This Weekend Under $60: Ghana Cafe

At times life around Foggy Bottom can seem a bit sanitized. Aside from the usual shenanigans associated with such a close proximity to an undergraduate university, at times the night life here can feel tame, with parts of the neighborhood seeming just plain dead. This week's Weekend Under $60 gives you a taste of a slightly wilder night at Adams Morgan's Ghana Cafe.

Tucked away in this infamously wild neighborhood, Ghana cafe offers authentic (at least to this writer's tastes) West African food accompanied by regional beers. The few tables in the restaurant are picnic-style seating, and there's no real waiting staff so to speak. However, the waiter/bartender/host/perhaps even cook will happily accommodate any of your numerous questions concerning the menu. A variety of stews make up the menu, most served with some type of rice. You will find all of them hearty and delicious. It is one of a handful of restaurants in the area that proudly serves goat (which as it turns out isn't half bad). Order a side of kelewele, a traditional dish of spiced and diced plantains. If able, order one of their many African beers to compliment the meal (Tusker would be a personal favorite).

However, the true allure of Ghana Cafe has is not just the food. While tasty enough, and certainly an interesting enough experience, the live reggae band makes the evening memorable. Anytime between 9 and 10:30 on Friday and Saturday nights Qleen Cut, the house band, arrives and performs. The relatively small restaurant fills up quickly with a mix of humanity as diverse as the food. I was lucky enough to encounter an entire bridal party there upon my last visit. Upstairs, with an auxiliary bar and dance floor, a DJ starts playing Afro-pop. Choose your poison or mingle with both crowds, enjoying a truly diverse evening.

Jollof Rice w/ stew: $10.95
Kelewele: $6
Tusker Lager: $6
Cab ride home: $8

Total: $33 plus tax and tip

Directions: Orange line to Metro Center, Red Line to Adam's Morgan. Exit and head towards Calvert street, turn left and walk until Adams Mill Rd. Turn right and walk until 18th St.