Every now and again it’s luck rather than judgement that gets you to the best restaurant in town, and that was certainly the case with La Luna in Malabo.
Basically, we were hanging around town when a Cameroonian woman came up, all excited. Turns out she’d never seen so many white folk in one place. She wanted a photo and told us her story. She was married to a Swiss man and had a restaurant. The restaurant was called La Luna.
Well, it turns out there’s bugger all choice in the city, so I decided to give it a crack!
Table of Contents
The Nightlife of Malabo
For some reason, which I’ll probably deal with in another article, Equatorial Guinea gets called the “North Korea of Africa”. Now, while this is basically bullshit, I’ll humour the rumour. Following this analogy, that would make Malabo the Pyongyang of Africa. Here, there is, or at least was, some synergy. Pyongyang used to be spartan, but now isn’t. Malabo is still spartan, but with some cool exceptions.
The restaurant scene is fairly limited, with Spanish restaurants making up much of the proper dining choice. The city also closes early, so don’t expect a place that stays up all night. There are, of course, a few dodgy hole-in-the-wall bars and street food carts if you fancy something less formal. In that respect, it feels a bit more Eritrea than North Korea. There are few proper restaurant options, and La Luna is certainly one of them.
The Best Restaurant in Malabo? The La Luna Story
Ownership-wise, I’m assuming it is indeed owned by the lovely lady with the Swiss hubby we met. Either way, it’s been a well-known place to go for a good few years.
The high-end nature of the place is apparent the moment you walk in. It’s a huge complex with a swimming pool (which was very clean), as well as views of the ocean.
Then there are the outdoor and indoor dining areas. Outside has great ambience, with the breeze from the sea really making for an evening. Inside, though, is where the cool kids hang out. There were lots of beautiful people hanging around the very well-stocked international bar.
Which leads us to the menu at La Luna…
Basically Spanish, international and African in style, with a real breadth of options to cover most palates. There is everything from salads and pasta to steaks, seafood and traditional African dishes. It is a considerably more varied menu than you might expect to find in Malabo.
A selection of menu items:
Starters and salads
- Mixed salad – 4,000 CFA ($6.70)
- Tuna salad – 4,000 CFA ($6.70)
- Caesar salad – 4,000 CFA ($6.70)
- Fisherman’s salad – 4,000 CFA ($6.70)
- Shrimp and avocado – 4,000 CFA ($6.70)
- Sautéed chicken gizzards – 4,000 CFA ($6.70)
- Sautéed shrimp – 5,000 CFA ($8.35)
Pasta
- Spaghetti Bolognese – 7,000 CFA ($11.70)
- Spaghetti with sautéed beef – 7,000 CFA ($11.70)
- Tagliatelle with crayfish – 7,000 CFA ($11.70)
Meat and grills
- Braised chicken – 5,000 CFA ($8.35)
- Beef tenderloin steak – 6,000 CFA ($10)
- Beef tenderloin skewer – 6,000 CFA ($10)
- Entrecôte – 11,000 CFA ($18.35)
- Hamburger – 5,000 CFA ($8.35)
- Braised rabbit – 9,000 CFA ($15)
- Rabbit in cream sauce – 11,000 CFA ($18.35)
Fish and seafood
- Grilled grouper steak – 9,000 CFA ($15)
- Salmon steak – 14,000 CFA ($23.35)
- Braised John Dory – 9,000 CFA ($15)
- Grilled sea bass fillet – 7,000 CFA ($11.70)
- Fried sosso – 11,000 CFA ($18.35)
- Grouper skewer – 9,000 CFA ($15)
- Garlic-fried prawns – 11,000 CFA ($18.35)
- Sautéed snail skewer – 7,000 CFA ($11.70)
- Braised fish – 9,000 CFA ($15)
African dishes
- Chicken Kedjenou – 5,000 CFA ($8.35)
- Goat soup – 5,000 CFA ($8.35)
- Mutton soup – 6,000 CFA ($10)
- Fish soup – 9,000 CFA ($15)
- Fisherman’s soup – 11,000 CFA ($18.35)
- Mutton Tchep – 5,000 CFA ($8.35)
- Fish Tchep – 5,000 CFA ($8.35)
- Chicken Tchep – 5,000 CFA ($8.35)
- Chicken Yassa – 5,000 CFA ($8.35)
Drinks
- Beaufort – 1,500 CFA ($2.50)
- Desperados – 1,500 CFA ($2.50)
- Heineken – 1,500 CFA ($2.50)
- Budweiser – 1,500 CFA ($2.50)
- Guinness – 1,500 CFA ($2.50)
- Leffe – 1,500 CFA ($2.50)
- Caipirinha – 4,000 CFA ($6.70)
- Mojito – 5,000 CFA ($8.35)
- Piña Colada – 5,000 CFA ($8.35)
- Margarita – 5,000 CFA ($8.35)
- Mango Mule – 4,000 CFA ($6.70)
- The Moon cocktail – 6,000 CFA ($10)
- Coffee – 1,500 CFA ($2.50)
- Mineral water – 1,000 CFA ($1.70)
What did I eat? I did garlic-fried shrimp, followed by African-style escargot. And let me tell you, these bastards are HUGE! These are not Pierre from Paris’s babies; they really are massive and taste a bit liver-like. I washed these down with San Miguel, of course, but the Spanish rather than Philippines variety.
Honestly, with the style, price, ambience and the whole nine yards, it was the best meal I had in Equatorial Guinea.
Where is La Luna?
La Luna
Calle Argelia, opposite Malabo Port
Malabo, Bioko Norte
Equatorial Guinea
Complejo La Luna
Calle de Argelia, frente al puerto de Malabo
Malabo, Bioko Norte
Guinea Ecuatorial
Telephone: +240 333 096 096
Email: restaurantelaluna@gmail.com
Therefore, I, The Street Food Guy, declare La Luna the best restaurant in Malabo.
Click to see my tours to Equatorial Guinea with Young Pioneer Tours!