on-site expedition.

  • Africa Grub
  • African Delicious
  • African Eats
  • Al Pharoah’s Egyptian Restaurant
  • Amir’s Place
  • Blue Bay Cafe
  • Cafe Casa Blanca
  • Cradle of Life
  • Djibouti Delicacies
  • Dr. Livingston’s
  • Fufu
  • Goodluck Jonathan’s
  • Hakuna Matatoes
  • Jowata
  • Koko Kafe
  • Nubian Nights
  • The Nile
  • The Sultan’s Tent
  • The Vuvuzela
  • The Yummy Authentic
  • The Zambesi
  • Tukul Eating House
  • Tutankhamun’s
  • Waka Waka
  • Waly-Fay
  • We-Mo Morrocan
  • Laughing Man Restaurant
  • The African Kettle

South African Restaurant Name Ideas

Traditional South African cuisine.

South Africa has different cuisine from most of the rest of this continent with influences from the Dutch, British, French, Indian, and other Asian nations in addition to indigenous cuisine. If you’re looking for something a little different for your South African restaurant then we have options for you to consider below.

  • Afrikaans
  • Bantu House
  • Bloemfontein
  • Chakalaka
  • Elandsfontein
  • Jo’burg Restaurant
  • Kilimanjaro Restaurant
  • Kimberly Diamond Kafe
  • KwaZulu-Natal
  • Mandela’s
  • Massai Mara
  • Matabeleland
  • Mpumalanga
  • Pinnacle Point
  • Pitanga
  • Pretoria
  • Star Of Africa
  • Swaziland
  • Table Mountain
  • The Rhodes House
  • Winnie’s Winery
  • Xhosa Bistro
  • Zimbabwe’s Best
  • Zuid-Afrika
  • Zulu Nation

What is a Typical South African Meal?

An example of bunny chow served in Durban.

When looking at typical South African cuisines, you need to consider that much of the cuisine of this country at the bottom of the Dark Continent is influenced heavily from Europe with its own twist in flavors and styles.

Today’s African cooking relies heavily on red meat, whether grilled, barbecued, or roasted, and usually comes with a selection of vegetables, including potatoes, yams, and other root crops, as well as rice and some greens. You could think of this food a little bit like BBQ if you live in the United States.

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And the most popular form of cooking is normally the braai, a type of local grill infusing the rashers of pork, spicy sausages, chops and kebabs, and beef steaks with a smokey flavor. When it comes to side dishes, South Africans usually eat a variety of breads and salads.

A selection of South Africa’s most iconic foods.

Food in South Africa has long been duplicated around the world with the most famous foods originating from the former Dutch Boer settlers.

Biltong & droewors are dried and cured meats that were learned from the indigenous tribes of the veldt, and were traditionally made from buffalo or local springbok. Biltong is the dried meat of African fame, while droewors is a type of dried sausage.

Boerewors is a traditional sausage made from a mixture of beef, lamb, pork, and spices, and shaped into a coil. Similar to Cumberland sausages, the name comes from the Dutch farmers who settled the land.

Cape Malay curry is a dish that has come over to South Africa in the from Malaysia and Indonesia in around the 17th century. Incorporating local ingredients with Malaysian cooking methods and spices, this dish is a must-try.

Bunny chow may have a funny name, but it tastes delicious. The popular street food of Durban, and renowned across the country, it consists of a hollowed out loaf of bread filled with spicy Indian curry.

Melktert (also known as milk tart) is a local version of the well-known custard tarts of Britain or the Egg Pie in the US. Made with a pastry case filled with egg custard and topped wit cinnamon, it’s one of South Africa’s most popular desserts.

More Restaurant Naming Tips

What should I name my restaurant?

If you couldn’t find what you were looking for from our list of suggestions above, not to worry. There are plenty of time tested approaches that can be used to name an African restaurant. Here are a few strategies you could apply:

  • Strategy #1: Country Name + Restaurant Approach. There are 54 countries in Africa with Nigeria being the largest in population at the time of writing. You could use any one of these countries to be the basis of your name, especially if ties into your menu. Examples of this methodology in action include Cameroon Restaurant or Dining in Chad. We suggest staying away from the lesser known countries when using this approach to prevent confusion among prospective guests.
  • Strategy #2: Dish name + Restaurant. If there’s a popular African dish you plan to build your menu around, you can go with that for the name. If you decide to use this approach, make sure you’ve selected a signature dish that you anticipate being a top seller.
  • Strategy #3: Animals or landmarks of African. The African continent is bless with breathtaking landmarks and animals that don’t live anywhere else like zebras and giraffes. Stripes of the Zebra Ice Cream Shop or The Quiet Giraffe Coffee Shop are ideas that fit the bill here.

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