Benin City's food scene is built on Edo cuisine — hearty, flavorful dishes that reflect the agricultural south. Pounded yam with ogbono or egusi soup is the staple, and you will find it everywhere from roadside stalls to sit-down restaurants. Rice and beans, yam porridge, and pepper soup made with goat or fish are also common. Palm wine and locally distilled ogogoro are the traditional drinks, though Nigerian beers and soft drinks are widely available.
Most restaurants serve straightforward Nigerian food at reasonable prices. Roadside cafes along the main routes offer pounded yam, grilled meat, and local cheese. For something more polished, the hotels around Ring Road have restaurants with broader menus. Bargain meals can be found throughout the city — a full plate of pounded yam with soup rarely costs more than a few hundred naira.