Venus

Women may be from Venus, and this is where you’ll probably find me on a Friday night. It’s been around for a minute, and in the ephemeral night scene in Accra, that’s an eon. At the corner of 6th st. off Oxford Street, for those who don’t know it, it’s hiding in plain sight. Total, Citizen Kofi, Supreme even firefly have become landmarks for an establishment that preceded them. Venus is far from pretentious and dressed up or dressed down, you’re good to go. It offers a variety of dishes including a Lebanese menu, drinks and Shisha. You find a range of people (teens to people way over the hill) chilling on the patio watching cars go buy sipping on hot or cold beverages, smoking hookah, and utilizing the complimentary wifi. Almost nothing is out of place, a girl reading the hunger games on an ipad, a young entrepreneur working busily on a Mac while having his dinner or a group of debutants excited about their first taste of alcohol. Couples on first or last dates, rowdy boys arguing about nothing or singles waiting to meet up with friends in town.

When they make a Mojito, they make a Mojito, I’ll give them that, but like most good things in Gh, you’ll almost never get it again. The chocolate heaven will have you in heaven and after pouting about the “shortage of mint in the system” you’ll probably have either that or the daiquiris. Otherwise, Long Island, no long tin, or a shot of somethin. When it comes to drinks here, it’s no frills…in a good way.The food is pretty good, the basic hummus platter that comes with the standard pita and a side of veges is the best I’ve had in town, and you can get anything from Khebab to pasta…technically

 The anteroom has a bar and a tv, so u can watch say…the opening ceremony of the Olympics, large high hard wood tables for you to drink, eat or do some shisha on, unlike the inner room which is totally       different, with couches and low tables where you’re surprisingly not allowed to use a hookah pipe! There’s also a secret garden that you can sit in, if you really want to be incognito.

On a good night, there’ll probably be a queue to use the restroom, but you really can’t complain, it’s almost always clean and the hand dryer always works! The staff are friendly and you can become a “regular” on first name basis with them on your 2nd visit J The proprietor is also almost always there, so make sure you say hi when you swing by.