Azmera Restaurant

Azmera is the place to go in Accra when you want to taste a wide range of traditional Ghanaian dishes in one sitting. The restaurant on Arku Korsah Road, between Roman Ridge and the Airport Residential Area, is built around a daily buffet of home-style cooking, so you can see the food before you choose and try small portions of several dishes. It has the feel of a family gathering and is an approachable introduction to the country's food.

The spread changes, but the restaurant lists a set of crowd favourites that give a good idea of what to expect. Fufu comes with goat light soup or chicken groundnut soup; TZ, a northern Ghanaian dish, is served with ayoyo soup; and waakye, rice and beans cooked together, comes with beef, wele (cow skin) and egg. Other regulars include gari fotor with egg, fried plantain and avocado, fried yam with turkey tsofi, banku with grilled tilapia, and boiled yam with palava sauce, a stew made with greens. Look out too for tatale, small plantain pancakes, and garden egg stew, made with local aubergines.

Azmera suits families, larger groups and anyone dining with older relatives, as well as visitors who are curious about Ghanaian food but unsure what to order. The buffet format makes it easy for mixed groups with different appetites. At weekends a band playing highlife music sometimes performs, which adds to the occasion.

The restaurant opens every day from 09:00 to 21:00, and the buffet starts at 11:00. Reservations can be made online through the restaurant's website, by email or by phone, which is sensible for weekend lunch and larger parties. Arrive early in the buffet service for the widest choice. Prices are moderate, and it is good value for the variety on offer.

Buffets are a popular way to eat for families and groups in Accra, and this one gives a broad survey of dishes from different regions of the country in a single visit.

Roman Ridge and Airport Residential Area are leafy districts north of Osu, a short taxi or ride-hailing trip from the Kotoka International Airport area and the hotels around Airport City. Combine a late lunch here with a visit to the Ghana National Mosque in Kanda or with shopping in Osu.