Outside hotels, there are few restaurants in Ouagadougou and in Bobo Dioulasso. Staple foods include sorghum, millet, rice, maize, nuts, potatoes and yams.

National specialities:
• Rice with sauce.
• Beef and aubergine with sauce.
• Local vegetables and strawberries are available in season.
• Brochettes (meat cooked on a skewer).
• Chicken dishes.

National drinks:
• Beer is the drink of choice and is fairly cheap.

Tipping: Service is generally included in the bill (about 10 to 15%) although it is customary to tip taxi drivers, porters and hotel staff. Tipping is more expected in the better-class restaurants.

Nightlife is particularly good in Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso. There are several nightclubs in Ouagadougou, some with live music, and several cinemas, both open-air and air conditioned. Bobo Dioulasso has a lively street-cafe scene, good open-air bars and restaurants and a number of open-air and air-conditioned discos. The Wassa Club and Les Bambous are popular venues.

Good markets exist in Bobo Dioulasso, Dori, Gorom-Gorom, Ouahigouya and Ouagadougou. Bargaining in the traditional marketplace is recommended. Purchases include wooden statuettes, bronze models, masks, worked skins from the tannery in Ouagadougou, jewellery, fabrics, hand-woven blankets and leather goods and crafts ranging from chess sets to ashtrays. The Grande Marché in Bobo Dioulasso is much smaller and less cramped market.

Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0800-1200 and 1500-1800. Some shops may be open Sunday and there are daily markets in the main towns.