Behind a chop bar in Accra, someone is pounding fufu: a heavy wooden pestle rises and falls into a mortar while a second person turns the dough between strokes, fingers flashing in and out. The rhythm carries into the dining room, where bowls of soup and swallow are already on the tables.
A chop bar is a traditional Ghanaian eatery serving home-style local food at low prices: fufu with light soup or groundnut soup, banku with grilled tilapia and pepper sauce, waakye (rice and beans), red red (bean stew with fried plantain) and jollof rice. Accra has chop bars in every neighbourhood, from roadside shacks to larger, well-known restaurants. In 2026 a plate typically costs roughly GHS 30–100. Ghana has a significant Muslim population, and waakye and many dishes are sold by Muslim vendors, but meat at ordinary chop bars is not always halal, so ask.
This guide explains the food, how to eat fufu properly, where to go, halal points, prices and a few words of Twi.
“Swallows” and soups
Ghanaian meals are built around a starchy “swallow” eaten with soup or stew. You tear a piece, dip it and swallow, rather than chew.
| Swallow | Made from | Usually served with |
|---|---|---|
| Fufu | Pounded cassava and plantain | Light soup (spicy tomato soup), groundnut soup or palm nut soup |
| Banku | Fermented corn and cassava dough, cooked and stirred | Grilled tilapia and hot pepper sauce, or okra stew |
| Kenkey | Fermented corn dough wrapped in leaves and steamed | Fried fish, pepper sauce and shito |
| Ampesi | Boiled yam, plantain or cocoyam | Kontomire (cocoyam leaf) stew |
Other chop bar favourites
- Waakye – rice and beans cooked with dried sorghum leaves, which turn it reddish-brown, served with shito (black chilli sauce), gari, spaghetti, boiled egg and fried fish or meat. A breakfast and lunch favourite.
- Red red – black-eyed bean stew in red palm oil, with fried ripe plantain.
- Jollof rice – rice cooked in spiced tomato sauce; Ghana and Nigeria argue cheerfully about who makes it better.
- Kelewele – spicy fried plantain cubes with ginger and chilli, an evening street snack.
- Tilapia – whole grilled fish, often from Lake Volta.
How to eat fufu
- Wash your hands at the basin; chop bars always have one.
- Use your right hand only.
- Pinch off a small piece of fufu with your fingers.
- Make a small dent with your thumb, scoop some soup, and swallow without chewing.
- Eat the meat or fish from the soup with your fingers.
- Wash your hands again at the end.
Halal note: Ghana has a large Muslim community, especially in the north and in Accra’s zongo neighbourhoods such as Nima and Madina, where halal food is easy to find. At ordinary chop bars, meat may not be halal-slaughtered, and some serve bushmeat such as grasscutter (a rodent) or giant snails, which are not halal for most Muslims. Fish dishes, red red and waakye with fish or egg are safer choices. Ask when in doubt. See our halal food travel guide.
Where to eat in Accra
- Neighbourhood chop bars – look for a busy dining room at lunch and the sound of fufu being pounded.
- Zongo areas such as Nima and Madina – halal food, waakye and northern Ghanaian dishes.
- Osu and central Accra – larger, well-known local restaurants that are easy for first-time visitors.
- Roadside waakye sellers – in the morning, waakye is sold from big pots wrapped in leaves.
- Evening kelewele stands – fried to order under street lights.
Chop bars often run out of popular dishes by mid-afternoon. Go at lunchtime.
What it costs (2026)
| Order | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Fufu with soup and fish or meat | About GHS 40–100 |
| Banku and grilled tilapia | About GHS 60–150, depending on fish size |
| Waakye with sides | About GHS 25–70 |
| Red red with plantain | About GHS 30–60 |
| Kelewele (small bag) | About GHS 10–25 |
Prices in Ghana change with inflation; treat these as a guide. Plan your trip with the Ghana food budget calculator.
Useful words
| Say | Language | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Medaase | Twi | Thank you |
| Mepa wo kyɛw | Twi | Please |
| Ɛyɛ sɛn? | Twi | How much is it? |
| “Is the meat halal?” | English | English is widely spoken |
| “Is this bushmeat?” | English | To avoid grasscutter and snails |
Frequently asked questions
What is a chop bar?
A local Ghanaian eatery serving traditional dishes such as fufu, banku and soups at low prices.
Is chop bar food halal?
Not always. Halal food is easy to find in Accra’s zongo neighbourhoods; at other chop bars, choose fish or bean dishes and ask about the meat.
How do you eat fufu?
With your right hand: pinch a piece, dip it in soup and swallow it without chewing.
What is waakye?
Rice and beans cooked with sorghum leaves, served with shito, gari, egg and fish or meat.
More West African food: attiéké in Abidjan and yassa poulet in Dakar. See all Africa food guides.
Sources
- Visit Ghana – Ghana Tourism Authority.
- Ghanaian cuisine and Fufu.
