Africa's street food reflects ingredients and cooking methods that rarely make it onto restaurant menus, with grilling techniques and snack traditions operating on customs passed down rather than written into any cookbook. Different regions each bring their own distinct specialities to the wider continent's street food culture.
The destinations on this list range from North African market stalls that have operated in the same spots for generations to West and East African markets built around a single specialty, grilled meat or spiced stew served from a single pot.
Eating where the queue is longest remains the most reliable strategy across the continent, since turnover and freshness matter more than appearance at most stalls. Carrying small denominations of local currency also tends to make transactions at busy stalls considerably smoother and faster.
