The string of informal seafood restaurants and grill stalls near the waterfront is the best place to eat in Benguela. The fish — cação (shark), robalo (sea bass), carapau (horse mackerel) — comes directly off the boats and onto charcoal grills. Order by weight, pick what looks freshest, and eat with bread and cold beer.
This is not the kind of food that's served on white tablecloths. Tables are plastic, the setting is basic, and the menu exists only if you ask. But the quality of the fish at its best is genuinely excellent, and the prices are a fraction of what you'd pay in Luanda. Arrive around noon or early evening for the best choice.