Abidjan and other centres have restaurants serving Caribbean, French, Italian, Lebanese and Vietnamese food. There is a growing number of African restaurants catering for foreigners. The best area for spicy African food is the Treichville district of Abidjan. The blue pages of the Abidjan telephone book have a special restaurant section. There are no restrictions on drinking.

National specialities:
• Kedjenou (chicken cooked with different vegetables and sealed in banana leaves).
• N’voufou (mashed bananas or yam mixed with palm oil and served with aubergine sauce).
• Attieké (cassava dish).

National drinks:
• Bangui (local palm wine).

Tipping: Most hotels and restaurants include a service charge in the bill; if not, 15% is acceptable.

There are nightclubs in most major centres. Abidjan is the most lively area with its hotels and lagoon-side tourist resorts. There are also theatres, casinos and bars. Traditional entertainment is offered in some hotels.

In the markets, hard bargaining is often necessary to get prices down to reasonable levels. Special purchases include wax prints, Ghanaian kente cloth, indigo fabric and woven cloth, wooden statuettes and masks, bead necklaces, pottery and basketware.

Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1430-1830, Sat 0800-1200 and 1500-1900.