Tag Archives: Sao Tome and Principe

Saint Amaro’s Complex

On one of the days in the Sao Tome and Principe, Grandma Gaby took us to see the Turtle Museum. After that we stopped by Saint Amaro’s Complex to eat. We went to the second floor of this restaurant and enjoyed freshly grilled fish, plantains, potatoes, and salad. We really liked the taste of the three different types of fish. The seasoning, the organic vegetables and fruit juices made this place unforgettable. For its feeling of home and tasteful food I gave Complexo de Santo Amaro four starts.

The Kritic says:

  • 4 starts:
    • The fresh flavor and great taste of the food is unforgettable.
    • Kids are welcome and can run around in the huge space of the complex.
    • The place is very clean and has a great view.
    • The prices must be good, Grandma didn’t let us see it.
Standard

Jasmin

Hands down, Jasmin is the place in Sao Tome and Principe with the best lemonade. We went there with Mom’s best friend, Djamila, to enjoy a typical dinner, and we ended up drinking lemonade and eating appetizers. Their lemonade is mixed with freshly picked mint and it tastes fresh, not too sweet, but sweet enough for you to keep asking for more. Their tosta mista, a toasted sandwich with butter, cheese, and ham was also delicious. Mom and Djamila had búzio do mar, sea conch, seasoned with garlic, onions, lemon, freshly picked parsley, and malagueta, a chilli pepper typical from Sao Tome and Principe.

The Kritic says:

  • 4 starts:
    • Good food. Excellent lemonade.
    • Kids are welcome, have space to play and are not fussed at.
    • The place is very clean and has a good atmosphere and service, but also has mosquitoes.
    • The prices are good and affordable.
Standard

Claudio Corallo Chocolate Factory

This is not a restaurant, not a hang out spot, or a café, but it’s definitely a place to go to if you would like to taste the best chocolate in the world. Chaudio Corallo’s Chocolate Factory in Sao Tome and Principe offers tours for you to see the process and to taste indeed true chocolate. I got to taste a cocoa bean, and so many types of chocolate. And fact guys, the chocolate we eat is really not the real chocolate; what we eat is very processed, has too much sugar and loses the great taste of the cocoa. At the Claudio Corallo’s Chocolate Factory kids are very welcomed, we can smash the cocoa beans and taste so many types of chocolate. I tasted 3 Loucuras, Esferas, Ubric, and so much more. My aunt Pirry bought coffee and a bunch of chocolate with orange, mint, and Ginger flavor for me to bring to the US. I love it and if you want to taste some you can order it from the official Claudio Corallo’s web site.

The Kritic says:

  • 4 ½ starts:
    • You learn a lot about cocoa and taste so many types of chocolates.
    • Kids are very welcomed and there are things for us to do.
    • The factory is a cool place to visit.
    • The price of the tour is very affordable, the only thing is that the guide talks a lot.
Standard

Filomar Bringing Families Together

Filomar, according to my aunt Pirry and my Grandpa, is one of the oldest restaurants in Sao Tome and Principe. I didn’t get to go there, but I tasted the food. If seafood comes from the sea, you can call Filomar the sea. So many types of fish with fresh and tasty seasoning, that you keep asking for more.

The Kritic Says:

  • 4 Starts
    • The food is extremely fresh and so tasty that even full you still want to eat more.
    • The prices are good because we ordered from there at least two times.
    • Every time we would order from there, my whole family would get together and I liked that.
My family enjoying Filomar’s food at my uncle’s place.
Enjoying Filomar’s food at my uncle’s place.
Standard

Oriolus Oriolus

Ladies and Gents,

Wondering what this scientific name means? (Mom made me look it up) It means oriole, or in Portuguese, Papa Figos, the colorful and beautiful bird that gives its name to the main spot right now in Sao Tome and Principe. Take out, sit in, BBQ, Pizza, you name it, Papa Figo has it and it is absolutely delicious. Real talk!

Their BBQ has a unique seasoning, it is juicy and comes with fries or plantain chips, my favorite in the whole island. We went to this spot at least three times and the food was always great. Try the curry, try the fish, try the chicken, everything is delicious.

The Kritic says:

  • 4 ½ starts
    • Food there is so good you won’t wanna leave. You will keep coming back.
    • Kids are welcome and can play around, although they don’t have any coloring pages.
    • The place is very clean and there are no mosquitoes.
    • The prices are good and the owner comes around and talks to people.
Pizza
Chocolate Mousse
Strogonoff
Passion Fruit Mousse
Shrimp Curry
Pudim, a flan
Standard

Café Parque

Parents in or planning to visit Sao Tome and Principe,

Want to know where is the spot to take your kids? Here it is – Café Park. Talk about fun! This place is a new spot in the island. It is located inside the city’s Popular Park on the back side.

They transformed a bus into a movie theater, with popcorn, cotton candy, and other cool stuff. They have a place where you can race toy cars, race with small bikes, pretend you are actually driving a car, eat cotton candy, swing, take pictures with the Incredibles, and eat delicious food.

From hot dogs to traditional dishes, Café Park has it all. I first ordered my normal tosta mista and sumol maracuja, but Mom and her friend, Djamila, ordered gizzards and conch (búzio do mar), it tasted so good I licked my fingers. The only things you must keep in mind is that service is very slow, we waited long to pay our bill. Also, if you are younger than 12 years old, you can’t go inside the racetrack with the driving simulator, what was actually a bummer, since is just a simulator, you are not actually driving. But Mom and Djamila explained to me why I couldn’t do it. Because of all that, they got four starts, and that’s that ladies and gents.

The Kritic says:

  • 4 Starts
    • The food was delicious
    • The employees were great, but service was very slow
    • Sao Tome money is complicated, but I guess the prices were alright. Mom kept ordering things, which means it wasn’t expensive
    • They had so much entertainment for kids and adults that the place is absolutely awesome
    • The place was clean and had no mosquitoes
So many things to chose from the menu.
Racing.
The movie theater inside the bus.
My Mommy loved the cotton candy.
Fresh coconut water and my Sumol maracujá (That’s Passion fruit in Portuguese)
Ripe plantain chips. I love it!
Gizzards
Swings.
Conch.
Watching a movie, in the bus, with my sister.
My favorite, tosta mista (toasted sandwich with butter, cheese and ham)
Standard

See It To Believe It!

Hello Ladies and Gents,

It’s been a while, I know! I’m truly sorry, but vacations have been awesome and I didn’t have much time to tell you about the places. So let’s get to it now. Pull your world maps because you are going to need it. Right on top of the equator line, the closest spot to the center of the world, ladies and gentlemen you will have to see it to believe it, there is one of the most beautiful places on earth – Sao Tome and Principe.

Sao Tome and Principe is made of two islands, so the food there is mostly fish, octopus, conch, squid, but of course they also have chicken and all the other stuff you find in the United States. However, things are more natural there, all naturally grown and it tastes extraordinary.

We ate mostly at home or at family members’ houses, but I had the chance to taste the food from Filomar, Papa Figo, Café César, Santo Amaro Complex, Café Park, Jasmin, and the incredible Claudio Corallo’s Chocolate Factory.

Click each link to know more about these places and get ready to be amazed. Sao Tome is a place where you will be very welcomed and you will never forget it. Xauê!!!!! (That means bye).

Standard