Cotonou's street food scene centres on the roadside grill. From late afternoon, vendors fire up charcoal braziers across the city, cooking brochettes of beef and mutton, whole grilled fish, and chicken seasoned with ground chilli and ginger. The best concentrations are along the Boulevard Saint-Michel and around the Jonquet quarter. Look for a grill with a crowd of regulars and order by weight.
The fish is invariably fresh — much of it caught that morning in the Atlantic or pulled from Lake Nokoué. Barracuda, capitaine (Nile perch), and various bream species are common. The standard accompaniment is atassi — a mix of rice and black-eyed peas cooked together — or sliced baguette. Cotonou's baguette tradition is a genuine legacy of French presence; the city has excellent bread, available everywhere from early morning.